hypercar

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Form Follows Function: the McLaren Senna

McLaren has announced the official performance figures for its Senna Hypercar and they just might offer a helping hand to people who were struggling to see past those polarising looks.

The Senna is the latest vehicle in McLaren’s Ultimate Series, the second vehicle in the series after the ballistic P1. The British luxury sports car manufacturer revealed its performance stats ahead of the car’s public debut, which is due to take part on March 6 at the 88th Geneva International Motor Show.

Performance without compromise

From earlier information, we know that a 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine will power the Senna, producing 789bhp and 590 lb ft of torque – McLaren’s most powerful internal combustion engine fitted to a road car. While those power figures are actually less than the previous Ultimate Series car, the plug-in hybrid McLaren P1, that’s no reason for concern.

Thanks to its teeny 1197kg weight, the Senna will reach 62mph from a standstill in 2.8 seconds according to McLaren, with 124mph coming up just 4 seconds later. It will cover the standing quarter mile in 9.9 seconds, and top speed is 211mph. By comparison, the P1 weighed 1547kg, though it had a hefty electric motor and batteries to lug around.

McLaren’s true focus with the Senna is on bestowing it with razor-sharp handling and, as well as the aforementioned lightness, those looks that caused such a stir when it was unveiled last year are all a part of this.

Built around a carbon fibre monocoque, which McLaren says can trace its roots back to the 1981 McLaren MP4/1 Formula 1 car, all of the shapes and wings on the Senna contribute to downforce of up to 1763.7lbs on-circuit, with the aim of delivering a pure connection between the car and driver.

A huge amount of effort has been put into ensuring the Senna’s aero all works together to provide downforce and sufficient cooling. The rear of the car’s distinctive slashes and diffuser may look somewhat jutting at first glance, but every single part of the design is there to do a job.

McLaren says it is impossible to follow a single body line from the front to rear of the car without it passing a functional intake or vent.

On sale and on the road

While the Senna has been designed to provide the ultimate sensation for the driver on track, McLaren say that it has kept the car road-legal. Another figure recently released was the price – $958,966 US.

All 500 examples of the Senna have already been assigned to buyers, with the final model having been auctioned off at a private McLaren customer event for £2 million. Proceeds from that sale went to the Ayrton Senna Institute – a non-profit set up in the name of this car’s namesake that provides education for unpriveleged children and youngsters in the F1 legend’s native Brazil.

Do you think the McLaren Senna will live up to its namesake? Let us know!

February 15, 2018 / Comments Off

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SSC — remember them? — releases new teaser image for Tuatara supercar

Remember the SSC Tuatara? The supercar from the company formerly known as Shelby SuperCars that aimed to reclaim the record of fastest production car for its parent company, which once held that title with the Ultimate Aero?

Well, it’s back from the dead, maybe. At least, the company released a new teaser image for the Tuatara along with the tagline, “The evolution is coming.” The car dates back to 2011 as a concept and has never been unveiled in the traditional sense. And there’s no other new information to go from.

SSC announced the Tuatara, named for a lizard native to New Zealand that possesses the fastest-evolving DNA on the planet, back in 2011. And we heard rumblings over the years, most recently in 2013, that the car was on track to be built at a plant in southeastern Washington and offered for sale for a cool $1.3 million. That plant reportedly has been delayed as the company founder, Jerod Shelby, sought financing. The Tri-City Herald newspaper in late 2016 reported that SSC broke ground on the facility in 2013, but that little else had happened at the site.

The Tuatara’s most recently known specs were 1,350 horsepower and 1,280 pound-feet of torque from its 6.8-liter V8. The company is perhaps best known for the Ultimate Aero, which held the record for fastest production car, having been clocked at 257 mph in 2007, before ceding the mark to Bugatti and the Veyron SS in 2010. Of course, last fall a Koenigsegg Agera RS hit 277.9 mph in Nevada in a still-unverified new record, and Hennessey is gunning for speed-demon Nirvana with its Venom F5, which claims a top speed of 301 mph. So the competition has only intensified in the years since SSC has gone quiet.

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January 2, 2018 / Comments Off

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The Devel Sixteen hypercar, and its 5,000-hp engine, are real

Devel Motors unveiled the final concept version of its ambitious Sixteen hypercar at the Dubai Motor Show this week, a car that it claims will reach speeds of around 310 miles per hour when it finally goes into production.

That would make it the world’s fastest car if the claim can hold up, beating out the 277.9 mph mark just set by the Koenigsegg Agera RS and posing a challenge to the likes of the Bugattis and John Hennesseys of the world. The Dubai-based specialty company first announced its ambitions four years ago and has since joined forces with Italian firm Manifattura Automobile Torino, which worked on James Glickenhaus’ SCG 003 and the Apollo Intensa Emozione, and Muskegon, Mich.-based Steve Morris Engines.

