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Officine Fioravanti Testarossa is subtle and sensational

In May, Swiss design and engineering outfit Officine Fioravanti showed its work-in-progress, a camouflaged Ferrari Testarossa restomod. Shy about giving too much away at the time, all we learned was that there was more horsepower and torque from the 4.9-liter flat-12, and a top speed of something like 200 miles per hour. All of those figures were healthy improvements on the original 1984 icon. The people behind the project are finally ready to show it off, and by all appearances, they’ve pulled off a special piece of art.

Part of what’s special is that you’d have to be a Testarossa connoisseur to tell anything has been done from the outside. The most apparent change is the larger wheels, the first-gen 16-inchers replaced with a set of staggered center-lock alloys, 17 inches in front, 18 inches in back, shod in Michelin Pilot Sport rubber. The first few years on sale, the original Testarossa sat on magnesium center-lock wheels that were either 16 or 16.33 inches in diameter, a little too exotic for then, but not now. Behind those wheels sit Brembo brakes, six-piston calipers in front, four-piston in back. The other tell is the quartet of titanium exhaust tips poking out the back. The rest is by the book, down to the pop-up headlights and high-mounted driver’s side flying mirror. That mirror was the ultimate in cool for anyone who didn’t need to drive the car.

Upgrades are hidden under that stock-standard skin from stem to stern. The 12-cylinder puts out 500 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, a bonus of about 120 horses and 96 pound-feet. That’s thanks to changes like an improved block, new intake and exhaust systems, a new fuel injection system developed in-house, and a redline that’s been raised from 6,800 rpm to 9,000. Officine Fioravanti worked with Ohlins to develop an electronic adaptive suspension with remote reservoirs and six-way adjustable roll bars, then went further with a front-lift system to get up unkind inclines. The exhaust, traction control, and ABS are also adjustable, and those latter two driver aids can be turned off. These tricks, plus a flat floor and a 267-pound diet compared to the original, increase top speed to 201 miles per hour, which is 16 mph more than Road & Track managed in 1987.

No one would accuse a stock Ferrari Testarossa interior of not being nice, but this one is much nicer. Officine Fioravanti replaced a lot of plastic with aluminum, added a lot more stitched leather, and kept the built-in Gordon Gecko phone but turned it into a Bluetooth unit. Ferrari’s car in the 1980s could be optioned with a six-piece set of Schedoni lugguage, the Swiss restomodders made their own. And, yes, there’s a premium audio system that works with Apple CarPlay, and built-in navigation.

Officine Fioravanti says there will be an official debut later this year. When that happens, perhaps we’ll find out where this outfit sprang from. It appears to be connected to Leonardo Fioravanti, the longtime Pininfarina designer who penned so many legendary Ferraris that it would be fair to suspect he made a deal with the devil, including the 1984 Testarossa. That Leonardo maintains an office in Milan and works with automaker clients, whereas Officine lists its HQ in Coldrerio, a town 40 miles away from Milan just over the Swiss border. We should find out how much this jewel is going to cost and how many will be made, our guess as to the answers being, “A lot, and a few.”

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October 11, 2021 / Comments Off

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Tour the Venom F5 with Hennessey’s design director

We’ve watched the Hennessey Performance Venom story for 14 years now. When the Lotus Elise-based Venom GT ran an unofficial 270.49 miles an hour at the Kennedy Space Center and that wasn’t enough to convince the Guinness Book of World Records, Hennessey decided to start over on a speedster built on an in-house platform. That turned into the Venom F5, the F5 designation taken from the Fujita Scale used U.S. from 1971 to 2007 to measure the strength of tornadoes. The strongest twisters were designated F5, with winds estimated at anywhere between 261 and 318 miles per hour. The one-word descriptive the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used for such phenomena applies equally to the weather and the car: Incredible.

Hennessey design director Nathan Malinick takes us on a tour of everything the Texas car builder has done with the F5 in an attempt to reach the speed of the fastest tornado winds. Without giving everything away, there are fine engineering details like the badge at the front of the car, a slice a aluminum just eight microns thick. There are aesthetic details like headlights designed to mimic the shape of an F. There are combined engineering and aesthetic flourishes like the rear spoiler, its sinuous bends a pleasure to behold at the same time as it channels air into the turbos and over the rear of the car. And there are engineering firsts like the rear bumper, which Malinick says is the largest single piece of molded and milled carbon fiber in the car industry.

