Top Speed

Scamander Amphibious Vehicle is Complete

Justin Cupler@topspeed.com(Justin Cupler) — Mon, 28 May 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Prior to his death, ex-TVR owner, Peter Wheeler, decided that despite the fact that he no longer owned TVR, he still had the fire to build wild and crazy cars. From that fire began the project that he dubbed the Scamander, which is named after the Greek river god. This amphibious machine came to life just before Wheeler’s death, but it was a very rough machine that still needed a lot of work to be perfect.

After his death, Wheeler’s wife and a group of engineers completed Wheeler’s project and made it into something that Wheeler would have been proud of. This RRV, as Wheeler called it, has a V-6 turbocharged engine that cranks out about 300 horsepower and is said to hit 60 mph in eight seconds. To boot, it has an impeller on its rear end for propulsion in the wet stuff. This impeller certainly beats the rear wheel-mounts paddles that were on the original prototype Scamander.

Image note: The images provided are of the concept version of the Scamander.

Scamander Amphibious Vehicle is Complete originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 May 2012 13:00 EST.

DRB-HICOM Suspends Lotus CEO Dany Bahar

Justin Cupler@topspeed.com(Justin Cupler) — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Typically the CEOs of big companies stay in the background and just keep the corporate wheels turning. Most CEOs also know that it is typically not a good thing when your name ends up in the papers just as often, if not more often, than the brand you are heading up. Well, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar must have a tough time comprehending the fact that no new is good news for a CEO.

It came to a head whenever DRB-HICOM purchased Proton, Lotus’s parent company, and inherited the Lotus money vacuum in the process. The media then took to speculating about the status of Lotus, given its new owner, and Bahar went on a teenage girl-like rampage via the worst possible medium, Facebook. That post still remains on the company’s page too.

At that point, we started speculating that Bahar’s time with Lotus may be limited, as DRB-HICOM really has no need for a moody CEO that can’t keep his company’s head above water. Apparently, we had our crystal ball working that day, as DRB-HICOM has announced that Bahar has been “temporarily suspended” following an operational review and a full investigation of Bahar’s actions will take place during his suspension. Several executives from DRB-HICOM will take Bahar’s place during his absence.

Well, I have been in the corporate world long enough to know that a “temporary suspension” during an “investigation” typically spell out “you’re fired once we find some dirt.” Rarely does a suspended employee ever return to their original position and few return at all, so we have a feeling that this will ultimately put an end to the drama of Dany Bahar. Looks like TopSpeed’s “Lotus” section is going to be dry for a while… At least until we get word that Dany is now managing a local McDonalds.

gallery: 2013 Lotus Exige S Roadster

gallery: 2013 Lotus Exige

DRB-HICOM Suspends Lotus CEO Dany Bahar originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 May 2012 12:00 EST.

Nissan Project 370Z

Kirby@topspeed.com(Kirby) — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Two months have come and gone since we first heard about Nissan’s Project 370Z. If you recall, the Project 370Z was born after Nissan decided to reach out to its Facebook fans and ask them how they would like to bring some more spice to the already sizzling sports coupe.

At that time, Nissan VP of marketing in North America, Jon Brancheau was even quoted saying: "Together we’ll create a vehicle that expands on the already outstanding performance and style of the Nissan 370Z with a balance of street and track ready modification".

After all the suggestions were read, the Japanese automaker decided to build the car themselves, and so ensued three months of waiting for this day to come.

Finally, the Nissan Project 370Z has arrived.

As expected, the sports coupe doesn’t lack in new digs. We already caught wind of the performance enhancements given to its 3.7-liter VQ37VHR engine - a Greddy Twin Turbo kit, a Greddy Ti-C catback exhaust, KW Variant 3 coil-over suspension and StopTech Big Brake kit - and we were extremely impressed to find out that Nissan managed to improve the output from the standard 332 horsepower all the way up to 500 horsepower.

With the engine mods already done, Nissan then went about and gave the sports coupe a number of aesthetic tweaks, including a matte gunmetal gray vinyl wrap, a new set of ightweight Volk TE37SL wheels, and an interior dress-up that comprises Recaro seats and plenty of suede.

