Vulcan - Most Insane Aston Martin HyperCar Revealed

 
British car maker Aston Martin has taken the covers off its most insane car ever, the Vulcan. Its a track-only supercar limited to 24 pieces and boasts of a 7.0-liter V12 engine producing more than 800 bhp and an estimated price tag of £1.5 million (Rs 14.5 crore only).

Aston Martin Vulcan is constructed around a two-seater carbon fibre monocoque with engine mounted front-midship. It joins the new mutant breed of hypercars like the Ferrari XX series and McLaren P1 GTR who do not conform to the rules of any race series, but they’re too extreme to be driven on the road. New owners will be offered a free program of intensive track driver training with instruction given by Aston Martin Racing drivers.

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Aston Martin V12 Vantage Unveiled Before Geneva Auto Show

Aston Martin will present the most potent production sports car in the marque's 95-year history at the Geneva motor show on 3rd March. Based on the hugely successful V8 Vantage, the V12 Vantage will feature a 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS), and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque with a top speed of 190 mph (305 km/h) and 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 4.2 seconds. The latest incarnation of the Vantage family has been designed to provide a unique character, appealing to different driver tastes and complementing the other models in the Aston Martin line-up.

The V12 Vantage features spring rates 80% stiffer in front and 45% stiffer in the rear, allowing the coupe to hit up to 1.3 lateral gs. The V12 mill weighs almost 200 pounds more than the V8, but after the Aston got done tweaking the Vantage, the overall increase was a paltry 110 pounds.

Independent double wishbones are mounted fore and aft, while six-piston calipers squeeze 398mm (15.67-inch) carbon ceramic discs in front and four-piston units clamp down on 360 mm (14.17-inch) ceramic rotors in the rear.

The V12 Vantage will be built at Aston Martin's global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire joining the DBS, DB9 and V8 Vantage model lines which are built in the state-of-the-art production facility combining hi-tech manufacturing processes with traditional hand-craftsmanship. Production will be limited to between just 300-500 examples per year, making the V12 Vantage a truly exclusive driver's car.

Source: TheyReviewed
Read More On: Aston Martin

Photo Gallery: New Aston Martin V12 Vantage Hi-Res Pictures.

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Bugatti Expands Model Range With New Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

Yesterday at the 2008 Monterey Auto Show, the evening prior to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the Bugatti unveiled a second model to the world – the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with a unique removable roof. In response to customer demand, significant modifications have been made to the vehicle's complex structure to make possible open-top driving, thereby adding a new dimension to this high-performance sports car.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is immediately recognizable as a result of its slightly higher windscreen, stylized daytime running lights, and lightweight, transparent polycarbonate roof.

The new Bugatti also gets the carbon fibre doors and house an integrated longitudinal beam. In the event of an accident, this transfers the load from the A to the B-pillar, thereby dissipating impact energy. Furthermore, the two redesigned air intakes for the 16-cylinder mid-engine now feature 10-centimetre wide carbon-fibre elements to offer protection should the car roll.

Along with moisture-resistant, backstitched leather, a range of new equipment features has been added to the interior, including a reversing camera with 2.7-inch monitor in the rear-view-mirror, and the "Puccini" sound system with digital signal processor. When the roof is closed, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport can reach 407 km/h, while speeds of up to 360 km/h are possible with roof off. Should it rain, an innovative folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be opened up like an umbrella at any time.

When this folding roof is in place, the car can travel at up to 130 km/h. Assembled by hand at the company's headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport will be available from March 2009 at the price of 1.4 million euros (excluding tax). Just 150 examples will be made, with the first 50 of these going exclusively to registered Bugatti customers. The first vehicle is certain to be highly sought after, and Bugatti has taken the decision to donate this specific car to charity. It will be sold to the highest bidder at the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company.

Source: TheyReviewed
Read More On: Bugatti Veyron

Photo Gallery: New Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport High Res Pictures.

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Spy Photo: Aston Martin Vantage V12 Prototype Spotted

The engineers of iconic British automaker Aston Martin were recently spied testing the upcoming limited edition V12 powered Vantage prototype. The proof of this is the spy photo you see here. From the looks of the car it appears to be your regular 380-hp Aston Vantage V8 but look carefully and you will notice the four strips of louvers on the hood. Does it look familiar?

