Ferrari’s latest mid engine sports car was unveiled only a few weeks ago in Frankfurt and the renderings of modified 458 Italias haven’t stopped popping up. Ranging from an aftermarket inspired 458 by the Japanese design house ASI to a racing version and from an Italia spider to a police edition. However the latest of these digital drawings is more representative of something that the exotic Italian automaker will actually be producing sometime in the near future. The rendering was done by DJ at Teamspeed and gives us an official look at what a future factory tuned 458 Italia could look like.
Despite Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa dispelling any rumors about a Scuderia or Challenge Stradale version of their latest sports car, we can all dream about what it would be like to get behind the wheel of a hot rod 458 Italia. The car would weigh less, have more power and unthinkable as it maybe even sexier. Now there is no chance of seeing a super tuned 458 in the next year or so, Ferrari will most likely let the Italia’s steam run out before they invested heavily in a new high performance product that will revitalize the line. So when it does come to fruition, expect for the used 458 Italia market to be in full swing. The last unknown about a factory tuned 458 is exactly what the automaker would call it, rumors are flying around that in honor of the Scuderia’s die hard Formula One fans, it could be called Tifosi.
In another installment of racing legend Derek Bell keeping Bentley enthusiasts around the world informed about the new lightweight Continental Supersport with a lap around the Nürburgring race track in Germany. The English coach builder has announced that the first deliveries of the new Continental Supersports will begin later on this month. Mr. Bell is famous for his in car commentary, even while moving along at 200 MPH. The crew from Crewe claim that the new 204 MPH luxury sports coupe is the most extreme Bentley road car ever produced by W.O.’s car company.
Aside from being able to cruise around at over 200 MPH in style and comfort, but the Supersports is also capable of running on E85 biofuel and represents a step forward and most of all Bentley’s commitment to alternative fuels and they ensure that their entire lineup will be capable of burning up to 85% ethanol by the year 2012. The new Continental Supersports is slated to be on sale in most markets around the world by the year’s end. A few of the first batch of Bentley super cars have already been spotted, but we won’t be seeing too many of them here in the U.S. filling up at an E85 pump until the middle of 2010, just in time for the good old summer hike in gas prices.
Derek Bell driving impression videos after the jump.
The latest racing simulator for the Xbox 360, Forza Motorsport 3 is scheduled to be released later on this month on October 27. Ramping up to game’s release the video game’s producers, Turn 10, have released the official launch trailer for the new video game. Microsoft promises that the third installment of Forza is more than just point a to point b racing and has offers something in store for every kind of automotive enthusiast. Anticipating everyone from racers to drifters, Forza 3 has everything from Le Mans prototype and GT racecars competing wheel to wheel on the circuit as well as highly modified tuner cars that want nothing more than to burn rubber while goin sideways down winding togue mountain passes.
For those gamers who are more into creating a piece of automotive art, Forza 3 will allow players to customize their creations with everything from unique color schemes to an assortment of decals. All that virtual vinyl will be readily avaiable to adorn the sides of world class super cars like the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Reventon, modern day muscle cars like the Dodge Challenger SRT-8, a D1 spec S15 Nissan Silvia and the field of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The game promises to be more than a simulation, it is an invitation; and with the advent of Xbox Live gamers are guaranteed hours of entertainment whether they are competing against the computer or a fellow racing enthusiast half way around the world.
Back in January Portuguese soccer sensation Cristiano Ronaldo had a little incident with his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and if you don’t understand what sarcasm is then you can skip to the bottom of this article to see what we are talking about. Since the accident, Cristano has been seen eyeing a few different Ferrari’s to replace his smashed up 599. Now that the year is coming to a close and the Italian automaker is offering an all new mid engine sports car that promises to be as quick as the larger GTB there is little guesswork left in trying to figure out what he will be driving. Like any successful footballer and Ferrarista, the newly street legal Ferrari 458 Italia would be a perfect fit for Cristiano’s car collection.
The soccer phenom is so interested in the new 458 Italia that he has scheduled a trip to Maranello where he will have the chance to get behind the wheel of the new car so that he can make a more informed decision. Now you can’t just write a letter to Luca di Montezemolo and ask for Ferrari to open up the Fiorano circuit so that you can go for a test drive. You either need to be someone very important in popular culture or a big benefactor for Ferrari, after all not many people can say that they have put rubber to the road on the same track where Ferrari’s F1 team practices.
Cristiano will definitely have his hands full when he goes to test drive the 458 Italia. Under the rear deck lid Ferrari has placed a 4.5 Liter V8 engine equipped with the traditional Ferrari flat crankshaft that gives the mid-engine 458 sports cars their signature top end bark. The unit produces 570 HP at a rather high 9000 RPM and still get 18 MPG. Weighing in at only 3042 pounds, the new Ferrari will rocket from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds and won’t stop until it hits a top speed of 202 MPH. We just hope that the 458 Italia won’t suffer the same fate as his previous 599.
Porsche has just unveiled the seventh generation 911 Turbo at the Frankfurt Motor Show and will go on sale shortly in Germany. As part of the new car’s introduction Porsche Executive Vice President of Research and Development Wolfgang Durheimer talks about the company’s latest high performance creation.
The 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo is a true 21st century super car with more power, a lower curb weight, improved handling, a higher top speed and improved fuel economy. Under the rear deck lid Porsche has placed a 3.8 Liter direct injected flat six engine that delivers 500 HP and is available with Porsche’s new PDK seven speed transmission. Thanks to the new refinements the 911 Turbo now gets an estimated 24 MPG and can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 194 MPH.
