As the cooking 6 Coupe is based on the standard 5 sedan, the M6 is fashioned from the oily (and not so oily) bits of the M5 uber-sedan.

There's the same 500-horsepower, 360-pound-feet-of-torque V-10 engine that revs like the Formula One engine that inspired it. There's the same no-clutch-pedal, seven-speed sequential manual transmission and gear ratios and the same all-aluminum suspension that reads the tarmac better than a road's scholar.

So, then, why a hyper-performance version of what most critics would already agree is a very nice performing car in the grand touring 650i Coupe? And what delicacies does the two-door M6 bring to the driving enthusiast's table that the four-door M5 hasn't already delivered beyond the all-too-obvious coupe form?

Like the M5, once you and a friend (you really wouldn't put anyone you care for in the back seats) are snuggly ensconced in the M6's generously wide cockpit, you're greeted with a similar variety of variable electronic doodads for the transmission, suspension and engine.

Big Island police warn of scam

Big Island police are warning residents of another recently discovered scam. Most people are familiar with scams offering large sums of unclaimed money or lottery winnings available for a processing fee or the like, but advance fee fraudsters have come up with a new tool to trick people out of their money.

Scammers operating out of Amsterdam and Rotterdam have created copies of the Websites of express transportation companies to lure victims into paying transportation and advance fees for used motorcycles and cars that are never delivered.

In the recent cases seen, the scammers offer a used Suzuki Katana GSX-600 or a BMW Z3 roadster at several used vehicle sales Websites for next to nothing. After the buyers respond, they are usually told that the vehicles are currently in Spain or another European county and that they (the buyer) will have to pay transportation costs.

PWL in Ferrari switch

Two-time Le Mans winners Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing has announced a switch from Porsche to Ferrari for the 2007 American Le Mans Series season.source: crash.netThe team will field a Ferrari 430 GT in the GT2 class of the series with 'the highest level of factory support the Nevada-based organisation has enjoyed in its impressive sports car racing career', but will not run as full factory backed outfit - allowing the team to fight for a third consecutive IMSA Cup championship for privateer entrants.The F430 GT will carry the same neon yellow, red and white livery that has been identified with the team since debuting in the American Le Mans Series in 1999. The team will take delivery of the car in Italy in mid-February before a shakedown at Fiorana. The car will then make its American debut in a test at Sebring."We are very excited about the new chapter that is beginning at Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing for the 2007 season and beyond," team owner Michael Petersen said."To race a Ferrari has been a dream of mine ever since my father brought home his first Ferrari when I was very small.

2007 Dodge Nitro

Overview: Dodge has launched its late entry into the small-SUV class with the Nitro, which draws heavily from the Jeep Liberty platform. Longer than the Jeep, the Nitro will face off against established six-cylinder competitors, such as the Ford Escape, Nissan Xterra, and Suzuki Grand Vitara, with a bold appearance and available on-road performance package.

The Nitro comes in three trim lines: SXT, SLT, and the sportier R/T. Each trim is available with either two- or four-wheel drive. Antilock brakes, electronic stability control, and side-curtain air bags are all standard. The base SXT with a six-speed manual transmission starts at about $21,000 with popular equipment. Each Nitro is available with a part-time 4WD system that adds about $1,500. The R/T has a different powertrain--a 260-hp, 4.0-liter V6 mated to a five-speed automatic--a full-time four-wheel drive system, and large 20-inch wheels.

Luxurious Azure in a class by itself

The last visit I made to the Rolls-Royce and Bentley factory in Crewe, England, was in 1988, when the two classic marques were still British-owned and part of the same company.