Lamborghini originally denied the development of a Reventón roadster, but these pics surfaced online to prove otherwise. The exterior is crazy, with edges sharp enough to keep away from a depressed emo hipster. Inside, magnates will find loads of alcantara and carbon fiber. Power should come from the same 6.5-liter V12 producing 650hp and 487 lb-ft of torque, so I suggest you avoid the 200+mph top speed with the top down lest you be sucked out of your own whip. Price will be roughly $1.75 mil. FUN FACT: The Reventón’s exhaust system is coated with plasma-sprayed, zirconia-based ceramics, the same material used to protect the insides of nuclear reactors.

Sorry, Infiniti. I know you were trying to be nice and give a few dealers/executives a peek at your new QX, but some asshat in attendance had to go all MI6 on you. So here we have the 2011 QXsomethingorother. Looking like a Range Rover cross-bred with a Land Cruiser, it’s sporting some huge rims, smooth bodywork and fender vents (are we done with these yet?). Even the blackened pillars come straight from the Land Rover LRX concept. Hit the jump for the booty shot.

As part of a new marketing campaign led by chairman Ed “Guns-up” Whitacre, GM will be offering a 60-day money-back guarantee on all 2009 and 2010 Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models. The desired boost in consumer confidence couldn’t come at a better time with recent reports showing much of the auto bailout money is unlikely to be repaid. “We’re putting our money down that if people buy one of our vehicles and don’t absolutely love it, we’ll take it back,” said vice chairman of marketing Bob Lutz. The program runs from September 14 through November. Click through for the press release and stipulations.

If this car never happens, I swear I’ll kick and scream like a two-year-old. Here we have the Mini Coupe Concept, a celebration of the 50 year anniversary of Mini’s introduction to the public. Power comes from the same 1.6-liter twin-scroll turbocharged engine as in the Mini John Cooper Works. Horsepower is rated at 211, while torque can temporarily jump from 192 to 206 lb-ft by way of an Overboost function. The Coupe Concept is, in a few words, an “expression of MINI design and the great ability of the brand’s designers to fill the elementary values of the brand with new life, using the options of modern drivetrain and suspension technology, and developing fascinating perspectives for the future of the brand on this basis”. Follow the jump for the official press release and more photos of this chopped-top badass.

Inconvenience? Give me my money!

You may already know that the government’s CARS program (aka Cash for Clunkers) ends tonight at 8pm ET. Only 7% of all rebate requests have been honored, and dealers have until tonight to submit their transactions. Good luck. What you see above is essentially what every dealer in America sees today when they sign-in to www.cars.gov/dealersupport and click “Submit Transaction”. The massive deluge of traffic has rendered the site useless. This is the same problem experienced immediately following the launch in July. Only this time, there probably won’t be an extension and the dealers won’t be reimbursed. Those that do make it through can expect the site to crash repeatedly while attempting to upload the numerous documents required to received payment. Seriously guys, fuck you.

[UPDATE!] The NADA has reached out to dealers to get some feedback and lobby for an extension. The result? An extra 15 hours! Thanks, assholes!

With idiots like this trolling the streets of Moscow, I really don’t fear another Cold War. They’ll just shoot off a bunch of fireworks with ICBM stickers slapped on the side. Two more gut-wrenching pics after the jump.

Starting in November of this year, Daimler will be producing prototypes of the smart fortwo electric drive. Select pilot cities will include Berlin, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Pisa, Rome and an unnamed selection of locations in the US. Large-scale production will start in 2012. Powered by a 30 kW motor producing 120 Nm of torque, an overnight charge will provide a maximum range of 72 miles. 0-60 times are slightly faster than reading Atlas Shrugged. Hit the jump for the pics and the press.

The Nikkei, as well as Kyodo News, is reporting that Honda will be introducing an electric vehicle in the next few years. They have worked extensively on fuel cell technology, but it has proven to be too expensive to create a niche.

[GreenCarCongress via Jalopnik]

I love the Nürburgring pissing contest. I won’t be satisfied until some rocket-powered insanity kills a dozen heroes in the quest for a five-minute lap time. Gumpert, the brand which sounds slow in the head, is clearly quite fast on the track. On August 13th, their Apollo Sport set a new record for a road-legal production car of 7m11.57s. Only one problem. Didn’t the Radical SR8 do it in like, 6:55? Like, four years ago? Yes. But raining on the Gumparade is not enough. Cue the hail…

It’s taken me long enough to get used to Ferrari sharing engines with Maserati and Alfa. This would absolutely make me cry. Rumors are going around that the next Viper may be powered by a Ferrari-designed V10. Fiat CEO, Sergio Marchionne believes this would elevate the Viper to true halo car status as well as bring down development cost by spreading the tech around. In my book, Ferraris are for rock stars and millionaire playboys, while Vipers are for roughneck entrepreneurs who hit it big in the sheetrock business. If the worst happens, I may have trouble showing my prancing horse in public. The one on that hat I found, I mean.

[wcf]