Autoblog

Lionsgate has released the second trailer showcasing that buff delivery guy with the English accent, and if you thought Transporter 2 was an all-out sprint on the ludicrous side, wait until you get a load of the stunts in Transporter 3. It not only shows off more of Statham's body and his 1-liner prowess, it also shows off more bad dialogue, more absurd stunts, and more reasons why it's Crank but with a bracelet and an Audi. It will clearly be a movie where you put your brain down in the seat next to you and then load up on greasy popcorn and root beer with wide-eyed glee. But that doesn't mean we won't see it. Check out the trailer after the jump, and mark your calendars for November 26.

[Source: Transporter 3 Blog]

For as clean and green and Earth-loving as the Europeans are, they sure do some dirty things... like throw a sooty-exhaust-belching racing semi around hairpin turns with loads of opposite lock – up an impossibly green mountain – just for a hillclimb. But hey, trucks and racing aren't illegal yet, so we say flog 'em while ya got 'em. Check out the video of Markus Boesiger, 2007's Truck Racing Champion, and his dashing diesel after the jump.

[Source: StreetFire]

Mazda has already given us a sneak-peak at its long-awaited 2010 Mazda3, and while we like what we've seen so far, we want more. We know that team Zoom Zoom is adding a new 2.5L engine to replace the outgoing 2.3L engine, and that the full Monte will be shown at the LA Auto Show next month, but anything more would be great. We came across a short video clip of the Mazda3 in action, but it's 12 seconds long and shows the same three photos we've already seen with moving wheel animations. Needless to say, it's a little disappointing. Now is as good of a time as any to look at the high-resolution pics we do have in the gallery below, and if you need help imagining what Mazda's top-selling sedan looks like in motion, hit the jump.


[Source: eGMCarTech]

We haven't heard a peep from Carbon Motors in a very long time, but that doesn't mean the company hasn't been hard at work on its purpose-built E7 police car concept. To prove that it's moving forward, the automaker-to-be has just released two shots of a real E7. What's more, the company will show the car to prospective clients – police officers – at the upcoming 115th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference and Exposition. Unlike curent cop cars driven by these officers, usually police-spec Crown Vic Interceptors, the E7 was specifically designed just to do police duty. Instead of a 4.6-liter Ford V8 engine underhood, the E7 will feature a clean-diesel engine capable of running on biodiesel. With a cockpit derived from jet-fighter technology that includes built-in radar, radiation and biological threat detectors among other techno goodies, the E7 sounds suitably high-tech for real-life crime fighters of the modern era. To further highlight this point, check out the video, along with the press release, after the break.


[Source: Carbon Motors via Jalopnik]

Audi wants you to know that its customers are normal people just like you and I, and it's created a series of shorts to prove this point. But instead of showing moms and dads driving their kids to soccer games in a Q7 or going through the McDonalds drive-thru to pick up some chicken nuggets in an A4, the German automaker took a more comedic tack. Before you roll your eyes and scroll down to the next post, trust us on this one, it is absolutely priceless.

After the jump is a three-and-a-half-minute video called "Meet the Beckers" that chronicles a couple driving to the family home (mansion) for a reunion. They seem normal and even likable. The video also shows other members of the Becker clan heading to the reunion, but they're driving a BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus RX350. Instead of pointing out the virtues of Audi vs. the competition, the four-ringed automaker hammers home the long standing stereotypes associated with the other players in the luxury market. The creepy couple in the BMW convertible cuts off a Prius and the driver has a Bluetooth headset on his ear. The Mercedes owner is an old man with a hot young bride, and he he drives away with the wipers going and his blinker on. The Lexus owners are yuppies with twins who appear to have a devil-worship problem. This is laugh till you cry stuff, folks, and an absolute must watch.

