The Drive channel has become one of the most popular auto-themed channels on YouTube. Last season, it ran a web series that went inside the heart of Koenigsegg.
Now, Drive and host Chris Harris are back and it’s teasing a new short film featuring another one of our favorite exotic manufacturers: Pagani.
In anticipation of the Zonda tribute film being released next week, Harris has unveiled a little teaser video featuring the two crown jewels of Pagani’ line-up, the Zonda S and the Huayra.
Just thinking about the film is already getting our hearts pumping. The Zonda and the Huayra are two of the finest supercars to have run the streets of the world in recent years. Any chance we have of getting to know more about these two exotics, as well as the people behind the creation of it, is something worth paying close attention to.
And if Drive’s Inside Koenigsegg web series is any indication, we’re going to get a real treat with this film.
Click past the jump to read about the Pagani Zonda and the Pagani Huayra
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The world heard the Beetle name for the first time back in 1938 and with 73 long and impressive years tucked away nicely under their belts, Volkswagen has never really strayed away from their original design. The appeal for the Beetle never really faltered because it was, in fact, a unique design, but Volkswagen has made the decision to reignite the passion for the Beetle with efficient engines and innovative features combined to obtain a ‘modern classic’ in the 2012 Beetle. The vehicle will make its first appearance in China, at the Shanghai Motor Show, and then it will be brought to the 2011 New York Auto Show. Sales on the North American market will begin this autumn, while Europe sales will start in early 2012.
The new Beetle shares its platform with the new Volkswagen Jetta and will be 1,808 mm wide (84 mm wider), 1,486 mm tall (12 mm lower), and 4,278 mm long (152 mm longer). Thanks to the new proportions, the roof is extended further, the front windscreen shifted back, and the rear section follows the contour of the original Beetle.
US customers will have the possibility to choose from three trim levels - "Beetle", "Design," and "Sport" - and three engines - one diesel and two petrol.
UPDATE 05/03/13: VW has just announced a mid-model-year change for the Beetle Turbo, which includes a nice power hike and some exterior updates.
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Bristol Cars is a British-based company founded in 1945 that specializes in developing hand-built luxury cars. The company produces only 20 units per year, but even so, it manages to maintain loyal clientele.
One of the most famous cars developed by Bristol was the Fighter - a sports car that can hit a top speed of about 200 mph. Along with that beast, the company has developed lots of other models and all of them used either BMW or Chrysler engines to power them.
Now Bristol wants to hit that 200 mph mark one more time, but this time in a new extended-range electric GT supercar. The model is still in its development process and will be shown in concept form at the end of this year.
It will use the same design language we saw on the 2009 Giugiaro-styled Namir supercar concept and will be offered with technology developed by Surrey-based technology group Frazer-Nash Research.
Note: pictures shown here are of the Giugiaro Namir Concept, not the Bristol GT.
Click past the jump to read more about the future Bristol GT.
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The V12 Vantage was previewed in 2007 by the concept V12 Vantage RS and a production version arrived two years later. Initially, Aston Martin planned to produce a total of 1,000 units and it had no intention of bringing the model to the U.S. market.
Things have changed though and the V12 Vantage was eventually homologated for the U.S. market and the production was increased to about 1,320 units. This number includes both the roadster version and the V12 Zagato.
Now, in an official later sent to its dealers, Aston Martin announced that no orders are being accepted for the V12 Vantage. It looks like the letter was sent on Friday April 19, 2013 and it basically confirms that the V12 Vantage is dead.
This news comes as a big surprise, considering it is rumored that Aston Martin will also offer a small run of V12 Vantage "Centenary Editions." If this is still the plan, then our assumption is that these Centenary models are completely sold out.
Click past the jump to read more about the V12 Vantage.
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The new-generation 911 Turbo was caught testing many times, but today the Stuttgart-based company decided to finally drop the official details on the new model.
The exterior brings no major changes, but we have to admit it is the best looking model from the new generation 911. It received a new all-wheel-drive system, active rear-axle steering and adaptive aerodynamics among many other new features. The new 911 Turbo also features the widest body of all 911s, as it is about 28 mm (1.10 inches) wider than the 911 Carrera 4 models.
As previously rumored, the new 911 Turbo will only be offered with only the PDK gearbox.
