Our spy photographer just sent us these shots of a Porsche 911 with a mysterious bulge on the hood. It was reportedly very quiet, possibly indicating that Porsche is testing hybrid technology in an effort to reduce emissions.

Also, peep the cool Batman sticker on the hood. We’d like to speculate a new Batmobile in the works, but that’d be pushing it.

The shooter’s comments follow.

Captured while rounding Ferrari’s own Fiorano test track, this unclad beauty seems to be the production-ready version of the 599 XX concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show.

Intakes and outlets have been revised from the concept version, so has the rear wing, but overall the car seems very true to the original. What hasn’t changed, one bit, is the perception that this will be a very fast race day special. Ferrari is expected to run a standalone race series for the 599 XX, as it did for the spectacular Enzo FXX. Our spy shooter tells us that this 599 is rumored to be even a bit faster round Fiorano than that legendary Enzo variant. High praise indeed, if true.

An 599 XX showing up in FIA GT series racing, or at Le Mans isn’t out of the question, either.

Scroll down to read the shooter’s own report and click through our gallery above to take a better look at the car.

We've seen prototypes of the new Saab 9-5 running around for quite some time now. And for a while, we weren't sure what the fate of the new flagship Saab would be what with the automaker being auctioned off from the General Motors stable. But new parent company Koenigsegg seems to be moving forward with Saab's products, and these early shots of the production 9-5 have leaked onto the web.

The 9-5 was desperately in need of a serious update, and by the looks of these photos, the new Saab sedan sports a cleaner, neater nose, better lines, and the sort of proportions to have this car finally be a more worthy competitor in the mid-size luxury sedan market. Will it blow the doors off of a 5-Series or E-Class? Probably not, but at least Saab now has a 9-5 they can be proud of.

Stay tuned for official press shots and details as they become available.

+ Autoblog: Spy Shots: Are you the 2010 Saab 9-5?

We have spied the beloved BMW 1-series again near the Nürburgring. Its wheels lead our spy photographer to speculate that an xDrive version may be in the works, as they have been seen before on four-wheel-drive vehicles in testing.

Click through the gallery above to check out the little Bimmer in Germany, or scroll down for the shooter’s comments.

Our spy photographer is hard at work at the Nürburgring, and has caught the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK again, only this time, it didn’t catch fire.

Click through the gallery above, or scroll down for the shooter’s comments.

http://www.sub5zero.com/auto-news/citroen-gt-gran-turismo-ps3-streets-london-vid...

While taking a drive down to Pennsylvania this morning, editorial intern Natasha Colah spotted a train of test mules traveling down I-80. We see mules and prototypes running around all of the time, but with this one, it's hard to tell exactly what lives under all of that camouflage.

Our own speculation suggests that this could be a production version of the seven-seat Chevrolet Orlando concept which debuted in Paris last year. In passing these shots along, Natasha writes, "These were escorted by a Chevy Cruze, an unmarked Kia, and a VW."

We think dubbing this the Orlando might be a safe bet, but we're open for suggestions. Leave a comment with what you think this mystery mule could be, and we'll keep you posted with more details as they emerge.

UPDATE: We sent these photos to one of our spy photographer friends, and he confirmed that this is, in fact, a prototype of the production Chevrolet Orlando. Mystery solved!

We received these spy shots this morning of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class convertible testing on the Nürburgring. It will have the same engine offerings as the E-Class coupe, including the 388 horsepower, direct-injection V-8.

Check out the E-Class convertible in the gallery above before it goes to Frankfurt, or scroll down for the photographer’s own words.

Prepping for a debut sometime in 2012, Mercedes-Benz is now testing the next generation of its ML series SUV, as spied in these photographs.

These first prototype shots show a vehicle that is substantially smaller than the current ML, with shorter front and rear overhangs in evidence. The shape of the new MLs rear-end and tailgate appear to be new as well, though the convincing body cladding has obscured most of the SUV’s styling updates.

While available conventional powertrains may stay the same for the 2012 vehicle, a new hybrid system may be in the offing, with a plug-in version possible. We can only hope that Mercedes will see fit to give its new ML some sharper handling characteristics as well, as the current model is not close to being the dynamic equal of BMWs X5, or Audi’s Q7. Find the spy shooter’s own words, below.

http://www.sub5zero.com/auto-news/gumpert-apollo-speed-concept-spy-shots-nurburg...