2010 Pagani Zonda R | Subtlety is not part of the Zonda R's repertoire. :: Click Image to View Larger ::

Only in Italy can you turn up at an airport, ask if they have many flights landing, and, if not, whether they would let you run a 217-mph track car. Mind you, it does help if the airport in question is in Modena and the man asking is Andrea Montermini, Ferrari test driver and former Formula 1 racer.

Which is how we end up sitting at the end of a runway in the 739-horsepower Pagani Zonda R and pondering two questions.

First, when Horacio Pagani braved the supercar world with his Pagani Zonda C12 back in 1999, did he ever imagine he would have no trouble selling a version costing nearly $2.3 million? And more important, exactly where does the 2010 Pagani Zonda R sit in the league of seriously brisk motor cars?

:: Click to View Larger ::Here it is. Race promoter Tavo Hellmund has pulled back the sheets on the Austin formula one track, and the course looks damn impressive at first glance. The 3.4-mile course packs in 20 turns, a total change in elevation to 133 feet and a back straight that's a full three-quarters of a mile long.

What's more, the circuit is designed to promote passing for American fans with short attention spans thanks to plenty of long straights followed by tight, 45-degree turns. Hellmund said that the cars should be able to click off a 200 mph top speed, and will sail by the grand stands at 180 mph or more.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette CoupeMecum’s, St. Charles, Ill.

June 25-26, 2010

Marina blue over white vinyl. 427 cid, V8, 400 hp, four-speed manual transmission. Air-conditioned, tri-power carbs. Unrestored original paint shows some wear and discoloration. Underhood is tidy but not detailed in the normal fashion, but clean. Very correct interior. Represented to be unrestored, unaltered and all original, this Vette carries its original motor, transmission and details down to original bolts and screws.

SOLD AT $98,050

The Corvette for 1967 represented the final year of the second, or C2 generation, body style introduced in 1963. The ‘67 Corvette was slated to be the first year of the C3 generation, but quality and build issues forced General Motors to extend the C2’s run for an additional year. Subtle restyling for each year of the 1963-67 models led to the 1967’s clean style.

2011 Infiniti QX56 | Infiniti's QX56 enjoyed a night of high hype thanks to multiple ad spots during the recent Emmy awards.SANTA MONICA, California — Commercials that aired during Sunday night's Emmy awards and starred the cast of NBC's comedy series Community riding in an Infiniti QX56 boosted shopping consideration for the recently revamped full-size SUV, according to Edmunds.com data.

Shopping consideration for the QX56 rose 51 percent after the airing of the commercials to its highest daily level in three months, according to Edmunds.com's calculations.

The commercial features actor Joel McHale, of Community and The Soup, piloting the QX56. The giant luxury SUV carries the rest of the joke-cracking cast of Community, which follows this band of misfits attending Greendale Community College on the series that has its season premiere September 23.

2012 Audi A6 | Yes, it looks a lot like the Audi A7 in back. Were you really expecting anything more?This is as close as you're going to get to the 2012 Audi A6 for awhile. It's not scheduled to arrive in the U.S. until late next year, but these photo illustrations are based on the latest prototypes that revealed much of the car's new shape.

Clearly the overall design is evolutionary, something we've come to expect from Audi as of late. The edges have been softened a bit and the greenhouse has been drawn back a little, too. As expected, the rear end mimics the styling of the already revealed A7, another midsize four-door that will slot just above the A6 in the lineup.

Aston Martin Cygnet We aren't quite sure why the Aston Martin Cygnet exists. What was once an economical Toyota iQ is now a fuel-sipping Aston Martin  (weird) with a lavish interior and a price tag that will make your heart skip a beat. We understand that vehicles like this work well in the congested, small-car-friendly cities of Europe, but it remains to be seen if microcars have a place here in the United States.

The Smart ForTwo has proved to be a flop in the States, though we'll chalk most of that up to its unimpressive fuel economy and downright awful driving dynamics.

General Motors confirmed this morning that November 11, 2010 has been set as the official Job 1 date for the Chevrolet Volt. The news initially reported by Translogic  was verified to AutoblogGreen by GM spokesman Rob Peterson. November 2010 has always been the targeted production launch timing for the Volt, but a specific day couldn't be set until other development milestones were met.

Now that development and testing is virtually complete and certification testing is underway, production and customer deliveries will soon start unless there are any showstopping issues. Generally, dealer deliveries start about three to four weeks after Job 1, so those early models should be rolling off trucks and onto dealer lots in early December.

The Stig has taken another step toward shrugging off the shackles of the BBC. As you may recall, Top Gear's  tame racing driver recently locked horns with the Beeb after he made it clear he wanted to publish his memoirs. The show's producers found issue with text, saying that revealing his identity would not only be a disservice to the fans of the show, but that it would also violate the terms of his contract.

Thing is, a judge has struck down the BBC's injunction to keep The Stig from publishing his book. That means publisher HarperCollins can move forward on bringing the book to life without fear of any further legal action from the BBC.

According to Automotive News, Subaru  is set to release a new, more fuel-efficient version of its boxer four-cylinder engine. The powerplant should be available in both 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter configurations and will be able to offer up a 10-percent boost in fuel economy over its predecessors. The report doesn't detail exactly how the engine goes about gaining its new found efficiency, but it does say the changes are the first significant revision of the company's boxer architecture in two decades.

Lumma/Top Car CLR 500 RS2 | Lumma Design of Germany and Top Car of Russia teamed on this BMW 5 Series modification, the CLR 500 RS2. :: Click Image to View Larger ::

Just the Facts: