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Enter SweepstakesThe definition of a grand prize dictates that it has to be special, so we saved our most special prize for last: a Dream Car Tour courtesy of Gotham Dream Cars. What's a Dream Car Tour? Your opportunity to drive six exotic sports cars in a single day.

The Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Murciélago and McLaren MP4-12C are just a few of the six-figure super cars and exotics that Gotham Dream Cars has available to drive at their two locations serving the NY/NJ region and Miami/South Florida. The $895 Dream Car Tour package includes a safety presentation with an overview of the cars you'll be driving and 150 miles of motoring bliss. Your days ends back at the clubhouse where you're presented a certificate of completion, t-shirt and DVD of your experience. Did we mention that you can bring a shotgun passenger for free?

The winner will receive a non-expiring transferable gift certificate for one Dream Car Tour that's redeemable at either location, though you'll be responsible for your own travel and lodging. We think it's worth the trip.

You've got a whole week to enter, and since passengers can ride along for free, we suggest you get your spouse and best friend to enter too. Good luck, and from all of us here, thank you for being a loyal, passionate reader of Autoblog!

The Rules:

• Click here to enter. Requires that you Like the Autoblog Facebook page. Additional entries can be earned if your friends use a unique URL given to you to enter.
• Sweepstakes is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older!
• The winner will be chosen randomly. One winner will win a non-expiring transferable gift certificate for a Gotham Dream Cars Dream Car Tour valued at $895.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within five days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
• Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 12:00 PM EST.

Polished Utility Impresses, Just Not At The Pump



With its subtle badging out of sight, and from a distance greater than 30 feet, Volkswagen's flagship Touareg Hybrid can hardly be differentiated from its entry-level Touareg V6 sibling. But pop the hood or take it for a quick spin, and the gasoline-electric utility quickly reveals itself as one of the most complex vehicles ever to grace the German automaker's showroom.

Predictably, there is always downside to such technical wizardry. Comprehensive development and revolutionary components, including a large nickel metal-hydride battery pack, don't come cheap. As a result, the Touareg Hybrid is the most expensive vehicle in today's Volkswagen lineup, with a base price eclipsing the standard Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz M-Class and even the Porsche Cayenne.

So why would someone spend more than $60,000 to put this particular Volkswagen in his or her driveway? To answer that question and to learn more about the automaker's flagship softroader, we spent a full week with it.

A few images of what looks to be the production Porsche 918 Spyder are here to say hello, courtesy of a patent office in China. If these provide an accurate look at what the hybrid supercar will look like, there are a few differences between it and the latest examples of the pre-production prototypes our spy shooters have seen.

The jerry-rigged turn signals inside the headlight enclosures and on the front fenders on the prototype are replaced with more polished units inside the headlamps located underneath the main beams. Behind that, the door handles have been swapped from horizontal latches on the door to vertical openings located just behind the door shutline.

We've also seen a Martini-liveried version of the 918 Spyder that has extra carbon elements that don't appear on this car. It was at the Nürburgring with carbon lips on the front fenders and another carbon element that hung from the rear fenders and ran down to the rear diffuser. When we saw the car on our Deep Dive piece, the front lips were gone but that rear piece remained, and we can't tell from the brochure and options sheet that we've seen so far what it comes with. The wheels from the concept and the green brake calipers, minus the polycarbonate covers, should be the standard fitment while the ten-spoke magnesium wheels will be a 29,750-euro (about $39,000 US) option.

AMG may be working up a new, small-displacement V8 for the C63. Autocar reports the Mercedes-Benz performance house aims to replace the naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter V8 found in the brawny C-Class with a turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. Autocar cites unnamed sources as saying the new V8 is built on the same modular bones as the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine headed for the A45 AMG and CLA45 AMG. Both engines share bore spacing and individual cylinder displacement as well as other specifics.

Drivers won't see a cut in power with the move, however. The report says the forced-induction 4.0-liter will deliver 450 horsepower – just under the 451 hp served up by the current C63 AMG. What's more, the engine will likely be capable of generating up to 600 horsepower. That means it could go on to supplant even the turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 in the SLK55 AMG. While AMG hasn't outright confirmed the 4.0-liter powerplant, Mercedes-Benz AMG CEO Ola Kallenius has made it clear his organization will continue to focus on downsizing engine options in the future.

We have a date with Mitsubishi Mirage (again). The Japanese subcompact is slated to arrive on our shores in September 2013, and it's one of the product offerings meant to help Mitsubishi's US arm raise sales in its next financial year from 55,000 to 80,000. If next year were 1989, we'd say there's no reason that couldn't happen, but from what we've seen, the Mirage is so magnificently meek (have you seen the interior?) that we aren't sure how it will manage that kind of US sales aggression in the 21st century.

