All posts in “Rides”

Pagani Utopia Roadster keeps the stick and the V12, loses its top

There’s more to the Pagani Utopia Roadster than its name suggests. Although it’s indeed a convertible variant of the Utopia, which made its debut in 2022 with a twin-turbo V12 and a seven-speed stick, it benefits from advanced weight-saving techniques and rides on talking tires.

While the roof-less versions of the Huayra and the Zonda were developed after the coupe models, the Utopia was designed with coupe and Roadster body styles from the get-go. The two models look pretty much alike from the rocker panels to the beltline, and both use butterfly-style doors. Above the beltline, the Roadster gets a look of its own characterized by a composite panel that integrates a window and roll hoops. It comes standard with a removable hardtop that can be placed on a stand and a removable soft top that can be folded and stored in a suitcase-shaped storage bag located behind the seats. Pagani notes it integrated a window into the hardtop to let light into the cabin.

Broadly speaking, a convertible weighs more than its coupe counterpart due to the reinforcements required to maintain structural rigidity. Pagani broke this rule: The Roadster tips the scale at 2,822 pounds, so it weighs exactly as much as the coupe. The company explains that it pulled this off by using no less than 40 formulas of weight-saving composite materials. Carbon fiber played a significant role, of course, but the brand also used Carbo-Titanium HP62-G2 and Carbo-Triax HP62. The monocoque was notably entirely redesigned for added rigidity.

Like the coupe, the Roadster is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 6.0-liter V12 built by Mercedes-AMG and rated at 864 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. “No heavy batteries, no hybrid system, just the wonderful roar of a V12 engine,” the Italian company proudly points out. The 12-cylinder spins the rear wheels via a seven-speed manual transmission that’s linked to one of the coolest shifters we’ve seen in recent memory. Alternatively, an automatic transmission that can be controlled using a pair of steering wheel-mounted shift paddles is available.

Speaking of the steering wheel, look closely and you’ll notice it’s a work of art. Pagani starts by feeding a 94.8-pound block of metal to a five-axis milling machine that works continuously for 28 hours to make the part. That’s why the rim, the spokes, and the hub form one piece. The final part weighs just 3.5 pounds, and Pagani says the discarded 90 or so pounds are recycled in other industries rather than thrown away.

Pagani stresses that it will put a big focus on its customization program, which allows buyers to choose from a nearly endless selection of interior colors and materials. While coupe buyers can configure a one-of-a-kind as well, the company expects this service will be particularly popular among Roadster buyers because the interior will be easier to see. Additionally, every Utopia Roadster will come with two matching suitcases made with leather-upholstered carbon fiber. They’re designed to neatly slot into compartments on either side of the engine.

Cyber Tyre technology developed by Pirelli creates a link between the car and the road. These tires feature sensors on the inner part of the tread that communicates details about road conditions to the car’s driving aids, such as the ABS, the ESP, and the traction control system.

The Pagani Utopia Roadster will make its debut during Monterey Car Week in August 2024. Production is limited to 130 units (versus 99 examples for the coupe), and each one is priced at €3.1 million, which represents approximately $3.3 million at the current conversion rate.

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July 31, 2024 / Comments Off on Pagani Utopia Roadster keeps the stick and the V12, loses its top
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Koenigsegg Gemera goes V8-only due to low take-rate for three-cylinder

It’s been more than four years since Koenigsegg debuted the Jesko and Gemera just ahead of the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. The Gemera was the first home for a few of Koenigsegg’s pet projects, a hybrid powertrain based around a twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter three-cylinder dubbed the Tiny Friendly Giant (TFG). The engine featured cam-less Freevalve technology and was assisted by three electric motors. The Swedes claimed a combined 1,676 horsepower and 2,581 pound-feet of torque — 592 horses and 443 twists from the TFG — and a zero-to-62-mph sprint in 1.9 seconds. Those three e-motors, one on the crankshaft and two at the rear, helped deliver all-wheel drive, all-wheel torque vectoring, and all-wheel steering.

