Tech.Wapline

There are more special editions Mustangs than you can shake a wrench at, but of all the variants we’ve seen so far, the Saleen SA-25 Sterling Edition is one of our favorites. Not only does it take all the attributes of the stock model and accentuates them, the SA-25’s supercharged V8 comes packing 620 hp and 600 lb.-ft. of torque. The power matches the poise and we’ve added a handful of shots to the gallery below.

BMW wasn’t planning on releasing the M3 convertible just yet. It had its hands full with the production X6 crossover and those new-fangled turbodiesels the company unveiled at the Detroit show. The M3 drop-top wasn’t supposed to debut until March at the Geneva show. But the Bavarian automaker evidently took a decidedly un-German “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” attitude when initial images and details leaked out. Rather than trying to hold the dam together, BMW has decided to join us for a swim and let the floodgates open on its new V8 hard-top convertible.

As exciting and versatile package it is, the real news here is BMW’s new M DCT twin-clutch gearbox that stands in for the previous SMG transmission, which had its fair share of haters. The rest we already know from the M3 coupe and the more plebian 3-Series convertible. Unfortunately, the glorious M-tuned V8 is bogged down by an extra 450 lbs. of folding metal and electric motors, but that’s the price you pay (on top of what promises to be a heart-attack-inducing sticker price) for the option of taking in the sunshine and that delicious exhaust note without sacrificing the security of a tin top. Swapping cogs at lightning speed, though, should help mitigate the half second the convertible loses on the coupe.

In our day-to-day, we come across a fair number of replicars. Some are especially convincing, while others are just plain bonkers. Far more so than the Miata-based AMX07 we brought you back in 2006, this Aston Martin V12 Vanquish replica could have had us fooled.

Made by Ontario, Canada-based Exclusive Motor Cars, this Aston replica is based on a previous-gen Ford Mustang. Ten companies are then involved in the transformation — stretching the wheelbase, widening the track and lowering the ride height with suspension mods; crafting, painting and fitting the 34 composite body panels; custom upholstering the interior and fitting interior trim pieces; and mounting all the extra details from the headlights to the badges.

The end result, at least as far as we can tell from the pictures (you can judge for yourself in the gallery below), would appear to fool anyone but the most trained eye. Exclusive even plans to offer a “spy package” complete with (what we’d hope are fake) grille-mounted rocket launchers and hood-mounted machine guns in an effort to complete the “Die Another Day” 007 package. Although the company’s pricing page is currently blank, you can bet it costs a heck of a lot less than the authentic, now-discontinued V12 Vantage itself. You very well might be the only one who would know the difference.

What you are looking at is the physical representation of Hyundai’s will to succeed in the U.S., also known as the 2009 Hyundai Genesis. The Korean automaker’s first attempt at a rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan will debut in Detroit next week and arrive on our shores later this year (we think) with a price tag that starts below $30,000. As is Hyundai’s way, it will feature power, performance and amenities that belie its little price tag.

First, the design. The Genesis sedan has clean lines and uncluttered surfaces that look detailed and, frankly, expensive. Yes, it’s derivative. There’s a bit of Lexus LS in the headlights, some Infiniti in the profile and rear… you get the idea and can add your own observations in the comments. It’s a criticism that’s been lobbed at nearly every recent Hyundai design, but it doesn’t stick. The design of the Genesis won’t offend and it won’t excite, and our only major complaint is the grille, which looks too anonymous without a big Hyundai logo front and center.

The Genesis sedan (don’t forget about the rear-wheel-drive Genesis Coupe that’s coming next) will be available with three engines including the automaker’s familiar 3.3L and 3.8L Lambda V6 engines producing 264 HP/233 lb. ft. and 290 HP/264 lb. ft., respectively. The top-shelf motor will be Hyundai’s first V8 in the U.S., the 4.6L Tau V8 that produces a healthy 368 HP and 324 lb. ft. of torque. The Tau V8 also gets paired with a ZF 6-speed automatic rather than the Aisin 6-speed autos that are mated to the V6 engines. The V8 also runs on good old fashioned 87 octane unleaded gas, something not all of its competition can claim. 0-60? Well under 6 seconds says Hyundai.

Our friends over at Jalopnik say the CTS-V is officially fair game now, so here we go. Now that the second generation Cadillac CTS is on the streets and garnering largely positive reviews for its looks, performance and handling dynamics, the time has come to turn it up a notch. The 2008 Detroit Auto Show will bring us the second generation high-performance CTS-V model. Just as the original 2004 version used an engine derived from the top Corvette of the time, so too does the new model. The 2009 CTS-V leap-frogs its chief competitor - the BMW M5 - with GM’s new LSA V8 derived from the LS9 in the Corvette ZR1.

The goal of the CTS-V development team was to create a car with the poise and sophistication of the best luxury sedans melded with the outstanding performance of a high sports car. To achieve that they installed the supercharged 6.2L V-8 with an output of 550 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque into a heavily upgraded chassis and then went about dressing up both the interior and exterior to match. Read all about the new CTS-V after the jump.