We’ve known that Ford was preparing a new generation Mustang for 2015. We also knew that the model will feature significant changes for both its look and its engine line-up. These were just rumors, of course, but they have now been taken to the next level by someone who was invited to evaluate a 2015 Mustang and was even paid for it. Some people have all the luck.
This gentleman was in front of a 2015 Mustang, but was not allowed to take any pictures, leaving his description of the car as our only source of information. He said that there were parts of the Mustang that he liked and parts that he did not like. The front end of the muscle car will be longer than the current model and will feature a beehive grill with a good amount chrome. The part he didn’t like about the Mustang were the new headlights: he said they "were little slants, not the traditional round Mustang lights or even close to the current HID style. Made the car look Chinese." He did like the taillights, however, stating that they were louvered and projected out.
The best part is the power source that will be used for the 2015 Ford Mustang. It will be powered by a 4-cylinder, 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine that delivers a total of 310 HP and a fuel economy of 34 mpg. This will be slightly better than the 305 HP of the 3.7L V6 engine, but a lot better than the 19 mpg city / 29 mpg hwy of the manual tranny Mustang and the 19 mpg city / 31 mpg hwy of the automatic tranny Mustang.
It is known that when Ferrari introduces the future F70, it will be a hybrid supercar, so we would have expected to see a similar move from Lamborghini. That being said, in a recent interview at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann ruled-out the possibility of a plug-in hybrid option for both the Aventador and the Gallardo.
"There is no plug-in hybrid planned for the either the Lamborghini Gallardo or Aventador. Due to the size of the cars and due to the weight of the hybridisation it would be impossible for our cars to adopt this current technology. Firstly, it won’t fit, and secondly, it would reduce the their power-to-weight ratios by too much."
Instead, the Aventador will be offered with two emissions reducing systems – stop-start technology and cylinder deactivation. For the near future, Lamborghini is looking for more solutions to reduce weight and increase power during the lifecycle of each car. Carbon fiber will of course be the main material used to obtain the weight reduction. Also, by 2015, Lamborghini hopes to reduce CO2 emissions by 35%.
The really good news from this interview is that Winkelmann confirmed that the company has "lots of plans for the Aventador."
So when we are reviewing supercars with killer V-8 engines, we are typically talking about 300-plus cubic-inches and hundreds of horsepower. Well, in the world of scale-model building, you have to take all of that muscle and scale it down to a size that can fit into a one-quarter scale model, and that takes some serious engineering.
For anyone that has ever assembled an engine, you know that keeping track of everything, putting the valves in correctly, seating the rings property, and other steps are immensely tedious, due the their complexity. Imagine doing so with everything shrunk down to a quarter of its original size.
That just so happens to be the specialty of Conley Precision Engines, and it has also just released for sale the world’s smallest supercharged, four-stroke V-8 engine. The Conley Stinger 609 displaces 0.1 liters, 100 cc, or 6.09 cubic-inches, depending on which standard of measurement you follow. Regardless of the measurement semantics, this engine is tiny, as it measures just 14 inches long x 6 inches wide x 8.25 inches tall and weighs in at a svelte 11.25 lbs.
As for power, this relative beast can crank out 5.5 horsepower at 9,500 rpm in its naturally aspirated state and hits 9 horsepower when you bolt up the optional supercharger. It’s the latter version that earns this engine it notoriety as a world-record holder.
You can have this engine for a base price of $5,695. Additionally you can add in stainless steel manifolds for $279, a set of polished-stainless manifolds for $595, painted valve covers for $125, high-duration camshaft for $279, and a supercharger for $1,695. That means in total, you can spend upward of $8,353 for this engine – obviously the price isn’t one-quarter scale.
Nine horsepower may not sound like much on the surface, but put in a one-quarter scale car, you will have a car that will easily eclipse the 100 mph mark. To boot, Conley engineered the engine to have the same rumble as any classic muscle that came from Detroit, just a little more high pitched.