And it’s all gone. Not the Gemera, but the Tiny Friendly Giant. Two years after the Gemera appeared, Christian announced that the automaker found a way to fit the Jesko’s twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 into the Gemera’s tighter bay. Once that happened, Koenigsegg said most customers switched to the V8 — reportedly a $400,000 option. “There were so few left that asked for a three-cylinder,” he said, “we managed to convince almost all of them [to go for the V8 instead]. So for the time being, it [the Gemera] is V8 only.

We could frame this as conservative buyers rejecting ingenious novelty, but that wouldn’t be true. This is buyers giving up one ingenious novelty for another ingenious novelty with more familiar bragging rights. See, to get the Jesko’s V8 to work, Koenigsegg engineers redesigned the castings, heads, intake, exhaust, and sump. They shelved the direct-drive transmission from the Regera they’d originally fitted, and created what they call the Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission (LSTT). This was an evolution of the nine-speed direct-drive Light Speed Transmission developed for the Jesko, but smaller, lighter, better. Then the whitecoats created a new six-phase e-motor to replace the original trio of three-phase Quark e-motors that had been paired with the TFG. This one motor to rule them all is called Dark Matter, designed as a blend of radial flux and axial flux topologies called “raxial.”

In the original powertrain, two of the Quark motors on the rear axle could each make a maximum 500 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, the third Quark on the crankshaft made 400 hp and 369 lb-ft. Their combined output when working together rang in at 1,100 hp.

The Dark Matter makes 800 hp and 922 lb-ft. Pairing a single Dark Matter with the LSTT makes the TFG powertrain lighter and smaller again, after the transmission gains, further improving acceleration and performance. New control logic means the Dark Matter can drive the Gemera on its own, the TFG can power the car, or both can be called to action. And the fastback sedan retains its all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, and four-wheel torque vectoring.

With the hybridized V8, final output comes to 2,268 hp and 2,028 lb-ft. of torque — 600 more horses but 553 fewer torques than with the TFG. So we can’t be mad at buyers.

We would love to see Koenigsegg fit two Gemeras with these respective powertrains to gauge performance. One day, it might happen, Christian telling TG the TFG tech “is still interesting, we’re still working on it…. We might eventually do it in the Gemera one day in some version, but it just took over with the V8. I understand that.”

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July 29, 2024 / Comments Off on Koenigsegg Gemera goes V8-only due to low take-rate for three-cylinder
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Ferrari F250 prototype caught prowling Maranello

We’re not sure Ferrari’s coming hypercar will be called the F250, but that name has the short odds. What’s almost certain is that the car we’re going to call the F250 for now will break the 1,000 Imperial horsepower mark. Short money also says there’s a modified version of the hybrid twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 from the 296 GTB behind the cockpit, another reworked version of that mill powering the 499 Hypercar that Ferrari races in the World Endurance Championship. In the 296 GTB, the powertrain makes 819 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque, 654 of that coming from the internal combustion engine. However, since the hybrid V8 powertrain in the SF90 makes 986 hp and 590 lb-ft, that’s the real benchmark. Don’t expect a great deal of sound from all that fury in the F250; unless Ferrari’s drastically altered the exhaust setup, during testing at Fiorano last year the hypercar emitted the equivalent of an urgent whisper by Ferrari standards. 

Speculated performance says 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than two seconds, and a top speed of more than 217 miles per hour. 

Spy shooters are still tracking the remarkably low-slung coupe doing rounds in the Maranello region, the prototype finally shedding enough camo that we can make out some of the lines. The way the doors cut into the roof leads us to believe we’ll see the same mechanism as used on the Enzo and LaFerrari. Based on how many air passages and flics designers made integral to the bodywork, this one’s going to be an aero specialist, active elements including a rear wing that rises and can dramatically change its angle of attack.

The sports car maker told company investors that production numbers would “be limited to far less than 5% of total volumes.” With a 2023 global sales tally of 13,663 units, 5% comes to 683 cars. Unless the firm plans on selling a lot more cars this year, guesstimate production figures of around 599 F250 Berlinettas, roughly 200 Apertas, and perhaps 30 track specials would already be 250 units over the limit. Not that it matters. Potential customers have already been invited to a private reveal, every unit must already have a buyer’s name attached plus three alternates. Price is expected to surpass $2 million apiece, a debut should come late this year or early next.

