Let’s face it; there’s absolutely no chance in this world that we can even get a sniff of the Lamborghini Aventador J. Lamborghini only made one model and who knows where it is now.
But even without actually touching or looking at the one-off supercar, that doesn’t mean we can’t own one. The only caveat is if we were to own one, it would be in the size of a 1:18 scale model of the Aventador J.
That’s where AUTOart Models enter the picture.
You might recall that this company was already featured here last December with its own 1:18 scale model of the Aventador. Now, it’s taking things up a notch with a remarkable scale model of the one-off Aventador J.
We say “remarkable” because the actual Aventador J was an Italian engineering marvel complete with significant carbon-fiber elements. Being able to replicate the design in a scale that small is a testament to the skill of AUTOart Models.
Pretty slick work, fellas.
Click past the jump to read about the Lamborghini Aventador J
In the last episode of Drive’s "Chris Harris on cars," Chris Harris had the opportunity to test-drive the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder. In the newest episode, he decided to go for something a little more timid and got behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta ST.
Ever since the Fiesta ST was announced, there was a great dispute on which one was the better subcompact pocket rocket: the ST or the Renault Clio RS? So, Harris tries to help you find an answer to this question, as he tested the car on the road and track, and ended up being quite impressed by the petite ST. Of course, the car could use some improvements here and there, but overall, he thinks the ST performs quite well.
The Fiesta ST is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with an output of 197 Horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque; all rather impressive stats for a subcompact hatch that tips the scales at only 2,720 pounds and sets you back only about 21k.
Aston Martin just unveiled the CC100 Speedster and it is already dropping a teaser video for a new model it is preparing. The problem is that the video doesn’t reveal much, so we have no clue what it could be. In fact, we don’t even know when it will hit the market because all the video says is that the new model is “Coming soon.”
There is some pretty interesting speculation happening on Aston Martin’s YouTube channel. One user claims it is a final edition of the V12 Vantage – a pretty good guess – and another says it is a special V12 Vantage Centennial Edition, which is yet another good bet. Our favorite guess, however, is a “Toyota Prius, with [an] Aston Martin [badge] on.”
Taking a look into the future, the only model Aston Martin is currently preparing is the 2014 Vanquish Volante, but if you will take a second look to the video you will see the car shown has really doesn’t look the like a Vanquish.
On the other hand, a while ago we reported that the V12 Vantage will be dropped, so we agree with the YouTube user that opined that this is likely the final edition V12 Vantage.
With the upcoming launch of both the Xbox One and the Playstation 4, a new generation of video games is about to follow. Both Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo have already released previews of the next-gen versions of their video game franchises.
Just like its predecessors, Need For Speed: Rivals takes a different approach to the usual hardcore street racing involved in Forza and Gran Turismo. Instead, its gamers will be given the opportunity to either play the game as a the street racer or the cop, ensuring that they can experience the thrills of being the chaser or the runner, depending on what suits their style better.
Even better, the cars available for Need for Speed: Rivals will be some of the finest you can ever drive, including the Ferrari F12berlinetta, which has found its way into the game as part of a new partnership with the Italian automaker.
Need for Speed: Rivals will hit shelves on November 19, 2013 and will be available for the Xbox 360, the Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4.
Click past the jump to watch the teaser trailer of Need For Speed: Rivals
After much teasing and prodding, Lexus finally unveiled the third-generation IS sedan earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show.
Well, it looks like the Japanese automaker isn’t done with its IS lineup just yet.
According to What Car, Lexus is expected to launch a coupe version of the IS in 2014, which will be based on the IS sedan.
As far as styling goes, the IS Coupe will take inspiration from the 2012 LF-CC Concept that we first saw at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Should that be the case, you can expect the IS Coupe to carry some of the concept’s design elements, including the large trapezoidal front grille, the contoured and aggressive looking profile, and the expansive use of LED lights.
As far as powertrain is concerned, the thinking within Lexus is to outfit the IS Coupe with the same 2.5-liter hybrid engine, which would only be available in Europe, Japan and other markets, if the coupe model stays consistent with the sedan. In this case, U.S.-bound IS Coupe models would likely arrive with the same 2.5 and 3.5-liter engines as the American sedan, which produce 204 horsepower and 306 horsepower, respectively.
Click past the jump read about the Lexus LF-CC Concept and the upcoming IS Coupe
Earlier this week, we brought you the first spy shots of a seven-seat version of the upcoming BMW 1 Series GT and today, the car was caught again, but this time it’s on public roads.
