Porsche Centrum Gelderland (that’s in the Netherlands) is celebrating five years of its history with the unveiling of a special edition 911, appropriately called Gelderland. It will be limited to only 5 units and will be available in targa, coupe, and convertible versions.
Each unit will be identified by a unique number, which will be found on the dashboard and the sill of the car. However, the biggest change in the car will comes from a special edition IWC Big Pilot watch that has been designed with the same color as the paint and leather from the interior. It also contains a special dial featuring a red number 5, a reference to the anniversary. The watch gets a unique number and Porsche Centrum Gelderland logo engraved on the back.
The watch itself is priced at about 40,000 euro ($56,000 at the current exchange rates) and is part of this special edition. The price of the car was not released at this time, but it will be on display this weekend at the dealer in Hesteren.
It’s one of the most least known, yet most storied race tracks in the world. Why it doesn’t get enough press is completely beyond us. But fortunately, the people over at Gran Turismo Events decided that the Circuit Zandvoort race track in Amsterdam would be the perfect site for their next event, the Gran Turismo Zandvoort.
The event, which is scheduled for April 15th and 16th, 2011, will host over 50 teams featuring some of the fastest and most powerful supercars on the planet. If you fancy Audi R8 GTs, Ferrari 458 Italias, or Porsche Carrera GTs get their motoring faces on, the Gran Turismo Zandvoort is the perfect way to satisfy that craving. There are even rumors that Lamborghini’s new supercar, the Aventador LP700-4, will also be in attendance. As with all of the Gran Turismo Events gatherings, Gran Turismo Zandvoort is expected to be one for the books and truth be told, it couldn’t have happened at a more fitting race track.
The Circuit Zandvoort is located around 30 minutes away from Amsterdam and holds a special place in the hearts of racing drivers from all over the world. The track, while not as mainstream as other circuits, is still regarded as one of the five best race tracks in the world, together with the Nurburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Laguna Seca, and Le Mans.
The Gran Turismo Zandvoort is a good way for neophytes to get to know the famous racetrack first-hand. As for those who have already gotten a taste of the circuit, the event becomes a good way for these people to rub elbows with their fellow supercar-owning brethren, share some stories of their expensive cars, and leave all of us drooling with envy in the process.
The Dutch may be a laid back and reserved bunch, but don’t mistake a general relaxed attitude with nonchalance. Even if these folks are perfectly happy sipping on coffee with friends during the dead of winter, they still know a thing or two about cars and what a special edition model entails.
Their idea is something like this limited run Ford Ka, called the ‘Grand Prix’, which Ford recently unveiled as an exclusive model for the fun-loving people of the Netherlands.
Coming in a choice of either Sunrise with Chrystal White accents or the other way around – Chrystal White with Sunrise accents – the Ford Ka Grand Prix has been aesthetically upgraded, making it unique from all other Ka models you’ll ever come across.
One of the most noticeable features of the Ka Grand Prix is the offsetting racing stripe that runs the length of the car. Typically, we’d expect these them to be in the middle of the car, but the stripes being on the driver side actually adds a little artistic panache. In addition to the racing stripe, the Ka Grand Prix also comes with a large rear spoiler, contrasting grilles and side mirrors, extra dark Privacy Glass and fog lamps, and a set of 16” alloy wheels. Inside the car, the same two-tone finish is visually evident as Ford dressed up the seats and the steering wheel in the same Sunrise-Chrystal White accent as the exterior. On top of the luxury dress-up, the Ka Grand Prix also has air conditioning, remote central locking, electric door windows, a CD player/audio system, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, and a height-adjustable wheel and driver’s seat.
Unfortunately, Ford will only be releasing 120 of the Ka Grand Prix and worse than that, the car will only be sold in the Netherlands. In case you are from the area, then you might want to reserve a piece for just €10,995, or about $15,600 based on current exchange rates.
Back in 1991, Japanese automaker Mazda made history as the first Japanese automaker to win the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. On the strength of the Mazda 787B No.55 and driven by the team of Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler, and Bertrand Gachot, Mazda’s ’91 Le Mans victory served notice to the world that the Japanese are more than capable of being competitive in the world stage.
Twenty years after their remarkable victory, the Japanese automaker is releasing a limited edition MX-5 Miata, which they’ve appropriately billed as the ’55 Le Mans Edition’. Available only in Switzerland, the special edition MX-5 comes in four different exterior color finishes – red, gray, white, and black – with contrasting profile strips that run the length of the sides of the car. On top of that, Mazda also gave the car a new Bilstein sports suspension, a front strut bar, a limited slip differential (LSD), and a set of 10-spoke alloy wheels. Inside, Mazda dressed up the special edition MX-5 with bespoke ‘55 Le Mans’ logos to go with a numbered plaque to designate its production number.
No performance upgrades where given to the MX-5, which means that it comes with the same 2.0-liter engine that produces 160 horsepower mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
While it sucks that the ’55 Le Mans Edition’ MX-5 will only be available in Switzerland, we can still objectively say that even with a minimal dress-up, the Mazda MX-5 Miata still looks pretty damn good.
Okay all, it’s time for Europe to come out with yet another supercar. Not that we’re complaining, especially since it seems to be extremely hot to trot. The new supercar comes from Shayton Automobile and takes its inspiration from the rushing elements of nature.
"Shayton is a new God, the God of speed and performance. Faster than wind, more powerful than storm and as beautiful as if it was shaped by supernatural forces themselves."
Shayton actually means "falcon" in Sioux Indian, so we’re guessing that their first supercar - the Equilibrium - is set to take on the prey that is the other more successful supercars of Europe.