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July 26, 2024 / Comments Off on Ferrari F250 prototype caught prowling Maranello
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Aston Martin starts testing the Valkyrie AMR-LMH to prepare for Le Mans

Aston Martin has started testing the Valkyrie it will enter in the top categories of endurance racing in 2025. The company is working with an American team called The Heart of Racing to fine-tune the model, which is related to the limited-edition, V12-powered production car.

The car is called Valkyrie AMR-LMH to designate it as an entry into the Le Mans Hypercar (LHM) category. It’s shaped just like the street-legal model it’s based on, but it gains several features to make it quicker around a track, including a new body kit that includes a fin and a rear wing. Aston Martin also notes that it made changes to the carbon fiber chassis, though it hasn’t detailed what they are yet.

Power comes from a racing-specific, lean-burning version of the regular Valkyrie’s Cosworth-built 6.5-liter V12. The engine makes over 1,000 horsepower and revs to more than 11,000 rpm in its standard state of tune, but here again changes were made for homologation reasons.

Race car drivers Darren Turner, Mario Farnbacher, and Harry Tincknell are part of the team that started testing the Valkyrie AMR-LMH on the track. The testing phase started on the Silverstone track in England, and it will expand to other circuits in the coming months. Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing hope to finish homologation this fall, and the Valkyrie will race for the first time in early 2025.

Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing will enter the Valkyrie AMR-LMH in two series: the FIA’s World Endurance Championship and IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. That means the model will be eligible to compete in numerous races including the Rolex 24, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 6 Hours of Fuji, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Aston Martin hopes to earn its first overall win at Le Mans since 1959.

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July 22, 2024 / Comments Off on Aston Martin starts testing the Valkyrie AMR-LMH to prepare for Le Mans
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Lamborghini Huracan’s successor shows its details in new spy photos

The Lamborghini Huracán’s successor is coming in hot with a reveal set to take place during Monterey Car Week in August. We already have the full download on the PHEV powertrain that you can read about here, but now a new set of spy shots provides us with the best design preview yet.

All of the spy photos of this new Lambo so far have shown it with coverings over openings and far more trickery to its finer edges than this latest set. Finally, we get a chance to see this mid-engine supercar’s true shape. Its headlights are fully uncovered and are essentially slits in the front bumper. The shape of the central intake in said front bumper is shown here with massive openings for cooling. Plus, some funky hexagonal running lights are visible in the lower side air intake openings.

This Lambo’s side view is predictably full of sharp creases and funky shapes. Even the rear fender’s air intake features some funky slats in them to add even more drama to the design. The openings in both rear fenders to feed air into the engine bay are huge and should help to keep the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 fed.

Around back, Lamborghini has done away with its shrouding of the taillights and given us an even better view of the spicy rear end than before. The chopped rear bumper behind the tires makes for a very aggressive aesthetic. Meanwhile, the huge rear diffuser and lower light integrated into it just screams race car. Its high-mounted exhaust is reminiscent of the Revuelto, which can be said for a number of the styling elements around this Huracán successor. Lastly, we’ll point out the hexagonal LED taillights that are now plenty visible and no longer hiding behind large strips of camouflage.

Look out for the full details on this Huracán successor in about a month’s time, as Monterey Car Week is just around the corner.

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July 18, 2024 / Comments Off on Lamborghini Huracan’s successor shows its details in new spy photos
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Red Bull RB17 hypercar unveiled: 1,200-hp naturally-aspirated V10 redlines at 15,000 rpm

Folks who picture the Red Bull car as a chopped-up Mini carrying a giant can are in for a surprise. The company that made the drink you mixed with vodka in college has taken a seat at the table of hypercar manufacturers by leveraging the lessons learned from nearly 20 years of Formula One racing. Called RB17, the first Red Bull model made its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with 1,200 horsepower.

