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.
BMW is throwing the automotive world for a loop in the coming years as a few of their models will be getting name changes to make room for a denser lineup. We already know the future 3-Series Coupe and Convertible will be sold as a 4-Series and now the future generation 1-Series Coupe and Convertible will also be getting a name change: They will adopt the 2-Series nomenclature. The future 2-Series Coupe has already been rendered so it was high time for us to get the 2-Series Convertible a little attention.
The BMW 2-Series Convertible will arrive a few months after its coupe brother and will be sportier than the current 1-Series. Under the hood, there will only be four-cylinder engines: a 2.0 petrol with either 150 HP, 177 HP, or 218 HP and a 2.0 turbodiesel with 214 HP. These engines will be combined with either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional eight-speed automatic transmission. An xDrive system will also be offered to make the car even more fuel efficient.
Expect to see the new BMW 2-Series Convertible launched in late 2013.
In the 1950s, car racing was nowhere near what it has become today. The majority of the cars on road circuits were more about how good the driver was and how well the car was tuned. This meant that the majority of the cars were lightweight and only had between 200 and 250 horsepower. Having said that, there always has to be some sort of exception and the exception here is the 1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider and RM Auctions has one set to go to auction on May 12th, 2012.
The Ferrari 375 MM Spider managed to completely dominate the World Sports Car Championship between 1954 and 1957, winning a total of 11 races and having seven more podium appearances (top 3 or 4 places). It also won two national championships in Argentina in 1954 and 1955.
In 1957, the car was retired following a crash. Post-retirement someone managed to get a hold of this storied racer, pulled out the Italian V-12 and dropped in a U.S.-built V-8 engine, which really seems pointless to us. After the V-8 muscle went into it, this once famed roadster just disappeared from automotive history.
In 1983, this American-powered Ferrari resurfaced and made its way back to home. In Italy, Count Zanon di Valsiurata repaired the image of this car by reinstalling its Italian power plant and restoring it to an acceptable condition.
How does this one-time powerhouse of the WSC and 1 of 15 Pininfarina examples ever built stand up to 2012 standards?
De Tomaso is unquestionably one of the most recognizable brands in the world, not only because of its provocative name but also because the Pantera supercar truly put the company on the international map.
The Pantera stayed in production for almost two decades, before being pushed aside in 1990 as the company was facing crippling money issues, eventually leading to the company’s liquidation in 2004. The Rossignolo family maintained the vast majority of De Tomaso’s shares and helped revive the brand for the 2011 Geneva Motor Show with the surprising debut of the Deauville sedan.
That car was met with a relatively negative reception and the financial problems plaguing the company continued, but Chinese investment firm Hotyork did announce its ambitious plans to buy the majority of De Tomaso’s shares for 70 million Euros. That money, however, never materialized and as a result, the company and its dozens of workers are now being left in limbo.
Not only is this sad for those vintage car enthusiasts, but also for modern-car lovers as a successor to the Pantera (rendered above) was rumored to be released early this year and would have likely maintained its aggressive and retro-styling.
As a quick refresher, the original De Tomaso Pantera featured a 5.8-liter V8 engine, mid-mounted and provided by Ford producing approximately 330HP. What the original car lacked in performance however, it made up for in the styling department taking clear cues from its Italian brethren, the Lamborghini Countach.
If the crisis at De Tomaso continues, it’s likely it’ll never see the light of day again, but they’ll always be investors out there willing to purchase it, just like the various firms trying to acquire Saab (the majority of which have failed).
Lotus Racing has announced the new Evora GTC that will compete in America’s Grand-Am road races: the Rolex Sports Car Series. The car will be driven by British drivers Richard Adams, David Green, and Martin Byford.
The new Evora GTC is based on the Evora GT4 from which it borrows most of the components. However, the GTC is a much lighter model thanks to its new carbon-fiber doors, roof, and engine cover in fiber glass, as well as Plexiglass windows. The car has also been equipped with traction control, BOSCH Anti-Lock Brakes, and a new set of 18" wheels mated to 27/65-18 tires at the front and 30/65-18s at the rear.
