Sports Cars

, ,

Aston Martin unveils DB12, the world’s first ‘super tourer’

Aston Martin called upon 73 years of heritage to unveil last week not only a new member of its iconic DB line, but a corresponding new vehicle category. In debuting its newest DB12, Aston packed so much “new” into the latest DB it required its own category — the super tourer. The DB12 super tourer — and the simultaneous farewell to the DB11 — offers a lot more. More power, more performance, more timeless styling and more technology are deployed to perfect the hardware used by its DB11 predecessor.  The part-aluminum chassis utilizes a reworked cross brace, undertrays, a crossmember, and strut towers for a 7 percent increase in torsional rigidity. Engine components are also shared between the predecessor and

Read more
, , , ,

Luftgekühlt 9: Beauty at the beast

Luftgekühlt, which translates from German to “air-cooled,” is a pilgrimage for dedicated Porsche fans. It showcases the best of what many consider to be Porsche’s Golden Years — the air-cooled period. Luft 9 highlights the fastest, most prestigious air-cooled products from Porsche’s 1931 founding leading up to the discontinuation of the air-cooled 911 in 1998. For the first time Luftgekühlt, often shortened to Luft 9, offered back-to-back days to commemorate all Porsches without regard to door count, means of cooling, motorsport success, and more. Air | Water exhibits vehicles from the Pre-A era to 992 — Mezger 997’s, Carrera GT’s, GT3 Tourings — alongside their classic counterparts. It did so with the mentality the venue makes the event. Mare Island’s

Read more
,

Honda Civic Type R claims front-drive crown at the ‘Ring

There’s a new King of the ‘Ring. Honda’s legendary Civic Type R, a long-time fan-favorite for its extraordinary performance in a small package, captured the fastest lap for front-drive production vehicles at the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife. Honda dethroned the Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R with a 7:44.881 lap time. Unfortunately for U.S.-based fans of the Civic Type R, the model that contested the 12.93-mile “Green Hell” isn’t the same as the vehicle currently on sale in the United States. The record-setting Honda is the Type R “S” which boasts a lighter curb weight and other performance upgrades is exclusive for left-hand-drive European markets. Honda ditched air conditioning, parking sensors, cargo net hooks, navigation hardware and a variety of other equipment which

Read more
, , ,

Bentley Le Mans collection wears pieced, race-winning engine

Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans is among the most prestigious accomplishments in motorsports. Two decades ago, the Breitling-liveried Bentley Speed 8 finished two laps ahead of the pack, taking the marque’s sixth victory. To commemorate the achievement and the 20 years since that victory, Bentley has produced a limited run of 48 Le Mans Collection Continentals. Each of the Collection’s 48 Continentals keeps the Speed 8 memory alive by incorporating a piece of the 2003 race winner in each of the new vehicles. How is Bentley doing that? It’s as unique as it gets in automotive manufacturing. After the Speed 8’s 2003 Le Mans victory, Bentley removed the 32-valve V8 from its bay and cut 24 of the

Read more
,

2023 Genesis GV60 launches as top luxury EV crossover

Six years after the carmaker’s launch as a standalone luxury brand, the 2023 Genesis GV60 debuts as the marque’s first dedicated electric vehicle. It delightfully further blurs the definition of automotive innovation and gadgetry. Available in Advanced and Performance trims, the GV60 is operated by two electric motors and a 77.4-kWh battery pack. Using a 120-volt (Level 1) household-style outlet, the GV60 takes about 68 hours to charge. A 240-volt (Level II) outlet will charge the GV60 in around seven hours. Using a DC Fast-Charging (Level III) station, the GV60 will advance from a 10 to 80 percent charge in around 18 minutes (250-kW/800 volts). The battery can also be used to power external equipment, including appliances. The relevance of

