by John Neff

Ace F1 driver Fernando Alonso already counts one as his company car, but we mere mortals will most likely never own one of the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Editions that are earmarked for production. Though we’ve known about the special edition model for some time, Mercedes decided to release a ton of info and pics of the car over the weekend. It chose the prosperous Middle Eastern mecca of Dubai to “premier” the car, which is fitting since many of them will likely end up in a shiek’s garage on a man-made island. Hopefully that shiek will take his 722 out on the smooth asphalt of Dubai’s public roadways and open her up, as Mercedes and McLaren have improved the car over the “base” SLR in over 300 ways. The most significant upgrade is in horsepower, which jumps from 617 to 650 in the SLR 722. That 5.5L supercharged V8 can now propel the SLR 722 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, down from 3.8. Top speed? Was 207.5 mph. Now it’s 209.4. Hey, every little bit helps when Alonso’s trying to get to the track on time.

Follow the jump for MB’s full press release on the McLaren SLR 722 Edition that details every modification made to the brand’s halo car. We’ve also assembled a high-resolution gallery for the 48 new pics MB released.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

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by Damon Lavrinc

It’s well known that the S2000 is nearing the end of its life cycle. The high revving drop top has provided enthusiasts of all stripes a perfect platform for track duty and the daily slog, but something has always been missing: a Type-R variant.

The Temple of VTEC had a copy of Best Car magazine translated from its native Japanese tongue to reveal plans that were originally developed in 2004 (and had been leaked in the past) which give details about a hardcore version of Honda’s popular two-door convertible.

Follow the jump for all the details.

[Source: Temple of VTEC]

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by Frank Filipponio

Uh-oh. Little Al is in trouble again. AP is reporting that Al Unser Jr. is under arrest and facing DUI charges after leaving the scene of an accident on the Las Vegas Beltway. He was ID’d as the driver of a car that sideswiped another car around 11 Thursday morning. Unser’s car didn’t have much damage but the other car hit the center median. Neither driver reported any injuries.

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Kevin Honea said Unser failed sobriety tests before they took him in. Among the charges Little Al faces are driving under the influence, misdemeanor hit and run, failure to render aid in an accident and failure to report an accident. Junior has had previous problems with alcohol and even went through treatment after the 2002 incident where he allegedly hit his girlfriend in the face.

Thanks for the tip, mavkato!

[Source: AP via Sports Illustrated]

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by Dan Roth

Unless we see LS 460s and Lucernes out on the greens tearing it up in a combination demolition derby-polo match, we’re going back to sleep. In a snore-inducing move, Lexus has signed up with the US Golf Association to be the official vehicle of the US Open, US Women’s Open, US Senior Open, and US Amateur. Lexus will also be the USGA’s first-ever automotive partner. Tiger, however, will stick with Buick.

Lexus stepped up their involvement with the sport in an effort to further engage their customers, who are apparently passionate about golf. In support of their collaboration with the USGA, Lexus will be rolling out a multifaceted media campaign including advertising, direct marketing, events, and, of course, the auto brand will be on-site at USGA events. We’re sure to see more Lexus branding and signage in television coverage, as well. The Lexus golf team has been expanded by the addition of some members from the Toyota team, and there’s some big names playing for the brand. Lexus is actually involved in sponsoring many different types of sporting events — polo, tennis, golf, sailing; a laundry-list of rarefied sports.

We suppose that there probably are a fair amount of Lexi in country-club parking lots, and most of them can haul a foursome’s worth of clubs without a hiccup. Golf just seems so… dispassionate and indifferent from a car guy’s point of view. Then again, that’s the prevailing car guy notion of Lexus, as well; perhaps it really does make for a neat dovetail. Golf is not particularly easy to excel at, nor is it easy to build cars as obsessively tweezed as the Lexus lineup, but neither golf nor luxo-Toyotas get our adrenaline pumping as much as a simple parking lot autocross with something as mundane as a ‘91 Scoupe.

You can find the press release after the jump.

[Source: Lexus via Automotive News - sub req’d]

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by John Neff

It’s not a secret that Jack Roush thinks you should be buying American cars. Likewise, he’s not a fan of NASCAR’s decision to allow Toyota to race in the Nextel Cup series this season. The motorsports legend and tuner of all things Ford has recently gone on record with some fiery wartime rhetoric saying, “I expect to hand Toyota their head over the short term.” He went on to say, “Toyota will not find that the established teams and manufacturers will wither in their path, as has been the case where they have tried to engage elsewhere.” Them sounds like fightin’ words!

The general concern is that Toyota will shore up its three teams with a bankroll that can’t be matched by other manufacturers and teams participating in the series. However, as has been pointed out in the past, Toyota is believed to have the biggest budget in F1, yet you don’t hear its name on the podium very often with Renault and Ferrari. For Roush’s part, he’s gone to great lengths to secure additional funding for his NASCAR team, even from Ford which is obviously strapped for cash.

Roush makes a good point, however, that NASCAR’s strict limitations on technology means that Toyota’s money won’t allow it to buy better cars or technology. The real investment in NASCAR is with people and having the bucks to hire the best. But Toyota also knows success in NASCAR is not all about winning, it’s about how many billboards, commercials and sponsorships you can slap your logo on. There’s little doubt in our minds that Toyota will be successful in that arena.

[Source: Associated Press via Winding Road]

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by Sam Abuelsamid

Apparently Dodge hasn’t completely given up on the the idea of a smaller cheaper sports car than the Viper. After showing a number of concepts over the last decade including the Copperhead, Slingshot and the Razor (shown above), Dodge may be showing off another new two seater at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show. According to the UK-based website Autocar, Chrysler will unveil a Dodge-branded MX-5 clone with styling based on that of the 2002 Razor Concept. Unless Dodge were to build it based on the underpinnings of an existing vehicle like the Crossfire (itself based on the first generation Mercedes SLK) it probably wouldn’t be economically viable. The Crossfire platform is probably too expensive for a car like this, and so it seems improbable that such a vehicel would ever come to market, although it sure would be fun to have another option.

[Source: Autocar]

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