The upcoming SSC Tuatara is the hotly anticipated sophomore album from the Washington-based SSC North America team. SSC has built a name for itself via impressive top-speed-record runs with its existing model, the Diablo-esque SSC Ultimate Aero XT.
The Tuatara’s development continued this spring with engine and gearbox setups being refined since the concept car was revealed in late 2011. The new model builds a stunning exterior and interior atop the brute-force mechanical package from the Ultimate Aero XT. The latest news to emerge from the firm is a 250 pound-feet bump in engine torque following durability testing, and news of a 300 mph speedometer, feeding rumors of a top speed well above the 276 mph initially quoted.
The style and presence of the white concept Tuatara created quite a stir when shown at Pebble Beach in 2011. Designed by the talented-but-bizarre Jason Castriota of SAAB and Fiat fame, the Tuatara most closely resembles the 2006 Maserati Birdcage 75th concept car in its smooth flowing panels and deep, milky-white paint finish. Castriota also worked on the Birdcage, but was not the lead designer. He now runs an independent design consultancy called Castriota Design.
UPDATE 5/1/2013: SSC just completed testing the Tuatara on the dyno and released all of the results. A release date has been officially set too. See more after the jump
Please follow the jump to learn more about the SSC Tuatara ahead of its first customer deliveries in January 2014.
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Dr. Ulrich Bez, the man largely responsible for the modern range of Aston Martin vehicles, is expected to step down from his post as CEO, Autocar UK reports.
Bez’s departure as CEO will leave a huge hole in the Aston Martin’s management, ending a 13-year run that began when he assumed the job as chief executive and chairman back in July 2000.
As soon as he vacates his CEO seat, Bez is expected to remain with the company and serve more of an ambassadorial role in the company. That’s a good thing for Aston Martin because Bez’s imprint in the British automaker is unmistakable.
In addition to being the driving force behind the recent range of Aston Martin models, Bez also led the company’s move to build a world-class manufacturing facility in Gaydon, among his many accomplishments.
Aston Martin has yet to confirm Bez’s departure, but according to Autocar, a new CEO will be named later this year.
We’ll keep you updated on any new information surrounding this development.
Click past the jump to see a few cars Aston Martin built under Dr. Ulrich Bez’s watch
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Any time you have two supercars that pack outputs of well over 1,000 horsepower, the idea is to get these two exotics in one location to see who could outpace the other in an extreme high-powered race.
Recently, such a thing happened when a 1,600-horsepower, Underground Racing-tuned Lamborghini Gallardo matched wits with a 1,500-horsepower Nissan GT-R.
It was, as the video calls it, an "epic battle".
We’re not going to spoil the fun because this drag race deserves your full attention. The Gallardo and the GT-R have not only become tuning favorites in their own right, but the two models have been pitted against each other in a lot of similar races.
Of course, we can’t remember the last time both cars carried in excess of 1,500 horsepower when they duked it out for racing supremacy, so consider this a lucky treat for all of us.
It’s the Gallardo versus the GT-R all over again. Only this time, both come with enough power to put other exotics to shame.
The McLaren P1 is a huge step forward for the company and for the hypercar game in general. It represents the pinnacle of McLaren’s knowledge in creating road cars that integrate the best Formula 1 technology to achieve searing performance on par with the best of the best from Ferrari and Pagani.
The P1 risked being overshadowed during its big debuts in Paris and Geneva, thanks to the concurrent reveals of LaFerrari and the Lamborghini Veneno, which both pack more styling drama and a more artful execution than the P1. Not one to shy away from competition, McLaren is ready for the sales brawl in the hypercar segment with their vision of the ultimate road car.
The difference for McLaren (versus Bugatti, for example) is that this is a make-or-break technical showcase whose failure could threaten the stability of the entire fledgling McLaren Automotive division. The Woking crew needs the P1 to be a real hero car in order for its marketing magic to trickle down to their 12C and upcoming 911-fighting P13 models.
Among the admirable traits of McLaren supremo Ron Dennis is his willingness to make running changes to the models. Following the 12C’s debut, the team bumped the power output, made the engine and exhaust much louder, and re-programmed the stability controls – all in the name of driving pleasure.