The powertrain supplier, speaking of which, recently released a video of the 81-mm quad-turbo, 12.3-liter V16 engine it’s developed for the car, reaching 5,007 horsepower on a dynamometer. The screaming sound is unbelievable.

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Even if the car, the design of which is inspired by a jet engine, can make good on its audacious claims, the Sixteen won’t be street legal. Devel developer Rashid Al-Attari told CNN the Sixteen is “more of a dragster” and says the company is developing two versions permissible on roads: A 2,000-hp V8 and a V16 quad-turbo that makes 3,000 hp. They’ll cost $1.6 million and $1.8 million, respectively, though the company apparently has no plans to limit production numbers.

Car vlogger Shmee can take you on a walkaround of the car and the accompany Devel Sixty off-roader in the video below.

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The company expects to complete the car, including testing, “in the next 12 to 18 months,” Al-Attari said.

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November 16, 2017 / Comments Off

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5,000-hp, 300-mph Devel Sixteen hypercar to show in Dubai

Years from now, automotive historians may write of this era as the War of the Supercars, fought by niche manufacturers that specialize in finely tuned, low-volume and ultra-high-end machines finding daft ways to outdo one another for the mantle of horsepower and speed at a time when many believe the writing is on the wall for the internal combustion engine. In just the past month, we’ve seen bold feats, claims or product introductions from the likes of Koenigsegg, Hennessey and McLaren.

Now comes news that the Devel Sixteen, a supposed 5,000-horsepower beast capable of surpassing 310 mph, will finally make its debut next week at the Dubai Motor Show, per Road and Track. If the Dubai-based firm can back up those numbers, it would be the world’s fastest supercar.

The prototype was first introduced in Dubai back in 2013, and we wrote about the Michigan-based company developing the quad-turbo, 12.36-liter V16 engine and its attempts to juice that much horsepower two years ago. R&T says Devel is now partnering with Italian firm Manifattura Automobile Torino, which worked on James Glickenhaus’ SCG 003 and the Apollo Intense Emotion supercars, to build the Sixteen. This will be an interesting one to watch.

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November 9, 2017 / Comments Off

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301 mph, 1,600 hp: Hennessey Venom F5 details emerge

Hennessy Special Vehicles is unveiling its much-awaited Venom F5 hypercar today at the SEMA Show (along with a cool new video that fans of early Aerosmith will dig, below), and the beast dubbed “America’s Hypercar” is making big promises. Hennessey teased the stunner a couple weeks ago, saying its intent was to take on the Bugatti Chiron for the title of world’s fastest car.

Now we have more details to go on for the F5. Its twin-turbo, 7.4-liter aluminum V8 produces an astounding 1,600 horsepower and 1,300 pound-feet of torque, giving it a top speed of 301 miles per hour. Acceleration will be quick: from 0 to 186 mph in less than 10 seconds and 0 to 249 and back to rest in less than 30 seconds, though independent performance tests of course will have to bear out those claims. The engine is mated to a seven-speed single-clutch paddle-shift transmission that drives the rear wheels. Unlike the car it replaces, the Venom GT, which was built atop a Lotus Elise platform, the Venom F5 gets an all-new, lightweight chassis and carbon-fiber body, giving it a curb weight of just 2,950 pounds.

“We’ve designed F5 to be timeless so that in 25 years it will still have a level of performance and design that will be unmatched,” CEO John Hennessey said in a statement. “The F5 is an all new car, designed and built from the ground up, from the engine to the chassis. We expect the Venom F5, named for the most powerful tornado speed winds on the Fujita scale, to be the first road car capable of achieving more than 300 mph and have worked closely with Pennzoil to get us across the finish line.”

The Venom GT, which had a 1,451-horsepower twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8, was unofficially dubbed the world’s fastest car in 2014, having hit 270.49 mph, though Bugatti plans to challenge that next year in the Chiron.

Base price will be a cool $1.6 million, with just 24 units to be built. And according to “Top Gear,” John Hennessey himself will hand-pick its recipients, with first deliveries starting in 2019.

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November 1, 2017 / Comments Off

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Hennessey’s Venom F5 hypercar teased for Nov. 1 reveal at SEMA

Hennessey has announced plans to reveal the production version of its long-awaited Venom F5 supercar Nov. 1 at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, and released new images and a video of the hypercar expected to boast a top speed of nearly 300 mph. The F5 is the performance shop’s bid to be the fastest road car in the world, taking direct aim at the Bugatti Chiron.

To be built and sold under new company Hennessey Special Vehicles, the F5 promises cutting-edge technology in design, engine development and chassis, with an all-new, original chassis and body. It will build the car at its headquarters in Sealy, Texas, near Houston.

