Welcome to a new edition of Motorsport Weekend, our own feature where we talk about the most exciting motorsport events from the last three days.

Even though we only had two big races take place in the last three days, we were treated with some impressive performances. First off, the WRC Rally of Germany took place in the European country, while the Nascar Sprint Cup held the Irwin Tools Night Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

Curious to see how Sebastian Loeb, Sebastien Ogier or Kyle Busch faired in their own events? Hit the jump and find out.

First off, the World Rally Championship held the ADAC Rally Deutschland in the European country, where competitors were pitted against tough asphalt and cobblestone stages.

In the end, Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb was victorious, followed by teammate Dani Sordo and Citroen Junior driver Sebastien Ogier. Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala was fourth, followed by privateer Petter Solberg in his own Citroen rally car.

Overall standings see Loeb with an impressive 191 points, followed by Ogier, with 133, and Latvala, with 117 points.

Moving on to the Nascar Sprint Cup race at Bristol, the Irwin Tools Night Race was host to a show of force by Kyle Busch. The American displayed impressive skill, especially after winning the Truck Series race on Wednesday as well as the Nationwide Series race on Friday, managing to become the first racer to win all three Nascar events in the same week.

Busch started in 17th place, but was soon overtaking reigning champ Jimmie Johnson and led the race until the checkered flag was waved. He was followed by David Reutimann and Jamie McMurray.

Overall Sprint Cup standings still see Kevin Harvick in the lead, with Jeff Gordon 279 points behind, and Kyle Busch with 351 points behind.

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Motorsport Weekend: WRC Rally of Germany and Nascar Bristol race results

Seeing as how the four-door coupe market has exploded in the last few years, Mercedes-Benz, the creator of this niche with the old CLS, had a big task ahead of itself with the next generation CLS Class.

Now, after many spy shots and rumors, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS has been officially revealed in all of its four-door coupe glory.

As you can see, the new model boasts a more aggressive design, but still in the arching lines that made its predecessor such a popular limousine. We can see more aggressive angles in the front, as well as the first full LED headlight assembly, with 71 individual LEDs composing the main headlight, running light, turn signals and side lamps.

We can see LED technology in the rear as well, while the side design borrows some cues from the already revealed 2011 CL Class.

On the inside, the same attention to detail is present, as is a new three-spoke steering wheel with multiple controls. The new CLS also boasts the same gear selector as its other cousins, the S and CL Classes.

Engines have yet to be detailed, but you can expect two gasoline versions to appear for the US market. the CLS350 will most likely get a direct injection 3.5-liter V6, while the CLS550 will get a twin-turbo V8. Further down the line you can also expect an AMG performance version, probably with the new 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8.

Expect more details about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS Class to be revealed at the Paris Motor Show, but until then feel free to check out the photo gallery below and a presentation video after the jump.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS Class

Source: Mercedes-Benz

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2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS revealed at last

It was previewed by a track-only race car and rumored heavily a few weeks ago, but the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 has now been formally unveiled.

The Boss is back and Blue Oval muscle car fans will be certainly pleased with what it’s packing under the hood. Power comes from an upgraded version of the new 5.0-liter V8, capable of 440 HP with 380 lb-ft of torque. A lot of upgrades were added, including ones from the track-only Boss 302R. We have a short-throw shifter, new suspension, upgraded brakes and a new clutch.

The result of these new parts and the extensive fine tuning from Ford? The muscle car is faster than a BMW M3 Coupe around the Laguna Seca track.

As you can imagine, the Boss 302 certainly looks the part, with special paint jobs available, including Competition Orange, Performance White, Kona Blue Metallic, Yellow Blaze Tri-Coat Metallic and Race Red. Special decals reminiscent of the old 1969 Boss Mustang are also available.

In honor of the Boss’ revival, a special Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca edition will be made, boasting unique exterior as well as a retuned chassis, stiffer body and improved aerodynamics.

Pricing has yet to be revealed, but you can enjoy the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 both in the photo gallery below and after the jump in a video released by the Blue Oval.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302

Source: Ford

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2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 revealed, photos and video included

Ever since Top Gear first aired in its new format, one question has always puzzled hardcore fans: Who is The Stig?

We were treated a few seasons ago with his unmasking, as Top Gear had a special that culminated with the reveal that Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher was actually the Stig, but fans knew that it wasn’t true.

Now, it seems that Stig’s identity has finally been revealed by financial records. According to them, the mysterious driver is none other than former Formula Three pilot Ben Collins, who has been rumored to play the Stig once before.

According to the financial records of his company, Collins Autosport, back in 2002 when the current white Stig replaced the former Black Stig, a breakthrough was achieved by providing “driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme”.

As you can imagine, when phoned for comment, Collins refrained from declaring anything, instead saying that he was entering a tunnel and couldn’t talk anymore.

So, is the Stig Ben Collins? Probably, but that shouldn’t spoil the aura of mystery that the tame racing driver has around him, especially as some say he doesn’t even have a body.

