It may not be powered by steam, but it’s pretty darn cool!

Steampunk is one of those genre/themes that don’t really have a strict definition. It is mainly referred to as a fictional sub-culture that features elements of science fiction and fantasy in a Victorian or “Wild West” era with old-fashioned and highly-intricate machines powered by steam that are quite advanced in terms of technology.

The whole Steampunk sub-culture can be rather amusing in terms of the complexity and old-world design of modern machines. One company that is applying this popular theme to automobiles is Carlex, who are in the process of making their first Steampunk car based on a MINI Countryman.

The upcoming Steampunk car from Carlex appears to have very complex details throughout the interior and exterior that will surely amaze onlookers and drivers alike. The Countryman will sport a dark grey exterior paint and feature bronze-colored accents throughout, including the wheels.

The interior of the Steampunk car will be the most detailed aspect of Carlex’s MINI Countryman. Many bronze and bronze-colored accessories will be used throughout including the dials, gauges, steering wheel, pedals, trim pieces, and shifter. The bronze will be complemented by brown leather on the dashboard and seats along with dark wood on the steering wheel and floor. Both the seats and steering wheel will feature see-through elements that display machine-like inner workings of the Steampunk MINI Countryman almost like a skeleton-design automatic timepiece.

So far the Steampunk car is in its early phases and all that we are left with are these two pictures. Carlex’s MINI Countryman should be a one-of-a-kind car that we hope catches on with other tuning companies in the future.

Second Brabus B63S 700 6×6 Could be Yours.

Just two units of the insane Brabus B63S 700 6×6 are pinned for production and that’s a shame. The Brabus B63S takes the already insane Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 and upgrades it thoroughly inside and out. However, despite the rarity, Centurion Cars have managed to acquire the sales rights for the yet-to-be-built second Brabus B63S 700 6×6.

With an asking price of around $813,000, this Brabus B63 700 6×6 costs exactly $300k more than the standard G63 AMG 6×6, but just what do you get for your extra money? Well, the Brabus B63S 700 is powered by a 5.5-liter V8 Biturbo with Brabus’ 700 engine tuning. It produced 544hp before Brabus performed the modifications, now it has 700 hp and 960 Nm of torque, routed to all six-wheels. The four ton goliath sprints from rest to 100 km/h in just 7.4 seconds. The top speed is limited electronically to 160 km/h (100 mph) due to the 37-inch off-road tires!

Custom 1934 Packard Twelve wins Pebble Beach Best of Show award

If winning the world's most prestigious classic car show once is a dream for most collectors, what's it like to win twice? Like repeating at the Olympics for one New Jersey-based collector.

Joseph Cassini's 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria won Best of Show on Sunday afternoon at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Cassini had previously won in 2004 with a 1938 Horch 853A Erdmann & Rossi Sport Cabriolet.

"This is the Olympics of car shows," Cassini said, flanked by his daughter and wife on a stage littered with confetti. "You never think you can win the Olympics twice."

Yet winning such an award was just as emotional the second time, Cassini said, citing the loss of his parents in between the two wins. "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be able to do this," Cassini said.

Cassini bought the car three years ago with the goal of showing it at Pebble Beach. It was in rough shape then, Cassini said, and it took two and half years to restore. Work on the car finished only eight days before he brought it to Pebble.

Though Packard built over 35,000 Twelves from 1933 to 1939, this is the only model with custom bodywork by coachbuilder Raymond Dietrich. A Custom Victoria body was used as the starting point for Dietrich's design.

Sunday's win also marks the first time an American car won this award at Pebble since a Duesenberg claimed the title in 2007. Cassini attributed Sunday's victory to being in the right place at the right time.

"Timing is everything, right?" Cassini said. "It was time for a good, sexy American car to win."

Car review: 2014 Corvette Stingray shifts away from tradition

The roar of eight cylinders echoes off the hillsides as the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray rushes past vineyards and sun-faded barns. The magnetic suspension grips the uneven pavement; the manual gearbox rips through seven crisp shifts as the horizon blurs.

After months of anticipation and hype, Chevrolet is finally letting the next-generation Corvette out for test drives as the automotive media descends on Monterey Car Week.

Though brief, our dalliance with a coupe version revealed that General Motors has hit the mark, balancing a towering legacy with the technological demands of a new century. A major step forward in the Corvette's evolution, the Stingray nonetheless sticks to the 60-year-old formula — premium power and handling on a Chevrolet budget.

With 455 horsepower and a $52,000 base price, no one will argue with the performance; many will argue with the styling, which dumps the iconic round taillights and soft curves in favor of an angular profile that gives this seventh-generation 'Vette a digital look.

