The sleek and sexy Hennessey Venom GT became a successful model in a very short time and Hennessey is hoping to repeat that success with an open top version of the same sports car. The new Hennessey Venom GT Spyder will be offered with a removable top and will only be produced in a limited run of five units, two of which have already been spoken for. Deliveries will begin in Summer 2012 and prices will start from $1.1 million, about $150,000 more than the Coupe’s top version.
The Venom GT Spyder will be powered by the same Chevrolet sourced V8 engine found in the Coupe with an output of 1,200 HP at 6,500 rpm and 1,155 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. Because of the added weight from the removable roof, performance numbers should be a tad bit slower than the Coupe, which sprints from 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds and to 200 mph in 15.9 seconds, on its way up to a top speed of 275 mph. The engine will more than likely send its power to the rear wheels via a Ricardo 6-speed gearbox and handling will be facilitated by a KW variant three-adjustable coilover suspension.
As far as its design goes, the Venom GT Spyder will start off with the Lotus Elise base and will follow along the same extreme design lines as its Coupe sibling. We imagine it will also feature the same active aero system with adjustable rear wing that will deploy under varying conditions on both the road and racetrack.
"With the hardtop in place, the Venom GT offers a very visceral, raw, driving experience," said Hennessey CEO, Don Goldman. "With the hardtop removed, the wind and the growl of the twin turbo V8 will offer our clients an even greater driving sensation."
The 1,200 HP will make the Venom GT Spyder the most powerful convertible in the world. Will it also be the fastest? We believe it will, but Hennessey will have to keep that 275 mph top speed intact.
The Varley Electric Vehicles evR450 announced a few days ago is no longer the only electric supercar from Australia. Ian Denner has announced a new electric roadster that sounds very promising. Called Arcspeed Electric Roadster, this particular car started its life back in 2006 when it was intend to be produced in limited number, but as a gasoline-power car.
Back then Denner dropped the idea and later on he came with the idea of transforming the roadster into an electric one. The Roadster uses in fact the same powertrain as the evR450: two electric motors, each with 210 HP and 385 lb-ft of torque for a total output of 420 HP and 770 lb-ft of torque. The electric motors will take their power from a battery pack that consists of 500 individual lithium-ion phosphate batteries mounted in the cockpit floor. Also, just like with the evR450 the Roadster will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds.
Denner hopes to put the car into limited production series and to price it less than $100,000.
Anabolicar Magazine is one of Germany’s biggest supercar magazines so obviously, they had to have a presence at the just finished 2011 Essen Motor Show. What we didn’t know was that they were bringing a humdinger of a project in the form of a tuned-up BMW Z4.
The show car, which was built specifically for the purpose of displaying it at Essen, comes with plenty of aerodynamic and performance enhancements that compliments the M Package the car already has. The exterior of the Z4 is highlighted by a Green reptile skin finish that was worked on by KK-Cocoon. In addition to that, the Z4 Anabolicar also has a new KW coil-over suspension, an Eisenmann exhaust system, a lowered M-chassis, and a new set of black, 19" OZ Racing alloy wheels. Meanwhile, the modifications for the interior include new M sports seats, a new M steering wheel, and a voice activated navigation system.
Under the hood of the Z4 Anabolicar lies a 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder engine that produces 265 horsepower. All that juice wrapped up in a fancy aesthetic dress results in a sports car that stole the show at the 2011 Essen Motor Show. Then again, we really shouldn’t have expected anything less from one of Germany’s biggest supercar magazines.
The Ferrari California isn’t the newest model in Ferrari’s line-up, so there typically isn’t any reason to splatter news about it on the front page. That is, until a celebrity decides to do a little Black Friday shopping in a Ferrari dealership.
Paris Hilton has chosen a bright red Ferrari California as an early Christmas present for herself and, although we think the 460 HP California is an amazing supercar, we have to wonder why she opted for this particular model and not for Ferrari’s newest roadster model: the 570 HP 459 Italia Spyder. Maybe she’s had her fill of the super speedy since she just received a 560 HP Lexus LF-A for her 30th birthday. Or maybe she just got a really good Black Friday deal. Either way, this beautiful, red Ferrari California has just joined the elite group of amazing vehicles owned by Hilton’s princess.
German tuning company Brabus has been quite the busy bees the past couple of months, haven’t they?
It was only a few months ago at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show that they introduced two new models to their line-up: the 2012 Brabus Rocket 800 and the 2011 Brabus High Performance 4WD Full Electric Concept Car. Then, they followed that up at the recently concluded Dubai Motor Show with the release of the 2012 Mercedes CL 800 Coupe by Brabus.
And now that the 2011 Essen Motor Show is knocking at the door, it appears that we’re going to get a couple more new programs courtesy of the noted Merceedes tuning company, including one for the Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster.
Official details behind the car have not yet been announced but the word out on the street is that it will be similar to the program given to the SLS AMG, particularly the prevalent use of carbon fiber, lightweight forged wheels, a new electronically adjustable suspension system, and of course, a performance boost that should take the output of the SLS AMG Roadster straight into the neighborhood of 700 horsepower.
The only indication we have of this new program comes courtesy of a pair of official images that have been revealed leading up to its debut at the 2011 Essen Motor Show. Check back with us soon because as soon as the car is revealed, we’ll be on top of it with all the official details.
