Official 2012 BMW M5 images have leaked onto the Internet as the latest iteration of the legendary M model prepares to charge toward showrooms. The F10 M5 is flared and aero-ed up with bodywork that maintains a buttoned-up demeanor even as it radiates aggression. Onlookers can tell the M5 is a special car with its enlarged air intakes in the front fascia, quartet of tailpipes and 20-inch wheels with Z-rated tires, but it doesn't need to be festooned with wings and bling to make its point.

The 2012 M5 is about more than mere surface beauty, after all. The sonorous V10 of the last M5 has been traded out for a twin-turbocharged V8 fist. Power is up, with 552 horsepower (the V10 produced 507 hp) coming on at 6,000 rpm – 1,750 rpm lower than the V10. Torque is hugely boosted from 383 pound-feet to 501 lb-ft, which will be great for shoving this car to 60 miles per hour in a reported 4.4 seconds. That'll route to the rear wheels via a standard dual-clutch transmission, though a proper six-speed stick will reportedly be available here in the United States.

The cost of entry is rumored to be around €100,000 in Germany – about $144,000 based on current exchange rates. We're sure the actual U.S. price won't be anywhere near that high (the €100K number likely includes Europe's lofty value-added tax), but in any case, start saving your pennies.

We're still sorting through the thousands of images we captured at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, but we had to bring you the photos of the individual class winners before anything else. First up, of course, is the #2 Audi Sport Team Joest R18 TDI that had to fend off a quartet of Peugeot 908s all alone after the fellow Audi teams suffered massive crashes. The remaining Audi team ran nearly a perfect race, though, and managed to capture the overall victory just seconds ahead of the #9 Peugeot 908.

Next up in the LMP2 class is the #41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek powered by a brand new Nissan 4.5-liter V8 engine. After finishing a disappointing 8th in class earlier this year at Spa, the Greaves Motorsport team had a dominating performance, taking the checkered flag ahead of the factory Nissan prototype run by Signatech.

Finally, in the GTE categories, it was a fantastic race for Corvette fans, with the #73 Corvette Racing entry taking the GTEPro class and the #50 Larbre Competition C6.R finishing first in GTEAm. Neither team did extremely well in qualifying, starting 6th and 4th in class respectively, but both teams ran consistently throughout the 24 hours to eventually take the checkered flag.

You can view photos of each car in the high-res galleries below.

We all love talking about the Unlimited Class vehicles that take on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (for good reason, of course). There are plenty of other classes though, and some of the drivers helming these vehicles are clearly insane.

Take Doug Siddens, for example. Siddens is running a customized Polaris RZR, which has been tuned by MCX-USA and now produces around 300 horsepower. The original motor has been swapped out in favor of an Apex 998-cc turbocharged engine that was taken from a Yamaha snowmobile. Siddens runs the vehicle in the Exhibition Powersport class, which was just launched in 2010. That year, his RZR had less power, yet still ran up the hill in 14:03.

Click past the jump to ride along with Siddens as he runs up Pikes Peak during a practice session for this year's upcoming race. Controlling his RZR is clearly a full-time job, and Siddens is working overtime. Also, be sure to check out photos of his vehicle in the gallery below, and check out RZRForums.net for information on the build process.

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The guy in the black suit can't say he wasn't warned. After last week's incident involving Sebastien Buemi at a Red Bull demonstration in Japan, you'd think that anyone within earshot of an F1 car would be wise enough to get the heck out the the way when one is coming towards you. But evidently this guy didn't get the message. Or he just had one too many Labbatts.

Those who were watching this past weekend's Canadian Grand Prix (once it got back under way after the rain abated) may have caught this, but for those who weren't watching, it's a sight to behold. One of the race marshalls, stepping out onto the track after waiving the yellow flag to help clear the debris from a previous incident, slipped and fell. Not once, but twice. In front of Kamui Kobayashi's incoming Sauber-Ferrari... which is not a good place to slip and fall.

Follow the jump to watch for yourself, and try not to yell berating obscenities at the screen while you do. We dare you.

