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Optimus Prime and Bumblebee head for auction

This month at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ, the customized 1992 Peterbilt 379 of Optimus Prime from the Transformers series and director Michael Bay's own 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Bumblebee will cross the block. The company will sell both with no reserve, and they'll come with letters of authenticity. This specific Bumblebee is the mean-looking restomod from Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth installment in the franchise, and Bay apparently liked it enough to hang onto the aggressive coupe after filming. He even autographed the car for this sale. The Camaro would make a great star in a Hollywood chase scene with its LS3 V8, six-speed manual gearbox, Wilwood brakes, and custom suspension. Bumblebee also wears a menacing satin black body with yellow accents and custom carbon fiber fender flares. Optimus Prime's Peterbilt appeared on-screen in the first three Transformers films, the auction house's spokesperson Aaron Cook told Autoblog. An Autobot emblem sits proudly on top of the grille, and the truck wears a flame paintjob. Barrett-Jackson's description says that the semi is fully functioning but no longer street legal and is now for display only. It would likely be the ultimate piece in anyone's Transformers collection. CRAIG JACKSON'S BARRETT-JACKSON TEAMS UP WITH MICHAEL BAY, PARAMOUNT PICTURES TO AUCTION ICONIC TRANSFORMERS VEHICLES Paramount Pictures is auctioning Optimus Prime® (Lot #1325.1), the iconic truck featured in the first three Transformers™ films American filmmaker Michael Bay will auction his 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS (Lot #1325.2), which starred as Bumblebee™in the blockbuster movie, "Transformers: Age of Extinction" SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Jan. 4, 2016 – Barrett-Jackson, The World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions®, announced today that Paramount Pictures and American filmmaker Michael Bay will auction two vehicles that starred in the Transformers movie franchise, during the company's nine-day 45th Anniversary Auction, from Jan. 23-31, 2016, at WestWorld of Scottsdale. Up for sale at No Reserve is the iconic truck, Optimus Prime (Lot #1325.1), featured in the first three science fiction action films. Bay has consigned a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS (Lot #1325.2), which was cast as Bumblebee in the latest film, "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction." "The hottest Hollywood stars at Barrett-Jackson come in all shapes and sizes," said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson.

Callaway debuts its new C7 Stingray at National Corvette Museum

Callaway showed off its first tuned version of the 2014 Corvette Stingray at the National Corvette Museum last week, giving the rampant enthusiasts of America's sports car a look at the roughly 620-horsepower, supercharged rocket.
Unlike the Corvette SC610 we showed you back in January, this Stingray packs a fair bit more oomph. Horsepower is only up ten ponies, but torque has jumped from 556 pound-feet to "at least" 600 pound-feet. Neither horsepower nor torque is official quite yet, although Callaway is expecting to know just what its creation can do once testing and validation is completed later this month.
The 6.2-liter, supercharged V8 now boasts a new, three-element intercooler, which Callaway claims only allowed the inlet air temperature to increase by ten degrees Fahrenheit during dyno runs. Previous designs saw a 35-degree-Fahrenheit jump. The exhaust system has also been fettled with, and now is even less restrictive.

How long will the 'golden age' of performance last?

High-powered sports and luxury cars were everywhere at the New York Auto Show, prompting the obvious question for enthusiasts: How long will this golden age of performance last? Industry leaders have some time before regulations elevate the Corporate Average Fuel Economy level in 2025. Even then, they expect cars rippling with power to survive in some form. "Is it the end of an era," I don't think so," said Ola Kallenius, Daimler AG board member for Mercedes-Benz cars marketing and sales. "That performance element of individual mobility I don't think will ever go away." Kallenius, who oversaw the company's AMG division from 2010-2013, expects it to continue to grow. Last year, AMG sold a record 68,875 units around the world, an increase of 44.6 percent over 2014, with strong growth in the US, China, and Germany. Still, there's always the potential for gas to spike, and pending fuel economy regulations are looming. That could lead AMG to add electrification to its products, Kallenius said, pointing to the electric SLS as a test case. Chevy is also thinking ahead, said Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Camaro. He wouldn't bite when asked about electrification for the Camaro (he did say "never say never"), but admitted in 2025 "it's going to be pretty tough to sell V8s." For now, things are rosy for muscle cars, and Chevy confidently showcased the 640-hp Camaro ZL1 in coupe and convertible form in New York. "I think that this is truly the golden age of performance," Oppenheiser said. It's hard to disagree. News & Analysis News: The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF was a show-stopper in New York. Analysis: There was a palpable energy when this RF — for Retractable Fastback — was revealed the night before the show at a trendy off-site venue near the Hudson River. Even as a parade of SUVs and flashy luxury cars rolled out the rest of the week, the Miata remained a hot topic. The Retractable Fastback is really a clever targa top, with part of the roof stowing behind the seats, adding about 100 pounds compared to the standard convertible. It makes the car more practical and arguably more attractive. The RF continues Mazda's tradition of selling the Miata with a hardtop variant. The first and second generations offered a detachable one, and a power retractable hardtop (a $1,700 option) was available on third-gen models. Judging by its reception in New York, the RF could prove to be even more popular than its predecessors.