Source: The Telegraph

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The Stig’s identity revealed by … financial records?

Before our website went on vacation for a bit, spy shots of a rumored Lancia Stratos prototype were making the rounds on the web and caused a lot of speculation.

Now, the project has been officially detailed and even has its own website called, what else, the New Lancia Stratos.

As was rumored, the project is currently a one-off model, built by Pininfarina and based on the Ferrari F430. As you can imagine, the new Stratos uses a different body, made completely out of carbon fiber. This means it will be extremely lightweight and have a near 50:50 weight distribution.

The car is being made for German enthusiast Michael Stoschek, who is really into racing old rally models.

No other details were revealed, but if more people will be interested in the project, there is the possibility of it being made into a limited series instead of the current one-off.

Source: New-Stratos

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New Lancia Stratos is real and based on the Ferrari F430

There have been a few rumors floating around recently concerning Japanese carmaker Infiniti and its desire for a dedicated performance brand, supposedly called Infiniti Performance Line. The division would rival BMW’s M or Mercedes-Benz’s AMG.

Now, it seems that the rumors were right for the most part. The Infiniti Performance Line is real, but isn’t a dedicated sports division. Instead, the IPL badge will appear on specific limited series of sports models, starting off with the IPL G Coupe.

Based on the G37, this new model boasts a revised appearance, with redesigned front and rear fascias, as well as side skirts and a set of 19-inch Graphite wheels. Sports seats were fitted on the inside, as was redesigned trim to match the performance-oriented nature of the special car.

Sadly, you won’t find any big performance boosts, as the IPL G Coupe can output 348 HP with 276 lb-ft of torque. That’s an increase of 18 HP and 6 lb-ft over the stock G37. Handling promises to be improved though, thanks to two new transmissions, a six-speed manual with short-throw shiter or a seven-speed automatic with magnesium paddles. Last but not least, we have a limited slip differential, revised suspensions and an upgraded braking system.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but expect more details as we approach its launch at the end of the year.

Source: Infiniti

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Infiniti Performance Line debuts the 348 HP IPL G Coupe

It’s been a long time coming and rumored to death in the last few months, but General Motors has officially filed in the paperwork for its impending Initial Public Offering.

This is the moment many American tax payers were waiting, as their money saved GM last year.

The US automaker is ready to go public, and will offer preferred stock in order to raise an estimated $16 billion. The US treasury will be selling around a fifth of the 304 million common shares, in order to recoup the financial investment from summer of 2009.

The IPO will be led by reputed banks such as Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. A date has yet to be established for the IPO, but you’d better have your broker ready in the following weeks.

Source: General Motors

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General Motors officially files for IPO

For all those people with money to burn and performance cars to race on public roads, here’s a quick tip: whatever you do, don’t go speeding in Switzerland.

One Swedish Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG owner found this out the hard way, as he was clocked by the traffic camera doing a whopping 186 mph (300 km/h) on the highway between Bern and Lausanne. His excuse? The speedometer broke. Yeah, right.

As such, given Switzerland’s fine system that factors in the speed of the car and the annual income of the culprit, the Swedish man needs to pay the maximum fine possible, $1 million.

According to Swiss police officials, this is the highest speed recorded on the country’s public roads and, quite probably, the largest speeding ticket ever issued in the whole world.

Maybe next time the Swedish Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG owner will stick to the open roads of Germany’s Autobahn.

Source: The Telegraph

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Swedish man fined with $1 million for doing 180 mph in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

The Paris Motor Show is shaping up to be one of the most important chapters in Lotus‘ history, as a lot of new models, concepts and revivals are rumored to be unveiled.

Among them, we now know that there will be a performance oriented Lotus Evora S, as well as an automatic gearbox-equipped Evora. How do we know that? It seems that someone at Lotus was a bit too eager and sent an e-mail to press outlets confirming the two models.

No other details were revealed, but you can clearly see that the British sportscar manufacturer is betting big on the popularity of the Evora.

Expect more details to be revealed in the following weeks, ahead of the Paris Motor Show’s start on October 2.

Source: Lotus via Autoblog

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Lotus accidentally confirms Evora S and Evora automatic for Paris debut

It seems that new cars are being confirmed in the unlikeliest of places these days, as the LA Auto Show’s Twitter account has revealed that the 2012 Saab 9-4X crossover will be debuting at the convention this November.

The Saab 9-4X has been a long time coming, with a concept (pictured above) previewing the production model for quite some time. It will share the higher riding Theta platform with the Cadillac SRX, and target the American market.

Rumors are saying that engines from the 2011 9-5 will be appearing under the hood of the 9-4X. This means a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and the a beefier 2.8-liter turbocharged six-cylinder will be available. As its name suggests, all-wheel drive will be present, with power coming through a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Those are the details, but expect more to be revealed as we approach the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

Source: LA Auto Show Twitter

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2012 Saab 9-4X to debut at the LA Auto Show this November