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Performance cars old and new are headed to auction at Las Vegas Grand Prix

Auction house RM Sotheby's is hosting a sale ahead of the 2023 Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix, and most of the lots that will cross the block were designed with performance in mind. Whether you want a supercar or a Formula One car, there's a chance you'll find it in Sin City. One of the highlights from the sale in terms of rarity and price is the Mercedes-AMG Petronas W04 that Lewis Hamilton drove in the 2013 F1 season. Assigned chassis number F1W04-04, it's the team's last car powered by a naturally-aspirated V8 engine, and you're on the wrong track if you're thinking of the 4.0-liter unit that powers AMG's road cars. The engine in question is a 2.4-liter unit that develops 750 horsepower and is capable of revving to a screaming 18,000 rpm. The KERS system injects 80 additional horses into the driveline. Hamilton drove F1W04-04 in 14 of the 2013 season's 19 races, and he won that year's Hungarian Grand Prix in the car. RM Sotheby's notes that F1W04-04 is "the sole example to be sold outside of the Mercedes-Benz organization," which explains why it expects the car will sell for anywhere between $10 million and $15 million excluding the buyer's fee and a 2.5% import duty that applies to American residents. That's a lot of money, but modern Formula One cars rarely come up for sale. Several other cars are expected to sell above the $1 million mark, including a 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR ($8 million to $9 million), a 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort ($1,650,000 to $1,850,000), and a 1996 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport ($2,500,000 to $3,250,000). The 1990 Ferrari F40 GT (one of 21 units built) could bring up to $4 million. You can take home a rare, high-end classic even if you cap your budget at $1 million. How about a 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000 S that was delivered new to Ralph Lauren and that has been in the hands of its second owner since 1986? RM expects the coupe will sell for up to $900,000. The auction house is also giving enthusiasts two distinctly different ways to spend a six-digit sum on a 30-something-year-old Mercedes-Benz. There's a 1990 190E 2.5-16 Evolution with about 3,400 original miles that could fetch up to $700,000. That's a lot to pay for a W201, but this isn't a run-of-the-mill Baby Benz: It's one of 502 examples built for homologation purposes. Alternatively, the 1989 560SEC AMG 6.0 Wide-Body could sell for up to $900,000. It's one of the most emblematic cars designed by AMG before it joined Mercedes-Benz.

Porsche returns to Forza with Horizon 2 expansion [w/video]

The bar for driving and racing game excellence has been raised to remarkable levels in recent years, and with titles making use of Xbox One and Playstation 4 hardware. But, if you're a fan of major franchises like Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, the most obvious-for-its-omission car brand has always been Porsche. Happily, that prohibition ends tomorrow, with an epic piece of DLC for Forza Horizon 2. That's right, Forza confirmed to Autoblog (after a series of rumors) that the $9.99 Porsche Expansion hits tomorrow. In fact, we even have an exclusive first look the full car list: 1970 Porsche 914/6 1982 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 1987 Porsche 959 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo 2003 Porsche Carrera GT 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (997) 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS 2015 Porsche Macan Turbo Ten of Stuttgart's finest include historically significant monsters like the 959 and Carrera GT, as well as newcomers Cayman GTS and Macan Turbo. Along with the cars, the expansion pack brings 10 Bucket List events, 10 Rivals events, and 15 achievements in total (for you Forza completionists). We've already put in for a sick day. Porsche has been far more reticent than most OEMs to license its cars for video games, to date, and even this expansion required a deal with Electronic Arts to bring to pass. And, while our sources at Turn 10 Studios say that this Porsche pack will be the only such content for FH2, we can expect that the upcoming Forza Motorsport 6 will be packed with 911s, et al. We couldn't get the studio to discuss specifics about future models (your author is hankering hard for some 356 action), but reps did say that they'll aim for balance, "never losing sight of the type of varied interests and experiences that our players love." Scroll down to read the full press release, or have a browse through our gallery of images and video. We'll see you on the road. Forza Horizon 2 Porsche Expansion Porsche is coming to Forza Horizon 2! Arriving on June 9 exclusively in Forza Horizon 2 for Xbox One, the Forza Horizon 2 Porsche Expansion will bring ten amazing Porsche models for the first time to an Xbox One Forza game. With Porsche models like the 1989 944 Turbo, the 2003 Carrera GT, and the 2014 911 GT3 RS 4.0, the Porsche Expansion Pack will give fans the chance to explore southern Europe in some of the legendary German manufacturer's most beloved cars.

J.D. Power study identifies top seats for your tush

File under News your fanny can use: The seating systems in the Ford Escape and Edge, the Audi A3, Chevrolet Cruze, Kia Cadenza, Porsche Cayenne and Toyota Tundra received top marks in a new J.D. Power study on seating and seat belt quality and satisfaction. The J.D. Power 2017 Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study asked more than 77,000 new owners and lessees of 2017 model-year cars and light trucks to rate their vehicle's seats and seat belts within the first 90 days of taking ownership. The survey is broken up into seven vehicle segments and scored on total seat problems per 100 within each segment, with awards presented to the seating system supplier. Canadian auto supplier Magna won three of seven first-place awards for its seating systems in the A3, Escape and Edge. Ireland-based Adient got top marks for its seats in the Cadenza and Cayenne. Lear Corp. won for the Cruze, and Avanzar Interior Technologies scored highest for seats in the Tundra. J.D. Power says its study is intended for automakers and suppliers with quality and satisfaction information to be used in developing and marketing seating systems. "But the results are just as interesting to a consumer audience," the company says. "After all, some drivers spend a considerable amount of time behind the wheel, and it's helpful to know which vehicles offer the most comfortable seats for those long commutes." Ain't that the truth. Ford was the only automaker whose seat systems, both manufactured by Magna, received top honors in two segments: the Escape for mass-market compact SUV and the Edge for mass-market midsize/large SUV. J.D. Power says it used 22 attributes to measure seat quality, three measures of seat belt quality and 12 to measure satisfaction. Awards were presented to the seating suppliers. Related Video: Image Credit: Audi Auto News Design/Style Audi Chevrolet Ford Kia Porsche Toyota Safety JD Power seats