LEAKED! - MINI Coupe Concept, aka Speedster, appears ahead of Frankfurt

MINI wants to celebrate its 50 years in great style. This is why it has created the MINI Coupe Concept, a car that rumours stated would be called Speedster. It could be a Speedster, it it had a drop top, but it seems it has not. Check the images.



So far, this is all we have got. As soon as info is released will give you more details on the car.





Source: Edmunds

Devon reveals the GTX at US$ 500,000 each

Devon Motorworks has revealed today, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, its first vehicle, the GTX. As we have said, the vehicle is powered by the same 650 bhp 8.4-litre V10 engine you can find under the hood of Dodge Viper. The differences are mainly on the looks, weight (GTX body is entirely built of carbon fibre and aluminium) and production, what implies in differences in cost. Each GTX will cost its owner US$ 500,000.



With sales expected to start in the first quarter of 2010, GTX is a rear wheel drive two-seater coupe that is 4.37 m long, 1.23 m tall, 1.99 m wide and bears a wheelbase of 2.51 m. Unfortunately Devon does not inform how much the GTTX weighs. It uses 18-inch wheels in front and 19-inch wheels at the back, respectively with 295/30 ZR18 and 345/30 ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport tyres. Optionally the buyer can ask for 19-inch wheels in front and 20-inch wheels at the back, with 295/30 ZR19 and 335/30 ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport tyres.

The car features six-piston caliper brakes in front and four-piston caliper brakes in the rear. The suspension is independent on all four wheels, with the SLA (Short Long Arm) arrangement in all of them.

Devon Motorworks expects to produce 36 units every year, what would represent building only three cars a month. That, in part, explains the price. Just as Morgan, this is a North American carmaker that will not have how to escape long waiting lines for its products.


















Source: Devon Motorworks

Porsche will present the seventh generation of 911 Turbo in Frankfurt

Porsche has released today the first pictures and information about the seventh generation of 911 Turbo. The car has received important upgrades, the biggest one being an entirely new engine, a 3.8-litre six-cylinder boxer powerplant with direct fuel injection. Instead of the 420 bhp of the previous generation, this one can provide 500 bhp.



With this engine, the car is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 s and to reach a top speed of 312 km/h. Previously, its top speed was 305 km/h. Considering we are talking about an all-wheel drive car, this is quite a figure. Optionally, the car can be equipped with the PDK transmission, a dual-clutch automated manual seven-speed gearbox.

Although the car will be officially presented at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, its sales will only begin in November 21, in Europe, with a price tag of 122,400 euros for the coupe version and 131,800 euros for the cabrio.








Source: Porsche

OFFICIAL! - Ferrari presents the new 458 Italia

It's been a while since people have started talking about the replacement for Ferrari F430 Modena. There have even been some photographs of the car being tested, but now we have official information on the new car. It will be called 458 Italia.



The new car is the first Ferrari equipped with a direct fuel injection engine, something that will help the Italian automaker reduce consumption with no compromise to performance. The new engine used by Ferrari 458 Italia is an all-aluminium 4.5-litre (4,499 cm³) V8 that generates 570 bhp at 9,000 rpm and 540 Nm at 6,000 rpm. Also new is the seven-speed dual clutch transmission with automated gearshifts, a sort of gearbox that will soon be seen in all Fiat vehicles.

Ferrari 458 (displacement and number of cylinders) Italia is 4.53 m long, 1.94 m wide, 1.21 m tall and counts on a wheelbase of 2.65 m. Its dry weight is 1,380 kg, what gives the car a power-to-weight ration of 2.42 kg/bhp. Weight distribution is 42% at the front and 58% at the rear, for better traction, considering the car is rear wheel drive. Tyres are 235/35 ZR 20 in front and 295/35 ZR20 at the back. Top speed is 325 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is 3.4 s.

The new car also features its E-Diff and F1-Trac controlled by the same ECU, what improves longitudinal acceleration out of corners. As expected, the brakes are also much better than in F430. High performance ABS and a system that maximizes braking speed has lowered 100 km/h-0 stopping distance to 32.5 m.

The new car will be present at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year. There is no word on when sales will begin, but we believe they will happen soon after the car presentation.





Source: Ferrari

JOSS will present its Super Car, the first Australian... you know what

There are cars that have names that may not seem very creative, but at least they leave no doubts about what is their mission. This is the case for JOSS Super Car, the first Australian supercar. It is not only beautiful, but also incredibly mean.



First of all, although it is a not a small car (4.15 m long, 1.86 m wide and 1.05 m tall, with a wheelbase of 2.56 m), it is very light, with a weight of only 940 kg. This is due to the lightweight materials used in its construction, which are aluminium (both for the chassis and for the 6.8-litre engine) and carbon fibre (for the body). Considering the engine, produced exclusively for this car, generates 500 bhp at 5,750 rpm and 650 Nm at 2,800 rpm, its performance puts this car into the very exclusive club of supercars. And not only because of its name.

Accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in this machine took only 3.7 s in its first test, but the final figure is expected to reach something around 3 s. Top speed is 320 km/h. At first. JOSS also expects it to get even better, to something over 340 km/h.

There will only be 25 units of this car every year, at a cost of around US$ 500,000. Since the first 15 units are already bought, anyone interested in the car will have to wait in line to puts hands on the steering wheel and the right foot down on the gas pedal.










Source: JOSS via
AutoBlog

Rendered speculation: will the new Jaguar XJC look like this?

Soon after the new Jaguar XJ was introduced, Ian Callum said Jaguar is also developing a coupé version of the new flagship sedan. It will be the first time in more than 30 years the car will have a XJC version, a car that was produced from 1973 to 1978 with in-line six cylinder engines and powerful V12 as well. With that in mind, the "automotive manipulator" Theophilus Chin (we would call him the Photoshop magician, instead) has designed what he thinks the new XJC may look like. And we would certainly hope his version is an anticipation of the future.



According to Chin, he has reduced the rear overhang, removed the window frames and took away the black D-pillar, something that most people did not find very beautiful. The XJC will naturally be a little shorter than the new XJ, which is 5.12 m long and bears a wheelbase of 3.03 m, but other measures must remain the same: 1.90 m wide and 1.46 m tall (operhaps a little lower). The new coupé will be built over the same all-aluminium platform from XJ.

As for the engines, the new XJC may offer the same four engine options from the XJ, one diesel and three petrol units. The diesel powerplant may be a 3-litre V6 that produces 275 bhp at 4,000 rpm and 600 Nm at 2,000 rpm. The direct injection petrol units are a naturally aspirated 5-litre V8 and two supercharged powerplants, one producing 470 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 575 Nm from 2,500 rpm to 5,500 rpm and the other generating 510 bhp from 6,000 rpm to 6,500 rpm and 625 Nm from 2,500 rpm to 5,500 rpm. All versions of XJ come with a six-speed automatic transmission with manual gear changes with throttles behind the wheel. The XJC is sure to follow that. It is only a pity no 12 cylinder unit will make it to these cars. You know, low emission standards...



Source: Theophilus Chin

Bugatti prepares surprise presentation for its centennial

Bugatti will celebrate 100 years in 2009 and, as so, it needs to count on more than just its supercar, Veyron, which has already been presented and, though still extraordinary, is no news for anyone. This is why the company is believed to be preparing a new vehicle to present at 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The car, which is yet to be named, but has already been called Royale and Bordeaux, will use the same poweplant that gives life to Veyron. In other words, the same 8-litre W16 that pumps out 1,001 bhp and that drives the car to 407 km/h. This story is confirmed by Bugatti's invitation to its press conference in Frankfurt. Check it out below:



Though it is only possible to see the silhouette of the back of the future car, the four-pipes double exhaust right behind the rear wheels show this will also be a very powerful sedan. Possibly the mightiest of all times, but that comes as no surprise from Bugatti. We hope it to live for another 100 years, with no interruptions.

Source: AutoExpress

OFFICIAL - Lamborghini pays homage to Valentino Balboni with Gallardo LP 550-2

If you are a fan of Lamborghini, you certainly already have heard of Valentino Balboni. He is the man that has helped develop most of the most important Lamborghini from all times. Now that he has decided to retire, Lamborghini pays him a beautiful homage by creating a car in his honour: the LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni. With only 250 units, each car will cost 162,000 euros.



The name, as usual, states the output of the 5.2-litre V10 engine (550 bhp) and the fact that this is a rear wheel drive car, something Balboni must have missed from the old days (all modern Lamborghini, since Audi took the brand over, are all wheel drive). This 1,380 kg baby accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 s and reaches a top speed of 320 km/h. It is surely something that will make "papa" Balboni extremely proud and with a sense that he has fullfiled his mission.






Source: Lamborghini

GTbyCitroën gets close to reality in the streets of London

There is at least one fantasy supercar that will become reality. The GTbyCitroën, created for the video game Gran Turismo, has also made an appearance at the Paris Motor Show last year and has been so widely praised by consumers Citroën apparently has decided to give it a small run series. We only doubt it will be powered by fuel cells, as in Gran Turismo 5. We would bet on a powerful diesel, similar to the ones that have been used by Peugeot to win this year's edition of Le Mans. Anyway, we would love to know what has powered it around the streets of London, where it has decided to show off a little bit, as you can see below.



GTbyCitroën is 4.96 m long, 2.08 m wide and only 1.09 m tall and, as we have said, it uses fuel cells on Gran Turismo 5. They feed its powerful electric engine and helps it face hot cars like Nissan GT-R with no emissions but water. Besides riding around London, this car will also be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which starts on July 3.







Source: Citroën