Tsvetan Varbanov – Page 22 – Automobiles Review

2013 McLaren MP4-12C

McLaren news (from the road-going sector): As of this October, all the McLaren MP4-12Cs will get some extra power, a bit of a detail revision and a gadget for immature people just like us. We would really like to stress on the “all” part as even owners of previous years will get the upgrade…for free. This is how, Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director explains the company’s motivation:

“Given our racing heritage, it is in our nature to continuously seek out improvements. The team at McLaren Automotive recognises that our existing and future customers deserve the very best product and service we can offer, and the launch of the enhanced 12C reaffirms its position as the most powerful luxury sports car among its competitor set.”

So, why not improve on the feeble 600PS, 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine that’s been the driving force of the MP4-12C for almost an year now? (sarcasm included). By some in-house remapping and by tweaking the 7-Speed SSG transmission, the 2013 British supercar now has 625PS and 600Nm of torque delivered in a smooth and crispy tone. And by tone, we don’t mean that just metaphorically – The 12C’s unique Intake Sound Generator (ISG) system, which is responsible for the amount of engine intake sound heard in the cabin, now has settings within the range of three settings… if for some reason, you want your ears to start to bleed. Also, the fuel-conscious…who bought a $217,857 two-seater, will be happy to know that in spite of the buff, the economy stays the same – 24.2 mpg on the combined cycle. The jump in performance figures is not what you’d call staggering (the 0-62 mph run remains at 3.1 seconds) but on the 0-124 mph you do get a tenth of a second down at 8.8 seconds. The most noticeable change however, is on the 0-186 mph time which is 26.5 seconds as opposed to the previos 27.5 seconds. The top speed is up a notch from 205 mph to 207 mph.

Other than that, the climate control will now have an option to run as quiet as possible (all the better to hear that ISG thing, we guess), the touch sensor door “handles” will be dropped and replaced with buttons for customer feedback said so apparently and also every time it starts drizzling, the headlamps will light up.

The option’s list has also had it’s share fare of redesigning – new wheels, new finishes, superior leather and Alcantra interiors, a suspension lift system for speed humps and rough surfaces.

As said, all the techy upgrades for owners of the “older” MP4 generation will be absolutely complementary – the power output increase, the transmission revision, the sound generator settings and the “smart” headlights. You’ve got to hand it to McLaren on their knowledge of how to bond with their customers.

Source: McLaren Automotive

June 8, 2012

SR Project Stratos Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG

To us, stripping off the paint from a car, then adding a matte gray shade, black wheels, LEDs and a strip of carbon-fiber for aerodynamics is not really a project. But there you go: The Project Stratos by SR Auto – a Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG (W219) that’s in a “Smoldering Grey” coat actually.

6.2-liters of pure V8 power, 514 bhp and 630 Nm of torque – a brilliant 4.5 second 0-62 mph runner. It’s also one of the last modern-day performance cars that do not come with daytime-running LED lights as standard. Why ruin the moment?

The black wheels however, do get us – PUR 4OUR monoblock, wheels with five, indecently revealing double-spokes on each one. The come in glossy black of course which in a way contrasts and complements the grille matte black attributes and the black roof and wing mirrors. The additional cabon-fiber product on the Stratos is the front lip which may or may not have a functional purpose. One could brag about it on the dinner table?

SR Auto Stratos Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG

Source: SR Auto

June 8, 2012

Audi A1 Quattro Going 0-259 km/h on Gravel

Here’s a treat for the eyes… and ears. An Audi A1 Quattro rummaging through a tight, gravel-ish path. Not sure if the 259 km/h was the end goal or end result but either way, it came out as a fact.

