And it has a revised M3 suspension, 7-speed dual-clutch tranny with paddles, electronic differential, new brakes, and much more. The M3’s V8 power is up 30 hp to 450, which should move things along nicely. The first cars will come to Germany next May, to other countries by summer of 2010. Eat your hearts out, clubsporters.

If your tastes run to less raucous open-air motoring, consider the new Boxster Spyder, which will be on view for the first time at the Los Angeles Auto Show in early December. Another lightweight at just 2,811 pounds, the Boxster Spyder (press release here) is a throwback to the 550 Spyder of the 1950s, a welcome return to the agile sportscars many of us drove and loved.

Porsche tweaked the Boxster S’s 3.4-liter engine to produce 320 hp. Choose the dual-clutch (PDK) transmission, and you will get to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. An all-new sport suspension lowers the car and promises even better handling than the Boxster S. Drive it away for $61,200 any time after February 2010, when it goes on sale in the U.S.

Okay, fans, which one do you want—and why? Lay a comment on us.

—jgoods

The event was cooked up to attract auto journalists, and Jalopnik responded first, with an entry of a Jaguar XF R, later to be withdrawn owing to brake concerns. Driver Wes Siler entered a Mitsubishi EVO instead, and came in eighth. The Truth About Cars entered a CTS-V driven by Jack Baruth, which came in fifth.

Now, from one mid-70s guy to another, let me say congratulations to the man who was not only a good loser but a good driver. We all know how badly older people can drive, but here’s a guy who’s not only kept his skills, but shown the world how to get ink for a great product. Everybody from The New York Times to Facebook has been in on this story.

Cadillac recently fired its ad agency—the one that produced spots featuring a sexy lady driving a red CTS and asking, “When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?” Lutz says stunts like his challenge are lots cheaper and more effective in attracting buyers. What do you think?

—jgoods

J.C. France

Some of you are looking forward to a three-day weekend. Others deserve to be in jail, among them some well-known car people.

Foremost of these is J.C. France, grandson of Bill France, founder of NASCAR. J.C. was allegedly racing with his half-brother Russell Van Richmond on the streets of Daytona Beach. The cops charged him with DUI and cocaine possession. Autoweek provided some details:

Van Richmond was driving a Porsche Cayenne, and France was driving a green 2007 Lamborghini. Van Richmond also was charged with DUI, possession of cocaine and possession of a controlled substance, hydrocodone. The newspaper reported that Van Richmond additionally was charged with threatening an officer after telling her, “I want your commander now. I am a France. Do you know what that means? We own this city.”

Autoweek referred to these clowns as “NASCAR’s royal family.” Well, how are we supposed to take that appellation? That they deserve utmost respect? That, as Robespierre suggested, we should prepare to cut their French heads off? The fact that NASCAR has become a joke to many of us leads me to wonder why police released J.C. on only a $4,500 bond. Maybe the family does own the town.

On a lighter note, the Michelin Man, aka “Bibendum,” will no longer be the Mr. Nice Guy we’ve grown to love. The company is spending some $20 million on an ad campaign to make him into some kind of superhero, a tough guy whom they hope will provide better traction for the brand.

In the [new] ads, the Michelin Man pulls tires from of his own midsection [sic] and hurls them, either at drivers who use them to replace their presumably inferior tires or at a frightened, cowering gas pump.

On a more somber note, GM is reportedly close to a deal to sell Hummer to a Chinese heavy-equipment manufacturer (with no car-building experience) for a measly $150 million. They were trying for $500 million, but had no takers. The deal faces all kinds of regulatory hurdles, besides being high-risk for the buyers. Sales of Hummer have fallen 63 percent this year (January-September).

GM’s Saab deal is also supposed to close this month. So was the Saturn sale to Penske. Perhaps October is not GM’s month. One recalls the October revolution that brought the Bolsheviks to power.

Guns and cars go together like ice cream and cones. So assumes the Illinois Supreme Court, which just ruled that gun owners can carry weapons in car storage compartments designed for phones, CDs, and sunglasses—you know, the center consoles, as pictured. The Court said that

these compartments can be defined as “cases” in terms of gun laws, which require a gun to be in a case when transported in a car.

In case you’re wondering, the Court’s next case will decide whether automatic weapons can be stowed in the spare tire “case.”

Last but not least is the case of the Toyota floor mats, which we reviewed last month. The company is recalling 3.8 million trucks and cars, because the floor mats can slide under the accelerator and cause it to, well, accelerate. Now, Toyota is telling its dealers to use plastic zip-ties to secure the loose mats. This from the company that transformed the world of automotive production? Zip-ties, for Pete’s sake!

We want to hear your comments on the latest NASCAR scandal: Is the France dynasty finally ending?