There are plenty more whats and whys in the video, so check it out. All 24 examples of the Venom F5 planned for production have been sold, so this could be the closest you ever get to it.

Ferrari 330 P4-inspired Icona supercar spy photos show production shape

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October 7, 2021 / Comments Off

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James Bond’s latest Aston Martin is coming to ‘Rocket League’

It wouldn’t be a new James Bond movie without a few tie-ins, and No Time to Die is clearly sticking to that rule. Psyonix and Epic Games have revealed that Bond‘s Aston Martin Valhalla, the first hybrid car in the game, will be available in Rocket League (complete with matching audio, decal and wheels) for 1100 Credits starting October 7th. You’ll also find three in-game challenges to unlock a Bond-themed avatar border, banner and player title.

Completists will have the option of buying a Bond 007 Collection between October 7th and October 13th that includes both the Valhalla and the classic DB5 for 2,000 Credits. The DB5 was released in July, but this could represent a better deal for Bond aficionados.

The expansion isn’t a surprise when Epic has lots of money to throw at promotional deals. This could boost interest in Rocket League among either diehard Bond fans or newcomers looking for more real-world cars. If nothing else, it should be amusing to watch 007 score a flying, upside-down goal or two.

Reporting by J. Fingas for Engadget.

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October 5, 2021 / Comments Off

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1971 Lamborghini Countach LP prototype 500 lives again

On March 11, 1971, Lamborghini unveiled the Countach LP 500 prototype at the Geneva Motor Show on the Carrozzeria Bertone stand. Lamborghini had also brought the reworked Miura P400 SV to the show, and believing it would be the star, had placed the Miura at its own stand and dispatched the Countach to the design house stand. Admittedly, Lamborghini had done the same thing in 1966 when the Miura debuted in Geneva. The Countach ruled the 1971 show and was soon on magazine covers around the world. The Italian house spent three years developing the prototype for production, putting the Countach LP 400 on sale in 1974. The prototype sacrificed its life during crash testing for the production model.

Now the prototype is back, or the best facsimile thereof. Lamborghini says “an important collector” approached the firm in 2017 asking if they could recreate the yellow shock that started the 50-year craze for V12 engines and scissor doors. That customer might have got his idea from the 1971 Miura P400 SV prototype that Lamborghini restored in 2017 using archival documents. So the automaker’s classics division, Polo Storico, went back to the archives for drawings, documents, meeting notes and pictures; interviewed people who were there at the time; and contacted suppliers like Pirelli for an updated version of the Cinturato CN12 and paint maker PPG for the Giallo Fly Yellow Speciale color.

It took 2,000 hours for the design house, Lamborghini Centro Stile, to reproduce the bodywork, all of it hand-beaten as it was in 1971. It took more than 25,000 hours to recreate the entire coupe with parts that were either original, restored, or fabricated from scratch ranging from the platform frame (instead of the tubular frame in the production car) to the partially electronic instrumentation. Lamborghini didn’t mention the engine, though. The prototype contained a 5.0-liter V12; the production model downsized that for a more reliable 4.0-liter unit. We’ll guess a collector committed enough to pay for 25,000 hours of Lamborghini work wouldn’t compromise on the heart of the matter. Whatever’s back there, it sounds righteous in the video.

The result is now on display in the concept class at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Lamborghini didn’t mention a price, either, not that it matters; there’s enough money in the world that the company brought back the Countach, it might as well revive the true original.

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October 1, 2021 / Comments Off

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2022 Genesis GV70, raging at VW ID.4 tech and thoughts on a new Lexus LFA | Autoblog Podcast #696

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor James Riswick. This week, they talk about driving the Genesis GV70, VW ID.4 and VW Taos. They talk about ways Chevy could “fix” the Camaro. James ranked all the James Bond films based solely on their starring cars. Next, they reach in the mailbag and discuss the question, “Do you think Lexus will make a successor to the LFA and, if so, what do you guys think it would be like?” After ruminating on that query, they dip into the mailbag a second time to recommend a sporty crossover to a listener 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 #696

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September 17, 2021 / Comments Off

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Radford Type 62-2 John Player Special takes the coach-built sports car even higher

Radford revealed its Type 62-2 a month ago, and today the coach-building company is releasing its first 62-2 variant. It’s simply called the JPS, short for John Player Special. You’d be able to guess that just by looking at the car, though, as it’s completely done up in the traditional John Player Special black and gold livery.

