Cool Fast Cars

The Stratos of the 21st century is almost ready. We’ll get to see the first production models built by Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT) at the 2019 Geneva Auto Show that kicks off on March 7th. Now we know that MAT will also bring a manual version of the car to Switzerland. That model uses the engine and the rest of the running gear from the Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Only 25 examples of it will be made.

The Lancia Stratos is a legend. As arguably the first purpose-built rally car, it cast a shade on all the other cars competing in top-line rallies in the early ’70s and went on to be competitive for almost a decade. The modern reinterpretation built by MAT is a slightly updated version of the 2010 New Stratos concept founded by German collector Michael Stoschek who gave his permission for the Stratos name to be used on these 25 new cars. Lancia, however, isn’t on board.

It’s no secret that consumers are flocking to the high-performance SUV segment, gobbling up any and all tall-riding, corner-carving, hard-accelerating ‘ute along the way. BMW is well-versed in this space, and now the Bavarians are taking advantage with the new 2020 X3 M and X4 M. Sporting turbocharged six-cylinders, tons of rubber, and just about every physics-defying tech-trick in the book, these machines looks poised to bring some serious heat to the segment.

Introduced in 2005 as a hardtop coupe iteration of the ever-popular Porsche Boxster roadster, the Cayman gets all the same good stuff as its topless sibling, plus the added rigidity and aggressive looks of a fixed roof. The latest fourth-generation was introduced in 2016, dubbed the 718 after the racer Porsche built in the late ‘50s. Now, Porsche is adding a new GTS iteration for the 2018 model year, and although we’ve seen a Cayman GTS in the past, this is the first time the formula has been applied to the fourth-gen 718. Per usual, the upgrades include a marginal power increase, more standard equipment, blacked-out trim pieces, and high-end interior materials.

Update 02/12/2019: We’ve updated this review with images taken at the Chicago Auto Show. This time around, the 718 Cayman GTS was dressed in a luxurious yellow that will just tickle your soul. Check out our fresh batch of images in the gallery at the bottom of this page!

When somebody mentioned a 700+ horsepower, say, ten years ago, you would have thought about the handful of vehicles that come close to that value in thousands and the few that surpassed it. Nowadays, though, it seems like every other sporty wagon, car, or SUV is getting more powerful by the year, and 700 horsepower is starting to become more common than ever.

If you set your goal of buying a 700+ horsepower vehicle today, then the list of vehicles you may end up having to pick from could look a lot like this - an eclectic mix of different styles of cars, with wildly varying price tags, styles, engine displacement, and levels of tech. It will most likely boil down to the price of the vehicle, in most cases anyway, but rest assured that some of the vehicles on the list are genuinely attainable and, even if most aren’t, the sheer variety of choice you have today is actually quite impressive.

Unveiled for the 2017 model year, the sixth-generation Camaro ZL1 is by far the most impressive Camaro with forced-induction built to date. Powered by the the same LT4 engine introduced with the Corvette Z06, the latest ZL1 packs 650 horsepower, looks incredibly menacing, and costs a little more than $60,000, an amazing sticker given the performance. But, as incredible as it may sound, Chevrolet just managed to the make ZL1 even better by giving it the 1LE upgrade.

Previously available on the SS model, the 1LE package was made available for the V-6 version too for the sixth-generation Camaro. Now, Chevy devised a similar package for the ZL1 and claims that the supercharged 1LE is the most track-capable Camaro ever, meaning it should outgun the bonkers (and now discontinued) Z/28 too. These claims are backed by racing-based suspension and aero technologies, as well as exclusive Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, and a range of weight-saving measure. How powerful and fast is it? How much it cost? How does it compare to the Shelby GT350 and the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat? Read my review below to get all the answers.

Update 01/29/2019: Chevy has updated the Camaro ZL1 1LE for 2019. Check out the drivetrain section below for the full scoop.

The Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package is the last hurrah of a truly special car, the first and, so far, only supercar built by Lexus. It is a lighter, more agile and, overall, faster version of the oh-so-loud LFA that dried up Toyota’s pockets only to be regarded at the time of its arrival as "too expensive for what it offers." Now, as the years have passed, more and more car guys and journalists started to come around and appreciate the Nurburgring-honed LFA for what it is, a very charismatic supercar.

Everyone knows about the LFA’s enormous development time that spanned almost a decade as Lexus switched from its original plans of building it around an aluminum monocoque and decided upon a carbon fiber structure that, in turn, called for updates to be made at the Motomachi plant that wasn’t ready to build a CFRP car. To this day, it’s unclear precisely how much Toyota actually spent to make the LFA a reality, but we reckon that the reason behind the secrecy lies in the obscenity of the sum.

As a swansong to the LFA, Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s CEO and one of the key people in the creation of this halo model, greenlighted a batch of 50 track-focused examples that came with the "Nurburgring Package." This package included changes to both the bodywork and the internals, changes that came about after years of testing and racing around Germany’s famed Nurburgring-Nordschleife circuit in the Eifel Mountains.

When VUHL came out with the original 05 supercar back at the Good Festival of Speed in 2013, we were actually looking forward to seeing it soon in its production form; after all, there aren’t many small supercar manufacturers to begin with. Fast forward to 2019 and VUHL is back in the news with the 05’s meaner version dubbed the 05 RR. The 2019 VUHL 05RR is the production version that comes with 400 horses, 370 pound-feet of torque, and a lightweight body that makes this little toy car zip around bends with the best of them. The 2019 VUHL 05RR is worth the wait as it aces its rivals in almost all departments.