About the only downside to this whole project is that the car isn’t expected to go on sale. Nissan hasn’t mentioned where it’ll end up, but it looks like dealerships are out of the question.

gallery: 2009 - 2013 Nissan 370Z

Nissan Project 370Z originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 May 2012 11:00 EST.

Spy Shots: 2013 Renault Clio caught during hot weather testing session

Simona@topspeed.com(Simona) — Mon, 28 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT

If a few months ago the next Renault Clio has been caught testing under cold winter conditions in Norther Sweden, now Renault went to the other extreme: a new testing session during hot weather conditions in the South of Europe. The car is still heavily camouflaged, but still you can observe it will adopt a new design language including new headlamps, a redesigned front bumper and a new rear. We’re just wondering what’s with that bump on the engine bonnet?

The upcoming Clio will be offered with a choice of 1.2 and 1.4 turbocharged tCe four-cylinders along with a new 900 cc three cylinder engine producing 85 HP. Diesel lineup will include a 1.5 dCi i4 which produces between 75 to 105 HP plus a new 1.2 L turbocharged three-cylinder engine delivering 80 and 98 HP that is currently under development.

The new generation Renault Clio will be unveiled in September at the Paris Auto Show.

Spy Shots: 2013 Renault Clio caught during hot weather testing session originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 May 2012 10:00 EST.

Aston Martin Project AM 310

Simona@topspeed.com(Simona) — Mon, 28 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

During this past week-end at the Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance, Aston Martin has displayed the new Project AM 310 - a preview version of the next generation DBS set to be unveiled in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

While Aston Martin is still not offering any official details on this new concept, numerous internet sources are suggesting that the AM 310 will be powered by a 6.0-liter V12 engine with output increased to 573 HP - an increase o 63 HP over the engine currently used in model like V12 Vantage, DBS and DB9.

Also, the new AM 310 will be featuring a lightweight construction and comes with a transaxle gearbox and wishbone suspension. The concept is also making intense use of carbon fiber elements, while it is easily to notice lots of design elements inspired by the One-77 supercar - a feature already confirmed for the next DBS.

All we can say is that sure the next DBS will be bolder and more aggressive and we can hardly wait to see it on the roads.

Hit the jump to watch the Aston Martin Project AM 310 in action at Villa d’Este.

Aston Martin Project AM 310 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 May 2012 09:00 EST.

Video: Audi R8 GT Parade

Simona@topspeed.com(Simona) — Sun, 27 May 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Audi only built 666 units (strange number, no?) for their Audi R8 GT Coupe and Spyder versions, so the chance of seeing one on the street is pretty rare. The chance of seeing a parade of them is even slimmer, if not impossible.

Then again, if you went to the Nurburgring 24 Hours race where Audi pushed its way to incredible results, you would have seen this aforementioned parade before the race even took place. Talk about some positive energy fueling the racers!

As a reminder, both versions are powered by the same 5.2 liter V10 engine that delivers a total of 560 HP and 398 lbs-ft of torque. The R8 GT Spyder will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, while the R8 GT Coupe makes the sprint in 3.6 seconds. Top speeds are 196.97 mph and 198.8 mph, respectively.

gallery: 2011 Audi R8 GT

gallery: 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder

Video: Audi R8 GT Parade originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:00 EST.

Bill Gates' old 1979 Porsche 911 Turbo hitting the auction block

Brad Anderson@topspeed.com(Brad Anderson) — Sun, 27 May 2012 18:00:00 GMT

We’re all aware of who Bill Gates is as he’s remained one of the richest people in the world for the better part of two decades. But just like any other successful businessmen, Gates started off with relatively humble beginnings studying at Harvard University in the early 1970’s, before founding the company which has made him so wealthy, Microsoft, in 1975.

Just four years after founding the company, Bill gates purchased an awesome Porsche 911 Turbo and registered it in Seattle, Washington. That same Porsche was then sold in the ’90’s, but has recently resurfaced and will be put up for auction with Gates’ signed registration details. The auction will be in Vienna, Austria in the coming days and we expect this particular 911 Turbo to fetch a handy amount.

The current owner selling the car is said to have repainted the 911 to the bright blue seen in the above picture. He then got Porsche Classic to kick-start additional life into the sports car by uprating its standard 3.3-liter flat-six engine which when stock, produced 300HP. That was a mighty impressive feat for a car in that era.