This JPS Type 62-2 isn’t just a livery either. It’s the most extreme version of the car, even more so than the Gold Leaf version of the standard Radford that improves matters over the “Classic” model. Engine output sees a sharp turn upwards from 500 horsepower to 600 horsepower in the JPS. It’s still using the 3.5-liter supercharged V6 you’d find in the Lotus Evora (an engine Lotus borrows from Toyota), but this one is heavily modified. Radford says it uses upgraded pistons, new connecting rods, camshafts and an upgraded supercharger. Plus, it’s running a more aggressive engine calibration.

Hauling it to a stop are upgraded brakes — Radford uses carbon ceramic rotors and AP calipers. New and larger carbon composite wheels (18-inch front and 19-inch rear) from Dymag are fitted and wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.

Plenty of appearance and aero changes are made to separate the JPS from the other Type 62-2s. Radford says it’s either lightly massaged or made big changes to every area of the bodywork. You’ll notice a giant new splitter up front, larger side air intakes to cool the more powerful engine and a more extreme diffuser in back to produce more downforce. We’ll also note that the JPS “livery” is not a sticker package; it’s all painted on, requiring hours and hours of work by hand.

Pricing for the JPS hasn’t been revealed, but it’s guaranteed to be expensive. This special model will be sliced out of the total production of Type 62-2s. Only 12 of the 62 total cars will be the John Player Special cars, so they’ll be incredibly rare — Radford says it’s currently taking build slot applications, so you still have a shot at buying one. If you want to see the JPS in person, Radford says it will be on display at this year’s Goodwood Revival.

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September 8, 2021 / Comments Off

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Aston Martin appears to be testing a V12 Vantage in these spy photos

For a few years now, the Aston Martin Vantage has been without V12 power. It’s technically been without Aston Martin power, too, since its twin-turbo V8 comes from Mercedes-AMG. But that may change in the near future based on these spy photos from the Nürburgring. They show a Vantage, but one that’s wider and with exhaust that suggest it may get a few more cylinders like its close cousin, the V12 Speedster.

Staring us down is the prototype’s enormous front grille, taller and wider than standard Vantage units. It’s flanked by two smaller inlets and underlined by an aggressive front splitter. The whole front seems to be wider, as evidenced by the mismatch around the front fender and hood. Speaking of the hood, there’s a big mesh “V” sitting on top to cover what are likely heat-extracting vents, which would probably be important for handling the heat from a twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12.

Changes at the back are a bit more subtle, but only a bit. The rear fenders have large fender flares, suggesting the production car will also be wider at the back with correspondingly larger tires. There’s a little gurney flap on the rear spoiler, so we may see a more aggressive spoiler in production. We also see a center exhaust instead of each of the dual pipes on the ends of the rear diffuser. This exhaust looks a lot like what Aston used on the V12 Speedster, itself based on the Vantage, but without the roof section. This is probably the strongest evidence that the car has the extra cylinders.

With Aston clearly knowing how to shove a V12 into a Vantage chassis, and the high-end sports car market’s never-satiated desire for more powerful and rarer items, a V12 Vantage seems like a slam-dunk product. The question will be, what output will it make. The V12 Speedster made 700 horsepower, but it was a limited-production special edition. The V12 Vantage could get the DB11‘s 630-horsepower variant to give the Speedster a bit of breathing room. And that would still be a nice power increase over the 503 horsepower of the regular Vantage. Based on these spy shots, we’d bet we have around a year before we see the production model, maybe a little less, maybe a little more.

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August 24, 2021 / Comments Off

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Virtually attend ‘The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering’ via our high-res photo gallery

While the description of the yearly “Motorsports Gathering” at the Quail may sound a bit odd to many of our readers at first blush — it’s basically a huge garden party for wealthy automotive enthusiasts to get a look at vintage and newly available vehicles targeted at their healthy checking accounts — there’s no arguing that the vehicles on display are worthy of attention. And since most of us either weren’t invited or couldn’t afford to attend (or both), the next best thing to being there is scrolling through our high-res gallery of live photos taken at the event.

Visitors to this year’s event were treated to the usual grade of high-end machinery that we’ve come to expect, which is to say the best, most desirable and most expensive in the world. Our gallery is filled with vintage racers from Ford, Ferrari and Jaguar, classic Trans Am competitors and even a gaggle of Volkswagen-based dune buggies. More modern machinery was also on display from Lotus, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Pininfarina and Acura.

