Supercars
Caterham’s new Superlight R300 delivers 339bhp-per-tonne
British lightweight sportscar manufacturer Caterham has released details of a new addition to its ‘Superlight’ family. The new Superlight R300 is an update the previous R300, which was originally launched in 2002 and fitted with a Rover engine. The new model offers chassis developments and increased engine performance that see the R300 go from 0-to-60mph in 4.5 seconds courtesy of a new 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine, tuned by Caterham Powertrain (CPT) to deliver 175bhp. The latest 515kg interpretation of Colin Chapman’s ‘lightweight minimalist’ philosophy balances power and chassis to deliver an impressive 339bhp-per-tonne. Read More
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S
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Mercedes-Benz has announced a new limited edition version of the SLR McLaren Roadster supercar with the promise of breathtaking power and performance characteristics above that of its stunning predecessor. Improved dynamic suspension tuning and aerodynamics combined with a hand-built, supercharged, 5.5-liter Mercedes-AMG V8 engine that delivers 478 kW/650 hp (up from 460kW) give the new variant a top speed of 335 kmh with acceleration from 0 to 100 kmh in 3.7 seconds and 0-200 kmh 10.6 seconds. Why "722"? The number is a reference to the SLR racing models from the 1950s from which the two-seater cabriolet draws inspiration - Stirling Moss and his co-driver Dennis Jenkinson carried this number when they drove to victory in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR at the classic Mille Miglia long-distance race in 1955. Read More
World's fastest Ford GT for sale on eBay
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August 19, 2008 Packing over 1000 horsepower after its GT1000 twin turbo upgrade, and with an eye-watering measured top speed of 235.4mph (378kph) that it can reach in less than 2 miles of straight road, this 2005 Ford GT has been given the full treatment by the high-velocity tuning gods at Hennessey Performance Engineering. Now it's up for sale on eBay - for the price of a small house. Read More
Goodwood Festival of Speed takes off
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Gizmag's editor Noel McKeegan is at Goodwood this week rejoicing in the atmosphere of what is unquestionably the most influential and respected celebration of all things motorsport. Noel's thoughts, pics and vidz from a number of major events will grace our pages over the coming weeks. This is his first filing Read More
Lotus shows hemp-based Eco Elise
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Lotus has taken a different approach to 'green' car building with the announcement of its Eco Elise - featuring hemp-based bodywork and other renewable materials. Taking the position that too many 'green' cars concentrate solely on CO2 emissions at the tailpipe, Lotus has overhauled its entire manufacturing process to reduce energy and water usage, boost recycling, use locally-sourced, renewable and carbon-neutral materials, and provide dash instrumentation to encourage greener driving habits. It's an unique 'holistic' approach to environmentally friendly car building - and the stunning Eco Elise should make at least two sales when the news reaches Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. Read More
The world's most extravagant rental car?
