2015 Lotus Elise Appears in Paris - With Live Pictures and Video

The new Lotus Elise jumps into entirely new styling territory, not so much evolving from the current model but fully reinventing itself as a baby Esprit. The only similarities are the mid-engine layout driving the rear wheels and 2-seats around corners.

Below, Lotus has been kind enough to provide a nicely-designed chart for your convenience instead of spreading all the car's stats across a 15,000-word press release.

The new baby Lotus will get a standard 6-speed manual (with an optional 7-speed DCT) and be powered by a Toyota 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine putting out 320-horsepower.

If the Elise is putting out that kind of go for a £35,000 [around US$55,500] base price, this is looking to be a bargain basement killer. To make that 320 ponies extra green, it will also offer mild hybrid tech and an optional start/stop system when it comes out in Spring 2015.

By Phil Alex

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Nissan Shows 2012 GT-R Facelift in Paris but won't Release Details Until October 18th

Tucked away in a glassed corner of Nissan's Paris Motor Show booth was the 2012 GT-R facelift. So, did the updated GT-R make its world premiere in Paris or not? Yes and no. See, while the car made its first public appearance in Paris, oddly enough, Nissan said it wouldn't release any information until mid October.

Here's the official statement from the Japanese automaker: "The GT-R engineering team are currently at the Nordschliefe, the legendary circuit in Germany, where they are in the process of signing-off the final updates on the forthcoming enhanced GT-R. Full details of the enhanced GT-R will be announced on 18th October 2010,"

From what we can see, the 2012 model year version of the Godzilla boasts a new front bumper with LED running lights, a revised rear diffuser and new alloy wheels.

According to documents leaked back in August, the changes are said to help drop the GT-R's drag coefficient from 0.272 to 0.268 while also improving rear downforce by 10%. The car is also expected to benefit from chassis and engine modifications.

We'll update this story as soon as Nissan comes out with all the juicy details.

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Cadillac STS King of the Road Unleashed

2007 Cadillac STS -

2005-Cadillac-STS-Dashboard-

2008 Cadillac STS Detail UK.

Cadillac 'Ass'TS

Auto Show, Cadillac, STS

Cadillac STV V 2006

Continuing Cadillac's

2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 620 Yarrow

2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 620 Yarrow

Ferruccio Lamborghini was a very successful business man who owned various businesses although his main line of business was building and selling tractors. Ferruccio's philosophy was to work hard in the morning and enjoy himself in the afternoon. One day while racing his Ferrari with his close friend Enzo Ferrari he told him that he didn't quite think that his car was good enough! Enzo took it the wrong way and replied "what would you know about building sports cars, you only know how to build tractors"? Ferruccio felt insulted and decided to build himself his own sports cars. At first everybody laughed at his big ideas. But in 1963 he opened his state of the art factory in Sant' Agata in Bolognese about 25km from Bologna.

Ferruccio Lamborghini's love of bulls was so strong that he would often visit Don Eduardo Miura who was the owner of a famous bull ranch in the region of Seville and who bred several species. It was this passion that led him to name several of his cars after various breeds of bull which were reared on this ranch. In 1966 at The Geneva Motor Show an early prototype car called the P400S received so much attention that it went in to production under a different name as the Miura a 4 litre car with 280 bhp which is named after a savage breed of Bull bred by Don Eduardo Miura himself, and several variations followed including the SV Concept, Roadster, SV, and the Jota A replacement for the Miura was to become the Islero 400GT and Islero 400GTS a 2+2 coupe which was built between 1968 and 1969 and was named after the bull that killed the famous matador Manolete in 1947.

2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 620 Yarrow

The Espada which is the Spanish word for Sword appeared in 1968 at the Geneva motor show and was designed by Marcello Gandini of Bertone the famous car designer who designed several cars for Lamborghini Other cars which had names related to bull fighting were the Jalpa which made its debut at the Geneva Auto Show in 1981 and was named after a breed of bull. In 1990 Diablo was named after a famous bull fight in 1869 when the Duke of Veragua's raging bull was in an epic battle with El Chicorro.

2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 620 Yarrow

Some of the more modern supercars of this era include the Muircéilago who was named after the legendary bull in 1879 whose life was spared by Matador El Lagartijo for his amazing performance in the arena and who survived more than 28 strokes from the estoc at this point the matador decided to spare it its life which is very unusual in bull fighting. Gallardo was the name of one of five famous castles of the fighting bull breed, and in 1943 the Reventon was named after the famous bull that took the life of the Mexican torero Félix Guzmán, and finally the 2008 concept car called the Estoque which is named after the estoc or sword in English language which is used to kill the bull in contest.

