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VW CEO Winterkorn happy with rebounding Seat, Skoda

Martin Winterkorn is a happy man: Volkswagen is putting up big numbers in North America, its latest field of dreams, Audi, is breaking records every month, there are exciting cars in the pipeline - from Bugatti down to the XL1, Porsche's digestion continues, and now Skoda and especially Seat are turning in no-questions performance.
It seems Skoda has been on the ups for years, making the most of keen pricing and modern redesigns of the chassis and tech it gets handed down from big brothers VW and Audi. Winterkorn predicts the Czech brand will just about double its 2010 sales by 2018, going from 762,000 to 1.5 million.
Seat, on the other hand, wasn't just on the hotseat a year-and-a-half ago, phrases like "uncertain future" - code for "possible demise" - were rumbling in the background. A new CEO was brought in, new money and new models were thrown against the wall, and the efforts have stuck. The Spanish brand has hit three strong chords with Winterkorn, with increased sales, strong performance in China and anticipated models due. If this keeps up there won't be much left for him to do but, a la Alexander the Great, break down and cry with no worlds left to conquer.

Hot lapping Detroit's Belle Isle in a McLaren 12C GT3

Last weekend's Indianapolis 500 was indeed the most prominent race of the 2014 IndyCar series so far, with driver Ryan Hunter-Reay winning in what was an incredibly close fight to the very last lap. But the Indy 500 doesn't mark the end of the IndyCar season, and this weekend, the series heads to Detroit for the Belle Isle Grand Prix – an event that brought open-wheel racing back to The D in 2012 (to admittedly terrible results). But this weekend's Belle Isle events aren't just about IndyCar. In fact, there's a whole host of racing to be found on the small island in the Detroit River this weekend, including the Pirelli World Challenge competition, which many folks love, if only because the racecars are actually based off of production vehicles. As part of this week's pre-race festivities, Autoblog multimedia director Adam Morath got to meet with the folks from K-Pax Racing and check out their McLaren 12C GT3 racer. Morath got strapped in and was told to hang on to his five-point for a memorable hot lap of Belle Isle in the 12C GT3, and he captured the experience on video. Scroll down to check it out. Motorsports McLaren Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance Videos detroit grand prix

McLaren teases 6 bespoke versions of its 570GT

McLaren fans, have a look at this: The luxury brand says it's offering six bespoke 570GT models from its McLaren Special Operations division to select buyers in the U.K., Germany and the Netherlands. The models, finished in "XP Green" exterior paint, are inspired by traditional British automotive colors and a Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 XP GT. The exterior paint scheme is the same color as the F1 XP GT "Longtail" model built in 1997. It also gets Saddle Tan aero pin striping on the front aero blades, side skirts and rear diffuser, plus door striping in the same color that extends to the rear from a subtle Union Jack emblem finished in silver-grey. Under the hood, the sports car boasts a 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 that delivers 562 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, same as the 570GT Coupe. It goes 0-60 in 3.3 seconds. The F1 XP GT won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 on its first attempt. McLaren later developed the Longtail version, marked by its extended rear bodywork and deep bottle-green paint finis, now reserved for bespoke commissions. The company says the MSO content in each coupe is identical and adds 21,000 pounds (U.S. $26,000) to the final price of the vehicle, which will range depending on options chosen. For example, one package that includes a By McLaren Designer interior and an upgrade pack, including vehicle lift, rear view camera and premium audio system, brings the price tag to the equivalent of $225,373. Upset you missed out on this offering? Don't be. The company says it's responsive to demands for more personalization and additional color and trim choices. "As well as making it possible for individual McLaren owners to have exactly the McLaren they want, McLaren Special Operations will continue to create limited-volume collections such as these six 570GT models in XP Green, to further extend customer choice," said Jolyon Nash, McLaren Automotive Executive Director, Global Sales and Marketing.