There’s little to fault with Lamborghini’s Gallardo (pictured), but that’s not stopping the super car maker from packing it with more power. According to Inside Line, a high-output variant, reportedly named LP550, will make its debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show.
We hear the current 5.0-liter V-10 will be replaced by a 5.2-liter ten-cylinder, fitted with Audi’s FSI direct-injection technology. Total output of the new mill will reportedly be 550 horsepower (hence the nomenclature) and 390 lb-ft of torque. That’s a 30 hp and 15 lb-ft boost over the 5.0-liter.
In 1966, it was good to be the boss, and two Italian businessmen certainly knew so. Giovanni Agnelli, head of the Fiat empire, and Luigi Chinetti Sr, Ferrari’s number one man in the United States, were both treated to examples of the 365P Berlinetta Special, two of only three examples of the Ferrari concept. Chinetti’s car, the first built, is now on display at the Saratoga Automobile Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Built upon the chassis of 365P2 and 365P2/3 racers, the 365P Berlinetta Special was stripped of its racing body and treated to a full reinterpretation, courtesy of Pininfarina.
Boutique carmaker Artega first showed it’s succulent GT in concept form at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. The world turns, and one year later the company claims to be ready to deliver its first production editions of the car, but not before it gives the public one last look at the 2008 Geneva show.
The GT is said to be priced at around 75,000 euros, and while that’s certainly more than walking around money for us, it’s not a crazy tag considering the carbon fiber bodied super car the money buys. Helping to keep costs in check is the Artega’s 3.6-liter V-6 from Volkswagen that, while still meriting some respect at 300 horsepower, is decidedly more plebian than the mills found in comparable Porsches and Astons. A bargain proposition then.
At any rate, we can’t wait to get a glance at the full production-spec car this March in Geneva. Until then, feel free to refresh your memories of the car with our gallery of the Artega GT concept below.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
As much as we love the famous horse head scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, we’d have to argue that finding a front fascia reminiscent of a late ’70s Bentley in our sheets would be more traumatizing.
O.K, maybe we’re exaggerating, but we’re still laughing (and drooling) over Audi’s R8 spot that aired during last night’s Super Bowl game. Regardless if you love or hate the spoof, we readily admit the R8 is an offer that we can’t refuse.
In case you have trouble deciding what to do for a vacation, you might want to check out the Bullrun Rally. Set to take place June 20th through the 27th, the cross country even will go from Calgary, Canada to Phoenix, Arizona. This 7 day rally will set you back a bit for an average vacation, costing $20,000. It does cover the cost of hotels, meals, and the events along the way. You don’t simply get to sign up for this rally though, you need to apply to participate.
We remain squarely in the honeymoon phase of the new Aston Martin, but so far things appear to be positively glowing with action items showering down over the Cotswolds.
When we spoke with the Aston people during their DBS drive event last October, the subject of the new design studio came up only by accident, and it felt more like a yurt raising among villagers than a major extravaganza for the foreign press. They were unsure whether or not they would even celebrate the opening of the facility, saying they would probably have a small party and we could come if we found our own way there. When we later followed up on the status of it all, this scrape-it-together wee party had ballooned into the largest gala event Gaydon’s horsey set will ever see.
We recently asked you what engine you thought sounded worst, but we figured we’d bring you an example of what may well be one of the most heavenly engine sounds known to man: that of the 6.3-liter, 790-horsepower V-12 in the Ferrari FXX. This isn’t a clip of that magnificent motor being revved in an empty garage; no sir, this is footage of all that power being smoothly wrung around the Silverstone road course.
Visually, it may be a bit on the dull side (unless you’re an absolute racing or Ferrari nut), but the sound is near perfection. Go ahead, use it as a lullabye tonight; we won’t judge.
For legions of Chevrolet Corvette fans around the globe, the introduction of a new model is a life-changing experience, akin to the second coming of the Messiah, only much better. And so it is with the ZR1, the most obsessed-over new car to come out of Detroit in many a fortnight. Why the fascination? Partly because the Corvette crowd is slightly crazy to begin with, and largely because of what this car was rumored to be—some sort of wild animal on wheels, a semi-savage beast that could lap the old Nürburgring circuit fast enough to give a Porsche 911 Turbo morning sickness, stop quick enough to suck the taillamps out of a Lamborghini Reventón, and reach a terminal velocity that would put a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano back on the boat to Maranello.
Car Magazine has reported details concerning this supercar concept, the MCE MC1. The MC1 is the culmination of a joint effort between MotorCity Europe and C2P Automotive. The 600 horsepower V-10 supercar was designed by David Hilton (Ford Focus RS and S-Max).
MotorCity Europe hopes the car will see production in 2011 by an unnamed British coachbuilder.
The MC1 features a carbon-fiber monocoque, scissor doors, and a stacked center-mounted exhaust.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Glenn Paulina and his spy shooting crew have captured another exotic beauty during sub-zero testing. This Aston Martin DBS Volante looks as if it would be right at home on the set of the next 007 thriller, but it’s just chilling in the Arctic Circle.
There probably won’t be many changes between the DBS coupe and Volante, but we do expect minor suspension tuning and a few other slight changes to make top-down motoring a little more enjoyable. The good news is that the same 6.0-liter V-12 ought to produce 510 horsepower and the car should only be a tick slower to 60 mph.
(Click through to read our spy’s words.)
We’ve never personally witnessed the return of a celebrated ruler, but the launch of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 at the Detroit auto show may have come close to the same experience. Once GM execs stopped lauding their new uber-Vette, hordes of peasants media professionals ran to the car, and the crowds essentially never thinned out.
That’s why we returned yesterday morning, hoping to get some one-on-one time with the King, but the GM folks had already positioned the car on it’s public show throne. No matter; we bring you some clear images not only of the car itself, but also its chassis and a cutaway display of its storied LS9 motor - all of which will be surrounded by crowds again in only a few days.
The 2008 North American International Auto Show is full of new cars, some of which can only be afforded by people with extra large wallets. Automakers like Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Ferrari ensure that their top-dollar automobiles are displayed under only the best of lighting and in the plushest surroundings. In many cases, special permission has to be granted in order for journalists to get up close and personal with these top-shelf vehicles.
Click the images below to open a high-resolution gallery of the premium automobiles that were on display at this year’s Detroit show.