The wunderkinds in Wiessach have wrought a new head of the family in the form of the 2011 911 Turbo S, the first 911 S model in five years and the first for the 997. In Porsche parlance, the S suffix generally means more power and better handling, and this car appears ready to live up to the badge. As we surmised last August, the twin-turbo flat-six is boosted to 530 horsepower, though it sips fuel at the same rate as the "base" Turbo's with its 500-horsepower engine. All that power and 516 pound-feet of torque are transferred to all four wheels – now 19 inches in diameter with center locking nuts – through Porsche's seven-speed PDK dual clutch gearbox, and a torque vectoring system helps point the car directly where the driver wants it. 0-62 miles per hour should arrive in 3.3 seconds and top speed is pegged at 196 mph. For comparison's sake, the almighty 911 GT2 makes the same amount of horsepower (530), is slower to 62 mph at 3.7 seconds, but beats the new 911 S at the top end with a 204-mph terminal velocity.

For the record, the Dodge Challengers you see above are not pink. Despite a Pepto-ish hue, they're actually Furious Fuchsia. It would seem that Chrysler is choosing not to remember that it offered a similar shade back in 1970 and 1971 known as Panther Pink. This despite the fact that Dodge president and CEO Ralph Gilles tells us in the press release after the break that the R/T Classic and SRT8 Furious Fuchsia editions "[commemorate] four decades of Challenger performance" and "modernize one of the most memorable hues from 1970." It seems to us that if it's acceptable to reintroduce Plum Crazy in its original purple flavor that it's equally okay to call these cars Panther Pink, but whatever. In any case, there's also an optional set of Pearl White performance seats with Furious Fuchsia stitching that we think would look just dandy with the Bright White A-line body-side R/T stripes and functional hood scoop on the R/T Classic (above left). If the R/T's 376 horsepower just aren't enough for your tire-screeching needs, you can always upgrade to the SRT8 (above right) and its 6.2-liter Hemi V8, which offers up a willing 425-horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque... but act fast as there's only 400 slated for production. Base price for the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic in Furious Fuchsia Pearl Coat comes in at $35,140 with the SRT8 model at $45,150 (both prices include $725 destination) and cars will hit dealerships in March. We'll do our best to bring you live shots of the pair from the Chicago Auto Show later this week.

Danica qualified 12th for her first NASCAR race, the ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 held at Daytona Raceway. After a lot of bumping, a few runs through the infield, a skid or two, a race stoppage, a lot of time in the pits and a lot of running on the outside line, she finished the race in sixth. Ironically her biggest off came courtesy of the also-new-to-NASCAR Nelson Piquet, Jr.. He qualified seventh and climbed up to sixth at one point, but bumped Danica and sent her down to 24th when she rejoined after having her car repaired. Piquet would find more ways to get in trouble before the chequered flag and finish in 27th. Patrick was lauded by her entire team and a few others as well. It is said that part of the reason she spent so much time on the outside line was being nervous about such close racing, but sixth place is still sixth place. Based on that performance, the only female driver ever to win an IRL race confirmed that she will make her official NASCAR debut next weekend in the Nationwide Series race – that's the race just before the Daytona 500. There she'll get much more intense instruction that "rubbing is racing."

It's been a couple of months since Nissan first announced a special 40th anniversary model of its svelte 370Z, and, following a batch of spy shots confirming the car's arrival, we're about to get our first up-close-and-personal look at the upcoming Chicago Auto Show. But Nissan isn't about to let American customers have all the fun, so it's releasing a similar special edition for the European market. Like its American counterpart, the Europe's 370Z Black Edition celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Nissan Z, and packs most of the same features that distinguish its Yankee brother. That means darkened 19-inch Rays wheels, red brake calipers, red leather interior with a red-stitched steering wheel, special badges and the like. In fact, the only thing that seems different, apart from the "Black Edition" moniker, is the availability of a second exterior color: while the American version can only be had in "quartz" dark grey, the European Black edition can also be had in – you guessed it – black. It also comes with the full infotainment package. The 370 examples will begin distribution in April – a month after the Geneva Motor Show where it's set to debut – with a £33,645 (~$53k) price tag in the UK. That's over £5k above stock, but then the Black edition comes packed full of optional equipment.

Enkei PF01 and PF02 alloy wheels will hit the market in Japan next month.
Enkei uses “MAT forming” process to produce light alloy wheels in larger sizes by first spinning the rim to alter the micro structure of the aluminum to resemble that of a forged wheel, then the wheel is shaved of material to allow weight savings of 10 – 15%. They’re still a cast wheel but with much improved strength thanks to the MAT Dura-flow forming. Both the PF01 and PF02 wheels benefit from this process and also undergo Enkei’s “Spec-E” testing which exceeds JWL and VIA standards. Both wheels also feature a “roulette pattern” to stop slippage between tire and rim. The PF01 features a classic spilt-5 spoke design and comes in 15×5J – 18×9J sizes with offsets from +35 to +53 and also come in PCD 4×100 and 5×114.3