While we’ve heard rumblings that Porsche was going to show its hot new 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept here at Pebble Beach, it appeared that the car was only going to be shown to a select few at private events scattered around the Monterey Peninsula during the week.

Well, today at the Pebble Beach Lodge, site of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company surprised us by driving the hybrid supercar up to the concept lawn for all to see – and hear. They did a quick turn around after sitting still for a second and as the V8 rumble died away, the car started moving forward again. A couple of people were taken by surprise as they thought the driver may have forgotten to engage the parking brake, but no, the car had switched over to battery power.

We shot a little video and took a few pics as we pushed through the massive scrum surrounding the car when it finally came to rest. Follow the jump to see the video and click below to see our high-res images.

UPDATE: Porsche has revealed that the 918 Spyder actually made its driving debut a couple days earlier on a closed road in Monterey. The company kept the drive a secret, though produced a nice video of their own that really shows off how the car sounds under its own power. Added after the jump.

Photos and video copyright (C)2010 Frank Filipponio/AOL

Continue reading Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos]

Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While we’ve heard rumblings that Porsche was going to show its hot new 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept here at Pebble Beach, it appeared that the car was only going to be shown to a select few at private events scattered around the Monterey Peninsula during the week.

Well, today at the Pebble Beach Lodge, site of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company surprised us by driving the hybrid supercar up to the concept lawn for all to see – and hear. They did a quick turn around after sitting still for a second and as the V8 rumble died away, the car started moving forward again. A couple of people were taken by surprise as they thought the driver may have forgotten to engage the parking brake, but no, the car had switched over to battery power.

We shot a little video and took a few pics as we pushed through the massive scrum surrounding the car when it finally came to rest. Follow the jump to see the video and click below to see our high-res images.

UPDATE: Porsche has revealed that the 918 Spyder actually made its driving debut a couple days earlier on a closed road in Monterey. The company kept the drive a secret, though produced a nice video of their own that really shows off how the car sounds under its own power. Added after the jump.

Photos and video copyright (C)2010 Frank Filipponio/AOL

Continue reading Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos]

Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey’s main event – the Concours d’Elegance – is underway on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, but before the winner takes to the podium, here’s what the rest of us poor, oil-soaked wretches can related to.

The second annual Concours d’LeMons played host to the tired, huddled masses at the Toro Regional Park, with a random assortment of French, German, Japanese and American iron that will never grace the surgically manicured lawn behind The Lodge.

We started off watching a shortened VW van doing wheelies and stoppies in the parking lot, then took in the sights and smells of a rotary-powered Beetle, an Opel GT coated in Compuware ‘Vette livery, a 1948 Davis Divan, a few Pacers, a 2CV, a Gulfed Datsun 1600 and, yes, an Aztek, complete with full camping gear.

Get an eyeful in the gallery below and stay tuned for the real winner of Monterey… soon.

Monterey 2010: Concours d’LeMons brings oil leaks and levity originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey’s main event – the Concours d’Elegance – is underway on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, but before the winner takes to the podium, here’s what the rest of us poor, oil-soaked wretches can related to.

The second annual Concours d’LeMons played host to the tired, huddled masses at the Toro Regional Park, with a random assortment of French, German, Japanese and American iron that will never grace the surgically manicured lawn behind The Lodge.

We started off watching a shortened VW van doing wheelies and stoppies in the parking lot, then took in the sights and smells of a rotary-powered Beetle, an Opel GT coated in Compuware ‘Vette livery, a 1948 Davis Divan, a few Pacers, a 2CV, a Gulfed Datsun 1600 and, yes, an Aztek, complete with full camping gear.

Get an eyeful in the gallery below and stay tuned for the real winner of Monterey… soon.

Monterey 2010: Concours d’LeMons brings oil leaks and levity originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pebble Beach is fast becoming one of the best places for new car debuts. Besides seeing the McLaren MP4-12C, Fiorvanti SP1, Perana Z-One, Morgan EvaGT, Jaguar XK175, Jaguar XJ75 Platinum, Boss 302 Mustang, Veyron Super Sport, Lotus Exos T125, Lotus Evora GT4 Cup, and so on and so on, we just got to see the new Bentley Continental GTC and GTC Speed 80-11 Editions. These 80-11 models, designed exclusively for the North American market, will be limited to just 80 units each. The “11″ in the title refers to 2011, the model year of these specials.