Adrian Newey, the Red Bull Formula One team’s chief technical officer, played a significant role in developing the RB17. The car looks like it was shaped by the wind: It’s low, wide, and it wouldn’t look out of place on the starting grid of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The technical details released by the company are vague; all we know is that it’s powered by a mid-mounted, naturally-aspirated V10 engine that has a 15,000-rpm redline. The engine spins the rear wheels via a carbon fiber transmission, and the RB17 is built around a carbon fiber monocoque.

The 10-cylinder’s output becomes even more impressive when you consider that the RB17 weighs under 2,000 pounds. Put another way, it’s over 400 pounds lighter than a Mazda MX-5 Miata yet it has more than six times the power. Performance specifications aren’t available yet, but Red Bull promises that its first hypercar posts lap times on par with a Formula One car and has a top speed of over 217 mph.

Red Bull will build 50 units of the RB17, though pricing hasn’t been announced. An earlier report claims each car costs £5 million, which represents approximately $6.4 million at the current conversion rate and allegedly includes maintenance. The brand notes every example will be unique because buyers will be invited to customize numerous details including the paint color, the upholstery, and the interior materials. Owners will also have the opportunity to participate in events such as RB17-only track days on well-known circuits all over the world.

July 12, 2024 / Comments Off on Red Bull RB17 hypercar unveiled: 1,200-hp naturally-aspirated V10 redlines at 15,000 rpm
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2025 Ford Mustang GTD gets exterior color palette option with thousands of hues

The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD is attacking the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, but Ford has some news for us to hear as the super-Mustang goes up the hill.

For one, the Mustang GTD competing in the Festival of Speed is showing off a new paint color called “Indulgent Blue.” It’s just one of the many “Extended Color Palette” choices that Ford is touting as an option for the GTD this week. The options are nearly endless, as Ford says the Extended Color Palette consists of thousands of colors (there are only six standard paints) you can choose from. And here you thought Porsche’s Paint-To-Sample (PTS) catalog was deep. In all fairness to Porsche, though, the Sonderwunsch program is still second-to-none when it comes to deep personalization of every part of the car.

How you choose the color is rather simple. Those who are lucky enough to buy one will be able to share an example of their desired color with the Mustang GTD Concierge team. From there, the team will do its best to match that color from a catalog of shades and hues. Considering the “thousands” of colors in this catalog, we have a feeling that Ford will be able to color-match anything you might want.

But of course, you can take this one step further. Ford is offering an “Exclusive Extended Color Palette Lock-Out Option” that will ensure your GTD will be the only one ever painted in the color of your choosing. It seems highly unlikely that someone will end up with the same color as you with thousands of shades to choose from, but Ford’s offering a way to make sure your GTD is a true one-of-one when it comes to the paint.

Pricing for these highly-exclusive paint options wasn’t made available, but you can trust that it’ll be an exorbitant add-on for the Extended Color Palette and even more ludicrous for the lock-out option. All this, on top of a base price that Ford suggests will start around $300,000.

You’ll be able to watch the GTD storm up the hill in the Batch 6A class of cars this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed where it will run alongside modern supercars. Ford says that it will have even more GTD news come Monterey Car Week in August, too.

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July 11, 2024 / Comments Off on 2025 Ford Mustang GTD gets exterior color palette option with thousands of hues
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The Bugatti Mistral’s road-testing phase includes a top-speed run

Unveiled in 2022, the Mistral is the final street-legal Bugatti powered by the quad-turbocharged W16 engine. It’s related to the Chiron, but the two cars are different enough that the French brand built test mules to put the roadster through its paces before launching production.

While some hypercars can only be registered in the United States under the Show and Display rule, Bugatti wanted the Mistral — its first convertible since 2015 — to be fully street-legal in every major market. It re-engineered the monocoque during the development phase and notably reinforced the sills and the transmission tunnel, so it needed to put the model through a series of crash tests to obtain homologation. 

