Motor Mania

We all know about the European trend of downsizing, for a car enthusiast it is a sad thing but it doesn't always mean cars are getting worse, at least not from the performance side. The new Audi RS5 Coupe it's an example, it's old 4.2 liter V8 was substituted with a new 2.9 liter bi-turbo V6 with 450 hp and 600 Nm (442.5 lb-ft) of torque. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 3.9 seconds and has top speed limited to 250 km/h (155 mph). This new engine has the same power as the old one with 1.3 liters less of displacement this is one main factor that make it extremely efficient, in fact it can do 100 km with just 8.7 liters of fuel, the equivalent of 27 mpg, that's just a little over what a Volkswagen Golf consumes. From the previous version there is approximately a 17 % improvement in efficiency this thanks also to the 60 kg weight reduction. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows in fact the downside of all this is reliability, having a smaller turbo-charged engine is more efficient but usually means also having more stress on the components which can result in a reduction of the engine life and the need of more frequent maintenance.

The interior is all black with silver details, it looks very very sporty and elegant, that's what Audi is all about after all. The seats have a stitched honeycomb pattern, the steering has a flat bottom and it's covered with an anti-slip leather similar to the ones found in GT cars. The price is still unknown it will be revealed closer to its appearance in dealerships which should be in the beginning of 2018.

A new exclusive version of Jaguar XE it is the SV Project 8 following the F-Type Project 7. The car is assembled by hand, there will be only 300 exemplars available

It has a supercharged 5.0 liter V8 with 592 hp making it the most powerful production Jaguar. The car can reach a top speed of 200 mph (321 km/h) and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 – 96 km/h) in 3.3 seconds.

The look is astonishing especially the grills on the sides of the bumper made with the same material and the wing on the back. It is very light thanks to the aluminum body and carbon fiber panels like the bumpers and the bonnet. Other light weight parts are the 20 inch aluminum alloy wheels and the titanium exhaust which by the way sounds amazing. This pretty much a track car with its adjustable aerodynamics and suspension, also for the first time in a production car we find silicon nitride bearings the same used in F1 cars or in Fidget spinners (it's not a joke!). We still don't know anything about the price but one thing is for sure, it won't be cheap. Don't despair Jaguar will probably release a softer and cheaper version that will not have a limitation on the volume of production.

The new Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody is a "less hardcore" version of the SRT Demon revealed earlier this year. As you probably guessed it is wider than a regular Hellcat with fender flares extending 3.5 inches, this makes it look very aggressive and muscular. The car rides on big 20 inch "Devil's" rims, has a front splitter coming from the SRT Demon while the spoiler is the same as in the standard model. 

The engine is the same 6.2 V8 HEMI with enhanced cooling system outputting 707 hp and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of torque. The car sprints from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 96 km/h) in 3.4 seconds (0.1 seconds faster) and has a top speed 195 mph (313 km/h). The car comes with six speed manual or eight speed automatic and, for the first time, we see EPS (Electronic Power Steering) in a Hellcat, the system has different settings regulated by SRT Drive Modes contributing to greatly improve the handling. The starting price of this beast is 71,495$ about the same as a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE.

Aston Martin wanted to celebrate its partnership with Royal Henley Regatta the organizers of an annual rowing race/event which takes place on the river Thames in England. For the occasion their Q division refined the look of this one-off DB11. It has a very elegant Diavolo red finish, a satin Scintilla silver paint on the roof, a lot of carbon fiber details added to it like the front splitter and rear diffuser and 20 inch black gloss wheels.

 The engine has not been touched is the same 5.2 liter V12 twin turbo with 600 hp  and 516 lb ft (700 Nm) of torque able to accelerate the car from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 96 km/h) in 3.90 seconds and reach a top speed of 200 mph. The engine is mounted on the front to an 8 speed paddle shift gearbox which drives the rear wheels. 

The interior has a lot of leather parts with red accents that match the paint. As in the standard model there is a touch of Mercedes Benz with its infotainment system, this because Daimler AG owns 5% of Aston Martin, it is also the same reason why we see AMG engines under the bonnet of the latest models. This special DB11 will be displayed at the Regatta which is going to take place  from Wednesday 28 June to Sunday 02 July.

October 2016 The Neo EP9 sets a lap time at Nürburgring of 7 minutes 05.12 seconds becoming the world's fastest electric vehicle. May 2017 same track this time completed in 6 minutes 45.9 seconds a record that will not be easy to beat. All this achieved thanks to the joined efforts of Neo and it's Formula-E team. The car has a motor and a transmission for each wheel, that means it a strange combination of all-wheel-drive and independent-wheel-drive. The equivalent power output is 1000 kW equivalent to 1341 hp allowing the car to accelerate from 0 – 60 mph  (0 to 96 km/h) in 2.7 seconds. Not as fast as the Tesla Model S (0 to 60 mph in 2.275 seconds) from which the EP9 took the title of fastest electric car the Nio in fact has a top speed of 313 km/h (194 mph) while the Tesla can reach "just" 250 km/h (155 mph). The batteries can last up to 265 mi (426 km) and the recharging time is only 45 minutes. Six of these cars were sold to investors for 1.2 million dollars each and ten more will be sold to the public for 1.48 million dollars.

