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What makes the ideal tuner car? Well, for starters it has to have a solid platform and engine, preferably RWD and it has to look good out of the box. So, that really only leaves one set of twins we can think of: the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ.

As we pound the pavement here in Las Vegas at the 2013 SEMA Show, it's clear to us that the FR-S and BRZ are clearly considered the new Honda Civics of the tuner world. They are the ideal candidates for modifications. Already revered for a number of reasons: handling, poise, balance in braking and steering, with just enough power to round it all out, the RWD twins are sure to be a hit for a few years to come.

Of course, the 2013 SEMA Show is all about improving on those elements, and that's precisely what a number of tuning houses have done, and their work is readily on display on the Sin City streets. While most of the mods we came across received big thumbs up from us, there were a few who took it just one step too far. Yes, there's such a thing as too much mod!

Check out our Scion FR-S and BRZ sight-seeing at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas below. And for more videos and live coverage of the SEMA Show, make sure you check out Auto123.TV as well.

On November 6th, 1899, brothers James Ward and William Dowd Packard began testing their first automobile, the Packard Model A. Equipped with a single-cylinder engine located under the driver's bench seat, it produced a mere 12 horsepower.

The Packard had a production run of just five units, selling for $1,250 apiece.

In addition to cars, Packard built engines for the U.S. Air Force and Navy during World War I. Later, in the 1930s, it became the most famous American luxury brand in the world.

Packard merged with Studebaker in 1954 before its name was dropped in1962.

Source: Wikipedia

During a recent interview broadcasted on Servus TV, Red Bull Racing chief designer Adrian Newey said that Lotus and Ferrari were simply lucky to score victories this season.

Servus is Red Bull's television channel in Austria.

After scoring wins in the early part of the 2013 season, Lotus and Ferrari declared that they had developed their cars to suit the original 2013 Pirelli tires better.

On TV, Newey claimed that they were just plain lucky.

“We had a big change over the winter, an unexpected change,” declared Newey.

“Pirelli introduced a new tire which was much more sensitive, it was very easy to overload it and because our car, a lot of its lap time is under braking and in the high speed corners, where you're putting a lot of load into the tires, we couldn't really exploit that without the tires going off very quickly.”

“So that tire change hurt us and helped some other people, such as Lotus, Ferrari perhaps. For me that was purely luck,” Newey added.

“I think Lotus and Ferrari are making big noises about how clever they were over the winter to read that far. But to be perfectly honest they were just plain lucky, we were a little bit unlucky, and of course the politics take over. So it's been a challenging year but a very rewarding one,” the British engineer said.

Lotus and Ferrari won three of the first five races but haven't scored any victories since. When Pirelli introduced its revised tires after the British race (tires that better suited the Red Bull RB9), Sebastian Vettel started winning again. In fact, the German won eight of the nine of the last races.

Well, we finally made it inside the convention centre at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and what is waiting there to greet us? Possibly one of the hottest Mk1 VW Golf's we've ever seen care of tuning house, Forge Motorsport.

What is it exactly? Well, besides complete car porn, it is a 1982 Golf (known as a Rabbit here in North America) that belongs to the Gloucester, England arm of Forge Motorsport. If you hadn't noticed it was special just by looking at it, let us go on. No need to talk about it what it was, here's what it is now: a 1.8L 20-valve beast that's been bored out to 2.0L and features a massive Garrett turbocharger.

Just an aside here; Garrett have been in the business of sucking, squeezing, blowing, and banging (in other words: turbos) since the 1930s. So, they kinda know what they're doing, and it shows in this prime example of the Forge Motorsport Mk1 Volkswagen Golf.

Now, back to the beauty at hand: With said engine nestled in the Mk1 Golf, it's good for 400 horsepower until the boost hits 1.8 bar then it's good for 500. Yup. 500. Add in a 6-speed manual transmission and limited slip... we told you this thing was hot.

Wanna know more about it? Check out our video on the Forge Motorsports Mk1 Volkswagen Golf at the 2013 SEMA Show at Las Vegas below. And for more great coverage of the SEMA event, make sure you visit Auto123.TV.

From press release

F3 European champion Marciello Raffaele impressed on his first GP2 outing: the Italian set the best laptime of the day at the wheel of the Trident Racing car in a 1:49.811 in the evening session at Yas Marina Circuit.

2013 season best rookie Alexander Rossi was quickest in the morning session in his Caterham machine.

Just a couple of days after the chequered flag has dropped on the 2013 GP2 Series season, all thirteen teams stayed in Abu Dhabi for a three-day post-season test session, sharing the track time with GP3 Series cars.

Raffaele Marciello. (Photo: GP2 Series)

Things continue to heat up as we traverse the streets of Vegas at the 2013 SEMA Show. We happened across one of the coolest cars around (in our opinion), a Local Motors Rally Fighter.

