La Dolce Veloce

Duesenberg, the car company whose name became synonymous with quality and refinement (not to mention cost, being the most expensive cars in the world back then) in their era (1910-1937) might be returning to a showroom near you. While lately the name has been stuck onto fancy golf carts and rebodied Ford chassis, The Duesenberg Torpedo Coupe concept is being readied for a production release in January of 2007. Their goal is to ‘bring the United States back into the top segment of the World automotive marketplace’, a goal which I question given that company’s apparently limited experience with production cars (though I wish them well!). My personal fear is they’ll stick that body atop a Ford chassis and permanently scar a glamorous part of automotive history. However, that’s pure speculation – the only technical tidbit known is that the car will use a new type of engine known as a CEM engine – the result being a compact (18″ diameter by 24″ long) 100 pound motor producing 300hp and 70mpg. Lots of ‘ifs’ here, it’ll be interesting to see if this project ever hits the road. (source: Pistonheads)

German tuner Gemballa has upped the power of the Porsche 911 Carrera to an impressive 650hp (hence the name!). As you’d expect, they also provide bigger brakes and aggressive bodywork. Read more over at GermanCarFans.

After thirteen traffic offenses in ten years, Jason Reynolds’ driving style finally caught up to him. The Colorado highway patrol had even sent him a warning letter on September 23 after he was reported by several people for road rage. He was due to appear in court on December 14th to face charges that he rammed the rear of a Honda with his truck three times. Now, he’s facing two counts of first degree murder (possibly carrying the death penalty) for a road rage incident from November. According to witnesses, Reynolds was driving aggressively, and a Toyota SUV pulled right to let Reynolds pass. Reynolds passed, but then pulled in right in front of the Toyota SUV and braked hard, causing the Toyota SUV to hit him. Upon impact, the driver of the Toyota SUV lost control, crossed the median, flipped, and landed on top of a Ford SUV. The drivers of both SUVs died instantly, while the perpetrator of this accident stood by indifferently after the accident, and now faces the death penalty. Really sad all around; what’s even sadder is that this jerk was allowed to be driving in the first place. Read more here.

Audi has dominated racing lately, specifically the LMP class at LeMans. Their domination looks likely to continue with the unveiling of the R10, a diesel V12 powered racecar with some very cool bodywork and interesting technical innovations, like brake ducts that fully envelop the discs. Read more about it at Mulsannescorner.com or at SpeedTV.

AutoWeek’s spies caught the 2006 Porsche Turbo testing in Germany. Due to be unveiled in Geneva in the spring, it’s pretty much just what you’d expect – more flare than the standard 911, larger air inlets all over the place, and of course, painted silver. Not visible in these pictures is the 450-500hp lurking behind the rear axle. Read more, and see more pictures, over at AutoWeek.

These shots have surfaced, supposedly authentic but honestly hard to say. If this is legit, you’re looking at the next Chevy Camaro, and could expect to see it officially unveiled in January. (source)

Here’s a computer enhanced (uh, computer generated?) image of what the VW Scirocco is expected to look like when it is unveiled in 2008. Let the drooling begin… (source: autobild)