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We love the Fiat 500, so when we saw these photos of the Abarth 500 R3T, our hearts grew a tiny bit.

The 500 R3T debuted at the Sanremo Rally in Italy. It’s 1.4-liter turbocharged engine produces up to 180 horsepower. The car features a six-speed gearbox, adjustable suspension and Brembo disc brakes.

According to the press release, the Abarth 500 R3T will lend its name to a promotional rally trophy next year.

Check out the Abarth 500 R3T above, or scroll down to read the press release.

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Today, Maserati announced it would debut the new Maserati GranTurismo MC during the FIA GT Media Days at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. The GranTurismo MC is based on the Maserati GranTurismo S, and the Concept debuted last September at Monza in Italy, and appeared at the Paris Motor Show. It features a 4.5-liter V-8 engine, of which the output has not yet been disclosed.

Maserati will sell a limited series of the GranTurismo MC, beginning in October, for drivers who wish to race in the 2010 GT4 European Cup and the national series. The price should be around 135,000 Euros, the current equivalent of almost $181,000 U.S.

View the Maserati GranTurismo MC in the gallery above, or scroll down to read the official press release.

Aston Martin announced yesterday the debut of its factory entry in the Le Mans Series. The Aston Martin LMP1 car, pictured above, will make its entrance in Barcelona in the 1000 kilometers of Catalunya.

The new car has been tested very little, so the beginning of the Le Mans Series will be the team’s chance to truly test the LMP1 in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Scroll down for the official press release from Aston Martin.

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Alpina unveiled its BMW B6 GT3 in Geneva, which it intends to race in the FIA European GT3 championship. It houses a 4.4-liter V8 engine capable of 530 horsepower and 535 pound-feet of torque. Plus, it just looks mean.

We voted it Most Desirable Car To Drive of the Day.

Click through the gallery above, or scroll down for the press release, in which Alpina calls out the Nürburgring.

 
Jay Leno, famed late-night talk show host, comedian, and car enthusiast, recently took a ride in a Deronda Type G, a street-legal racecar. The Deronda G is a track day car weighing 1900 pounds, and featuring a GM 7.0-liter LS7 engine, and is capable of 505 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque.

Leno made a surprise phone call to Trenton Forging and Deronda USA president, David Moxlow, to ask about the car. After talking shop for a bit, Moxlow arranged to have his foreman, Chris Trapp, take the Deronda from Michigan to Leno’s “Big Dog Garage” in Burbank, California for a test drive.

According to Trapp (and Leno’s thumbs-up in the photo above), the star enjoyed the Deronda Type G.

Hey, Moxlow, when’s our test drive? We’ll come to you.

Scroll down for the full press release.

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Caption:

BMW Sauber F1.09

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In anticipation of the first Formula One race of the 2009 season (ING Australian Grand Prix) approaching on March 29 in Melbourne, Australia, we bring you a collection of the cars you will be watching this year. Not yet revealed are Force India's VJM-02 (Mercedes engine) and Toro Rosso's STR4 (Ferrari engine). The Honda car, of course, is also not pictured as the team's fate is still up in the air.

Click through the gallery above to see the machines Formula One teams will be racing.

It's hard to imagine why anyone would need a more powerful car than 9ff's GT9, what with its 974-horsepower, 711-pound-feet, twin-turbo, 4.0-liter flat-six. In building the GT9, the folks at 9ff had set out to create a car capable of beating the Bugatti Veyron's top speed of 254 miles per hour, but when the SCC Ultimate Aero TT beat that record (by 1 mph), 9ff went back to the drawing board.

9ff has now created an even more powerful version of the GT9, called the GT9R. While no official images have been released, this rendering shows a GT9 sporting an updated front bumper and splitter, new wheel well extractors, a revised rear wing, and a side-mounted exhaust system. Initial numbers say that the GT9R will be able to produce 1121 horsepower and 774 pound-feet of torque and should easily best the Aero TT's top speed record.

Only twenty examples of the GT9 are expected to be built, so it's likely to assume that even less GT9Rs will be made. Pricing for the GT9 is set at €498,000 ($785,677) and we'd expect the GT9R to command even more dough than that.

+ Motor Authority: Faster 9ff GT9 'R' in the works

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Maserati is planning to bring a hardcore, racing tuned version of its effortlessly beautiful GranTurismo coupe to the Paris Motor Show next week, called the MC Corse Concept.
 
Suitable for those Maser buyers who’re more interested in racing than posing in their Italian supercars, the Corse offers quite a few meaningful upgrades over the standard car. The most obvious difference from the outside is the new aero package that the car wears, including a prominent front splitter that is said to purposefully funnel air to the revised and enlarged rear spoiler, keeping the Corse firmly planted on the track. The racing concept has also been lightened – Maserati specifies that the MC Corse weights less than 1400 Kilograms or 3086 pounds – and draws more power from its 4.7-liter V-8, now rated at 450 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque.

Various additional scoops, creases, and a racy white livery complete the Corse package, and ensure that the Maserati stand will be buzzing at the Paris show. Check out the car in the gallery above.

Audi, whose motorsports division has been a dominant presence in sports car racing for a decade, is set to put yet another feather in its racing cap. The German automaker has announced plans to offer a race-tuned GT3 version of its R8 sports car for customer purchase, and set to appear in action by next year.

Looking for the experience of driving a legendary racecar, but don’t quite have the budget to pull off the real thing? This Ford GT40 replica looks to provide automotive champagne on a beer (ok, maybe just slightly cheaper champagne) budget.

Saleen’s S7 super car is a special piece of machinery in any trim but for those buyers looking for the ultimate in performance this S7R racecar is where it’s at.  

Porsche’s Paris-Dakar 959s conquered the desert, but what would one feel like on the road? We found out.

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