All we’ve had access to on the one-off Pagani Zonda 760 RS were some scarce details and an image that only revealed the car’s badge, but thankfully, Youtube user OuncesofAwesome12 was able to get up close and personal with the Zonda 760 RS and brought his video camera along for the ride.
The video doesn’t exactly scream quality - the camera is very shaky and the angles are terrible - but at least we get a good deal more details than the random cropped image we had before. Then there’s the end of the video when we get to here the Zonda 760 RS’ amazing engine.
The Pagani Zonda 760 RS is a unique model that is among the latest Zonda models to be produced. The history behind this supercar is quite interesting because it actually began as a custom built Zonda 750 requested by an Arab family, but when they canceled the order, Pagani transformed it into the 760 RS. The car delivers an impressive 760 HP making it capable of hitting a top speed of more than 217 mph, or so they say.
Mercedes just recently announced the SL65 AMG, and they are already using it as a base for the a special edition built to celebrate the model’s 45th anniversary. The new SL 65 AMG 45th Anniversary Edition will be limited to only 45 units and will go on sale in September 2012.
The SL65 AMG 45th is painted in an exclusively designo magno graphite paint finish combined with high-gloss chrome applications. The new edition will be further distinguished by a new "twin-blade" radiator grille with blade-like slats, the surround for the AMG-specific LED daytime driving lights and fins on the wings and the hood.
"To mark AMG’s 45th birthday we are presenting the SL 65 AMG "45th ANNIVERSARY" – a very special anniversary model in a limited edition of 45 vehicles. The superior V12 roadster with exclusive appointments embodies our brand claim "Driving Performance" to perfection", says Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
Hit the jump to read more about the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG 45th Anniversary.
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Anytime they attend a major auto show, the fine chaps over at Land Rover are always looking to make a splash. Look no further for all the evidence than the 2012 New York Auto Show where, to the surprise of no one, the British automaker has revealed a pair of special edition models.
Joining the LR4 HSE Luxury Limited Edition in waving to the New York crowd is the Range Rover Sport Supercharged Limited Edition. While it doesn’t carry all the luxury bells and whistles of its co-debutante, the Range Rover Sport Supercharged Limited Edition is still cool enough to justify its limited edition billing.
For starters, the model will only come in a choice of two exterior paint finishes - Fuji White and Santorini Black - while also receiving a slew decorative trim pieces tacked in various parts of the SUV. Inside, there’s not as much leather, but there is plenty of bespoke carbon fiber trim to go with contrast leather in red and black with contrast stitching.
As far as power goes, the Range Rover Sport Supercharged Limited Edition will make use of a supercharged V8 that delivers a tidy 510 horsepower. And just in case you’re wondering how "limited" this limited edition Range Rover is, Land Rover will only be building 500 units of this bad boy, exclusively for the US market.
UPDATE 05/18/2012: Landrover has just revealed that the US market will get 500 units of the new Range Rover Sport Supercharged Limited Edition, only 300 units in Santorini Black and 200 units in Fuji White.
There’s no shortage of auto debuts going on at the 2012 New York Auto Show and Land Rover is joining in on the fun with the premier of two special edition models that are set to be made available later in 2012.
One of these models is based on the Land Rover LR4 and it’s called the LR4 HSE Luxury Limited Edition. As its name will obviously tell you, the LR4 HSE Luxury Limited Edition has been touched up with plenty of high-class accessories.
On the outside, the SUV was finished in an exclusive Santorini Black paint finish to go with silver touches on the front grille surround, the full-length roof rails, the mirror housing, the bonnet script, and the tailgate badge. In addition, Land Rover decided to give the LR4 HSE Luxury Limited Edition’s wheels some spunk, courtesy of a new set of 20" 10-spoke alloy rims.
Moving to the interior, you’ll find a leather explosion, courtesy of an expanded leather treatment dressed in an Arabica color. The SUV’s door tops, door pulls, arm rests, and dashboard fascia all carry the same leather material that’s complemented by a contrast stitched detailing and a Dark Zebrano wood veener. And if all that leather isn’t enough to tickle your fancy, the LR4 HSE Luxury Limited Edition also has plenty of the standard features, including an 825 watt, 17-speaker Harman/Kardon LOGIC7 Premium Audio System, 8" screens, wireless headphones, and last but certainly not least, a Center Console Cooler Box.
The LR4 HSE Luxury Limited Edition will be made available worldwide with the UK understandably getting first dibs at the car. The price tag for the limited edition SUV on the other side of the pond starts at £56,995, which is around $90,500 based on current exchange rates.
We’re positive that we have all seen Eric Clapton’s one-off Ferrari 458 Italia by now, but up until this point we’ve only seen blurry images and a less-than-exciting video shot by YouTube personality ‘Shmee150’. However, now we can show you the official patented drawings for the car which were constructed well in advance of the car actually being made.
The original pictures published make the incredible supercar look relatively odd. It’s likely fitted with a lifting system and we wouldn’t be surprised if that was activated throughout the event it debuted in. Furthermore, it’s quite hard to actually pick the lines of the 458 Italia of which it’s based off, but these high quality drawings do give us a clear indication of the styling direction Clapton chose for the car.
The car has a much wider stance than the regular 458 Italia, and this makes it look quite reminiscent of the legendary Ferrari Enzo, and of course, the Enzo headlights help finish off the aggressive look. The most interesting part of this particular car, however, is its under tray.
We’ve yet to see any real pictures showcasing just how the regular car looks from underneath, but Clapton’s SP12 has a very smooth under tray to improve airflow with its aggressive rear diffuser helping to add even more downforce to the driven wheels.
Initial reports suggested that the SP12 would feature the V12 from the now-extinct 599 GTB, but it was later confirmed to have retained the standard 4.5-liter V8 producing a little over the standard 570HP.
In case you haven’t noticed over the past couple of years, it’s important to understand that when it comes to MINI, there’s nothing in the realm of imagination that these guys aren’t afraid to pursue.
The BMW-owned company has never been a shy about its quirky approach in their marketing exploits, as well as in building concepts, special editions, and everything else in between. And as if to continue in that trend, MINI has released a couple of new models that are, safe to say, unlike anything else anybody’s ever built.
One of the models is called the MINI Cowley Caravan, a model that was based on the Countryman, and comes with pretty much everything you need to build an impromptu camp site.
There are two welcoming sleeping berths, a twin-burner gas-stove, a water tank with its own pump and dish-washing facility, a solar module to charge the on-board battery, and a 230-volt power connection that serves as the power source for - get this - the refrigerator, the TV/DVD, and hi-fi stereo system.
The words "MINI" and "contemporary" have very few similarities between them, and you don’t need to look further than the Cowley Caravan as proof of that. Despite being a separate apparatus in its own right, the eye-catching trailer is still only 12 centimeters - that’s under five inches - wider than a MINI Clubman and weighs just under 300 kilograms - 661 lb - making it svelte enough to be towed around by the Countryman, thus turning it into a true road companion whenever and wherever you go.
And by the way, we are 100% sure that this was a clever April Fool’s Day joke from the automaker. Well played, Mini.
Just when you think that you’ve figured out how MINI’s mind works, they come out with something that reminds you just how unpredictable these guys are when it comes to their vehicles.
Say you’re taking a long road trip and you’re eyes are starting to become as heavy as sand bags. The prudent thing to do is to find the nearest inn or just park on the side of the road to catch a brief nap. In the case of the Swindon Roof Top Tent Edition, you can actually do the latter by climbing up to the car’s roof-top tent to get some shut eye.
You read that right; this special MINI Cooper model has a tent set-up on where the roof rack was once located.
Unbelievable as that sounds, it’s even more ridiculous to think that the tent actually has space for two people with a working ladder that allows you access to the roof of your car and inside your tent. And if that wasn’t enough, the roof tent has its own "tent box" that you can use to stow away your tent when you’re not using it. Add some pillows, some blankets, and some stuffed teddy bears, and you’re all set for nice and relaxing sleep inside your tent.
Then again, we’re not naive enough to think that this wasn’t just an elaborate - and brilliant - April Fool’s Day joke from the German automaker. If it was, then consider us buying it hook, line, and sinker. To be honest, with all of their special edition models, we’d truly believe this would be something they were capable of.
We will preface this article by saying how odd it is to use the word “Ram” as a make and not a model. Please take note, Dodge, Ram, or whatever you want to call yourself today.
The Ram lineup of truck is in for something big, as the automaker plans to reveal an all-new addition to the lineup on April 5th. Dodge, err, Ram has begun a campaign dubbed “A Giant Awaits” where the truck builder will release one teaser picture per day until the unveiling of this new pickup. So now we get to decipher five, or so, teaser pictures of random parts of a new truck.
