It’s been a while since we last saw Morgan been such an active participant in a major auto show. But that’s what they’ll be at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, a place where the British automaker will be unveiling three new models.
We’ve already touched on the Aero Coupe a few days ago. Today, we introduce their second showcase vehicle, the New Roadster 3.7.
The styling of the New Roadster 3.7 isn’t all that different from what we’ve gotten accustomed to from Morgan. It has a convertible roof that can be easily fastened, providing the driver a choice between enjoying the roads with a roof over his head or doing it wind-blower style. Meanwhile, the interior of the New Roadster 3.7 is an elegant array of real leather combined with an elaborate instrument panel. The instrument panel features a large speedometer and rev counter that have been fitted into a completely new dashboard with electronic warning systems and digital and analogue displays for all engineering functions. The dials and instruments have all been framed in wood, offering a classy touch befitting of a coach built vehicle.
For all of the plush amenities of the car’s interior, the main highlight of the New Roadster is what lies under its hood. In case you haven’t already deciphered it yet, the ’3.7’ in its name stands for the car’s 3.7-liter Ford Cyclone six cylinder engine that produces 280 brake horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 260 lb/ft of torque while mated to a six-speed transmission. Those numbers translate to a 0-62 mph time of 4.9 seconds with a pretty impressive top speed of 140 mph.
The Ferrari 250 GTO is considered one of the most revered cars in history, so much so that people with very, very deep pockets will line up and bid in the "7-0’s" just to be able to own one.
Recently, one of only 39 models of the iconic Ferrari sports car was put up for auction. Lo and behold, the bids came at a feverish rate before the vehicle was scooped up for a reported £20.2 million - that’s about $32 million based on current exchange rates.
You read that right, folks: $32 million for a Ferrari 250 GTO.
The classic sports car was reportedly sold by British businessman Jon Hunt, the same man who bought the car a few years ago for £15.7 million. Four years after the purchase, Hunt already has an extra £4.5 million in profit to his name.
As far as the car itself, the $32-million 250 GTO carries chassis number ’5095’ and comes with a 3.0-liter V12 engine that produces 300 horsepower while carrying a 0-60 mph time of 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph.
Despite the astronomical price tag, the 250 GTO’s auction price is a little short of the world record bid for a classic car, which the 1936 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic owns after receiving a bid of somewhere around $40 million two years ago.
Classic cars with modern performance technology never get old in our book, especially when the brand in question is Morgan. As one of only a few brands in this world that continues to bridge old school looks with new school technology, Morgan is in a unique place in the industry, one that very few of its contemporaries can even step into.
Morgan’s Aero line-up is the unquestioned money maker of the company. And now, it’s fixing to get a new family member in the Morgan Aero Coupe.
Design details surrounding the Aero Coupe have been pretty vague at this point, but Morgan has said that the car will be slotted between the GT3 Aero8 and the Aeromax Supersports.
But where its design dynamics have yet to be fully revealed, Morgan has made it clear that the Aero Coupe will be sporting the same BMW-sourced 4.8-liter V8 engine as that of the Aero and the Plus8, which means that it’s going to carry an output of 367 horsepower and 361 lb/ft of torque. It will also be mated to a either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. As an added treat, Morgan will be offering a custom sports exhaust system that will boost the output of the Aero Coupe to 390 horsepower.
Taking all that into account, the Aero Coupe will carry a 0-62 mph time of 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph.
Put the word iconic in front of anything and its price will undoubtedly skyrocket. Case in point: The Mercedes 300SL Gullwing is an amazing and iconic model in the history of Mercedes’ vehicles, inspiring many of the models that succeeded, including the SLS AMG. One of the 29 models ever created was put up at the Gooding & Company auction where it was sold for $4.62 million, a new record for this vehicle.
So what’s so special about this Mercedes? Aside from its limited availability, the 300SL Gullwing was built off of the 300SL Racer and features an aluminum alloy body with stiffer, shorter springs that lowered the car and enhanced peak performance. It sits on wider rims housing vented brake drums and was about 200 lbs lighter than the standard steel-bodied version.
The specific Mercedes 300SL Gullwing that was auctioned off had a metallic silver gray exterior finish that was complimented by a blue leather interior. It was also outfitted with Rudge wheels, the NSL motor, and Plexiglas windows per aluminum-build specifications.
High tech dreams, art on wheels, poetry in emotion. This is what AutoExotika promises to feature when the new series kicks off.
What is AutoExotika? It’s a "high energy, high quality, celebration of the world’s most exotic automobiles and the men and women who design, build, collect and drive them." Basically, a team of experts will be filming at iconic racetracks, manufacturing plants, and some of the most amazing roads in order to provide viewers with an eyeful of auto erotica.
Aside from the scintillating vehicles to be presented, AutoExotika will be hosted by race car celebrity Ashley van Dyke, exotic car owner John Temerian, and serving as the brains behind the operation, technical and mechanical guru, Evan Blaustein.
Short of being able to tag along for what promises to be an insane ride, we can’t think of anything better than sitting back and experiencing AutoExotika!
Now we can officially put all the talk to rest. The New Lancia Stratos, a one-off supercar that was built and designed by Pininfarina as a tribute vehicle to the legendary car of the 70’s, will remain a one-off. And we have Ferrari to thank - or blame - for that.
