Rumor Central

Find the latest automobile and motorsports rumors and news at Automobile Magazine. Read the latest scoop on concept cars, hybrid vehicles, green cars and motorsports from auto show coverage to personal drives.

[Filling in some empty- space on the MCF & keeping it active with some Auto Rumor's from Automobile Magazine...I hope some of our member's EnJoy}




<!-- Populated on page laod -->Feature Flick: Bentley Mulsanne Battles Mercedes-Benz S65 on Head 2 Head



On this week's episode of Head 2 Head, Motor Trend senior features editor Jonny Lieberman lines up the 2012 Bentley Mulsanne up with the 2013 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG to see which uber luxury sedan. To be fair, the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG wasn't Lieberman's first choice for this ... Read more


Christian Seabaugh on December 5, 2012 3:00 PM
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Study: Electronic Stability Control Saved Over 2000 Lives From 2008 To 2010



A report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides solid evidence for the life-saving performance of electronic stability control systems. According to NHTSA data, stability control on passenger vehicles helped prevent 2202 deaths from car crashes between 2008 and 2010. "ESC systems are especially effective in helping a driver maintain ... Read more


Jake Holmes on December 5, 2012 2:00 PM
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Galpin Auto Sports Plans to Build its Own Ford GT Successor



During the 2012 L.A. Auto Show, Galpin Auto Sports revealed plans to build a supercar dubbed the GTR-1. The project is intended to be a continuation of -- and successor to -- the Ford GT supercar. The GTR-1 will be based on the 2005-2006 Ford GT, with the goal ... Read more


Jason Udy on December 5, 2012 1:00 PM
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Top 10 Heaviest 2013 Coupes



The two-door coupe is traditionally the body style associated with sporty and exotic cars. While that's still mostly true today, entries like the two-door Mini Paceman and giant luxury cars from Rolls-Royce blur the lines a little bit. As a result, not every new coupe is a featherweight sports car ... Read more
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Jake Holmes on December 5, 2012 12:00 PM
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Report: Subaru Considers Expanding Indiana Assembly Facilities



It's always a good problem to have: demand for Subaru cars and crossovers in the United States is up, to the point where Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, is considering adding plant capacity at Subaru of Indiana Automotive, its sole American plant. Subaru's story is much the same as ... Read more


Ben Timmins on December 5, 2012 11:00 AM
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BMW Celebrates Race Success With M3 DTM Champion Edition



BMW had a strong year in Germany's 2012 DTM racing championship, with driver Bruno Spengler bringing home the drivers' title, BMW winning the manufacturers' points, and BMW Team Schnitzer finishing ahead of all other teams. To celebrate, BMW will build a limited run celebratory model called the M3 DTM Champion ... Read more


Jake Holmes on December 5, 2012 10:00 AM
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2013 Lexus ES350 and ES300h Receive Five Stars from NHTSA



The 2013 Lexus ES has had a good past few weeks – not only does it continue to be the brand's best-selling sedan, it also achieved a five-star crash-test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Both the 2013 ES350 and ES300h hybrid scored a five-star overall rating from ... Read more


Donny Nordlicht on December 5, 2012 9:00 AM
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Audi R8 China Edition Has Unique Paint, More Carbon Fiber, Blue Interior Trim



A special version of the Audi R8 supercar is headed to the Chinese market, and it will be limited to just 80 copies. The Audi R8 coupe is only offered in China with a 525-hp, 5.2-liter V-10 engine; the car's 4.2-liter V-8 is unavailable. The transformation begins on the outside with ... Read more


Jake Holmes on December 5, 2012 8:00 AM
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Original 1966 Batmobile Heading to Auction



The iconic 1966 Batmobile is going up for auction. The legendary Hollywood car will be crossing the Barrett-Jackson auction block in Scottsdale, Ariz. on January 19, and it'll likely drive car enthusiasts and hardcore Batman fans wild. Created (and owned) by legendary customizer George Barris, the Batmobile is based ... Read more


Christian Seabaugh on December 5, 2012 7:00 AM
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Revealed: Euro-Market 2014 Audi RS6 Avant Packs 552-HP V-8



The next-generation 2014 Audi RS6 Avant has just made its official appearance on the web. Audi just released the pictures as well as details on the wagon’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, which is said to produce at least 552 hp.The new ... Read more


Erick Ayapana on December 5, 2012 6:00 AM







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Feature Flick: No Helmets, No Lawyers, Lots of High-Horse Smoke in Australia