Hennessey first revealed renderings for the F5 three years ago. It released updated teaser images in June and announced plans to put the car into production, with founder and CEO John Hennessey describing the project as “sophisticated aggression on wheels.”

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The F5 name derives from the rating assigned to tornadoes boasting wind speeds of between 261 and 318 miles per hour, the top rating on the Fujita scale. It replaces the Venom GT, a supercar powered by a 1,451-horsepower, twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8 engine with a top speed of 270.4 mph and a 0-60 time of 2.4 seconds. Just 12 models were ever produced, with the final version selling for a cool $1.2 million.

The F5, Hennessey says, will surpass the GT’s horsepower, have a top speed exceeding 290 mph, plus improved aerodynamics and ultra-light weight to boost performance.

The new images show a wing-shaped rear spoiler and a tri-exhaust tailpipe configuration that evokes a honeycomb or Olympic rings. The company plans to livestream the unveiling, which takes place at 11 a.m. PST Nov. 1, on its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels.

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October 20, 2017 / Comments Off

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Aston Martin hires Ferrari’s ‘key guys’ to challenge 488 GTB

Aston Martin is wasting no time in its aggressive product rollout, and it’s putting Ferrari and other supercar makers on notice.

At the recent launch of the DB11 V8 in Catalonia, Spain, we caught up with Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer. The Aston chief gave us new details on plans for a mid-engine car to go up against the Ferrari 488 GTB, the McLaren 720S and the Lamborghini Huracán.

Palmer says Aston has harnessed a great deal of learning from the $3 million Valkyrie hypercar and plans to apply that to its next mid-engine car, slated to land sometime in 2020 or so. As indicated in part of our conversation below, design plans for that car are developing quickly.

Andy Palmer, chief executive officer of Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., reacts during a Bloomberg Television interview in Singapore, on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. Palmer discussed the impact of Brexit on the auto industry. Photographer: Vivek Prakash/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Autoblog: You said there will be a forthcoming mid-engine sports car. I still think the Ferrari 488 GTB is one of the best I’ve driven. How do you compete with that?

Andy Palmer: “Well, I agree with you. That’s the best car in its segment. And we’re going to take it on. And I realize the gravity of that statement, of what that means.”

AB: So how do you take on the 488 GTB?

AP: “Well, to start with, you recruit from Ferrari the head of body structures, and the head of powertrains. I’ve now got three of Ferrari’s key guys. And really, it’s a big compliment to Ferrari. That’s the defining car in its segment, and it’s really, really good. And those three guys now work for me. And you combine those guys with Nick [Lines, chief planning officer, Aston Martin] and Marek [Reichman, chief creative officer, Aston Martin] who you know really well, and you create some great recipes. And now I’ve got a better understanding of what that car looks like.”

AB: How far along is that car? Is there a clay model already?

AP: “Yeah, there’s clay. There’s actually eight quarter-scales. And there’s one in particular that I’m leaning toward. We’ve got it pushed out; it’s gone to a second studio in Milton Keynes. That studio is different from Gaydon. And I’ve got a pretty good idea of what the replacement for the 488 is going to be like as well. So, if we’re going in that market, we need to be ahead of the 488. And there’s no naïveté about what that means.”

One of the recruits Palmer is referring to is Max Szwaj, former head of innovation and body structures at Ferrari and Maserati. Szwaj has been named vice president and chief technical officer in his new role in Gaydon. Another recruit, Joerg Ross, formerly head of advanced engines at Ferrari and Maserati, assumes the chief engineer, powertrain, role at Aston. A third recruit by way of Modena is a very recent acquisition and has yet to be formally announced.

Aston Martin’s forthcoming car would slot above the Vanquish GT and below the Valkyrie hypercar in the lineup. And while the British luxe automaker is developing replacements for its existing lineup — most recently kicked off by the new DB11 — the Ferrari 488 fighter would join the upcoming DBX SUV as an all-new model line for Aston.

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October 6, 2017 / Comments Off

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Under the skin of Mercedes-AMG’s Project One hypercar

Last year, at the Paris Auto Show, AMG head Tobias Moers told us about the Project One hypercar. The months since this announcement haven’t tamped down our amazement about what Mercedes-AMG is up to. The renderings you’re looking at are straight from AMG, released right as our man in Europe is heading into a technical briefing on the car. While we wait for his full report, let’s ogle this incredible hardware.

We were told to expect a Formula One-derived powerplant, and by golly that sure looks like one. There’s a carbon fiber air inlet perched atop a V6 hybrid power unit mounted amidships, and flanked by a snake’s nest of headers. The exhaust system sits on top of a structural rear transaxle, an automated manual of course. There’s an electric turbocharger, which is part of a very exotic MGU-H system – it can essentially harvest kinetic energy from exhaust gas spinning the turbocompressor, and also reverse flow to spool up the compressor when needed using stored energy. Speaking of which, there’s a high-voltage Li-Ion battery just behind the front axle.