The new look grabs attention but lacks emotion; though meant to capture a younger audience, the changes don't necessarily make the car more youthful. This could prove to be this generation's only significant flaw.

Chevrolet's need to lure younger fans can't be overstated. From 2008 through June 2013, half of all new Corvettes were registered by individuals ages 55 and over, according to R.L. Polk & Co. Just 2.6% of buyers were ages 34 and under. This has earned the Corvette a reputation as the natural habitat for aging men seeking the trappings of youth.

"We're trying to get away from that," said Josh Holder, the engineering manager who oversaw the development of this Corvette. "Our customer base is going to die off."

The marketing isn't subtle. Two months before revealing the car at the Detroit Auto Show, Chevrolet released a digitized version of the car — wrapped in camouflage — for players of the Sony PlayStation game "Gran Turismo." More than 500,000 people downloaded it. When the official car was released this January, an additional 1.6 million users downloaded that version.

In the physical realm, Chevrolet also deviated from the design playbook. The C7, as the Corvette cognoscente call it, is the first model without two sets of round taillights since 1961. They're trapezoids now, with black vents on the outside of each pair resembling streaks of mascara.

The deliberate shift from tradition sets the C7 apart from earlier Corvettes on the road, said Kirk Bennion, the man in charge of the new car's exterior design. The reception to the change has been less than positive — often, "looks like a Camaro." But Bennion and Holder aren't bothered.

"If we made it too easy for everyone to like, they'd be tired of it in two years," Bennion said.

The design looks better — if no less edgy — in person. There's a three-dimensionality to the LED taillights that photos don't capture.

Myriad other changes are less obvious but more substantive: The hood and removable roof panel are now carbon fiber. The wheelbase is an inch longer, while the overall length grows 2.4 inches. The car is 1.3 inches wider and even rides a bit lower. An aluminum frame sheds about 100 pounds over the previous model's steel frame, but total weight increases 100 pounds.

The exterior may be controversial, but few dispute the interior was overdue for an overhaul. The new cabin is a clear upgrade in sound isolation, quality of materials and fit and finish.

Thoughtful touches abound, like a fully customizable digital instrument panel and the small redundant climate control buttons for the passenger near their door.

Complaints here are few. Taller drivers will yearn for a bit more legroom, and a large grab handle in the middle of the console blocks the passenger's view of most of the buttons and screen.

The model we spent the most time in sells for $71,660 and included the 3LT package. For $8,000, buyers get a suite of luxury touches including power heated and cooled Napa leather seats, a touch-screen navigation system with Chevy's MyLink infotainment setup and a heads-up display.

Also bundled on our tester was the $2,800 Z51 performance package — a must-have, as it includes performance-oriented gear ratios, an electronically controlled limited slip differential, separate transmission cooling system, and 19-inch wheels up front and 20-inch wheels in the back.

Continuing the performance trend, the Lime Rock Metallic car we tested also included the Magnetic Ride Control suspension setup for $1,795 and the dual-mode performance exhaust for $1,195.

All 2014 Corvettes come with a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that makes 455 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque (the optional exhaust system adds five to each of those figures). Zero to 60 mph passes in a mere 3.8 seconds in the Z51 optioned 'Vette. And yet the car manages 17 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, thanks to direct fuel injection and a cylinder deactivation system that shuts off four of the eight cylinders during freeway cruising.

Two transmissions are available: a seven-speed manual gearbox with active rev-matching, or a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

All these changes make for an incredibly compelling sports car. The previous Corvette required some seat time to get comfortable pushing its limits; the C7 is ready to dance right out of the box.

The engine has a throaty yet refined voice that barks out of the quad exhaust pipes. Power delivery is smooth throughout the rev range, and there's always plenty on tap.

Although an automatic transmission could have been an afterthought on this car, it's a solid gearbox that shifts quickly in manual or automatic mode. But get the stick shift. The clutch is easy to modulate and the shifter has a heavy feel but still finds most of its gates without trouble.

This 2014 Corvette isn't a small car, but it never feels heavy. This helps the C7 dart through corners with precision and poise. The Corvette's steering wheel is now smaller and Chevy says the steering is stiffer, but it transmitted a confident feel for the road.

A subtle electronic limited slip differential allows you to easily shake the rear of the car loose with predictable oversteer, if that's your thing. Even if it's not, the car's power is always approachable and useful to a wide range of drivers.

The edgy styling that Chevy sees as crucial to the Corvette's future may not be for everyone — but the rest of the car absolutely is.

Friday night classic car auctions in Monterey top $86 million in sales

A rare Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Bentley attracted the highest winning bids Friday night as key auctions at Monterey's Classic Car week revved into gear.

