All posts in “Spyshots”

Maserati MC20 Leaked Online Hours Before Debut

The Maserati MC20 has leaked online hours before it was set to debut. The mid-engined Italian supercar is expected to debut later today at an event in Modena, Italy.

The leaked photos show a car which takes inspiration from a number of sources. The front end takes cues from the Maserati MC12 with a low air intake and prominent Maserati trident.

The leaked photos show that the bonnet gets two air intakes either side of a flat bonnet. Along the side, deep wheel vents cut into the Maserati MC20 door panel. Side sills look to be carbon fibre.

Those doors open with a butterfly effect, something McLaren have been known for in recent years. The roof line slopes gently towards an uncluttered rear end.

The rear taillights are narrow and split by a Maserati logo. Two centrally mounted exhausts are reminiscent of the outgoing Maserati GranTurismo.

From a previous press releases, we know that the Maserati MC20 gets a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol motor. It puts out 630 hp and 730 Nm of torque through a Getrag 8-speed dual clutch gearbox.

The first all-new Maserati since 2015 will debut later today. We will bring you all of the official information for the Maserati MC20 once it is released.

Leaked Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series Photos Spoil Surprise

Leaked Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series Photos

The Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series has leaked online. New photos show the hotly anticipated Black Series model sitting in a workshop completely uncovered.

Positioned above the Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro, the Black Series will be the most extreme version of the AMG GT to date.

Leaked Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series photos show its Aerodynamics

The leaked Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series photos show extensive modifications to the wide-body of the supercar. Starting from the rear, the Black Series gets a new rear diffuser with rear wheel vents sitting either side of massive quad exhaust tailpipes.

The twin rear spoiler looks adjustable in the photos with an interesting mount which sits towards the central of the rear end. The rear boot lid is also replaced with a more distinct lip than any other GT model.

The sides include a new skirt and a new front wheel vent. Towards the front, the bonnet is all-new, incorporating carbon fibre accent panels and a set of fender vents to cement the extreme new look.

The front bumper has a comprehensive redesign too with a new grille, deeper front splitter, carbon fibre flicks and a set of canards.

Its not clear if the dual tone finish is the release colour, or whether the parts are exposed to show where Mercedes-AMG has made modifications. Regardless, it seems clear that we weren’t supposed to see the finished product just yet.

What else do we know about the Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series?

Leaked Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series

What these leaked Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series don’t confirm is what hides underneath. It’s almost certain that the 4.0 litre V8 will receive some work. Reports in other publications have confirmed that the tune will likely push power up to 720 hp and 850 Nm of torque.

We also expect Mercedes-AMG to make the Black Series limited edition.

McLaren Senna LM Spotted: Is This The Next Project for MSO?

The McLaren Senna is already one of the most track-focused McLaren models. It’s difficult to believe that McLaren could make it any more focused. Yet that seems to be what its special projects department, MSO, is working on with the McLaren Senna LM.

Pictures of a McLaren Senna LM prototype emerged today on popular forum Pistonheads. A single photo shows a Papaya Orange model parked outside an industrial unit. It’s missing its front left fender, either the result of an accident or partway through development.

The Senna LM is parked next to another Senna, hidden under a delivery wrapping but clearly missing its rear wing. Hiding in the car wash bay is a McLaren F1 road car too.

Renderings of the McLaren Senna LM have hit the web over the past month. They appear to show a car which dispenses with the Senna’s glass door windows in favour of a flatter carbon fibre door panel.

The renders also show a GTR-look front end without the extreme canards. There is a set of fender vents, a larger roof snorkel and a re-designed side panel. The rear looks like a blend of Senna GTR and road car too with some subtle tweaks, including a new rear panel.

It remains unclear whether the McLaren Senna LM will be officially sanctioned, like the GTR, or whether it will be produced third-party, like the McLaren P1 LM by Lanzante. Hopefully, we will hear more very soon!

