When initial rumors about the next Lamborghini Gallardo, or Cabrera as it is supposed to be named, surfaced online, it was reported to carry a turbocharged engine with an output of about 600 HP. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In a recent interview, Lamborghini boss, Stephan Winkelmann, stated that it was unlikely that the company would turn to turbocharging this decade, but that it may happen at some point.
"For this decade, I don’t see it happening in the super sport car business – although I would also caution against saying it could never happen. The future can take its own path when fuel regulations are involved. All I will say is that any development along those lines must be consistent with the DNA of Lamborghini."
On that same token, Audi - who shares the Gallardo platform with the R8 sports car - has stated that a turbocharged engine option might appear by the end of the decade. Will Lamborghini allow Audi to throw the first punch when their car wouldn’t exist without the Gallardo platform? Guess we’ll find out when the Cabrera makes its world debut in two years.
SSC North America, better known as the parent company of models like the record breaking Ultimate Aero and the recently unveiled Tuatara, announced it will be dropping the Shelby name from its title, opting to only use the SSC nomenclature. Apparently, there was way too much confusion when it came to whether or not Jerod Shelby (SSC’s founder) was in any way related to automotive legend, Carroll Shelby.
Jerod Shelby, Founder and Lead Designer, said in an official press release: "After several months of successfully launching our new corporate name and solidifying further International brand awareness for SSC at the Dubai International Motor Show and Top Marques in Macau, it was the right time to officially announce our name change."
"We have always wanted to focus on the pride associated with being an American built supercar and the timing is right," Shelby stated. "We have previously launched the Tuatara in both Shanghai and Pebble Beach and these two events in Dubai and Macau ensure the appropriate branding we are hoping to achieve for our company worldwide."
We don’t necessarily see how only using SSC will stop the annoying "relation" question from being asked, especially since SSC stands for Shelby Super Cars anyway, but with vehicles like the Aero and the Tuatara diving into the supercar market, Jerod Shelby will more than likely get his own following.
Following the spy shots revealed yesterday of the upcoming Porsche 911 Turbo playing in the snow is a fantastic bit of news about what it will be carrying under that luscious hood. Turns out, the 911 Turbo will be powered by a 3.8 liter, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine, but not equipped with a twin-turbo system as one would expect. Instead, Porsche is following in BMW’s footsteps by offering a tri-turbo system.
This system is currently in the final phase of development and, according to the first details, will help raise the engine’s output from the current 495 HP to somewhere in the region of 525 HP — or the same as that of the current 911 Turbo S. It will include the usual twin turbochargers found in the current engine, but will get a smaller unit mounted close to the engine to boost low-end response. This system will also improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions.
Once this tri-turbo system is complete, not only will it fit in with the 911 Turbo, but will also get dropped in the next-generation 911 GT2 and GT2 RS.
The new generation BMW M6 is preparing to rev its way to dealerships in Summer 2012 after its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and its promising to be the most powerful super-coupe in BMW’s history. Its twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine with 552 HP and 502 lb ft of torque makes it capable of running its owner to their job on a daily basis, as well as running the track in superior fashion. That being said, a BMW insider has stated that the M6 should not be referred to as a "pure sports car." That designation should be left to the super car that the BMW M Division is trying to develop, again.
"M wants to build its own car. BMW has a great heritage of super-coupés and the M6 is the latest part of that. But we also want to do something that we can call a ’super sports car’."
By the time this M Division super car is ready to be launched, BMW is hoping it will take on vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with ease. BMW and its M Division have been trying to come up with a business case for the future super car for a long time, using the BMW M1 Hommage (pictured above) as a starting point. When that concept first debuted in 2008, it was rumored to get a powerful V10 5.0 liter engine capable of delivering 600+ HP, even though the original 1978 BMW M1 only pushed out 270 HP.
We figure that if BMW can attempt at least a happy medium between the original 270 HP and the rumored 600 HP, then the M Division’s super car may be a tough contender in the tough "pure sports car" market. Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
In today’s world of ungodly-powered supercars, an old hat that has been lost in the shuffle is looking to re-enter the conversation, determined to remind everyone that while their name hasn’t been mentioned in talks of ’fastest supercar on the planet’, it was a matter of choice rather than cause.
Rumors are coming out of Woking, England that McLaren is finally in the process of developing the long-awaited successor to the iconic McLaren F1. This is the very same car that ushered in a new generation of supercars when it made its debut back in the mid 90s, setting the standard on how supercars are built these days.
While official details are still being withheld, Autocar managed to get some juicy information on what’s in store for this new supercar, including the nickname it’s been given: ’Mega Mac.’
It sounds like it doesn’t inspire a lot of fear and trepidation from its competitors, but nonetheless, we’re confident that ’Mega Mac’ won’t be the final name of the car. Somewhere along the lines, McLaren will have something more suitable for their new flagship supercar. Right now, they are internally calling the new hypercar the P12
UPDATE 11/21/2011: McLaren has confirmed that the company’s next supercar will be called the MP4-27 and it will be launched sometime next year. When talking about the company’s future plans in an official press release, Mclaren said that they were "preparing build-work on next year’s car, MP4-27 – we are nine months into the development programme and have already stored 18,918 individual components from more than 3,000 different works orders and signed off more than 5,500 technical drawings."
UPDATE 1/19/2012: British magazine, CAR,is offering new details on the McLaren successor for the F1 supercar. The magazine reports that the P12 will be share a similar carbon Monocell structure as the MP4-12C and will be powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine combined with a KERS energy storage system. The price for the car will be in the €750k area (or $960,000 at the current exchange rates.
For now, immerse yourselves in the first details of the car after the jump.
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