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The Saleen S7 supercar: 7 liters and 550 horsepower of the most exclusive hand-made V8 American metal. Proof positive that sex itself can tear up tarmac, and a genuine contender amongst the very top echelon of the world's performance cars. It will happily accelerate through 200mph (322kmh), and rocket you to 60mph in around 3.4 seconds if you can find enough traction. At US$400,000 per unit it's one of the most expensive cars around, and it's so exclusive that apparently even Jeremy Clarkson can't get a test drive. But you can, if you're willing to stump up the US$4000 per day charge to take what may be the world's most extravagant rental car out for a spin. We recommend the extra insurance. Read More
225mph Stealth supercar: BRABUS BULLIT BLACK ARROW
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German auto-performance specialist Brabus has again pushed the envelope with its latest creation - the wickedly styled BULLIT BLACK ARROW. Read More
It's a bird, it's a plane... it's a Lamborghini
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Residents of Turin, Italy were treated to an unique spectacle earlier this week as the € 1 million euro Lamborghini Reventón supercar made its way to a conference hosted by the company courtesy of a helicopter lift from the Italian marines. Read More
Porsche celebrates 60 years
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One of the world's best-known sportscar marques is turning 60. Created by Ferdinand Alexander “Ferry” Porsche, in a small workshop in the Austrian Alps, the first Porsche prototype identified as 356-001 received official approval for road service on June 8, 1948. Read More
First UK showing of Citroën’s C-Métisse concept supercar
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June 2, 2008 Citroën’s C-Métisse concept will be among the smorgasbord of automotive eye-candy on offer at this year's Festival of Speed at Goodwood. The appearance will be the first in the UK for the 155mph supercar which debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 2006. Read More
New Ferrari California (UPDATED - new images)
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Ferrari has released three enticing photographs of the California in the build up to the car's official unveiling at the Paris Motor Show. The new stablemate for the 612 Scaglietti and the 430 Scuderia features the marque's first mid-front mounted engine. Read More
Keating: the next British supercar brand makes a double debut
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With British performance car brands being sold to overseas interests left, right and center, it seems it's up to enthusiasts to create the next truly British supercar. And after an eight year development process, here it is: the Keating SKR and its racetrack-only, all-carbon TKR brother offer continental good looks, lightweight snappy handling and stonking power, from 400hp on the 6-litre V8 base model to a ridiculous projected 1500hp for the twin-turbo top dog. With sensible service intervals and a bespoke approach to supercar-building that will see everything from the dash instruments to the seat coverings and interior tailored to each buyer's specifications, Keating hopes to rekindle the British performance auto industry. Tally ho! Read More
Weber Sportcars Faster One: Swiss supercar eats Bugatti Veyron's lunch
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If your neighbor swans around bragging about his 253mph Bugatti Veyron, then this Swiss supercar might be just what you need to wipe the smile off his face, because the world's got a new contender for the fastest road-legal car. The crudely-named "Faster One" from Weber Sports might not have the Bugatti's dashing good looks, but if you ever found enough straight road to give them both a gumboot full, the Faster One's claimed top speed of 260mph (420kmh) would see it crawl away from both the Veyron and the SSC Ultimate Aero. With only 900hp to the Veyron's 1001, the Faster One lives up to its name by virtue of its superior aerodynamics. And the price of ultimate velocity? A little over US$1.5 million. Read More
Corvette ZR1's certified power ratings exceed expectations
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April 30, 2008 When the preliminary performance specs for the new 2009 Corvette ZR1 appeared on the radar late last year ahead of its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, predictions were for a supercar producing 620 horses and topping 200mph, making it the most powerful and fastest automobile ever produced by General Motors. Now with the release of the certified power ratings there's no cause for disappointment, in fact it seems that initial predictions were a little underdone. According to Chevrolet, the ZR1's hand-built, supercharged LS9 V-8 engine will produce 638 horsepower (476 kW) and 604 lb.-ft. of torque (819 Nm) - an output of almost 103 horses per liter - and will achieve a top speed of 205 mph (330 km/h). On top of that, although fuel economy testing has not yet been completed, engineers remain confident that the ZR1 will be the most fuel-efficient 600-plus-horsepower car on the market. Read More