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That front axle will be electrified, with no mechanical connection to the V6 engine. So it’ll need juice to run, likely a mixture of MGU-H energy and also power harvested from the MGU-K system, which is basically a conventional hybrid generator physically connected to the engine. Well, conventional in theory; this generator’s likely to be as exotic as the rest of the car. That assessment extends to the inboard suspension, a complex arrangement of pushrods and transverse coilover units, although the rear pairs exotically-mounted shocks with the classic Mercedes-Benz five-link arrangement.

This is not, of course, unadulterated F1 tech. The engine is likely to be less strung out, only revving to around 10,000 RPM than what a real F1 car can spin at, to increase the engine’s lifespan. That being said, Moers is on record as saying that the engine will need a serious overhaul at around 31,000 miles. Assume that this will be extensive and extremely expensive, not that a Project One buyer’s going to have trouble paying for the service. After all, the car’s expected to cost $2 million when it goes on sale.

We’ll have much more detail coming soon, but until then enjoy this intimate look at an upcoming hypercar.

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May 27, 2017 / Comments Off

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The Mercedes-AMG hypercar will require a full service at 31,000 miles

When shopping for your next Mercedes-AMG hypercar, you might want to opt for the extended warranty, or at the very least inquire about regular maintenance costs. AMG boss Tobias Moers told Motor 1 that the F1-derived turbocharged V6 will require a significant overhaul after about 31,000 miles. While that may not seem like a lot of miles, the new AMG is a multi-million dollar car rumored to make in excess of 1,000 horsepower, so you can’t expect Toyota Camry-like maintenance intervals.

The 1.6-liter turbocharged hybrid V6 that’s rumored to power the 300 new cars is derived from the championship winning Formula One engine, though revs would be limited to a measly 11,000 rpm. Expect electric motors to power at least the front wheels, meaning the 0-60 mph time should be ridiculously quick. We won’t see the car until the Frankfurt Motor Show, but expect more hype and teasers in the meantime.

Most of these multi-million dollar hypercars (like the Porsche 918, McLaren P1, LaFerrari, or Bugatti Chiron) won’t touch 10,000 miles, much less 31,000. AMG has to know that going in, which is why it focused more on performance and less on maintenance costs. Also, if you’ve got a few million to blow on a car, you can afford to have trained techs maintain it.

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March 13, 2017 / Comments Off

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Watch the Bugatti Chiron go from raw carbon to finished product

The Bugatti Chiron is a beautiful, hand built 16-cylinder luxury cruise missile that is without equal on the road. That’s why it can command a price of nearly $2.7 million. While the Chiron may only be in reach to the 1 percent of the 1 percent, it’s a price some are more than willing to pay. The first customer cars are now rolling out the doors at Bugatti’s Molsheim, France, facility.

The first three will soon be reaching customer hands in Europe and the Middle East. Each car is hand assembled by a team of about 50 production, quality assurance, and logistics team members in France. The video above shows the first three cars being built, from a bare carbon tub being mated to that massive 1,500 horsepower quad-turbocharged W16 engine to the finished product making its way out the door.

Bugatti expects to build about 70 cars this year alone, meaning each car takes roughly 5 full days to assemble. While the first three cars have been or are being delivered now, a fourth will be on display next week at the Geneva Motor Show. About 200 customers put in orders after the car’s reveal last year, so the Molsheim team will be busy for the next several years. Look for more colors and special editions to trickle out as time goes on.

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March 3, 2017 / Comments Off

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Bugatti Chiron gets soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo’s seal of approval

The first few Bugatti Chirons are about to hit the street, but before that happens the French automaker allowed soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to get behind the wheel. As Bugatti puts it, the automaker wanted to give “a real champion” the chance to drive and approve of the 1,500-horsepower luxury cruise missile before it officially hits the road. The short video shows that even in a garage full of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and a Rolls-Royce, the Chiron stands out.

The video features a brief glimpse at Ronaldo’s impressive collection of cars just before the low rumble of 16-turbocharged cylinders rolls in with test driver Andy Wallace behind the wheel. Wallace won the 24 Hours of Le Mans but is probably most famous for setting the McLaren F1’s top speed record in 1998. Few drivers in the world are more qualified to drive what is believed to be the fastest production car ever built.

After Ronaldo steps inside, the video cuts to some clips of the Portuguese player blasting around the track. We’re not sure if it’s really Ronaldo behind the wheel, but it is fun to see the Chiron in action. In the end Wallace tells Ronaldo he must make a call to Bugatti if he wants to keep it. Ronaldo apologizes to his other cars and picks up his phone.

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February 24, 2017 / Comments Off

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