The 911 has taken a lot of heat from plenty of manufacturers as of late, including a relative newcomer to the realm – Nissan – so buyers now have more choices than ever. Is the 911 Turbo still the king of the hill?
UPDATED 05/03/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
Click past the jump to read more about the new Porsche Turbo.
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Chevrolet Corvette served as an Indianapolis 500 pace car for the first time back in 1978 and Chevrolet has sent a total of 11 models to pace "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." The 2013 model year will be the 12th time a Corvette model will pace Indianapolis, and as rumored two days ago, it will be the new Corvette Stingray.
The model will be equipped with the track-capable Z51 package, which adds a limited-slip differential for reduced under-steer while cornering, improved aerodynamics and ride tweaks to help it handle corners more effectively. The Stingray Pace Car is painted in a Laguna Blue Tintcoat exterior combined with official Indianapolis 500 graphics on the doors.
The technology features and powertrain will be identical to the standard version, except that the Pace Car will be equipped with track-mandated safety features and strobe lights.
Click past the jump to read more about the Corvette Stingray and the Corvette’s history as an Indy 5oo pace car.
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Jaguar announced its intentions to release a coupe version of the F-Type once the roadster version hit the market. Until now, however, the car has never been spotted testing anywhere around the world, so we had to just trust Jaguar’s word.
Today, we can add some substance to Jag’s claim, as leaked patent drawings of the F-Type Coupe have made their way onto the Internet and they reveal the final design of the sports coupe. Not that it’s very hard to imagine how an F-Type Coupe would look like, since you are essentially slapping a fixed roof on top of the F-Type Roadster. Reports point toward everything else being borrowed from the roadster version, including the exterior look and the engine lineup.
The F-Type Coupe will arrive on the market sometime in 2014 and will be followed by a more powerful R version. A Sport Brake version has also been rumored, but we doubt we are ever going to see it.
Click past the jump to read more about the F-Type Roadster.
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Early last year it was rumored that BMW could offer an M version for its i8 hybrid supercar. It was supposed to drop the hybrid powertrain in favor of a conventional V-8 powerplant with an output of about 600 horsepower. Sounded pretty great, right?
Now - one year later - it appears that BMW has dropped the idea of developing such a model. While no other explanation has been offered, it looks like the M8 is "no longer part of the program." We do not understand why this decision was made, considering the i8 platform can easily accept front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive alternatives.
So, while we are hoping that the company will change its mind in the future, we’ll just have to wait for the i8. It will arrive sometime later this year and comes with a driving range of about 20 miles in near-silent, zero-emission mode. This figure, combined with a 0 to 60 mph sprint time of 4.9 seconds, and the top speed of 156 mph makes it the ideal car for both city and track.
Click past the jump to read more about the rumored BMW M8 supercar.
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When McLaren announced the initial details on the 2014 P1, it announced that a total of 375 units would be produced. However, since the ordering books were officially opened at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the company received orders for more than 250 units.
The orders came from McLaren’s biggest markets — Europe, U.S. and Middle East — and officials hope that the remaining 100, or so, units will find their way to customers from Asia. It looks like people weren’t too put off by the supercar’s huge price of $1.15 million.
In an interview with AutoCar, a senior McLaren manager said: "We are ahead of our targets and we still have 500 hot sales prospects on our list." This list includes of course both the P1, but also the MP4-12C in both coupe and convertible versions.
On the other side of Europe, more precisely in Italy, things are going very well for the biggest competitor to the P1, as Ferrari received more than 1,000 orders for the LaFerrari, but production will be limited to only 499 units.
Click past the jump to read more about the P1
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We have heard rumors about a possible M235i ever since BMW unveiled the M135i Concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Back then it was rumored that the production version would carry the same M135i nomenclature, but considering that BMW has changed its naming system, the two-door coupe version will be called M235i.
Until now, all we had were rumors and speculation, but today our spy photographers caught the M235i lapping the Nürburgring. As expected, the prototype is heavily camouflaged, but it is pretty obvious it will carry an aggressive exterior look similar to other M models.
Under the hood, rumors suggest we are going to see the same engine we saw in the M135i Concept, which is a straight-six-cylinder engine with M Performance Twin Power Turbo technology that puts down more than 300 horsepower. The model will also be equipped with a rear-wheel-drive layout and sports suspension setup.
Click past the jump to read more about the M235i
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