Gearing up for Goodwood
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April 17, 2008 The wheels are in motion for this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed which will be held between 11-13 July under the theme ‘Hawthorn to Hamilton – Britain’s Love Affair with World Motor Sport’. Read More
Britain's Lightning GT electric supercar
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March 27, 2008 It seems a transatlantic battle is brewing in the high-performance electric sportscar market. As America's Tesla moves into the production phase with its 130+mph Roadster, Britain's Lightning GT is hot on its heels, with prototypes expected to hit the road later this year. The Lightning's power figures are very impressive - 700 horsepower, and 4 second 0-60mph times to almost rival the Tesla's 3.7 seconds. But it's the GT's revolutionary battery technology that might give it the upper hand: Nanosafe's Li-ion cells using nano titanate structures instead of traditional graphite give the GT an incredible 250-mile range, a full recharge time of only 10 minutes, and a life expectancy of 12 to 20 years, or 15,000 charge cycles before the battery performance drops significantly. Read More
Fully electric, 130+mph Tesla Roadster goes into production
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March 18, 2008 A very significant milestone in zero-emissions motoring has just occurred as Tesla Motors announced yesterday that its groundbreaking electric sportscar has commenced regular production. The 130mph Tesla Roadster is the first production electric car to boast genuine sports performance coupled with a 210+ mile range between battery charges, which make it both exciting and viable for the vast majority of driving purposes. The fact that it's utterly gorgeous, with hints of the Lotus Elise, doesn't hurt either. All of the 2008 models scheduled for production have already been snapped up for just under US$100,000 each - and reservations are now being taken on the 2009 model. Read More
BRABUS SLR McLaren roadster gets a smart tender
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So the traffic's a little heavy and you don't feel like taking the SLR McLaren roadster BRABUS to the shops. The solution: take the high-performance smart fortwo "tender". The yachting term has made its way into the automotive world via the latest offering from German performance specialist BRABUS. On World debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the BRABUS “tender to the SLR” package consists of two identically painted and equipped vehicles - an aerodynamically enhanced, finely tuned, 211mph SLR McLaren Roadster BRABUS (the yacht) and the BRABUS ULTIMATE 112, a drop-top two-seater based on the latest smart fortwo Cabrio that puts out 112 hp and achieves 0-62mph in under ten seconds (the tender). Read More
250mph Koenigsegg Edition set for world premiere
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February 28, 2008 Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg will debut its latest gob-smacking creation at the upcoming Geneva International Motor Show - the Koenigsegg Edition. Featuring a striking black clear carbon body, red leather interior and new forged, machined and polished aluminum wheels, the Edition will be available in two versions - the 4.8 litre 888bhp CCX Edition and the CCXR Edition, a biofuel burning variant that achieves 1018 bhp at 7000rpm when run on E85 fuel, making 0-62 mph (0-100 kmh) in under 3 seconds and reaching a top Speed of 254+ mph (410+ kmh) along the way. Those in the market will have to dig deep and act fast to get behind the wheel of the Edition - pricing for the CCXR version is listed at 1.5 million Euros and according to Koenigsegg "only a very few models will be produced". Read More
Legendary Caterham road/race car now making twice the Bugatti Veyron's power to weight figure
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February 27, 2008 When Jeremy Clarkson declares a car "without any doubt, the ultimate driving machine," and when that same car has a 30-year history of being banned from racing against the most expensive supercars because it routinely thrashes the pants off just about anything around a racetrack, you might suspect that car's got something going for it. So when a special edition is released with an all-new super-lightweight 500hp motor in a package that delivers more than twice the power-to-weight ratio of a Bugatti Veyron, for around a tenth of the price, it must rate as a significant moment in motoring history. Making around 1 horsepower per kilogram, rocketing to 60mph in less than 3 seconds, and yours for only UK£115,000, it's the RS Performance Caterham Levante. Read More
Maserati Gran Turismo S debut
