Dutch boutique automaker Donkervoort has introduced a limited-edition version of the D8 GTO supercar called Blister Berg.
Named after a race track in Germany, the Blister Berg Edition stands out from the already muscular-looking D8 GTO thanks to a new front fascia characterized by a blacked out radiator grille with carbon fiber slats, a revised roll cage, a sprinkling of Blister Berg Edition badges and black multi-spoke wheels wrapped by semi-slick tires. Additional carbon fiber components and body panels can be ordered at an extra cost.

The interior has been similarly upgraded with carbon fiber seats upholstered with a special type of leather, ultra-light carpet and a LCD data logging display that replaces the instrument cluster. A decorative metal plaque engraved with the car’s serial number and the name of the owner adds a finishing touch to the custom-built look.

Power comes from a 2.5-liter TFSI five-cylinder engine borrowed from the Audi parts bin. Donkervoort has not published precise technical and performance specifications but it says the Blister Berg Edition comes standard with a race clutch and an ultra-light flywheel. The stock D8 GTO is capable of reaching 62 mph from a stop in 2.8 seconds so the Blister Berg Edition should be at least marginally faster.

Donkervoort will build just 14 examples of the D8 GTO Blister Berg Edition. Each one will carry a base price of €194,000, a sum that converts to nearly $225,000.

General Motors’ Germany-based Opel division has traveled to the Brussels Motor Show to introduce the 2015 Corsavan, the smallest member of its commercial vehicle lineup.
The Corsavan is aimed at business owners who need a small and efficient delivery vehicle that can navigate traffic in big cities with ease. It is nearly identical to the three-door Corsa hatchback when viewed from the outside but it stands out immediately thanks to body-colored welded-in rear windows.

Inside, Opel has tossed out the rear seats to free up a flat loading floor and it has installed a half-height steel bulkhead that separates the passenger and cargo compartments. The Corsavan offers 32.5 cubic feet of cargo space and it can haul over 1,250 pounds when properly equipped. The list of standard equipment includes numerous tie-down hooks, a Hill Start Assist function and a City Mode that reduces the effort required to turn the steering wheel at low speeds.

Buyers can choose from two gasoline engines and a diesel unit whose outputs range from 70 to 95 horsepower. The efficiency champ of the lineup is a 1.3-liter ecoFLEX turbodiesel four-cylinder that uses a start/stop system to return up to 71 mpg in a mixed European cycle.

The 2015 Opel Corsavan will go on sale across Europe in the next few weeks. Like nearly all Opel products, the Corsavan will wear a Vauxhall emblem in the United Kingdom.

An all-new third-generation Honda Pilot could be coming as soon as this summer, hot on the heels of the 2016 HR-V that will hit the market this spring.

The announcement came during the final automaker press conference of the Detroit Auto Show this week, in which American Honda executive vice president John Mendel called the upcoming product for 2015 “Year of the Honda.”

Though few details were provided, Mendel did confirm that the Pilot would continue to be an 8-passenger SUV. Spy shots seen last year indicate that the large crossover will have LED lighting up front, with some sources claiming a 3.5L V6 capable of 310hp, up 60 from the current 250hp. However, a version of the newly-announced turbocharged VTEC four-cylinder is also possible. Also asserted is a CVT for the front-driven two-wheel-drive versions while the AWD variants get a 6-speed automatic.

Presumably, the Pilot will continue to share a platform with the Ridgeline unibody pickup, which was recently photographed undergoing testing in camouflage. Slated for model year 2016, it will follow the redesigned Pilot to market.

Mendel also mentioned “some more excitement on the passenger car side of our lineup this year as well” but declined to reveal anything more.

Lexus is getting ready to launch its first ever global racing program. The news was buried in the Detroit Auto Show press conference, overshadowed by the launch of the GS F sports sedan, but it marks a significant shift in Lexus philosophy.

The car at the heart of the new racing program — called, appropriately, Lexus Racing — is the new RC F sports coupe. We’ve covered its exploits in the Japanese SuperGT series and in the European FIA GT3 leagues, but now we have official word that Lexus will compete in a yet-to-be-named North American championship. The first hint of such an expansion came at SEMA, where Lexus showed its gleaming chrome-on-white race car, but now its officially official.

The preliminary specs of the RC F GT3 are as follows: A 5.0L naturally aspirated V8 tuned to 543hp, nearly 100 more horses than the street legal version. The overall weight of the race car is just 2,756 pounds, but further information was not revealed just yet.

The move indicates Lexus is serious about shedding its conservative blazer for a sleek three-piece suit. For years the brand has struggled to be taken seriously as a performance alternative. Despite some sporty models like the original SC coupe, IS sports sedan, the snarly 2007 IS F and the LFA supercar, those attempts always seemed to dead end with out a second act.

With the new announcement, the division is finally committed to investing in an expensive motorsports program that will, hopefully trickle down into the street car DNA. Lexus officials at the Detroit Auto Show said that 2015 would likely be a real-world testing phase with the full effort to launch in 2016.

Live images by Ben Hsu.

A new report coming out of Brazil indicates that Volkswagen is busily preparing a performance-focused version of the tiny up! city car.
Tentatively christened up! GT, the hatchback will be powered by a turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder TSI engine sourced from the bigger Polo. The mill will send at least 100 horsepower – 25 more than the standard up! – to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. The extra grunt should allow the up! to reach 62 mph from a stop in about ten seconds.

The up! GT will borrow styling cues from the GT up! concept that was presented to the public at the 2011 edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show. It will gain a deeper front bumper with a large air duct, side skirts, a roof-mounted spoiler and twin round exhaust pipes integrated into the rear bumper. Large alloy wheels will round out the visual modifications.

Brazil’s Car Blog claims that the up! GT will go on sale locally in May. Volkswagen has chosen not to comment on the matter, so whether or not the tiny hot hatch will be sold in Europe is not known.

If the rumor proves true, additional details about the Volkswagen up! GT will emerge over the coming months.