ASI's 800hp Tetsu GTR Bentley Continental GT

What does SEMA mean to you? For most of us, it's a place for the country's top tuners to show their wares to a power-hungry public. But the dark side of SEMA never ceases to rear its ugly head, and further proof will be available at the Toyo booth where the Tetsu GTR Bentley Continental GT will be displayed.

The unholy brainchild of Japanese tuner ASI features a custom carbon fiber wide-body kit that makes ASMA's unfortunate creations look demure in comparison. The two-tone paint scheme... uhhh... compliments the massive haunches, deep side skirts and GT-style wing, while 22-inch blingalicious rollers prove that chrome is still in high demand... unfortunately.

According to Modified Luxury and Exotics, only 29 Tetsu GTRs will be produced, each putting out over 800 hp. We'll be on hand to provide live shots of the other five vehicles featured at the Toyo stand, assuming our camera lens doesn't crack when we zoom in on the GTR's gaudy fascia.

Source: Luxury Exotics

VW Scirocco

For some reason, the Volkswagen Scirocco hasn't really blipped on my radar.

It's just one of those cars that's sort of passed me by - despite all the hype and nostalgic musings it's generated.

Maybe that's because the Iroc concept looked so brilliant, only for VW to lose their guts and dilute it into a softer, less edgy-looking production version.

Such gutlessness caused me to lose interest. What happened to that pointy, aggressive front-end? I wanted it back.

But, sat there in the BBC's secret underground layer (just off the A40 at White City), it looked bloody brilliant.

Pictures don't do this thing justice. In white, it looks properly cool, and the wheels are unlike anything on other 'normal' cars - they're more like the turbine-style jobs you get on an SLR.
And underneath all that, it's a Golf GTI. There are worse things to have as an alter-ego...

So it's quick. And stylish. Quick, stylish and utterly appealing. I want one.

Driving around west London, it got tonnes of attention. Maybe that's 'cos it's new, but the constant flicker of 'thumbs up' from pedestrians, cabbies and truckers would suggest people really like the look of it.

The only let down is the interior - it's boring. OK so I like the ribbed leather seats, and they're the only nod to the Scirocco of old.

But the rest of it is dull, and a bit safe in a very VW sort of way. The Iroc had all sorts of sculpted surfaces, bright splashes of colour and even a racing harness. Where's all that gone?

Probably in the same dustbin as the original front-end. So if you're planning on buying a Scirocco (which you should), my advice is to go find that bin, fish out the parts and graft them back on.

Source: Top Gear

Mitsubishi Lancer VR4 Station Wagon

A member of the Dutch ‘Galantfans’ forum came up with this rendering depicting a sporty station wagon version of the new Mitsubishi Lancer (Galant Fortis in Japan). Although it’s apparent that the ‘chop’ was made by mating the body of a… VW Passat Variant (check out the mirrors) to the front-end of the Lancer along with adding a set of tasty alloys that are housed in blown up wheel arches, the overall result looks very promising.

Nissan Raises GT-R MSRP By Нearly $7,000

Nissan announced today a price increase for the 2009 GT-R, raising the MSRP nearly $7,000 from $69,850 to $76,840. The price for the Premium model has been increased even more, going from $71,900 to $79,090 in one fell swoop. Fortunately, the adjusted prices do not affect customers who placed their orders with dealers before September 5. Nissan cited increased material costs as the reason for the adjustment.

Since the GT-R is already one of the best performance bargains on the market today and customers are paying a premium to own one, we doubt that the price increase will have any effect on sales. Still, $7,000 is a serious chunk of change that could go towards aftermarket toys from Cobb Tuning or HKS.