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Toyota Reveals 2013 NASCAR Camry, We Sit Down with the President of TRD Wednesday, 23 May 2012, 1:36 am

And then there were three: Toyota Racing Development debuted its 2013 Toyota Camry that will be competing in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup series, beginning with the Daytona 500 season opener next February. Read full story »

Car and Driver Blog | Steven Cole Smith

2012 BMW M6 Convertible Test: 0 to 60 mph in Four Flat Tuesday, 22 May 2012, 11:36 pm

The 2012 BMW M6 convertible is a puzzling machine. Two conundrums, for example, present themselves immediately upon use of the primary controls. The first is trivial: the presence of a narrow, three-pedal-style brake-pedal pad in a car with no clutch pedal. The second is of infinitely more import to an enthusiast, being that this is [...]

Car and Driver Blog | Michael Austin

Mercedes-Benz May Be Planning C300 and E300 with 248-hp V-6, Documents Show Tuesday, 22 May 2012, 10:44 pm

Mercedes-Benz is preparing a light late-in-life face lift for the E-class, and that may include an entry-level E300 for the 2013 model year. Paperwork the company filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration includes entries for an E300 and an E300 4Matic. Each is described as a sedan with a 3.5-liter V-6 gasoline engine. [...]

Car and Driver Blog | Justin Berkowitz

2013 Chevy Camaro ZL1 Convertible Stops By, Shows Off New Retro Rearview Mirror Tuesday, 22 May 2012, 9:40 pm

Al Oppenheiser sweats the details. The Camaro chief engineer pulled the frameless rearview mirror off of his ’68 and told those responsible for the modern car’s reflective surfaces to “make me one like that.” This throwback element will be standard equipment on all 2013 versions of the retro-futuristic Camaro; we saw it in person as [...]

Car and Driver Blog | David Gluckman

2014 Ford Fiesta ST Five-Door Spy Photos: A Six-Speed Manual, Rear Disc Brakes, and MyFord Touch Are Headed to the Hottest Fiesta Tuesday, 22 May 2012, 4:01 pm

What It Is: A covered-up 2014 Ford Fiesta ST five-door prototype; we saw the car in near-production-spec “concept” form at last year’s Frankfurt and Los Angeles auto shows, and the three-door version already has been fully revealed for Europe. (As is the case with the three-door Fiesta, the three-door ST will stay in Europe. (more…)

Car and Driver Blog | Alexander Stoklosa

This Week on the C/D YouTube Channel: Jumping Cars, Beater Drifting, a Chronic Speeder, and a Doorless Nissan Leaf Monday, 21 May 2012, 9:20 pm

It’s a new week, which means new episodes of Full Hoon, Battle of the Beaters, Driver Rehab, and Car and Driver: Tested on our YouTube channel. Today’s installment of Full Hoon explores car jumping, interesting motorcycle use, and inappropriate taxi drivers. Tomorrow, two teams will attempt to build drift machines from crapcans for a fresh [...]

Car and Driver Blog | Car and Driver

Italian Fashion Editor Creates One-off Mini Cooper S Roadster to Benefit AIDS Charity Monday, 21 May 2012, 8:49 pm

Provided with a Mini Cooper S Roadster as a blank canvas, Franca Sozzani, chief editor of Italian Vogue, created a rolling work of art to mark the 20th anniversary of the Life Ball charity event and auction held annually in Vienna. After coating the Roadster’s exterior in a custom matte finish named “Deepest Purple,” Sozzani [...]

Car and Driver Blog | Andrew Wendler

European Car Magazine Firstlook

European Car Magazine features the highest quality performance imported coupes and sedans.

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster: Modern Romance Friday, 4 May 2012, 11:05 pm

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster: Modern Romance

Ingenious engineering and lightweight components (such as carbon fiber, plus a roof frame featuring magnesium and aluminum) have gone into the new 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster.