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February 27, 2008 Following on from last year's world premiere of the GranTurismo, Maserati is set to return to the Geneva Motor Show with another sleek Pininfarina designed coupe in tow - the 440 hp V8 GranTurismo S. Read More
Geneva Motor Show highlights: Alfa 8C Spider
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February 20, 2008 Alfa Romeo will exhibit a convertible version of the Alfa 8C Competizione supercar at next month’s Geneva Motor Show ahead of a limited production run. The silky smooth Alfa 8C Spider utilizes the same 450bhp, 4.7 litre V8 as its coupe stablemate via a 6-speed F1-style paddle shift gearbox to the rear wheels. Read More
E-Vade: world debut for lightweight, 500 kW sportscar
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February 19, 2007 A joint effort between naval engineer Lieutenant Commander David Walter and his wife Peta, the track version of the two-seater E-Vade sportscar weighs just 900 kg and achieves 500 kW from its modified Nissan V6 engine mounted longitudinally behind the driver. A slightly heavier (950 kg) road-going and less powerful (300kW) configuration is also on offer with both versions incorporating a built-in hydraulic jacking system which can lift the whole car about 20 cm at the press of a button for quick wheel and tyre changes. Read More
Mercedes SL 63 AMG: coming in April, with new 7-speed Speedshift transmission
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Mercedes' high performance tuning subsidiary AMG has announced the April release of its sportiest-ever SL class Benz. The SL 63 AMG's 6.3-litre engine's now tuned for 525 horses and 660Nm, and even the most ham-footed driver can hit 100kmh in 4.6 seconds thanks to the AMG Race Start launch control package. Chilly temperatures don't have to put you off driving with the top down, as the AMG features a new "Airscarf" neck-level heating system, and the electronically adjustable suspension lets you strike the right balance between racetrack grip and touring comfort on the road. The transmission's a beauty - a four mode manual auto with superfast 100ms shifting and auto-double declutching on downshifts. And if this baby's not fast enough for you, there's always the SL 65 AMG biturbo V12. Read More
Mazda’s new, production-ready 180mph Furai Concept
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Mazda unveiled the latest in its series of Nagare concept cars at North American International Auto Show yesterday - the Furai P2 concept celebrates 40 years of rotary engine development at Mazda plus the company’s international motorsport heritage with the raciest interpretation of Nagare design language to-date. The ethanol-burning, three-rotor rotary Furai is more than just a design exercise, having seen 180 mph on the racetrack and with strong hints that it is ready for production. The Furai concept serves as a turning point in the Nagare developmental process - while the four previous concept cars explored different ways to express Mazda’s emerging design philosophy and to explore an aesthetic, this one is all about function – every last texture and detail serves some functional purpose. Read More
2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 to top 200mph - NEW IMAGES
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Chevrolet has announced details of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 with the promise of an American supercar that will establish new benchmarks for production-based power and performance. Coming almost two decades after the official launch of the Corvette ZR1 at the Geneva Auto Show way back in 1989, the 2009 ZR1 features a long list of specialized components that include extensive use of carbon-fiber paneling and an all-new LS9 supercharged 6.2L V-8 that's expected to punch out 620 horsepower (462 kW) with around 595 lb.-ft. of torque (823 Nm). Though full performance specs will not be released until the summer 2008 launch draws closer, predictions are that the new ZR1 will be the first production Corvette to achieve a top speed of at least 200 mph, making it the the most powerful and fastest automobile ever produced by General Motors and giving it the muscle to claim dominance over international competition like the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari 599 and the Lamborghini LP640. Read More
Porsche announces modern interpretation of 1960s racecar
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In case you ever wondered, the word "Spyder" simply refers to a sporty, "speedy" convertible. It harks back to the days of horse-drawn carriages where it was used to describe small, light two-seater carriages with a simple folding sunshade on top secured by four bows that looked like, well a spider sitting on top of the carriage. The name has made its way through into the auto business, and has been particularly popular on Euro sportsters with the latest example from Porsche being the limited edition Boxter RS 60 Spyder. The German company plans to produce only 1,960 of them in homage to the groundbreaking, "giant-killing" Porsche Type 718 RS 60 that blitzed the larger, more powerful competition in 1960's 12 hours of Sebring endurance race, and kicked off a successful streak in motorsport for the company. Read More
