Cars 2 gets British and Italian flavor

Pixar’s sequel to the hit movie, Cars, is taking place on a global platform so as you can expect, Cars 2 will be introducing new characters from all over the globe. Among these new lands are two countries that have storied histories of producing some of the most iconic cars in history: Italy and the United Kingdom.

For Cars 2, Lightning McQueen and his trusty yet rusty wingman, Mater, head far away from Radiator Springs to compete in the very first installment of the World Grand Prix. In the middle of their adventure, theiy are thrust into a situation where they end up trying to save the world from a bevy of evil four-wheeled villains. In between trying to upend the bad guys and winning the World Grand Prix, McQueen and Mater end up meeting a slew of international characters, five of which you can check out after the jump.

Dallara works on its own two-seater sports car

It seems as if the Italian chassis manufacturer, Dallara, has been on the lips of one manufacturer or the other at some point throughout its lifetime with products from KTM and Audi in their past and possible projects with the Abarth two-seater coupe and the Alfa Romeo 4C Concept in its future. With so many projects building up their performance portfolio, it was only a matter of time before the Italian company took on a bigger and more personal project of their own. Dallara is planning on producing its own two-seater sports car with a sniper rifle aimed directly at models such as the Lotus Elise.

Dallara’s model will be built on a new carbon fiber platform and they say it will be economic, efficient, and fun. They also say that it will be the perfect track day machine, "recovering the essence of the Lotus Seven". A small engine will be placed under the hood and, with a goal of keeping the curb weight as low as possible, the new Dallara should be very fast.

We don’t know exactly when this new model will be making its grand entrance into our world, but it’s rumored to be produced in a limited run of 100 units a year and priced at or below 45,000 euro, or about $60,000 at the current exchange rates.

First production Ferrari FF headed for Boca Raton Concours auction

Despite being only five years old, the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance in Florida has become a prime event for auto enthusiasts because of the number of first edition production cars being auctioned off there. In recent years, the Concours has been able to sell off first production models of the 2010 Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro, the 2010 Ferrari California, the 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and the 2011 Audi R8 V10 Spyder, to name a few.

This year, two new highly anticipated supercars are scheduled to be in attendance at the Boca Raton Concours and, as has been the custom for this event, the first edition models of these two cars are going to be up for auction. Prepare to open your checkbooks, gentlemen. The 2012 Ferrari FF and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster are coming to Boca Raton.

The event is scheduled to kick off next weekend, February 26th, 2011, where it is expected to draw even more attendees, most of whom are looking to grab a piece of the first-edition models of the two aforementioned machines. If these people fail to scoop the big kahunas, they can still opt for some awesome “consolation” prices, including the first Audi R8 GT in the US, the first of only 30 Mercedes CLS63 AMG ‘C’ Limited Edition vehicles, and, if you’re a fan of Jay Leno, an opportunity to take a tour of his world-famous garage.

RUF testing ten electric-powered sports cars

The electric car bandwagon is sure filling up these days with automakers from Chevrolet all the way to Porsche, and many in between, coming up with plans to produce or further market their electric vehicles. Now even tuning firms are following in the automakers’ footsteps as RUF, a German tuner, is preparing no less than ten electric sports car based on the Porsche 911. These 10 models will be manufactured in cooperation with Siemens AG and will be presented in the first half of 2011.

The first of the 10 electric models is called the Single Motor Concept and is based on a 997 Carrera. It is powered by a 180 KW electric motor that takes its power from lithium-ion batteries with an energy capacity of 29 kWh. The electric motor has a driving range of approximately 150 km (93 miles) and a maximum speed of about 136 mph. The sprint from 0-62mph takes about 7 seconds.

The second electric RUF vehicle is the Twin Motor Concept with 2-speed Gearbox. It features two transversely mounted Siemens synchronous electric motors producing 250 kW (335hp) with double inverters and an automatic 2 speed gearbox with limited slip differential. This model has an autonomy of 200 kilometers (124 miles) and can hit a top speed of 136 mph.

The third concept we have details on is the Twin Motor Concept with Torque Vectoring. This concept features the same two transversely mounted Siemens synchronous electric motors with double inverters as before, but gets two separate angular bevel gearboxes for independent rear wheel drive as well. It can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in about 5 seconds, while top speed is 111 mph.

Growler E 2011 by Vizualtech honors Jaguar’s E-Type

In line with Jaguar’s 50th anniversary of their iconic car - the E-Type -, the boys over at Vizualtech have designed the perfect car to honor the E-Type. It’s called the Growler E 2011 and while there’s plenty of room for improvement with the name, overall, the Growler E looks like it can stand out from the rest of the four-wheeled lemmings out there.

The car is powered by the same 5.0-liter V8 engine that currently lies under the hood of some Jaguar models with the only exception being some tuning upgrades that could spike its output from 510 horsepower all the way up 600 horsepower.

Head-scratching name notwithstanding, Vizualtech did a splendid job designing the Growler E 2011. It was able to retain much of the old E-Type’s shapes and curves while also adding a modern touch to it. It’s just too bad that we won’t be seeing this car other than in these pages.

2011 Project 599 GTB Eligos & 612 Adonai by SR Auto Group

We’ve just recently discovered the fabulous tuning projects from American tuner, SR Auto Group, whose packages transform any ordinary car into a beautiful work of killer art. Anyone that remembers their Project Pur R8 ’Phantom’ knows exactly what we are talking about. But now, the tuner has moved on to two more sports cars that need little to no tuning to be awesome in their own right: the Ferrari 599 GTB and the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.

The tuning packages for the 599 GTB and the 612 are called Eligos (Great Duke of Hell) and Adonai (Hebrew name for God), respectively. The Eligos combines a matte black exterior paint with a dark metallic color, and a new set of ADV.1 wheels. The Adonai package comes in white exterior paint or a matte white wrap. It is combined with a black roof and a new set of ADV.1 wheels. Both cars feature a red trim for that extra little splash of devilish charm.

2011 Geneva Motor Show Preview

The biggest international auto show of the 2011 calendar year is getting closer and closer to opening its doors when the event kicks off on March 1st, 2011. Unlike recently concluded auto shows we’ve had since the calendar turned to 2011, the Geneva Motor Show is always the one that gets our juices flowing. Not that those other events weren’t any good, but Geneva brings out all the goods. All the big boys come out to play at this event, so much so that making this preview took more days than we expected because everyday, a new model was being announced as attending the event.

Now that the Geneva Motor Show is less than two weeks away, we feel like it’s time to give you a sneak peek on what cars to expect at the event. A lot of brands that routinely skip other auto shows will all be in attendance at the Geneva Motor Show, proving that without a shadow of a doubt, this Swiss spectacle is one of the most important - if not the most important - events in the automotive calendar.