Porsche has announced the 911 GT3 R. Based on the GT3 Cup S, it is powered by a 480-horsepower, 4.0-liter flat-six. Porsche promises better driveability and easier handling than its predecessor, thanks to ABS, traction control, and throttle blip, making it “more appropriate for the ambitious amateur racing driver.”

The 911 GT3 R is scheduled to debut on January 14, 2010 at the Birmingham Motor Show. It is priced at the current equivalent of $414,950.

See it in the gallery above, or read the press release below.

http://www.carzi.com/2009/11/18/kimi-raikkonen-quits-f1-2010/

These four hatchbacks are up to something, and we aim to find out what. See how these four fiery hatches behave when we bring them together to see who is the hottest. Plus, don’t miss all the other great content in this issue of Winding Road, including:

- 2010 BMW 5-Series GT
- 2010 Aston Martin Rapide
- Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
- Honda Fit vs. Smart ForTwo
- Living History: BMW M5 at the Nürburgring
- $40K Alternatives: Hyundai Genesis vs. Acura TL SH-AWD vs. Ford Taurus SHO
- SEMA 2009

This issue is packed with much, much more, so check it out in one of our two formats.

CLICK HERE to read this issue in our online viewer.
CLICK HERE to download an ad-free PDF from NextNewsStand.

And don't forget, you can buy a full subscription to Winding Road by clicking here. One year of ad-free, downloadable PDFs can be yours for the low, low price of only $4.99.

Written by Hechtspeed from the Hot Rod and Custom Car community at MyRideisMe.com

Mercedes-Benz parent company, Daimler AG, has announced that, along with Aabar Investments, it is taking over a 75.1 percent joint stake in Brawn GP, the winner of this year’s Formula 1 championship. Furthermore, the team’s name will be changed to Mercedes GP, beginning next season.

Ross Brawn, Nick Fry, and other partners will still control the remaining stake, and Brawn will continue as Team Principal.

Also of note, McLaren will buy Back Mercedes’ 40 percent stake in its team by some time in 2011, leaving McLaren independent. Mercedes-Benz will still supply engines to McLaren until 2015.

+ F1 Live: Mercedes take over Brawn GP

http://www.carzi.com/2009/11/15/andy-house-bugatti-lake-crash-video/

Opening the office door onto the parking lot, we shivered just a bit. It may have been the fall weather descending upon us, but the face of the Acura TL SH-AWD, it’s imposing, angular slabs of sheet metal glaring at us from under the slanted headlights and diminutive badge, probably contributed to our brief shudder. Having already seen, addressed, and come to terms with the TL’s appearance, we armed ourselves with the keys and got in.

Starting up the car, the feeling of the clutch is the first tactile sensation to grab us. The uptake is so smooth, it’s difficult to feel when the clutch is engaging. As we lift our foot, we feel for that telltale tension in the pedal that tells us something is happening. Instead, we feel nothing, and we have to listen very carefully to the engine, and feel from our seat, to know how quickly to release the clutch. Granted, all this happens in a matter of moments, but these are moments we are used to experiencing mostly through our foot. Not so with the TL.

CLICK HERE to continue reading this article.

According to TheNewspaper, the Utah Department of Transportation, which raised speed limits to 80 miles per hour on certain stretches of I-15, reported no downside to the experimental increase.

The UDOT selected stretches of road to increase the speed limit by five miles per hour based on crash histories. After watching and evaluating these roads, they discovered very little increase in actual speed.

“With the speed limit posted at 75 MPH, 85th percentile speeds measured between 81 and 85 MPH -- barely different from the 83 to 85 MPH speeds under the higher 80 MPH limit. The 85th percentile speed represents the speed at which 85 percent of free-flowing traffic feels is the safest. Engineers have determined that the greatest safety can be achieved when speed limits match the 85th percentile speed.”

So far, the UDOT is declaring the experiment a success, and will continue to monitor the interstate, meanwhile evaluating the future of other roads.

We are also pleased by this news, and hope to see this program expand to other parts of the country that could benefit from such experiments. We also want to know what you think. Would you support this experiment on your highways? Talk about it in comments.
 

The 2010 Cadillac CTS-V is a true juggernaut, and when at the mercy of the guys at Hennessey Performance, it’s alarming. So alarming that, after pulling .99 longitudinal Gs during the launch of an 11.07-second quarter mile, OnStar was alerted to a possible vehicle emergency.

In the above video, see and hear the Hennessey Cadillac CTS-V700 (indicating its 700 horsepower) record an impressive time, and enjoy the resulting response from OnStar. They’re always so polite.

+ Autoblog: VIDEO: OnStar calls Hennessey after tuned CTS-V pulls .99 g