Car Moon

A Carscoop reader from Japan tipped us off about this video showing the new Lexus LF-A Nurburgring Edition (or at least that’s what the Youtube poster claims we’re seeing here) lapping the famous Nordschleife circuit in 7 minutes and 22.85 seconds. The poster videotaped the run from a video screen set beside the LF-A Nurburgring Edition.

According to the person who shot the clip, Lexus raced the car just before this past weekend’s 24-hour Nurburgring endurance race kicked off.

Eagle-eyed Carscoop reader Michael from Germany is always on the lookout for any new cars and prototypes on the road. His latest catch is the freshly revealed MINI Coupe in a blue suit with silver stripes, while he also seized a couple of shots of the new BMW 1-Series hatchback, both of which were spotted in Munich.

The new MINI Coupe was only just unveiled online a couple of days ago, so we assume the car pictured is most likely an early production version used for testing.

If there was ever a prize for the crappiest application of decorative ornaments and decals of any sort on an automobile, this here Porsche Cayenne would win the contest hands down. I mean, just look at it…

We first showed you the Porsche Cayenne with the Ontario license plates last Friday, but today, Carscoop reader Jonathan Fernando spotted the car parked outside –wait for the drum roll- a….Dollarama store and didn’t waste the opportunity to snap a few photos.

Roman Jagatić is the latest addition to our ever-growing list of readers-turned-into spy photographers. Roman stumbled upon this strange looking Volkswagen-Skoda hybrid prototype parked at a gas station in Munich, Germany. The test car appears to combine a modified body of a Skoda Octavia with a Volkswagen front end.

While we do not have a definite answer to what it may be, possible scenarios include a test car for a new Skoda Octavia and a prototype for a Volkswagen-badged model for select markets outside Europe.

The new Mini Roadster isn’t expected to reach showrooms before late next year, but Carscoop reader Klaus M. has spotted a prototype model in a swirly camouflage at a roundabout near Oxford in South East England. Caught by surprise, Klaus managed to shoot a single photo of the 2012 Mini Roadster but promised to keep an eye open and send us more photos in the future.

Mini has already revealed plans to debut the Coupe version of the series at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show this September, with sales to follow towards the end of the year. The ragtop Roadster model will follow at a later date.

Carscoop reader Florian G. from Germany emailed us these photos of a 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe that he spotted parked on a road in Munich. While not a scoop in the traditional sense given the introduction of the new BMW 6-Series Coupe at last month’s Shanghai Auto Show in China, it is an interesting find nonetheless.

The only thing we’re not sure of is what the ‘iCenter’ sticker below the vents of the front fenders means (that is, if it means anything). For the record, we’ve encountered the same logo on a few recent BMW prototypes. Follow the break for more pictures.

Back in April, BMW lifted the covers off its spanking new 2012 6-Series Coupe at the Shanghai Auto Show in China. Having already shown the Convertible version, the only model left to complete the series is the presentation of the M6 in both coupe and open top forms. Well, at least in absolute terms, as we’ve yet to hear from BMW’s longtime tuner, Alpina, which is considered a manufacturer in its own right.

And that’s where Carscoop reader Michael from Germany steps in. Michael spotted this partially camouflaged 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe parked somewhere in Munich. And while the lack of any aero parts such as the typical M-style front bumper with larger air vents minimize the possibility of it being the new M6, there are two elements that make us believe it could be the upcoming Alpina B6.

Even though the official presentation of the new M Class isn’t due until later this year - most likely at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in early September, an increasing number of lightly camouflaged prototypes have been caught roaming around the roads of Germany.

During the past few months, we’ve covered the 2012 M Class pretty extensively with both professional and reader shots. This new photo of a pair of M Class SUVs sitting side by side at a parking lot with other Mercedes models comes courtesy of Carscoop reader Patrick Favoreel.

While BMW is still keeping mum on when it will bring its smallest crossover model over to the States, Carscoop reader, Nick K., who is always alert for new models on the road, snapped this picture of the X1 dressed in an M Sport outfit during his daily maneuvers in Long Beach, California. “I saw this BMW X1 driving in Long Beach today followed by 3 5-Series BMW's. It had specially marked plates and it was beautiful,” Nick told Carscoop. Read more »

In what could be one of the first public sightings of the brand new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle outside of a motor show, Youtube user JWalters84 passed by and filmed his short encounter with the car on a road in Laredo, Texas. What was it doing there? Well, who knows, but it's safe to assume that it’s probably a pre-production model used either by dealers or by VW Group employees since sales of the third generation of the Beetle in the USA will not start until September. Read more »

Mercedes-Benz has plenty of new models in store for us this year, with the German automaker having already revealed the refreshed C-Class, the new C-Class Coupe along with its AMG brethren, as well as the all-new SLK hardtop roadster. And there’s more to come with the Stuttgart-based company planning to unleash several more new model throughout the year including the next–generation M-Class SUV that was snagged by Carscoop reader Gal Leibovici during a recent trip to Germany. Gal spotted two different M-Class prototypes on separate occasions. Read more »

We're less than 48 hours away from the automotive extravaganza known as the 81st Geneva Motor Show and automakers are scrambling to get their booths ready for the grand opening on Tuesday. We'll be covering all the news from the press days of course, but thanks to a Carscoop reader, we can now give you an exclusive look at the cars being loaded off the trucks in front of the Palexpo Center in Geneva as well as a sneak peak at some of the automakers stands inside. Check out the gallery right after the break.