Local Motors is a company that relies heavily on crowd sourcing to create its off-road (but street-legal) monster, the Rally Fighter. We here at Auto123.com were lucky enough to try our hand at one, and we have to say this thing is as mental to drive as it looks. The Rally Fighter looks the way it does because the adoring internet public made it so. Pretty cool? We'd say so.

As far as owning your own, sure you can do that. It is legal, after all, and even insurable for daily driving. Local Motors even offers an online build-your-own Rally Fighter on its website now. So get picking! You can make your Rally Fighter as unique as you with a plethora of vinyl wraps to choose from. Why vinyl? Well, it saves on weight (about 12 lbs thanks to no paint) and is easier to maintain in the long-run for all the off-roading you'll surely want to do behind the wheel.

Definitely one of the cooler discoveries this week at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, check out our video on the Local Motors Rally Fighter below. And for more coverage of SEMA (and other great stuff), make sure you visit Auto123.TV.

As we continue our mad week at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, we happened upon a tastefully modified current-generation Euro-spec Volkswagen Scirocco R. Tastefully modified by whom you might wonder. Well, the good folks at HPA Motorsports have transformed the "tame" little 4-cylindering into a supercar, according to them -- and we'd have to agree.

Besides the gorgeous BBS rims we spotted on the Scirocco on display at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the vehicle is also outfitted with a number of handling and performance add-ons that'll see this little hot hatch reach the 300 horsepower mark (or 640 if you opt for the top modification package offered by HPA Motorsports). You don't just get more power (despite that being the most appealing thing), HPA also upgrades wheels, brakes and exterior body details to give it that go-faster look.

This particular Volkswagen Scirocco R was wrapped to allow a plethora of fans the ability to leave their mark on the hot hatch's skin. We were tempted to grab a Sharpie ourselves...

Check out our video below; live from the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, as we explore the Scirocco R by HPA Motorsports. And for more coverage of SEMA (and other great stuff), make sure you visit Auto123.TV.

Honda selected SEMA as its venue of choice to unleash the 2014 Civic Coupe and Si on the world. Although we're not quite certain that the “new” Civic Si is a step up from the 2013, we still have to hand it to Honda for putting some cool cars together at their booth.

Photo: Matt St-Pierre

By far the one deserving of the most attention is the 1,000+ hp 2014 Honda Odyssey built by Bisimoto.

HPD or Honda Performance Development unveiled a few cars of its own including a supercharged CR-Z. On top of the blown engine, the car also gets a few suspension tweaks and a sport exhaust. Output is now rated at 187 horsepower, drastically increasing the car's appeal.

Acura holds a small portion of the Honda's real estate and the Street Performance ILX is the one to stare at. Wrapped in a 3M Copper metallic wrap and sporting a supercharger, this is the coolest ILX we've ever laid eyes on.

On November 19th at a VIP customer and media event, on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show, Jaguar will unveil the new F-Type Coupe. Based on the C-X16 Concept of two years ago, this all-aluminum model will arrive in showrooms next spring. Pricing has yet to be announced.

The first picture released by the company shows the Jaguar F-Type Coupe's panoramic glass sunroof. We'll have to wait two more weeks to get more shots and find out the technical specs.

Photo: Jaguar

Chip Ganassi Racing has opted to enter the inaugural season of the United SportsCar Racing championship powered by a Ford EcoBoost 3.5-litre V6.

The partnership bonds Ford's fuel-efficient thinking with Chip Ganassi's renowned track success, which includes 17 championships at the top levels of North American motor sports, and five wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

“We're excited about Chip Ganassi Racing choosing Ford EcoBoost power going forward in sports cars,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “We believe they will be the perfect partner going forward to work with us to further develop the advantages of our EcoBoost engines.”

Photo: Chip Ganassi Racing

Last month, the 3.5-litre V6 in question - which shares 70% of its parts with the Ford Taurus' powerplant - propelled Colin Braun to a new track record around the Daytona International Speedway, at 222.971 mph.

In 2013, Chip Ganassi Racing won the Daytona Prototype class of the Grand-Am championship using BMW power.

We've been all about the performance upgrades and engine changes so far this week at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, but the aesthetic bits and pieces are just as essential when it comes to creating a truly impressive vehicle that'll stand out from the pack.

Who better to do that then the powerhouse that is Rotiform? Responsible for creating some of the hottest wheels currently available on the market, we stopped to drool over some of their more prominent cars on the 2013 SEMA Show floor.

Over the years, Rotiform has continued to deliver wheel styles that tuners the world over drool over and desire. Two of their more popular models, the BLQ and NUE wheels, are perhaps the most recognizable (and pretty damn hot, if we do say so ourselves).

