Sports Cars are engineered to go around corners and straight lines as fast as possible. They are usually expensive, dangerous and so much fun that everybody wants one. Owning a sports car is a gratifying experience but it will cost you money and back pain as they are usually expensive to maintain and not very comfortable. But who cares as they look like supermodels at the beach.
There’s no denying that the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C is one of the most eagerly anticipated sports cars to come out of Italy these days that doesn’t carry the Ferrari badge.
That’s how much hype the sports car is getting; any news about it is definitely gonna catch the attention of a lot of people.
So with that much going for it, Alfa Romeo decided to give everyone a behind-the-scenes look at how it builds the 4C. And by "behind-the-scenes,” we don’t mean the sort of time-lapse videos that we’ve seen in the past; this one runs well over 8 minutes long and goes in-depth into the process from beginning to end.
It’s a fascinating watch to put it lightly, especially if you’re one of the many people who are anxiously waiting for the sports car to finally hit dealerships.
Trust us; this is a video that you should be watching in its entirety.
Click past the jump to read about the Alfa Romeo 4C
In 2012, a stock 2013 Nissan GT-R ran the 1/4-mile in 10.87 seconds - a pretty good time for a stock car developing a total of 542 horsepower. In the realm of GT-R tuning, however, things go by a little bit faster, thanks to outputs that nearly double the stock horsepower.
For example, last year a GT-R Alpha Omega by AMS with 1,600 horsepower under the hood ran the 1/4-mile in 8.63 seconds. Now, a 1,300-pony GT-R broke the record and managed to run the quarter mile in 8.61 seconds at a speed of 170 mph.
The GT-R breaking the record was equipped with an AMS Alpha 12 turbo kit, Mickey Thompson drag radials, a Syvecs SGTR ECU package developed by Switzer and a ShepTrans driveline to help keep the wheels spinning.
So, you don’t believe a 1,300-horsepower GT-R can beat a 1,600-horsepower one? Well, the above video will show you just how much driver talent and other mechanical advantages above and beyond horsepower help out.
Mercedes has just start production of the new-generation S-Class, but along with the images from the production plant, it "accidentally" revealed the AMG version of the luxury sedan, making us believe that an official debut is getting closer.
As you can see from this video, the new S63 AMG will offer no big surprises: you are just looking at a new S-Class with the usual AMG updates, like bigger air intakes, marked side sills, a new rear bumper, upgraded wheels and tinted indicators in the mirrors. For the rear, there is also a new exhaust system with four tailpipes.
Under the hood, AMG will place a new twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 engine that will deliver somewhere between 536 and 550 horsepower.
Rumors suggest that the new S63 AMG will be making its world debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, but we expect some details on it a little bit sooner.
In the latest episode of DRIVE, Chris Harris had the chance to test another great car: a 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 and from what we can see from the video, it looks like he was more than excited about the car. If we’re not mistaken, we believe he is among the first lucky folks to get some seat time in the new GT3, so you can understand his excitement.
The new 911 GT3 is powered by a 3.8-liter boxer engine that delivers a total of 475 horsepower and sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds. This hopped-up version of the Porsche flagship hits a top speed of 195 mph. Also, Porsche claims that it ran the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under 7:30.
Check out this video (above) to see what Harris has to say about this €137,303 (about $182,000 at the current exchange rates) sports car!
Toyota’s incoming chairman, Takeshi Uchiyamada announced in a recent interview that he will like that the new sports car developed in partnership with BMW to be a mid-sized vehicle, similar to the discontinued Supra. Not only would a Supra-like vehicle sell like mad, but he also wants to avoid building a car that overlaps the new GT 86, which was built in cooperation with Subaru.
Uchiyamada considers that making something similar to the GT86 can be “futile,” but the final decision is left to the engineers responsible for developing the future sports car. If Toyota decides to revive the “Supra” nameplate, one that lasted from 1979 through 2002, then it would be to massive fanfare from Supra enthusiasts, which would give it an instant leg-up on the competition.
What we do know so far is that the new sports car will be built on a heavily modified version of the GT86 platform and will likely be powered by an in-line four-cylinder engine from BMW. The engine will be offered by both companies in naturally aspirated, supercharged and turbocharged versions.
We expect to see the concept version at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.
Click past the jump to read more about Toyota Supra.
BMW used the CSL name for the first time back in 1972 when it unveiled the 3.0CSL - a special version of the Six CS (E9) developed to race the European Touring Car Championship. In 2004, that named was used once again, but this time on a road-going M3 CSL (Coupé Sport Leichtbau).
