Until Porsche finally decides to officially add the 918 Spyder to its lineup, we continue to look back and remember what a great car the Carrera GT was. Unveiled back in 2004, the supercar was limited to only 1,270 units and the guys over at Carlex Design had the chance to update unit No. 1,035.
If you have followed the automotive industry in the past few years, you know that Carlex Design is a tuner known for upgrading the interiors and this is exactly what it has done for the Carrera GT.
For the Carrera GT, Carlex paid close attention to the smallest details when restyling the supercar’s interior. It includes yellow-contrast-stitched black Carbon Optic leather combined with Alcantara. The yellow stitching also helps tie the inside to the outside, as it perfectly matches the yellow brake calipers.
The tuner also offers lots of luxury extras and add-ons, like the Alcantara floor mats in rhombus stitching; rearview mirror in Alcantara; and trunk lining decorated with a nice stitching.
Click past the jump to read more about the standard Porsche Carrera GT.
The British market received yet another special edition; this time it comes from the Italian automaker, Alfa Romeo, and it is called the Giulietta Collezione Limited Edition. The easiest way to distinguish it from the rest of the lineup is by its exclusive contrasting roof offered as a standard feature. The roof is painted matte Magnesio Grey on models donning a black body, whereas Alfa Red and Ghiaccio White models receive a black roof.
Along with the roof, Alfa Romeo offers special 17-inch titanium-finish alloy wheels, titanium-effect wing mirrors, darkened headlight surrounds and chrome door handles. For the interior, the Collezione Limited Edition adds black and red competizione cloth upholstery, and titanium-finish inserts on the doors, central console and dashboard.
The new Giulietta Collezione Edition can be ordered in four different engine configurations: 1.4 TB with 120 horsepower, 1.4 TB MultiAir with 170 horsepower, 1.6 JTDM-2 with 105 horsepower or 2.0 JTDM-2 with 140 horsepower.
On the British market, the model is priced at £18,265 (roughly $27,500 at the current exchange rates).
Click past the jump to read more about the standard Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
Ferrari had a big problem with its 400 series when it debuted in 1959. Sure, the car packed a racing V-12 and all the gravitas a Ferrari badge can bring, but its brutal style made the front-engine 2+2 GT car a tough sell in one of Ferrari’s fastest-growing markets: the United States.
An emergency refresh was undertaken. Gone was the 400’s square grille and quad headlamp setup, replaced by Ferrari’s delicious oval slatted grille and single round headlamps under glass at each corner. Suddenly, the 400 Superamerica SWB Coupé Aerodinamico was as gorgeous as its two-seat siblings.
This very car, one of 36 built, is owned by famed driving instructor Skip Barber and is set for auction this weekend on May 25th by RM Auctions in Lake Cuomo, Italy. The pre-sale estimate is between $2.4 and $3 million, but the bidding could well reach $5 million before the dust settles.
Beneath the Superamerica Aerodinamico’s sumptuous bodywork lies the vanguard of Ferrari tech at the time, much like the Ferrari 456GT and current FF. Part of the “America” series of cars that included the 330 GT and 365 GTC, the plan in Modena was to leverage the flexibility offered by their small-scale Pininfarina bodywork team to create unique shells that would sell cars in crucial markets, like New York and Los Angeles, as well as Firenzi and Roma.
Click past the jump for the full review and photo gallery of this timeless classic, the 400 Superamerica Coupe SWB Aerodinamico.
A few weeks before the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Lotus announced they would "blow the top off" at the show. Back then, we all thought that we would see a Convertible version of the Evora, but we were so wrong. Lotus has decided to bring out the fastest roadster ever: the Exige S Roadster.
Based off the new Exige S, the roadster model will be powered by the same supercharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine that delivers a total of 345 horsepower. This engine sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds and to 100 mph in 8.5 seconds. Being that this is a Roadster, safety precautions deem it necessary to lower the top speed from 170 mph to 145 mph.
The Exige S Roadster weighs just 2,447 pounds and features the same design elements as the coupe, except of course for its factory-fitted soft top roof that makes the car look even more muscular than the coupe.
Now for the bad news: the new Lotus Exige S Roadster won’t make it to the U.S. market, as it will only be offered in markets like Europe and Asia.
UPDATE 4/30/2013: Lotus has unveiled a new video teasing the upcoming Exige S Roadster’s arrival in the summer of 2013. you can see the video above.
Hit the jump to read more about the Lotus Exige S Roadster.
