Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Videos, Porsche

At first glance, pitting the Porsche Boxster Spyder against the Audi R8 Spyder is a bit like throwing a trout in a five-gallon bucket with a piranha. After all, the big Audi boasts over 100 horsepower more than the baby Porsche. Throw in the fact that the R8 puts its power to the ground through all four wheels while the Boxster Spyder is left to manage with just two, and the fight looks even more bleak for Stuttgart’s finest. Still, the Audi R8 Spyder isn’t a lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. The vehicle needs all 430 horsepower from its 4.2-liter V8 to move the sports car’s 3,858 pounds around the track.

The Porsche Boxster Spyder, meanwhile, weighs in at over 1,000 pounds lighter. That 100 horsepower gap doesn’t seem so big now, does it? EVO Magazine recently took the time to put the two vehicles to the test and worked up a quick video of their exploits. Who came out on top? You’ll just have to hit the jump to find out for yourself.

UPDATE: EVO’s embed code is busted, so click through to watch the video.

Which Spyder is the fastest? EVO finds out [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Chrysler

How do you follow up a Super Bowl ad staring Eminem’s music and one of 2011′s most successful taglines? If you’re Chrysler, you call in Clint Eastwood and revisit the city of Detroit’s comeback story for a progress update.

Appropriately titled “Halftime in America,” Chrysler’s Super Bowl ad made its impactful debut immediately following the game’s halftime show. Starring American icon Clint Eastwood, the ad’s theme mimics the game itself, reminding Americans that even though times are tough, Detroit has proven that comebacks are possible.

Stirring? We think so. See for yourself after the jump and let us know in the comments if you think Chrysler has created a worthy follow up to last year’s commercial.

Continue reading Chrysler debuts “Halftime in America” Super Bowl ad

Chrysler debuts “Halftime in America” Super Bowl ad originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos, Humor

When you’re young, no one tells you marriage is really about finding some one to have, hold and torture ’til death do you part. From playful infractions like forgetting whether your significant other hates pickles, onions or both to more serious matters like who uses more paper towels, matrimony puts a relationship and those parties involved into the world’s most powerful pressure cooker. Even so, few of us get the chance to delight in the suffering of our significant others in quite the way Rolex Sports Car series driver João Barbosa does. The driver recently took his beautiful wife around Daytona International Speedway in a two-seater Daytona prototype. At 185 mph.

Mrs. Barbosa doesn’t appear to take to the experience all that well. Throughout the duration of six-minute video, it’s difficult to tell whether the high-pitched wail is her screams or the whine of the race car’s gearbox. Impressive. In fact, it’s the most fun we’ve had watching a racer’s wife get a peek into their husband’s office since racer Riccardo Patrese’s better half got a little animated in the passenger seat of a Honda Civic Type-R a few years ago.

Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself, but just remember; what goes around comes around. Especially in marriage.

Continue reading João Barbosa’s wife no longer wonders what he does for a living

João Barbosa’s wife no longer wonders what he does for a living originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Dodge

Early last year, Chrysler announced that it would be bringing the Viper back into production, with the brand’s performance flagship once again taking its place at the front of the SRT lineup. The next generation Viper won’t be unveiled until April at the New York Auto Show, and it looks like Dodge will be doing its best to tease us mercilessly until then with vague sketches of the car. The first has just been posted on the official SRT Facebook page, providing the very first look at the front end of the 2013 Viper. From the silhouette it’s hard to really tell what the design will look like, but the overall shape and the hood scoop distinctly remind us of the Viper GTS coupe built from 1996 to 2002.

So, what do we know about the 2013 Viper as of right now? For starters, traction control will be used for the first time in the model’s history as mandated by federal law. The powertrain is still unconfirmed, although there are rumors that the V10 could get a bump in displacement to an incredible 8.7 liters.

All of these rumors will be laid to rest come April, but until then we’ll just have to settle for the teasers that SRT gives us. We’ll be sure to bring you more news on the 2013 Viper as soon as its released, and let us know what you’re hoping to see from the new Viper in the Comments.

SRT offers up first 2013 Dodge Viper teaser originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Toyota

You know those Toyota commercials that we never get, the ones aired in distant lands like Australia and Brazil and that are, oh, interesting? We’re finally getting one. Toyota is returning to Super Bowl advertising after a three-year hiatus with a 30-second version of this longer-form 60-second spot for the 2012 Camry, and we think it’s amusing enough to be worthy of The Big Game.

This is a continuation of the reinvention theme introduced in the first 2012 Camry ad last year, and this commercial adds some comedy, a welcome change from Toyota’s typically sober marketing campaigns. Toyota will also air a second 30-second spot during the NFL’s championship game. Check it out in long form (along with the official press release) after the jump.

Continue reading Toyota returns to Super Bowl with “It’s Reinvented!” Camry commercial

Toyota returns to Super Bowl with “It’s Reinvented!” Camry commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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