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Leak Provides an Early Look at the Porsche 992 Turbo

A leaked image has given us our first look at the Porsche 992 Turbo. It is believed that this photo shows the new Porsche 992 Turbo on the production line at the Porsche factory. The source of the images is unclear yet the Turbo air intakes and quad exhaust tailpipes are a giveaway!

We weren’t expecting Porsche to release the new Turbo until September, possibly at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2019. Seeing (almost) fully exposed photos in February, leaked from the factory, seems very premature!

Porsche only recently released the 992 generation of the Porsche 911. It debuted at the Los Angeles Motor Show 2019 last November. The Cabriolet has recently been released and we weren’t expecting a great deal more until the launch of the entry-level Carrera 2 and Carrera 4 Coupe and Cabriolet in a few months.

The Turbo is usually the most powerful version of the ‘normal’ 911’s. The version before we get to the GT3 and RS models. There is very little information about what powers the 992 Turbo at the moment.

The photo shows the rear section of the car with the tell-tale 992 rear lights. Atop the rear decklid sits a spoiler. The photo isn’t entirely clear but this looks larger than the outgoing model. The bodywork is wider and the rear end gets a set of narrow quad tailpipes.

Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Cabriolet First Spy Shots

It worked for Lamborghini and Ferrari, why wouldn’t it work for Porsche? We are of course talking about the Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta and the Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spider, two hardcore supercars with crop tops, both more desirable than their Coupe counterparts. It seems from these spy shorts than Porsche wants to get in on the action too with a Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Cabriolet.

It was a long-held belief that a performance oriented version of a supercar needed to be a Coupe. Coupe’s have superior structural integrity and that’s what you need, right? With the construction of modern supercars, it seems that you gain very little by chopping off the roof. This is how Ferrari and Lamborghini managed to master the convertible supercar. Using carbon fibre monocoques, there is little difference between the characteristics of a coupe and spider.

With the 911, things are slightly different. The 911 doesn’t have a carbon fibre monocoque for one thing. It’s platform is entirely metal, meaning it is difficult to achieved similar levels of structural rigidity within the same platform. This is probably one of the reasons Porsche never tried it before with its RS and GT models.

The car you see in the photos looks set to change that. The Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Cabriolet looks set to debut some time before the current generation 911 bows out. The photos show a car which wears the GT3 facia’s and shares the central exhaust position but misses the rear wing and its coupe roof!

It’s rumoured that the GT3 Touring Cabriolet has been in development alongside the new Speedster. The GT3 Cabriolet will likely share the familiar 4.0 liter six-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine. It produces 500 hp at 8,250 rpm and a maximum torque of 460 Nm. The Coupe accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and hits 200 km/h in 11.5 seconds. expect figures just short of that for the Cabriolet.

McLaren 600LT Spy Shots – Goodwood 2018 Debut

June 28th is the official date when McLaren 600 LT will be revealed. There are only two days left until we see what is expected to be the hottest Sport Series model to date. It’s fitting that we should have a final teaser of the test mule to tide us over until the bog launch.

These photos were spotted at the Nürburgring in Germany recently. They show the 600 LT testing and give us a few hints as to what we should expect come Thursday!

We have already seen the unique exhaust placement which is inspired by the recently-launched McLaren Senna. The 600 LT will get a deck-lid exhaust with two tailpipes. The aerodynamic work package is clear with the 600 LT benefiting front a new front facia. The internal vanes used to face inwards, now the face outwards and are joined by a side air channel.

Remarkably, nothing seems to have changed with the bonnet or the fenders. We have expected to at least see some air vents for the wheels. The side profile does reveal an aggressive side skirt, the camo to the read window might suggest that this is either perspex or there is some other modification being hidden.

Turning to the rear, the cut out rear wheel arches are clear, as is the deep rear diffuser the rear spoiler suggests that McLaren will offer an active aerodynamic package for the 600 LT, something that’s normally reserved for higher models.

Just like its Super Series predecessor, the McLaren 600 LT is expected to be a very exclusive vehicle. It is scheduled to make its dynamic debut on July 12th at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018. McLaren Special Operations should released some bespoke variants of the 600 LT in the future too!