Ford rebooted two of the cars that brought about some of its biggest victories ever scored on the world’s road courses. First, in 2004, Ford introduced the Shelby Cobra Concept, a modern reinterpretation of the mythical AC Cobra and, one year later, the Cobra Daytona Coupe was reborn through the GR-1 prototype.

It was 14 years ago that Ford released the S197 fifth-generation Mustang. Its old-school styling proved to be a hit among customers young and old, but the Mustang was only the tip of the iceberg, the model that made it through all the board meetings. Ford, in fact, built a number of old school-looking concepts in the early ’00s besides the Mustang and the GT that eventually got the green light. There was the 2001 Forty-Nine which harkened back to the smooth lines of the late ’40s Ford Custom, the F150 Lightning Rod and, then, there was the GR-1. Clearly, nostalgia was trendy a decade and a half ago.

This car, like the open-top Shelby Cobra Concept, is underpinned by a modified Ford GT platform made to suit the front engine layout. It went from a sketch on a drawing board to a full-size clay model displayed at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in virtually no time and was then built as a fully-functional prototype in time for the 2005 North-American International Auto Show. Then, it all went silent. The suits didn’t approve another high-performance supercar right after the GT and only recently have we heard of plans to revive this special one-off.

The McLaren 600LT Spider is one of the few drop-top sports cars with barely any compromises over the coupe. It’s just 110 pounds heavier than the fixed-head version but, besides that, it offers the same 592 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque from the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 engine. The catch? It costs almost $50,000 more than the 570S Spider that McLaren used as a starting point for the LT.

After teasing us with a video just a few days ago, McLaren finally released the official images of the mighty 600LT Spider. Again, LT stands for ’Long-Tail,’ but there is no long tail on this car to speak of, it’s merely as a pale homage to the Le Mans class-winning McLaren F1 GTR from 22 years ago. What you do get, though, is a highly competent track beast with the added benefit of being able to allow the elements to take their toll on you when the roof’s down.

If you like what you’re hearing you should rush to pre-order one because McLaren said that the production would be limited with "build slots scheduled around other Sports and Super Series models." Production is said to commence in March and will go on for a year. The only problem with the 600LT Spider is, frankly, the existence of the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider with its 710 horsepower, 568 pound-feet of torque that’s likely quicker although it also costs a lot more as well.

With all eyes pointed to the Toyota Supra and Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 unveiled at the 2019 Detroit Motor Show, McLaren debuted a new member of the Longtail family. Meet the 600LT Spider, the drop-top version of the 600LT, the first Sports Series model to wear the Longtail badge.

The new Lamborghini Huracan Evo is properly angry. Just look at it. Lambo managed to widen it visually with those cool front aero blades and a razor-sharp splitter. This is a subtle change compared to what we have seen before. A good change at that. On the other side, we can see centrally mounted exhausts and aero parts arrangements that are really similar to what we have seen on Lambo race cars.

Although the Lamborghini Huracan Evo is basically a facelifted Huracan, the changes Lambo did to it compared to the first Huracan are rather comprehensive. I compiled a list of important facts about the new Lamborghini Huracan Evo that you need to know about.

The 992-generation Porsche 911 arrived in 2018, replacing the old 991 model after seven years on the market. The Cabriolet version joined the lineup in January 2019, just ahead of the Detroit Auto Show. The drop-top shares everything from the design to its underpinnings with the coupe.

Notable highlights for the new generation include vintage-inspired design cues, a wider body, new technology, and a revised turbocharged engine. Just like the coupe, the Cabriolet debuted in Carrera S trim, but more models will be added later on. The newly designed soft-top is lighter and folds much quicker than its predecessor.

Following the debut of the 2020 Porsche 911 at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, Stuttgart is dropping the top with the new 2020 911 Cabriolet, and it’s bringing all the good stuff as the hardtop, plus a few unique features to help you better enjoy the extra headroom.

The Lamborghini Huracan Evo is the mid-cycle facelift of the company’s entry-level supercar. Although it’s described as a new-generation model, it’s exactly what the name says, an evolution of the nameplate. It was introduced in early 2019, almost five years after the Huracan went into production.

Design-wise, the Evo is based on the higher performance Huracan Performante. It features more aggressive front and rear ends, as well as a bespoke set of wheels. Inside the cabin, there’s an infotainment system with a big touchscreen, while motivation comes from the beefed-up engine from the Performante. While it won’t set a new Nurburgring record, the Evo is notably quicker than its predecessor. Let’s find out more about that in the review below.

Brabham Automotive launched its first new car since 1992, the brutally quick BT62 track car, last year and, now, we’re learning more about how the whole ’track car’ thing can be morphed into ’road car’ if you can pony up an additional $190,000 over the $1.4 million price tag that David Brabham’s company asks for these things.

First of all, let’s remind ourselves what the Brabham BT62 is and what it is not. It is a purpose-built track car in the vein of the Pagani Zonda R or the LaFerrrari FXX-K that boasts a 5.4-liter V-8 attached to the chassis right behind the headrests that develops 700 horsepower and 492 pound-feet of torque, all stuffed in a car that weighs just 2,142 pounds. It also is a four-wheeled savage, delivering such a brutal driving experience that you need to go through a training program before you can actually gather track miles on your own. Now, what the Brabham BT62 is not, or wasn’t conceived to be, is a road car.

Brabham, though, listens to its customers and, although plans are in place for a future bonafide road car to be made under the Brabham name, some customers want to be able to take this car, the BT62, to the shops and to and from the race tracks without needing a truck to tow it. That’s why a conversion kit has been designed by Brabham, and it will be available, although there’s a catch if you’re not living in a European country.