By Rob

Editor-in-Chief

The BMW 135i killed the Subaru STI in a Showroom Showdown last year. So now it's back to fight the new Infiniti G37 Coupe. Both cars start at $35k. Both cars are RWD 2+2s with six cylinder power, though the G37 packs an extra 30 ponies and 300 pounds. Which would you choose?

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

We're working with Yuichi of GenCoupe.com to get pics of the car Rhys Millen is building for SEMA. Mods will include a turbo kit for the 2.0-liter four banger, HKS sequential race transmission, coil-over suspension, big Brembo brakes, Enkei wheels, eight-point roll cage and a RMR wide body kit. Check out the ride page for shots of the teardown, and stay tuned for more pics of the build! 

By John Coyle

Editor

When it makes its debut at SEMA in November, Street Concepts' Genesis Coupe will be sporting 19-inch Volk wheels, burly Brembo brakes and a Magnaflow cat-back system, but it's the matte-camo paint scheme which got my attention. Well, that and the car's burning, angry eyes. Don't they remind you of the ones on the Chevy Tantrum? We'll make sure to get plenty of shots of this baby when we've in Vegas. Stay tuned! Three more pics after the jump.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Before I scraped together the money my first Mopar at age 17, I drove my parent's '77 Coupe DeVille. It was medium blue with a light blue interior and had the factory 8-track. It and didn't look quite as sharp as Ken Dog's car below, but it was still kind of fun. It was tough, too--survived me and my two younger brothers. What did you drive in high school? (And if you're in high school, what are you driving now?)

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

If you got here from the newsletter, you're probably looking for this story on John's Jag!

I learned how to drive in a '77 Coupe DeVille, so I love these big 70s Cadillacs. Jro bought this low mile one owner '70 Coupe DeVille back in 2006 and immediately added an air suspension. The paint is HOK Orion silver, purple marble, and limetime (I'm not normally a huge fan of two-tone paint schemes, but I think it looks great on this car). Jro has a bunch of great pics on his ride page, along with a video of him drifting the big Caddy it in the snow.

By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

Pebble Beach might be known for collector cars, but while walking the Blackhawk Collection exhibit this afternoon, I found Hyundai's new production Genesis sedan and prototype Genesis coupe just sitting there on the side of the back lawn. The sticker on the window even identifies the car as a prototype. 

This Genesis coupe is far and away the most beautiful car Hyundai has ever created. Based on what it looks like in the flesh, Hyundai has a real winner on its hands.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Edmunds is reporting that we will only get the Subaru version of the jointly developed Toyota/Subaru RWD Coupe slated for 2011--the Toyota version will be sold exclusively in Japan. The new 2+2 coupe will be powered by Subaru's naturally aspirated boxer 2.0-liter, which should produce around 220 hp and be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Expect it to ride on a 103-inch wheelbase, weigh between 2,800 and 2,900 pounds and come in just south of $20k. This all sounds good to me. But please please please don't give it the fugly Impreza-esque front clip shown in the rendering below.

By Rob

Editor-in-Chief

This is the second Showroom Showdown that has been too close to call. The last one was the Accord Coupe vs. the Altima Coupe in February. No matter how you look at it, these affordable RWD coupes will be game changers. Finally, another generation will be exposed to some RWD goodness. We will be following both vehicles' development closely in the CarDomain blog. I can't wait to see how they turn out.    

By Rob

Editor-in-Chief

Yes, both cars are about two years out, and details on each are still a bit sketchy. But we know a lack of information has never stopped you guys from having an opinion! Nissan is claiming they will have their car in the showroom first, and of course, they already have a strong following from the 240. But don't count out Subaru, who is developing their car jointly with Toyota. So, which cool, affordable RWD coupe would you choose: the Silvia or the Subie?