Continuing that theme, Car and Driver reports that the Mitsu will launch here with a 1.2-liter, three-cylinder engine. Make no mistake, this is a very popular engine in the Mirage and responsible for its excellent fuel economy. The hatch is doing so well in other markets with its two naturally aspirated tri-cylinders that the Thailand facility that builds the Mirage will have its capacity increased by 33 percent to try and meet demand. In European spec, the 845-kilogram (1,859 pounds) subcompact with the more powerful engine offering 79 horsepower and 78 pound-feet of torque gets 57.3 miles per US gallon and takes 11.7 seconds to get from zero to 62 miles per hour. The question is whether Mitsubishi will boost the output of that engine for our market. If not, only the 70-hp Smart ForTwo will have less horsepower – but the Mirage, interestingly enough, weighs about the same as the microcar.

On its UK site, Mitsubishi said the reveal of the Mirage in back 2011 meant "redefining the standards by which to judge a compact passenger car." We can't wait to find out if that's still true and what that means when it gets here. To prepare yourself, there's video of the Mirage in action below.

We've been calling it the C11, but the new compact sedan from Qoros – the Sino-Israeli joint venture car company – has officially been dubbed GQ3. To be revealed at next year's Geneva Motor Show before going on sale in China in the second half of of 2013, the GQ3 is a C-segment sedan whose selling points are meant to be a spacious interior, lots of technology and five-star crash ratings on the Euro NCAP tests. If you're wondering about the name, each element signifies brand nomenclature: Qoros sedans will all begin with "G," the letter "Q" stands for the company and will feature in every car's name, and the number is the segment, "3" representing compacts.

Even though it's a compact car, the GQ3 is two inches wider than a Chrysler 200, and those wheel arches can swallow 19-inch rims. Beyond spaciousness, the interior's main attraction is the eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system utilizing in-house software, technology and graphics. It can recognize swipe gestures used on smartphones and is said to integrate all kinds of navigation, traffic, POI and social media features.

We've saved a discussion of the car's looks for last because, yes, it look like a lot of cars and it looks like it took a lot of cues from a lot of cars – but overwhelming blandness will have that effect. Nevertheless, it's not one of the blatant copy-and-paste jobs we've seen many times before, and if GQ3 can deliver on its three prime directives it will be a home run for Chery Automotive, the Chinese arm of the venture, and Chinese consumers. European deliveries of the GQ3 are expected to begin at the end of next year. The press release below has more details.

It was Indiana Jones and that whole ark episode that gave us the best example of what happens after leaks: once you break the seal, all hell breaks loose and there's no way you're putting it back. We aren't sure who lifted the lid, but official photos of the 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible showed up on Flickr last week, and so here we are presenting them to you.

If it follows the Bentley playbook as the last GT Speed – and we have no reason to believe it won't – beyond the lack of a top there won't be much difference between it and the coupe than a few minor numerals. There will be a W12 in front with 616 horsepower and 590 foot-pounds of torque running through an eight-speed transmission, and the dash from standstill to 60 miles per hour will clock in somewhere around four seconds. That's some 21-inch rolling stock setting up the stance, and unless it's gotten slower than the last GT Speed, ultimate velocity with the top up should be at least 200 mph.

It will be undeniably fast. As for the paint, you can make up your own minds about that while you peep its angles in the high-res gallery. We'll find out the rest when the world's purplest droptop is revealed at the Detroit Auto Show.

Hope Santa's got some coal left, because someone else has earned it for yet another holiday season leak. Alongside leaked shots for the 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible and Mercedes-Benz CLA, a Corvette Forum member recently uploaded a number of drawings of the C7 Corvette that he says someone has been sending him. The post has since been removed from the forum, the original poster, "Blue Ox," writing "the information I posted is less 'public' than was originally thought and... someone's job could be in danger."

There are no take-backs on the Internet, though. The drawings look to be from an owner's manual or a service guide and show the coupe's exterior, rear end and inside the rear hatch, then cover details of the cockpit, seats and engine bay. There's a new steering wheel inside, and a large central screen with a new array of HVAC buttons underneath. Pilots will get to sit in new sports seats that finally appear to have the proper amount of bolstering for a Corvette.

The dash cluster that was teased in a video not long ago looks like it could be a central LCD screen flanked by analogue gauges for the speedo, water temp and fuel tank, not an all-LCD display. There will be a Track Overlay feature that tracks the car on a track and monitors speed, brake and throttle application, gear selection, G force and direction, lap time and steering angle, and it displays a graph for the Performance Traction Management. This will likely work with the (or is a display for) the Performance Data Recorder that is said to be able to save vehicle data, as well as video and audio, to an SD card.

