Chevrolet has rolled a dozen customized Sonic models into SEMA, and while it hasn’t released details on every single variant of its entertaining subcompact, one of the modified hatches caught our eye.

If Chevy decided to launch a one-make race series for the Sonic, the Super 4 Concept (inset right) would be the blueprint. Sporting an SCCA-approved roll cage, racing seat, five-point harness, fire suppression kit and a detachable steering wheel, the Super 4 is as close to race-ready as the Sonic can get. The 1.4-liter turbocharged four-pot hasn’t been modified aside from a new intake and exhaust, but adjustable coilovers are fitted at all four corners and the braking hardware has been upgraded to four-piston front calipers with two-piece drilled rotors and two-piston piston rears with one-piece rotors, replacing the stock drums. Sticky rubber is wrapped around 18×7.5-inch wheels while a carbon fiber lower splitter, rocker panels and rear diffuser, along with a Concept Z-Spec spoiler round out the package.

Being SEMA, a brace of Sonics wouldn’t be complete without a hi-fi-infused version, and the Boom concept from Kicker answers the call. Get all the details on the concepts in the press blast below the fold.

Continue reading Chevrolet SEMA display reveals Sonic boom

Chevrolet SEMA display reveals Sonic boom originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rennsport Reunion IV at Laguna Seca is 5,825 miles from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, but that didn’t stop the automaker from shipping some of its most prized possessions all the way to California to show thousands of its loyal enthusiasts. Tucked safely in a permanent garage at the track, with special lighting and placards to help tell the story, we found more than a dozen historically significant Porsche models displayed chronologically from 1964 to present day.

While each is worthy of an hour walk-around by itself, we really liked the 1973 Porsche 911 RSR in Martini livery, the 1998 Porsche 911 GT1 98 LM that won Le Mans outright in 1998, the 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup that was driven by Jeff Zwart up Pikes Peak in 2010 (and set the 2WD Time Attack class record) and the new Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid 2.0, which is still covered with the rubber marks from its last ALMS race at this circuit.

Special thanks to Autoblog’s esteemed photographer, Drew Phillips, who set his alarm early to be able to capture each of the cars before the crowds enveloped them. Enjoy.

Rennsport Reunion IV: Significant Porsche 911 race cars on display originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this year the Monterey Motorsports Reunion announced that Jaguar would be the featured marque for the 2011 event. Dozens of Jags will be featured in many of the races, including the C-Type, which will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of its win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the XK120, D-Type and E-Type.

In addition to the cars on track, the Monterey Motorsports Reunion will display a collection of historical Jaguars in the paddock. Perhaps the most notable example will be the 1950 Jaguar XK120 that Phil Hill drove to victory at the very first Pebble Beach Road Race, an event that later relocated to Laguna Seca and evolved into today’s Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Also on display will be a 1951 C-Type (again, driven by Phil Hill), an SCCA championship-winning 1974 E-Type, a 1978 Trans-Am XJS and the XJR-9 race car that won Le Mans outright in 1988. We’ll have photos of the cars during our live coverage of Monterey Car Week next month, but until then ,enjoy the gallery below or read more about the gathering of historic Jaguars after the jump.

Historic Jaguars to go on display at Monterey Motorsports Reunion originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think the Toyota Prius was the first hybrid automobile ever made? Think again. Honda Insight? Keep guessing. In reality, the world’s first hybrid was designed and built by none other than Ferdinand Porsche, founding father of the present-day Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart. That’s right, the same brain that brought us such ingenious machinery as the Volkswagen Beetle and the glorious Auto Union racers built the world’s first fully functional hybrid automobile.

Now that the modern-day Porsche brain-trust is once again showing interest in hybrid technology, the German company has decided to bring back the 1900 Semper Vivus, which literally means always alive. Although the technology behind hybrids has come a long way – Porsche’s first hybrid used about 4,000 pounds of lead acid batteries and could barely climb any kind of grade – the basic principles are actually much the same.

To wit, just like that original Semper Vivus, Porsche’s latest hybrid, the 2012 Panamera S Hybrid, features an engine (in this case a supercharged V6 putting out 333 horsepower), an electric motor (which adds another 47 horses) and a battery pack. All the major bits and pieces are the same, except with massive improvements in power and efficiency.

In celebration of 111 years of hybrid automobiles, Porsche spent the past four years recreating the Semper Vivus, and it will show off the fruits of its labor at the rapidly approaching 2011 Geneva Motor Show. In an effort to whet our appetites, the automaker has released a teaser video that you can see for yourself after the break, along with the requisite press release.

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Video: Porsche resurrects 1900 Semper Vivus full-hybrid for Geneva display

Video: Porsche resurrects 1900 Semper Vivus full-hybrid for Geneva display originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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