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Hyundai showed off this green Genesis Coupe at South Korea's Busan Auto Show this weekend. The thread over at genfans.com claims that it is powered by a Theta 2.0 liter I4 twin turbo GDI engine, rated at 290 hp (the engine found in the Kia Koupe Concept which was revealed at NYIAS).

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Looks like there were lots of amazing rides at Cars and Coffee this weekend. I was just going through their gallery when I saw this Genesis Coupe. And of course we know that Rich was there with the new Challenger (more on that tomorrow).

By John Coyle

Editor

Kia's slogan is "The Power to Surprise," and I have to say the company completely surprised me in New York. While I was pretty underwhelmed by the redesigned Optima—not my style—I have to admit I was impressed by the KOUP Concept. Officially, Kia hasn't decided whether to build it, but did say the KOUP is production ready. With the exception of the door handles—which look sexy but are a little too small—up close, it doesn't have many not-ready-for-prime-time features, so it does feel like this car could drop without much modification. And with 290 horsepower on tap, it would  immediately become a player on the tuner scene. My gut says Kia is waiting to see how the Genesis sells to give it the green light. What do you think, should Kia build the KOUP? More pics after the jump.

By John

Editor

The General floated the idea of a Solstice coupe—pictured—back in 2002, and it looks like the wait is almost over. At the New York International Auto Show later this month, the company will unveil the Solstice Targa, and with lines like this, you have to wonder why they sat on it for six years. Seriously, this baby is almost NSFW! While the concept didn't feature a removable top, according to head honcho Bob Lutz, the Targa will look identical. Let's hope he's not pulling our leg. In any case, we'll get a ton of shots at the show. Stay tuned! More pics after the jump.    

Left Lane News via Winding Road

By Sean

Editor

• Over the weekend we showed the first part in Alpine's Sinister Six demo car build videos, and we wrapped it up with Part 2. It's still hard to believe this beast started life as an $80,000 BMW 645.... The resemblance is there, but this demo car is a work of art!
• Griffin sent us a few of their in-car iPod charger/wireless transmitters to take for a test drive and we just finished our review of the first product. The gadget worked very well - we were impressed!
• Pioneer's MINI-mino impressed us both on CarDomain and SoundDomain, so we couldn't resist writing about it either! We got a few details on the product line-up and modifications, but not much info was available at press time. It's definitely worth a second look and we'll do our best to get even better details!

By Sean

Editor

• The Alpine Imprint RLS will always be one of the most amazing demo cars ever produced. But before the Imprint made it's impression on car audio history, the Alpine crew built the Sinister Six. What started out as an innocent $84,000 BMW 645ci ended up a jaw dropping, road raging, Sinister sports coupe. And SoundDomain has two videos  from Alpine following the crew through the amazing build.
• It interesting what you can find in life if you just look a little bit closer.... SoundDomain's new guestblogger, Ben, writes about the hidden easter eggs found on circuit boards. Who'da guessed engineers had a sense of humor?
• Car manufacturers aren't the only ones getting hit by Chinese knock-offs; even car audio manufacturers have to step into the ring. Check out the pics of this bogus Alpine amplifier found out in the wild. Would you have spotted it?
• Our main man Steve Meade is back and shaking up a ruckus at Taco Bell. Watch what happens when the two drive thru guys ask for a sample of the Tahoe's beefy beats. Notice the bills in Taco Dude #2's hand when Steve gives the magic knob a twist... The looks on their faces are pretty priceless too: from excitement to satisfaction to shock & awe. It's always a good time with Steve.
• Bored? Add Bluetooth to your 5G iPod.
• We've also got a video of CarDomain member Jamminwagon plugging in and jammin' out on his electric car through his Dodge Magnum's sound ssytem. Boy's got some skills, car's got some beats!
• Scosche built out a pretty crazy demo car for SEMA 2006: a bright orange FJ Cruiser stuffed with EFX gear: eight 12" woofers, twelve amplifiers, seven monitors (including a 32" monitor in the rear door!), twenty speakers, three batteries, and over 9000 watts of power!