Under the hood, the Evora GTC gets the usual 4-liter V6 engine with an output of 450 HP and 324 lbs-ft of torque, linked to an XTRAC six-speed sequential paddle-shift.
"The GTC is quicker than the GT4 Enduro even though the Powertrain remains the same. We’ve managed to reduce the weight, and added ABS and traction control. Wider wheels mean customers now have a much greater selection of tyres they can use, the flared wheel arches accommodate this, which gives the car its visual definition and makes it look more muscular without hampering the aero," said Louis Kerr, senior motorsport engineer, Group Lotus.
If the Nissan GT-R can be criticized for one thing, it’s its styling. Sure, the GT-R may be one of the fastest accelerating and cornering cars on the planet, but it definitely doesn’t host those classic supercar lines which are typically the core ingredient that make a supercar what it is.
As we’re sure you know, the GT-R is significantly narrower and taller than anything offered by Ferrari, Lamborghini, and even Porsche (Cayenne excluded, obviously), but the bright-green pictured here does not conform with that rule in the slightest sense.
This 942 horsepower beast is one of the most customized GT-R’s out there, with the wide-body kit finally giving the GT-R the true supercar proportions it’s always needed. No details have been released about who created the wide wheel arches as it could have a custom one-off job by a fanatical owner, or a relatively mainstream tuner displaying their prowess of what could become a kit available to other GT-R owners.
What we can deduce however, is that its front splitter has been provided by Stillen, the extremely menacing exhaust pipes come from JoTech tuning, while the custom black wheels are obviously provided by HRE Wheels. What makes this particular GT-R stand out even more is the fact that it’s painted in Lamborghini’s ever-popular Verde Ithaca.
If anything can top off the incredible styling of this car it’s the fact that it has been fitted with the JoTech Stage 5 upgrade kit which includes a set of HKS GT800 GTII turbos delivering their power at the same time while a new exhaust manifold, 50mm wastegate, and the aforementioned exhaust pipes finish off this incredible upgrade.
How awesome was it? It gave tuners like HMS Tuning free reign to give it some serious performance and exterior modifications.
Starting with the latter, HMS Tuning gave the C63 AMG a few added goodies, including a redesigned carbon fiber front bumper with integrated LED lights, flared wheel arches, a new boot lid spoiler, and a rear diffuser. All these items, incidentally, are made out of carbon fiber. Rounding out the exterior mods are a new set of 19" Jade R HMS-Edition black rims.
Now, for the performance upgrade. With the C63 AMG already carrying one of the best 6.2-liter V8 engines in the world, the Mercedes sports sedan is capable of belting out 457 horsepower. Now, add a three-stage supercharger kit and you’ve got a variety of increased outputs to choose from. Stage I develops 625 horsepower and 593 lb/ft of torque, Stage 2 produces 640 horsepower and 620 lb/ft of torque, and finally, Stage 3 peaks at 690 horsepower and 646 lb/ft of torque.
Not too bad for the 2012 Mercedes C63 AMG, right?
Talking about pricing, the top-end Stage 3 supercharger kit is priced at a steady €24,419, which is around $31,700 based on current exchange rates.
We brought you news about the possibility of Renault reviving the Alpine name and producing a brand new concept based around the original car just a couple of weeks ago, and already more details about this possible, yet-to-be-confirmed car have surfaced.
Originally, Renault was rumored to have stated that a successor to the legendary Alpine A110 would debut at the 2012 Paris Auto Show in late September, but according to Autoblog.nl, the new car could be debuting much sooner at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix late this month. This wouldn’t be the only new car said to debut at the event, as reports have also suggested that McLaren will unveil the McLaren F1 successor in a private display during the festivities.
If this turns out to be true, then debuting the car at the Monaco Grand Prix could be a great move on Renault’s part, as it’s not only an integral part of Formula One and one of its key engine suppliers, but the media buzz around the famous race will help the French company get some recognition for reviving this legend.
The car in question will only be a concept version, and is rumored to be dubbed the ‘ZAR,’ although we’re somewhat doubtful that the ZAR name would make it to production. It seems a return to ‘Alpine’ would be preferable. Autoblog.nl has also revealed that the new Renault sports car may be completely electric and help lead the sports car market into more efficient territory.