Don’t look now, but Orlando-based tuner Ultimate Auto is back at it with yet another fantastic aftermarket program.
We’ve seen what the company can do when presented with a sports car. Imagine what kind of work it can produce with a muscle car, like the 2013 Chevy Camaro ZL1?
Well, we won’t have to wonder anymore because the Camaro ZL1 is precisely the subject of Ultimate Auto’s latest program. Aesthetically, the upgrades were mostly contained on the interior. The metallic black exterior is complemented by touches of grey and candy red with the latter being used as housing inserts for the custom JL Audio HD amplifiers and the 2 W7’s inside the cabin.
But that’s not all of it; Ultimate Auto also added a Borla cat-back exhaust system and headers to enhance its exhaust note and relieve any back pressure. From there, a K&N carbon-fiber intake system was also installed to go with that absolutely scintillating NOS system.
Just imagine the kind of damage this Camaro ZL1 can do when it’s taken to the drag strip. We can already see it leaving some poor car in a cloud of tire smoke and shame.
Click past the jump to read more about the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Shortly after Maserati unveiled the Kubang concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, rumors began circulating that a production version would be offered. Shortly after, Maserati confirmed that a production version will indeed be offered, but the production version will drop the Kubang name in favor of Levante.
The SUV takes its name from the Via Emilia Levante in Bologna, where the Maserati brothers, almost a century ago, dreamed up the company that today still bears their name.
The Levante will be offered with three engines: a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine delivering 410 horsepower, a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 engine with 530 horsepower and a turbo-diesel engine only offered in Europe. All the three engines will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and will send their power to all four wheels via Maserati’s new all-wheel-drive system.
Maserati’s first SUV will combine exterior and interior elements from Quattroporte and Ghibli with some electronic architecture from Chrysler and Jeep.
Until recently, it was rumored that the Levante would be built at Chrysler’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit alongside the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but due to the huge demand for the Jeep SUV, this isn’t a possibility. Instead, it will be produced in Italy.
The Levante will be unveiled in 2014 - just in time to celebrate Maserati’s centennial.
Image Note: The above image is a TopSpeed rendering and not an official image of the Levante
Update 5/21/2013: A report by Edmunds has revealed more information on the Levante’s production home and drivetrain.
A few days after Citroen introduced a special-edition RCZ Coupe to the masses, its French sister from another mother, Renault, introduced its own.
This one, though, has been a yearly tradition for the French automaker (at least since last year) owing to its partnership with Formula One’s Red Bull Racing team.
This is the Renault Megane RS Red Bull RB8 Edition. You might recall that last year, Renault released a similar special-edition version for the 2013 Megane RS called the Red Bull RB7 Edition.
One of the most distinctive features of the new special-edition Megane is the Crépuscule Blue finish of the car, the same colors adorning the Red Bull RB8. Keeping with the theme of the model, Red Bull Racing graphics adorn the rear and the sides of the limited-edition car. Platinum Grey details on the F1 blade, door handles, door mirror housing and rear lip spoiler, as well as a monochrome laurel on the rear side windows that celebrate the team’s 2012 Constructors’ world title round out the exterior treatment of the Megane RS Red Bull RB8.
Inside, there are more of the same distinctive features, including Red Bull Racing branding on the numbered aluminum sill guards and carpet mats, as well as Renault’s R-Link and R.S. Monitor 2.0. Also inside are Recaro seats trimmed in an all-new fabric/leather combo with Red Bull Racing logos embroidered on the headrests.
As with any Megane RS, this special edition comes with a 265-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that twists out 250 pound-feet of torque. This is enough to get the hatchback up to 62 mph in 6 seconds and up to a top speed of 158 mph.
The model is expected to be sold in 26 countries at a price of €36,000, which is about $46,300 based on current exchange rates.
After being caught testing in many times, the revised BMW 5-Series lineup made its world debut today before being put on sale later in July. As no surprise, BMW is offering no major updates on the car’s exterior and look, but it did added a new model to the lineup: the 518d, plus a more powerful V-8 powertrain.
In terms of design the 5-Series sedan received different structured lower air intakes, a modified front apron and more sharply contoured taillights. For the first time the 5-Series is being offered with two new package: BMW Luxury Line and BMW Modern Line packages, both adding exclusive design and equipment features.
For the interior BMW is offering additional chrome trim, more room on the storage compartments, and of course new upholstery colors and interior trim elements.
Updated 05/21/2013: BMW U.S.A announced pricing and release date for the revised 5-Series lineup.
Click past the jump to read more about the BMW 5-Series.