Read more
,

2023 Honda Civic Type R morphs into hot sports car

After 51 years, 11 generations and approaching 28 million in sales, the Honda Civic remains among the most enduring and dependable vehicles. It’s available as a coupe, sedan and hatchback and in Si and Type R high-performance options. It’s offered in Sport, Touring, LX, EX and Sport trims and it ideally defines its name’s origin. The Civic’s moniker means “a car created for citizens and cities.” Civics are everywhere, albeit with a caveat. What once defined the needs of citizens in cities is no more. And the vehicle, classified in its tenure as both a subcompact and compact and with the multiple personalities as a family sedan a zippy sports car, may have lost its way. Six years ago, the

Read more
,

2024 Lamborghini Revuelto: A new bigger, badder bull

The Lamborghini Revuelto is the new bull in town. It has a new hybrid system, dual-clutch transmission, superbike-inspired styling and new driving modes. It has a V12 engine free of forced induction. It produces more than 800 horsepower without hybrid assistance. Combined with its electric motors, power output soars to 1,001 horsepower. The Revuelto supercar succeeds the Aventador after its decade of reign and it changes Lamborghini history. The Italian carmaker replaced one mechanically menacing bull on wheels with a stronger hybrid bull. A beautiful bull The new Revuelto boasts beautifully distinct styling. Lamborghini’s designers remixed the 2021 Sian FKP37, retaining the Y-shaped headlights, pinched, sharp front end, protruding side intakes and over-the-top rear diffuser. The wedge-shaped side profile and

Read more
, ,

New Ferrari Roma Spider: 50 years in the making

Has it been 50 years? In 1973, Ferrari debuted the soft-topped 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider. Five decades after the last of those convertibles left the Maranello, Italy factory, Ferrari recently announced the Prancing Horse will gain be worn on a soft-top, front-engined grand tourer. The automaker took the veil off the roofless Roma with “Spider” at the end of its name. The Roma Spider will replace the Portofino M as the new entry-level Ferrari. A company spokesperson confirmed the news to Road and Track. The new Roma Spider is complete with a retractable, woven fabric soft-top and a powerful, turbocharged V8. Ferrari reworked several mechanical elements to make the Roma Spider as road-worthy as its coupe counterpart. The soft-top, available

Read more
, , , , ,

Adam Levine singing Fake Maserati Blues, sues dealer

Adam Levine, lead vocalist for pop music group Maroon 5, purchased a $1 Million, one-of-25 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Spyder in exchange for two Ferraris from classic car dealer Rick Cole in late 2020. Levine filed a lawsuit last Friday against Cole two years after the deal, claiming the ultra-rare Maserati isn’t authentic. The lawsuit accuses the classic car dealer of negligent misrepresentation, intentional misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, and breach of contract and is asking for at least $850,000 in damages or to undo the $950,000 exchange. Documents obtained by the New York Post claim Cole or those affiliated with his business intentionally faked the documentation, chassis, and engine authentication. Markings on the build plate, VIN, and stampings on various parts of the chassis were shown

Read more
,

2023 BMW M8 Competition: Color Me Green Like Money

Nearly 80 percent of all vehicles on American roads have white, black, gray or silver exterior pain. White cars lead the parade of plainness at nearly 26 percent, a dominance related to ease of fleet maintenance and public convention. BMW in recent years has decided not to always conform. The German automaker makes plenty of cars within the spectrum of the mundane. But three 2023 models stretch the limits. The M8 Competition Gran Coupe includes an offering with an Urban Green exterior matched with a Black Full Merino leather interior. The X7 xDrive40i is available with a Sparkling Copper Metallic exterior and Ivory White Merino Leather. The iX M60 EV has an Oxide Grey Metallic exterior choice matched with Oyster

Read more
, , ,

Lamborghini announces two non-hybrid V12 one-offs

Oops, not so fast, Lamborghini. The automaker announced last September the decade-defining 6.5L V12 engine found in so many of Lamborghini’s supercars would receive a swan song in the Aventador Ultimae. But hold off on the going away party. It now appears the power plant’s demise is premature. Lamborghini has done an abrupt about-face with the recent announcement that two one-off models would instead be the end of the line for the famous engine. Rather than leaving it at the Ultimae, the automaker used the non-hybrid V12 power in the new Invencible coupe and Auténtica roadster. Both highly limited Lamborghinis ride on the Aventador platform that premiered in 2011. They feature the thought-to-be-departing naturally-aspirated V12 synonymous with the brand’s top-tier

