The new McLaren 12C Spider is now officially on sale in North America, and, to mark the event, McLaren has unveiled a short film shot at the Loveland Pass in Colorado. With Rhys Millen behind the wheel, the 12C Spider had to challenge professional snowboarder Chanelle Sladics.
Rhys Millen is the current overall record holder for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, so you can imagine that driving the 12C Spider in Loveland — the highest mountain pass in the world — was like an everyday play for him. On the other hand, Chanelle Sladics is a professional snowboarder and she competed eight times at the Winter X-Games. She also had the advantage of taking the most direct route across the snow covered landscape, so who will win this competition? Just watch the video to find out!
The 12C Spider driven in this video was equipped with a "Winter" powertrain setting that sets all electronic support systems to a maximum intervention level, with gearshift strategy and torque control optimized to limit any loss of traction.
Back in 2011 Senner Tuning announced an upgrade package for the Mercedes SLS AMG Coupe version. Today, the same package has been extended to the roadster version. Just like with the coupe, the roadster version receives an extra 35 horsepower under the hood and new wheels, combined with an upgraded suspension system.
Senner Tuning added a new exhaust system made in high-grade steel and a new set of high-performance air filters to help boost its output beyond the standard 571 horsepower and 650 Nm (479 pound-feet) of torque. The end result is an SLS Roadster that delivers a total of 606 horsepower and a peak torque of 508 pound-feet. AS standard, the SLS AMG hits 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 197 mph. This package likely drops its acceleration time down to around 3.7 seconds and it may allow the SLS AMG to tickle the 200-mph mark.
Senner also installed new wheels, sized 9-by-20 inches with 255/30R20 tires up front and 11.5-by-21 inches with 295/25R21 Hankook S1 Evo-tires for the rear. The wheels are painted in titanium gray and are combined with a special coil-over suspension system made by KW Automotive.
Daniel Craig, aka Agent 007, celebrated his 45th birthday with a car worthy of his name: an Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster. Daniel Craig paid an impressive sum of £150,000 (around $226,000 at the current exchange rates) for his sports car, but unfortunately it does not come with an ejector seat or hidden weapons.
The famous actor went to London to take delivery of his car and he dressed inconspicuously in an attempt to zip around London without anyone recognizing him. We are not very sure if he was successful in his attempt, but for sure he was very pleased with his new toy.
And why wouldn’t he? The V12 Vantage Roadster is powered by a 6-liter V-12 engine that delivers an amazing 510 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, sprinting the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds and up to a top speed of 190 mph.
When you’re trying to promote a racing series that isn’t as popular as Formula One, you need to think of something creative to get people’s attention.
Organizers of the AtomCup decided to do just that, taking to the busy streets of downtown London to perform, of all things, a pit stop. To be fair, the pit stop only came with a change of tires, which they did successfully before the red light turned green.
But what made this publicity stunt really successful was the throng of folks that seemingly stopped whatever it is they were doing to watch the Atom pit stop. And for the 30, or so, seconds it took to replace the tires, you could see everybody just transfixed on the AtomCup pit crew do their magic.
Since the AtomCup is the only race series built around the now-legendary Atom race cars, the series knows that getting exposure and drumming up some buzz is a sure way to catch peoples’ attention.
Well, judging by the looks on the faces of those bystanders, we’d say that it was a job well done.
Bulgarian tuner, Vilner, is one of those aftermarket companies that rarely follows conformity. That’s a good thing because, in terms of being unique and against the grain, it’s one of the best in the business.
So it’s not surprising that its latest program is for a sports car that’s about 20 years old: the legendary Alfa Romeo Zagato Roadster.
The two-seat convertible was produced from 1992 until 1994 with only 284 of the 350 planned units being realized. So yeah, when it comes to Alfa Romeo exclusivity, the Zagato Roadster is head and shoulders above the rest.
In order to restore the limited edition sports car back to its shiny opulence, Vilner fully serviced the sports car, cleaning and restoring the car’s body, chassis and engine. The body of the Zagato Roadster was first dressed in a red matte finish, a shade that pays homage to Alfa Romeo’s sister brand, Ferrari.
From there, Vilner replaced all the seals that needed replacing while also creating a new hood for the sports car. Equally important was the work the Bulgarian tuner did on the sports car’s interior, rebuilding and equipping the cabin with a new dashboard, center console, steering wheel, door panels and floor mats. Even the seats were restored to their former glory, which goes to show the lengths Vilner went to bring back the iconic sports car.
