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See what the Chevy C7 ZR1 may be benchmarked against

One of the greatest things every Corvette has had going for it, and also one of the most re-used arguments against it, is its price-to-performance equation - long before the Nissan GT-R became the de facto Porsche 911 comparator the Corvette spent decades as Exhibit A. Depending on which side of the argument you stressed, supporters crowed about how much performance you got for how (comparatively) little, detractors carped on how little you got everywhere else in the bargain.
It appears Chevrolet is working as hard as ever to render the argument meaningless. Spy shooters at KGP captured a convocation of European birds of prey leaving the General Motors test center, and aimed at benchmarking the C7 Corvette ZR1. The road train comprised of two C7 Corvette Stingrays, a 2013 Corvette ZR1, McLaren MP4-12C, Ferrari 458 Italia, Audi R8 V10 Spyder and Porsche 911 Carrera S and it was last seen heading down the same kinked-up back roads used to hone the Corvette Stingray.
The C7-series ZR1 and its possible 700 horsepower are still a ways off. If it really is being positioned to compete with the celestial exotica in the testing group, could it be the first Corvette to regularly be the first answer to the question "Cost no object, which would would you rather have?"

Ferrari reveals one-off F12 TRS at Sicily cavalcade

Every year Ferrari owners gather from all corners of the globe for the annual Ferrari Cavalcade. This year's edition just wrapped up in Sicily, where over 90 proud owners from 27 different countries brought their prides and joys. Some of the participating supercars were more rare and notable than others - included among them several LaFerraris - but the extravaganza included the reveal of one very unique Prancing Horse.
That would be the new F12 TRS. The one-off creation surfaced just last week, the work of the Ferrari Special Projects division for one very fortunate client. It's based on the F12 Berlinetta, but replaces its coupe bodywork with new roadster sheetmetal that incorporates a glass window to reveal the red cylinder heads from which its inspiration - the 250 Testa Rossa - drew its name and a cowled rear deck. The open cockpit is trimmed in leather, Alcantara and carbon fiber, but ditches the glovebox, air vents, carpeting, audio system and other creature comforts.
Contrary to earlier reports, the F12 TRS does not appear to have a hybrid powertrain, the conventional 6.3-liter V12 producing the same 730 horsepower as the coupe to propel this one-off roadster to 62 in 3.1 seconds and to 124 mph in 8.1 - so as you can see, it hardly needed any help in the first place. Check it out in photos above, and feel free to read more in the press release below.

BMW, Ferrari, VW cars use tungsten mined by terrorists

Bloomberg Markets is reporting that BMW, Volkswagen and Ferrari have been using tungsten ore sourced from Columbia's FARC rebel terrorists. The extensive story focuses on Columbia's illegal mining trade and calls into question the provenance of the rare ore that is used not only in crankshaft parts production, but is also found in the world's computing and telecommunications industry for use in screens.
The ore is mined by the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army), and exported to Pennsylvania, where it is refined. The refined ore is then sent over to Austria, where a company called Plansee turns it into a finished product. Now, it's important to note that we aren't talking about the world's supply of tungsten here. In 2012, Plansee's American refinery purchased 93.2 metric tons of tungsten, valued at $1.8 million. That's peanuts, with the entire Colombian tungsten mining industry producing just one percent of the world's supplies.
That doesn't make indirectly supporting FARC any more acceptable, though. BMW, VW and Ferrari are all committed to not accepting mineral supplies from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also in the grips of a guerrilla insurrection funded, in part, by illegal mining. The same commitment would figure to extend to Colombian mining, but as BMW points out, it's difficult for a multi-national manufacturer to know where every item in its supply chain comes from. A company spokesperson says as much, telling Bloomberg, "These few grams out of the billions of tons of raw materials passing through the BMW supply chain are of no practical relevance."