Definately yes as this louvered engine cover is taken straight from 600-hp V-12 powered Vantage RS Concept shown last December and is a necessity for cooling such a high spec engine which in production form is expected to delivering about 550 horsepower.

According to the spy photographer, the test mule has a new redesigned carbon fibre rear diffuser as seen on the concept model. The integrated rear spoiler is now smaller in comparison to the show car and it also gets the newly styled side rockers. Further the prototype was seen wearing big carbon-ceramic disc brakes which have been borrowed from current Aston DBS.

With a power-to-weight ratio of over 375bhp per ton, the V12 Vantage RS concept is the fastest accelerating road car ever built by the company, capable of reaching 62mph (100km/h) from rest in 4.0 seconds and 100mph (160km/h) in just 8.5 seconds. So it won't be wrong to expect similar performance from the upcoming production version of Aston Martin's V12 Vantage but you won't get it cheap as it is expected to cost double the price of Vantage V8.

Source: NextAutos
Read More On: Aston Martin



Photo Gallery: 2009 Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS Concept High-Res Pictures.

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Teaser Photo: Upcoming 2010 Lotus Eagle Sneak Preview

Lotus is gearing up for July 22 world debut of it Project Eagle, a mid-engined 2+2 Lotus sports car at the British Motor Show. This event would mark the first significant launch by Lotus in past 13 years. The photo that you see here of a black sheet drapped car with its headlights and fog lamps lit is what we think to be the sneak preview of upcoming Eagle. And this picture has been released in preparation for the Lotus diamond (60th) anniversary celebration that will be held in September.

The unlike the earlier Eagle spy photos & video, this preview photo doesn't reveal much about the looks of the car except for the shape and placement of front lights. But one thing is quite clear, the camo makes the car's front-end look like one big smile but we imagine it hides a very aggressive looking 'Eagle' underneath.

Going into production at the beginning of 2009 as a 2010 model, Project Eagle will enter the market as Lotus' flagship performance car above the Elise, Exige and Europa. Based on an all-new aluminum chassis that's set to underpin the forthcoming Esprit supercar, the Eagle is rumored to be powered by the modified version of 3.3 and 3.5-litre V6 Toyota engines.

Lotus has already confirmed that unlike the current Elise/Exige family, the larger Eagle will have a hydraulic assist system for the steering rack and would use the Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) that consists mainly of bonded aluminum extrusions.

Mike Kimberley CEO of Group Lotus had earlier said: "This is a very exciting period for us at Lotus and the whole company is enjoying the challenge of delivering such an exceptional new Lotus car... we are proving that the new Lotus is a reality and that VVA is an advanced ecological technology from which further Lotus models will be produced, thus giving Lotus a true "multi-platform" line up over the next 5 years".

We are expecting that the new 2010 Lotus Eagle will debut in UK with a price tag of around £45,000. Now don't get too serious about the number, its just an estimate.

Source: Lotus60thAnniversary
Read More On: Lotus Eagle

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2009 Nissan GT-R To Hit US Showrooms This July, 70% Already Booked

From July 7th, Nissan will begin the delivery of new 2009 GT-R's first batch to the 671 GT-R Certified Nissan dealers in USA. More than 1,700 of the exotic 480-horsepower GT-R supercars, or approximately 70 percent of the first year allocation for the United States market, have already been spoken for since the order books opened in last January.

The base model of the fifth-generation GT-R comes with a price tag of $69,850 while the GT-R Premium model goes for $71,900 plus the $1,000 for destination and handling costs. Car comes equipped with a standard 480-horsepower, twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 engine and advanced 6-speed dual clutch automatic transmission.

All new 2009 Nissan GT-R has been holding the record for the fastest lap time of 7 minutes 29 seconds achieved by a production-spec vehicle at the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife. But two days back this lap-record was broken by the GM's upcoming 2009 Corvette ZR1. Its has managed to set a faster laptime of 7:26.4. But please don't get us wrong as we are not trying to compare the two cars, nor can they be compared. Why?, because Corvette ZR1 is a 640Hp supercar that costs $103,300 which is almost twice the cost of GT-R and comes with 160 more horses. They are both supercars but in a different league. And we suppose that a sportscar’s Nurburgring lap-time shouldn't be a factor in your car buying decision if you won't be frequently hitting the Ring.