Under its hood, the Zagato Roadster comes powered with a restored stock 3.0-liter V-6 engine that produces 210 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 181 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm.
It’s been a couple of years since we last heard from Donkervoort and its D8 GTO sports car. But good news has finally arrived for Dutch automaker, Donkervoort Automobielen, as the D8 GTO has finally received European Small Series Type Approval.
What this means is that the D8 GTO’s production can now proceed and has been scheduled to start sometime between April and May with sales expected to stretch "throughout Europe and beyond,” including EU member states, Russia, Switzerland and the Gulf States
Anybody that has waited long and hard for the D8 GTO’s arrival can now exhale, especially the 25 specially designed models that have already been sold. They should be comforted knowing that they’re going to get quite a ride in the D8 GTO, thanks to its Audi-sourced 2.5-liter, five-cylinder turbo engine that develops roughly 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque.
Those numbers translate to a 0-to-100 km/h (62 mph) time of just three seconds with a top speed of 158 mph.
If anybody’s waited long enough to get a piece of those performance numbers, well, the wait is sure to be worth it and will soon be over.
The new Alfa Romeo 4C was officially unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, but only in its coupe version. However, officials from the Italian company have already confirmed that the 4C will also be offered in roadster, Racing and Stradale versions. All four versions, including the coupe, will be limited to only 2,000 units.
The roadster version will be the first to arrive and its official debut likely won’t happen until September, at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, but until then, we have created a pretty cool rendering that might help you imagine how it will look.
As no surprise, it will borrow everything from the coupe version, except the soft-top that can be opened and close in just a few of seconds.
Just like with the coupe, the roadster version will feature a carbon-fiber body, combined with a frame made of a hybrid of steel and aluminum. Total weight will be kept at the same 850 kg (1,873 pounds) area, meaning the roadster version will deliver pretty much the same performance figures.
Under the hood, the roadster will keep the same four-cylinder 1,750 cc turbocharged engine that will deliver a total of 200 horsepower and will be mated to an innovative Alfa TCT automatic twin-dry-clutch transmission that ships power to the rear wheels.
Back in January, Jaguar announced that its new F-Type sports roadster would be featured in a new video called "Desire," which is set to be released later this spring. Now the sports car is once again featured in a video, but this time around it is a trailer for a film named "Desire" video.
After these two teasers, we are excited to finally see the full "Desire" film, which was created in collaboration with Ridley Scott Associates.
The film obviously takes place in the desert, where the main character - Clark, played by actor Damian Lewis - delivers cars for a living. He gets into trouble after encountering a mysterious, young woman (Shannyn Sossamon) in the middle of the desert. Alongside them, the video will also star Jordi Mollà and music by BRIT award winner Lana Del Rey.
German tuner, RUF Automobile, unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show an updated 3800S kit based on the the latest-generation Porsche Boxster and Cayman models. The kit includes both exterior and engine upgrades and it is available now.
Under the hood, the model received an updated 3.8-liter flat-six engine that delivers a total of 420 horsepower at 7,400 rpm and 332 pound-feet of torque at 5,600 rpm. The engine is mated to a double-clutch transmission and sends its all power to the rear wheels.
Once the job under the hood was done, the tuner continued with updating the exterior look. RUF is offering an aerodynamic kit that includes new front and rear bumpers, and an updated rear diffuser. The last piece of the tuning is the new set of alloys in a five-spoke design and painted in black.
The interior can also be upgraded with better quality materials, like Alcantara or carbon fiber.
Prices for the new kit will be announced at a later date.
While makers like Ferrari and Lamborghini have unveiled their latest creations at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Bugatti decided to only offer three one-off editions based on the current roadsters offered by the company.
The first one is a 16.4 Grand Sport Green Carbon - a model built to pay tribute to the Bugatti Royale built between 1926 and 1933.
On this special edition, the complete rear end, the engine cowlings, the roof trim strips, the door sills, the lower area of the front apron and the front bonnet are all painted in Green Carbon, while all the rest of the body features a very cool paint finish.
The car’s front wings and exterior mirror housings are in polished aluminum, while the 20-inch wheels feature a combination of green and silver two-tone Diamond Cut finish. The model also featues the motif of a dancing elephant - reminiscent of the Art Deco bonnet figure designed by Rembrandt Bugatti.
The same green-silver theme continues on the interior, where Bugatti combined green leather with silver contrast seams on the seats, the steering wheel rim and the gear lever.
This one-off Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Green Carbon is priced at €1.92 million (about $2.5 million at the current exchange rates).
