Building upon our last report on the next Lincoln MKS, we recently learned that Ford will not be outfitting the MKS with the conceptual 4.4L V8 in an effort to save a little money. Instead, the executives at Ford have opted to equip the Town Car replacement with a run of the mill V6. Check out our past story on the MKS.

Thanks to Autoblog we are able to show you an artist's impression of the upcoming S-Type from Jaguar. The rendering shown here is based on feedback from an early design studio clinic and looks much nicer than the current S-Type offering. Despite the new sheet metal exterior, the new body will be riding current chassis, updated of course. As development is still underway, there is no official word about powertrain combinations but one report has the S-Type R model getting the 420 horsepower V8 out of the XKR. Lastly, to keep final pricing under control expect most of the car to use stamped steel body panels while the hood being the only aluminum body panel to keep weight under control. Check back as more information becomes available.

At the end of last month, Saleen opened up a retail store in Orange county California. Within its walls anyone can purchase all types of Saleen branded merchandise. If you are not in the mood to spend money, there is the S7R racing simulator for you to try. Or you can purchase key chains, memorabilia, and clothing or even get assistance finding a local (to you) Saleen dealer to purchase any one of their high performance vehicles if your heart desires it. Check out Saleen's official announcement here.

As Ford starts to gain traction in their "Way Forward" turn around plan, we have learned that the elegant and sleek looking MKS will go on sale in 2008. Built from the same platform that underpins the Ford 500 and Mercury Montego, the MKS will bolster more technology and craftsmanship than any Lincoln in the past. The MKS will feature a new "gas cap-less" filler neck so people won't forget to put the cap back on anymore. Another known feature will be a panoramic vista roof. The concept car shown at the Detroit auto show had an aluminum 4.4L V8 engine rated at 315 horsepower, a 6 speed transmission and all wheel drive. However, Ford is not revealing any details about the production powertrain at this time. As this picture is of a concept, except the production car to very slightly from what you see here. Follow the link for Fords official announcement about the MKS.

In addition to the already incredible looking V8 Vantage and the [coming soon] V8 roadster, Aston Martin plans to sell a limited number Vantage racecars. These cars will be identical to the actual 24hrs of Nurburgring racer, which placed 24th. For only $113,000 you get a production Vantage with full safety cage, fuel cell, fire extinguisher system and air jacks. These cars should be available for ordering this month.

In Dearborn, MI, on August 9th, Camilo Pardo (Ford Chief Designer) will unveil a gigantic mural of two of Ford Motor Company's shining stars: a red 2006 Ford GT and a blue 2007 Shelby GT500. Inside Line is reporting that the mural will be hung outside of the Ford Conference and Event Center, across from the Henry Ford museum. The actual unveiling event will coincide with what Ford claims to be the largest gathering of Ford GT owners ever, on August 11th & 12th.

Despite all of the recent talks about a General Motors alliance with Nissan / Renault, not too much has been said about Ford Motor Company and their recent string of misfortune. Of course, here in the motor city where automotive is king, Ford has been in the papers. Almost all of the news is bad. Things like: why the turn-around stalled? Or why sales of large trucks are not meeting expectations? Fords second quarter losses [of 1.23million] are not helping matters either. So what should Ford do? At this point, I don't think anyone knows. However, some rumors are starting to pop up on the Internet that Ford is willing to consider a similar alliance to the one GM is investigating right now. Right now there is only speculation about the alliance between Ford and another, but given Ford's recent string of bad news, maybe this will help them get back on track?

Volvo's original plan was to debut the production C30 hatchback images July 25th, but they somehow leaked and hit the 'Net a few days early. This incarnation of the C30 is almost exactly like the concept seen back at the 2006 Detroit show--both of them bare great resemblance to each other, all the way down to the rubber. Not much variance lies in the front fascia from the rest of the family either, as this C30 has the same appearance as the S40 and V50. The rear of the car, the hatch, inherits inspirational traits from the renowned P1800 ES. Not much else is known at this point, other than the story that is told with pictures alone. Let's see if Volvo helps to provide the 1,000 words to go with each of them.

Last week Ford's Dearborn engine facility started production on their first Hydrogen burning Internal Combustion Engine. It is based on the supercharged V10 engine from the Ford Super Chief concept that was capable of running on gasoline, E85 or Hydrogen. The new V10 will produce almost zero emissions and only discharge water from its exhaust.