The Audi A1 Quattro, as you might have guessed, is far from ordinary. Sure, it has a 2.0 TFSI that can be found in many other Volkswagens and Audis, but the 256 PS generated here are put to maximum use by the Qauttro’s suspension setup, ESP system and transmission – The electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated multi-plate clutch is all the way back to the rear axle for better weight distribution. Further back, there’s an XDS locking differential while at the front 312 mm ventilated high-performance disc brakes provide enough stopping power to halt a planet. Eventually however, it all goes down to the decades old Quattro (AWD) system – refined, redesigned and perfected (at least for now). That’s the reason we witness such a smooth start and not a trench-digging contest. From there on, it’s just grip, grip and grip. When (if) it lets go, one can fix it with a pinky.

So there you go. A brilliant machine and a brilliant test. Just goes to show how road cars have gone up a notch and deliver a glimpse of the hardcore stuff.

httpv://youtu.be/z2Wx7mCVtAo

Source: cc8186 via Youtube

June 7, 2012

2013 ROUSH Ford Mustang RS

“Engineered on the track, refined for everyday” is what ROUSH say about their latest Ford Mustang RS. It’s a MY 2013 and the RS stands for “ROUSH Six”. The base platform used for it is the rather sensible 3.7-liter V6 Mustang.

We say sensible because the power still stands at the stock 305 hp which are good for 31 mpg of economy on the highway. It’s slightly unusual for ROUSH to not glue a giant, fuel guzzling supercharger. But where the Mustang lacks in boost, compensates in suspension engineering. Brembo brakes peeking out from 19-inch, directly lifted from the Ford Mustang GT, alloy wheels and ROUSH lowering springs which lower the center of gravity by around one inch.

As for visuals, the RS shares many features with the ROUSH Stage vehicles – high-flow upper and lower grilles, a front chin splitter, side rocker splitters and a trunk spoiler. The way to tell apart the RS is by looking at the fender “R” badge on either side and also at the “R” ROUSH faux gas cap. Optional components (not really needed) are the hood scoop, rear quarter window louvers and the RS exterior side and hood graphics.

Inside, the floor mats and center console have the markings of “ROUSH” the pedal box in the driver’s foot well is custom made. Available is also a black leather trim a suede wrapping for the steering wheel and a black or white shifter ball. Ambiently lit ROUSH door sill plates complement the whole exclusive look.

Source: ROUSH

June 7, 2012

2013 Hyundai Veloster Starting from $17,450

The massively popular Hyundai Veloster hits the US showrooms with a 2013 model year that’s pretty well priced – $17,450 for the 1.6 GDI, 6-speed manual. The one we are interested though, is the Veloster Turbo which has the same engine, but well… twin-scroll turbocharged. The prices for it start at $21,950 (6-speed stick) but what you get in return is a real treat – 201 hp, 195 lb-ft. of torque, 38 mpg of highway consumption, sporty looks, sporty notes and sporty equipment.

The 1.6L engine is swift in response, frugal and decently powerful thanks to it’s twin-scroll turbo technology and direct injection. Couple it with the 6-Speed SHIFTRONIC Automatic transmission and you’ll get the top of the line Veloster at the price of just $22, 950 – $1000 more than the manual.

The front grille is bigger, more pronounced and more hexagonal? LED’s and fog lights make sure the front has a premium luxury feel. The side skirts and the rear diffuser integrated rear bumper result in a more road-hugging stance when compared to the base Veloster. The exhaust pipes are now two round ones instead of a single trapezoidal module and all the while, 18-inch wheels with chrome inserts complete the looks.

Inside, you get “Turbo” embroiled on the headrests. The gauge cluster is quite 21st century with it’s two TFT displays between the dials, the pedals are from aluminum and the starter is a button. The only non-sporty thing are the standard heated seats – an unnecessary luxury which can only add weight.

Source: Hyundai

June 7, 2012

Steven Tyler and the First 1244 HP Hennessey Venom GT Spyder

If you happen to know a thing or two about rock music then Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler is no stranger to you. If you are also familiar with the car industry, Hennessey Performance should ring a bell as well. Where do these two notions come together? In a Venom GT Spyder of course. The rocker is actually responsible for the creation of this monstrous roadster and he recently had the pleasure to be the first man on the planet to get one.