Electric vehicles are becoming more commonplace at high-end events, and this year’s gathering at The Quail was no exception. In addition to a strong showing from Rimac and Lotus we mentioned earlier, Lucid was in attendance as was Gateway Bronco (see here for more on that). We also got shots of things you may never have heard of like the Delage D12 and Radford Type 62-2. Oh, and the return of the Lamborghini Countach, too.

For those who keep track of such things, this year’s Best of Show winner was a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster. You’ll see all that and more in our high-res gallery above. Enjoy!

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August 14, 2021 / Comments Off

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Bugatti Bolide gets a 40-unit production run

At some point in the past couple of years, Bugatti asked itself, “What if we built a radically light vehicle around the legendary 8.0-liter W16 engine?” Keep in mind that “radically light” is in comparison to the Chiron, which weighs about 4,500 pounds. The luxury firm from Molsheim, France, answered its question with a concept it called the Bolide, a track-only two-seater with an appetite for aero and downforce. Scooped-out bodywork, intense massaging, and throwing luxuries out the wraparound canopy dropped its weight to 2,737 pounds. That’s less than a Subaru BRZ for a car producing 1,824 horsepower on 110-octane race fuel. Bugatti called the Bolide a one-off, but guess what happens in a car market where someone throws $140,000 at a 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser? Potential buyers made Zoom calls to Molsheim from their bank vaults while sitting on pyramids of money like the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” So now Bugatti is making 40 Bolides, the same number it made of its last track superstar, the Divo.

CEO Stephan Winkelmann was at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering to announce the production version. Bugatti said it is honing the Bolide’s aerodynamics and handling, and adding FIA-standard safety systems. The center-lock wheels will see production, as will a fuel bladder and pressurized refueling, a six-point safety harness with HANS compatibility, and an automatic fire extinguishing system.

There are prices to pay beyond MSRP for making dreams come true, though. The production vehicle gains some weight, coming in 460 pounds over the concept at 3,197 pounds. Changes to the engine tune mean horsepower takes a hit, too. The concept got its 1,824-hp puissance from 110 octane. The production W16 will drink far more accessible 98 RON gas, which is about 94 octane in the U.S., topping out at 1,577 hp and 1,180 pound-feet of torque. That drops the power-to-weight ratio from 0.67 to 0.49 — just behind the track-focused Koenigsegg Jesko at 0.51. Oh, the humanity.

The company says Bolide development and production will take place over the next three years, the first example scheduled for delivery in 2024. The price: 4 million euros, or roughly $4.7 million U.S. at the moment, and a million euros less than the street-legal Divo. What’s the French word for “bargain?”

August 13, 2021 / Comments Off

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Hyundai Santa Cruz, Kona N and Elantra Hybrid | Autoblog Podcast #691

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor, James Riswick. They’ve been driving a lot of new cars, including the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup, 2022 Hyundai Kona N, 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid, 2021 Acura TLX Type S and 2022 Hyundai Genesis G70. Lamborghini revealed a modern interpretation of the Countach, for better or worse. Finally, they heelp a listener replace a 2013 Ford Edge 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 #691

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August 13, 2021 / Comments Off

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2022 Acura NSX Type S is revealed as the most powerful NSX ever

The 2022 Acura NSX Type S is here, and it’s the most impressive NSX the company has created. It now makes 600 horsepower and 492 pound-feet of torque, increases of 27 ponies and 16 pound-feet. But that’s only the tip of the many little changes Acura has done to make this the ultimate NSX.

Gaining that extra power involved quite a few little changes. The engine now gets larger turbochargers borrowed from the GT3 race car. The various intakes have been changed for improved cooling and airflow. The main front grille has been enlarged to allow more air into the radiators, and the outboard grilles now feature ducting for air curtains that help direct air to the side intakes. Those intakes feed more efficient intercoolers. The batteries even feature greater capacity.

Power isn’t the only area to receive upgrades. The Type S gets a carbon fiber roof for slightly less weight and a lower center of gravity. The aerodynamics have been tweaked with a new carbon fiber splitter, side skirts, rear spoiler and a GT3 race car-inspired rear diffuser, all of which help with downforce. The adjustable suspension, all-wheel-drive system and transmission have all been retuned for sportier driving. The latter shifts faster now and has a Rapid Downshift mode that allows you to shift to the lowest possible gear with one half-second paddle pull. Even the tires are stickier Pirelli P-Zeroes designed specifically for the NSX Type S. All of these improvements mean that the Type S is a full two seconds faster around Suzuka than a regular NSX.