After the immense popularity generated by the New Stratos when it was unveiled a year ago, there was talk that Pininfarina was looking into building a limited run of the supercar for interested customers. But since the project hinged on Ferrari allowing the company to use the 430 Scuderia as the car’s platform, they had to receive the green light from the Italian automaker to proceed with the program.
Unfortunately, those folks from Ferrari have refused to allow a limited production run of the New Stratos with Ferrari CEO Dr. Amadeo Felisa seemingly content with the one-off project that was built for Michael Stoschek.
We’re pretty disappointed to see the Stratos’ renaissance end even before it actually began, but if there’s a silver lining in all of this, it’s that instead of the New Stratos, Koscheck and his people have set their sights on building a modern version of another old-time classic: the Renault Alpine A110 Berlinette. Talks with the French automaker are already in progress so we’re crossing our fingers that the Alpine will come back to our lives the way the New Stratos should have.
We got pretty excited when we saw Ford has brought back the Boss 302 name, but the car has been originally produced in 1969 and 1970. And as the classic version usually is much more appreciated than the current version, RK Motors has brought to our attention a tuning kit based on a 1970 Boss 302. The car went through a full restoration process and now can be yours for $89,900.
If you remember a few months ago RK Motors has unveiled a similar treatment for a 1967 Shelby Supercharged GT500, so we guess the tuner really likes classic cars. For the 1970 Boss 302 kept its completely original, rust-free body panels everywhere except its front fenders. The car is painted in a very cool Grabber Blue paint combined with a trademark flat black rear decklid and spoiler and of course a set of Boss side stripes. The car sits on a new set of 15" chrome Magnum 500 wheels.
Under the hood the tuner has placed a completely rebuilt 302 V8 that delivers a total of 290 HP combined with a 4-speed gearbox. The engine treatment includes a heavy duty block design, original, large port, large valve, free flowing Cleveland heads, a race prepped crank, a solid lifter cam, heavy duty connecting rods, forged pistons and an aluminum intake.
Hit the jump for a video of the car.
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If you ask why is a 1934 model featured in the Jay Leno Garage show the answer is very simple: the 1934 Avions Voisin C-25 Aerodyne is the winner of this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The car was built by Avions Voisin - an automobile brand founded by aeronautical engineer Gabriel Voisin - so is no surprise why the Aerodyne is part car part plane. The car’s exterior design language is inspired by the Art Deco and streamlining movements so that it offers a sense of motion even standing still. The Voisin’s streamlined aluminum coachwork features a number of extraordinary details, including the marque’s striking signature bird-in-flight hood ornament, flowing skirted pontoon fenders and massive retractable arched roof.
This particular car belongs to Peter and Merle Mullin, founders of the world renowned Mullin Automotive Museum. There were only seven Avions Voisin C-25 Aerodyne and just four of them still exist today.
The Morgan 4/4 is a car that has been around longer than a lot of us have been alive. Unless you lived through the second World War, there’s a good chance that you still weren’t around when the 4/4 was first introduced back in 1936. 75 years later, Morgan is rolling out a special edition model of the 4/4, appropriately called the "75th Anniversary Edition."
With an overall weight of just 920 kg/2028 lbs, the Morgan 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition is as light as a feather, which bodes well for it considering that it’s powertrain is a relatively subdued 2.0-liter Ford Duratec engine that only produces 145 horsepower. It doesn’t sound like a record-setter, but when you combine the output with its lightweight, then you have a car that can hit 0-62 mph in just 7.2 seconds and boasts a top speed of 118 mph.
Aesthetically, the Morgan 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition comes in a choice of three color options - Black Sport, Sport Red, and Old Español White - with a matte black longitudinal stripe and a "4/4 75th" inscribed on it. Other unique details of the 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition include chrome mirrors, a set of black 15" spoke wheels, black leather seats, and wood details on the steering wheel and the dashboard courtesy of Moto Lita.
Ownership of the Morgan 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition will cost you £38,750, which is around $60,000 based on current exchange rates. For a car that’s clearly long in the tooth, special edition models come few and far in between. That’s what has made the Morgan 4/4 75th Anniversary Edition such a compelling model for numerous generations.
Ford tossed out a bone at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show in the form of a body shell for the 1965 Mustang Convertible, undoubtedly gauging interest for such a product. Turns out, the response was just what Ford wanted. Capitalizing on the avid interest, Ford has revealed yet another body shell for their favored muscle car, but this time, it’s for the 1967 Mustang Convertible. The price for the beginning part of someone’s 1967 Mustang rebuild project stands at $15,995.
The ’67 Convertible body shell was manufactured by Dynacorn International who worked not only to replicate the original ’67 convertible, but make it better. For this, the body panels were made from modern automotive-grade virgin steel and, for better strength, the panels were assembled using modern welding techniques. There are also newly engineered reinforcements in known stress areas to add strength and rigidity to the body.
"These days, the chances are fairly slim of finding a restorable, rust-free ’67 Mustang that has never been wrecked,’ said Dennis Mondrach, Ford Restoration Parts licensing manager. "As the value of classic Mustangs has increased over the years, garages, barns and scrapyards have been picked clean.’