Today was the first day of said campaign and Ram has released the above picture. Despite Ram claiming these pictures are supposed to be “not easily identifiable,” it took us about 10 seconds to figure out it is a restyled grille on a Ram pickup. Now, we are pretty certain all of this hubbub isn’t over a new grille, but that is all Ram is showing today.
So let’s examine this cheese grater-like grille and what it may mean. That type of grille is only seen on high-performance and luxury vehicles, and Ram already has the Laramie line of luxury-style pickups, so scratch that. All that leaves is a high-performance model, unless Ram is just drawing our attention to announce that the 2013 Ram is getting the Pentastar V-6 as its base engine, which we already know from Chrysler’s SEC filings.
Dodge scrapped the SRT10 model Ram following the 2006 model year, due to low sales and the Viper’s notoriously undependable and fuel-hungry engine. But what about an SRT8 model, bearing the same 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter V-8 that the 2012 Challenger SRT8 392 does? That engine is far more reliable, less expensive to maintain and gets better gas mileage than the Viper’s 8.3-liter V-10. This is all just speculation now. Just like us, you will just have to wait until more information is released.
Hit the jump to read Ram’s press release
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Over the past few days, we’ve seen a lot of crossover products from partnerships between automakers and various other companies.
Not one to be left out in the cold, Aston Martin wants to keep our feet warm and stylish, thanks to its new collaboration with John Lobb to create the ultimate lightweight driver’s shoe.
Did we expect anything less from two of Britain’s finest?
The special Winner Sport shoe, which was co-designed by Aston Martin’s Director of Design Marek Reichman and John Lobb’s Creative Director Andrés Hernández, is as sleek and aerodynamic as it’s being billed to be. It’s made from full-grain calfskin and lined with supple sheepskin. Soft padding was added at the ankle to ensure maximum comfort while metallic eyelets that have been punched with a wheel of fine holes reflect the style and language of the British automaker. Lastly, the Winner Sport shoe also comes with a specially-engineered bonded rubber sole that wraps beneath the shoe, ensuring a style of sleekness and a sporting feel that few other shoes can match.
More than just the technology and expertise used in building the shoe, Winner Sport also comes in a wide palette of color combinations, including Graphite Grey, Winter Wheat, Frost White, and Saddle Tan, all of which are made with the Sporty Stratos White rubber sole. Likewise, Storm Black, Bitter Chocolate, Westminster Green, and Aurora Blue color schemes are made with Racy Fire Red rubber soles. Each color also comes with red and white laces.
The Winner Sport shoe is set to drop at selected John Lobb and Aston Martin stores on May 12, 2012. Leading up to that, the shoe will be previewed at the opening of the new Aston Martin W-One Store in London’s Park Lane and at John Lobb Jermyn Street this March.
Jeep’s line-up of vehicles at the 2012 Easter Safari in Moab, Utah is rounding out into shape with the unveiling of two new vehicles - the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Concept and the Jeep Wrangler Traildozer - following last week’s announcement of the Mighty FC Concept, the J12, and the Wrangler Apache.
The Traildozer, in particular, is based on a Dozer Yellow 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and was co-designed by Jeep and the engineering boys over at the American Expedition Vehicles (AEV). For the project, the two collaborating heads fixed up the Wrangler with some off-road body protection, Mopar premium front and rear bumpers, and rear corner guards. Likewise, the off-roader was also given a Mopar performance heat reduction hood, a Mopar half-door kit, and a Mopar/Warn 9.5 Cti winch. Inside, the changes, minimal as they are, include an AEV ’F-1’ leather seat trim kit and Mopar slush mats. The wheels configuration includes 37" Mickey Thompson Baja Claw radials mounted on Mopar Classic five-spoke wheels, with a fully-installed AEV Dualsport RS 3.5" suspension lift.
Then there’s the most significant modification on this vehicle: the engine upgrade! For the project, Jeep and AEV installed a bolt-in 6.4-liter HEMI V8 engine that produces 470 horsepower and mated it to a Getrag 238 six-speed manual transmission with the power running through Rubicon-specific Dana 44 axles equipped with 4:10 gears and electronic locking differentials.
It doesn’t do much in the way of aesthetics, but the Jeep Wrangler Traildozer is a powerful workhorse hiding in an otherwise simple body.