The Shayton Equilibrium looks the part of a predator with its aggressive lines and muscular stance. Its power is also something to be reckoned with as the Equilibrium is ready to attack with a V12 engine that shoots out 1084 hp. This isn’t your typical walk in the park; this is a 0-60mph sprint time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 250mph.
Yeah, it looks to be that good.
Hit the jump to read more about the Shayton Equilibrium.
No, this isn’t one of those articles that highlights the great and not-so-great features of a really old model. The picture you see before you is actually a brand-spanking new vehicle, and the first model to leave the Liege workshops for more than 50 years. This is the Imperia GP which illustrates what one can do if they pick the right retro style and give it a modern twist, kind of like the Morgan Aero SuperSport, but hybrid and slower.
Imperia Automobiles set out to revive their Belgian brand with a new sports car created with PowerHybrid motorization technology developed by Green Propulsion. This lead them to a 1.6 liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine with an output of 210 hp and 250 Nm of torque, plus a 136 hp electric motor. The GP can go up to 70 kilometers on pure electric mode, while taking five hours to fully charge the batteries.
The Imperia GP will go on sale sometime this year with a starting price of 89,950 euros (or $122,934 at the current rates). Imperia Auto will also offer a GP "First Edition" model that will go on sale with a price tag of 120,360 euro (or $164,496 at the current rates).
Familiarity isn’t really the Savage Rivale’s strong suit. After all, when you’re thinking of some of the fastest vehicles to come out of the Netherlands, there’s a big chance that you’re going to draw a blank – and a big one at that.
But if you’re one of the few that have heard of this Dutch rocket called the Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS, then there’s a big chance that you’ve already fallen over this small yet dreamin’ big supercar maker from Hague, the Netherlands.
Well guess what, the Roadyacht GTS isn’t the only car that’s stewing inside the gates of Savage Rivale. As it turns out, the Dutch supercar maker is building a two-door race version of the four-door GTS that’s being called the Savage Rivale GTR. Limited to only 69 units, the Rivale GTR is a machine that doesn’t compromise its performance capabilities. According to the folks at Savage Rivale, the GTR is a lightweight machine built on a strong FEM-designed chassis. This 115kg (253lbs) chassis is then combined with a powerful 6.2-liter V8 engine that can be tweaked to produce anywhere between 700-800 horsepower with a 0-60 mph time of just 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 225 mph.
Unique feature added to the Rivale GTR include scissor doors, Recaro race seats with six-point belts, and a custom carbon fiber race-spec interior finish.
More important than anything, the Savage Rivale GTR is entirely customizable by its owners. Whether it’s to tweak or further enhance its performance capabilities, Rivale gives the owners full access in developing their supercar to meet their specific needs. Heck, you can even throw in a few more seats to share the ride. There’s no shortage on what clients can do to make their very own Savage Rivale GTR stand out from the rest of the supercar racers out on the streets these days.
UPDATE 03/10/11: Give it up for the people over at Savage. The Dutch supercar maker has just announced that the very first Rivale GTR has officially been sold and will be presented to the public at the Monaco Yacht Show this coming September. Whoever that dude was who bought the very first Rivale GTR, he must have a deep set of pockets. And by deep, we mean well-deep.
UPDATE 02/14/12: After almost a year of testing and development, the Savage Rivale GTR has now been introduced to the automotive world, and the latest piece of information we have is that this 69-piece, custom Dutch rocket will sell for €141,250, which is around $187,000 based on current exchange rates.
In what is apparently becoming an annual celebration of their partnership with the French National Rugby Team, Renault has once again released a special edition line of their Clio and Megane vehicles, which they’ve been calling the "XV de France" Editions.
We already showed you what last year’s models looked like, so now we’re here to give you a peak of what to expect for the 2011 version of the these special edition Renault compact vehicles.
For this year, both limited edition models have become special ’versions’ of the Clio and the Megane, which you can avail off with out the limited time basis attached to its predecessors.
“The 2011 ‘XV de France’ versions are very different from the limited editions of previous years," said Raphaelle Jarry, the Renault Megane’s product manager.
For this particular version of the Megane and Clio, customers can avail of the former through a number of styles, including estate, hatch or coupe body form. As for the latter, customers have a choice of getting it as a 3-door, 5-door, or estate.
The Touareg R-Line package includes new features that compliment the sporty look of the Touareg: there is a textured diffuser in matte black, oval exhaust tips, a redesigned front apron, body colored side sills, a rear roof spoiler, chrome door trim parts, and, of course, the R-Line badge on the side panels. The entire exterior look is finished by a new set of 20-inch light-alloy wheels in the "Mallory" design, combined with sportier chassis tuning.
For the interior, the R-Line package adds a leather multifunction steering wheel with decorative inserts in "black shiny", stainless steel pedals, a leather selector lever, sports seats, and some aluminum inlays across the dashboard.
Here’s a brand that we haven’t heard from in quite some time: Avions Voisin. If you know about these guys, then you’re either way past your lean years or you’re a complete auto nut the likes of which we haven’t seen before.
Founded in 1905 as a plane manufacturer, Avions Voisin began producing cars in 1919, but only lasted 27 years before officially calling it quits in 1946. Decades after folding, the company is getting set to return to the game with the A-JT Concept, a car that was inspired by the brand’s history while also offering modern adaptations to keep it in line with the times. Specs and details behind the A-JT concept are still being kept in the dark.
What we do know is that the A-JT concept will not be classified as a supercar, but will instead fall in the same luxury range as the Audi A6 and will be sold as a limited-run vehicle, similar to the Bugatti Veyron.
Avions Voisin is scheduled to debut the first prototype in all its glory at the 2011 Auto Rai Motor Show in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in April 2011. We’ll make sure to scoop up all of the official details at that time, so stay tuned!