Back in 2011, Tyler walked in the Hennessey HQ in Texas and asked if he could have one of those Venom GT‘s but with an open top. The tuners considered it, did some structural changes to the rollcage (yes, it needs one) and there you have it – a Spyder. The weight however, went up by around 30 lbs and while that doesn’t sound much, it messed with the power to weight ratio which was originally 1hp for every 1kg. To even things out again, the guys at Hennessey did the most logical thing – more power.

The Venom GT Spyder now develops a healthy batch 1244 bhp. It’s the 7.0-liter twin turbo V8 engine that is actually responsible for it. Those figures supposedly make the Venom Spyder one of the fastest roadsters in the world. The 0 to 200 mph run takes less than 16 seconds, we are told, which puts the Bugatti Veyron Vitesse with the silver medalists.

There will be only five 2013 Venom GTs produced and three of them have already been sold. In other words, besides Steven Tyler, two other people had $1.1 million dollars to spare. That’s a lot of money for a car that’s based on the Lotus Exige. We say that, but actually, most of the original car was left out. Fingers crossed, they kept the suspension for this one.

Steven Tyler next to his Hennessey Venom GT-Steven — Steven Tyler next to his Hennessey Venom GT

Source: Hennessey Performance

June 7, 2012

Alpha-N Performance 1M RS BMW

Alpha-N is a relatively new, German based tuner house that has risen from the ashes of the now completely reorientated Veritas-VBT company. Today, they tickle our curiosity with this slim and healthy BMW 1M. As you can tell, It has been on a carbon-fiber diet which has shed weight but it has also been working out as it now flexes it’s muscle with 70 hp more. It’s the Alpha-N Performance 1M RS.

As we start off with the carbon-fiber winglets at the sides of the front bumper, we go through the carbon-fiber hood, then the roof, the trunk, the lip spoiler and the rear diffuser. Alpha-N are not too specific on exactly how much weight has been lost but we’ll have to believe them and say “a lot”.

Under this vented, hood, new airways provide better aspiration, an ECU map of the modified 3.0-liter engine brings the power to 410 hp and the new and sonorous exhaust system provides back-pressure relief. For stopping power, a set of MAC disc brakes sizing 380 mm have been used at the front. The pads within the six-piston calippers have flexible steel lines for better friction. Friction is also provided by the Michelin Cup 245 front and 265 back tires which are wrapped around extremely light O.Z. Superforgiata rims measuring 8.5×19 and 10.0×19 respectively.

The photo shoot has a deliberately close-up nature so that we can witness the interwoven carbon-fibery goodness that is most of the BMW’s exterior. See for yourselves:

Source: Alpha-N

June 7, 2012

2013 Ford F-150 Revealed

One of America’s favorite trucks is now entering the year 2013. It’s the latest Ford F-150 range now with an EcoBoost engine as well. Aside from that, the design has been moderately revised and a few pickup-friendly features have been added. For the high rollers, there are also F-150 special editions that peak in luxury and equipment.

The engine variety within the Ford F-150 is now bigger than ever. Right next to the baseline 3.7-liter V6, the 5.0-liter V8 and top of the line 411 hp, 6.2liter V8 Ti-VCT engines, now sits a 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine which has approximately the economy of the of the baseline model (16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway) but the power (and more) of the 5.0-liter one and the towing capacity of the 6.2-liter one. In other words – 365 hp, 420 lb-ft. of torque as soon as 2,500 rpm and 11,300 pounds of maximum trailer tow. You also get electroincally locking diff on it and Hill Descent Control. Whichever you choose though, you’ll always end up with the same efficient six-speed automatic transmission.

