Autoblog

As Fiat's in-house tuning arm, Abarth stands for high performance and unique design. The firm hopes to have hit on both of these qualities with its latest adventure in the art of co-branding, the new Powerplay Extreme gaming desktop. The crew definitely got the unique design part down, with a soaring, bridge-like truss holding a giant fan at the very top of the inner workings of the computer, which is powered by Intel's latest and most powerful chip ever, the Core i7 Extreme.

This new pint-sized desktop machine will be launched to kick off Intel's new "Friday Night Game", which is an Electronic Sports League sanctioned event that pits elite gamers from 30 different countries against each other. As far as the actual hardware goes, we see the expected firewire and USB ports along with an external serial port for terabytes of fun. The exposed motherboard sports a slew of heatsinks and LED-colored fans to keep things cool. Plus, it controls a Blue-ray/HD DVD player and, of course, a couple of CD\DVD burners. We're sure it all runs on an Intel chipset, but there aren't any details yet on the RAM or hard disk space. The best part? How 'bout that big red Start Engine power button?


[Source: Carscoop]

It's amusing how much Automoblox acts like a full-scale automaker. The maker of heirloom-quality toy cars features a full line-up of models to satisfy the imaginary needs of any toddler, and has even begun branching out into niche models like the go-anywhere X9-X sport utility, A9-S sport compact convertible and high-performance S9-R sport sedan and C9-R sport coupe. Just like a real automaker, Automoblox has realized that the discerning 6-year-old may be looking for something sporty but not as single-minded as the R-line. Thus, it has introduced the C9-S berlinetta (MSRP $38.00) to fill the gap in between the base C9 and super sporty C9-R.

The C9-S features the same extended-wheelbase wooden body and lowered ride height as the C9-R, but loses the high-downforce front and rear spoilers and side sills. In their place is a more modest rear wing and "aluminum" wheels that require a minimum suspension of disbelief (they're actually plastic). The C9-S also gets a dose of reflective "paint" to simulate a metallic roof and body connectors.

Yes, these are just toys, but we so enjoy the way in which Automoblox founder and designer Patrick Calello treats his toy car company like a real one that we can't help but play in his world. Imagination is what really powers his cars, and we're happy using ours to follow along.


[Source: Automoblox]

Click above for hghi-res gallery of the Mercedes white collection

It's November, and while it may not be white outside yet, you know what that means: the holiday shopping season is upon us. And to help all you gearheads get an early start, Mercedes has released a new collection of giftables. And it's all white by us.

The latest additions to the Mercedes-Benz Collection include a variety of items for kids (and grown-up kids, too). Children's items include the Bobby Benz SLK AMG, a ride-on version of the popular roadster... in white. There's also a bobsled (in white) and a variety of kid's clothes (also in white) including a miniature Vodafone McLaren Mercedes racing suit for aspiring champions even younger than Lewis Hamilton. Adults will love the white sweatshirt, white jacket, white mountain bike and more white stuff that joins the collection, and for both kids and adults alike there's a scale GLK diecast model (guess what color). All are available for purchase from participating Mercedes dealers. Follow the jump for the press release outlining the full collection, and click on the thumbnails in the gallery below for images of all the white items on offer.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

The GoPro Hero digital videocamera is like creating SpeedTV for the masses... without the non-stop NASCAR coverage. The three-megapixel Hero is the world's smallest on-board camera, and it sticks to anything without fuss. It has 16 MB of internal storage, but you can blow that out to 2 GB, good for about 56 minutes. It's got a self-timer, a USB and RCA cable included, works on PC and Mac, and because of its nifty plastic case, you can use it in the rain. And unlike a SpeedTV production, the Hero will only cost you $180. Can we get an "amen!"? Check out the many faces of the Hero in the gallery of high-res photos below.

So, this would appear to be a big weekend for die-cast reveals of cars that are debuting at the LA Auto Show later this month. Yesterday, it was Tomica's 2010 Nissan Cube on eBay. Today we get the new 2010 Ford Mustang GT in the form of a Hot Wheels prototype, again on eBay. There in all its 1:64 scale glory is Ford's pony car with its new fascias and substantial power dome hood, but without mirrors. Hey, shipping's only $8.50 from Kuala Lumpur. If you're a hardcore collector, bid away. Us? We'll keep an eye on the store shelves at Target and pick up the final product for a buck. Thanks once again to Galvin for the tip!