Read more
, ,

Porsche updates Ferry’s dream car 75 years later

Somewhere Ferry Porsche is smiling. Seventy-five years after Ferry’s dream car — the iconic Porsche 356 No. 1 — was unveiled, the German sports car brand revealed a modern version of the classic dubbed the Vision 357. Porsche revealed the concept car in Berlin at Volkswagen Group’s “DRIVE” Forum. The Style Porsche Team worked to formulate what the automaker’s founder’s “perfect” sports car might look like today. The Vision 357 commemorates the automaker’s first production vehicle, the 356 and uses the 718 Cayman GT4 RS’ platform while echoing a number of the original 356 No. 1 Roadster’s timeless design cues.  Porsche didn’t quite keep the inverted-bathtub shape of the original 356, but the uninterrupted, swooping lines from the headlights to

Read more
, , ,

Aston Martin bids farewell to DBS with limited 770 Ultimate

Aston Martin unveiled the DBS 770 Ultimate this week and it marked the end of the grand tourer’s production. The 770 Ultimate is the final iteration of the current-generation DBS and the most powerful production vehicle Aston Martin has produced. It’s limited to 499 units between the coupe and Volante convertible and if you want one, it’s too late. The full production has been reserved. The “770” nameplate has been given to this DBS for the 770-ps (759 horsepower), 5.2 liter, twin-turbocharged V12 found under the hood. Torque figures are equally exciting at 664 lbs/ft, and are sent with all 759 horsepower to the rear wheels through a ZF-built eight-speed automatic transmission and a standard mechanical limited-slip differential. Aston Martin

Read more
, ,

Hennessey unveils track-ready Venom F5 Revolution

American high-performance automaker Hennessey has dialed up track performance to the proverbial “11” with the release of the Venom F5 Revolution. The 1,817-horsepower hypercar adds large downforce components to the standard, top-speed focused Venom F5 Coupe to maximize its competitiveness on the racetrack. Hennessey says the Revolution will be street-legal and priced at $2.7M. Only 24 units will leave the production line. Hennessey Chief Engineer John ‘Heinrocket’ Heinricy said in a statement the original F5 was designed to be “ultra-light and monstrously powerful, with dynamics to match.” Heinricy stated the Revolution’s purpose is to take Hennessy’s existing hypercar and “create a machine that is the ultimate visceral and emotional driving experience.” Adding new aerodynamics to the most powerful production car

Read more
, , , ,

Only Corvette ZL-1 convertible could fetch $3M

The 1969 Corvette ZL-1 Convertible is one of Chevrolet’s rarest vehicles and it’s heading to RM Sotheby’s auction in Phoenix, Arizona, auction in January. Only two Corvettes Stingrays were equipped with the 7.0L ZL-1 V8 from factory and only one is a convertible. The auction marks the first time a Corvette with a ZL-1 engine has been offered to the public in 30 years, and the only time a convertible with this engine has been available for purchase. This ultra-rare Corvette was never intended for public sale. It’s anticipated to fetch between $2.6- $3 million,  which would make it one of the most expensive Corvettes ever sold. The current record is an L88-powered 1967 example that sold for $3.85M in

Read more
,

2023 Acura Integra does ancestry proud

The Acura Integra and Acura Legend were pioneers when the upscale division of Honda debuted in North America in 1986. The Integra was a streamlined, more sporty version of the Honda Civic. It became a top-selling, front-wheel sports coupe. It won plenty of awards and then went away. Sports coupes and sedans fell out of favor with the ascension of sport utility vehicles. But the Integra is back after more than a 20-year absence. The 2023 edition is far removed from the original. The vehicle was unveiled with a four-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual transmission and with 113 horsepower. As the car matured, it was repeatedly named to yearly top-10 lists. The new version features a turbocharged, 1.5-liter,

Read more
Previous Next