Real Car Tips

Report: Corvette Z06 to be renamed Z07, come with twin-turbo V8?

According to a report in Car and Driver, the new C7 Corvette version of the Corvette Z06 will pick up practically where the ZR1 left off. First, they predict it will graduate to being called the Z07; if so, it will be the next General Motors Regular Production Code (RPO), like Z28 and, yes, Z06, to become a model name.

And if you thought a hybrid Corvette was a sharp point of discussion, how about a production version of the small-block V8 with a displacement of "significantly less than 6.2 liters" aided by twin-turbos? That's what CD believes will rest under the hood of the Z07, citing the ever-present concern for fuel economy and the fact that bitumen burners from Cadillac have given up supercharging for turbocharging. The horsepower number is predicted to be an even 600, which would be a 95-hp jump over the current Z06 and just 38 less than the late, great ZR1. Helping to keep control of all that truculent muscle will be larger tires encircling carbon-ceramic stoppers, but CD is mum on other specific changes.

The mooted price: $100,000. This might be the most fabulous new spec of all, seeing as it would represent a $24,400 increase over the Z06 and just a $12,600 undercut of the ZR1. Compare and contrast: in 2001, the first year of the Z06, the MSRP of a 350-hp Corvette coupe was $40,725, the MSRP of the 385-horsepower Z06 was $48,500; if CD is correct, the 2014 Corvette's sea level will be established by the 455-hp Stingray that costs $51,995 and in 2015 we'll be staring down the twin, forced-induction barrels of a 600-hp, twin-turbo Z07 that starts at six figures and that could still be leaving room for a new ZR1 late in the model's lifetime.

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ETC: MO-TO wooden cars are begging for a spot on your desk [w/video]

Normally when we report on promising crowd-funding projects, we're writing about things and ideas that we'd like to see come to life. In the case of this new MO-TO wooden toy car collection from Candylab Toys, however, the online world has already voted loudly that the product should come to market. With close to 900 backers raising about $52,000 more than the Kickstarter goal of twenty grand, MO-TO designers Vlad and Florin seem to have a small hit on their hands.

One browse through the MO-TO promo page, and we can see why. The wooden cars may seem to be children's toys in some of the images, but the forms inspired by muscle cars of the 1970s are destined for the office shelves and desks of car guys everywhere.

Beechwood bodies coated in glossy, high-contrast paint; rubber tires on white wheels; and long, low proportions all make the MO-TO cars pretty slick to look at. The Police Cruiser model is straight out of central casting and likely to be a favorite, but our hearts swoon for the fastback shape of the Rare Bird MOPAR tribute car. A $25 special model has long since sold out, but you can still get into the specially marked Kickstarter cars for $30 (not an outrageous price in the "heirloom quality" world of toys). Scroll below to see more in the MO-TO video.

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Teased: Jaguar C-X17 Concept teased before Frankfurt

Just ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show, which begins September 10, Jaguar is teasing the reveal of a design study to introduce its new advanced vehicle architecture. Dubbed the C-X17, the mysterious concept "illustrates the diversity of vehicles that could be produced using this architecture, which underpins the innovative future of the Jaguar brand."

While it's not entirely clear what this architecture involves or what type of vehicle the C-X17 may be, this reveal is reminiscent of Jaguar's decision to unveil the C-X16 concept, a hybrid electric sports car, in Frankfurt in 2011. From the looks of the teaser image Jaguar released (click above to enlarge), we're guessing the C-X17 will be something between a low-slung crossover and a sporty wagon. But we won't have to wait too long to find out â€" Jaguar is streaming the live pre-show reveal to invited guests on its Facebook page on Monday, Sept. 9.

In addition to the C-X17, Jaguar be showing off the performance-oriented XJR and XFR-S, and, of course, the F-Type convertible. Scroll down for the official press release.

JAGUAR TO UNVEIL C-X17 CONCEPT STUDY AND INTRODUCE NEW ADVANCED VEHICLE ARCHITECTURE AT FRANKFURT SHOW

(WHITLEY, UK) â€" September 1, 2013 - The C-X17 has been created as a design study to introduce Jaguar's new, highly-advanced, modular aluminum architecture.