Carscoop reader Torben tipped us off this morning about the addition of two Volkswagen concept cars penned by the Italdesign Giugiaro studio at the European patent office. Given the recent reports on the world premiere of two new design studies from Italdesign Giugiaro to mark its integration to the VW Group at the Geneva Salon next week, we'd say it's almost certain that these are the cars being readied for the Swiss motor show.

The first concept is a tall and narrow five-door hatchback model with seating for four passengers, while the second model appears to be a sportier looking three-door variant with a lower roofline and more aggressive lines, in the likes of the Scirocco. We can't tell for sure, but it is possible that these two cars are roughly the same size as the Polo.

We're pretty proud of the fact that over the years, many of our readers here on Carscoop have seized the moment to become the ones who create the news with their spy shots, like Nick K. who snagged the first ever photos of the Toyota Prius minivan last September.

The latest reader to join our list of car-scoopers is Jay Davis who photographed a heavily camouflaged four-door sedan prototype in California. "I saw this test mule in Agoura Hills, CA today. It had Michigan manufacturers plates. Not sure what it is," Jay told us.

A lot of names including Nissan, Buick and Lincoln were thrown around during our chat with Jay, but ultimately, we're still in the dark about the brand and model hiding beneath the camo. Can anyone help us solve the mystery? Leave your thoughts in the comment section after the break.

Carscoop reader Frank Jonas hit the Mercedes-Benz jackpot when travelling in Spain last week, he stumbled upon a convoy of camo'ed SL prototypes, which were accompanied by several other vehicles with the star on their bonnet including an example of the current generation of the German firm's hardtop roadster model.

"On my trip to the south of Spain last week I had the opportunity to take some pictures of a heavily camouflaged Mercedes-Benz Coupe/Cabriolet, most probably the next SL," Frank told Carscoop.

Although Mercedes has done its best to disguise the SL by covering it in heavy cladding, we can see that the new generation model keeps its predecessor's two-piece folding hard top, while the styling is expected to adopt the German firm's more "artsy" design philosophy as seen on the latest CLS and recent concept models such as the F800 Style, along with a more in-your-face front grille.

It's been a little over a year since Kia lifted the wraps off its stylish replacement for the Amanti, called the K7 in South Korea and Cadenza in other countries, but we're still waiting for the firm's flagship sedan to show up in the USA. However if these (fuzzy) photos are anything to go by, Kia may be getting ready to launch the Cadenza onto the U.S. market.

The BMW Group is quite busy these days as the Bavarian automaker is developing a raft of new models, ranging from the upcoming Megacity electric-vehicle and the MINI Coupe and Roadster, to the next generation of the 3-Series and the production version of the Vision ED concept sports car.

Carscoop reader Andras from Hungary was vacationing in Obertauern, Austria when he spotted this convoy of BMWs comprising of both masked prototypes and normal production cars, including a sedan in full body cladding. Check out Andras' photos and story after the jump.

About a week ago, we brought you a set of spy pictures of the redesigned 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLK snagged testing in Germany. Now, one of our international readers has spied a camouflaged prototype of the hardtop roadster driving on the public roads of Dubai.

While Mercedes is sticking with the two-piece retractable hard top, the two-seater 2011 SLK is expected to bring a sportier design theme with a more angular direction inspired by the well-received SLS AMG Gullwing supercar.

Carscoop reader Benjamin L. has grabbed some new spy shots of the next generation Mercedes-Benz SLK. Apparently, the German automaker is still conducting real-world testing for the new hardtop roadster as Benjamin snapped this prototype earlier today wondering around the outskirts of Paris in a black plastic suit of armor.

Like the current version of the SLK, Stuttgart's BMW Z4 rival will feature a two-piece folding metal roof, but it will also receive all of Mercedes' newest gadgets and accessories.

While the heavy camouflage doesn't allow us to get a clear view of the new SLK's looks, it is expected that Mercedes will drop the current model's F1-inspired nose in favor of a much bolder grille and more geometrically shaped headlamps, all themed after the SLS AMG Gullwing model.

We've already seen the new Alfa Romeo Milano hatch without any sort of camouflage in the notorious factory spy shots, but that doesn't mean that the Italians are willing to reveal the appearance of their BMW 1-Series rival to the public as of yet. One of our readers from Germany, who wishes to remain anonymous, caught this 'blacked-out' Milano prototype in the city of Frankfurt with his photo-capable Navman GPS.