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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The 2009 Caparo T1

Even this supercar had been involved in a fiery incident with a Fifth Gear host, scared the Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson and is generally completely impractical, the 575hp (429kW) Caparo T1 still exudes a sort of animal magnetism.

The 1000hp/tonne power-to-weight ratio doesn’t hurt the experience. That’s roughly double the ratio of the Bugatti Veyron, and enough to rocket the car to 60mph (96km/h) in less than 2.5 seconds, and on to 100mph (160km/h) in under 5. But perhaps the most impressive stats of the Caparo T1 are the lateral and braking force figures: up to three times the force of gravity throws the driver left, right and forward.This supercar full details on the 2009 version of the car have yet to be released, but Caparo has revealed five new levels of specification will be available. The entry-level variant is a stripped-down race track-only version, while a Race Extreme variant gets upgraded electronics, the most powerful engine package fully carbon brakes and super-lightweight magnesium wheels.

Source: Motor Authority

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Volkswagen Golf R20T

Volkswagen first hinted at a new high-performance version of the Scirocco coupe when it revealed the GT24 race concept back at the Austrian Wörthersee Tour tuning show in May, but in what form the car will finally come to production is still up in the air. A report from AutoExpress suggests that the Volkswagen brand has finally succumbed to pressures by canning the 3.2-litre naturally aspirated V6 in favour of its trusted 2.0-litre turbo. This move applies to the range-topping Golf which is not the GTI but the R32. What's more is that the name R32 will disappear along with the engine to which it referred. Instead the car will likely be called the R20T and its chief rivals will be the Ford Focus RS, VW Group cousin the Audi S3 and the Subaru Impreza STI.

According to CAR, the new R20T will go on sale in Europe in early 2010 and will closely match the styling of the GT24 race concept. Key features likely lifted from the concept include the aggressively styled bumper with larger intakes and unique fog lights, as well as the slightly wider fenders and lower ride height.

By tweaking the 2.0-litre's ECU about 270bhp (201kW) can be extracted, which is similar to the Audi S3's power output of 265bhp from the same engine. A high-performance Scirocco R20T is also expected to use the same engine. The car will not only have more power than the current V6's 250bhp (186kW) but also weigh less as a result of the smaller engine. Thus improved performance overall and fewer C02 emissions can be expected. Whether a 4WD system or FWD will be used remains to be seen. However two gearboxes will be mated to whichever system is chosen, these being the 6-speed manual and DSG.

Styling is likely to be similar to that of the GTI and include LED daytime running lights, a sportier front bumper, flared wheel arches, and an underbody diffuser. The twin pipes located at the rear bumper centre remain in place but because the V6 is no more a similar sound will be engineered.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

GT-R Updated Launch Control

Nissan had updated the software that governs the GT-R’s launch control and was instructing all of its dealers to reprogram every vehicle in dealer inventory that had yet to be sold with the new software in a bid to keep additional transmissions from grenading.

The changes to the new software including limit the maximum RPM that the car will sustain with the VDC switched off to around 3,500, a big reduction from the 4,500 limit of the old programming. Additionally, the software update adds a new, safer form of launch control that allows takeoffs at 3,000 RPM while the VDC remains active.

We have some good news to share with Godzilla owners that are contemplating whether or not to have their cars updated with the new software. A bone-stock GT-R with the reprogramming has been timed at 11.34 @ 194.5km/h with an excellent -1.69-second 0-100 time. That result compares rather favorably with quarter-mile runs recorded by cars with the initial launch control programming.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Aston Martin One-77


Aston Martin has released the first image of its newest flagship – the limited edition One-77. Details are scarce, but the One-77 will be powered by a hand-built 7.0-liter V12 nestled inside an aluminum and carbon fiber chassis. 0-60 times are estimated at 3.5-seconds, with a top speed cresting 200 mph.

77 examples of the £1 million coupe will be produced and customers will be able to customize the bespoke supercar to meet their individual tastes. The One-77 will be revealed later this year (Paris?) and will go on sale shortly afterwards.

This will be the first all-new vehicle from Aston Martin produced after the brand was sold by Ford to a group of investors spearheaded by Prodrive's David Richards. We're also curious to know if the One-77 will play a part in Project Alligator, the rumored collaboration between Aston and Mercedes-Benz. All details will be revealed in due time. Until then let your eyes feast on the only image we have of the upcoming One-77 supercar.Selling million-dollar supercars isn’t as easy as it used to be. While Lamborghini quickly offloaded its small run of seven-figure Reventons and Bugatti has gone through the bulk of its Veyron production, Aston Martin may be finding it a bit more difficult to separate the obscenely wealthy from their millions.

The One-77 is the big-ticket supercar in question, to be built in a limited run of 77 examples, with only six headed to the US, five staying in the UK and the remaining 66 ending up in the Emirates and dispersing around the world. Previous reports circulating the interwebs suggested that the entire production run sold out almost immediately – before the car was even fully unveiled – but those reports may have been misleading. Although 100 potential customers reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the uber-supercar, the order books have apparently yet to be filled with buyers who’ve plunked down the £200k deposit. But even in this economy, they’re bound to sell out soon, so if you’ve got the cash to spare, you’d better act fast. Like, 700-horsepower supercar fast.

Monday, February 2, 2009

First Official Rendering Of Aston Martin Rapide

The Rapide’s front and rear aspects are closest to the Vantage V8, not the DBS or DB9. The front air dam features just one lower intake, the trunk valance is flush with the car, and the tailpipes flank the rear diffuser area. Those are all Vantage cues.

This supercar is 5-meter long car will be power by a 6.0-liter V12 engine, but slot exactly in between the DB9 and DBS in output with 480 hp. Autocar suggests this will get the car to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, but that could be optimistic – those 30 additional horses over the DB9 have to pull 286 more pounds, which will make it a challenge to outrun the middle sibling.

Not that it’s really meant to. The Rapide is Aston luxury for four, so it is taller than the DBS in order to provide more rear headroom for the “young adults” that can fit back there. The rear doors open wider than the front for ease of entry and the front seats have been raised to make room for the feet of back seat passengers. It even has a wagon-like folding rear bulkhead and parcel shelf. The Rapide will be appearing in the fourth quarter of the year when, with all hope, a better buying climate awaits it.
source:autocar

Volkswagen Concept BlueSport

The Concept BlueSport manufactured by German car company,Volkswagen is powered by a mid-mounted 2.0-liter turbodiesel that cranks out 180 bhp and 258 lb ft of torque. The power is delivered to the rear wheels via a 6-speed dual clutch transmission. The tidy Concept BlueSport measures just 157.1 inches in overall length, stands 49.6 in. tall and is 68.7 in. wide. The mid-ship engine location gives the car a front/rear weight distribution of 45/55. The Concept BlueSport rides on an independent front MacPherson strut and rear multilink suspension and features 19-in. wheels and tires.

The styling of the vehicle embodies the new design philosophy introduced by Volkswagen on the Golf and Scirocco—the front of the car has a thin horizontal grille element above the bumper and large open intakes below. The car sports clean, simple lines that are athletic and blend in with the aggressive front and rear wheel arch flares.

The Concept BlueSport is equipped with leather-clad bucket seats, a roll-bar and a manually operated soft top. In addition to delivering outstanding fuel economy (35 mpg city/50 highway for 42 mpg combined), the turbocharged diesel engine’s long suit is torque. The abundant amount of twist from 1750 rpm enables the car to sprint to 60 mph in just 6.2 seconds. And with an 18.5-gallon fuel tank, VW estimates a theoretical range of 710 miles—so you can go fast and far.