The base model is called the XLT. On its outside, the grill is new and so are the headlights which now use HID technology – superior and better looking we’ve been told. Depending on your trim choice, you may get newly designed 18- or 20-inch wheels. Three new body colors are now also available. That is Blue Jeans Metallic, Kodiak Brown Metallic and Ruby Red Clearcoat Metallic.

Something particularly neat is the electronic telescoping function on the side-mirrors which can come in handy when towing a big caravan for example and from the inside you also get the SYNC voice-activated communications and entertainment system with 911 Assist and Vehicle Health Report as standard on the XLT. As options you can also add-on to this other software such as Traffic Information, Turn-by-Turn Directions, Business Search, Send to SYNC from Google Maps and MapQuest, News, Sports, Weather and Horoscopes. That’s a lot of information for the 4.2-inch LCD display to take but hey, if you go for one of the special versions, the Ford F-150 Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum or Limited, that screen becomes a MyFord Touch 8-inch display with a few USB and SD slots added for personal multimedia.

2013 Ford F-150 XLT (left) and Lariat (right)

Source: Ford

June 5, 2012

Carlsson C25 Super GT Limited Edition

The Carlsson C25 is back to appear as a limited edition. And when we say limited, we mean only 7 numbered examples delivered delivered exclusively for the Chinese market. Numbers one to three and five to seven have already been pre-ordered. The idea behind this new incarnation is lightness, rigidity and handling for even more adrenaline packed action. Carlsson have summed up everything behind the term Super GT

So, what’s new about this one? Well, the engineers at Carlsson have managed to lose 180 kg of curb weight and still keep the engine. The overall carbon-fiber body might have something to do with that. Other than that, we have some minor face lifting at the front, some botox at the back and a newly styled rear window. Each Super GT will be customized in accordance with the buyer’s preferences – think in terms of color combinations and interior design.

The non-negotiable features are the really tasty ones – a 450 hp V8, an iPhone adjustable C-Tronic Suspension and a set of aluminum exhaust tips. As an option, the brakes can be of a temperature efficient, fading resistant composite.

The “number 1” Carlsson C25 Limited has already been built and will be airlifted to Shanghai in the coming days. It’s just a pity that it won’t make the journey on land with the Gut Wiesenhof in Merzig, Germany as a starting point. The other ones are yet to be hand-made but in an year’s time everything should be sold out. The price: 4,000,000 Chinese yuan which is around roughly $628,536.

Source: Carlsson

June 5, 2012

Volkswagen at the AMI 2012 in Leipzig

Volkswagen are having a really mouth-watering lineup for the 2012 Auto Mobil International in Leipzig. We see some very recent faces such as the Volkswagen CC R-Line, the Beetle Fender and the Polo. The Volkswagen Scirocco however, takes the prize as probably the most exciting one out there. It’s a GTS version which is said to carry the essence of the 70s and 80s back when the Scirocco models was first born.

It’s a world premiere for this GTS version – a black and red stripe splitting the car in two equal halves, shouty red callipers, flaring side sills, new front and rear bumpers and a diffuser, a rear wing, color-coordinated wing mirrors and 18-inch “Thunder” alloy wheels with some black on them. The Scirocco even has the engine to match the looks – no less than 210 hp coming from a TSI 2.0 liter engine. The only thing above it in terms of performance is the 260 hp R version but we can get over that. Especially when we find that the gear stick in the GTS has a history value embedded or more like engraved – it’s the old “golf ball” design that used to be a trademark feature of first generation GTIs and ’82 Scirocco GTSs

Then there are the others – a mile-crunching, sporty looking, Volkswagen CC four-door R-Line that can invigorate even some of the most family people on the planet. As for the rebellious kids, a VW Beetle sounds right, right? Even more so when the music instrument making company Fender has a say when it comes to design. 400 watts of “concert-type” sounding. Finally, something for the bachelor – a CrossPolo “Urban White” – a car, we’ve been told, that it’s not simply white but more like “Oryx White Mother of Pearl” white… not something to brag about. But the 17-inch alloy wheels and the tinted rear windows do add a little character. Inside, a black mingle of Alcantra contrasts the body work and complements the wing mirrors and roof rails. To stress out that the Polo Urban White is for young people, Volkswagen have fitted sports seats so no fragile spines please. For the 70 bhp, the average student will have to pay $23,703 or in other words, 40 years of debt.

