Prelude
Any Australian can tell you where the Outback is. It's out there, somewhere beyond the coastal fringe of the country where most of the population lives, beyond the chic café society of sophisticated cities like Sydney and Melbourne and Perth, beyond the green halo of productive farmland that surrounds them. But the Outback is more than just a place. It's a state of mind.


The first Europeans didn't settle in Australia until 1788, and their exploration of Australia's dry, desolate heartland produced heroic tales of hope and courage, triumph and tragedy. I saw for myself how remote and challenging the outback was in the fuzzy black-and-white photos and faded Kodachromes my parents took when they drove a 1937 Dodge Coupe right across the country, from Adelaide on the south coast to Darwin in the north, in 1955.

Download Travel and Adventure: Subaru Outback Through the Outback

Winner: Ford Super Duty F-450
Runner-Up: Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LTZ/GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD

These are the big daddies of the passenger-truck world: They can tow the equivalent of 10 cars at once and have enough payload capacity to carry the equivalent of a Ram 1500.


Download Truck Trend's Best In Class 2011: Topline Power Puller

German tuner, Carlsson, released their revised version of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK today. The tuning program for the SLK include both interior and exterior as well as engine enhancements. The 2012 Mercedes SLK offers two seats, a long bonnet, short overhangs, an open top and the engine in just the right place. With the new SLK, Mercedes-Benz presents what is probably the finest roadster in its history. Yet Carlsson still managed to find numerous ways to personalise the car and to leave its own unique mark on its dynamism and style.

Download 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK Tuner by Carlsson

Imagine taking a 500,000 ? Maybach out back, shooting it full of bullet holes, writing on it and then putting it on display as art. That is exactly what artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel did on the canals of Venice, Italy.

Download Julian Schnabel’s Maybach on Display at the Biennale di Venezia

Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari's chief executive and veteran engineer, says his all-new Ferrari FF four-seater is as fast around a track as a 599. "Not the GTO," he adds hastily, "but the regular 599." For the FF to be as fast as the shattering (and shatteringly hard-to-drive) GTO would be impossible. For it to be as quick as the regular 599 is merely miraculous.
Ferrari people are suspiciously keen to stress the Ferrari-ness of their new car. Could this be because the last time they strayed from their supersports heartland with the California, they suffered a squall of criticism for going soft and selling out?

Download First Look: Ferrari FF

The latest member of the Prius family, the Prius v, which we featured in a couple of weeks ago, is just the first new addition to the growing Prius lineup. Destined to land in U.S. showrooms soon, the v is a larger, five-seat Prius with tweaked handling and bigger brakes. Last month, we revealed the Prius Coupe concept, a two-door that promises to put "fun to drive" and "hybrid" on the same page for the first time. Expected a Couple launch date in 2015.



Download Toyota Prius C Begins to Take Shape

Production model rumored for late 2012

Audi has been relatively quiet about the Q3 RS, but the company recently gave Sweden's Sportbilen an exclusive glimpse at a prototype during the Q3's press launch in Zurich, Switzerland

Download Audi Q3 RS prototype gets driven

Sets a new record for a production vehicle

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb took place on June 26th, but Porsche has just released a video of Jeff Zwart's record setting dash to the summit.



Download Porsche 911 GT2 RS tackles Pikes Peak

Big numbers, small package

If you thought the Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro concept was impressive, take a look at MTM's Nardo Edition.



Download MTM Audi A1 Nardo Edition hits 324 km/h