We’re totally confused as to what this can be. A faded colored (blend from white through turquoise and to IS-F type blue) Lexus IS was spotted at the Nurburgring in Germany. Through the heavy camo you can see a buldge on the hood, a full roll cage and Recaro bucket seats.

So what is this? Could it be Lexus is working on a rival for the M3 CSL? Back in December we reported on that Lexus could be working on a higher-performing IS-F dubbed the IS-F/R. The more powerful IS-F is rumored to be powered by a 5.0 liter V8 engine that produces 429 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque. Weight of the car is expected to be dropped by 220 pounds through the use of some carbon fiber on the body along with a stripped down interior. Notice there is no passenger seat in the shots.

So is this it? Check out the video and images of this weird looking IS-F after the jump. Make sure you listen to the sound of the car speeding by. We also added Clarkson Top Gear review of the BMW M3 CSL for your viewing pleasure.

Click through for the video and images.

Spy Shots: Lexus IS-F/R spotted at the Nurburgring?

   

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In the beginning of April we saw a leaked image of the 2010 Ford Taurus that somehow got out the design studio in Dearborn. While we have no idea what’s going to reside under the hood of the 2010 Taurus lineup, there has been talk on the web that Ford is considering bringing back the SHO when the 2010 model hits showrooms.

Ford recently put together a focus group in Chicago where it invited previous Taurus SHO owners to talk about the 2010 Ford Taurus and a possible SHO version. So what happened at this ‘focus group’ meeting? According to a visitor who writes over at V8SHO, Ford decided not to show any concept, sketches or teasers of the 2010 Taurus. Instead they had a Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and a Chevrolet Impala on hand.

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Work is under way on Porsche’s new smaller version of the Cayenne SUV. Now that the Audi Q5 has finally been released, engineers are focused on the smaller Porsche Cayenne SUV which recently hit the Nurburgring for the first time.

Sharing major components with the 2009 Audi Q5, the compact Porsche SUV is based on the same platform and will feature all-wheel-drive. It will also share engines with the new Q5, including the 3.2 liter V6 265-hp engine that will debut in the U.S. market next year.

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Supposedly our crazy friends at CAR are pretty slick with snatching photos of cars that automakers don’t want you to see until their launch date. They did with a couple of Audi’s before and today CAR says they have the first exclusive photo of Infiniti’s BMW 1-Series rival.

CAR snapped the photo with their camera phone at a recent Nissan press event during Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura’s presentation. Don’t be mad if Nissan never invites you back again guys.

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So you’ve been quite weirded out by that crazy rear camo you keep seeing on the upcoming Ferrari F149, which is not going to be called the Dino. Here are the most recent spy shots of the car without the fugly rear camo.

The Ferrari F149 is expected to debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. Power is expected to come from the same 4.3 liter V8 from the F430.

Click through for more photos.

Spy Shots: Ferrari F149 withot weird rear camo:

   

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According to our tipster, this is a 2008 BMW M1 Prototype hidden in an airplane hanger in Spain. Honestly we’re not to sure what to make of this picture besides that it is a very well done photoshop. Looks like a very good mash-up between the Audi R8 and the new BMW M3 Coupe.

BMW recently unveiled its new M1 Hommage Concept at the Concorso d’Eleganza 2008 di Villa d’Este. BMW said that the concept is simply for celebration purposes with no interior, no engine and no plans for production.

BMW M1 Hommage Concept:

   

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The 2010 Ford Taurus and the 2010 Ford Fusion will hit the roads around the same time in late 2009. Earlier last month, we saw a leaked image of what the 2010 Taurus and today spies have caught the 2010 Fusion test mule driving in Dearborn.

From the single shot we can see that the 2010 Ford Fusion will get rounder and bulkier with a two-bar grille instead of the three-bar seen on the original Fusion. The three-bar grille however seems to have made it over to the 2010 Ford Taurus.

Head over to Jalopnik for the full shot.

We recently brought you a short video of the upcoming 2+2 Ferrari that has come to be known as the Dino. Get rid of that name from your mind, because according to sources who spoke with CAR, the entry level Ferrari that will go head-to-head with the Porsche 911s won’t be called the Dino.

Codenamed F149, the 2+2 coupe will carry a price tag of around £150,000 putting it between the F430 and the 599GTB. Riding on a rear-wheel-drive platform produced by Maserati, the F149 will be a front-engined GT instead of mid-engined like the old Dino.

While its been said that the F149 will carry the 4.3L V8 from the F430, Ferrari may still consider the 4.2L or 4.7L V8 from Maserati and Alfa Romeo since the two are designed for a front-engined layout.

Head over to CAR to see more images of the car.

A group of 80 North American automotive journalists were invinted to the Nissan 360 global product review where the automaker discussed its current and future lineup. Probably the most interesting thing the journalists saw there was a sculpture that hung on the wall of a meeting room, supposedly hinting at the next-generation Nissan Z.

Mazda did something similar in the 1980s when it introduced the Mazda Miata. Mazda got a huge kick out of how hundreds of journalists visited the R&D facility but never noticed the secret roadster that everyone was talking about was hanging there in plain sight.

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Caught earlier this month.InisideLine has now posted a video of the 2010 Nissan GT-R V-Spec circling the Nurburgring in Germany. The lighter and faster V-Spec will produce more than 500-hp and is expected to be 300 pounds lighter than the original GT-R.

According to engineers on the scene the Nissan GT-R V-Spec went around the Nurburgring in less than 7:25.

Click through for the video.

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The Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series seems to be the constant talk of the town in the automotive world these days. The car has been spotted everywhere from the streets of Stuttgart to the famous Nurburgring test track in Germany.

What we know so far: Mercedes-Benz has already admitted that the SL 65 Black Series will be the most extreme Benz ever built. Power will come from a 6.0L V12 twin-turbo engine producing 670-hp with a peak torque of 738 lb-ft. The engine will be mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission with two Sport shift programs with the second putting out quicker gear changes.

Click through for more info.

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We’re huge fans of the Honda Fit here at eGMCarTech. Every time someone asks us what compact car they should by, we always recommend to get behind the wheel of the Fit for a test drive. The car is small but big enough to fit 4-5 passengers pretty comfortably.

But what if you wanted to fit in more than 5 passengers. We’re talking somewhere along the lines of 8-passengers. If Le Auto Blog is right, Honda is thinking something along the same lines and is planning a 8-seater based on the Honda Fit called the Freed.

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The US-spec Ford Fiesta Sedan was recently caught test in Dearborn, Michigan. The pictures give us a fist look at the non-hatchback version. Even though its heavily-covered, the Fiesta Sedan will take major influence from the Verve Sedan Concept we saw at the Detorit Auto Show.

Ford also showed the 3-door Verve Sedan concept at the Detroit Auto Show to test the waters for a US-spec three-door Ford Fiesta that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show. Word is that Ford is also considering the 5-door Fiesta for the U.S. market as well.

Head over to the TCC Blog to see the full shots.

Ford Verve Concept Gallery:

   

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