"After years of speculation and anticipation, the wait for a U.S.-spec Nissan GT-R is over," said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America, Inc. "GT-R is one supercar that more than lives up to its promise, with independent testing by the leading auto enthusiasts magazines and online sites producing performance results that only a handful of production cars have ever attained – much less at a $70,000 MSRP."

Mr Castignetti you just hit the bulls-eye.

Source: Nissan
Read More On: Nissan GT-R

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Spy Video: 2011 Honda/Acura NSX, 3 Minutes Of Fun

We recently showed you a small clipping of 2011 Acura NSX scorching the Ring. Well to follow it up, we have the full 3 minutes of spy video footage of Acura NSX for your pleasure. Taste it, love it, hear it, enjoy it..do whatever you need to but don't miss it.

Source: YouTube
Read More On: Honda NSX



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Text+Video: 2009 Corvette ZR1 Breaks Nissan GT-R's Lap Record

Corvette Chief Engineer, Tadge J. Juechter has official broken the news of the upcoming 2009 Corvette ZR1 posting the fastest ever production car lap time around the Nurburgring. ZR1 now beats the 2009 Nissan GT-R's impressive record of 7:29 with its faster laptime of 7:26.4, as verified by the onboard datalogging and two hand-held stopwatches.

Here's what Juechter wrote on GMNext blog: "This morning (Friday June 27), General Motors development engineer Jim Mero drove the Corvette ZR1 around the Nürburgring in a time of 7:26.4. Jim commented after the lap that conditions were good except for a strong headwind down the main straight and that the lap was solid, but he felt there were a few places he could have gone faster." Now this indicate towards GM's intention of further improving the lap time and thus make things more difficult for upcoming 2011 Honda/Acura NSX and Toyota LF-A.

Giving out further details, Juechter clarified that the ZR1 that lapped the Ring was instock trim with no change in engine calibrations and it wore the production cars Michelin Pilot Sport 2’s tires. The chassis alignment and vehicle height were set to factory specs and the fuel used was the standard pump (not racing) gas. The only additional devices used were the communications and safety equipment.

To put an end to all possible speculation, Juechter wrote: "The vehicle was exactly like the cars that will be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky and sold around the world later this summer."

An in-car official video will be posted in the week of July 7 when the ZR1 engineering team returns from Germany. But rather waiting till then you can checkout BridgeToGantry's short spy video below that gives you glimpses of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 lapping the Ring. Hope you won't miss the sweet humming of ZR1's supercharged V8.

Source: GMNext
Read More On: Corvette ZR1

Video: 2009 Corvette ZR1 Performing At Nurburgring.

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New 2009 Lamborghini Versace Edition LP640 Revealed

Versace and Lamborghini, collaborators since 2006, announced the launch of the new Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 Roadster VERSACE and a unique collection of accessories, both to be previewed for the first time at the Maison's Via Gesù 12, Milan on Monday June 23rd, 2008.

To create the new super roadster, the Maison Versace's designers joined forces with designers from the Lamborghini Design Centre (Centro Stile)and specialists working on the "ad personam" project. This Lamborghini program allows individual clients to create personalised sports cars, choosing the equipment specification, the colour of the exterior body and of the interior fittings.

The new limited edition Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 Roadster VERSACE, which will be produced to order, displays a pastel white livery and the Versace Greek key motif on the lower part of the door. Equipped for the very first time with a transparent engine hood that reveals the powerful V12 engine, this model has been reconfigured internally. The cradle seats are clad in black and white leather, while opulent full grain soft nappa leather – hand-embroidered with the Versace Greek fret motif - upholsters the instrument panel, the doors and the central console.

The rigorous design and minimal lines of the Murciélago engine hood inspired the Versace Collection LP 640 range of accessories, which will also be previewed for the first time globally. Exclusively crafted in black matte calf skin, models include: a trolley bag, suit carrier, sports bag, as well as a briefcase, suitcase, gloves, driving shoes, belt, wallet, key ring, beauty case, hat and a pair of jeans. These hand-made accessories boast traditional craftsmanship, stitching and edging à la française and a palladium-engraved tag displaying both the Versace and Lamborghini logos.

This prestigious accessory collection will be exclusively available at Versace Boutiques and selected Lamborghini showrooms beginning in November 2008.

Via: TheyReviewed
Read More On: Cars From Lamborghini

Photo Gallery: New Lamborghini LP640 Versace Edition Accessories Picture.

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