Ferrari upgrades FXX prototype
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November 14, 2007 After two years of ferocious testing, Ferrari have made large-scale improvements to one of the most extreme supercars they’ve ever built. Available only to a select handful of owners (including 7-times Formula One champ Michael Schumacher), the FXX prototype now makes a ridiculous 860 horsepower (641.3kW) at a screaming 9500RPM, and incorporates the absolute bleeding edge of barely-filtered F1 technology. Never intended for road use, the car can only be driven at trackdays approved by Ferrari, and all driving data is fed back into the Ferrari roadcar development program. Read More
2008 Porsche 911 GT2: Faster, lighter, harder
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Vastly lighter than the 911 Turbo after dropping from all-wheel-drive to rear-wheel drive, loads more powerful and efficient thanks to twin turbos and clever intake manifold innovations, and more racetrack-ready than ever before: the 2008 911 GT2 will be showcased in a few days at the LA Auto show, and it’s a beauty. In fact, it’s the fastest and most powerful production road Porsche 911 the company has ever homologated for the road, belting out a stern 530 rear-wheel drive horses, hitting 100kmh in a mere 3.7 seconds and topping out at an eye-widening 329kmh (or just over 200mph). Read More
No longer a Skyline: the 2008 Nissan GT-R a huge hit in Tokyo - UPDATED, NEW IMAGES
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October 25, 2007 Perhaps the biggest buzz we’ve seen yet at the Tokyo Auto Show has been around the official launch of the new Nissan GT-R performance car, which packs a 3.8 litre, 480-horsepower twin-turbo engine, electronically adjustable suspension, shift and stability control modes, and the world’s first independent twin-axle 4WD. Looking sharp, the GT-R is clearly aimed at the Porsche 911 Turbo, which it has apparently beaten around both the Nurburgring and Laguna Seca in racetrack testing. Read More
Audi’s R8: “the slowest car we’ve ever built”
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October 18, 2007 Audi has labeled its R8 as “the slowest car we’ve ever built” in a new tongue-in-cheek ad campaign designed to bring attention to the laborious process of manufacturing the largely hand-built high-performance sports car. Read More
BMW reveal details of new M3 Saloon
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October 10, 2007 Thirteen years after the launch of the original M3 Saloon, BMW has announced details of a new version of its high-performance range in a 4-door body-shell. While four generations of M3 have been built, this is only the second time an M3 Saloon has been offered and with its ability to produce 420hp at 8,300rpm and 400Nm of torque at 3,900rpm, the Saloon matches the performance of the latest M3 Coupé. Read More
SSC Ultimate Aero sets new “World Fastest Production Car” record
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September 24, 2007 Shelby Supercars (SSC) has reported a world record 257mph run in speed testing of its 1183bhp, twin-turbo V8 Ultimate Aero TT. The first pass was recorded at 257.41mph (414.31kmh) and the second pass was recorded at 254.88mph (410.24kmh) in testing on a temporarily-closed two lane stretch of public highway in the company’s home state of Washington for an average top speed of 256.15mph. Read More
One supercar, hold the paint job: Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang
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September 20, 2007 Ah, the Bugatti Veyron – the supercar to end all supercars.
The one million Euro, 400 km/h (248.5 mph) machine laid claim to the title of the fastest, most powerful and most expensive street-legal production car in the world in 2005. But more than that, it’s an engineering achievement of epic proportions, a 1000-horsepower, aluminum and carbon-fiber celebration of the pinnacles of speed, power and aerodynamics that are possible when no expense is spared. The sheer genius and artistry of its construction are highlighted by the limited edition Veyron Pur Sang unveiled at Frankfurt, the first supercar ever released without a paint job. The raw beauty of the Pur Sang’s perfectly shaped materials is even more striking and inspiring than the gorgeous paint jobs on the standard production models. Read More
Ferrari crams unprecedented F1 technology into new 430 Scuderia
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When Ferrari pulls the covers off a new model, the world stops to look – especially when it’s an up-spec version of an already phenomenal car that’s been lightened, pumped up with a dose of steroids and packed to the gills with barely-filtered technology fresh from the garage of the oldest and most successful Formula One team in the paddock. Here it is: the brand new and much-anticipated Ferrari 430 Scuderia supercar. Read More