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While F1 teams begin recruiting younger and younger drivers to their development programs, Ferrari is one of the few that brings young talent into other aspects of its operation, as well. The Italian marque has launched numerous initiatives with educational institutions, and has now targeted aspiring automotive designers with an international competition.

The contest brings design students from around the world together to compete for a chance to intern at Maranello, along with cash prizes. Some 50 different design schools entered the competition, of which seven have been selected as finalists: Detroit's College for Creative Studies, Turin's IED and IAAD, Barcelona's European Design Institute, London's Royal College of Arts, India's DSK Supinfocom and Seoul's Hog-ik College. Only six were originally to be picked, but the jury opted to include one more.

The teams are now moving into the second phase, creating models of their designs for a future Ferrari supercar. The results, judged by a panel of jurists headed by Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo, will be announced in July. Follow the jump for the full press release.

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Earlier today, the United States Senate rejected an amendment that would have put an end to the $6 billion in tax breaks and subsidies for producers of corn-based ethanol.

Introduced by Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), the amendment was unable to martial the 60 votes needed to end debate in the Senate, failing in a 40-in-favor, 59-against procedural vote as members of both parties joined in opposition to the measure.

Coburn, considered by most as a conservative Republican, framed the elimination of ethanol subsidies as a way to slash the nation's deficit. Coburn stated:

Eliminating the ethanol tax earmark and tariff would be a big step toward restoring fiscal sanity in Washington. Ethanol is bad economic policy, bad energy policy and bad environmental policy.

On Coburn's side were environmental advocates who have long questioned the ecological benefit of ethanol, claiming that it simply takes too much energy to produce the corn-based fuel.

In opposition stood the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a group headed by conservative Grover Norquist. The ATR lobbied against the amendment on grounds that the elimination of a tax break should only be considered if it's offset by tax cuts.

The federal ethanol tax subsidy, currently at 45 cents a gallon, is set to expire on December 31, 2011. This failed amendment would have put an end to the subsidy almost immediately.

Ford Cancels 7-Seat C-Max, 2012 VW Beetle Pricing, Maybach's Fate, Ford Ordered To Pay $2B To Dealers


Episode #234 of the Autoblog Podcast was our second live go-round, and we hope it was as much fun for our listeners as it was for us. We're working hard on refining the experience as we move forward, so please chime in with your feedback about how we could make it better! Chris, Dan, Zach and Chris Paukert cover the cancellation of the Ford C-Max seven seater, pricing information for the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, what may become of Maybach and Ford's imbroglio over commercial truck prices to dealers. We wrap up with a a full-on interactive podcast with listener feedback in real time.

Hear how it went down live, or catch it as it happens next week at our UStream channel, as well as the traditional ways we've always offered. We've embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #234:

• Ford cancels seven-seat C-Max for U.S. in favor of smaller hybrid and plug-in models
• Maybach's fate to be decided next month
• Volkswagen prices 2012 Beetle from $18,995
• Ohio judge orders Ford to pay truck dealers $2B over class-action suit

In the Autoblog Garage
2011 Toyota RAV4 Sport
2011 Hyundai Equus
2011 Volvo XC70
2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon Black Diamond
2011 Jaguar XJ L

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Nissan has confirmed to Autoblog that the Krom versions of its Cube hatchback and Rogue crossover will be discontinued for the 2012 model year. The Cube Krom, based off of the 1.8 S model, was introduced at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show, while the Rogue Krom joined the lineup later that year as a 2010 model. Both vehicles were set apart from their kin with unique front fascias featuring horizontal chrome bars, as well as dark chrome wheels.

Have you ever thought about getting your key cleaned? No? Neither have we. But if you were the owner of a Koenigsegg, perhaps you would. The auto-obsessed minds at eGarage.com took the key of their Koenigsegg CCX in for a bit of a polish. The body of the key is made from sterling silver, meaning the finish will tarnish over time.

A trip to Cavallino jewelers and a few minutes under a polishing wheel help bring the key back to life. The eGarage team brought along their cameras so you could see the key both before and after its major rubdown. Click past the jump to watch the Koenigsegg key regain its shine. Also, while you're down there, you can watch a preview of the videos that eGarage will be pushing out in the very near future.

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