The CSL version was about 240 pounds lighter than a regular M3, thanks to the use of many weight-saving technologies inspired by Formula 1 cars. The model also boasted 17 extra horses under the hood than a standard M3 and thanks to its front-engine, rear-drive layout and the SMG-II gearbox, it delivered the purest driving dynamics of any BMW of the time.
The M3 CSL was limited to only 1,400 units and was offered only in two exterior colors: Silver Grey Metallic and Black Sapphire Metallic. The model never made it to the U.S. market and in the British market it was considered a very expensive car, as it was about £20,000 ($32,000 at the current exchange rates) more expensive than a standard M3.
Click past the jump to read more about the BMW M3 CSL.
BMW unveiled the M3 CLS (Coupe Sport Lightweight) back in 2004 when only 1,400 units have been produced. Sadly, the M3 CLS was never released in the North American market and was offered only in two exterior colors: Silver Grey Metallic and Black Sapphire Metallic.
Now, BMW is preparing to celebrate the car’s 10th anniversary and it started with a very cool reunion in Munich, Germany. About 50 BMW M3 CSL owners from different parts of Europe came to this reunion and made a real spectacle of it. It’s pretty easy to get a good idea of what happened in there by watching this short video (above) released by BMW.
The M3 CSL was built using a forward-thinking intelligent lightweight technology that set the benchmark for the car construction of future models. Thanks to this construction, the M3 CLS was about 243 pounds lighter than a standard M3. With its 360-horsepower engine the M3 CSL could sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds, while top speed was limited to 155 mph.
After years of teasing and concept reveals, the Acura NSX is finally going to be a reality. This was confirmed by a press release from Honda informing us that it had selected a production facility: an all-new, 184,000-square-foot Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio. This production facility will be inside Honda’s former North American Logistics facility nearby Honda’s R&D and engineering operations.
Little is known about the production version of the NSX except the fact that is will carry a mid-mounted, direct-injected V-6 engine and Acura’s Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system. The Sport Hybrid SH-AWD uses a trio of electric motors – one mated to the engine and two driving the front wheels – to help boost the V-6 engine’s performance and overall vehicle stability. The latest concept’s engine hooked up to a dual-clutch transmission and we expect the same from the production model. Unfortunately, Honda released no information on the total output and performance of the NSX, so we are in the dark here. We do figure to see at least 400 horsepower from the 2016 NSX and a 0-to-60 mph time around 4 seconds.
The 2013 NSX Concept is likely the one that is most similar to what the NSX will actually look like, minus the crazy headlights and wheels. The red and black leather interior is very realistic for production and the body isn’t too over the top to be considered for production.
Production will begin in Ohio in 2015, making this a 2016 model year not the 2015 model year that anticipated earlier. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Click past the jump to read more about the NSX Concepts
*Image Note: All Images are of the various NSX concepts, not the production model
A 235 mpg car, like the Volkswagen XL1, could be a dream car on the current market, but the problem is that the XL1 is too expensive and limited to just 50 units, with none of these units arriving in the U.S.
The good news is that the XL1 could get a sportier, XR1 variant that could also arrive here in The States. The future XR1 would be built on the same structure as the XL1, but it would offer performance figures to rival the Porsche 911 for half the money.
If produced, the XR1 will use lots of carbon fiber to keep the weight down and will be offered with a powertrain that will deliver 70 mpg. Rumors suggest that the XR1 could get a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger and a turbo- or supercharged three-cylinder engine. No matter what engine is used, the XR1 will most likely use a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, will be about 230 pounds lighter than the XL1 and will offer a more conventional look.
First details suggest that the XR1 will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds and will hit a top speed of about 190 mph.
Click past the jump to read more about the Volkswagen XL1.
The next-generation Ford Mustang has been in development for some time now, but all we have seen so far are mules. Now, Road & Track has caught the elusive 2015 Mustang out for testing and dug up some tasty tidbits of information the new Mustang.
The first good news is that the model will finally get independent rear suspension and the base model will keep the usual V-6 powertrain. Next engine in the lineup is a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder with an output of about 350 horsepower. This version may mark the return of the old "SVO" trim level from the 1980s. The top version will be, as usual, the GT model that will carry the same 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 engine with its output boosted to around 450 horsepower.
As for the SVT version, Road & Track claims that it may drop the “Shelby” name and adopt a new "Cobra" name. Also, this version may drop the supercharged engine and will go the all-motor route, much like the Camaro Z28.
Rumors suggest that the new generation Mustang will make its auto show debut before the close of 2013.
Click past the jump to read more about Ford Mustang.