Aerodynamic tests were completed in October 2023, and the 1,600-horsepower W16 engine was extensively tested on a dyno before it was signed off. The road-testing phase of the project has started: Bugatti is testing the Mistral on and off the track, on different road surfaces, at different elevations, and in wildly different weather ranging from freezing cold to scorching hot. One of its development mules has already covered nearly 20,000 miles, and it will rack up an additional 5,000 miles in the coming months including roughly 3,000 miles on a track.

If that doesn’t sound like much, consider this: Bugatti notes that most of its modern-day cars haven’t reached the 25,000-mile mark yet.

Even the top speed, which is advertised at over 260 mph, will be verified — it’s part of road-testing, after all. The problem is that finding a track with a long enough straight is easier said than done. “We are planning to run the final high-speed test on one of the very few tracks around the world that allows us to run the test in safe conditions,” said Emilio Scervo, the chief technical officer for Bugatti-Rimac, without revealing which track he has in mind. “The moment we have access to that track, achieving the top speed will no longer be a problem.”

Mistral production is limited to 99 units excluding the development cars, and the entire run is spoken for in spite of a base price pegged at about €5 million before taxes and options are factored in (that’s around $5.4 million at the current conversion rate). Bugatti also needs to build the 40 planned units of the sold-out Bolide, which is a track-only model. When those are delivered, the W16 will enter the pantheon of automotive history. After closing the W16 chapter, the company will launch production of the recently-unveiled, V16-powered Tourbillon.

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July 10, 2024 / Comments Off on The Bugatti Mistral’s road-testing phase includes a top-speed run
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Kimera K39 hill climb car aims for Pikes Peak in 2025

This is what it was all about with Kimera and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the new K39. There’s much to learn about what’s gone into this beauty, but we know the internals will demonstrate quite the fortitude. Kimera went full carbon moncoque with this chassis instead of borrowing the shell from a Lancia Beta Montecarlo as employed for the EVO37 and EVO38. Those other cars used a turbocharged and supercharged 2.2-liter four-cylinder. The all-wheel-drive EVO38 version made about 600 horsepower, 100 more than the rear-wheel-drive EVO37. Kimera didn’t make any runs up the mountain this year, but says it will take the K39 to Colorado next year aiming to beat the all-time record.

Let’s make sure we’re clear on what that means: Kimera’s not trying to beat the best time for an internal-combustion-engined car, a time of 8:13.878 set by Sebastien Loeb in the Peugeot 208 T16 in 2013. Kimera wants the K39 to surpass the all-time record set by Romain Dumas in the battery-electric Volkswagen ID.R racer that climbed the hill in 7:57.148 in 2018.

Since the Kimera hides some sort of ICE powertrain, the Italian boutique maker has given itself an exceptionally tough hill to climb. The ID.R is still the only car to break the eight-minute barrier. Few gas-powered cars have gotten up the hill in under nine minutes, with Loeb’s Peugeot and the purpose-built Norma M20 SF PKP in 2018 being two exceptions.

Kimera understands the challenge, as he writes that an electric race car “is not penalized by the thin air that becomes increasingly oxygen-poor as you climb to the summit” of Pikes Peak.

We’re betting that the K39 is going to get a lot more than the 600 horsepower in the EVO38 as well as an all-wheel-drive system to make the most of whatever the final number is. This is because Loeb’s twin-turbo V6 Pug made about 875 horses, the Norma M20 SF PKP made about 800 hp from another twin-turbo V6. We have noticed that where the EVO37 showed off a set of quad exhaust pipes, the K39 rearranges the three exhaust pipes poking out of the EVO38’s backside.  

If Kimera succeeds in all its goals on Zebulon Pike’s mountain, the K39 would obliterate the ICE-powered record and represent an upstart Italian David felling a German Goliath. The feat would certainly help burnish an already glowing reputation and sell the limited number of K39 road cars Kimera now says it plans to build.