And if you need just that little bit more in the performance department, there is a Lightweight Package. It costs an extra $13,000 and adds carbon ceramic brakes, a carbon fiber engine cover and carbon fiber interior parts. Total weight savings is 58 pounds.

Acura did pay some attention to styling, too. On top of the more aggressive aerodynamic bits, the grille has a new shape that has hints of the corporate pentagonal grille. The grille mesh is even steel instead of plastic now. The lights get dark lenses, and all the badging, mirrors and door handles are finished in black. Type S decals adorn the rear fenders. Inside, there’s an Alcantara headliner and NSX and Type S logos embroidered in the seats and dashboard. One of the cars in the gallery at top is painted in an exclusive Gotham Gray matte metallic color, which will only be applied to 70 cars.

To get into an NSX Type S, you’ll need to be ready to fork over $171,495 including destination charge. Acura is taking orders now. You’ll want to be quick: 350 units are on offer, and 300 of those are for the U.S. You can put in your order at this link.

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August 12, 2021 / Comments Off

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McCall Motorworks Revival Photos | Monterey kicks off with fancy airport party

Yesterday, the McCall’s Motorworks Revival happened, for the 30th time no less, kicking off Monterey Car Week. Which is another way of saying it happened before most people showed up.

So what is it? Fancy cars parked among fancy planes while fancy people walk about with fancy food and cocktails. This differs from other Monterey events, such as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, in that it takes place at an airport rather than a golf course. It’s also more of an evening affair than a garden party, complete with a DJ, a band and dancing. Oh, and the cars are less impressive. That, admittedly, says more about the prime metal displayed elsewhere, especially at Pebble. There’s still a lot to ogle, even if you didn’t get to enjoy the fancy food and cocktails. We dispatched ace photographer Drew Phillips to take it all in and to put down an offer for us on that Citation Longitude.

Amongst the new cars on display, most brought there by their manufacturers, we see a Corvette Stingray, Lucid Air, Aston Martin DBX, Land Rover Defender, Polestar 1, Hennessey Venom F5, Ruf 911s, and a big showing by Ford with a GT500, a Mustang Mach-E, a Bronco and multiple GTs. Two were done up to match an original parked alongside it, while the Bronco flanked an original prototype from 1966. Neat. Hopefully no one spilled Perrier Jouet on it.

Classics? There were aplenty, but frankly, we’re most fond of the two VW buses: one towing the No. 22 1957 Denzel 1300SS Roadster in front of that Citation Longitude and another from Meyers Manx supporting an adorable flying boat with “Smiles for Miles” written on the side. Now that’s the kind of private plane I could get behind.

August 12, 2021 / Comments Off

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Pininfarina Battista production car revealed to kick off Monterey Car Week

The Pininfarina Battista is officially here in production form. Pininfarina released the first images and video of the production car today, tooling around Southern California roads ahead of it being displayed during Monterey Car Week.

There are no additional specs or figures available beyond what has already been announced. The Battista will produce 1,900 horsepower from its four electric motors, have a range of about 280 miles on a full charge and hit 60 mph in “under 2 seconds.” Those in Monterey will have a chance to see the exposed carbon bodywork in person for the first time. Plus, potential clients will be provided the opportunity to go for a ride.

It’s not just this single Battista that will be shown, either. Pininfarina says it will also be debuting a Battista Anniversario. This special edition of the Battista will have “aerodynamic enhancements and tailored detailing producing a uniquely dynamic personality.” It will also be limited to just five total vehicles worldwide. Seeing it at Monterey may be the first and last chance you get to ever lay eyes on one.

The one nugget of information Pininfarina gave us today besides the new photos is detail on the Battista’s sound. It takes after a sound philosophy conceived by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. Any multiple of 432 Hz is said to be a “pure sound” according to Verdi, so Pininfarina used 54 Hz (a multiplier of 432) as the core frequency of noise for the Battista. As you accelerate, the frequency will continue to increase in multiples of 54 Hz to keep the in-cabin sound pure and consistent with Verdi’s principles. How very Italian.