If we think about brands like Kia or Hyundai what immediately comes to our mind is cheap Korean cars, that's not the case any more and this car is a clear message. The looks of the Kia Stinger GT kind of remind me of an Audi in particular the back. The front on the other hand with the characteristic "tiger nose" grill is unmistakably Kia. It has big exhaust pipes, air vents on the bumper and on the sides which underline its sportiveness. It will come with a 3.3 liter twin turbo V6 with 365 hp and 500 Nm of torque added to the fact that the car comes in rear wheel drive should be enough to make it very fun to drive. The only sad thing in my opinion in that the only choice for transmission will be 8 speed automatic with paddle shifters on the steering wheel. The price is expected to be quite high because of the class where this car fits but it will still probably be lower than the competitors.

The new 1LE is a race track focused version of the Camaro ZL1, what a better place to test the improvements than the Nürburgring?  The car completed a lap in in the famous track in just 7 minutes 16.04 second. That is super fast! It's 5 seconds faster than a Ferrari 488 GTB for comparison. The success of the car is not due much to  the engine, which is the same supercharged 6.5 liter V8 with 650 hp, but more to the changes in the handling and the weight reduction. In fact this version has wider tyres designed specifically for this car by Goodyear, fully adjustable suspension and the overall weight has been reduced by 60 pounds (27 kg). Also the aerodynamics have been enhanced with the addition of a big carbon fiber wing, new front splitter and wider grills for better cooling. A great car but what about the price? It costs around 69.995$ that is a very reasonable price for all you get.

Roborace will be a championship, actually is still under development, where we will see driverless autonomous cars racing one another on Fia Formula-E racetracks. Roborace has a YouTube channel where it is documenting the development of their prototype the DevBot. Lately for the first time they released the footage of a lap inside the cabin of the vehicle. Only the development prototype has this cabin which can be used accommodate one person, just in case they need to check that everything is ok, the actual race cars will not have it. The prototype was raced at Berlin E-Prix where it did, at first, a lap in "explorer mode" to get to know the circuit before it started going for the high speed laps. The speed was increase gradually until it reached speeds up to 200 km/h (which is the lap that we see in the video). Personally i think this races will be more "fun" for the engineers behind them than for the actual spectators however it's still exciting to see that racing is getting and more closer to what we see in Sci-fi movies.

Have you ever wondered what are the most ridiculous prices at which some cars are sold? Here are five of them. And just for fun i'm going to use as unit the price of a Toyota Prius which is 25,570$. Sometimes i do jokes about this car not because i hate it but because i think it's fun to compare it with cars that have a completely different philosophy.

5- Bugatti Chiron: just above 3 million $ or 117 Prius

The Bugatti may have been the fastest car in the world but apparently it is not the most expensive. It has 4 turbochargers, 16 cylinders 8 liter engine with 1500 hp. The top speed is 420 km/h (261 mph) and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in 2.6 seconds.

4- Bugatti Veyron Mansory Vivere Edition: 3.4 million $ or 133 Prius

Yes, another Bugatti i still can't believe they are so low in this list. This one also has 8 liter W16 engine but this time with 1200 hp top speed 407 km/h (253 mph). The high price is due to the esthetic touches by Mansory like the exterior panels in lacquered carbon fiber.

3- W Motors Lykan Hypersport: 3.4 million $ of 133 Prius

It's produced in Middle East so that should say a lot about the price added to the fact that only 7 units were built. It has a twin turbo six cylinder boxer engine with 770 hp and a displacement of 3.7 liters. It accelerates from 0 to 100 (0 to 60 mph) in 2.8 seconds and has a top speed of 395 km/h (245 mph).

2- Lamborghini Veneno Roadster: 4.5 million $ or 175 Prius

It is one of the most exclusive cars in the world with only 9 units available. It debuted at the Geneva auto show in 2013 for the 50^th anniversary of Lamborghini. It has a 6.5 liter V12 engine with 750 hp and permanent all wheel drive.

1-Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita: 4.85 million $ or 189 Prius

This car is from 2010 and in more than 7 years nobody has made a more expensive car. The body panels are made with beautiful white carbon fiber. It has 4.8 liter V8 with 1018 hp allowing it to accelerate form 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in 2.9 seconds and  reach 408 km/h (254 mph). 

