With just 30 examples slated to be produced, and a cost of over $3,000,000 USD, only the few will be able to find out what it's like to go over 300 mph with the top down.
Naturally aspirated V12, 715hp, four seats - an SUV is not what you would think of when hearing these things. Ferrari has revealed the Purosangue; it's first SUV, and we love it.
As automakers search for ways to meet the ever-increasing emissions and fuel efficiency standards, moving away from large displacement motors in favor of smaller, turbocharged alternatives is becoming an increasingly popular engineering trend, and the shift can be seen across the range, from economy vehicles and pickup trucks all the way to luxury sedans and supercars. CAR reports that, much like treatment given to the California T, which saw Ferrari ditch the California’s naturally aspirated 4.3-liter, 482 horsepower V8 in favor a biturbocharged, 553hp 3.9-liter V8, so too will the 458 Italia receive a smaller, boosted V8 for its 2015 mid-cycle refresh.
Earlier this week at the Midwest Automotive Media Association Rally in Wisconsin, a few members of the media got a chance to hear what the new supercharged, top-spec Challenger model will sound like. In their press release, Dodge alluded to the Hellcat breathing through an active exhaust system, one in which valves can open or close based upon throttle position and user settings, allowing exhaust to essentially change volume and tone based upon the driving situation.
As much as the Mopar faithful would like to deny it, for the past few years the pony car wars have been a two horse race, with Ford’s 662 horsepower Mustang Shelby GT500 and Chevrolet’s 580hp Camaro ZL1 leaving the 470 horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT8 in the dust when it comes to performance. Rumors about a supercharged variant of the Challenger have been circulating for years, but Chrysler remained tight lipped about the existence of such a beast. This week, Dodge finally took the wraps off the Challenger SRT Hellcat, an ultra high performance variant of the muscle car that should authoritively bring the Challenger back into the fold of the muscle car wars.
Debuting in 1969, the Datsun 240Z has since garnered a devout enthusiast following that has grown with every new addition to the Z car roster. Each year Nissan celebrates these cars with the enthusiast community at the ZDAYZ event, and this year they decided to give fans a little something extra by debuting the significantly updated 2015 Nissan 370Z Nismo at the show.
Today Palatov Motorsport announced that D2 chassis 001 is finally ready for delivery, nearly three years to day of the customer’s initial deposit. Currently on display at Cantrell Motorsports in Bellevue, Washington, we now have a much clearer picture of how the D2 will be equipped and what it will cost.
Those familiar with drag racing know that the key to a fast run is a great launch, and the key to a great launch is good grip. While some might think those big, smoky burnouts performed just before lining up at the tree are done simply for dramatic effect, they’re actually done to heat up the tires and increase their grip.
While the BMW M235i we drove earlier this year makes for a great pint-sized rocket, we couldn’t help but wonder what a similar treatment would do to the lighter and more centrally balanced 2-Series equipped with the 240 horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder engine. It appears this quandary hung heavy on BMW’s collective mind as well, as they’ve now announced the Track Handling package, an equipment group aimed at bridging the gap between the standard 228i and the pricier M235i.
The Challenger isn’t the only car in Dodge’s portfolio that’s getting a refresh for 2015. As Chrysler is often known to do, all the vehicles sharing the LX platform – which also includes the Chrysler 300 – get their updates simultaneously. While Dodge kept it simple when giving the Challenger a facelift, designers chose to give the Charger a more comprehensive makeover.
Debuting in 2008, Dodge threw its hat back into the pony car ring with the Challenger, a vehicle which rides on a shortened version of the LX platform which underpins the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300. The Challenger saw a minor refresh for the 2011 model year, which brought updated infotainment systems, interior appointments, revised suspension geometry, and some very minor visual tweaks. Now looking into the 2015 model year, the Challenger sees another refresh, this one of much more significant scope.