Written by: Edward A. Sanchez[G+] on December 1 2012 1:00 PM
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<!--leftside ends here -->It may be known by Americans for its exotic wildlife, iconic opera house, meat pies and extra-large cans of beer, but Hot Rod’s Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger found out Aussies like their horsepower and hoonage extra-large as well. The duo’s stated quest of seeing a kangaroo in the wild eluded them, but they were rewarded with a great time of high-horse tire smoke production courtesy of some massively-modified Holden hot rods. Despite nearly 40 hours of consecutive sleep deprivation, 1000+ hp of big-inch machines left them with a perma-smile for nearly the whole trip.
The pair discovered the barely-believable Powercruise series, where high-horse machines with upward of 1000 horsepower come without roll cages, driven by drivers without helmets, and hit the track with the express purpose of making as much tire smoke as possible. Australian vehicles have a reputation for having anonymous, conservative styling, but these high-horse machines are betrayed by the blowers sticking out of the hood, and humongous power domes. Hot Rod’s dynamic duo meet up with ‘Gup’ the organizer of the Powercruise, and are handed the keys to his personal 727 cubic-inch Holden Commodore HSV, which made a brief appearance in production guise stateside as the Pontiac G8, with about half the displacement, and one-quarter the power of Gup’s high-horse Holden.
Finnegan has his first-ever experience driving on the “right” side of the road, piloting the 1200-hp Holden on Australia’s roads. The supposedly ubiquitous kangaroos and koalas evade the pair, and the two take out their frustrations on some isolated backroads by laying down some rubber and making plenty of tire smoke with Gup’s high-horse Holden.
Watch the unbelievably hoonish high-horse action below, and be sure to tune in to the Motor Trend Channel each week, with new content added all the time, to offer top-notch entertainment for enthusiasts of all things wheeled and motorized.
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<!-- .entry-content-->Categories:Australia, Featured Flick, Holden, Hoonery & Hooliganism


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I've seen the Batmobile but I heard they had several. I also seen one covered in velvet because they said it cut down on the glare on camera....

 

Volo Auto museum has one of the original Batmobiles too - it was signed by George Barris - I met him a couple of times too.

 

1968 Chevrolet Camaro Drives as Good as it Looks [Retro Resale]








Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? This custom classic ChevyCamaro combines vintage good looks with cutting-edge technology, allowing it to accelerate, turn and stop better than the majority of cars on the road today.
This frame-up built Camaro Pro Touring features an LS3 V8 powerplant under the hood and could be yours for the price of $129,900. It only sports 409-miles on the odometer, and its House of Kolor Galaxy Gray exterior is subtle yet classy.
The car originated from Pennsylvania, but was shipped over to The Installation Center out in Cleveland, Georgia where it began its impressive rebuild process. The majority of panels were replaced with high-quality restoration pieces before the vehicle made its way to Classic Cars Southeast in Lebanon, Tennessee where the body was fine-tuned to showroom fit and finish. The Galaxy Gray was then meticulously sprayed onto the vehicle while a set of House of Kolor Laser Red stripes contrasts the otherwise subtle exterior.
Under the hood however is a pristine 480-hp GM Performance Parts LS376/480 Hot Cam V8 powerplant. Cooling on the V8 has been upgraded with a Griffin polished aluminum radiator, an electric fan and fresh new hoses. Ceramic long-tube headers and a true dual stainless steel exhaust system expels out all the fumes.
The suspension on this retro resale has been overhauled with products from Hotchkis, Chris Alston’s Chassisworks, and Varishock while the brakes are courtesy of G-street. On each of the four corners are 17-inch Foose Nitrous Chrome Legend wheels sporting Fuzion ZR1 rubber. The interior is traditional ’68 Camaro but has received some custom accents from M&M Hot Rod Interiors and Marquez Design. There is even some good ‘ol Kenwood speakers with Alpine amplifiers to give the Camaro a more sonorous cabin when you’re not enjoying the tone of the exhaust.
GALLERY: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

 

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First 45th Anniversary Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Auctioned for Charity</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.1em; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; MARGIN: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; FONT-SIZE: 0.85em; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top width="25%">
2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible Priced at $60,445</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.1em; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; MARGIN: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; FONT-SIZE: 0.85em; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top width="25%">
1968 Chevy Camaro by Bo Zolland Heading to 2012 SEMA Show</TD><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.1em; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; MARGIN: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; FONT-SIZE: 0.85em; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top width="25%">
World’s Cleanest 1979 Camaro Z28 For Sale [Retro Resale]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

The batmobile there selling is the first he built i belive

 

I heard there were several also. Plus any clones that people may have made over the years. If any.