The lads and lasses at Smart have teased numerous different versions of their urban two-door in an effort to get more Americans to pay more attention to it. Car2Go is a worthy attention getter, and the Smart For-Us concept might be another, because who among us red-blooded U.S. of A’ers doesn’t love a pickup truck – even one the size of a ladybug?

It “translates the practical loading concept of a pickup to the reality of 21st century urban traffic for the first time” with a longer wheelbase and wider track, a tiny bed, a 75-horsepower, 98-pound-foot electric motor, a “friendly yet assertive face” and (unlike other Smarts?) “extremely short overhangs.”

We’ll be at the Detroit Auto Show next month to capture all 11.6 feet of it. Until then, you can read about it in the press release after the jump and have a look at sketches in our high-res gallery of images.

Continue reading Smart For-Us pickup making its world premiere at the Detroit Auto Show

Smart For-Us pickup making its world premiere at the Detroit Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a Porsche fan, there were enough precious metals at this weekend’s Rennsport Reunion IV to put a flutter of butterflies in the sturdiest of stomachs. The company naturally made sure to capture the moment, and just as naturally, it wasn’t any mere point-and-shoot affair.

For a gorgeous time-lapse look at how 40 vintage Porsche racers (including 911s, 935s, 917s, 962s and 956s) posed for the camera in the California sun, the rest of the story is in the video after the jump.

Continue reading Making the Porsche Rennsport Reunion family photo

Making the Porsche Rennsport Reunion family photo originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this year, we headed out to California’s Willow Springs Raceway to see Vaughn Gittin Jr. play with his 1969 RTR-X Ford Mustang for the very first time. It took just a few minutes for Gittin and his pony car to get acquainted, then it was all sideways action and tire smoke for the next couple of hours.

We weren’t the only ones watching Gittin that day, though. A film crew had their lenses pointed at the RTR-X as well, getting footage for a video about the making of the car. That video, produced by Team Need for Speed, has now been released, and it provides a glimpse into what it took to build the car, along with the people behind the project. There’s also some great footage of Gittin doing his thing in the RTR-X at Willow Springs. To watch the video just follow the jump and hit play.

Continue reading The making of Vaughn Gittin Jr’s 1969 RTR-X Ford Mustang

The making of Vaughn Gittin Jr’s 1969 RTR-X Ford Mustang originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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