[Source: YouTube]
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This past Sunday, Ferrari had its Racing Days event at the Nürburgring in Germany and after the customers got a chance to 'ring out their rides, company legend Michael Schumacher wheeled out the new Ferrari California and put it through its paces. For those of you waiting to hear a lap time, don't hold your breath. The track was wet, the course was the F1 track, and the event was more of a meet-and-greet than a pedal-to-the-metal assault on the GT-R. This short YouTube clip by JurreAG will show you MS taking the California through the first few turns from a standing start near turn one. While you can clearly see that the car has some oomph, there aren't any real references for comparison or hard data for bragging/arguing/flaming yet. Sure does sound nice though, and it beats the last video clip we had of the car pretty much sitting still and posing for beauty shots. Check out the mini-gallery of stills below and the YouTube clip after the jump.

Today we've seen something quite small and extremely awesome: a small-scale V12 engine designed for model radio controlled vehicles. This is an entirely functional model and features twin camshafts and overhead valves. It's air-cooled to simplify things by ridding itself of the need for complex water jackets, radiators and the associated plumbing, though the crankshaft is made from multiple pieces. The lilliputian engine displaces just 87-cubic centimeters, but produces between 6 and 8 horsepower running on a mixture of methanol and nitro methane. The best thing of all is the builders say they will be making kits available soon so enterprising craftsmen can power their RC cars, planes and boats with a real V12. To truly get an idea of just how awe inspiring this little machine is, click past the break for a video of the mini V12 in action.

[Source: Wawu via Carscoop]

If you've been proudly displaying TruckNutz on the bumper of your pickup, you may have noticed that people are so transfixed by your artificial clock-weights that they nearly rear end you. The cleaver testes decorators at BrakeNutz have the answer: TruckNutz that double as an extra brake light. BrakeNutz can be plugged into your truck's existing wire harness, and when you brake they light up a brilliant red as if your F-150 has just been kicked in the crotch. Hit the jump to view BrakeNutz in action, if only to see what happens when you use the turn signal!

[Source: BrakeNutz via Jalopnik]

It's hard to think of a DB-9 or Vanquish as anything other than automotive perfection, so when the Brits in Gaydon say the One-77 is the embodiment of Aston Martin design, color us interested. The ultra-exclusive two-seat supercar seems to have it all: a 700 hp V12, carbon fiber chassis, aluminum body, and the ultimate in Aston design. The One-77 has an exclusive price tag of about £1,050,000 before taxes, too, and even the Paris Motor Show isn't a big enough venue to unveil the full design to the world.

Aston Martin is sure playing up the anticipation for the One-77, and even though there is absolutely no shot we'll ever get to drive one, we're taking the bait. Teasers and sneak peaks are all we're getting at this point, and with a full year before it goes on sale, we could be waiting a bit longer. Aston CEO Bez Ulrich and chief designer Mark Reichman sat down to discuss the One-77 with the cameras rolling, and the two key players on team Martin seem to be in love with this vehicle. Hit the jump to see more glimpses of the One-77 lurking in the shadows, while Bez and Mark shower the mega-exclusive supercar with verbal praise. Now just show us the whole damn car already!

In the wake of Paul Newman's passing just over a week ago, we've seen countless, wonderful tributes to the man written from different points of view. He's remembered as an actor, a colleague, a racer, and most importantly, a towering philanthropist. One of the best non-written remembrances, however, comes from the mouth of David Letterman, who paid respect to Newman in one of his monologues on The Late Show last week.

The whole thing's worth watching, but at around 3:45 in, Dave gets to the story about when Newman called him up one day and talked him into buying a custom Volvo wagon (a 960) with a supercharged Ford V8 underhood. You see, Newman was having one made and was very pumped up about it, so he asked if Dave wanted one, too. And you know, how do you say no to Paul Newman? Dave recounts the whole affair beautifully, and of course, it's also funny.

After you watch the clip, head over to Swedespeed, where in 2003 they profiled a third car just like the ones built for Newman and Letterman, with even more background about Newman's car and what went into the build. This is the very definition of "sleeper."

[Source: The Sheila Variations]