Revealed in 2007 at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance , the Aston Martin DBS is by far one of the most beautiful cars out there. With an unique design and pure performance, the supercar was designed to fill the gap between road and track.
According to Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, said: “The DBS is the ultimate expression of Aston Martin’s engineering and technical ability. It offers pure performance without compromise.
Featuring flowing curves, complex surfaces and an unrivaled sculptural beauty, the DBS is a classic Aston Martin in its every inch, but in the same time its aerodynamic excellence and impressive performances are the characteristics of a modern sports car.
When creating the DBS, Aston Martin focused on achieving the right balance between strength and mass, reason why, like DB9 and the DBR9 and DBRS9 race cars it is built on the VH (Vertical Horizontal) architecture. Thanks to this structure, the weight is being kept to a minimum, and with the front-mid mounted engine and rear-mid mounted transaxle the company obtained a near perfect weight distribution: 85%.
Back in February of 1969 the Prince Motor Car Company introduced a high performance racing version of their premium Skyline sedan for the streets, introducing the world to the first ever Nissan GT-R. The squared off Japanese super car immediately gained cult status by enthusiasts as the Hakosuka GT-R; hako coming from the word for box and the abbreviation for sukairain which stands for skyline. The Hakosuka GT-R was powered by a 2.0 Liter S20 inline six cylinder engine that produced a total of 160 HP. The cars were stripped of unnecessary equipment to be as light as possible for racing, which helped with the new sports car rack up over 50 race wins by 1972.
Back in February of 1969 the Prince Motor Car Company introduced a high performance racing version of their premium Skyline sedan for the streets, introducing the world to the first ever Nissan GT-R. The squared off Japanese super car immediately gained cult status by enthusiasts as the Hakosuka GT-R; hako coming from the word for box and the abbreviation for sukairain which stands for skyline. The Hakosuka GT-R was powered by a 2.0 Liter S20 inline six cylinder engine that produced a total of 160 HP. The cars were stripped of unnecessary equipment to be as light as possible for racing, which helped with the new sports car rack up over 50 race wins by 1972.
As great as the Hakosuka GT-R was, Nissan never saw fit to import any of their flagship sports cars to the U.S. but thanks to the team at Right Hand Drive Japan in Torrance, California we now have the chance to own a piece of Japanese sports car history; sort of. According to the restoration specialists “This is a 1972 Nissan Skyline 2000GT GT-R Clone (it was converted from a 2000GT to a GT-R). This model Skyline is affectionately known by enthusiasts as the Hakosuka... Venerated by Skyline/GT-R and classic Japanese car enthusiasts as the birth of a legend, these vehicles are even very rare in Japan.”
Even though this is not the real McCoy, these Hakosuka Skyline 2000 GT-R clones offer an excellent and affordable alternative to the real thing. After all, owning and operating an authentic Hakosuka GT-R would be so nerve racking you would be hard pressed to take it out of the garage and the classic Japanese race car would be doomed to a life of dark damp days hidden away as opposed to being enjoyed outside for the world to see. Now all you need to do is find an even rarer S20 engine to complete the Hakosuka GT-R experience.
Like a set of dental records are used to identify a badly charred body, the only thing that is left from this Italian super car that is now a pile of molten metal is a lone five spoke alloy wheel with a little yellow prancing horse emblem in the center to let onlookers know that it was one a Ferrari 360 Modena. Apparently the 32 year old driver was enjoying a spirited country drive with an older female riding shotgun when he unexpectedly lost control in a swooping bend and then flipped over multiple times before landing in a crop field and then bursting into flames, however unlike the other Ferrari 360 incident that we reported on earlier, this time all that the driver walked away with was a broken ankle.
Thanks to the quick actions of a benevolent motorist who happened to be passing by just after the accident occurred and then courageously pulled both the driver and 37 year old passenger from the wreckage before they were harmed by the fire. The passengers were then treated by firefighters on the scene of the accident as they waited for paramedics. The driver only suffered a broken right ankle while the female was air lifted to the hospital with pelvic wounds however her condition was not life threatening. Had it not been for the quick acting passerby, the Ferraristas would have certainly suffered a more tragic fate. The 360 Modena involved in the incident was a 1999-2000 model that originally sold for around $150,000 and was the first production Ferrari to make use of extremely light weight aluminum and carbon fiber construction that made it an extremely agile sports car, but also a highly flammable automobile.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Topspeed is running down a list of the most attention-grabbing pink cars spotted anywhere in the world. After showing you the pink Audi R8, we know head to Australia to show the Donut King Nissan GT-R.
Outlandish colors for road cars are pretty rare, but when it comes to race cars, it seems that conservative colorways are thrown out the window in favor of the more eye-catching variety.
Take this Nissan GT-R as an example. Owned by Donut King CEO Tony Alford, this Nissan GT-R was entered during the 2008 Targa Tasmania rally crown where it went exhaust-to-exhaust with a bunch of supercars that were also entered in the competition.
In a field that included a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, a Porsche 911 GT2, and a Corvette Z06, it seemed like Alford had to come up with a way to make his GT-R stand out from the rest of the pack.
So he did what any self-respecting donut chain owner would do to a sports car: he colored it pink. If the GT-R’s colorway isn’t enough, Alford also took advantage of the free publicity by plastering his company’s logo all over the car. So much for subtlety, huh?
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