—jgoods

According to PorschePurist.com,

The shoot used 16 cars from Jerry Seinfeld’s collection and another 15 more from the likes of Roger Penske, Brumos, Mat Drendel and others. While the commercial was filmed at a former Marine Air Base in El Toro, California, it will be altered to look [like] the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Now the cars are running, some 50 of them. I have to say the Panamera looks like it came from a different universe.

As a footnote, we should add that Avis locations throughout Germany are going to make the Panamera available for rental beginning October 1. Autoblog opines that the rates are “a surprisingly reasonable €189 per day from Monday to Thursday. If, on the other hand, you plan to hit the autobahn for a weekend getaway, the tariff goes up to a more Porsche typical €567.”

Wow, what a bargain: $835 a day to drive this machine. Pick up your phone and call Avis today! Would you do it if you had the bread?

—jgoods

The ultimate gas-saving strategy

A group called the Alliance to Save Energy has paired up with NASCAR and the Indy Racing League to sponsor a clever contest. They invite anyone to submit a two-minute video that illustrates one or more of the Drive Smarter Challenge campaign’s gas- and money-saving tips. They’ve got dozens of these, ranging from turning off the air conditioning to curbing your road rage.

Gas prices are creeping up again. But you know lots of reasons to save energy. If you need some prodding, here is a list of six. Now get smart and create a clever video about how to do it.

The first 80 people who submit valid entries (mention that you saw this story on CarGurus) will receive a $25 ExxonMobil Gift Card and a Car Care Council Car Care Guide. Entrants will also be eligible for some really cool prizes. Contest judges will select the finalists, and the public will vote for the winners.

• Grand Prize: $5,000
• Second Prize: Choose between one VIP NASCAR Race Package (two tickets and two garage/pit passes to a NASCAR race event) OR one VIP Indy Racing League Package (two tickets and two garage/pit lane passes to an Indy race event, plus a ride in a specially modified Indy car driven by a pro driver)
• Third Prize: Whichever second-prize package hasn’t been chosen
• Fourth Prize: A set of 4 Michelin Energy Saver All Season Tires (or comparable tires for the winner’s vehicle), a one-year AAA membership, and two Silver Spoke League of American Bicyclists memberships.

Send a copy of your video submission to blogideas@cargurus.com so we can feature the best contest entries!

—jgoods

I think I fall in love too easily.

Especially when I’m looking at an exotic Italian all dressed up in red and outfitted in sexy leather.

Heck, I was in love with the Ferrari F430, but now her replacement has stolen my heart.

The new Ferrari 458 Italia will make its public debut in September in Frankfurt. (It might be worth the plane ticket just to see it in person.) For now, though, we get to see the pictures and read specs that make us drool.

Like its name implies, the 458 is powered by a 4.5-liter 8-cylinder engine. But here’s where it gets really good: That engine will crank out 570 horsepower at a breathtaking 9,000 rpm. That’s not a typo – nine thousand revolutions per minute. If I’m not mistaken, that would make the 458 the highest-revving production Ferrari ever built. From a standstill, 62 miles per hour should be reached in less than 3.5 seconds.

The sporty 458 Italia will be built alongside its sister, the more luxurious Ferrari California, in Maranello, Italy.

Speaking of the California, viewers of HBO’s Entourage were treated to some eye candy when Jerry “My last name is one letter away from Ferrari” Ferrara’s Turtle character was given a California as a birthday gift. Yeah, a $240,000 birthday present.

The episode also featured some sweet track time as a group of F430 Scuderias peeled some serious pavement. A clip featuring that race, the giving of the California, and a surprise appearance by 50 Cent in a Rolls-Royce is below. It’s good viewing, I promise!

If you had a spare $240K laying around, what car would you buy? Would you keep it or give it as a birthday gift?

-tgriffith

Something’s wrong over at Suzuki.

The Japanese automaker is skidding hard, as its sales are down a staggering 78 percent from one year ago.

That might not surprise many people. In fact, I’ll bet most folks can’t even recall the last Suzuki ad they saw or even tell me where their nearest dealer is.

Another part of the problem is Suzuki’s American lineup, which includes the Korean-built Forenza and Reno, and the lackluster XL-7.

But Suzuki has been in the news a lot lately. First came those sobering sales numbers. Then analysts urged Suzuki to exit the American car market. But there’s some good news, too, as Suzuki is getting some nice press on the new SX4 Sportback. Also, the infamous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was won by Nobuhiro Tajima driving a customized SX4.

Of course, the car used for the hill climb was outfitted with a whopping 850 horsepower, but still, it should lend some credibility to just how good the car is.