Source: Volkswagen

June 5, 2012

Overfinch Range Rover Sport GTS-X Teaser [VIDEO]

Overfinch are releasing are preparing for the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 28th – July 1st) and it shows. Here’s a teaser video of their Range Rover Sport set for a debut there. We know for a fact that it’s called the Overfinch Range Rover GTS-X – the kind of abbreviation one would normally give to a sleek, mile-crunching grand tourer and not to a boxy SUV that has the drag coefficient of a wall.

Still, Overfinch suggest that the supercharged engine the used now churns out 575 bhp (65 bhp more than the current Supercharged 5.0-liters V8 Range Rover Sport) thus enabling the GTS-X do the 0 to 60 mph run in just 5-seconds. That’s pretty impressive. Other than that, an extensive body kit overhaul is quite visible, LEDs (can’t go without them), a Brembo set of brakes and, judging by the sound, some new plumbing as well.

More details are expected to spring up as we get closer to the Goodwood Festival. As for now, enjoy the video:

httpv://youtu.be/0xbR5ZMwxJc

Source: Overfinch

June 4, 2012

American Favorite Sports Cars to Pace Belle Isle Grand Prix

This weekend, two sporting events will come to Detroit – the Chevrolet Grand-Am 200 at Belle Isle on Saturday and the Chevrolet Indy Grad Prix on Sunday. The former will have a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 pacing the contenders while the latter will get the Chevrolet Corvette 427 Convertible.

“With Corvette and Camaro, Chevrolet has two of the most popular, and most iconic, performance cars in the industry,” said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet Global Marketing. “It will be very exciting to see them leading the field as racing returns to Detroit.”

Looking at the statistics, its clear that those two are the right choice – back in 2011, every third supercar sold in the US was either a Camaro or Corvette. This year, that trend is still up as total sales for Camaro lead its nearest competitor, the Ford Mustang, by 13 percent through April. For the same period, Corvette sales are 39 percent higher than its nearest competitor, the Porsche 911

But we need other numbers to be convinced that the Camaro and Corvette are as appealing as they say. Fortunately, those numbers are present as well: The 2012 Camaro ZL1 Coupe which will have the job to pace the Grand Am is the most powerful one up to date – 6.2 liters of displacement, V8 cylinders, supercharged, it’s engine develops 580 hp and 556 lb-ft. of torque. It sounds raw, but it isn’t. The magnetic suspension is looked after by a sophisticated Performance Traction Management so that you have infinite amounts of grip. Then, even when the infinite comes to an end, the six-piston Brembo brakes to keep you out of trouble. As a result of all that, the Camaro ZL1 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of 184 mph. It’s current record at the Nürburgring stands at 7:41:27.

Similarly to the Camaro, the 2013 Corvette 427 is the most powerful convertible Chevrolet out on the markets. In fact it’s one of the most powerful convertibles in general. It has an engine from the Corvette Z06 which erupts with 505 hp and 470 lb-ft. of torque every time you step on it. Because of extensive use of carbon fiber, the 427 is lightweight as well – 3,355 pounds. (for a convertible). That means a power-to-weight ratio of 6.64 – or one horsepower for every 6.64 pounds of vehicle mass. That puts to shame well-established brands such as Audi, Aston Martin, Ferrari and their respective convertibles. For the Chevrolet Corvette 427 to do a 0 to 60 mph run it takes 3.8 seconds and the top speed boarders 190 mph.

Source: Chevrolet

June 1, 2012

Author: Tsvetan Varbanov