Remember just a few days ago we reported Mansory will come with two new models at the Paris Auto Show? Today the tuner uncovered the first of them: the Maserati GranTurismo. The tuning package includes both exterior and interior modifications, but also an engine upgrade.
Lets start with the beginning! For the exterior Mansory is offering a newly designed front spoiler with discreet spoiler lip, a carbon fiber radiator grille, additional air inlets and outlets, drawn-down deep door-sills, a carbon fiber spoiler lip, carbon inlay for the integrated exhaust pipes and of course a new set of wheels wrapped in 255/30 R 20 front tires and 305/30 R 21 tires at the back. Of course do not forget this amazing red exterior color!
The interior gets high quality leather, aluminum pedals and new ergonomically designed sporty steering wheel.
And now the most important part: the engine! Thanks to a performance-optimized ECU, an air filter with increased air throughput and a sports exhaust system with two double-suction tail pipes, the tuner managed to increase the V8’s output by 30 HP and the torque with an addition 40 NM. This upgrade can be applied for both GT and GTS models.
Opel has released today the first details on the GTC Paris, a concept car that previews the future Astra GTC - Opel’s competitor for models like Volkswagen Scirocco or the future Hyundai Veloster.
The 4.46 meters concept was inspired by the Richard Bach’s famous novel, Jonathan Livingston Seagull "…and the speed was pure beauty." It’s design was inspired by the Insignia sedan and is defined by "maximizing tension by limiting the amount of lines:" intense, very slim eagle-eye shaped headlamps, a chrome emblem bar, a dramatic low trapezoidal grill. Of course elements like LED running lights / tail lights and rides on 21-inch rims won’t make it to production, but the concept its just pure beauty.
Under the hood Opel placed a four-cylinder, 2.0 liter Turbo with direct injection fitted with Start/Stop technology and a six-speed manual gearbox.
Opel’s Vice President of Design Mark Adams said: "We wanted to express the most emotional side of the Opel brand and we believe this vehicle creates an appropriate visual impact to reinforce our dynamic sporty character."
One of the rarest Ferraris on the face of the planet is up for sale, and those interested in buying it will have to fork over all of their appendages for the chance to bring home this ultra-exclusive Prancing Horse roadster.
The car is the Ferrari 550 GTZ Zagato, one of only five cars to have ever been made and, in the case of this particular model, it’s the only model to have been made as a right hand drive. Based on the Ferrari 550 Barchetta, the car was given a full bodykit courtesy of Zagato and comes with a sticker price of – wait for it - £1 million. Yep, that’s around $1.5 million by current exchange rates.
So, in the remote chance that you’re interested in buying this five-of-a-kind automotive jewel, check out this video of the 550 GTZ Zagato being given a full walk-around, just enough to entice anyone with finances to make such a purchase.
This just may very well be the most expensive spare tire cover in the world, and for what it’s worth, this particular tire cover was painted by no less than British contemporary artist, Damien Hirst.
If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s because this isn’t Hurst’s first artistic foray in the automotive world. A few months ago, Hurst painted an Audi A1 that was sold at an auction hosted by Elton John for a jaw-dropping $525,000.
While this particular tire cover won’t cost anywhere near the half-million that the special edition A1 was sold at, it’s still comes with a sticker price of £900 ($1,390). Not exactly chump change when it comes to a car accessory, is it?
On the flip side, the tire cover is still a work of art done by one of the best contemporary artists in the world and if you just happen to be into the arts as much as you are into automobiles, then this piece of work just might be enough for you to purchase it without using it for the purpose of covering up your spare tire. Come to think of it, using it as art and not a tire cover might be a good idea considering the cost of the accessory. We could only imagine that if people found out you have a tire cover that costs over a thousand dollars, you’d be lucky if that tire cover lasts for more than a week before someone attempted to steal it.
Recently Mazda has unveiled details on their new design language which are seen in the Kodo and a new concept by the name ofShinari. These two models will be the first to utilize the company’s future design, and as part of the remodeled future, Mazda is also currently working on a new rotary engine that will reduce fuel consumption by 50%. This new engine won’t be seen in the production version of the Shinari, but it will appear in the Japanese automakers future models.
Mazda hasn’t revealed any specific details of the new engine, but they have confirmed that it is being called Sky for the time being and its focus will be fuel savings: "Today we cannot name it this, but a Sky rotary engine is under development. We are not aiming for a small improvement. Fuel economy is our handicap, so we must drastically improve otherwise the next generation rotary cannot survive. But there is potentially a very large improvement available therefore it is important that we do this." We are guessing it is the same engine that will also be out in the future CX-5. If this is the case, then we know that the SKY-G engine is a next-generation direct injection gasoline engine with greatly improved fuel economy and output due to enhanced thermal efficiency. The engine will work with i-stop, regenerative braking, and lighter vehicles to provide the owner with a 30-percent increase in fuel economy.
The current Mazda RX-8 is powered by a 13B twin rotor Renesis engine making 232 HP and has a fuel consumption of 12.9 liter/100km. If we do a little math, we get a fuel consumption of 7 liters/100 km for the next engine. Sounds tempting!
Audi has spared no expense in thinking up ways of promoting their new premium hatch, the A1. First, they tabbed Justin Timberlake to be on-hand for the car’s official debut. Then, they used the pop icon to star in an oddly unsettling mini-series starring, well, the A1.
This time around, Audi opted to take an even more perplexing route in their A1 promotion by bringing in 22 low-riding classic cars, a slew of cameras, two customized A1s, and two members of the band Tokio Hotel – Tom and Bill Kaulitz - for a nice warehouse photo shoot.
Quite frankly, we don’t really see the point of the whole video other than its supposed to be another marketing promotion for the A1. Whether Audi is banking on the celebrity appeal of Tokio Hotel as much as they did with one Mr. Timberlake is a mystery to us, although we’re pretty certain that, in all fairness to the band, their name doesn’t exactly scream worldwide superstar as much as the former *NSync star.
Then again, Audi’s not really marketing the band as much as they are the car, and in that scenario, they did a pretty good, albeit weird, job doing so.
From its humble beginnings as the brainchild of then-student Nik Smart, the Ariel Atom has become a childhood fantasy brought to life by speed enthusiasts of all ages. It’s hard to believe that in the ten years that it has been around, the Atom has evolved through three incarnations with the latest one, the Atom 500 V8, being prepared to make its way into production soon.
To commemorate the company’s 10th year anniversary, Ariel took the time to host some Atom owners from all corners of the world at the company’s headquarters in Somerset in the UK. Over forty Atom owners took the company up on their offer and gathered at the headquarters to partake in the festivities, one of which was the building of a live and running Atom 500 V8 that took a little over five hours to build from the ground up.
We would’ve loved to have been part of all the hoopla, but unfortunately, we don’t have an Atom in our garages. But in any case, we do want to send our congratulations to the company for turning 10 years old. It’s a great achievement in itself, but here’s to hoping for more years of success for you boys in the UK.
Dannyclub09 on
BMW Gran Coupe Preview'It’s obviously not a coupe, it is a saloon, yes.
But it looks amazing, it’s not "nice there" "and a bit nice there", it’s all put together right and it looks as if BMW wanted perfection and they (...)'
Omarion_Steve on
Dodge Viper SRT10 Convertible ACR Woodhouse'Are they not bankrupt or stopping making these dinosaurs yet? Just give it up guys no one cares...Only major sales are in north america. Even those aren’t good. Not a world sports car like (...)'
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