While we were hoping for a proper debut of the fourth generation Miata at this year’s New York Auto Show, when it comes to the forthcoming all-new Miata, we’ll take what we can get. And what we get is word from Mazda that the Skyactiv chassis of the newest MX-5 will be leaner, meaner, and more honest to the original intent of the diminutive sports car.
As production of the SLS AMG winds down, it’s hard not to be a little downtrodden about word of another sports car with a snarling V8 under the hood being put out to pasture. Fortunately, the loss of the SLS is simply a means of making way for another, even more sharply focused sports car destined for the Mercedes-Benz catalogue in the form of the Mercedes-AMG GT.
The terms “Aston Martin” and “inexpensive” have very rarely occupied space in the same sentence in years past. However, the British automaker appears to be making something of an attempt to change that. At a starting price of $99,900, the just-announced Vantage GT, which is scheduled to make its proper debut later this week at the New York Auto Show, is the first Aston Martin sports car in recent memory to be available at a price below six figures. Sorry, Cygnet fans – that one doesn’t count.
For enthusiasts in North America it can be frustrating to see the assortment of track day cars that are only available to buyers in Europe. Fortunately for us, Zenos, a company founded by former Caterham boss Ansar Ali and engineering exec Mark Edwards, vows to bring their wares across the pond to us Yanks. The first of these offerings will take of the form of the E10: a lightweight, two-seater track day car that promises a power-to-weight ratio of 300hp per ton.
When we drove the new 2015 Subaru WRX, we were enamored with its pugnacious 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer engine, uprated interior, great steering and exemplary handling. We were, however, less than enthused to hear that the 5-door hatchback version of the WRX had been given the ax. Turns out we weren’t alone.
Set to make its official debut later this month at the New York Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz decided to take the wraps off its top of the range two door cruise missile a little bit early. If you’re a fan of big coupes with ground-pounding engines, Daimler definitely has something special for you with their latest AMG two-door.
According to a report from Motor Trend, senior managers at Jaguar have hinted at a new variant of the F-Type Coupe that’s currently under consideration. This new hardcore variant would cut nearly 450 pounds from the F-Type’s curb weight, bringing it down to the 3200 pound range.
Bavaria’s newest M cars now have an official price tag, along with a full rundown of what it will cost to equip the coupe or sedan just how you see fit. Interestingly, the base price of the M cars places it competitively within its segment, but once you start checking boxes on the options list, that landscape changes quite a bit.
When the pony car wars ramped up a few years ago with the reintroduction of the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro, many expected Mopar to be the company to beat when it came to horsepower, as was the case the first time around back in the late 1960s when the burly 440 six-pack and 426 HEMI engines dominated drag strips around the country. However, Chrysler’s resistance to forced induction meant that when the supercharged ZL1 Camaro and Mustang GT500 hit the streets, SRT didn’t have the hardware to answer back with. That may be about to change in dramatic fashion, though.
2014 marks 25 years of Miata, and Mazda plans to celebrate a quarter century of the beloved roadster in grand form at the New York Auto Show next month.
The Lamborghini Aventador is the stuff that wall posters are made of: a low, wide, angular supercar packing a 700 horsepower V12 and some of the latest technology available in today’s road cars. But for some, like the German-based supercar customizers at Mansory, that’s simply not enough. Unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, the Carbonado GT is Mansory’s take on Lamborghini’s range topper, and it brings the Aventador to an entirely new level of extremity.
Not long ago, the Boxster and Cayman got saddled with the reputation as the Porsche 911 for buyers who couldn’t quite afford a Porsche 911. When the latest generation of the 911’s mid-engined little brother was unveiled two years ago, that conversation started to change – in some ways, the Boxster and Cayman were seen as even better handling cars than their 911 brethren. Still, a lack of horsepower and the sophisticated technologies offered on 911 has kept the Boxster and Cayman a notch below in the Porsche lineup. However, that line is starting to blur with the introduction of the Boxster GTS and Cayman GTS.
