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Showing posts from February, 2016

Bugatti Chiron blasts into Geneva with nearly 1,500 hp

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The  LaFerrari ,  McLaren  P1, and  Porsche 918 Spyder  have all come and gone, yet people the world over still put one hypercar on a pedestal above them all. It might not have had the hybrid electric power that the last wave of contenders used, but the  Bugatti Veyron  supplanted that with sheer animal brutality. Don't expect the Chiron to be any different. The  Veyron  had 1,000 horsepower when  Bugatti  launched it in 2005. The Chiron will have almost 500 more than that. Five. Hundred. Time will tell if Bugatti has rewritten the rulebook, like it did with the Veyron, but the Chiron's numbers are truly frightening. The 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 motor still sits behind the two-seat cabin, only now it thumps out – wait for it – 1,478 hp. It's the most powerful production street car the world has ever seen. If that's unimpressive, the W16 tortures its seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with 1,180 pound-feet of torque, too. That ...

Porsche 911 R Leaked: This Is Your Manual GT3

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A set of official photos has been leaked online showing the new 911 R that's supposed to be more about driver interaction than Nurburgring records. From what we can see on the low-res images, Porsche confirmed the reports by removing  most of the hardcore aero bits  off the GT3 for the R version. It may seem like a wolf in  attack dog clothing, but  vierenzestig.nl  says it's using the 4.0-litre flat-six of the GT3 RS instead of the expected 475hp 3.8-litre engine of the GT3. This should mean that no less than 500hp will be at your service through a manual gearbox. No word on whether it'll be a limited edition yet, but making a point about offering the  best possible driver engagement , we're certain are already lining up  en masse . The new Porsche 911 R is going to debut at the Geneva Motor Show  tomorrow , though we expect specs will be made public today.

Ford Fiesta ST200 adds more spice to a great hot hatch

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The new  Ford Fiesta  ST200, which will debut at the  Geneva Motor Show , will offer hot hatch fans in Europe an even more powerful version of the already fantastic model. Upgrades to the 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder allow it to produce 197 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque, and temporary overboost for up to 20 seconds takes those figures to 212 hp and 236 lb-ft. The company also shortens the final drive ratio to 4.06 – from 3.82 currently. The ST200's upgrades are healthy improvements over the current  Fiesta ST  in Europe, which makes 180 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque (197 hp and 214 lb-ft during overboost). They would even be welcome additions in the US because the version here already has 197 hp, but it has 202 lb-ft – 12 lb-ft less than the new variant. The extra power lets the hotter hatch sprint to 62 miles per hour in 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 143 mph. In comparison, the current  Fiesta  ST in Europe takes 6.9 seconds to get to 6...

Sneak Peek Of New Spyker C8 Preliator Reveals A Familiar Face

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This is our first look on the new Spyker C8 Preliator, the new sports car that will supposedly lead the Dutch sports car maker into a new era.  Spyker is getting ready to reveal their new creation,  called the C8 Preliator , marking the company’s return into regular, albeit limited, production. Posted on Instagram by  @exoticsrally , the image shows the car being prepped for its Geneva Motor Show debut, revealing the brand’s characteristic front-end treatment, with a big front grille sitting under a set of new headlights and a bonnet full of aero intakes. The Dutch sports car maker has been trying to restart production for some years now, with cars like the  B6 Venator  and the D12 Peking SUV never actually making into it. Let’s hope that this time, Spyker will be able to pull it off. There is a rumor also that  the new C8 Preliator  will be an all-electric model. All we have to do is wait until tomorrow for the official announcement. 