I think if Suzuki can eke out enough sales of the Japanese-built SX4 and sell them in the same dealerships that sell motorcycles, the company might have a chance of staying in the American market. Plus, Suzuki’s Camry-fighter, the Kizashi (at right), is due to hit dealerships in 2010. If it’s a success, stay tuned for Suzuki’s American rebirth.

If it flops, watch for the company to pack up and ship out.

Do you even know where your local Suzuki car dealership is? Do you care whether or not the company stays in the United States?

-tgriffith

Edward Gorman of the Times Online put it well:

The reign of Max Mosley as ruler—for that is what he was—of world motorsport and Formula One has come to an end. Like all men who enjoy almost unfettered power, there was always a danger he would over-reach himself and that, in the end, has been the case with Mosley.

After constant battles with the teams and the recent imposition of a “voluntary” budget cap, the teams had had enough. Thus the split we reported. Nobody trusted the guy. Still, the sport needs a governing body, and it became apparent that the teams recognized this. If they split off from FIA, how would they organize themselves and pursue a viable 2010 season?

So, as one wag put it in the comments section of the Jalopnik story, “It means only that he’ll have a lot more time for Nazi orgies.” In the end, money talks, and the FIA controls a great wad of it.

Now, when and how are they going to get rid of Bernie Ecclestone, the other half of this dynamic duo?

—jgoods

The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) comprises eight teams—Ferrari, BMW-Sauber, Renault, McLaren-Mercedes, Brawn GP, Toyota, Red Bull Racing, and Scuderia Toro Rosso. These guys are the heavy hitters of international formula racing, and they have apparently had enough of the dictatorial whims of FIA president Max Mosley (above) and cohort Bernie Ecclestone (below), its business head, the money man.

We wrote about the F1 revolt, including Max and his Nazi sex orgy, last month. Between them, Max and Bernie have run the FIA like two stooges out of a Mel Brooks movie. British racing hero Jackie Stewart told Autocar Magazine:

I think a lot of people are kind of fed up with the dictatorial attitude. It’s been coming for some time. I think the teams feel that they have been bullied in some way for quite a long time, trying to force things through. I have said for a long time that the FIA needs to be restructured and there needs to be more corporate governance.

You bet. And Brother Bernie, like his namesake Madoff, has finally been unmasked. Formula One generates more than $1 billion a year.

Formula One teams—the people who design the cars, invest the cash and put the drivers on the circuit—get half the cash, while CVC, a privately-owned [sic] company of professional money-makers, get the rest. Meanwhile, there is no investment in the grass roots or in the infrastructure of motor racing or the circuits. Bernie and CVC simply sit there and take the loot.

The teams are especially fed up with having no say in running the sport. So things are beginning to look like the streets of Tehran. Like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Max has a revolt on his hands after wielding Supreme Leader power for many years. To the streets, race fans!

If the breakaway teams race in the U.S., as seems possible, would you attend?

—jgoods

UPDATE

The FIA has responded to the threatened withdrawal by suing the eight racing teams (the FOTA), accusing them of “serious violations of law,” breaking contracts and “a grave violation of competition law,” whatever that is.

“The positions have hardened on both sides,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. “The teams feel they have gone as far as they can, the FIA feel they have gone as far as they can and we’ve ended up in a situation where a solution hasn’t been found.

“We’ve no alternative because if we can’t race in Formula One under the current rules, if you want to keep competing then you’ve got to look at something else.”

Another element driving the lawsuit, which had some special words for Ferrari, has been the growing bad blood between Max Mosley and Ferrari head Luca di Montezemolo.

So my friend jgoods would rather ride in a hearse than a Mustang…

Read his post from yesterday, and you’ll see that I’m not making that up. He also wonders what’s so great about American muscle cars and claims they are not performance vehicles. I guess the Mustang GT’s zero-to-sixty in 4.9 seconds doesn’t count as “performance.”

Sure, a Mustang may not take corners like a 911, but it’s not supposed to. It’s supposed to be a raw, powerful, and imposing American car that sends the reverberation of the V8 up your spine as the rear wheels dig in when the accelerator pedal is floored.

It’s those looks and power that separate American muscle cars from the good-but-boring likes of the Fusion and Camry. Maybe if the Mustang or Challenger were on the NASCAR circuit, things would get interesting there again.

Oh, but wait, that’s probably going to happen! Ford and Chrysler are both submitting designs to NASCAR to run Mustang- and Challenger-bodied cars in the Nationwide series in 2010. Now all we need is Danica Patrick to sign on to NASCAR and drive that Mustang, and we’ve got ourselves a super helping of racing sexiness.

What’s so great about American muscle cars? Well jgoods, I guess if you don’t get it, you can just watch it all happen from your hearse.

Even though cars like the Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro are impractical, there will always be a place for them in America. Right?

-tgriffith