Bentley Continental GT Speed Information

July 7, 2024 / Comments Off on Kimera K39 hill climb car aims for Pikes Peak in 2025
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Koenigsegg pinpoints source of fire that flambeed a $3M Jesko Attack

The 70 or so road trippers who signed up for this year’s 6to6 European tour were looking forward to taking off from Athens, Greece, then crossing eight countries and two mountain ranges on their way to Monaco. One entrant didn’t make it out of Athens on the first day: Not long after leaving the hotel, a $3 million Koenigsegg Jesko Attack Nur Edition in raw carbon fiber with 24-karat gold accents caught fire while cruising through the city at low speed, turning into a bonfire that left little more than a pile of carbon shards melted to an engine. The Swedish carmaker had only delivered around 30 of the planned 125 Jeskos at the time. The Swedish mothership dispatched an engineer to bring the remains back to Sweden for an autopsy. In a post on Instagram, CEO Christian von Koenigsegg explained that the source of the fire was a leak in the car’s pressurized hydraulic line. 

He said the systems containing other flammable liquids were intact, those being the engine and gearbox oil systems, and fuel tank. “However,” he wrote, “there was a streak of hydraulic fluid behind the car on the road. Given this we have investigated the pressurized hydraulic system, which is the only system that contains this fluid.” Sure enough, that was the culprit, the hose found to be “compromised at the rear of the car.” 

The company’s checking the hydraulic system on every car that’s been produced as well as those that have been delivered. It’s also working on a software update that monitors hydraulic pressure and, in case of a leak, can shut the system down in less than a second. Based on the post date, that software should be on its way to cars or very close. Once the cars have been updated, Koenigsegg says they’ll be safe to drive again.

As for the two people in the car in Athens, they made it out unharmed. At the end of his post, Christian added, “We are also incredibly grateful to the owner of the car in Greece for giving us his continued support and that we will be able to supply him with a new car so he can continue his Koenigsegg journey.” Here’s a company whose customer service is almost as quick and comprehensive as its record-breaking cars.

Oh, and cue the Facebook Marketplace profiteers: Autoblog Greece (no relation) reported someone put bits of raw carbon fiber up for sale, claiming without proof they’d come from the Jesko. Which makes total sense. Because Facebook Marketplace. 

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July 5, 2024 / Comments Off on Koenigsegg pinpoints source of fire that flambeed a $3M Jesko Attack
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2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed launches 771-hp PHEV powertrain

In getting us ready for the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed, the automaker from Crewe hyped the coupe’s Ultra Performance Hybrid engine, not the car. That’s because we already know what to expect of any modern Bentley — opulence + velocity. The only question is how many horses will be used to fulfill the second part of the formula, and what kind of engine will make them. In this case, it’s a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 producing 584 horsepower on its own. When assisted by the 187-hp electric motor between the engine and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, combined output is a very cheery 771 hp and 738 pound-feet of torque, making this Conti another notch in VW’s Year of Living Powerfully. Throughout the VW Group, the Porsche Taycan, Audi E-Tron GT, Audi RS Q8 Performance, and this new Bentley have all set benchmarks for being the most powerful roadgoing products their respective brands have ever produced.  

For reference, the current GT’s W12 engine produces 650 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, propelling the car to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The new coupe is said to take 3.1 seconds to 60 mph, the convertible one tenth behind. The current V8 makes 542 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque.

The 25.9-kWh battery behind the rear axle provides a few benefits. First, it powers that e-motor, and Bentley programmed this powertrain to recharge the pack while driving, a feat the Bentayga PHEV isn’t designed to do. Second, it can power pure-electric driving up to 87 miles per hour, although not for long; claimed electric range is 50 miles on the European cycle. But wait, there’s more: The Continental’s battery placement is said to bestow the coupe with a 49:51 weight distribution, improving on the 55:45 balance in the current GT range and establishing the best balance we’ve seen in a Bentley. The price of all this goodness is a 400-kW electrical architecture and a maximum charging rate of 11 kW, meaning a three-hour charge time to get the battery from empty to full. 

After engineers got the third-generation 2019 Continental GT down to 5,056 pounds, this one hits the scales at 5,421 pounds in coupe form and 5,811 pounds in droptop GTC form. A chassis dubbed Bentley Performance Active Chassis holds the driving line thanks to mechanicals like all-wheel steering and all-wheel drive, an e-LSD, torque vectoring, and Bentley Dynamic Ride active anti-roll system working a new dual valve damper system and dual chamber air springs. We’re not fazed, having grown used to Bentleys being sensational heavyweights; this 2025 is only 270 pounds more than the original 2003 Conti GT, but with 219 more horsepower and 259 more pound-feet. 

