
Deadline revealed last week that 20th Century would acquire film rights to Hugh Howey book Wool, an e-book being called science fiction’s answer to Fifty Shades Of Grey. Here’s the confirmation: RANDOM HOUSE

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Toyota As if turbos weren't enough. Gazoo Racing (full name: Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring) has unveiled a concept racing version of the famed Toyota GT86 that features both a turbocharger and a supercharger to offer up 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The car, officially called the Sport FR Concept, oozes high performance out of its fenders and includes Gazoo brakes, spoilers and suspension tuning, according to FT86Club.com. However, few specifics were available. Toyota teamed up with Gazoo earlier this year to help jump start it's small-displacement engines. Earlier this year, Toyota gave the green light to the iQ Supercharger. Gazoo was expected to build about 100 of those cars.Gazoo Racing drums up twincharged 320-horsepower Toyota GT86 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 May 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Spy Photos, Hatchback, BMW, Mini Given the spate of new models Mini has introduced in the past few years, from the Clubman to the Countryman to the Coupe to the Roadster, it sometimes seems like BMW has forgotten about the original model, the plain old Mini Cooper hardtop. It was last redesigned for the 2007 model year, which seems like a long time ago because, well, it is. Which is why Mini will shortly introduce an all-new hardtop Cooper, which our camera spies have captured testing in Europe. We're told that the new model is codenamed F56, but more importantly, its underpinnings are said to be shared with the next-generation BMW 1 Series. While Mini will continue to put four-cylinder engines underhood, there's presumably a three-cylinder in the works as well, though we're not sure whether that model will make it to our shores. While we've seen some spy shots of the 2014 Mini Cooper before, these seem to confirm that the car will grow a bit in size, both length and width. We are told that the longer hood and greater front overhang may be the result of fake front body panels, but the new front and rear glass appears to accurately represent the forthcoming production car, which will have a more raked angle to its windshield and rear window. BMW is expected to start production of the 2014 Mini Cooper early next year.2014 Mini Cooper gets mellow in yellow originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Spears says she wants to 'inspire' contestants on the Fox show. By Jocelyn Vena "X Factor" judges L.A. Reid, Demi Lovato, Simon Cowell and Britney Spears at the FOX Upfront Photo: Desiree Navarro/ Getty Images Britney Spears seems poised and ready to sit beside her fellow "X Factor" judges on the revamped second season of the show. At the Fox upfront this week, the singer appeared alongside fellow newbie Demi Lovato, as well as returning judges Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid, and gushed about the Fox reality show. "Just really being able to be there and inspire the other contestants ... they're so young and they're trying to fulfill their dreams," she said at the event. "It's just a whole beautiful concept. It's just really cool." While her negotiations with the show had been making headlines in the weeks leading up to the official announcement, Cowell brushed off all the hoopla, which includes a rumored $15 million payday for joining the show. "A force of nature, I was somewhere in the middle, but I'm thrilled. I love these guys," he said of getting everyone, including Spears, on board. "I charmed her." Spears seemed equally taken with the prickly Brit. "He's adorable. He's completely adorable. He didn't have to try hard," she admitted. Spears' addition to the show is hardly the only casting making news: Lovato also opened up about having the "X Factor." While little is known about the final hours going into locking Lovato in for the show, she's rumored to be taking in $1 million, according to Gossip Cop. Lovato was on a short list of possible contenders to appear on the show that also reportedly included Miley Cyrus and Avril Lavigne. "I'm so excited to be here," she said. "I guess you called," she added with Simon by her side. "And that's how it got set up, just a phone call." In addition to getting warm and fuzzy about each other in the interview, Cowell shared that the judges will be filming in the next couple weeks when they hit up Austin, Texas, to begin scoping out talent. And if you think the claws might come out then, Reid assured viewers that that won't be the case. "Oh no, we're gonna be really sweet to each other," he said. "Nothing controversial. It'll be perfect." Related Artists Britney Spears

Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, SUV, Crossover, Lamborghini Long before Lamborghini unveiled the Urus concept for its new SUV at the Beijing Motor Show last month, we got two chances to preview the show truck: once at the factory in Italy and once at a private preview in New York. The Italian automaker's development chief Maurizio Reggiani wasn't prepared to talk about powertrain options at the time, but in speaking with Automotive News, he's now given us a hint of what to expect should the Volkswagen Group board give the project the green light. As expected, the Urus would have to be based on the same platform that is slated to underpin the next Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Bentley EXP 9 F (if similarly approved) in order to make good business sense. Unfortunately, that new PL73 architecture is made principally of steel, a material that Lamborghini has been getting away from in favor of new types of carbon fiber construction. In order to keep weight down - Lambo is targeting 4,400 lbs for the Urus, significantly less than its potential competitors - it would need to make other components out of carbon to compensate. That covers the mass side of the power-to-weight ratio that is integral to any performance vehicle. As for the power, Reggiani says the company has yet to make a final decision. The last time Lamborghini made an SUV - the legendary LM002 "Rambo Lambo" - it was powered by the same high-revving V12 as the Countach, lending to speculation that the Urus could incorporate the new V12 from the Aventador or the V10 from the Gallardo. Reggiani, however, indicates that the new twin-turbo V8 powering the latest Audi RS models and the Bentley Continental is a more likely choice, given that it would help keep weight down and provide more low-end torque than the naturally-aspired 10 or 12-pots the Raging Bull marque currently produces for its sports cars.Lamborghini eyes low weight, Audi-sourced twin-turbo V8 for production Urus originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 May 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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