Having trouble understanding what the big fuss is about the McLaren MP4-12C? Afterall, it is just another $200,000 mid-engined supercar, right? What's special is the ridiculously anal attention to mechanical detail McLaren's put into it. Proof below.

The gallery below — 96 shots of the MP4-12C from every angle, every detail, every everything — should be all the proof you need.

In 14 months, McLaren will being producing 1200 MP4-12C's a year, an ambitious target. The Formula One-inspired 12C is powered by a mid-mounted, 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 putting out 592 HP through a seven-speed dual-clutch manumatic gearbox. Thanks to a lightweight carbon fiber passenger cell and extruded aluminum frame, the whole shebang weighs in at just 2,866 Lbs fully-fuelled...

 [ Source: jalopnik.com ]

Prius is a Latin word which is roughly translates to "prior." Toyota picked the word for its hybrid car to indicate that it's a predecessor of cars to come. One thing the automaker should have done was register the Prius trademark worldwide. What happened instead was that an automotive company in India called Prius Auto Industries popped up and registered its own trademark six years before Toyota thought about it.

[Source: The Hindu Busines Line]  [ Source: green.autoblog.com ]

Although the paintjob on this café racer makes it look like a Norton, this is actually a very special Triumph Thruxton that pulled the lucky card when ending up in the hands of Austrian Triumph dealer Jurgen Schnaller. The ‘Greymouth’, as it is called, gets upgraded engine and chassis components enhancing the sporty side of the already great British bike.

The engine, which now features high compression pistons, ported and polished head and high lift camshafts while being fed through new flat side Keihin carbs and fitted with a Raask exhaust, is claimed to be 26bhp more powerful than on the stock bike. On the chassis side, the upgraded Wilbers front and rear suspensions are meant to cope with the extra performance...

 [ Source: topspeed.com ]

Welcome to the hottest car show to hit LA. Everyone wants to win trophies, money and of course the bragging rights in till next show. Take the tour and get stoked to involve your prize piece next time around.

It's been over five years since the E90 BMW 3 Series was introduced, and according to Automobile, the all-new bread-and-butter Bimmer is set to hit the market in 2012. Codenamed F30, the next 3er is reportedly set to employ the F20 1 Series' front strut layout instead of the 5, 6 and 7 Series double wishbone arrangement. But the new underpinnings aren't the real news.

Five body styles will make up the 2012 3 Series: The standard sedan, wagon, coupe and convertible (each coming out about six months after the former's introduction), along with a Gran Turismo model in 2013. The slant-roof five-door we've reported on previously will take cues from the 5 Series that shares the same name, but will feature a one-piece hatch unlike it's bigger brother's two-piece unit.

[Source: Automobile]  [ Source: autoblog.com ]

We've formed a new Facebook group --- Driving Crazy ---- and invite everyone to visit and perhaps join. All you need do is type DRIVING CRAZY into the SEARCH box at the top of any Facebook page and you'll be directed to the group. And if you're not a Faceboook member, isn't it about time you find out what all the hubbub is about? It's easy...even for me...and free, too.

We have high hopes for this...and as far as we can tell, it is the only car/truck/motorcycle or motor racing enthusiast group on Facebook.

Thanks for your interest!

Follow Steve Parker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/autojourno

NEW AUTO GROUP ON FACEBOOK!

Just because you’ve got a classic old-school ride, doesn’t mean you should be washing it the old-school way. If you’re gonna drop all your cash on a cool vintage car, like a Mustang or Chevelle, you might as well spend a bit more on cleaning products that keep its shine. Ditch the hose and bucket and check out Surf City Garage.

[Source: Maserati]   [ Source: autoblog.com ]

Lexus will lease, not sell, the $375,000 LFA supercar. But after seeing details of how the lease works it sounds like a pain in the ass. $12,400 monthly payments? One low $298,000 payment? That's just the start.

The whole point of the Lexus LFA is to alter the way the mega rich and therefore their inferiors, think about Lexus. It's the first step in transforming the brand from a Toyota with leather to a genuine international competitor for BMW and Mercedes. The problem is, desirable supercars like the LFA tend to get snapped up by speculators, not end users and that throws a major wrench in Lexus' plan to woo the wealthy. Buying from Jimmy the Greek won't give customers the chance to get the full Lexus experience...

 [ Source: jalopnik.com ]

[Source: Tesla]  [ Source: green.autoblog.com ]

Built as an American sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is a left-hand drive model. But here are countries out there that need RHD cars. And Australia is one of them. Performax International will unveil a RHD ZR1 at the 22nd National Corvette Convention in Perth over Easter.

The Corvette ZR1 RHD is powered by the same 6.2 liter GM LS9 engine that develops 638 hp and a peak torque of 604 lbs-ft. It makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in less than 4 seconds and can hit a top speed of 205 mph. The Corvette ZR1 RHD weighs 1510 kg thanks to an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber body panels. The car required 300 hours of work...

 [ Source: topspeed.com ]