VIDEO: Corvette ZR1 ALMS Ad Belittles BMW, Ferrari and Porsche, but Ends up Losing to M3s in Sebring…

Just before the season opener of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at the Sebring International Raceway in Florida this past weekend, GM aired an aggressive commercial touting its 638-horsepower-strong Corvette ZR1. The ad claims that the firm’s engineers had to reduce the stock ZR1’s LS9 engine output by 168HP in order to compete in the race and “just to be fair against Porsche, Ferrari and BMW”.

For one, the Corvette ALMS racers are actually powered by a V8 loosely based on the Z06’s LS7 engine (see the second video after the jump). Perhaps most importantly, the Corvettes finished third and fourth in the GT class in Sebring behind two BMW M3 GTs… Videos follow after the break.

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Mercedes wants us to think the C63 AMG Coupe is Faster than a Ducati 848 EVO

The freshly revealed Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe is featured in two promotional videos released by the company. The first footage shows the AMG coupe taking on a Ducati 848 EVO motorbike on some scenic twisty roads. The winner of the duel isn't hard to guess - after all, this is a promotional video for the C63 AMG - but one can't help but wondering if the Merc could stand a chance in front of the Italian superbike if the race hadn't been a friendly one (or at least if the two vehicles would have taken the same route).

However, the appearance of the 140HP Ducati motorbike in the video is the fruit of the marketing collaboration between AMG and the Italian brand announced last year. Scroll down to enjoy the sights and sounds of this beautiful duel, plus a short presentation of the C-Class Coupe in AMG guise in the second video.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEOS

Infiniti’s 2012 M Hybrid Campaign Takes a Swipe at Lexus GS 450h

‘Remember’ is the name of Infiniti’s new campaign for the 2012 M Hybrid, which is set to launch in the USA in spring of 2011 with prices starting from $53,700. The 31 second spot takes us on a quick journey through the history of hybrids, beginning with the first hybrid car in 1888, to the hybrid patent in 1909, and through the hybrids of the 1970s on to today’s hybrid models including the Lexus GS 450h, which can be seen in the ad parked on the road.

According to Infiniti, the 2012 M Hybrid directly challenges “the notion that you can’t have great performance and great fuel economy” adding that its model is the only car in America that delivers 360 horsepower and 32 miles-per-gallon (highway) – combined fuel economy is rated at 29mpg.

There’s no mention in the commercial on the model that single handedly made hybrids a household word bringing the technology to the masses – we’re talking of course about the first generation Toyota Prius.

As for the Lexus GS 450h which is pictured in the ad parked on road watching the Infiniti M Hybrid sprint by, with 340HP on tap for a 0-60mph time of 5.2 seconds and a combined fuel economy of 23mpg, it may not be an M5 in terms of overall dynamics, but it’s certainly no slouch either.

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