Ferrari 288 GTO owners celebrate 25 years of the Ferrari supercar

Ferrari 288 GTO 25th anniversary reunion at Concorso Italiano - Click above for a high-res image gallery

With just 272 produced, the 288 GTO is the rarest of Ferrari's modern supercars. And because it wasn't officially sold here in the United States, there's just a slim chance you'll ever spot one on the road. However, with 2009 being the 25th anniversary of the 288 GTO's introduction, there was talk of organizing a record gathering that would bring many of the cars together. Joe Sackey, Italian car expert and author of the upcoming The Book of the Ferrari 288 GTO, took the reigns of organizing an event in Monterey this weekend, including a display of the cars at Concorso Italiano. We counted fifteen 288 GTOs in total, including an ultra-rare Evoluzione model that was used by Ferrari to develop the F40. Get your filling of Italian supercar goodness by browsing the high-res gallery below.

Lexus to rename LF-A supercar as LF-L?

Lexus LF-A Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

What's in a name? More than you'd otherwise assume, especially when it comes to range-topping supercars. Exotics always seem to change monikers before they hit the streets, so following Mercedes' decision to relabel its anticipated SLC as the SLS instead, Lexus is reportedly changing the name of its LF-A supercar to LF-L.
According to the latest output of the rumor mill, the switched letter stands for Le Mans, where the Toyota supercar is anticipated to race next year following its earlier race debut at the Nürburgring.
Whatever they call it, the Lexus supercar is expected to feature a myriad of controls right on the steering wheel, from traction control and gearbox settings to toggles for the dashboard displays. Cylinder deactivation is also said to be part of the package, along with launch control and adaptive aerodynamic elements.
Call it what you will, we just want to see it on the road already.
[Source: 7Tune.com]

Noble unleashes 225 mph M600 supercar

2010 Noble M600 - Click above for image gallery

We've seen spy shots, spy shots, and more spy shots of Noble's new M600 supercar. Now the British car builder has finally released official images and details of its latest model, complete with a Volvo-based twin-turbo V8 producing 650 horsepower. Pricing is expected to be around £200,000 (roughly $328k USD), more than twice that of previous models, and customers waiting on the now-extinct M14 and M15 can request for their deposits to be returned if they don't wish to purchase the new car.
As the high price tag suggests, the M600 brings much more to the table than past Noble models. The car is constructed from a stainless steel tub, tube skeleton and chassis, clad with carbon fiber body panels for a curb weight of just 2810 pounds. The 4.4-liter V8 (a first for Noble) has been fitted with twin Garrett turbochargers, and the driver can change between three output settings - 450, 550, or 650 horsepower - with max torque output of 618 lb-ft. Performance will be more than up to supercar standards, with 60 mph reachable in 3.0 seconds flat, 100 mph in 6.5 seconds, and a top speed of 225 mph.
As with past models, Noble aimed to make the M600 a purist driver's car. The traction control system can be completely deactivated, and there is no ESP system or anti-lock brakes. Shifting will be done old school with a six-speed manual gearbox and no paddle shifters will be offered. The M600 will make its public debut at the Goodwood Revival on September 19-21, but in the meantime, you browse the photo gallery below. We'll try and scrounge around to see if we can get some high-res versions.

Toyota will not restart production of Camry Solara convertible

Toyota has confirmed that it will not restart production of the Camry Solara convertible, which it actually stopped building in December 2008.

Toyota last summer nixed output of the Camry Solara coupe due to record-high fuel prices. At that time, Toyota said that the convertible Solara will remain in production for at least two years since Toyota didn’t have another convertible in its lineup.

“It was a car that our customers demanded; they wanted it,” Steve St. Angelo, Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America Inc. senior vice president, said last summer .

However, when the U.S. automotive market started its historic downturn in December 2008, Toyota decided to stop building the convertible and had been considering restarting production.

“Certainly, since December, looking at the state of the industry, there is no indication there would be strong enough demand to warrant (that action),” Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. spokesman Mike Michels told WardsAuto.

Michels says that the Toyota Venza crossover has been filling the void left by the Solara at Toyota’s Georgetown, KY, facility.

Artisan Performance, Reed Speed team up to make 700-hp 2010 Ford Mustang GT

After bringing us a 600-hp SA-600 based on the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, Artisan Performance has teamed up with Reed Speed to offer a high-performance, modified 2010 Ford Mustang GT.

With a pair of GTK350 turbochargers, the V8 Mustang GT puts out an estimated 700-hp to the wheels. The tuning team will also offer upgraded brakes and a new body kit.

The modified Mustang will be sold through Randall Reed stores and will carry Reed Speed SE badge. Sales will begin in the second-half of this year. Look out for the Reed Speed 2010 Ford Mustang at the 2009 SEMA Auto Show.

Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger Coming to NASCAR? Camaro to Follow? - Car News

During NASCAR's annual media tour in Charlotte last January, Penske Dodge Charger driver Kurt Busch said he was looking forward to the new season, which, he hoped, would be better than Dodge's grim 2008 campaign. One reason concerned some new bits and pieces that NASCAR was allowing to be introduced throughout the 2009 season, including a new engine that is just now debuting mid-season.

Just as important, according to Busch, was that the Dodge Charger got a new, more aerodynamic nose piece this year, too. As an afterthought, he added, "Really, it's the Chevrolet nose with Dodge decals on it."

With all four participating manufacturers, even Toyota, cutting back on motorsports support this year, one of their longtime complaints seems ever more valid. That’s that the old "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" adage fades with every NASCAR body mutation that makes the various stock-car models look as androgynous as Indy Cars or NHRA dragsters. No one thinks that the Chevrolet Impala Mark Martin drove to victory at last Sunday's LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway is a real Chevrolet Impala, and the fact that the cars must be labeled in large letters on the front bumper says it all. How can you cheer for a brand, when the cars are so similar?

Keep Reading: Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger Coming to NASCAR? Camaro to Follow? - Car News

Saab Sale to Supercar Maker Koenigsegg Pending

Continuing its restructuring amid bankruptcy protection, GM has announced a tentative agreement to sell its Saab division to Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg. The agreement, if approved, would assist 72-year-old Saab in its reorganization that began on February 20, 2009, when it filed in Swedish court for protection from creditors. Saab Automobile AB would be owned and operated by a relative newcomer to the automotive industry, Koenigsegg Group, which was founded in 1994.

Like the recent sale of Saturn to Penske Automotive, the Saab deal is expected to be completed by the end of this year’s third quarter, subject to many conditions and government approval. One of those conditions is the Swedish government backing $600 million in funding from the European Investment Bank. Financially assisting in the purchase creates an ideal in-house alliance for the Swedish government, which has a vested interest in saving Saab.

Keep Reading: Saab Sale to Supercar Maker Koenigsegg Pending - Car News