The 911 Turbo is expected to sell for between $55,500 and $71,000 when it’s put under the hammer on the June 6,2012. Even though it’s unclear how the Porsche made its way to Austria from the U.S., it is clear that it has lived a very privileged life and hopefully it goes to a suitable home.

Bill Gates' old 1979 Porsche 911 Turbo hitting the auction block originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 27 May 2012 18:00 EST.

Video: Nissan GT-R Track Pack vs Porsche 997 Turbo S

Simona@topspeed.com(Simona) — Sun, 27 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Chris Harris decided to put two of the greatest competitors - the Nissan GT-R and the Porsche Turbo - face to face in an epic battle for supremacy. To make it even better, he brought out the GT-R Track Pack and the most powerful version from the Turbo line-up: the Turbo S.

So in yet another battle in the ongoing war started in 2008 when the GT-R appeared on the market, which car will pull ahead for the time being? Well, Harris claims that the Nissan GT-R Track Pack is worth the extra cash, while the Porsche 911 Turbo S’ place is not on the track! Ouch, that’s got to hurt Porsche!

What do you think? Is the Nissan GT-R really better than the Porsche 911 Turbo? Let us know in the comments section below!

gallery: 2013 Nissan GT-R Track Pack

gallery: 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S

Video: Nissan GT-R Track Pack vs Porsche 997 Turbo S originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 27 May 2012 12:00 EST.

Video: Drive takes a tour through the McLaren Technology Center

Brad Anderson@topspeed.com(Brad Anderson) — Sun, 27 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Despite the McLaren F1 and McLaren MP4-12C having been built by the same company, the British marque has faced such dramatic changes since the inception of the F1 that one could consider the MP4-12C to have been built by a completely new firm. And it’s little wonder why many would believe that.

With production of the F1 ending in 1998, McLaren stopped producing road cars and instead focused on developing technology for its hugely-successful Formula One team, but over the past few years all of that has changed.

Not only is McLaren’s production facility clean enough to resemble the inside of an expensive hospital but it also features a huge selection of technologically-advanced systems all of which help aid the company to produce the aforementioned MP4-12C. And on top of all that, it’s got a pretty cool name too, being dubbed the ‘McLaren Technology Centre.’

And in the latest episode of Driven on the Drive YouTube network, J.F Musial was privileged enough to get a first-hand tour of the center, after his other recent visit to Pagani’s headquarters in the heart of Italy. In what can only be described as an extremely informative and enjoyable 26-minute video, it looks in detail about what makes this facility as unique as it is as well as some in-depth discussions about the MP4-12C itself.

Well, that’s enough talking for now, so check out the video above and enjoy it!

gallery: 2011 McLaren MP4-12C

Video: Drive takes a tour through the McLaren Technology Center originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 27 May 2012 06:00 EST.

Video: Forza Motorsport set to release Porsche Expansion Pack

Kirby@topspeed.com(Kirby) — Sun, 27 May 2012 03:00:00 GMT

Forza 4 already has enough Porsche vehicles to make the heads of even its most ardent fans spin in confusion. But even with all the Porsche bombardment, Turn 10 Studios still believes that you can’t have too many of these virtual German prancers in your video game.

So they did something that, if not expected, can be construed as inevitable: release a Porsche Expansion Pack.

Forza 4’s latest downloadable content will include 20 of the most iconic Porsche models to have met the pavement. The pack dropped on the Xbox LIVE network on May 22, 2012 costing 1,600 MS Points for the opportunity to access 30 new cars and 20 new career events, among other new other features.

Of the 30 that will be available in the pack, we’ve singled out a few of our favorite models: the 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, the 1987 Porsche 959, the 2007 Porsche #80 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR, and the 2012 Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

The pack is everything a Porsche fan could possibly ask for in a video game. If you don’t want to take our word for it, take Turn 10 Studios’, who said in a statement that “this is the kind of news that deserves to be shouted from the rooftops: Porsche is returning to Forza Motorsport.”

Head over after the jump to check out the entire list of Porsche models that are part of the Porsche Expansion Pack

Video: Forza Motorsport set to release Porsche Expansion Pack originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 27 May 2012 03:00 EST.