Official: Rolls-Royce records highest annual sales in 107-year history

Filed under: Car Buying , Rolls-Royce , Earnings/Financials , UK , Luxury Some would say that 2011 wasn’t exactly a banner year, but the good chaps at Rolls-Royce would likely respond with a definitive “Poppycock!” That’s because the 107-year-old brand experienced its best-ever sales totals in 2011, with 3,538 very expensive autos sold around the globe. That’s a 31 percent increase over the 2,711 models sold in 2010, thanks mostly to brisk sales of the Ghost and Phantom models. With sales up 31 percent, it’s clear that the storied automaker was on fire the world over, but certain markets really catapulted the marque. In fact, sales in Asia were up 47 percent, and the U.S

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Official: Rolls-Royce records highest annual sales in 107-year history

Official: 2012 Opel Astra OPC gets 280 horsepower, 155 mph top speed

Filed under: Performance , Europe , Hatchback , GM , Opel , Vauxhall We ogled the curvaceous Opel Astra GTC at Frankfurt , but this is the one we’ve really been waiting for: The OPC version. Standing for Opel Performance Center, “OPC” is similar to the Honda ” Type R ” or BMW “M” nomenclature, although not nearly as well known. The 2012 Astra OPC could change that in a hurry. GM’s European division has really done a number on the compact hatchback to make it worthy of the badge, dropping a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four with direct injection underhood.

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Official: 2012 Opel Astra OPC gets 280 horsepower, 155 mph top speed

’92 Honda Civic thinks its a Veyron, makes us chuckle

Filed under: Aftermarket , Hatchback , Bugatti , Honda , Humor Dressing up budget hatchbacks to appear to be something more than they are seems to be all the rage these days. Toyota iQ becomes Aston Martin Cygnet . Mini Cooper becomes the Rolls-Royce-inspired Goodwood edition . Even the Fiat 500 has had its Tributo Ferrari

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’92 Honda Civic thinks its a Veyron, makes us chuckle

Video: Goodwood Revival rounds out the classics with sports cars and prototypes [UPDATE]

Filed under: Motorsports , Classics , Convertible , Coupe , Performance , Videos , Celebrities , Specialty , Racing Cobras, Tigers and… Ferrari’s? Oh my! If you happened to miss our post on the ’60s touring cars that took to the track at the 2011 Goodwood Revival , you may not realize just how amazing vintage racing can be.

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Video: Goodwood Revival rounds out the classics with sports cars and prototypes [UPDATE]

Video: Goodwood Revival rounds out the classics with sports cars and prototypes

Filed under: Motorsports , Classics , Convertible , Coupe , Performance , Videos , Celebrities , Specialty , Racing Cobras, Tigers and… Ferrari’s? Oh my! If you happened to miss our post on the ’60s touring cars that took to the track at the 2011 Goodwood Revival , you may not realize just how amazing vintage racing can be. And it gets even more interesting as the value and historic significance of the cars increases

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Video: Goodwood Revival rounds out the classics with sports cars and prototypes

Video: Goodwood Revival historic race showcases classic touring cars

Filed under: Motorsports , Classics , Videos , UK It’s always a thrill to watch vintage racing, and that’s doubly so when the cars are as varied as they are at the Goodwood Revival’s 1960s Touring Cars class. In the video after the break, you’ll see such classic machinery as the V8-powered Ford Galaxie, 300-horsepower Jaguar Mk II, Lotus Cortina, Mini Cooper (the original, naturally), Alfa Romeo GT and BMW 1600. How can a puny 1.6-liter Mini Cooper possibly compete with cars boasting twice as much power? That’d be by maintaining as much speed through the corners as possible, maximizing its weight advantage when braking and, of course, it never hurts to see some stellar driving talent behind the wheel.

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Video: Goodwood Revival historic race showcases classic touring cars