Will McLaren implement what they’ve learned from the 12C program to make the P1 a thrill to drive, or just a clenched-fist technical marvel?
Updated 04/30/2013: McLaren has unveiled a new video (above) featuring the new P1 supercar put under extreme testing in northern Sweden. Enjoy!
Click past the jump for the full review, the latest images of the P1 in Monaco, and new details on the engineering package.
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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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The full-court press surrounding the upcoming release of Iron Man 3 has reached a fever pitch, especially for Marvel and German automaker Audi.
A week ago, the two companies decided to give fans of the comic a chance to write their own ending, or more specifically, create the final frame of Iron Man’s comic book showdown against the Blizzard.
This week, Marvel’s "Steer the Story" campaign released a new video, only this time it’s one where Marvel fans will undoubtedly trip over in delight. Or at least those with the artistic chops to do so.
See, Marvel and Audi are giving fans a chance to learn how to do draw a car. But it’s not just any car; it’s a lesson on how to draw the Audi R8 Spyder. The tutorial is a pretty cool exercise, specifically because the instructional video starts with a blank sheet of paper and runs us through the entire process of drawing the R8, beginning with the outline all the way to the shading.
Click past the jump to read more about the Audi R8 and Marvel’s Steer the Story contest.
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The new 2014 LaFerrari is no doubt the most amazing car we have seen this year, as it combines a stunning design language with tons of horsepower under the hood. And when it comes to designing great watches inspired by Ferrari’s design language, the folks over Hublot do an amazing job.
Its latest creation - the MP-05 "LaFerrari" is a wristwatch worthy of its name. Not only because it features a great look, but the new MP-05 watch also scored a new world record by way of a 50-day power reserve.
The watch was designed entirely in parallel with the car, alongside the Ferrari team. It features 637 components for the movement, a Tourbillon and 11 barrels arranged in a line just like a spinal column.
Hublot designed a complex-shaped sapphire crystal reminiscent of the Laferrari’s outline, as well as an open case-back made from black PVD titanium. What is very interesting on the new MP-05 "LaFerrari" watch is the original display: on the right side of the barrels you will see the hour and the minute, and on the left side the power reserve.
The new MP-05 "LaFerrari" will be limited to only 50 units. The price isn’t available online, but you can head to Hublot’s website to find a retailer near you.
Hit the jump to read full MP-05 "LaFerrari" technical details and a promo video for the watch.
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Though it doesn’t bring increased power to the table — a privilege reserved for the future Z06 or a ZR1 – the new Z51 package for the Corvette Stingray does bring along significant upgrades that customers can benefit from, if they regularly plunder a track.
With this package installed, your Corvette Stingray will be fitted with a dry-sump oiling system that plays a crucial role while cornering, slightly shorter gear ratios, larger-capacity Bilstein dampers, a rear-stabilizer bar and forged rims that have grown up to 19 inches up front and 20 inches in the rear, an inch bigger than the standard Stingray.
What can arguably be called the most significant addition is the limited slip differential — an electronically controlled hydraulic clutch pack – which modulates the rate at which the differential transfers torque across the axle. When the car corners, the LSD acts like an open differential to reduce understeer, but when power is added, electronic slip diff is engaged to handle the traction and balance it all out.
Along with ride tweaks, the Z51 also focuses on the tweaking the aerodynamics of the Stingray. While the standard one has impressive figures, the Z51 package makes it better with the addition of a rear spoiler to keep it planted to the ground and gaping air inlets at the rear fenders to cool transmission and differential.
People opting for the Z51 package have the option to choose the Magnetic Ride Control that promises track-like performance with a more comforting ride for $1,795.
All of these upgrades play a role in its impressive cornering at 1.0g and a 0 to 60 sprint of less than 4 seconds.
GM has set the package at a premium of $8,005, bringing the total cost for the Stingray Z51 to $60,000. We are still uncertain if the Z51 package will be available on the convertible model; if so, the package total will be $65,000.
Though the C7 Stingray is proving to be a great track-day car, as well as a pleasant cruiser, the Z51 package takes the excitement and thrill of driving the new Corvette Stingray up a notch.
UPDATE 4/26/13: GM has released the pricing and more details on the Z51 package.
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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