oooOOoooooh Friday the 13th. Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. I just throw in a little opinion of mine because I can. This week:

• Alfa Romeo announces American dealers plus 4C pricing

• Porsche celebrates Le Mans with beautiful Martini Racing liveries

• McLaren confirms track-only P1 GTR is in the works

• Tesla Motors opens up its patents for free use

• Hyundai delivers first mass-produced hydrogen car to customer

• Spintires launches full release so you can go play in the mud

Alfa Romeo 4C priced, dealers announced

At this point I’m looking for any excuse to use the 4C as the lead image…

Alfa Romeo’s long-awaited return to the North American market is officially happening as they’ve announced exactly which American and Canadian dealerships are allowed to carry their fine automobiles, including the 4C which was also given its official US pricing. We’ve known about Alfa’s intentions to return to this market for a while now, but these sweet details are what make it feel real. In total, 86 dealerships across the US and Canada are authorized to sell Alfa Romeos when they go on sale here later this year – only four of which are in Canada. The 82 American dealerships are contained within 33 states and 79 of those are existing Fiat dealerships. Autoweek has a handy map which shows each one of the 86 locations so you can see which is closest to you (for both buying and/or drooling reasons). The other big Alfa news is their pricing of the US-spec 4C, which starts at $53,900 plus $1,295 for destination (I guess they needed a bigger boat) according to Jeff’s pals at Autoblog. That price, of course, is before the inevitable dealership markups that you should expect as the first batch, including a limited Launch Edition being sent to each dealer, goes on sale. Autoblog also confirms unfortunate rumors that the American-spec 4C will weigh an additional 340-ish pounds compared to the Euro-spec due to all the additional safety equipment and structural changes that were required but is by no means a heavy-weight. Excitement level is over 9,000. [Source: Alfa Romeo via Autoweek, Autoblog]

Porsche 911 Martini Racing Edition

One of the most iconic and beloved historic racing liveries is returning (again) to a production Porsche to help honor Stuttgart’s return to Le Mans this year with the Porsche 911 Carrera S Martini Racing Edition. This model is limited to just 80 examples worldwide but it’s only headed to select European nations, Asia, and Latin America. The car itself is a mostly normal 911 Carrera S with a wonderful PDK seven-speed automatic, the Sport Chrono package, and an additional Cup racing-inspired aero kit plus the obvious Martini racing livery inspired by Porsche Le Mans racers of decades past over white or black paint. Special Martini badging and stuff can be found over the interior as well. For the rest of the world which either isn’t allowed to buy the 911 Carrera S Martini Racing Edition or just wasn’t quick enough to buy one the 80 models, Porsche hasn’t forgotten you. Your friendly neighborhood Porsche dealership should have a Martini racing decal set that you could theoretically install on any Porsche you want (just no Cayennes, please). [Source: Porsche]

McLaren confirms P1 GTR is inbound

The rumors turned out to be true. McLaren has confirmed today that the more track-focused P1 we all secretly wanted is coming and it will resurrect a pretty familiar name with it as well. The hypercar gone mad will be called the P1 GTR and it will be a track-only beast that will launch in super limited numbers after the final road-going P1 rolls off the line. The timing of the P1 GTR is no coincidence as it will launch 20 years after its predecessor, the F1 GTR, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Like the F1 GTR, zero consideration will be made to complying with road laws or the number of airbags or cup holders. The P1 GTR will build on what was great with the P1 road car by improving aerodynamics for track use, neck-straining levels of grip, more hardcore track technology, slick tires, and 986 horsepower. Pricing for the P1 GTR program is expected to be in the ballpark of $3.35 million, but that doesn’t just include the car. More information will be available at a later date. [Source: McLaren]

Tesla Motors opens all its patents for free use

This week, Tesla Motor’s Elon Musk had a very interesting announcement that could pave the way for another huge development for the electric vehicle. Musk essentially said “All our patent are belong to you” as he announced that all of Tesla’s patents are open and free for use by others as part of the Open Source philosophy that we’ve already seen elsewhere. This is huge because the undisputed electric car leader essentially just told everyone else that no legal action will be taken against anyone who in good faith uses their technology to build “compelling EVs” of their own. In that same announcement, Musk explained “Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal”. They also mentioned as politely as possible that other bigger manufacturers were lagging behind in terms of EV range and their total number of offerings. Hopefully this will help kick EVs into a new level of efficiency (more gas for us!) and get more manufacturers on board. [Source: Tesla Motors]

Hyundai delivers first fuel-cell car to customer

Hyundai executives and other important people gathered around Huntington Beach, CA to deliver the first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle to a customer. The Hyundai Tuscon Fuel Cell CUV is the first of its kind because it’s not only mass-produced but it also comes with a free supply of hydrogen fuel over the course of a 36 month lease. The Bush family, whose home was flocked to by members of the press and guys in suits, were just happy to finally pick up the car. For $499/month, Los Angeles/Orange County residents can get one for themselves and benefit from a 265 mile driving range, sub-ten-minute refueling, water vapor emissions, and quiet EV operation all wrapped up in what’s otherwise a normal Hyundai Tuscon. And that free hydrogen fuel for 36 months part is cool too. Other markets will eventually get a similar offer too but not until more hydrogen fueling stations pop up elsewhere. [Source: Hyundai]

BLIPS

Remember that game called Spintires? I first reviewed its muddy tech demo last summer as they announced their plans bring a full version to the market. Since then, and nearly a year later on the dot from my review, the full release version of Spintires is available for your hooning pleasure. You can pick it up now on Steam for $29.99. If the quality of their quick tech demo was as good as I thought it was, then this full version is absolutely worth that 30 bucks. I just hope I can find time to play it… [Source: Spintires]