First R8 5.2 V10 to be auctioned at the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance

Audi did not reveal any details on a possible US version for the new R8 V10 sportscar, but it seems there will be one after all. The proof? The first First U.S.-Bound Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10 will be auctioned on February 21 at the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance. Next to it there will also be the first US version of the Ferrari California.

Despite the current economic situation, both cars are expected to draw a significant bid. Proceeds from the auction will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County.

Nissan Qazana - first teaser image

Last week Nissan announced it will reveal a new concept car in Geneva called the Qazana Crossover. Today the company revealed the first teaser image.

Like a good teaser, this doesn’t give a whole lot of detail, but it does kind of hint at something that looks like a Nissan Micra on some serious steroids. Part of the description from Nissan reveals that the concept is a five-door model with back doors hinged in the rear to create suicide doors. We’ll find out how outrageous the Qazana is in Geneva, and how much will make it into production when the car hits the streets in 2011.

2009 Shelby 427 GT500 Super Snake on eBay

Carroll Shelby got a lot of heart(s), and one of the ways he likes to give back is through his children’s foundation. Shelby knows the popularity of his brand, and so a convenient and gracious way to fill to coffers at the charity is to offer special editions of his cars. Back in November it was the Black Hornet, and now he’s doing it again with a 2009 Musting GT 500 upgraded with the Super Snake package.

Ol’ Shell is offering the car on eBay until February 19th. The package includes multiple suspension and engine upgrades as well as design enhancements. Under the hood is a Ford Racing Supercharger upgrade kit that produces over 605 horsepower and 590 ft.-lbs. of torque. Shelby will also autograph the car.

Boehler Concept BS3 based on Audi S3

The Sweeds over at O.CT Tuning have just come up with the Boehler Concept BS3. Based on an Audi S3 quattro every aspect of this vehicle has been modified enhancing its looks, speed and handling.

Starting in the engine bay the Boehler Concept was given an O.CT Stage 3 kit. The kit consists of a reprogrammed ECU, a larger intercooler to handle the added boost; a new intake system and a sport exhaust system to expel the spent gasses. All this is good for 328 HP and one full second off the 0-60 MPH time. A stock S3 has 261 HP and goes from 0-60 MPH in 5.5 seconds. All this performance is dressed up by a host of carbon fiber add-ons for the engine, battery and air intake. The Boehler Concept sits on a fully adjustable O.CT coil-over suspension, with KW springs, that help it negotiate curves. Stopping power is provided by 8 piston calipers clamping onto 372 mm rotors up for fade free braking.

The aero kit was designed by Swiss stylists Color Concept Boehler. The wider fenders allow for massive forged 20 inch MÖZ-Wheels, they are 9 inches wide in the front and 10 inches in the back, wrapped with Yokohama Advan Sport tires.

The rear bumper includes functional down force enhancing fins and frames the giant quad tips that exit out the back of the O.CT stainless steel sports exhaust.

The Boehler Concept BS3 will have a limited production run of only 100 vehicles costing around $87,500 USD (67,000 Euros). At the moment there is no word about any of these tuned Audi’s reaching U.S. soil. Then again, we don’t even have any standard S3s sold here.

Kia Soul’ster going into production?

The Kia Soul might get a new brother. Kia is taking a serious look at the Soul’ster concept for production. "The response was so overwhelming," said Alex Fedorak, a Kia Motors America spokesman.

The Jeepish Kia was first shown last month at the North American Auto Show in Detroit. Even at its premiere Kia officials were talking about engine configurations and production possibilities, which will likely not be too hard considering most of its soul comes from the Soul.

2010 Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst Edition

Vauxhall revealed today the special edition VXR8 called the Bathurst Edition. Sales will begin at a price of £37,995 for the standard Bathurst and £44,995 for the Bathurst S. Current rates put those prices at about $54,500 and $64,500 respecitvly, but no need to call the accountant. Vauxhall doesn’t sell to the U.S., but the Pontiac G8 GXP is a very close cousin to the standard VXR8.

The Bathurst S adds a Walkinshaw’s 122 Supercharger to the 6.2-liter V8. Now the engine delivers 560 hp (up from the standard 431 hp) and 715Nm of torque. This package also includes a large capacity intercooler, high-flow fuel injectors, a separate cold air intake and Walkinshaw-developed ECU map. The standard manual gearbox is upgraded with a high-torque capacity clutch.

Outside, both Bathurst’s receive a distinctive graphic packs, front fog light covers and ‘Bathurst’ badges (only the ‘S’ badge reveals the secret identity of the supercharged model.) Both cars also receive six-pot front and four-pot rear brake calipers, height-adjustable springs and Walkinshaw-developed coil-over adjustable dampers.

2010 Kia Forte

Kia is going full speed ahead with is new image. The Soul is erasing the memories of the soulless Rio, and now the Forte is adding style that the Spectra never had. The Forte has been on sale in other Markets sine August, and U.S. sales are now slated for this spring.

The 2010 Forte is being offered in three different trims: EX, LX and SX. Forte LX and EX are powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine, producing 156 hp and 144 lbs-ft of torque, that features Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) and multi-port electronic fuel injection. The SX features an upgraded 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine, also with CVVT, which delivers 173 hp.

Why are we excited about a new little Kia? Well, budget-friendly Kia seems to be starting to turn a corner. Its Euro-only Cee’d has been getting good reviews for style and performance. This Forte looks great inside and out compared to the Spectra it replaces, and so our hopes are high.