The concept illustrates the diversity of vehicles that could be produced using this architecture, which underpins the innovative future of the Jaguar brand.

Jaguar will also display its newly introduced production models at the Frankfurt Motor Show. These will include the recently launched 'R' performance models â€" the XJR and XFR-S â€" as well as the highly-acclaimed F-TYPE.

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Video: Rage Comet R is a supercar for the road, dirt and sky

The Rage Comet R can be driven on the road or off-road.

In a perfect world, every vehicle would do everything well. In reality, the Ford SVT Raptor will tear up desert landscapes like no other production truck, but it will also struggle to grip the tarmac at a racetrack. In the same vein, it would be foolish to take a Porsche 911 GT3 dune jumping. The folks at Rage beg to differ and made a vehicle that they claim is as good on a racetrack as it is off-road: the Comet R (R200RT).

XCAR recently drove the Comet R to see if it really is the dual-nature beast Rage claims it is, and it didn't disappoint. First off, it's fast. The Comet R has the 200-horsepower, four-cylinder motor from the Kawasaki ZZR1400 motorcycle; it accelerates from 0-60 miles per hour in about 3.5 seconds, according to XCAR. Looking more like an off-road buggy than anything else, the Comet R isn't an exercise in design, but purely in function. That is, it functions amazingly well sideways at a racetrack, and perhaps even better in an off-road environment. Just slip on some off-road wheels and tires and make some suspension adjustments, and it'll tackle unforgiving terrain and take jumps with the ferocity of a Trophy Truck. In the UK, at least, it is also road legal, so it can be driven to and from track days without having to be towed.

See for yourself how the Comet R handles all types of terrain in the video we included below.

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Report: Mercedes making aggressive plans for Chinese market

In this Nov. 22, 2012 photo, a hostess stands next to a Mercedes-Benz Vito at the company's booth at the Guangzhou 2012 Auto Show in China's southern city of Guangzhou. Global automakers and their Chinese rivals put on sleek displays of new cars at a major auto show Thursday in Guangzhou, the southern Chinese stronghold of Japanese brands that have been hard hit by tensions between Tokyo and Beijing. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Mercedes-Benz is preparing a major product offensive to counteract lagging sales in the Chinese market, aiming 20 new or updated models at the People's Republic in the next two years, according to a report by Reuters. The plan is part of MB's so-called 2020 Initiative, which will see the Stuttgart-based manufacturer dump 2 billion Euros ($2.67 billion) into its Chinese market vehicles in a bid to boost sales to 300,000 units by 2015.

Were it to succeed, China would become the largest market for the Silver Arrow, outpacing Germany and the United States. Leading the charge will be the redesigned E-Class, which is set to launch in China this week. That will quickly be followed by the S-Class, and eventually by the GLA-Class in 2014.

Mercedes has struggled in China, especially relative to its German competition, BMW and Audi. Where Mercedes saw a mere four-percent increase in 2012 sales to 206,150 units, Audi was up a staggering 32 percent, while BMW's numbers jumped 41 percent. While some voices, according to Reuters, accuse Munich and Ingolstadt of boosting their numbers through hefty incentives, the fact remains that Mercedes was just walloped by its competitors last year.

Besides new and refreshed vehicles, Mercedes is also aiming to produce 70 percent of the cars it sells in China inside the People's Republic. Naturally, in-country production will save Mercedes a boatload, which in turn lowers prices and boosts sales without incentivizing vehicles. Leading the charge will be the new GLA, which is slated for production at a joint-venture facility outside of Beijing. We wouldn't count on the S-Class to start Chinese production, but there are plenty of high-volume models that Mercedes could build in China, not least of which is the GLA's platform mates, the CLA- and A-Class.

The idea of Chinese-built Mercedes may be nothing short of controversial, but the brand's new boss in China, Hubertus Troska, isn't concerned, telling Reuters, "The quality of vehicles and engines you get out of our Chinese production is to the same identical levels of quality ... as our cars being produced in Germany."

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