One of the most important Ferrari debuts at the 2012 Paris Auto Show was the chassis for the upcoming F70 supercar, but while it undoubtedly caught all of the attention in Paris, Ferrari’s stand included a few other very cool vehicles. Visitors have seen cars ranging from the new F12berlinetta to a very special FF that certainly has a feature worth mentioning.
This particular FF was equipped with a new full-length panoramic roof that allows for more light to enter the car. According to Ferrari, this new roof features "a special reflective glass (LowE) that gives occupants a genuine open-air driving feeling, while providing thermal and acoustic insulation."
No other details on this new glass roof were provided, leaving us to wonder if this will be a new feature for the sports car or just an attention grabber in Paris. Production for this feature would be a little controversial considering the added weight a panoramic glass roof would add to the FF, and the effect that weight would have on the performance numbers of the vehicle. The design for the FF is already questionable in many people’s minds; why add another negative by messing with the performance the customer can get from the 660 HP V12 engine?
In the automotive world, there are tons of developmental deals between car companies. You’ll see the likes of BMW and Hyundaiteaming up, but that is no biggie, as the two don’t really compete with one another. Just like Toyota and Subaru teaming up on the Subascioyota triplets. Yeah, they are both Japanese car manufacturers, but they have distinctly separate demographics.
Well, to hell with competition and demographics when it comes to No. 1 and No. 2 of Detroit’s "Big Three" and falling behind in the automatic transmission wars. You see, most of the other major car companies boast multispeed transmission with gear numbers nearing double digits, as Chrysler, BMW, Audi and Lexus all boast 8-speed automatics and a smattering of others feature 7-speed units. GM and Ford, on the other hand, are still playing around with 6-speed units.
That is all about to change and the two arch rivals are actually helping each other out. The two rival companies with about as much bad blood as Iran and Pakistan have entered in what GM is calling a “Memorandum of understanding” to develop 9- and 10-speed transmissions for the two to share.
The details of the deal are not completely known yet, but we do know that GM will head up development of the 9-speed unit and Ford will take the lead on the 10-speed. We also know that the 9-speed transmission will be aimed at propelling the boring front-wheel-drive cars, as the 10-speed will be the unit we see in pickups, SUVs, and performance models.
This means that the chances are very high that your future Mustang GT could boast the same 10-speed transmission as a Corvette ZR1. Kinda creepy, huh?
So pack up your umbrellas in the coming days, as we anticipate seeing a high probability for thunderstorms of the froggy variety…
Let’s imagine you are one of those lucky people that have the extra $100K in your pocket and wants to buy the new 2013 SRT Viper. Now that you have the money, $97,395 for the SRT Viper and $120,395 for the SRT Viper GT, the next step would be to configure the sports car of your dreams. According to SRT, that shouldn’t be a problem because the new Viper comes with no less than 150,000 possible combinations, including colors and stripes, interior options, stereo choices, and wheel designs.
The standard Viper is offered with a choice of six exterior colors - Adrenaline Red, Black Venom, Bright White, Gunmetal Pearl ($1,000), Race Yellow ($1,000), and Shadow Blue Pearl ($1,000) - while the GTS adds two more- Stryker Red Tinted Pearl and GTS Blue ($1,000). These exterior colors can be combined with different racing stripes - Billet Silver, Black Venom, and Gunmetal - each priced at $4,500 for the standard Viper and at $5,000 for the GTS. Next, we have eight wheel options with prices ranging from $500 to $1,100.
For the interior, there are three different audio systems, the most expensive being the 18-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system priced at $2,995. The seats can be covered with premium ballistic nylon, Nappa leather with Alcantara inserts, and the first application of Laguna Premium leather in an SRT. That will add another $3,000 to your car’s price.
There are also four packages to choose from: the Track Package priced at $3,500, the Grand Touring Package at $2,500, the GTS Laguna Interior Package at 7,500, and GTS Launch Edition Package price at $15,500.
