Ready for a 1500 hp supercar? If so the tiny British sportscar maker Keating may have something to tickle your fancy. Using a twin-turbocharged 7.0 GM V8, Keating is promising that the TKR will make that many ponies. Couple that with an optional carbon fiber space frame, which keeps the curb weight down to 2,200 pounds, you can imagine what kind of performance numbers it's likely to produce.

The basic SKR uses a standard 6.0 Corvette engine, and is  capable of 404 hp. It weighs in a 2,600 pounds, and will do a 0-60 in under 4 seconds. The SKR will be available before the year ends, and will sell for around $200K. The TKR will follow in about a year. As to price? Don't even ask...

Full story here.

Here's Inside Line's take: Keating Unveils TKR and SKR Supercars

Here are a couple of newsworthy items pertaining to the new Nissan GT-R:

GT-R is the fastest production car ever to lap the Nurburgring circuit
In mid April a production Nissan GT-R achieved a lap time of 7 minutes, 29 seconds, making it the fastest production car ever to lap the Nurburgring circuit. Earlier, a GT-R posted a 7 minute, 38 second lap time, establishing it as one of the world's fastest production cars.

Previously, the Porsche GT-2 and the Porsche Carrera achieved 7 minute 32 second lap times at the Nurburgring. Nissan's GT-R is now officially some 3-seconds quicker around the Nurburgring than Porsche.

GT-R bags a win at Suzuka Circuit
In its first Super GT race at Japan's Suzuka Circuit, in March, 2008, the GT-R finished first and second.

Here's Inside Line's take: Fast Times: Nissan GT-R Sets New Nurburgring Record

Latest word on the replacement for the NSX is that it's going to target Ferrari and Lamborghini, likely the F430 and Gallardo. So we're talking somewhere well north of $150K.

The car will have a V10 and Acura's SH-AWD. 4WS was also considered, but that idea appears to have been shelved. The car is also likely not going to use the label "NSX," which is why all reports on it so far have been calling it a NSX "replacement."

Full story here.

Or... maybe not. Autoblog is saying it aint so (here), as they've interviewed Mike Spencer from Acura's press corp, who denies the car will ultra-expensive. So, as always, stay tuned...

Ah, nothing like a couple of teaser images to get your blood boiling and heart racing, and that's just what Nissan has done here with the new up-coming Z-car.

Here's Inside Line's take: Sneak Peek: Nissan Exposes Future Z Car

Yep, it's another Nissan GT-R blog entry, but this time with a twist. This time we have Jay Leno commenting on the vehicle—and yes, you can learn a few new things about the car as well.

Full story here at Autoblog.

2008 marks the 30-year celebration of the original Giugiaro-designed mid-engined  M1 (small image). As such BMW decided to do a "what if" concept that's a remake of the original, but brought up to date in terms of styling. The vehicle will debut at the Concorsa d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

As it stands, this is strictly a styling exercise. Will it be further developed into a limited production car? Who knows, but my guess is, if there's enough interest—and if BMW can make a few bucks on it—anything is possible.

Full story here.

Here's Inside Line's take: BMW Reveals M1 Hommage Concept

News of the ZR1's monster horsepower numbers surfaced last night and Chevrolet has released this video of the ZR1 on a top speed run in Papenburg, Germany. The new super Corvette reportedly topped out at 205mph. Not bad for a Chevy.

I remember very clearly the very first Mustang I ever saw in person. It belonged to Joe Benezra, who was the older brother to one of my high school buddies. Joe, who was maybe a year or two out of high school, swung by the high school one day to show off his new ride. It was a bright orange Mustang convertible, with a pathetic (by today's standards) 105 hp 6-cylinder engine, three-on-the-floor, and skinny whitewall tires with full wheel covers. As I recall, the Mustang had just gone on sale—like just a few days before! So Joe was clearly the first on the block to own on. Heck, he was probably the first in our small town to own one.

The most impressive thing to me about Joe's Mustang was not the looks (pretty good) or the specs (not so pretty good, as it was based on the wimpy Ford Falcon chassis). Nope, what stood out to this testosterone-charged youth was the fact that it was an absolute chick magnet—like I had never seen before! Now Joe did okay with the ladies on his own, but boy that Mustang sure must have driven up his batting average to MVP status.

So fast-forward to spring of 2008, and Ford has just built Mustang number 9,000,000. It's still a chick magnet—but the specs sure have improved! As to Joe? Who knows, but I bet it's safe to say that he hasn't aged so gracefully.

From Ford's Press Release: Ford Motor Company announced today it has built its 9 millionth Mustang. The GT Convertible Mustang is heading west to be delivered to a dealership in Iowa.

The Ford Mustang, approaching its 45th anniversary on April 17th, 2009, is one of the most widely recognized vehicles in the world. Today, one of every two sports cars sold in America is a Ford Mustang. The Mustang is also Ford Motor Company’s longest-running nameplate. Mustang was introduced on April 17, 1964, at the New York World’s Fair.

Mustang sales hit an astounding 419,000 in its first 12 months on the market, and topped the 1-million mark in the first two years, shattering the sales records of any single model in the history of the automobile. Mustang leads the nearly $1-billion aftermarket parts and accessories industry as the most personalized vehicle of all time, and has been recognized by SEMA as the most accessory-friendly new vehicle.

The 2009 Mustang offers a Glass Roof option and a new Warriors in Pink Package, available this summer.

And now a little something for those Lamborghini fans out there...

From their press release:
Lamborghini Video Content Now Available for Download via Podcast

SANT’AGATA BOLOGNESE, Italy – Today, Automobili Lamborghini, producer of the world’s most stylish super sports cars, announced that enthusiasts can now subscribe to “The World of Lamborghini” Podcast through the iTunes Store (here). This is Lamborghini’s latest outlet for delivering unique content to its loyal customers and fans.

All Lamborghini podcasts are available as a free download and are designed to ignite the world’s enthusiasm for the most amazing vehicles on the planet. Lamborghini strives for each podcast to evoke emotion in people of all ages and lifestyles. With regular updates, subscribers will be able to view all of the vehicles born out of Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, directly from Lamborghini itself.

Five podcasts are currently available on iTunes to highlight Lamborghini’s uncompromising, 1 million Euro, Reventón, the new Ad Personam personalization program in the podcast titled, “Making a Lamborghini your Lamborghini” and a three-part series titled, “Closer to the Road.”

“Lamborghini followers are a unique group that demands innovation driven by emotion,” stated Manfred Fitzgerald, Head of Brand and Design at Automobili Lamborghini. “iTunes will now be a portal for Lamborghini to share its uncompromising focus on design and performance to fuel the passion for the world’s most amazing super sports cars.”

If you recall, last year Porsche developed a special Cayenne to compete in the 4,400 mile Moscow-to-Mongolia Transsyberia Rally. Now they've come up with a new-and-improved version for this year's race.

Improvements over last year's racer include a new sump guard, a beefier tire package, tweaked air suspension, a shorter final drive ratio (shared with the new Cayenne GTS), plus updates to the transmission programming, dynamic chassis control and traction management systems. Also, an upgrade conversion package is available for those who own last year's model.

Full story here.

Here's Inside Line's take: Porsche Updates Rally Cayenne for 2008