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).
Bugatti came to the 2013 Geneva Motor Show with two specially designed Grand Sport Vitesses that want to prove the almost infinite range of exterior themes offered by Bugatti. The first Vitesse to be displayed at the show features a very cool Black Carbon treatment.
The model is distinguished by enlarged air intakes on each side of the radiator grille, lower air slit running back along the side to the wheel housings, a double diffuser and centrally positioned twin tailpipe. The supercar’s body is covered in black carbon and is combined with the brake calipers and the exterior mirror housings offered in blue along with the roof trim and the grille in polished aluminum.
For the interior, Bugatti is using a combination of Beluga Black and brown Gaucho leather. The cockpit, the three-spoke wheel and the center tunnel feature blue stitching, while carbon insertions are used on the door inserts, in the center console extension, on the iPad stowage surround, on the belt exit point trims on the seats and on a cover carrying the EB logo.
This one-off Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse Black Carbon is priced at €2.02 million (about $2,6 million at the current exchange rates).
The C-Type was one of the most successful Jaguar models in racing, especially at the Le Mans 24 hours race, which it won twice. The most amazing result was obtained by Norman Dewis who ran a modified XK 120 up to a record speed of 172.4 mph.
Now, sixty years after, Jaguar F-Type V8 S with 1988 Le Mans 24 hour race-winning driver Andy Wallace behind the wheel recreated the famous test drive at Jabbeke, Belgium, on Saturday March 2, 2013. While running a two-mile sprint, the F-Type managed to hit a top speed of 179 mph and went from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds.
The F-Type was joined by classic cars like: XK 120, C-type, D-type and E-type sports cars.
After the speed run, the F-Type was driven 519 miles to Geneva by a specialist in frugal driving and delivered a record average fuel consumption of 35.6 mpg.
Oakley Design may not be headed to the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, but that doesn’t mean it can’t steal some of the headlines, especially when it has a new program for a supercar like the Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster.
Called the SLS AMG 640-2 Carbon Edition, Oakley Design gives real meaning to the program’s name with plenty of carbon parts added to the exterior and interior of the SLS AMG Roadster. Other additions to the Mercedes supercar include new air intakes with integrated LED lights, a new bumper with what looks like fangs and a new exhaust system that looks oddly similar to the one equipped in the C63 AMG Black Series.
But the most important part of the 640-2 Carbon Edition is the increase in output Oakley Design managed to give to the SLS AMG Roadster. From the stock output of 571 horsepower and 473 pound-feet of torque, Oakley Design was able to push those numbers north to 640 horsepower and 570 pound-feet of torque.
While these modifications certainly point to the skills of Oakley Design as a premier aftermarket company, we have a feeling that it has more up its sleeve in terms of details about its 640-2 Carbon Edition program for the SLS AMG Roadster.
Mazda UK is adding four new special editions to its lineup, one of them being a MX-5 Venture Edition. The new special edition is on sale now with prices starting £18,895 (about $28,800 at the current exchange rates) for the 126-horsepower, 1.8-liter-powered Venture Edition soft-top version and up to £22,295 (about $34,000 at the current exchange rates) for the 160-horsepower, 2.0-liter-powered Venture Edition Roadster Coupe with powered folding roof.
The new MX-5 Venture Edition will be distinguished by a new set of 17-inch Bright Finish alloy wheels on the outside. On the inside, Mazda is offering heated tan leather sports seats and tan leather door inserts.
The new Venture Edition will be offered in four exterior colors: Brilliant Black, Copper Red Mica, Meteor Grey Mica and Stormy Blue Mica. Each color will be combined with a set of “Venture Edition" badges, while the soft-top models will be offered with a tan fabric roof.
The future sounds very promising for Rolls-Royce, as rumor has it that there will be at least two more stunning models added to its lineup in the near future. First will be a 16-cylinder roadster and the second model a new SUV developed to target the upcoming Bentley SUV.
Rolls-Royce will be the second maker, after Bugatti, that will place a 16-cylinder engine is a supercar, but do not expect the new Rolls-Royce roadster to deliver the same performance numbers as the Veyron. It will deliver about 700 horsepower, but when it comes to performance figures, Rolls-Royce will be more interested in refinement, luxury and craftsmanship, and not in obtaining monstrous top speeds.
First details suggest the upcoming roadster will be offered with a "long nose, stubby tail and a raked windscreen." It will offer interior space for just two passengers and will feature a soft-top roof. Most likely, the model will be built on the same aluminum spaceframe chassis as the next Phantom.
Expect the new Rolls-Royce Roadster to arrive in 2017
Note: The above image is not of this rumored V-16 roadster