These are basically trim packages, adding things like 20-inch, 14-spoke polished wheels, and red calipers on the Speed, but they at least look tasteful. While the 80-11 Editions will be available in any Bentley color, they’ve introduced a new color – Midnight – that will be exclusive to these models.

If the wheels or special color don’t tip you off to the special nature of these vehicles, you might be able to spot them by their little Union Jack badges on the front fenders. Check out the full press release after the jump for more details and be sure to peruse our gallery as well.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips/AOL

Continue reading Monterey 2010: Bentley unveils pair of limited edition Continental GTC models

Monterey 2010: Bentley unveils pair of limited edition Continental GTC models originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pebble Beach is fast becoming one of the best places for new car debuts. Besides seeing the McLaren MP4-12C, Fiorvanti SP1, Perana Z-One, Morgan EvaGT, Jaguar XK175, Jaguar XJ75 Platinum, Boss 302 Mustang, Veyron Super Sport, Lotus Exos T125, Lotus Evora GT4 Cup, and so on and so on, we just got to see the new Bentley Continental GTC and GTC Speed 80-11 Editions. These 80-11 models, designed exclusively for the North American market, will be limited to just 80 units each. The “11″ in the title refers to 2011, the model year of these specials.

These are basically trim packages, adding things like 20-inch, 14-spoke polished wheels, and red calipers on the Speed, but they at least look tasteful. While the 80-11 Editions will be available in any Bentley color, they’ve introduced a new color – Midnight – that will be exclusive to these models.

If the wheels or special color don’t tip you off to the special nature of these vehicles, you might be able to spot them by their little Union Jack badges on the front fenders. Check out the full press release after the jump for more details and be sure to peruse our gallery as well.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips/AOL

Continue reading Monterey 2010: Bentley unveils pair of limited edition Continental GTC models

Monterey 2010: Bentley unveils pair of limited edition Continental GTC models originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re sure that none of you saw this one coming, right? To the surprise of absolutely nobody paying even an ounce of attention, Valentino Rossi has officially announced that he will ride for the Ducati factory team for the 2011 MotoGP race season. It’s a veritable dream scenario for Italy, as an Italian rider will take to the track at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing aboard a bright red Italian motorcycle. Bellissima!

It’s expected that American Ben Spies will take over Rossi’s vacated paddock at the Fiat Yamaha factory team, joining 2010 title-leading rider Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo himself told us as much in an interview ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca a few weeks ago. Rossi’s teammate at Ducati is very likely to be American rider Nicky Hayden, giving the Italian team a duo of riders who have each won world championships – in Rossi’s case, an impressive nine of them, in fact.

Of course, we already knew that current Ducati rider Casey Stoner was transitioning to Honda at the end of the 2010 season, where it’s rumored he could share space with both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso. Read Vale’s own emotional statement about the move to Ducati, which was made shortly after the end of the latest MotoGP round in the Czech Republic, after the break.

[Source: Valentino Rossi]

Continue reading Valentino Rossi makes switch to Ducati officially official

Valentino Rossi makes switch to Ducati officially official originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re sure that none of you saw this one coming, right? To the surprise of absolutely nobody paying even an ounce of attention, Valentino Rossi has officially announced that he will ride for the Ducati factory team for the 2011 MotoGP race season. It’s a veritable dream scenario for Italy, as an Italian rider will take to the track at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing aboard a bright red Italian motorcycle. Bellissima!

It’s expected that American Ben Spies will take over Rossi’s vacated paddock at the Fiat Yamaha factory team, joining 2010 title-leading rider Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo himself told us as much in an interview ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca a few weeks ago. Rossi’s teammate at Ducati is very likely to be American rider Nicky Hayden, giving the Italian team a duo of riders who have each won world championships – in Rossi’s case, an impressive nine of them, in fact.

