This car is enough to make any surfer say “whoa, dude”. Actually, it probably wouldn’t, because I know that most surfers don’t talk like we want them to.

This is a Toyota Venza designed for Billabong for the SEMA show. It has wet suit material on the seats themselves, and even a shower in the back for rinsing. It also has built-in WiFi and cool images topside on the inside.

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Sure, there are a lot of terrific cars at SEMA, and we’ll do our best to cover them all at Car Buyer’s Notebook.

Of course, I can’t resist reporting on this rare and beautiful Pagani Zonda R. Located a few feet near the entrance at the Pirelli booth, there is enough coolness here in this supercar to keep Pirelli in the headlines forever, hopefully.

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We’ve seen several vehicles come out of high profile tuning garages lately, namely John Hennessey’s, but Roush engineering has brought something a bit different to the table; a propane powered Mustang drag racer.

The beastly 5.4-liter V8 engine based on the Ford GT engine powering this thing is capable of over 600hp all thanks to propane power.

The racer isn’t actually done yet but they plan on having it ready to race in the 2010 NMRA competition. However, we will get a glimpse of it sometime this week during the SEMA show, but that car will be based on a 2005 Mustang, not a 2010.

Tags: fort gt, Mustang, nmra, roush engineering, SEMA

What you see above is the recently announced Dodge Challenger set to race in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series. The car will actually race in 4 different races in the 2010 series; Daytona, Michigan, Richmond and Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

As you can see, Dodge Motorsports made it very easy to tell the vehicle is based on the Challenger, keeping the front of the car looking very production like.

We’ll keep you posted as more information is revealed about this vehicle and the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series.

via autoblog

Tags: Challenger, Dodge, motorsports, nascar, nationwide series

A few days ago we saw the Hennessey tuned Genesis Coupe reach output numbers of up to 500hp. Today we have another car coming from the tuning garage and this time it’s a 2010 Camaro.

Pictured above, this vehicle has a 725 hp and 741 lb-ft of torque making for a 0-60 of 3.5 and thanks to 15-inch Brembo brakes the ability to go from 60-0 in just 104 feet. Couple all of this with some carbon fiber body parts and 20-inch three-piece rims and you have yourself a very enticing vehicle.

Hennessey says we will see more of this vehicle at this year’s SEMA.

via autoblog

Tags: camaro, hennessey, SEMA

Knight Rider, look out, as you are about to have some competition. Stanford plans to create a driveless car for a big test drive come next year, up Pike’s Peak Hill Climb.

They’ve already tested their experimental Audi TT-S out at the Bonneville Salt Flats, and I would imagine a successful test at Pike’s Peak could usher in an era of driverless cars.

I don’t think I am ready for that yet. And I better end this report before I start counting too many unhatched chickens.

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Considering that the Department of Defense awarded Oshkosh a $1.05 billion dollar contract for mine resistant ambush protected all terrain vehicles (MRAP-ATV). It is nice to see that the money was well spent. Well, I’ll let the taxpayers decide with a blast force dispersing hull, gun ring top, and bulletproof glass. It’s probably what I would want to be in if I was in Afghanistan.

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Switzer Performance has been around for a while and we already know what they’re capable of but their latest milestone is quite the feat — It was announced today that a Switzer tuned Nissan GT-R has hit 191 MPH during a standing mile. Now, this may not seem that fast but it is a record speed for a GT-R in that short of a distance.

For those who don’t know the Switzer GT-R has 700 HP to the wheels so it’s no surprise that it was able to reach such a high speed in just a mile.

via jalopnik

Tags: gt-r, Nissan, performance, Record, switzer

You remember that old cartoon, Inspector Gadget? How Dr. Claw’s car could retract its wheels, extend a set of wings and suddenly start flying?  I’ve actually got video of said flying car at the bottom of this page.

Butf you’ve got two hundred thousand dollars handy to just burn outright on a car, then you may want to know about a new brand of flying car that was just developed at MIT.

You’ll also need a sport pilot license in order to fly this beast, which can convert from a car to a plane, much like Dr. Claw’s, in under thirty seconds. It can drive at normal highway speeds and achieve an airspeed of a hundred and fifteen miles per hour.

I can’t help but think this is awesome, and not just because I grew up with Gadget and Dr. Claw, either.  The thought of being able to suddenly fly away is a thrilling one indeed, but something would have to be done to keep criminals from using this as a getaway vehicle of choice.