Not shown in the photos but thrown into the discussion is Active Rev Match for cars equipped with manual transmissions, said to match engine speed to the next gear for both upshifts and downshifts. Last but not least, an Engine Sound Management system will alter the 'robustness' of the engine note via seven settings: Auto, Stealth, City, Tour, Sport, Track and Off.

There are just three weeks left until the C7 is revealed at the Detroit Auto Show. We wouldn't mind leaving something left to surprise us on the official day, but we won't be surprised if that doesn't happen.

Humanix is a group of students at Japan's Hiroshima University who want to build a car that is kind to humans. What they've done, at least with this car, the iSAVE-SC1, is build an EV that is kind to the Earth and mankind, though a nemesis to self-respect. The body of the three-wheeled electric vehicle is covered in strong, air-filled cushions that can absorb the impact of collisions. The unlikely combination of build materials and this being a university project, that fact that it looks like a casting leftover from Cars 2 isn't surprising.

We don't read Japanese and the trike can get up to 50 kilometers per hour, so we aren't sure if the cushions can keep everything damage-free at top speed. Were it manufactured, the suggested retail price is estimated to be about $9,300, but if you bought it, parking lot fender-benders would never be a concern of yours again. Neither would a date. You can watch it fulfill it's mission of being kind to humans in the video below.

Via Motors will descend on the 2013 Detroit Auto Show with three new full-size electric vehicles. Company spokesperson Bob Lutz will pull the sheets back on each of the extended-range EVs personally, including an 800-horsepower, four-wheel-drive pickup truck, a luxury four-wheel-drive SUV and what VIA is calling the world's first 12-passenger extended-range electric van. Given the company's previous efforts, it's a good bet each of the new products will be based on General Motors platforms.

As you may recall, Via hopes to reduce fuel consumption by focusing on popular vehicles that use the most gasoline, including full-size trucks, vans and SUVs. A year ago, Bob Lutz joined the company in a spokesperson role, and has since showed up on Jay Leno's Garage to show off the company's wares. You can check out the full press release below for more information.

We'll say right now that we aren't sure of their provenance; however, the site Auto Monthly has five of the kind of stylized press shots you get before a vehicle is officially revealed. In this case the car is the Mercedes-Benz CLA, and since the little sedan is meant to debut next month at the Detroit Auto Show, the existence and release (or leak) of such photos would fit right into the timeline. We've already seen the thing naked in spy shots, and this lines up with the sneak peek from Iceland.

For something more substantial to compare, when Mercedes-Benz announced its new 4MATIC system for the CLA it released a host of photos to go with it. The car is covered in skin-tight camo so you won't get details, but you can get an idea of how it sits on the road. Even better is the video with rolling footage of the 4MATIC in action in the wet – that offers a much better visual of how small the sedan is.

Our hypotheses and speculations won't need to go on much longer, for the final product will be shown to us all in a couple of weeks. For now, there are two high-res galleries, a video and a press release below.

We'd like to take a moment to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas from the team at Autoblog! We hope that your Yuletide is filled with surprise and delight, loved ones and friends, food and drink and safe travels wherever you're going. (A fun car on a twisty road to Grandma's house wouldn't go amiss, either.)

And now, for some completely gratuitous winter-weather fun, take a leisurely browse through our seasonally correct gallery of cars dashing through the snow. (A hearty thanks to our photographer friends at the automakers of the world, who make snowy shots like this a fun reality.)

Stepping away from the trendy and arcane, the next guest in Jay Leno's Garage is a 1968-69 Lamborghini R485 tractor. In case there's anyone who doesn't know, the same Ferruccio Lamborghini ultimately responsible for giving us the Aventador started off making tractors in his native Italy after World War II.

The specs are a long way from anything we'd expect from the company's road-going products. The vineyard and orchard tractor has a 5.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that produces 85 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque, a two-foot clutch and 12 forward gears that get it from 0.3 miles per hour to 14 mph. It's also got a starter motor from a Countach.

There's a whole lot more interesting info on the farm implement, the man who built it and the man who currently owns it in the episode below.

McLaren gathered people of the very important variety in New York City to get an up-close look at it P1 supercar, and to explain how the production car will diverge from the P1 concept shown at the Paris Motor Show. During the show the P1 was said to be "97-percent final," and during the NYC shindig the last three-percent variation was explained, that being vents in the fenders ahead of the front wheels to channel hot air away, and a different pattern for the mesh grille at the rear of the car.

Other notables include the panoramic roof, full carbon fiber discs with a mirror finish provided by a Formula One supplier, superaluminum wheels that are as light as magnesium but more durable, and bits we already know about like the downforce equal to "having a small elephant sitting on the roof of the car." You can watch the presentation in the video below, and play along with photos from either of the high-res galleries.