Corvette racer Gavin confirms Grand Sport debut in Geneva

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Need further proof that  Chevrolet  is trying to turn the  Corvette  into a truly globe-spanning  sports car ? Then  check out this Instagram post  from Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin that shows a new Grand Sport model will debut not at Detroit, or Los Angeles, or even New York, but at Geneva. In Switzerland. That's in Europe, land of  Bugatti ,  Porsche ,  Ferrari , and  Aston Martin . Gavin hasn't deleted the image as of this writing, but is probably getting an earful from his Chevrolet handlers at this moment. His post shows a number of press materials, including a schedule for Chevrolet's press conference, slated for late tomorrow morning (Geneva time, of course). Gavin will be handling the introduction at the Palexpo, and he'll be joined by Corvette chief  engineer  Tadge Juechter, who according to the materials will be driving the new Grand Sport on stage. It's a bold move on the part of Chevrolet, showing its hom...

Lamborghini Centenario will punch out 770 hp

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Lamborghini  briefly revealed the  Centenario  by releasing a  YouTube  video ahead of the official debut at the  Geneva Motor Show . While it quickly set the clip as private, the screenshot above offers the best look yet at the new hypercar. The coupe celebrates founder Ferruccio Lamborghini's 100th birthday. The limited-edition hypercar uses a naturally aspirated V12 with 770 horsepower and can get to 62 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds. The top speed is an impressive 218 miles per hour. The body and monocoque are entirely carbon fiber, and the rear wing extends at high speeds for more downforce to stick the hypercar to the road. Lambo  plans to produce a limited run of Centenarios consisting of 20 coupes and 20 roadsters. We look forward to getting more details when the limited-edition hypercar officially debuts soon.

Sketchy Fiat Tipo Estate Teaser Surfaces; Company Boss Confirms Abarth 124 Spider For Geneva

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 sketch depicting  Fiat’s new Tipo  Estate (name not confirmed yet) has appeared online, with some outlets portraying it as official, but we traced it back to a two-week old report from Italian daily  Corriere Della Sera . Whereas its authenticity as a Fiat-sourced teaser is questionable, what isn’t is the fact that it will make its world premiere at the  Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday , March 1, alongside the five-door hatchback version of the Tipo series.  The newspaper quoted Fiat’s EMEA region Chief Operating Officer Alfredo Altavilla as saying:  “The Geneva Motor Show will be an unprecedented event for FCA, the most significant in years. We expose news for all brands in the group, completing the Fiat Tipo family with two other models, the five-door and station wagon, which mark our return in the most important category of the European market, the C-segment that is chosen by families.” Altavilla went on to confirm the presentation of  the Aba...

New 2017 Aston Martin DB11 Photos Look Official

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We think that these images of  Aston Martin’s new DB11 super coupe  that appeared on the web are the real deal, matching what we’ve seen up until now. Aston Martin’s successor to the ageing DB9 signals a new era for the British brand, not only because it ditches the repetitive design that characterized most of its models over the past decade or so, but also because it will be one of the firm’s first cars to benefit from the Mercedes-AMG partnership.  The new DB11’s exterior incorporates styling cues from Aston’s recent  studies like the DBX crossover , the  DB10 from the James Bond flick ‘Spectre’  and even the CC110 centenary special, with the front end maintaining the brand’s signature grille, but decorating it with sharper details, and the fastback rear deviating from the brand’s design norms.  There are no pictures of the interior yet, but prototypes of the car were fitted with a digital instrument panel and electronic dials lifted straight off ...

Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Spider is a beauty in blue

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Be still our beating hearts. The beautiful blue sportscar you see above is the  Alfa Romeo  Disco Volante Spider. It's the latest work from Italian design house Carrozzeria Touring  Superleggera , which is celebrating its 90th anniversary. As you can see, it's a work of art, but what you can't see is that,  like the hardtop version  that came before it, this car is actually based on the bones of an  Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione . That means it's bound to be a rare beast, since only 500 8C coupes and 500 8C Spiders were ever built. Apparently, just seven of these droptops are planned, and each one will be painted in a different color. The hue we see on the car that's debuting at the 2016  Geneva Motor Show  is called Blue Ceruleo, which we figure pretty much means  Sky  Blue. Here's hoping at least one comes in a green scheme similar to  the one shown off  at Geneva back in 2014. We don't have any details about what powers the ...