More than $86.2 million worth of cars changed hands over the course of the evening, according to Hagerty Insurance.

The biggest prize of the night was a 1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider, which RM Auctions sold for $9.08 million, including commission, according to Hagerty. The small, brilliant red race car is one of only 12 known to exist and has been owned by one family since 1968.

FULL COVERAGE: Pebble Beach car week

RM also sold a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster for $7.5 million. Bonhams' 1931 Bentley 4.5-liter Supercharged Le Mans Roadster sold for $4.7 million. Both prices include commission.

With several days of auctions already concluded, the total sum spent on cars in the Monterey auctions is up 33% over 2012. Prior to the week, Hagerty estimated that sales for the entire week would top $325 million, a 22% increase from 2012.

Saturday night will be the second night of auctions for RM, with all eyes on a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB N.A.R.T. Spider. Its pre-sale estimate is $14 million to $17 million, with some experts quietly predicting it could hit $20 million.

The car, one of only 10 ever built, would break the record price for a Ferrari sold at auction if it tops $16.4 million, including commission. That record was set in 2011 by a 1957 Testa Rossa race car, which Santa Monica-based Gooding & Co. sold at its Pebble Beach auction.

Gooding's 2013 Pebble Beach auctions kick off Saturday night and conclude Sunday night. The company is bringing 160 vehicles to the auction block over the two days, with 37 of them featuring pre-sale estimates of more than $1 million.

2013 also marks the 10th anniversary for Gooding as a company. it held its inaugural sale in Pebble Beach in 2004.

Love this for the title alone!


Man crashes car while driving drunk and having sex, proceeds to hide in cactus

We can say this for 25-year old Albuquerque, NM resident Luis Briones: this is a man that doesn't want the party to end. A report from the Albuquerque Journal would seem to indicate that Mr. Briones is having a very bad week, after risking his life, his female passenger's life and the lives of more than a few motorists on Monday evening.

Here's the order of events, as laid out by the utterly bizarre report: Briones, who was later confirmed (in many ways) to be "clearly" intoxicated, ran a red light and struck an oncoming car. The crash caused his naked female passenger to be ejected from the vehicle, with deep cuts to her face and head.

The fact of the woman's nakedness makes more sense when you take into account that "Mr. Briones was observed to be having sexual intercourse with the passenger" according to a police officer quoted by the Albuquerque Journal.

Immediately after the crash, Briones attempted to drive off, but a witness to the accident (and minor hero) grabbed the keys from his car's ignition. The man then fled on foot and was eventually located by police, "...with one shoe on and his shorts inside out ... hiding in a cactus." Again, as reported by AJ. From the cover of the cactus, Briones apparently refused demands of police and exhibited hostility towards paramedics; after managing to get him in the police cruiser, officials say that the man also refused to keep his pants on.

Yep, that's a bad night.

Briones now faces charges of aggravated DWI, reckless driving and evading police.

Telsa drivers will soon be able to drive from NY to LA with 30 minute charges from Tesla's Supercharger system.

Hands on review of the jaw-dropping Aventador roadster!

Already starting to see some sneak peaks of the new Stingray convertible, due out in 2014. No too shabby!

Fiat brought out two new design concepts at the Detroit Auto Show, both intended to expand the appeal of its 500 Turbo and 500 Abarth models with upgraded and unique appointments inside and out.

First up is the Fiat 500 "Cattiva," based on the 500 Turbo, painted with a vibrant Rame (Copper) exterior with contrasting Nero (Black) accents. The turbocharged 500 features gloss Nero headlamp buckets, parking lamp bezels, tail lamps and a roof-mounted spoiler. Special 16-inch alloys, painted satin dark gray, hint at the sport-tuned suspension inside each fender. The appointments are continued inside its cabin with leather sport seating, Matte Nero instrument panel and other trim upgrades. Lastly, the sound package is the segment-exclusive Beats Audio system.

The Fiat 500 "Tenebra," based on the 500 Abarth, is painted in Matte Grigio (Gray) with Nero accents, just like its sibling. In addition to gloss Nero headlamp buckets, parking and tail lamps, it is fitted with 16-inch alloys with a Nero chrome finish. Setting itself apart, the signature Abarth bodyside stripes (and mirror cap) are Grigio in color and there is a large Abarth "Scorpion" logo on the roof. Inside the cabin, the Tenebra features performance seats with leather upholstery, a flat-bottom steering wheel and other cosmetic upgrades. Like the Cattiva, the Beats Audio system is standard.

The dash cluster of the C7 Corvette is completely reconfigurable. Check out this video to see all the options!