The new 695 Rivale is born from the joined work of Abath and Riva a Italian boat and yacht manufacturer which celebrates this year his 175^th anniversary. The two tone body paint is made with Riva Blu Sera on top and Riva Shark Grey the same colors used for the yachts at Riva boatyard. Also the interior is inspired to a yacht with a very elegant mahogany wood dashboard and blue leather seats. Under the bonnet we find a 1.4 liter turbocharged petrol with 180 hp and 250 nm of torque which is able to accelerate the car from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 6.7 seconds and push it to a maximum speed of 225 km/h (140 mph). The car is also equipped with Brembo brakes, Akrapovich exhaust and FSD (frequency selective damping) system. And if all this wasn't enough for you there is an ultra-limited version the Abarth 695 Rivale 175 Anniversary which has and even more refined interior with handmade seats and it is produced in 175 exemplars for the both cabrio the hardtop version which, by the way, are all already booked. The car will not be available in the US probably because a pricey little city car like this wouldn't sell very much. The price is between 28,000 and 33,695 euro (between 31,172 and 37,513 dollars).

The new Polo GTI it's bigger in every way it's 8 cm (3.14 inch) longer and 7 cm (2.75 inch) wider. The body is more muscular with sharper lines and wider wheel arches containing big 18 inch wheels. The headlights look slightly thinner and are contoured with a chromed line and with the characteristic GTI red highlight passing trough the grill. Also the TSI engine is bigger it's now a 2.0 liter with 200 hp allowing the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in just over 6 seconds and reach a top speed of 245 km/h. The old one was a 1.8 liter with 10 hp less so the new engine should be more reliable since the performance is distributed over a bigger displacement. The interior looks spacious and very sober with the classic tartan pattern on the seats. The car should be out between the end of 2017 and in the beginning of 2018.

If you thought painters only used canvas for their art well you are probably going to be surprised. The American artist Stephen Elliott Webb during the event "One Artist - One Car - One Night" decided to turn a 280 hp Alfa Romeo Giulia in a painting on 4 wheels. The car he used was equipped with an 8 speed automatic gearbox, heated leather seats and a lot more. Not bad for a car that will probably end in a garage or the gallery of some art enthusiast. The sale price is 99,000$ not much if you think it is for a good cause in fact the money will be donated The Fisher House Charleston a foundation that gives temporary accommodation to veterans and their families, an original way to raise charity.

credits to quattroruote.it for the pictures

This year at the 2017 Geneva motor show Lamborghini launched the Huracàn Performante. This version is lighter and more powerful, every part has been enhanced engine, suspension and aerodynamics in fact Lamborghini say's the vehicle has been re-engineered in its entirety. The engine is the same 5.2 liters V10 with a 90° V but now it has 640 hp and 600 nm of torque 60 hp and 60 Nm than the standard model. The car is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 2.9 seconds and it has a top speed of 325 km/h (202 mph).  All this combined with ALA system, which stands for Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (Lamborghini Active Aerodynamics), allowed the car to complete a lap at Nürburgring in 6 minutes and 52,01 seconds setting a production car record. That is 5 seconds faster than a Porsche 918 Spyder which has 887 hp (using the combined hybrid system). The car looks very mean, it has a lot of light weight body parts made of Forged Composite which, as the name suggests, it is a special composite material made with carbon fiber developed by Lamborghini. The price of this beast is a whooping 274,390$ here are some pictures and the video of the Nürburgring lap

This accident nearly killed him but it did not hurt his sense of humor. The former presenter of the famous TV show TOP GEAR was recently involved in a car accident. The crash took place in Switzerland during the filming for Grand Tour a Amazon show which is somewhat the reincarnation of the old Top Gear presented by the same famous trio Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May. He was driving a Rimac Concept One, a Croatian electric supercar, when he lost control of the vehicle. Luckily he was conscious and was able to get him self out just before the car burst on flames. He was then transported to the hospital by a helicopter. He reported a fracture to his knee and he will undergo surgery it could have ended a lot worse considering the car was reduced to a pile of ash. This is not the first time that he is involved in an accident in 2006 he nearly died on board of a dragster, he was in a coma for two weeks but made a full recovery. The fact that after all he is able to joke about all this shows his fortitude.  

The Honda Civic was first produced in 1997 and after 20 years it broke a world record. At the Nürburgring the Honda Civic Type-r set a time of 7 minutes and 43.8 seconds becoming the fastest front-wheel-drive production car ever. For comparison the Nissan GTR which costs 111,685$ set a lap time of 7 minutes 43.65 seconds. That means that for 34,775$ you can get a car that is nearly as fast as a GTR for one third of the price! This new Type-R has a complete new face very different from the previous FK2 chassis. The look is very sporty and aggressive with a big wing and all kinds of air vents. Personally i think it's a very good looking car, maybe there is a little bit too much going on but hey... Japanese automotive design is very different and i appreciate it. The car comes with a turbocharged 4 cylinder 2 litre engine with 306 hp equipped with the famous V-Tec. 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) takes 5.7 s and the top speed is 272 km/h (169 mph). Here are some pictures and a video of the Nürburgring lap enjoy!