“Every driver has an emotional bond with a car, and the sound of Battista will nurture this connection, not by replicating a familiar car sound, but with one that radiates the beauty of Battista’s design both inside and out,” says René Wollmann, product platform director for sports cars at Automobili Pininfarina. “This way, the Battista will not only impress with its aesthetic appeal and performance, but also on a new emotional level enhanced through the sound. We look forward to the input we will receive from clients in the U.S. as we fine-tune Battista’s sonic experience.”

We’ll look forward to hearing the sound ourselves one day. For now, the wait is on to see the ultra-exclusive Battista Anniversario. Look out for more Pininfarina news soon as Monterey Car Week revs up.

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August 12, 2021 / Comments Off

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New Lamborghini Countach teased again with three images

Lamborghini posted three more teaser photos of the coming Countach resurrection to its Instagram page. We’ll have to let the pictures do most of the talking since we don’t have any more information than we did when the first tease dropped a couple of days ago. We get a shot of a nose unlike any other Lamborghini in the current stable. A narrow black grille just inches wide splits the upper and lower section of the front fascia, recalling the area where the original exotic placed its black front bumper and fog lights. The name “Countach” appears on the right side of the coupe, in all lowercase letters just like the original, but stretched and angular befitting the brand’s modern design language.

A second shot exposes the engine cover, this a new design based on the clear cover that can be fitted to the Aventador. Three flat hexagon panels, thickly bordered in black, step down from the roof to the tail. Beneath them is the longitudinal and posterior V12 portion of the LPI 800 powertrain. The initialism stands for Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido, and we’re still waiting for any information on that last bit, the hybrid. The V12 in the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 received help from a supercapacitor, but that special edition didn’t get official designation as a hybrid. The last car from Sant’Agata to do so was the 2014 Asterion LPI 910-4 concept from the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The Asterion hid a V10 in back for the rear wheels, and two e-motors with a combined 296 horsepower on the front axle powered by a lithium-ion battery. The Sian produces about 785 horsepower, the Countach will deliver about 789, the Aventador S makes 690. So Lamborghini isn’t using electricity to chase gaudy numbers. Yet.

The last pic presents the area behind the side window. This is a slightly tighter shot of an image that a site called Lamborghini Specs posted a few days ago, snagged somehow from the automaker’s customer-only site, Lamborghini Unica. This reveals a Huracan-like intake treatment, the opening descending from the roof to the rear fenders. Ahead of the intake, a row of slats harks back to Gandini’s Countach prototype that arranged a flat row of vents along the fender, just behind the glasshouse. The fender is decorated with a cap that could be the fuel filler or a charging port or something else.

Way back in 1987, Lamborghini worked up a Countach Evoluzione prototype to test new technologies that made their way into the last of the production Countach run and the successor Diablo. This Countach could be doing something similar. The brand has already been taking orders for whatever’s coming, so there’s an excellent chance it will be sold out by the time it debuts on Sunday, August 15, at Monterey Car Week.

August 11, 2021 / Comments Off

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Ford GT test mule spied, and rumors of a new engine are swirling

This isn’t what we expected to see today, but one of our spy shooters just caught a Ford GT mule rolling around Allen Park, Michigan. We’d all but put the Ford GT off to the side at this point, as production was expected to wrap up shortly.

There’s always the chance of a special edition-something at the end, but we didn’t expect to see any GTs with emissions testing pipes driving around Ford’s test laboratory where it performs EPA testing on future vehicles. The longstanding assumption, of course, was that the GT would use its 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine until the end. Any suggestion otherwise seems easy to dismiss and semi-unfathomable at first blush. However, the presence of this test mule, and some recent reports that we’ll get into, throw this assumption into doubt.

We’ll start with a recent Ford Authority report, wherein they cite an unnamed source telling them Ford is testing a GT in metro Detroit with an engine other than the twin-turbo V6. The report goes on to say that this mystery powertrain GT sounds “very different” from the V6 we’re accustomed to at this point.

Next up, our spy shooter is also telling us he’s heard rumors of a different engine making its way into the GT. The rumor, and we’re not giving it any more credit than that, points to the 7.3-liter Godzilla V8 with a pair of turbos strapped to it — there are even more rumors to back this rumor up. It sounds fairly far-out to us, but do keep in mind that the 7.3 is a significantly more compact pushrod motor, not a DOHC design like the 3.5-liter V6 is. Maybe Ford could make it work.