Look at the underside of a mushroom. Each one of those little paper-thin ribs is called a lamella (presumably, the plural is lamellae). In the world of Mercedes-Benz, this particular L-word is associated with the context of sunroofs: the kind with slats that bunch up when the roof opens.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster: Modern Romance – European Car Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster: Modern Romance – European Car Magazine

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European Car Magazine Firstlook |

Audi A4: 2012 Saturday, 14 April 2012, 12:04 am

Audi A4: 2012

Four years down the line, the face-lifted 2012 Audi A4 that goes on sale at the turn of the year remains a well-balanced car with best-in-class build quality.

Four years down the line, Audi’s very successful A4 (B8 series) benefits from a mid-cycle refresh. But while the subtle changes to the car’s exterior make it look sharper and fresher, the big news is under the hood of the four-cylinder models where an all-new turbocharged motor lives.

Photo Gallery: Audi A4: 2012 – European Car Magazine

Photo Gallery: Audi A4: 2012 – European Car Magazine

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European Car Magazine Firstlook |

2012 BMW 328i – F30 BMW 3 Series Tuesday, 3 April 2012, 6:04 pm

2012 BMW 328i – F30 BMW 3 Series

With the new generation, the 2012 BMW 328i, powered by a brand-new TwinPower Turbo inline four (N20), has really grown up—all clichés aside.

Hard to believe, then, that this car has been around for so long and held on to remain so successful for so many years on end. With the 2012 model year, it’s 37 and counting. In automotive terms, in an industry where fads—whether mechanical, aesthetic or otherwise—come and go like the autumn leaves, 37 years seems an eternity.

Photo Gallery: 2012 BMW 328i – F30 BMW 3 Series – European Car Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 BMW 328i – F30 BMW 3 Series – European Car Magazine

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European Car Magazine Firstlook |

2012 Volkswagen Golf GTI – Seat Time Wednesday, 21 March 2012, 3:03 pm

2012 Volkswagen Golf GTI – Seat Time

Aesthetics aside, when one gets behind the wheel of our 2012 Volkswagen Golf GTI, it’s “lights-out, Charlie,” as this GTI knows how to behave (yeah, baby!).

Every time I get in and drive a Volkswagen GTI it brings me back to my European car enthusiast roots. Perhaps there is something magical in them that transports me back to simpler times, allowing me to relive the fun and carefree lifestyle of my youth. However, it is more likely that the sixth-generation GTI is so much of a blast to drive that this is quite frankly a natural response.

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European Car Magazine Firstlook |

2012 Bentley Continental GTC – First Drive Wednesday, 14 March 2012, 11:03 pm

2012 Bentley Continental GTC – First Drive

The 2012 Bentley Continental GTC exceeded my expectations on all levels.

A few years back, there was a Guinness ad on TV that ended with the tagline “Perfection just takes a little longer.” This phrase came back to me as I drove the latest Bentley GTC along some of the most challenging country roads in Croatia.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Bentley Continental GTC – European Car Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Bentley Continental GTC – European Car Magazine

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European Car Magazine Firstlook |

2012 Ferrari 458 Spider – First Drive Wednesday, 14 March 2012, 3:03 pm

2012 Ferrari 458 Spider – First Drive

As an incredibly sporting coupe or sexy roadster, the 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider is really a car with two distinct personalities.

It’s morning. Everything is perfect. The sun has crested. It’s pleasantly warm, and I’ve just climbed behind the wheel of a Ferrari. Could it possibly get any better? Yes, when said Ferrari is a 458 Spider with miles of Italian mountain roads and open highways ahead of me.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider – European Car Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider – European Car Magazine

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European Car Magazine Firstlook |

2012 Volvo S60R T6 – Seat Time Friday, 9 March 2012, 12:03 am

2012 Volvo S60R T6 – Seat Time

Ten years ago, the idea of a sporty Volvo wouldn’t have held much sand. The new crew in Volvo’s R&D center has been working hard to change that with the Volvo S60R.

Comparison and analogy are effective methods to differentiate one thing from another. In regards to Volvo’s S60, those tools are ineffective. There’s simply nothing else like it.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Volvo S60R T6 – European Car Magazine

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European Car Magazine Firstlook |