Just when we thought the 2014 Nissan GT-R couldn’t get any better, Nissan proved us wrong. The company announced the launch of the new GT-R Track Edition today at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show, which will join the 2014 GT-R lineup.
While the new Track Edition delivers the same output level as the standard GT-R, the updates made to the suspension, the addition of new fuel injectors and an oil pan baffle make it far better than the standard version.
In order to distinguish it from the standard version, the new Track Edition includes an array of modifications to the interior and exterior on top of the suspension improvements.
Deliveries for the new GT-R Track Edition will begin in May 2013. It will be limited to only 150 units.
So, is the new Track Edition worth whatever price hike that Nissan will place on it?
UPDATE 5/1/2013: Nissan has just revealed the pricing details on the 2014 GT-R Track Edition. See more after the jump.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition and find out.
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The Toyota GT 86 sure is getting a ton of mileage ever since it was introduced last year. The sports coupe’s popularity in the market has even given Toyota the justification to build a special edition GT 86 that celebrates the automaker’s participation at the VLN Endurance Championship this year.
What it didn’t tell us was that the GT 86 Cup Edition would also serve the role as the VLN Endurance Championship’s official pace car, as shown in the pair of photos that were released of the heavily dressed GT 86 Cup Edition.
Officially, it’s called the GT 86 Cup Edition Pace Car and it comes with some features that are unique to it. Thanks to TRD, the GT 86 Cup Edition Pace Car received a new rear diffuser, front and rear aprons, new side skirts, a bigger trunk-lid spoiler, quad exhaust pipes, a stabilizer set, a carbon-fiber strut bar, and last but not least, exterior foil wrapping that separates it and distinguishes itself as the series’ official pace car.
As far as power goes, the GT 86 Cup Edition Pace Car will carry the same 2.0-liter inline four engine that produces 200 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque with a 0-to-60 mph time of 7 seconds and a top speed of slightly over 143 mph.
Click past the jump to read about the Toyota GT 86 Cup Edition
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Land Rover is celebrating its 65th anniversary with a special event that will also include the launch of a special-edition Defender LXV (65 in Roman numerals). Is not a surprise that Land Rover has chosen to base this special edition on a Defender model, especially when you consider it i the best sold model on the company’s lineup with over two million units sold since its official launch.
The new Defender LXV can be ordered in either Santorini Black or Fuji White. Both colors will get contrasting Corris Grey roof, grille and headlight surrounds, plus a set of 16-inch Sawtooth alloy wheels.
For the interior, Land Rover has opted for a unique orange contrast stitching on the seats, steering wheel and center cubby compartment. There are also "LXV" logos embossed on the front headrests. As an option, customers can also get a union flag decal placed on the rear of the vehicle.
The new Defender LXV will be put on sale in August.
Click past the jump to read more about the standard Land Rover Defender.
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Koenigsegg does things a little differently than the other hypercar makes, and the world is better for it. Engineering mastermind and company founder Christian Von Koenigsegg’s dream of the perfect hypercar is a real, gurgling pack of 100 blood-thirsty savages. His reality rolls out of the company’s aircraft hangar facility and into the dreams of gearheads worldwide.
Skillful tweaking of the Koenigsegg hypercar package leads to the Agera S Hundra, the company’s hundredth customer vehicle and rolling showcase for all that is right in the world. A rough calculation of 10 years in business over 100 cars shows that these stunners aren’t born overnight: in fact, it takes more than 36 days to build each car from scratch. Is it worth it? Oh yes, and then some. This Koenigsegg is every bit as spectacular as the latest Pagani and Bugatti models, and even innovates dozens of clever technical achievements yet to be included by their southern European rivals.
This Agera S Hundra customer car shipped right from Geneva to its new home with a wealthy Chinese gentleman. However, your own version of the Agera S model is available now, with numero 101 baking in the autoclave as we speak.
Click past the jump for the full review of Koenigsegg’s shockingly desirable Agera S Hundra, a full image gallery, and detailed explanations of the key technical marvels that make this Koenigseggs’s best dream car yet.
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Those of us in the auto industry are familiar with Mansory for the insane performance programs it builds for some of the finest supercars in the world.
But cars aren’t the only thing Mansory’s adept at building. Turns out, it knows how to work on building customized iPhones, too. Yep. IPhones, or in this particular case, a 24-carat-gold iPhone 5.
Recently unveiled at BaselWorld, the 50-piece Mansory iPhone 5 was designed using 24-carat gold, which was mirror-polished on the iPhone 5. Talk about blinging up, right?
Kourosh Mansory, owner of Mansory Design and Holding GmbH, explained the company’s decision to build an iPhone 5, saying, "At MANSORY, we have always been passionate about luxury watches and fine jewelry, and the 24-carat gold iPhone5 is a natural supplement to our portfolio as it meets our quality standard of production on the highest technical level combined with masterly craftsmanship and the most precious materials.”
If you do decide that this ultra-limited iPhone 5 is in your future, you can be one of the 50 people to score it for a price of €4,900, which is around $6,400 based on current exchange rates. Details of the release and where you can buy the iPhone have not been outlined.
