Route 66 Historic Shield With Wings Metal License Plate on 2040-parts.com

New concepts to be revealed at Pebble Beach

The international auto show in Frankfurt is but a few weeks away, yet for important new cars in the American market there's further proof that traditional auto shows such as Detroit are being shunned as launch venues in favor of more exclusive and pretigious events. That's because Cadillac, Infiniti, Lexus, Lotus and possibly a few others are set to reveal new production and concept cars at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance later this week. Lexus is set to unveil its production GS350 (previewed by the Lf-Gh concept in New York earlier this year), the fourth generation of its luxury sports sedan, on August 18, while Cadillac's 2013 ATS will also be revealed.

Roush introduces three stages of fun for the 2013 Ford Mustang

Roush Performance is synonymous with high-performance Ford Mustangs, and for 2013 Mustangs, Roush will offer three stages of enhancement. For those who prefer cosmetics over performance, the Stage One kit consists of the R6 aerobody package, which includes a remodeled front end, a hood scoop, rocker panels, a three-piece rear decklid spoiler, race-inspired (not CFD tested) diffusers and new chrome exhaust tips. Stage Two is a step up for performance-minded Mustang fans.

Seat Leon Cup Racer revealed

Volkswagen’s Spanish daughter company, Seat, has unveiled the new Leon Cup race car. Set to get a public airing at this week’s Woethersee fan meet in Austria, the new front-wheel drive hatchback runs a heavily tuned version of parent company Audi’s EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine developing about 325 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. In standard guise, drive is channeled through a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox.