Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Japan, Videos, Toyota

There is likely no end to the amount of fun one can have with an empty parking lot, a few cones and a willing vehicle. Add two capable machines to the mix and the enjoyment increases exponentially. When those happen to be two Toyota GT86 coupes, all that's missing is the not-so judicious application of one's right foot. Two pro drift drivers recently got the chance to fling the GT86 around in a quick battle, and the result is a video that shows just how controllable the GT86 is right out of the box.

While we could think of a handful of other sports cars that are as capable right from the showroom floor, the list of those with price tags as slim as the GT86 and its Scion and Subaru brethren is considerably thinner. Hit the jump for a few lessons in car control.

Continue reading Pair of Toyota GT86s duel in parking lot drift battle

Pair of Toyota GT86s duel in parking lot drift battle originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Performance, Ford

Today marks twenty years since Ford first announced its Special Vehicle Team, most famously known as SVT. With performance mastermind John Colleti at the helm, SVT produced some legendary cars during its first 10 years, beginning with the 1993 SVT Cobra (and its even more hardcore sibling the SVT Cobra R) as well as the 2003 F-150 SVT Lightning. Since then we've had numerous updates to each, most notably the the SVT Cobra of 2003-2004 lovingly referred to by Mustang fans as the "Terminator," plus new models like the SVT Contour and the SVT Focus built from 2002-2004.

Today SVT is alive and well with the lineup consisting of the Shelby GT500 and F-150 SVT Raptor, and we're guessing that back in 1993 no one could have imagined just how far the brand has come. A 650 horsepower Mustang capable of 200 mph or a Ford F-150 capable of running the Baja 1000 in nearly stock form would have seemed insane at the time. And it still does today.

Have a look at some of the vehicles produced by SVT over the past 20 years in the gallery above, and let us know what you think might come from Ford's performance division in the next 20 years in the comments section below.

Ford's SVT celebrates 20 years of Blue Oval performance originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos

Here's a Super Bowl commercial that most of us probably missed, even those of you who stayed on the couch for all four quarters and didn't even get up during halftime.

It's a fantastic car-chase commercial that features a first-generation Cadillac CTS-V and a pair of iconic Panther-platform Crown Victoria Police Interceptors. The ad is promoting high-speed Exo service for Canadian cable provider Shaw, which explains the couch potatoes and flatscreens riding atop each car.

Check it out after the jump, and get another chuckle now that the newness of the U.S.-market spots has worn off.

Continue reading Canada's Shaw creates a Super Bowl commercial, Canadian-style

Canada's Shaw creates a Super Bowl commercial, Canadian-style originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Hatchback, Skoda

On this side of the Atlantic, one Volkswagen division's new product may not have a significant impact on those of another. That's because the German auto giant's brands are kept quite separate in North America. Less so, however, back in Europe, where a new VW is likely to reappear in due time as a Seat or Skoda.

Case in point: the new Up! city car, which is also sold overseas as the Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo. And, true to form, with the Volkswagen brand having enlarged its city car to a five-door, its Czech cousin has followed suit.

And so, starting in May (after its debut at the Geneva Motor Show), European buyers will be able to get their hands on a five-door Citigo, offering the same 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine (in either 60- or 75-horsepower guise) as the Up, Mii and three-door Citigo. Details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Skoda up!grades with five-door Citigo

Skoda up!grades with five-door Citigo originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Classics, Performance, Etc., Videos, Celebrities

Jay Leno has a special place in his heart for steam power. The comedian has a collection of vintage vehicles that have more in common with a classic train than a modern car, and of those, his 1906 Stanley Steamer seems to be one of his favorites.

In 2007, the Stanley suffered a bit of a catastrophic failure, and Leno and his team of steam mechanics have been working to get the vehicle back into ship shape ever since. Of course, in Leno's vocabulary, "ship shape" means better than ever. The Stanley now wears hydraulic drum brakes from a Jaguar XK120 instead of the manual drums found on the original Steamer.

The crew also worked in a set of electric fuel pumps and replaced the acetylene headlights and oil tail lamps with electric versions. The team also managed to bump up the horsepower. The Steamer originally cruised along with a 23-inch boiler, but Leno had a new 30-inch boiler made and installed. It took his shop 26 tries to design boiler baffles that could accurately and evenly spread heat across the full surface, but now Leno has the equivalent of a hot rod Steamer. Pure awesomeness. Hit the jump to check out the lengthy video for yourself.

Continue reading Jay Leno upgrades his 1906 Stanley Steamer Vanderbilt Cup Racer

Jay Leno upgrades his 1906 Stanley Steamer Vanderbilt Cup Racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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