Just like Dr. Claw.

Tags: flying car, Flying cars, Inspector Gadget, MIT, sport pilot's license

It seems that Lotus CEO Dany Bahar is unhappy with the current hype surrounding his company due to its decline since the late 90s. Well, if what he says is true Lotus will be on par with Lamborghini, Maserati and Ferrari soon enough.

Autocar quotes Mr. Bahar:

“Lotus was mentioned in the same sentence as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati in the 1970s-1990s. Then, it got closed into a corner. We believe it’s the right time to bring Lotus back to where it was.”

Will they succeed? All three of the automakers he plans to go against have long been regarded as some of the highest quality, most expensive and fastest cars in the industry, so let’s wish them luck.

Tags: ceo, dany bahar, Ferrari, Lotus, Maserati

If you love cars as much as we do, chances are you also like to see them zooming around on a track attempting to oust competitors in a race to the finish line. And, if you live in Australia, those chances are apparently even higher. Everyone knows that there’s nothing like watching a race while downin’ a few brews but it seems that alcohol related crime is on the rise during events such as the Bathurst 1000 V8 supercar race has lead the government to take a bit of precautionary action.

Recent reports have come from Down Under that let us know that those attending the Bathurst 1000 are limited to 24-beers a day. Yes, you’ll be allowed to drink just 24-beers per day while attending the event. 25? 26? You’re outta’ here.

Honestly though, let’s hope this cuts down on the crime rate during such events to make them once again a joyful experience.

Read (Reuters)

Tags: Australia, bathurst 1000, the great race

Do you have enough money for a Ferrari 458 Italia? No? Me neither, but I like to pretend I do that’s why I got pretty excited that Ferrari has today went ahead and launched their 458 Italia online configurator.

If you’ve played with an online car configurator before this is essentially the same thing, change the color along with various other things to customize the 458 Italia just to your liking.

Check out the Ferrari 458 Italia online configurator here.

Tags: 458 italia, configurator, Ferrari, online

The first we saw of Audi’s e-Tron concept car was at the Frankfurt Motor Show where it remained nothing more than a concept. Now, Audi has come forth to tell Autoweek that the 4,500nm torque of beast is on the drawing board to become a production vehicle. There’s not telling on when we will be seeing it at dealerships but Audi of America Johan de Nysschen reportedly expects pre-production models within the next 2 years.

For those who don’t know, the e-tron is a fully electric vehicle capable of a outputting 313hp (230kW), 4,500nM of torque (over 3,300 pounds-per-foot) and will hit 62 miles from a stand still in just 4.8 seconds and reach top speeds of 124 mph. Best of all, on a full charge the e-tron will be able to travel a full 154 miles.

Tags: Audi, audi of america, e-tron, frankfurt motor show, Production

The 2010 Lotus Exige S240 was officially unveiled in the U.S. and Canadian markets, bringing a new transport solution for conservative and super-charged car fanatics. It comes with a new type of styling with its new rear wing enhancements for efficient aerodynamic performance. This light weight vehicle also boasts of new air intakes to ensure vehicle ride efficiency. Other highlights include a fully independent suspension, a supercharged 1.8 liter Lotus-tuned and 2ZZ-GE engine with Intelligent Variable Valve Timing (VVT-i), airbags and an on-board tire pressure monitoring system. For access and security, the Lotus Exige S240 also comes with a “Thatcham approved” alarm/immobiliser system that incorporates alarm and central locking.

Scheduled to come out this fall, the 2010 Lotus Exige S240 will start at $65,690.

(Source) Manual Gear

Tags: canadian markets, car fanatics, efficiency, enhancements, ge engine, independent suspension, liter, Lotus, lotus exige, thatcham, tire pressure monitoring system, transport solution, variable valve timing

If recent reports are to be believed we may in fact be seeing a drop top convertible version of the Ferrari 458 Italia entitled the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider appear at some point in the near future.

WCF says that reports come to us out of Italy where buzz is circulating that Ferrari will in fact begin producing the 458 Italia that surfaced after Ferrari’s Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was quoted to have said the Spider is coming withing the next couple of years.

Those who plan on purchasing the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider better start saving up now as it’s not going to be cheap. I mean, it is a Ferrari, after all.

Tags: 458 italia, convertible, Ferrari, Italy, rumor, spider