[Source: eBay]

Click above for a gallery of Tomica's new Nissan Cube die-cast

Thanks to alert reader Galvin, we can verify that the 2009 Nissan Cube images we published back in September and (rolls eyes) were subsequently ordered to pull down are indeed accurate. The source? eBay -- in auctions for Tomica's new Matchbox-sized die-cast of the car. As you can see here, the toy shows off the restyled front and rear ends, as well as the roof details of cars equipped with panoramic glass (as seen on the early leaked image of the JDM car). Now, Tomica's a Japanese toy company, so the die-cast shows the JDM config. That asymmetric bodywork is reversed on the USDM car. Oh, and while we were forced to remove the shots we originally posted of the new Cube, you can still check them out at any of the dozens of sites that scrape Autoblog's web feed and repost it verbatim, photos included. Have a look and compare them to the toy gallery below. That's what's heading to L.A. later this month.


[Source: eBay]

We may or may not have already passed peak oil. All we know is that the post-apocalyptic vision wrought in Mad Max films may someday become reality, and then we're all gonna wish we had Interceptors. AutoArt Models recently came out with a 1:18 die cast Interceptor model recently, but it doesn't come filthy enough for some fans. Detail-man extrodinaire Paul Miller decided to do something about it and built his own insanely detailed diorama complete with lots of dirt and dust (and some fuel drips!), Max himself, and other well chosen accessories for the scene. We're way behind building our own Edsel model for the Autoblog Garage, but Paul's work is at a level we'll never achieve. We're inspired to try, though, after seeing his work! Paul will also build you a custom model or diorama with this insane level of detail, provided you're willing to part with some money. He charges between $400 and $700 for his dioramas and his contact info can be found at Hemmings via source link below. You'll also find more pics of his Mad Max masterpiece there, and you can check out what a squeaky clean Interceptor model looks like right out of the box in our gallery below.


[Source: Hemmings]

Perhaps this is Ferrari's answer to the FIA's threat to move to standardized engines: standardized building blocks! What could be more fair than to have every team start out with their own huge package of LEGOs? The drivetrain could remain unique or might even be a LEGO V8, but each team would get a color-specific mega-pack of blocks to build their own bodywork. All parts must be used, but how you place them is up to you. The resulting cars would have the aerodynamics of a brick so maybe safety would improve as speeds were reduced. Drivers would also have to slow considerably into turns, as lateral g's generated by modern F1 cars can easily exceed block lock integrity at will. None of this is true or has anything to do with the car in the photos, but this is far more interesting than reading the true story about some uber-geek who built a LEGO F1 car in Amsterdam to celebrate the "LEGO World" event. While we love the LEGO Mustang, Camaro, Batmobile, "Death Proof" Nova et al that we've shown you before, we have to admit that a full-size LEGO car is a step above. 80,000 bricks and about $20,000 later, this guy has a Ferrari F1 car of his own. And he doesn't have to cut open his basement wall to remove it.


[Source: 0-60mag]

The new 2010 Nissan 370Z was unveiled earlier today and will make its official debut at the LA Auto Show next month before going on sale in early 2009. The new Z car will also make an unusual debut within Electronic Arts' new racing game, Need for Speed: Undercover, which goes on sale November 18th. We already knew the car was involved in the game somehow after it was seen in screen shots of in-game video.

Driving games today have no trouble recreating cars down to the smallest detail, and Nissan says it worked hand in hand with the game's studio developer, Black Box, to make sure its new sports car was accurately rendered and drives like it does in real life. This means you'll be able to pilot the 370Z, at least in the virtual sense, weeks before it arrives on dealers lots. And from the look of these screen captures in our gallery below, the car took to being digitized quite well. We were going to pick up the new Need for Speed anyway, but this just gives us all the more reason.



[Source: Nissan, EA]

Much like its Porsche Design counterpart, there isn't really anything BMW DesignWorks won't try to make better, from an espresso machine to a custom interior for a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. So it was only a matter of time before they put pen to paper and created a yacht, this particular example being a 60-foot offshore performance sailboat for the Zeydon boatyard of Belgium.

Meant, as with any BMW, to be just almost everything to almost everyone, the yacht, christened "WYSIWYG," is a regatta-oriented sailer as fast as it is luxurious. And no, your eyes don't deceive you: it's blue. Why? Because according to the heads of Zeydon, "it perfectly communicates the characteristics that determine our corporate identity: progressiveness, originality, courage, strict authenticity and infinite emotion." And it's got wooden racing stripes. Click the image at right for a high-res version and follow the jump for the press release.

[Source: BMW]