Of course, we already knew that current Ducati rider Casey Stoner was transitioning to Honda at the end of the 2010 season, where it’s rumored he could share space with both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso. Read Vale’s own emotional statement about the move to Ducati, which was made shortly after the end of the latest MotoGP round in the Czech Republic, after the break.

[Source: Valentino Rossi]

Continue reading Valentino Rossi makes switch to Ducati officially official

Valentino Rossi makes switch to Ducati officially official originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dan Gurney is one of America’s most accomplished motorsports personalities. Drawn together for this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion were a couple dozen examples of the cars that helped transforme Gurney into a living legend. Dan got behind the wheel of over 50 different types of cars during his 312-race driving career. His All American Racers (AAR) team was responsible for creating and campaigning some 157 more race cars piloted by 66 different drivers over a period of about 35 years. Gurney’s touch was felt in Formula 1, sports cars, NASCAR, Indy, Trans Am, Can-Am, Formula Ford and Formula 5000.

Click through the gallery and you’ll see cars like the dark blue Eagle Gurney-Weslake V-12, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful Grand Prix cars ever built. The Henry Ford Museum also shipped out the same red Ford GT40 Mk IV that Gurney and A.J. Foyt drove to victory in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. That win marks only All-American victory in the legendary 24-hour enduro’s storied history. When Gurney took to the winner’s podium after the race, he spontaneously shook his congratulatory magnum of champagne and used it to spray everybody within range. That victory celebration has been copied by countless racers ever since.

Other highlights from the gallery include some of the Eagles that played major roles at Indianapolis in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the Toyota GTP Eagles that defined that era of IMSA Sports car racing. There’s also his Formula 1 Porsche; his game-changing, rear-engined Indy 500 Lotus-Ford; the 1960 “Birdcage” Maserati that he and Stirling Moss drove to victory in a rainy and fog-shrouded Nürburgring 1000 km race; his 1963 NASCAR Riverside 500 winner; the Can-Am “McLeagle” and a 1970 Trans Am series AAR ‘Cuda just to name a few. Click any image below to see the whole gallery, and be sure to check out the rest of our ongoing Monterey 2010 coverage.

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Monterey 2010: Dan Gurney honored at 2010 Motorsports Reunion originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Associated Press is reporting that eight people are dead after an off-road racing truck hit spectators near the start of the California 200 off-road race Saturday evening. Witnesses say the truck had just completed a jump called “the rockpile” that occurs about two miles from the start of the race when it lost control, struck spectators and came to a rest on its roof. Six people died at the scene, two others after being airlifted to the Loma Linda University Medical Center and 12 others were injured. It reportedly took rescue vehicles and helicopters a half hour to reach scene, during which time spectators tried to help the injured. Witnesses say the driver of the truck, who remains unidentified, had to flee the scene after some spectators became hostile and began to throw rocks at him. [UPDATE: Reports of the driver being pelted with rocks have not been verified, with some witnesses claiming it never happened.]

The California 200 is a 200-mile off-road race that occurs in the Mojave Desert close to the city of Lucerne Valley, just 100 miles away from Los Angeles. As with most off-road races of this type, there are no barriers separating spectators from race vehicles that can rocket by at near triple-digit speeds while facing obstacles like jumps that are designed to get all four wheels off the ground.

While the California Highway Patrol normally does not investigate crashes at organized motorsport events, AP reports that the CHP has taken the lead on this one due to its “scope”. The Federal Bureau of Land Management is also assisting. At this point, it’s not known what caused the driver of the truck to lose control, though we expect that and the driver’s identity to be revealed in due time.

The families of the victims will be in our thoughts as we try to process this tragedy, and we’ll let you know as soon as more information is available.

UPDATE: The non-profit organization FAST-aid is accepting donations to assist families of the victims. 100% of the donations will go to assist the families, which is pretty great.

UPDATE 2: Video news reports added after the jump from local news station, plus a CNN video that shows how close spectators may have been to the track.

[Source: Associated Press]

Continue reading BREAKING: At least 8 dead in California 200 off-road race tragedy

BREAKING: At least 8 dead in California 200 off-road race tragedy originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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