The Porsche Boxster lineup saw the addition of a new member last December at the L.A. Auto Show. The new Boxster Spyder will tip the scales at 2,811 pounds becoming the lightest model in the entire Porsche range with sales beginning in February 2010, starting at $61,200. The Porsche Boxster Spyder is inspired by the legendary 550 Spyder, the first sports car from Stuttgart developed specifically with racing in mind that was also set up for road use. The new sports car features a lightweight soft top, has a lower center of gravity for enhanced  handling, as well as an all new sport tuned suspension.

 Mounted in the mid position, Porsche has placed a 3.4 Liter direct injected flat six ahead of the rear axle that delivers a total of 320 HP, 10 HP more than the current top of the line model in the Boxster lineup, the Boxster S, while still getting as much as 30.4 MPG. Like all the other current Porsche models, the Boxster Spyder comes equipped with a seven speed PDK gearbox and a Sports Chrono Package. This allows the Boxster Spyder to sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in 4.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 166 MPH.

 In 2004 and 2008 Porsche dedicated a limited edition of special Boxsters bearing the additional name Spyder to these legendary racing cars. By contrast, the new Boxster Spyder is a regular, specially developed and upgraded production model with far-reaching modifications versus the Boxster and Boxster S.

Audi has now officially confirmed the future of the RS5 on U.S. soil. Breaking the mold of the sleek-yet-safe styling that Audi is known for, this latest Audi boasts an aggressive front end and an equally aggressive rear end and automated rear spoiler to compliment its generous power and performance.
 

Bernie Ecclestone has used his website to announce that a US GP will be held in Austin, Texas from 2012 to 2021. It will be the first F1 event held in the state since the one-off race at Dallas in 1984. The Austin event will be promoted by Full Throttle Productions, a company with an involvement in NASCAR. A new facility will be built for the race on 900 acres of Texan land and will host a bevy of race events throughout the years.

Aston Martin’s highly anticipated model — the Rapide — is finally here. The Rapide will list from $199,950 in the United States, and will become the British luxury sportscar maker’s only four-door model.

The Rapide will compete with vehicles like the Porsche Panamera, Audi A7 and the Mercedes CLS to name a few. But the Aston will likely be one of the most expensive and exclusive luxury sports sedans on the market, with standard features that include a Bang & Olufsen Beosound audio system, heated memory seats and Aston Martin’s Adaptive Damping Sytem. The Rapide features a hand-built 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 470 horsepower with peak power being delivered at 6,000 rpm and 443 pound-feet of peak torque at 5,000 rpm. A specifically tuned six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission allows the driver to change gears automatically or manually via the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.