However, if Renault does decide to create an electric Alpine for the 2014 or 2015 model years, it’s likely it would also offer the car with a conventional internal combustion engine if it really is a tribute to the original.
It’s yet to be confirmed if the Monaco display will be conducted in private or not, but if it is, expect a few shots to leak onto the net in the days following the event.
In what can only be described as a truly incredible and informative review, Chris Harris recently pitted the BMW M3 GTS, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series, and Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 against each other for the Drive network and has delivered yet another piece of automotive art.
All three cars, particularly the BMW and Mercedes-Benz are aimed at a very small, niche segment of the market where prospecting buyers want cars which can perform equally well on the track as they do on the road. The 911 on the other hand, is for all intents and purposes, a full-on race car converted for road use and carries much greater expectations.
This may surprise some, but all of the aforementioned cars were priced fairly similarly when they first hit the market and even though the BMW M3 GTS is no longer produced, it’s as relevant as it was back in 2010 immediately after its launch.
Sure, more fun can be had in other cars than in these three, with Harris highlighting the fact that an Ariel Atom could be purchased for the same money but that of course, doesn’t work on the road like a truly incredible car should. As a result, Harris assembled these three cars to test both their on-track and off-track capabilities while also seeing which promotes the greatest amount of hooliganism.
We won’t spoil the end result for you, but needless to say, this is one of the very best ways to spend 25 minutes.
The 2013 model year will be a pretty big year for Corvette: it will mark the car’s 60th anniversary and the final year of production for the current generation. Next to these important events, a 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will be serving as a Pace Car for the 96th Indianapolis 500. On May 27, 2012, the ZR1 will lead the starting field at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This will be the 23rd time a Chevrolet has paced "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and the 11th time a Corvette is serving as the Pace Car.
The Corvette ZR1 is powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 engine that delivers a total of 638 HP. With a total weight of 3,353 lbs, the car will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and can hit a top speed of 205 mph. The ZR1 lapped the Nurburgring track in 7:19.63.
"Corvette embodies pure performance, so the ZR1 is a perfect car to pace the most prestigious auto race in the world," said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and chief executive officer. "Chevrolet is a great partner of the Speedway, and we share in the excitement of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the iconic Corvette brand. It’s even more meaningful to see a Chevrolet pacing the field at Indy since Chevy has returned as an engine supplier for the IZOD IndyCar Series for the first time since 2005."
UPDATE 05/10/2012: Chevrolet has unveiled a cool video showing off the new Corvette ZR1 Pace Car as it does some laps around Indianapolis. Enjoy!
UPDATE 05/24/2012: Chevrolet has unveiled a new video featuring Ryan Briscoe behind the wheel of the Corvette ZR1 Pace Car around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Enjoy!
In 1965, the Aston Martin DB5 was on its way out of showrooms and the new DB6 was being shown off at the London Motor Show. Between these two events lies the shortest-lasting production model convertible ever produced by Aston: the 1966 Aston Martin Volante.
The Volante was based off of the 37 remaining unused 1965 DB5s, but donned the more luxurious amenities of the DB6. When this model debuted, it was nicknamed the “Short Chassis” in an effort to help distinguish it from the longer DB6. As a result of the name, many people mistook that as meaning it was actually a shortened version of the DB5, which it is not.
Despite its awesome performance for the era, sharp looks, and popularity, the Volante was only an interim car. It was used just to bridge the gap between the time that the DB5 left and the DB6 hit showrooms. This means that production ceased as soon as the 37 unused DB5 chassis were converted.
Coming across a rare Aston Martin like this happens just about as often as you have a chance of seeing a Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster. Okay, maybe it’s a little more likely than seeing those, but you get our point. Well, get your wallet and passport ready, as RM Auctions is just about to auction off one of the 37 1966 Aston Martin ’Short Chassis’ Volante units on May 12th, 2012 in Monaco.
So how does this classic Brit motorcar look, feel, and drive?
Click past the jump to read our review and find out.
