ALMS at Long Beach

With Champ Car going the way of the dodo bird after this year's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, it looks like the American Le Mans Series is poised to take over top billing at America's Monte Carlo. The street course around downtown Long Beach, California is quite a track, with a long tradition of motorsport excitement. Everything from Formula 1 to CART to Trans-Am have run here, but very few series can match the thrill of four different classes running into the dusk like the ALMS presents. This year's sophomore running of the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach showed exactly why the series deserves more support and coverage than it gets. Not only was the on-track action enthralling, but the huge crowds that Long Beach always attracts seemed to go ga-ga over the prototypes and GT cars wearing names like Porsche, Aston Martin, Corvette and Ferrari. In case you haven't seen the race yet, the results are after the jump. Don't let that stop you from clicking through the massive high-res gallery however.
[Via: Autoblog (Mazda) ]
[Tag: alms,american le mans ser...,AmericanLeMansSer...,lbgp,long beach,long beach grand prix,LongBeach,LongBeachGrandPrix ]

New York '08 Preview: World Car of the Year finalists announced

With the New York Auto Show just around the corner in late March, the organization behind the "World Car of the Year" Awards has revealed its top three finalists. The top vehicles in each of four categories were chosen by an international panel of 47 automotive journalists reportedly committed to carrying out the process with the "...utmost objectivity, credibility, and integrity." Regardless of how spotless the chosen journalist's driving record is, it's still a subjective vote, so don't be dismayed if your favorite chunk of steel didn't make the list this year. Instead, be pleased that the majority of the vehicles are actually available in the States.Last month, the list included ten vehicles in each category. This week, the distinguished panel whittled it down to three finalists in each category. Check out the finalists in Design, Performance Car and Green Car after the jump.
2008 World Car of the Year Finalists
Ford Mondeo
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
2008 World Design of the YearAudi R8
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
Volvo C302008 World Performance CarVolkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI
Past winners include the 2005 Audi A6, the 2006 BMW 3 Series, and the 2007 Lexus LS460. We'll be on the floor at the New York Auto Show on March 20 to bring you the winner for 2008. Anybody care to place any bets?

[Via: World Car of the Year ]
[Tag: Finalists, WCOTY, World Car of the Year, WorldCarOfTheYear ]