Where is any kind of evidence for these musings? Well, the spy shots do indicate that Ford is up to something with the GT’s powertrain. For one, this engine’s oil cap (circled in red in the closeup) is sitting atop the glass where a standard GT’s trunk would extend to. That’s a clear hint that all isn’t normal underneath the engine cover. Plus (and it’s very difficult to tell), the exhaust routing in and around all of the chassis and suspension components doesn’t look identical to that of a regular GT. The blurriness of the photo and general mess going on underneath keep us from getting a super clear comparison, but some of the twists and curves in the exhaust appear slightly changed. All that said, we’ll need a better photo comparison to come to any grand conclusions.

All of the above put together is enough to put us on high alert for Ford GT news. Ford is up to something with its mid-engine supercar, and it seems certain at this point that it won’t be letting the GT go silently into the night.

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August 11, 2021 / Comments Off

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Watch a Ferrari Roma get trapped in a narrow Italian street

The Ferrari Roma is named after one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. In an odd turn of events, an Italian city could have a street named in honor of the Roma (if its mayor has a sense of humor) after one got stuck in a narrow street. Footage showing the $225,000-plus grand tourer scraping its sides on centuries-old buildings surfaced on YouTube.

Where the video was shot is up in the air. It was taken in a small street that’s partly paved with cobblestones and located somewhere in Italy. There are thousands of strade that meet this description. They’re picturesque, and we fully understand the temptation to explore them, but what the driver seemingly forgot is that the Roma is not a small car. At 77.7 inches wide, it’s about three and a half inches narrower than a Chevrolet Suburban. And, while “low clearance” signs are common around the world, “tight street” indications are rarer.

It looks like the Roma fit (barely) until the narrowest part of the street trapped its quarter panels. Seeing the coupe stuck, a bystander tried to help the driver through but stopped when a presumably very angry woman came running with her hands in the air. At that point, the bystander calls it: zero for the Ferrari and one for the street.

The video doesn’t show the aftermath, so we can only guess how the Ferrari was freed and how much damage it drove (or was hauled) away with. What’s certain is that the driver now understands why small cars reign supreme in Italy. And, nothing suggests the street will be named after the Roma, but it would be a creative way to spur tourism.

While it’s tempting to blame this incident on human error, especially when we’re talking about a car that costs more than the average house, it’s important not to forget about the possibility that technology played a role in embedding the Roma into its home country’s architecture. Navigation apps don’t know that your Ferrari is too wide for the street they’re sending you on. You’re ultimately responsible for how you drive, where you turn, and which detours you take, but the main takeaway here might be “don’t blindly follow directions” rather than “don’t blindly assume it fits.”

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August 9, 2021 / Comments Off

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A new Lamborghini Countach is coming soon

Lamborghini just announced that a new Countach is coming. Let us repeat. Lamborghini just announced that a new Countach is coming!

OK. Let that soak in for a few seconds, or minutes, however long it takes. We’re a bit shocked over here, too.

There’s one teaser image to go off of, and Lamborghini hasn’t let loose any details beyond giving us the name. You can see the car under a car cover and shrouded by haze in the photo above. However, there’s a video that’s been posted to Twitter that you can watch below.

We make dreams come true. We did it with the classic Countach in the 1970s. And we’re doing it again. The new Lamborghini Countach is coming. #Lamborghini #Countach pic.twitter.com/nXctgIuyqe

— Lamborghini (@Lamborghini) August 9, 2021

We get some great engine noises, and the new Countach appears to be parked a long way away from the camera at the end of the video. It appears to be painted white, but that’s all we can tell about it from that distance. There’s no doubt that Lamborghini is leaning heavily into nostalgic feelings, as you see original Countach posters pinned up to a kid’s room in the video. Lamborghini seems intent on recapturing that wild, exotic magic that the old Countach brought to the supercar landscape. It’s tough to say what the styling will be like besides being a wedge like most Lambos. It could be a very retro design, sort of like the Miura concept from over a decade ago. It could also be a thoroughly modern Lamborghini design that happens to have a classic nameplate attached. For what it’s worth, Lamborghini’s design boss seemed to be against anything overtly retro as of a few years ago.