Press Release after the jump
A few days ago, Bugatti dropped a teaser image of what we thought would be the company’s long-rumored 1,600-horsepower Bugatti SuperVeyron. However, it looks like the teaser image was in fact for a special Veyron Vitesse WRC Limited Edition built to celebrate the company’s latest record.
A Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse with Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu behind the wheel scored a new record for the company: it managed to hit a top speed of 254.04 mph. The result was achieved at the Volkswagen Group’s proving grounds in Ehra-Lessien and was officially confirmed by German organization for Technical Inspection and Certification TÜV.
The special edition Veyron Vitesse WRC will be limited to only eight units and will be priced at €1.99 million (or $2.6 million at the current exchange rates).
Updated 04/26/2013: Bugatti has unveiled a first official video for the Veyron Vitesse WRC Limited Edition that was unveiled a few days ago in Shanghai. The video offers a few shots from the car’s record-breaking exploits and offers a few more details on the supercar. Enjoy!
Click past the jump to read more about the Bugatti Veyron Vitesse WRC.
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The BMW Art Cars project has built a lasting link between contemporary art and BMW motorsport. There are no sponsor stickers on these cars – just the beauty and timelessness of art.
In addition to creating some gorgeous show pieces for the BMW museum, the Art Car project is more important now than anyone first envisioned when signing off on the initial Calder work in 1975. Each of the cars represents the artist’s point of view at the time, expressed in the same medium: a BMW.
The artists selected over the years have broad backgrounds, nationalities and portfolios that could almost never be compared directly outside of the Art Cars collection, because in their daily craft they all choose wildly different mediums to express themselves. Whether the work of a sculptor, painter, graphic designer, conceptualist or visionary, the end products are cars that are truly magnificent to behold.
For 2013, BMW Portland is sponsoring a new contest that is open to anyone. The winning artist’s work will adorn a 2013 BMW 650i, and the details are available here. The deadline for submissions is May 15th, 2013, so start your creative engines and submit a winner!
click past the jump for a timeline of the BMW Art Cars project and image galleries of the 18 stunning BMW Art Cars so far.
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Earlier this year, it was rumored that Lamborghini would unveil a special Aventador LP720-4 at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show as a celebration to its 50th anniversary. But the show only brought that strange-looking Veneno three-off supercar.
It looks like Lamborghini decided to keep this special edition for the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show - a date that gets closer to its May 7th anniversary. Lambo has named the new special edition the Aventador LP720-4 50° Anniversario and its name pretty much says it all. In Lamborghini speak, that name translates that it celebrates the company’s 50th anniversary and its output has been increased by an extra 20 horsepower.
The model has received a special Giallo Maggio (May yellow) exterior paint - as a tribute to the most preferred color chosen by Lamborghini costumers since May 1963.
The new Aventador LP720-4 50° Anniversario will be limited to only 100 units.
Updated 04/23/2013: Lamborghini has dropped the first promo video for the new LP720-4 50° Anniversario special edition built to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. Also released is Lamborghini CEO, Stephen Winkelmann, describing the Aventador LP720-4 50° Anniversario. Enjoy!
Hit the jump to read more about the Lamborghini Aventador LP720-4 50° Anniversario.
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The current Mercedes SLS line-up is quickly filling up with a Coupe, a Roadster, a GT3 version, and, sometime in the near future, an E-Cell version. However, Mercedes isn’t done yet. As promised yesterday the fifth model in the line-up has been officially announced today: the SLS AMG Black Series.
The new SLS Black Series has borrowed some of the styling cues seen first on the GT3 version and of course combines them with some of the usual Black Series design elements. But first Mercedes worked on reducing the car’s total weight: they added lots of carbon fiber elements, a new titanium-made exhaust system, new wheels and some lightweight sports seats. As a result the new Black Series is about 154 lbs lighter than the current model.
When you add an improved engine under the hood: a 622 HP V8 engine, you will easily notice that the car’s performance numbers have also improved: the 0 to 60 mph sprint time drops 0.2 seconds and top speed is now 195 mph.
Updated 04/23/2012: Mercedes AMG has unveiled a new video on the SLS AMG Black Series. The supercar has been shown in action at the Le Castellet Race Track. Enjoy!
Hit the jump to read more about the new Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series.
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The smart forjeremy, which we first saw in concept guise at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, is headed to production. On a limited basis, that is.
We don’t know if we’re happy about this or we think this is a complete novelty.
Make no mistake; we love Jeremy Scott. I, for one, actually have a pair of his Adidas sneakers as part of my collection. But on a car, even the diminutive size of the smart fortwo?
We’re not flipping over backwards, that much we can tell you.
The good thing is that the production version of the forjeremy has been toned down from the concept, which may not seem like much, considering that the wings are still there.
In any case, we understand why this car will still be a popular model. That’s the effect of having Jeremy Scott tied to it. The man is a fashion institution, especially to the younger market, the same market that smart will undoubtedly target for this model.
Can’t say he disagree on that.
Click past the jump to read more about the smart forjeremy
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