To their credit, Infiniti can not be accused of resting on their laurels.  After a successive string of critical accolades and praise for the G35, nearly all aspects of the newly designated “G37″ have been upgraded for 2009.  Both wider and lower than the previous generation of G cars, the “37″ indicates the addition of a new V6 engine that displaces 3.7 liters.  Perhaps most highly anticipated, and certainly most highly noticable of all of the G models is the 2009 G37 hard-top convertible (pictured below), which will be on display next month at the LA Auto Show and available for purchase in the middle of next year.

Next month, at the Paris Motor Show, Chevy will finally release their seven-seat family concept car, the Orlando. Unfortunately for Chevy, some snapshots made it to the internet pre-launch. They look like pictures from backstage during a promotional shoot. Either way, here they are.

The Orlando, based on the Chevy Cruze platform, is supposed to be this sporty MPV in a small package. It has a GM turbo diesel putting out 150 horsepower, five doors, seating for seven and home theater style setup in the back, which makes it a modern alternative to the big bulky gas eaters that large families need today. I quite like it, but for more that just those reasons.

Check out the pics after the jump:

I spend a lot of time hanging around various Volvo owner forums, and I’m always shamed by the sick custom jobs fellow Volvo 850 owners have ingeniously created, since mine is mostly stock [although I do have an AM/FM Cassette Deck I pulled from an S70 that is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself]. This purple menace out of Europe puts us all to shame though, and to quote Vito, I just may have to seek out its owner and make her my wife [just kidding, mom]

Bonus shots of other sweet custom Vo’s [and one stock red 850] after the jump

2008 RUF CTR 3

To label the good people of RUF as aftermarket “tuners” would be misleading, and in fact inacurrate; RUF is actually classified as a manufacturer.  Yes, the CTR3 is built with many Porsche parts, but much of this car (almost half) is all original.  But unlike some sort of celebrity impersonator who benefits from the fame and looks of another, RUF has the muscle to back up the pretty swagger.

Ah, the Rube Goldberg-esque Cog commercial Honda made for the new Accord back in 2003. That was awesome. Here’s a re-cap:

Honda shot that commercial in real time with no CGI. It took 606 takes to get it right. The equipment was so precisely set up that the crew literally had to tip toe around the set for fear of disturbing the bits and pieces.

My birthday is coming up in a few months, and in honor of turning [<error>/invalid_key], I’m considering indulging my love for classics and buying an antique Benz. I started my idle browsing at Auto Trader, but was disappointed when I quickly learned they cut their inventory off at the 1981 model year. That’s when I made a new discovery, a nondescript little link located beneath the Auto Trader year selection criteria titled simply, Auto Trader Classics. It’s probably been there for months, but in my pursuit of the ever-elusive 2008 Volvo S80 V8 with in-dash nav [come on Vo – you’re dragging your feet with standard equipment that’s technologically relevant, and I’m losing patience], I’ve never had a reason to search for models manufactured prior to my birth year [no, pencil and paper will not be provided, use mental math].

So I set off in uncharted waters for Auto Trader Classics, and I spent the first half hour or so sifting through 40+ year old Mercedes-Benz’s that cost more than a brand new one. Beautiful rides - but not exactly what I was looking for, I wanted something that hit that sweet spot between “total resto rod” and “complete p.o.s.”

2008 Lotus Exige S 240: Nice Ascots

If a $65,000 car can be thought of as a bargain, surely the Lotus Exige S 240 is it.  I have yet to come across an ultimately unfavorable review of the Exige or it’s slightly less peppy sibling, the Elise.  How can something that is small, cramped, mostly without creature comforts and generally a pretty frivolous vehicle that costs 65 grand be a bargain?  Because all of those things are forgotten when you are sitting behind the wheel of what is essentially the most balanced and affordable street-legal racecar on the road.

You asked for more pictures of 2009 Nissan GT-R, so here they are. More pictures that you can shake a bloody stick at. The old GT-R Skyline, the new 2009 Nissan GT-R, the customizable multifuction display integrated into the dash, the start button, the Nismo Super GT-R, the innards, the outtards (is that a word?), the VR38DETT engine, everything. We have pictures of every aspect of the GT-R. We even have videos.

So sit back and enjoy, you’ve found what you were looking for:

1968 Mercury Cougar

When new factory shells of Classic Mustangs and Camaros began production a couple of years ago, many thought that it would hurt the collectible car world; either by diluting the market with too many vehicles or by deceiving buyers into thinking they were getting an authentic classic car instead of a clone.  Predictions were that everyone would race out and convert standard Mustang coupes into the more desirable fastback (as one example) and prices would plummet.  But that really never happened.  In fact, clones of certain ultra-rare muscle cars, like the 1971 Barracuda convertible with a Hemi engine (only 11 were made) are fetching six figures.  Turns out “authenticity” only goes so far.  For most people a knock-off is more than acceptable. 

Our eBay Motors Find of the Day was almost going to be a “Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should” edition featuring a lowered Chevy Tahoe with chrome accents of questionable taste - but we found this van and that was all she wrote, folks.

The “Shaggin Wagon” personified, this 2000 GMC Savanna Explorer Conversion Van embodies everything we stand for here at RideLust ["aim high", that's our motto]. Even with 22″ Lexani’s, 2 television sets, and a Blaupunkt sound system, our favorite part of this ride is the full leather rear power-bench that folds into a bed. We are so overcome with RideLust, our words are failing us.

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