I am genuinely excited to see the Aston Martin Rapide (again…now that it’s not a concept). I want to see what it looks and sounds like. Because this video has me really excited. I wouldn’t also mind seeing what the blokes at Top Gear think about it either…
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I must have missed this in the process of moving from Pittsburgh back to Hong Kong,but production shots of Aston Martin’s Rapide have been unveiled on the web. Posted on their Facebook page,Aston Martin’s first four-door sedan looks stunning. Having seen the concept back in 2006 at the Detroit Auto Show,the car looks truly stunning and elegant,and in my opinion,kicks Porsche Panamera’s sorry little ass. This car looks infinitely better both inside and outside. (Found on Autoblog)
Oh-la-lah. Three new drop-tops were unveiled in Frankfurt. Each better than the next. What’s your favorite?
“Ah-Bling-Bling!”screams the chromed-out Audi R8. Do you want to drive this iteration of the beast? This is one great clip of dueling cars,made more amazing by the fact that those cars are the new Ferrari 458 Italia in Scuderia Red and Modena Yellow. So pretty. So fast. Watching them wring the car around the track,the speedometer dial rising and falling,the interior camera work,and the engine roaring in the back…this is basically car porn. (Found on Autoblog)
I don’t care about the specs. I don’t care how fast it can go. It’s an Audi R8. Spyder. Enough said. (Found on Autoblog)
Hot on the heals of McLaren MP4-C12,images of Mercedes Benz’s new supercar,the retro-styled SLS,have leaked on to the intertubes ahead of its unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Inspired by the iconic 300SL,the SLS keeps the large front nose with its massive Mercedes Benz logo and the gullwing doors. The car is fitted with a large 6.3 liter V8 engine,mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that allows it to power from 0-60 in just 3.7 seconds (the 563 hp and 3,500 pound curb weight is probably helping out there!).Unlike McLaren’s supercar,Mercedes went true-supercar with optional carbon ceramic brake discs that allow the car to stop quickly from its top speed of 197 mph (come one Mercedes,you couldn’t eek out another 3 mph?). The car is priced similar to the McLaren at €177,310,and is set to go into production late 2010,and like the McLaren,sales should start in 2011. (Found on Autoblog)
It’s been a long time coming. Pictures have finally leaked of McLaren’s successor to the legendary McLaren F1 road-car,the MP4-12C (its name as you can surmise derives from McLaren’s Formula 1 racing-car-naming schema). And it looks to meet each and every expectation I had of it. Cleverly using carbon-fibre to create a large,single tub as part of its main chassis instead of multiple carbon-fiber parts like it’s competitors,the new car is very light. It’s powered by a relatively small 3.8 liter V8 twin-turbo engine that they developed in-house (the previous McLaren F1 used a BMW V12,while the McLaren Mercedes used a Mercedes engine) that provides 600 bhp and 433 lbs of torque. However,even though McLaren claim they are lighter,I am a bit disappointed that McLaren opted for traditional aluminum brake discs instead of the much more supercar-like carbon ceramic brakes.In some ways,to compensate for this,they did port over a feature from the McLaren Mercedes SLR,and have implemented the airbrake feature in this car as well. The only other really cool thing (apart from that fantastically styled interior) from a driving perspective is the ability of the seven-speed gearbox to be an even smarter implementation of dual-clutch gearboxes. Using the paddles,the gearbox detects when you have pulled a paddle halfway,and prepares the appropriate gear to change to,so that gears change even faster. Priced at $265,000,McLaren is planning on building about 1000 of these fantastic cars in 2011. (Found on Autoblog)
Rolls-Royce has been working on a smaller model to attract the people who aren’t looking to buy cars that need two parking spaces when parallel parking. A baby Roll-er,the Rolls-Royce Ghost,comes in at 212.6 inches long on a 129.7 inch wheelbase. Set to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in a week or so,this baby Roller is powered by a not-so-baby 6.6 liter V12 engine that generates 563 bhp and 575 pounds of torque. But what appeals to me are the updated interior. Porting BMW’s latest version of the iDrive,the interior is flush with leather and amazing wood grain. I love the controls,the large flip up screen,the black and chrome rotating wheel,and finally the full length umbrella stored in the suicide doors. Beyond that,the exterior has the sleekness of typical Rolls-Royces,but a contemporary twist with the wide twin exhausts and LED lights. (Found on Autoblog) | |||||
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