From BMWs to the glorious perppermint-green Porsche 964 we spotted on the show floor at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Rotiform wheels make a serious statement on any vehicle. How do they do that? Well, they know the history of the wheel, they understand the importance of it, and they understand the impact a good-looking wheel can have on the overall look of a car.

Add to that the fact that Rotiform wheels are also extremely functional, and well you've got yourself the complete package. We're sold.

Wanna see how hot these wheels can really look? Check out our live coverage of a few smashing examples of Rotiform wheels we discovered at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas below. And for more great coverage of SEMA make sure you check out Auto123.TV.

For this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Kia introduced five special editions of the Soul that pay tribute to the world of music with their unique accessories, flashy visual treatments, and powerful audio systems.

Amped Soul
Popular Mechanics has energized this Kia Soul with oversized JBL speakers, four 12'' Infinity subwoofers, as well as LED ambient lighting. The car also sports a white body, black tinted windows, and 22'' Forgiato custom three-piece wheels in gold finish.

Photo: Kia

Vans Warped Tour Soul
Here, Popular Mechanics wanted to embody the youthful and fun spirit of the Vans Warped Tour. Behold the custom paint job -- inspired by the colours of the music and extreme sports event -- with eye-catching air-brush artwork. The side windows have been replaced with custom-built fibreglass body panels housing eight 8'' Infinity speakers. There's a 50'' flat screen on the roof, a barbecue in the back, LED lights, and 20'' wheels.

Photo: Kia

DJ Booth Soul
Designed by RIDES magazine, the Soul DJ Booth has no roof so the DJ can rise up and stand on a custom diamond-plated stage (which replaced the rear seats) and start spinning on the pro-grade Pioneer CDJs and mixer. The interior features black leather, graphite suede, and turquoise stitching, along with a Maschine Mikro production studio moulded into the passenger dash. A Pioneer sound system with five amplifiers, three component speakers, two 10'' and two 12'' Champion Series subwoofers, and a sound bar housing four coaxial speakers amps complete the package.

Photo: Kia

The Voice Soul
As an homage to the popular reality TV competition on NBC, RIDES magazine customized the exterior of this Soul with a bright red airbrushed The Voice logo on the side, incorporating vinyl on the window portion, as well as the inspiring words “I Want You” illuminated in the lower grille. Inside, an iPad Mini connected to a 40'' LED TV allows aspiring artists to use the preloaded The Voice app to sing their heart out.

Photo: Kia

Music Memorabilia Soul
RIDES magazine transformed the Soul into a music museum on wheels, with memorabilia spanning rock, hip-hop and EDM (Electronic Dance Music) history. You'll find a signed Slash guitar, a G-Unit sneaker signed by 50 Cent, a Jimi Hendrix gold album, and a signed John Legend microphone, all of which are displayed in hand-built Plexiglas enclosures in the trunk, rear windows, and rear hatch insert.

Photo: Kia

Microsoft has narrowed its list of external candidates to replace CEO Steve Ballmer to about five people, including Ford CEO Alan Mulally and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Dodge and Mopar are bringing the Shaker hood back from the dead at the 2013 SEMA Show.

Dodge has rolled out several nameplates from Chrysler Group's muscle car past. Now it's resurrecting a telltale shake and adding an electronically controlled rumble.

One of the most fevered rumors in automobildom will be all but confirmed at the Los Angeles Auto Show, when the Jaguar F-Type Coupe makes its debut.

2015 Jaguar F-Type Coupe to Debut at 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show

Jaguar puts a roof on the gorgeous F-Type roadster.

We finally have confirmation the 2015 Jaguar F-type Coupe will make its official debut at the 2013 Los Angeles auto show later this month. Jaguar is not giving us much information, but there is a teaser shot and we have plenty to surmise on since we’ve spied prototypes of the F-Type Coupe testing many times over the past year.

Photo Gallery: 2015 Jaguar F-Type Coupe to Debut at 2013 LA Auto Show - Automobile Magazine

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2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Review

The wind and the heirs.

Palm Springs -- Marek Reichman is talking at dinner about the yellow interior accents in a daringly but “on-trend” blue-on-blue 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante when he happens to think of cufflinks. The yellow, says Aston Martin’s design director, is like a pair that’s a brighter color than one’s clothes. It’s “something very, very unique and has a special touch,” Reichman says.

Photo Gallery: 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Review - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Review - Automobile Magazine

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Tesla is mulling plans to create a "giga-factory" to manufacture electric vehicle battery packs for the automaker's consumption, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said.

Nine of 10 licensed drivers would consider buying a self-driving car if it meant paying a lot less for insurance, a new survey by consumer Web site CarInsurance.com says.