The automaker calls this model a fourth generation, making its case by saying 68% of the parts are new, percentages being the argument of choice when it’s tough even for automotive media to figure out what’s new. Bones underneath carry over, beneath sheetmetal given some clear revisions one can make out from afar, though. Start with those Bacalar eyes in the front end, an oval headlight cut by an illuminated slash the company calls an eyebrow, filled with diamond-like detailing. This is the first time since the 1950s that a Bentley’s shown a face with just two headlights. Wider taillights carry their own jewel-like highlights.

One needs to get closer to realize length has grown by 1.8 inches, and that the decklid’s been redesigned to eliminate lift so designers could get rid of the current car’s active spoiler. And the convertible’s roof adds a seventh crossbow for sleeker profile.

Inside, there’s a new look to the digital gauges, and there’s still plenty of buttons and knobs. Three audio system choices go from 650 watts pumped through 10 speakers to 1,500 watts working 16 speakers to 2,200 watts run through 18 speakers. 

New tech features include deeper smartphone integration through the MyBentley app, cabin preconditioning, remotely summoning the car from its parking spot, and Zoom call capability. The standard color palette will add this fetching Tourmaline Green and Gravity Gray.

If convention holds, the “Speed” in the name hints at a less powerful version to come once the flagship coupe and convertible have launched.

Bentley Continental GT Information

June 26, 2024 / Comments Off on 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed launches 771-hp PHEV powertrain
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Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato and GMC Acadia driven | Autoblog Podcast #837

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Electric, John Beltz Snyder. They’re both jazzed after driving the off-road-ish and totally sublime Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato. John recently drove the new GMC Acadia, Greg spent some time in the Toyota Camry, and they also discuss Autoblog‘s long-term Subaru WRX. In the news, the Porsche 918 Cayman and Boxster are reportedly ending production, while it’s officially the end of the road for the Nissan GT-R and Volvo S60. Fisker has officially filed for bankruptcy. Cadillac has shown off a couple cool Blackwing special editions in honor of Le Mans. Finally, we reach in the mailbag and help a listener pick a sporty convertible in this week’s Spend My Money segment.

Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com.

Autoblog Podcast #837

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June 21, 2024 / Comments Off on Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato and GMC Acadia driven | Autoblog Podcast #837
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Dealer says he sold LeBron James a Bugatti. LeBron replies: ‘LIARS!’

It’s news in the automobile chat rooms when LeBron James buys a new Bugatti.

It’s news as well when LeBron James doesn’t buy a new Bugatti.

Seems that a California high-end dealership “congratulated” the NBA legend for all to see on Instagram about his “purchase,” bragging that James was their “biggest VIP customer.’’ Turns out none of that was true — it’s the car-dealer equivalent of stolen valor.

“Stop the [cap]!! LIARS!!” James shot back on his own post, aiming his blast at the Effortless Motors dealership in Riverside. “I don’t know y’all and I don’t even have that car. CLOUT CHASERS.’’ James also shared a video posted by the dealer showing a car being loaded onto a truck. No details on that vehicle or on the supercar James purportedly bought.

TMZ Sports said it spoke with Effortless Motors owner Daniel Ubario, who admitted that the uproar was part of a marketing ploy, and that he didn’t expect the angry reaction from James … or from his legion of fans who took to social media to bash Ubario.

Ubario also said that he’d not worked with LeBron in any capacity in the past.

June 18, 2024 / Comments Off on Dealer says he sold LeBron James a Bugatti. LeBron replies: ‘LIARS!’
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Ferrari plans to keep the V12 alive for as long as regulations allow it to

Ferrari’s entry-level model is a V6-electric plug-in hybrid, but the company stressed that downsizing won’t spread across its entire lineup. It plans to keep the naturally-aspirated V12 engine alive for as long as possible, even as it prepares to release its first electric supercar.