In the last images, we only caught profile shots of the seven-seat 1 Series GT, but this time our spy photographers managed to catch it from multiple angles. From these new angles, we can see - as far as the camouflage allows - that the seven-seat version will look nearly identical to the standard 1 Series GT version, except the longer rear doors, the overhang and upright rear.
The two versions will share the same BMW UKL1 platform and both will be offered with a front-wheel-drive setup. The engine lineup will include a new three-cylinder engine, a hybrid three-cylinder drivetrain and four-cylinder engine.
We expect the seven-seat 1 Series GT to arrive about a half-year after the standard version hits the market.
Click past the jump to read more about the BMW 1 Series GT with seating for seven.
The current lap record for a road-legal car around the famous Nürburgring track is held by the Radical SR8 LM with a time of 6:48. The record was established on August 19, 2009 with Michael Vergers behind the wheel. However, it looks like things might be changing.
When McLaren designed the new P1 supercar the company announced it focused on making the car racetrack fast and not a top-speed monster.
Well, an image that just surfaced on the internet (above) makes it look like McLaren has accomplished this goal, and then some. This image alludes to the fact that the P1 circled the ’Ring in just 6:33, which would make it the fastest street-legal car to perform said task. In fact, this result would make it even faster than the non-street-legal Zonda R, which lapped the same track in 6:47.
Until McLaren officially confirms this result, we’ll just have to hope it’s for real! We do have serious doubts on its legitimacy, however…
UPDATE 5/23/2013 @ 2:07 p.m.: Thanks to Jalopnik for digging up more info from McLaren on this topic. It turns out that this slide is an official one from McLaren, but it is not an official time. Rather, it is part of a "mood board" as inspiration to the design team. Engineers are working on getting the P1 around the `Ring under 7 minutes, though, so this still may be a reality some day.
Click past the jump to read more about the McLaren P1 and learn which are the fastest cars around Nürburgring.
This year’s Mille Miglia tour brought together more than 400 classic race and road cars of unique heritage, like a bunch of unique Mercedes classic cars. Alongside the Benz’s, were plenty of Jaguars, including: three C-Type models, three XK120s and five new F-Type sports roadsters. This video gives you the opportunity to watch all of them in action at the race.
The Jaguar XK120s were driven by three teams, which were made up of: Sir Chris Hoy and Andy Wallace; Daniel Day Lewis and Jim Gianopulos; and David Gandy and Yasmin Le Bon. Behind the wheel of the three C-Type models were: Jaguar Regional Director for Europe Bernard Kuhnt and actress Hannah Herzsprung; Alex Buncombe with Chris Harris; and Salvatore Ferragamo Jr. alongside Michael Quinn – the grandson of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons.
Mille Miglia was also another opportunity to show off the new F-Type sports roadster and it looks like the Italian countryside was the perfect location to do so.
Back in January, Chrysler announced that the new-generation SRT Viper would not be offered in Europe. However, this doesn’t mean the European customers won’t be able to drive one! The problem is that they will need to opt for an unofficially imported Viper.
U.S. car specialist, GeigerCars, announced recently it will import the new Viper and will put it on sale at a price of €139,900 (around $180,500).
Yes, you read it right: that’s almost double an American customer has to pay for a standard Viper, which is priced at $97,395. We are not sure how many units GeigerCars will import, but there will certainly be plenty of Viper-hungry Europeans standing in line to pick one up.
After all, who would turn down the opportunity to be one of the few people in your region to own one of the best sports cars launched in the past year?
Click past the jump to read more about the SRT Viper.
Stick a fork in `em, because Fisker’s about as cooked as it can get. As much as it saddens us, we have to admit that the once promising brand is set to be sold or head into bankruptcy. So far, Fisker has two interested parties, per a report from Reuters, that are looking to buy it out.
The most aggressive team is headed up by Bob Lutz’s VL Automotive and China’s Wanxiang Group, as they reportedly put in a bid of $20 million for the spiraling company. $20 million may sound like a big number for a nearly bankrupt company, but it is a far cry from the $2.2 billion valuation given to Fisker in the spring of 2012.
Of course, no one involved in the process is confirming the report of this super-low bid, but folks close to the situation are claiming that it is true and that Fisker is considering the offer.
There is one other team that is interested in purchasing the company outright, but there aren’t any reports of them bidding. However, there are reports that a third investment group is interested in buying out DOE’s $171 million interest in the company, which came as a result of the loan Fisker received in its infancy that was later frozen.
This is all we have for now, but we’ll keep an eye out for more reports as time goes on.
Click past the jump to read more about VL Automotive’s interest in Fisker