Although there was one very special Lamborghini supercar which wasn't connected to the name of any bull or bullfighting but could quite possibly be referred to as Madonna herself. This was of course the Countach, this came about when famous car designer Giuseppe Bertone first set eyes on the car. He was almost speechless except for one word which he managed to utter! This word was of course Countach which is often said as an act of astonishment and quite often used by Piedmontese men when they first set eyes on a beautiful woman.

Ferrari - The Can-Am Experience

Ferrari. A name that is synonomous with winning. Over 50 years of racing heritage; a heritage which includes several Formula One titles, as well as overall victories in Sports Car Racing at some of the most difficult race circuits known to exist. Tracks like Spa, the Nurburgring, and the great French classic held every year at Le Mans. Nearly every challenge the Prancing Horse of Maranello has undertaken in the last 60 years has resulted in victory. One series however was not intimidated by Italy's best. That series was the Can-Am Challenge, held between 1966 and 1974 in North America. The Can-Am, as it would become known, was perhaps the most exciting road racing series the planet has ever seen. Governed by the Sports Car Club of America, the series was run in accordance to the FIA's Group 7 rules for Sports Racing Cars. Group 7 rules were rather unlimited in many ways, which led manufacturers of all levels to run free with creativity and build some of the most technically advanced cars of their time.

In 1966, the Can Am's first actual season, the European factories had little interest in a series that only lasted from September to November and was comprised of just six events. Most of the entrants were independent teams. Teams like McLaren and Surtees, both headed by Formula 1 Champions that saw the Can Am as an opportunity to build their reputations as manufacturers. Ferrari already possessed a championship winning reputation. However, a young Mexican driver by the name of Pedro Rodriguez would fire Ferrari's first shot in what would soon become the hottest road racing series on the planet.

Bridgehampton, New York was the second round of the inaugural Can Am Series. The 2.85 mile course located in eastern Long Island would be the first time that a Ferrari would race in a Can Am event. Pedro Rodriguez was entered in a Dino 206S Coupe that September weekend. The young Mexican driver was able to achieve 22nd position on a grid filled with open-top sports racers powered by thundering American small block V-8s. The race would result in the little Ferrari not finishing due to the loss of a wheel. Rodriguez would appear again at Laguna Seca with the Dino, this time with a 18th place overall to show for his effort.

By early 1967, the Can Am was already being viewed as a fabulous series by many of the top names in North American road racing. The series caught the attention of Luigi Chinetti, the man at the helm of N.A.R.T. (North American Race Team), Ferrari's factory-backed team of choice in the United States. Chinetti would send one of N.A.R.T.'s P3/4 prototypes back to Maranello early in 1967 for modification to run in that year's Can Am Series. While at the factory, the P3/4 would receive several modifications to assist it in moving from Group 6 to Group 7 rules. The car was lowered and lightened, though the headlamps were retained. Provisions for a boot and spare wheel were eliminated, as there were no need for such luxuries in Can Am racing. The P3/4 also received a strengthened roll bar.

Ferrari's would be absent at the opening race held at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in 1967. Though Chinetti and the N.A.R.T. team would arrive for the season's second race at Bridgehampton. Lodovico Scarfiotti was selected to drive the P3/4 that September weekend and he achieved a grid position of 16th place. Scarfiotti, a Formula 1 veteran, would go on to drive the P3/4 to a 7th place finish in the race.

Scarfiotti would again pilot the P3/4 a week later at Mosport, one of the fastest tracks the Can Am Series raced at. The N.A.R.T. P3/4 would start from the 12th position on the grid. The weekend would result in a DNF for the Ferrari due to a crash.

The fourth race of the 1967 Can Am season was to see the most powerful sports cars in the world visit the beautiful Laguna Seca Raceway on the coast of Central California. This race would mark the appearance of two new Ferrari Can Am cars in the form of P4s. Now equipped with full glass-fibre bodies, a huge rear spoiler, and a larger 4.2 litre engine, it looked like there was a serious effort brewing from Italy's top name in racing. Chris Amon and John Williams were recruited to perform the driving duties. Amon, being the seasoned driver he was, performed well at Laguna Seca driving the number 23 Ferrari P4 from 16th on the grid to a 5th place finish. Williams also scored well on the weekend by completing 99 laps and capturing 8th place. Two weeks later, at Southern California's incredible Riverside Raceway, the Amon and Williams duo would again attempt to bring victory home for Maranello. This time the results were not as promising as Laguna Seca, with Amon finishing 3 laps down in 8th place and Williams crashing out. The final Can Am event of 1967 was held at Las Vegas. A dusty track in the Nevada desert, Vegas was known for wreaking havoc with both racers and their machines. Amon would put the P4 in 13th place on the grid, while Williams scored the grids 18th spot. Williams race was short, as a stone was ingested on lap 1, locking the throttle and leading to the retirement of the number 27 Ferrari. Amon would wind up with a DNF as well due to a crash. Despite mid-pack qualification times, the P4s proved capable of obtaining podium results.