For the time being, our best guess is that this could be the car housing a hybrid V12 powertrain. The Italian supercar maker has said the only way to keep the V12 alive is to hybridize it. Starting off with a hybrid V12 Countach sounds like one hell of a way to kick off a new era of hybrid Lamborghinis. Plus, with an anticipated launch date of 2023 for a hybrid, the timing would be pretty good for the new Countach.

We’ll just have to wait and see what it is before we get too far ahead of ourselves, though. Lamborghini says it “is coming,” but doesn’t say when. For now, all we can say is stay tuned.

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August 9, 2021 / Comments Off

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Watch as Devel begins testing a prototype of its Sixteen hypercar

It’s taken over a decade, but Dubai-based Devel has started testing the Sixteen hypercar it claims can reach 310 mph. Footage of a prototype undergoing shakedown tests on a track in Italy was published recently on YouTube.

If you need a refresher course, the Sixteen was shown to the public for the first time as a concept car in Dubai in 2013, though its development reportedly started in the late 2000s. It was revealed in its final form in 2017, and footage of it driving on a desert road surfaced in 2019. We haven’t heard much from the company since, which is hardly a surprise; 2020 was a difficult year for major carmakers, so smaller firms took an even meaner punch.

And yet, against any and all odds, Devel is back. Its prototype is unpainted and unfinished, the turbo system hasn’t been installed yet, but it runs, drives, and stops, which is a major accomplishment for the company. While no specifications were released, Devel outlined plans to build three versions of the car in 2019. First, a base model powered by a 2,000-horsepower V8. Second, a mid-range variant with a 3,000-horsepower, quad-turbocharged V16. Finally, a range-topping configuration with a quad-turbocharged, 12.3-liter V16 engine tuned to develop 5,000 horsepower. Yes, five thousand; that’s not a typo. It’s unclear which engine powers the car shown in the video.

Photos posted by Devel on its official Instagram account show the Sixteen being tested in Pininfarina’s wind tunnel, so the car is seemingly inching towards production. How many examples will be built, where, and how much each one will cost remains to be seen. What’s certain is that this hypercar could be a lot more real than many assumed.

Sweet 16

If the Sixteen reaches production, Devel will join the short list of manufacturers that have built a car with 16 cylinders. One of the most famous 16-cylinder models is the Cadillac V-16, which was built from 1930 to 1940. It was offered in a dizzying number of configurations, and many examples were fitted with a coachbuilt body. BMW briefly experimented with a V16-powered, E32-generation 7 Series in the early 1990s, at about the same time Italy-based Cizeta was putting the final touches on the Marcello Gandini-designed V16T. Only a handful were built.

In recent years, the glorious 16-cylinder layout has been associated exclusively with Bugatti. Different evolutions of its 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 have powered the Veyron, the Chiron, and few-offs like the Centodieci.

August 4, 2021 / Comments Off

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McLaren Speedtail ‘Albert’ has a paint job you absolutely must see

There’s no McLaren Speedtail that looks as wild and exotic as this one. Say hello to the “Albert” Speedtail, made as an homage to the first Speedtail testing vehicle.

That initial test vehicle featured a similar look, only done using crude vinyl body wrap. This Speedtail was meticulously painted and sweated over by the McLaren MSO team. The Albert name is derived from McLaren’s 1992 F1 test mules — those testers were given the name Albert, as the name of the road where the F1 was designed and built was called Albert Drive. Since the Speedtail is another three-seat McLaren, the name stuck.

The paintwork for this specific Speedtail took 12 weeks total to complete. McLaren broke that down into two weeks of masking, six weeks of painting and the remaining time for drying and reassembling. The MSO team also spent a good deal of time practicing and preparing to paint the actual car before it started. All the masking had to take place on the fully-built car, too, as painters had to ensure everything flowed around the vehicle with panel alignment and the wheels.

The final colors chosen for this project are Magnesium Silver and Ueno Gray. That silver is the first color the F1 was ever shown in, and the gray is the color of the 1995 Le Mans winning F1 GTR. The Speedtail’s teardrop shape lends itself to this sort of patterning and design better than most, and we absolutely adore it. This car already looks like a spaceship on wheels, and adding this paint job only elevates the feeling.

McLaren of Beverly Hills originally commissioned this car, and it will make a official public debut at a Beverly Hills Cars and Coffee this Sunday, August 8, in case you were curious to see it in person. Lastly, McLaren noted that this is one of the final Speedtails in the 106-car production run, so McLaren is almost done with this hypercar.

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August 4, 2021 / Comments Off

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