Autoweek Daily Drive — Tuesday, July 17, 2012

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTO SHOWS   |   VIDEOS   |   COLLECTOR   |   SUBSCRIBE Tuesday, July 17, 2012                  Public reaction to the Lexus LF-LC coupe concept convinced Toyota execs to develop the car.... Lexus shifts LF-LC coupe concept to higher gear The wild Lexus LF-LC coupe concept that wowed visitors at the Detroit auto show is on track for development, signaling a new direction for a brand that has fallen from first to third in the U.S. luxury sales rankings. Toyota is on a mission to make   New Pirelli tire will ensure busy Formula One Friday in Germany Pirelli will take its experimental new hard tire to Hockenheim after rain meant it wasn't possible to run it at Silverstone. Pirelli has yet to run a FFormula One tire at the...   Slumping Edwards gets new NASCAR crew chief Carl Edwards' crew chief stepped down on Tuesday, 19 races removed from a disheartening defeat in last year's NASCAR championship race. Bob Osborne cited undisclosed health concerns in his decision to relinquish the No. 99 Ford, which has been stuck in a slump since Edwards ended last season ...   Penske Racing adds Ryan Blaney for partial Nationwide schedule With the future of A.J. Allmendinger unclear and the possibility of Sam Hornish Jr. going full-time Sprint Cup racing again next year, Penske Racing has hired Ryan Blaney to drive one of its Dodges in select Nationwide Series races.... You May Have Missed...   Fiat migrates to the United States in new ad Fiat is tapping into the American immigrant spirit with its new 500 commercial. It features the subcompacts defecting from the boot peninsula to New York City. The spot begins with some Fiats running through the streets of Italy. Some cliff-dive, others drive right into the water, but they all head ...   Video gives eye-level view from Formula One car Cameras are everywhere these days, including in competitive motorsports.In this video posted on Pirelli test driver Lucas DiGrassi's YouTube channel, viewers can watch the driver take a lap around the Spa-Francorchamps track in wet conditions. It's as close to being behind the wheel of a Formula...   Denny Hamlin leaves New Hampshire with look of a NASCAR champion A new, improved Denny Hamlin climbed from his car after a disappointing runner-up finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.The new, improved Hamlin bore little resemblance to the zombie-like Hamlin of November 2010 at Phoenix.The circumstances on the...   NASCAR fans mixed on Keselowski's rant on drugs: What's the buzz? On Friday, one of NASCAR's most outspoken drivers sounded off about drugs. In the wake of A.J. Allmendinger's alleged drug scandal, Brad Keselowski spoke out against his Penske teammate. Among other things, Keselowski said it didn't matter if Allmendinger's "B" sample test came back negative, but...   Get an inside look at Global RallyCross New Hampshire event in Ford video Travis Pastrana won the fourth Global RallyCross event of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14.Check out the action in this Ford-produced recap that features Tanner Foust, Brian Deegan, Ken Block and David Binks driving Ford Fiestas. Deegan made the podium with a third-place finish,...   Streaking Hunter-Reay carries American flag in IndyCar’s fast lane Ryan Hunter-Reay is on a three-race winning streak in the Izod IndyCar Series, and that puts him in some pretty select company. It also puts him on a fast track to what could be the series championship.Consider that, of the 21 drivers to win three races in a row prior to 2012, only Paul Tracy in...   Nissan Versa hatchback previewed by Japan-market Note The Nissan Versa hatchback will be redesigned, with styling similar to that of the new Note subcompact that the automaker revealed in Japan on Monday.Nissan said the Note will go on sale in Japan this fall and in Europe in 2013. The carmaker did not say when the Versa hatchback will go on sale, but ...   Porsche Panamera to enter Hertz rental fleet: Autoweek TV Also in this episode: An Austin-Healey stolen in 1970 finds its way home, Travis Pastrana grabs a Global RallyCross win in Loudon, N.H., and Kasey Kahne earns a victory in the Lenox Tools Sprint Cup 301.TRANSCRIPT--Porsche enters the fleet market.--An Austin-Healey is returned to its owner .--And...   L'Estage, Richard win New England Forest Rally The Rockstar Energy Drink Rally Team of Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard from Halifax, Nova Scotia, won its third consecutive New England Forest Rally at Newry, Maine, on July 14. “It went really well,” L'Estage said after winning the two-day rally in a 2011 Mitsubishi... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the Autoweek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other Autoweek e-mail products. 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