But you probably don’t know who they areMichael Gulett has a great post on 12Most.com where he talks about 12 people who made important contributions to the car world. But there’s a chance you don’t know who they are or what they did.
Now that we’ve piqued your interest, here’s the 12 Michael writes about…
Carlo Abarth
Actually, you may have heard of Carlo. He tricked out Fiats.
Giotto Bizzarrini
That’s Ferrari Chief Engineer Giotto Bizzarrini to you. His masterpiece is probably the 1962 250 GTO. But he also made time to design the first V12 …

When there’s nothing stopping you tuning, the only limit is your imagination, as Jonny Milner’s incredible 850bhp twincharged Celica GT4 shows…
Racecars, despite having incredible amounts of money spent on them, are rarely the best they can possibly be. The simple reason for this is that they have to obey the rules of the race series they’re intended for, so certain things are restricted or simply not allowed to be changed. But what if there were no limits – what could be done then? This car, which is owned, built, and …

New German Touring Car begins campaign next seasonLooking every bit as evil as BMW’s M3 DTM Concept, Audi has introduced their A5 DTM Concept at the Frankfurt International Motor Show.
Audi first showed concept drawings earlier this year at the same time BMW introduced the M3. Internally, Audi refers to the A5 DTM as the R17, continuing the ‘R’ nomenclature throughout their line of motorsports cars.
The A5 will be powered by a V8 with 454hp and a new six-speed transmission.
World premiere of the Audi A5 DTM at the IAA
Ingolstadt, September 11, …

Wicked new concept will debut in the 2012 DTM seasonSporting a flat black finish and black wheels, BMW unveiled the M3 DTM Concept Friday night at the Welt, BMW’s exhibition facility in Munich. Guide to Online Schools is a resource with info on auto tech classes.
The paint job is clearly not important…cars will, of course, sport a sponsor package once the green flag drops.
What is important is the 4-liter, 480 bhp V8 under the wicked black body work. It powers the M3 DTM to 100 km/h in about 3 seconds, finally topping out …

Model announced following Team Lotus purchase of the brandFollowing the announcement of Caterham being purchased by Team Lotus Enterprise, the car maker has shown the Special Edition Seven.
Dressed in Team Lotus livery, Caterham will build only 25 Sevens for the U.K. market with the upgrade package, mostly made up of the cars appearance package and interior trim including a plaque with the signatures of Team Lotus F1 drivers, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen. An additional 25 cars will be built for export.
As part of the upgrade package, buyers receive a tour of …

Pro race teams need to applyWhile soon-to-be owners of McLaren’s new MP4-12C are salivating at the opportunity to dust other exoticar owners on the street, pro race teams can now pitch McLaren to be one of a few teams to race the GT version of the car.
Teams can visit McLaren’s dedicated application site to register.
The car will continue to be tested through this race season before 20 cars are made available to privateer teams for 2012.
McLaren’s press release has further details about the car and the testing it has been going …

‘Le Mans’ movie car to be sold at RM AuctionsPorsche collectors may want to take notice…another McQueen classic crosses the auction block this summer.
As enthusiasts, we know Steve McQueen was a car guy. He actually enjoyed collecting various modes of transportation, not only cars but airplanes and motorcycles too.
For McQueen fans, the movie ‘Le Mans’ is easily one of the favorites their Hollywood legend starred in.
Not too many people remember this particular Porsche 911S from the movie but it had a starring role nonetheless, albeit a nondescript one. This is …

The 2011 season begins this weekendIf your a racing fan, you probably already know this weekend marks the beginning of the 2011 Formula 1 season. Teams are prepared, drivers selected, cars tested, as all gather in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.
Keith over at F1 Fanatic does a great job covering the F1 season. Check him out to get caught up and watch the race on SPEED TV. Start time is 1:30am ET so check listings for your local time. Once you know, set your DVR. It’s much easier to …

Old and new will butt heads during 12 Hours of SebringThis weekend kicks off the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup with the 12 Hours of Sebring. And two of its toughest competitors, Audi and Peugeot, will be there. What may be missing in early reporting though is Audi’s new R18. Audi has left it behind. Last season’s R15TDI will make its final racing appearance this weekend. Audi says the R18 is not race ready. Disappointing, to say the least. It would have been great to see both cars meet for the …

Defending the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup is the priorityPeugeot announced their 2011 motorsports campaign by introducing their much anticipated endurance car, the 908. Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans is, of course, a priority as the automaker takes on the likes of Audi in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
In 2010, the series was just three races but for the 2011 season, it has been expanded to seven. There will be Sebring and Petit Le Mans Road/Atlanta in the U.S., Spa-Francorchamps, Imola and Silverstone in Europe and one race in China. And, …