“We will produce naturally-aspirated V12s until the law [no longer] allows us to,” confirmed Emanuele Carando, Ferrari’s global marketing director, in an interview with Australian website CarExpert. He added that synthetic fuels could help extend the 12-cylinder’s shelf life.

Arch rival Lamborghini remains committed to the naturally-aspirated V12 as well, but how long these companies can continue making 12-cylinder engines without summoning a dark cloud of disapproval from regulators remains to be seen. In the European Union, the sale of new piston-powered cars will be illegal in 2035, though a last-minute exemption was made for some synthetic fuels. Lawmakers in the United Kingdom have settled on 2035 as well. Our market isn’t quite there yet, but much stricter emissions regulations are looming on the horizon.

Interestingly, the executive revealed that Ferrari considered giving the 12Cilindri, its new V12-powered GT, hybrid power. Ultimately, the car made its debut without electrification. “We wanted to be true to our roots,” he said, adding that “a naturally-aspirated engine with a combination of electric components, according to our feeling, adds weight without really improving the performance so much.”

That doesn’t mean Ferrari believes electric motors are only useful to move windows and wipers. The company is working on its first series-produced electric car, an enigmatic model tentatively due out by the end of 2025, and early details are beginning to trickle out. Executives stress that the EV will be a “true Ferrari,” which is hardly a surprise — can you imagine one of them saying it’s going to be a bogus Ferrari?

Carando told Australian website Drive that his team isn’t concerned with making the fastest or quickest EV on the planet. “We have never been following speed as a key reason for [marketing] our cars,” he said. “We want to have a fast, agile, and fun car to drive.”

While some brands leverage an electric drivetrain’s silence as a major selling point, Ferrari believes its EVs should make noise. It won’t be a fake noise that mimics a V12 or a V8, however. It will be “authentic,” Carando said, which suggests it will be tailored to some aspect of an electric drivetrain’s operation. The motor’s whine, perhaps? Other details, like the segment that the EV will fall in, also remain to be seen.

Ferrari isn’t going 100% electric. It expects that, in 2030, EVs will represent about 40% of its sales. Plug-in hybrids will represent 40% as well while the remaining 20% will be non-electrified gasoline-powered cars. As for what’s next, it depends on regulations and on market demand.

“It’s going to be the clients who decide whether to buy an internal-combustion natural [non-hybrid] engine, a plug-in hybrid, or an EV.”

June 11, 2024 / Comments Off on Ferrari plans to keep the V12 alive for as long as regulations allow it to
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Lamborghini Countach 13-inch Lego replica features scissor doors and a V12

Lego launched a replica of the Lamborghini Countach years ago as part of its Speed Champions collection, but the model is more of a toy than a collector’s item. The brand has since announced a second Countach, and this time it’s a huge model with scissor doors and a V12 engine.

Designed for adult builders, the kit consists of 1,506 parts that come together to make a Countach that’s approximately 13 inches long, 6.5 inches wide, and 3.5 inches tall. Lego included a stunning amount of detail: the scissor doors — one of the Countach’s defining styling cues, which Lamborghini still uses on its modern-day flagship models — swing up to reveal a red interior with two seats, a wide instrument cluster with Lamborghini-branded gauges, and climate control buttons on the center console. Lego even remembered the matching door panels.

The proportions are Countach-like and about as accurate as you can hope for when working with bricks. The NACA ducts on both sides, the air intakes located right behind the doors, and the massive rear spoiler are all present. The rear wheels are wider than the front ones, like on the real car, and the front ones turn with the steering wheel. There’s a replica of the 5.0-liter V12 stuffed in the engine bay as well.

Lego’s replica of the Lamborghini Countach will go on sale in stores around the world on July 4. It’s priced at $180 excluding tax. For context, the smaller and less detailed Countach costs around $25, while putting the real thing in your garage can easily cost over $500,000.

June 11, 2024 / Comments Off on Lamborghini Countach 13-inch Lego replica features scissor doors and a V12
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