On the U.S. market, a standard Ferrari 458 Spider is priced at $257,000. So, why is this version priced at $459,900? The answer is simple: because it is the only Verde-Kers-Lucido 458 Spider in the U.S. and one of two in the world built up to this point.
What’s so special about this paint? To be honest with you nothing much, it is just the same green paint job applied to the Hy-Kers 599 hybrid test car unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.
This particular model has only 967 miles on its ticker and comes with lots of carbon-fiber insertions on the interior. The model sits on 20-inch forged dark-painted rims wrapped in Michelin tires and features Scuderia Ferrari shields. Other standard equipment includes: a front wing in carbon fiber, rear molding also in carbon fiber and diamond stitching in Nero.
Click past the jump to read more about the standard Ferrari 458 Spider.
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A standard Maserati GranCabrio MC gets its power from a 4.7-liter V-8 engine that delivers a total of 460 horsepower. Those are pretty good numbers for a sports convertible, but not the best a Maserati can do.
Luckily for us, there are tuners that came into the picture and tuned the car to its real capacities.
Novitec did just that for the GranCabrio MC. The tuner installed a new supercharger with a water-cooled intercooler and a pair of heat exchangers, which allowed it to boost pressure by 0.43 bar (6.23 psi).
Along with the new supercharger, Novitec also offers an updated intake manifold with larger injectors and it remapped the ECU. The result is a total output of 646 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque.
With the extra power, the GranCabrio MC will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds - down from the standard 4.9 seconds - and will go up to top speed of 189 mph. The sprint from 0 to 124 mph drops to 11.4 seconds.
Click past the jump to read more about the Maserati GranCabrio MC by Novitec.
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Back in May, Aston Martin announced the Hybrid Hydrogen-powered Rapide S as a special entry in the 41st ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Now the company has teamed up with Bosch Engineering to develop a plug-in-hybrid variant of the DB9 sports car. Could this be a clear sign that Aston Martin is considering hybridization for its future models?
The car received no exterior updates, except, of course, for the expected Bosch swag so we don’t forget who helped electrify the DB9.
All of the major work was made under the hood, where the two companies combined a V-12 engine powering the front wheels with an electric motor for the rear wheels. As a result, this hybrid DB9 will deliver a total of 740 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque.
On top of the amazing output – 230 horsepower and 193 pound-feet of torque more than the base DB9 – Aston Martin also announced a full-electric range of 16 miles. Rumors are also circulating that the hybrid DB9 will be about 10-percent quicker than the standard car.
Bosch equipped the car with the latest ESP system with four different driving modes: safe, sport, drift, and custom. For the interior, Bosch developed TFT dials and an in-car touchscreen system, which obviously will double as a hybrid system monitor.
Click past the jump to read more about the Aston Martin DB9.
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A few days ago, Nissan confirmed that its in-house performance division, Nismo, is preparing for big updates for the future. One of the biggest surprises offered by the performance division will be a Nismo version of the current Nissan GT-R.
The future Nismo version will be based on the 2014 GT-R and will add a series of updates that will transform the GT-R into a real track machine, while keeping it perfectly suitable for the road. No other details have been provided, but it’s pretty easy to imagine what the future GT-R Nismo will bring on the market.
On the exterior, Nismo will work on improving the car’s aerodynamics, so you should expect lower front and rear bumpers, wider wings and sill side skirts, plus a huge wing at the rear. On the interior, the Nismo GT-R will get special suede-trimmed Nismo sports seats with red stitching, plus a redesigned steering wheel, pedals, gauges and gear knob.
Under the hood, the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine will be tricked to deliver at least 25 horsepower over the standard 545 horsepower.
The new Nissan GT-R Nismo will hit dealerships in a year’s time. We’ll update you when new information surfaces.
Click past the jump to read about the base 2014 Nissan GT-R
UPDATE 5/1/2013: Nissan executive vice president, Andy Palmer, had a conversation with Autocar and revealed a few snippets of information on the 2015 GT-R Nismo. On the exterior, the majority of the changes will be limited to aerodynamic efficiency and downforce. Additionally, he stated that Nismo will also tune the GT-R’s 3.8-liter engine beyond its base horsepower, stating that "there will be an extra kick" and that they are aiming for the production car record around the Nurburgring.
Update 6/18/2013: In a conversation with the folks at Top Gear, Nissan let slip that the Nismo GT-R would pack “more than 570 horsepower,” plus include improved handling and looks. We figure we’ll see around 575 horsepower by time it is all said and done. (Motor Authority)
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Audi recently refreshed the entire R8 lineup, with exception to the GT version - the most powerful variant. Now, our spy photographers have caught what appears to be a refreshed version of the R8 GT, or possibly even the R8 GT Plus, out testing. The car was caught at the Quattro GmbH engineers’ testing track and it looks meaner than ever.
Why do we think this could be the Plus version? Well, because it features some updates that clearly indicate this is no normal R8 GT. These features include: a new chin spoiler for added downforce up front; large brake calipers; and what look to be carbon-ceramic, cross-drilled brake rotors. Around back, we find yet another GT Plus tipoff: a huge wing that looks like it is built from carbon fiber.
On top of the GT Plus-like elements, this prototype also features front quarter panel winglets, like we see on the current R8 GT.
Under the hood, the next R8 GT Plus will get a 5.2-liter V-10 engine that produces somewhere between 575 and 600 horsepower.
Updated 06/17/2013: According to the British magazine AutoCar, the revised R8 GT will be unveiled at the Le Mans 24 Hours race set to take place this week-end, June 22-23.
Click past the jump to read more about the Audi R8 GT Plus.
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Now that we have finally seen the next-generation BMW 3 Series, it’s time to focus on the coupe version of the model, AKA the 4 Series Coupe. First details on the new 4 Series Coupe have just been released and the production will start in July 2013.
When thinking about the new 4 Series Coupe, think of it as a small 6 Series with design elements inspired by the 3 Series sedan. When compared to the model it replaces, the 4 Series Coupe is larger in width and wheelbase and sits considerably lower to the road.
Everything else on the new 4 Series Coupe is clearly inspired by the 3 Series sedan, including the double-kidney grille, headlights and engine lineup.
The 4 Series Coupe will be followed by a convertible model shortly.
Update 06/14/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
Click past the jump to read more about the new BMW 4 Series Coupe.
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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
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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!
