by Sam Abuelsamid

Within the past month, Porsche has stated that it has no intention of installing diesel engines in itsvehicles and would instead focus on hybrids. The automaker has also threatened to pull out of the European market if new mandatory CO2 regulations go into effect. Now, Porsche research head Wolfgang Dürheimer is backtracking. Although he says that Porsche is not currently developing a diesel because it wouldn’t make sense for just one market, they are monitoring developments, and anything is possible in the future.

[Source: Just-Auto - Sub. req’d]

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by Chris Shunk

We told you earlier that a special-edition Mustang would be auctioned off this weekend at Barrett Jackson in Palm Beach. The guys and gals over at The Car Connection have gotten word that said machine will be the Shelby GT-H Convertible. As was the case with the GT-H coupes, there will only be 500 droptops made, and Barrett Jackson gets the honor of auctioning off number one. Proceeds will go to the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation, and we’re sure that the first GT-H ‘vert will fetch some serious coin.

Of course, the open-air GT-H will sport the familiar black and gold hertz-only livery and be rented out to customers from selected outlets. We fully expect to see styling cues from last year’s Shelby GT-H coupe carried over to the convertible, including the front end treatment and hood scoop. The convertible will make its public debut at the New York Auto Show, one year after its hardtop sibling rolled onstage at the very same venue. We’ll be there, of course, and will have photos and video for you soon after it makes its grand entrance.

[Source: The Car Connection]

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by Alex Nunez

Automobile magazine has kissed the 2008 HUMMER embargo good-bye, so here’s the skinny on the ‘08 H3 Alpha.

For 2008, HUMMER has addressed one of the sticking points many people have had with the smaller H3 model, namely, the lack of a V8 engine. While the 3.7L inline 5 has adequate power to shuttle the H3 around, the burble of a V8’s exhaust note and the associated extra thrust would certainly have been more in keeping with the brand image created by the monster-sized H1 and solidified by the more-realistic H2.

With the return of the Alpha moniker last seen on the top-end H1, HUMMER fixed the H3’s biggest problem. The Alpha, you see, has 5.3 liters of V8 power underhood. Read on after the jump.

[Source: HUMMER]

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by Frank Filipponio

While its sister ship struggled a bit, the #7 All-Inkl Racing Lamborghini Murcièlago R-GT ran strong all race, and managed to grab Lamborghini’s first international racing trophy in its maiden outing. Drivers Christophe Bouchut and Stefan Mücke held off a pair of hard-charging Z06 Corvettes at Zhuhai International Circuit, with all three finishing within four seconds of each other.

The race not only marked the debut of the R-GT, but also of the FIA’s new GT race format. For the 2007 season, GT races follow a new two-hour format that appears to have given organizers what they had hoped for – some really close racing. A late safety car deployment meant that pit strategy ended up being pretty important in this one, but that shouldn’t take anything away from Lamborghini’s impressive debut. After the final restart they rattled off a string of fastest laps to stay ahead for good. Kudos to Lambo. Check out the cool gallery available at Supercars.net by following the links.

[Source: Lamborghini via Supercars.net]

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by Frank Filipponio

Here is quite a hard-hitting image to remind people to buckle up, even in the back seat. We should all know the benefits of seat belt usage by now, but some people still seem to think they might be immune in an accident, should they choose the rear seat rather than the front, for some reason. This powerful visual reminder might help to convince them they’re wrong.

Taking 3D billboards to a new extreme, the slingshot seems to dwarf the billboard itself, effectively conveying the force that will propel you forward in a collision. The one thing the ad doesn’t replicate, however, is the variety of surfaces you’ll impact after launch. Seatbacks might not seem particularly harmful, but anything you strike will be painful as you fly into, over or around them at those velocities. We’re not quite sure where this billboard is located or who was responsible for it, but we like it a lot. Buckle up. Even in the back seat.

[Source: Carscoop]

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by Alex Nunez

The International Carwash Association (International? Who knew?) has named the Saturn Aura the Most Washable Car of 2007. A variety of criteria are used to determine the winner each year, but predictably, items like securely mounted antennas and wipers, flush-mount trim pieces, sleek body lines, and folding mirrors are among those that the judges look for when making the selection (the complete list is in the release pasted after the jump).

The Aura was the car that fit the bill this year, and as luck would have it, we photographed our Autoblog Garage Aura XR test car as it passed through the wash last year. So, enjoy the suddenly-appropriate gallery of the Aura getting cleaned up in honor of its new award. We won’t mention that our car lost its little XM sharkfin antenna cover during the depicted scrubdown. Oops! I guess we just did! (No worries: we got it back a short time later, so the story has a happy ending.) Now, we assume Saturn will also be making duplicates of its washing award and shipping them to various Aura owners like it has done with its trophy for 2007 North American Car of the Year. Hey, a win’s a win.

[Source: International Carwash Association]

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