That being said, all you need is patience, lots of money, and good luck to customize the Viper of your dreams!
If you want to take a break from all the Paris Auto Show-related news, check out some of the new details we dug up on the next big auto show of the year: SEMA. Mopar has unveiled a series of teaser images for their upcoming line-up, which will be presented in Las Vegas from Tuesday, October 30, 2012, to Friday, November 2, 2012. These images only show five different vehicles, but the company has promised that more than 20 Moparized Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat, and SRT vehicles will be at the show.
The teaser images show a widebody Fiat 500, a custom RAM pickup, an updated Dodge Charger,
a heavily modified Jeep, and - our favorite - a very nicely updated Dodge Dart. With its growing list of Mopar-first features, including Electronic Vehicle Tracking Systems (EVTS), Wireless charging, Vehicle-information apps, and Electronic owner manuals, we’re psyched to see what Chrysler’s service, parts, and customer-care brand has to offer at this year’s SEMA Auto Show.
"At Mopar, we always look forward to the SEMA season," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. "The show is an opportunity for us to inspire owners to customize their vehicles, and it’s the perfect place to showcase our vast portfolio of quality-tested performance parts and accessories."
About a decade ago, if you mentioned a performance Hyundai model, you might get a slight snicker from a crowd of people. In the last five years, Hyundai has upped its game to include a nice array of both luxury and performance models. The pinnacle of Hyundai’s performance line is the Genesis 3.8 R-Spec.
This machine boasts a 3.8-liter V-6 engine that pumps out a stout 348 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This is enough to get this big sports coupe to 60 mph in just 5.3 seconds, putting it a class that no Hyundai has ever been in before – well, no production Hyundai at least.
With SEMA quickly approaching and Hyundai looking to show off the potential of its Genesis R-Spec, it has teamed up with the folks at ARK Performance to create a track-ready monster. This ARK Genesis Coupe R-Spec will make the trip along with Hyundai’s factory team at SEMA and hope to impress enough buyers to snag up their own Genesis R-Spec and do the same.
So what exactly went into building this beast? Click past the jump to find out exactly what this bad boy is packing.
At this point, we still have a few more months before Chevrolet unveils the seventh generation Corvette, so any little details that escape the lips of a source close to the project are more than welcome. Today, we were able to snag a few pictures, albeit blurry ones, that reveal the power source of the iconic American sports car, as well as other little odds and ends.
A member of Corvette Forum uploaded these images showing that the C7 Corvette will be offered with air conditioned seats, similar to those already offered in the C6 Corvette. It will also feature standard 19" wheels on the front and 20" for the rear, as well as front park assist and a coupe removable roof with optional carbon fiber.
The most interesting images are the ones that highlight the engines being prepared for the Corvette. According to this post, the next Corvette will be offered with an LT1 engine at launch, while an additional LT4 will be available in 2014. Speculations reveal that the LT1 will deliver between 480-500 HP, while the LT4 will be an upgraded version of the engine offered in the Corvette ZL1 producing between 560-580 HP.
BMW will be trooping to the 2012 Paris Motor Show with a presentation of their new add-on toys that are part of the M Performance Accessories. Comprised mostly of aesthetic and power kits, the accessories cover a whole range of BMW models, including the 1-Series hatch, the 3-Series Touring, and models that feature the automaker’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine.
The accessories kit comprises of various new components, including carbon finished exterior mirror caps, a choice of new wheels, diffuser inserts for the rear apron, and side sill foliations. The 1-Series 3-door hatchback and 3-Series Touring models also get a slew of new goodies in the suspension, drive, and aerodynamics departments.
As far as performance upgrades are concerned, the M Performance Accessories come with plenty of options for the 120d, the 320d, and the 520d. Likewise, the automaker’s aforementioned 2.0-liter diesel engine also gets a power upgrade from the standard 181 horsepower and 197 lb/ft of torque all the way up to 197 horsepower and 310 lb/ft of torque.
