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Neither Hobbs nor Shaw believe in physics in trailer No. 3

With all due respect to “John Wick,” “Hobbs & Shaw” might be the biggest action movie ever created. So big, in fact, that it has apparently transcended Earth’s pesky laws of physics. The combined gravitational power of The Rock, Jason Statham and Idris Elba have thrown the planet off its axis and completely redefined what humans, cars, motorcycles, trucks, planes, and helicopters are capable of. Don’t believe it? Just watch trailer No. 3 for the first spinoff of the “Fast & Furious” franchise.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to Instagram to announce the final official trailer before “Hobbs & Shaw” debuts Aug. 2. As expected, numero tres is more of what we saw in trailer one and trailer two. Luke Hobbs, played by The Rock, and Deckard Shaw, played by Statham, put their differences aside to work together fighting the self-proclaimed Black Superman aka Brixton aka Elba. A new character, Shaw’s sister Hattie, joins the war as well. Throughout the entire 2:25 clip, there are about 8 seconds that don’t include an explosion, gunfire, a stunt, a shirtless flex, or a combination of the four.

In addition to the usual gobs of supercars (sup, McLaren), the “Fast” franchise producers continue to lean heavily on its own custom vehicle creations. There are beefy military vehicles, autonomous motorcycles, juiced-up flatbed trucks, and tow trucks pulling helicopters.

Check out the full preview above, and get ready for the official start of summer on Aug. 2.

June 30, 2019 / Comments Off on Neither Hobbs nor Shaw believe in physics in trailer No. 3
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McLaren GT teased again, this time with a reveal date

About a month ago, we got our first look at the McLaren GT in the form of official photos of a camouflaged car. Now McLaren has released another teaser of an undisguised car in dark lighting. The teaser does still hide a lot of the car, but it’s not as onerous as many other automaker teasers. And being a video, it’s a little more interesting to see.

We get a nice look at details of the tail end. The slim LED taillights are buried within a huge vent panel. The panel fits the curves of the car nicely. And when we get a profile shot, we can see that this McLaren is much more subdued than its more sporting counterparts. The scoops and vents are all smaller and kept close to the body lines. The body itself is low and rather long. This is likely to provide plenty of interior and cargo space.

The teaser also finally gives us a reveal date. The car will be shown on the morning of May 15. So be sure to come back that day for the photos and details. In press materials so far, McLaren has highlighted the car’s low weight. It will probably be propelled by another version of McLaren’s twin-turbo V8, and it may have some level of electrification. We’ve also heard that there will be enough room for two sets of golf clubs, so it will be practical as a GT.

May 7, 2019 / Comments Off on McLaren GT teased again, this time with a reveal date
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McLaren 600LT Spider to show its drop top next week

McLaren is adding yet another Longtail variant to its expanding stable of supercars, as teased in the video above. The company doesn’t explicitly say it, but it’s clearly the McLaren 600LT Spider. The upturned exhaust is the first clue that it’s based on the 600LT, and as the camera pans around, we see the car’s shadow has a gap where the roof is missing.

Since this new McLaren is a derivative of the 600LT coupe, we assume it will make the same 592 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. Those ponies ought to sound much sweeter without a roof in the way. The 600LT Spider will probably weigh about 200 pounds less than the regular 570S Spider, similar to the weight difference between the coupes. And if the 570S Spider is anything to go by, there shouldn’t be much, if any, difference in performance between fixed- and removable-roof 600LT models.

McLaren will reveal the car on January 16, so we won’t have to wait long for all the delectable details. When it launches, it will be the fifth McLaren model to have the Longtail’s LT designation. It won’t be the first convertible, though, since McLaren made a 675LT Spider a few years ago.

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January 9, 2019 / Comments Off on McLaren 600LT Spider to show its drop top next week
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The Aston Martin Valkyrie and its V12 sound insane

Formula 1 is where the mind goes when we listen to this teaser engine clip of the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar. And we’re not talking about the lame-sounding turbo cars they’re racing now. No, this sound brings to mind the stupid-high-revving machines of the 2000s.

It makes sense too, because we’ve been told that the 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine is loosely based on Cosworth’s 2.4-liter V8 it made for Formula 1. Rumors place the Valkyrie engine somewhere around 1,000 horsepower with a kinetic energy recovery system providing even more thrust. We’ve seen a number of reports putting the final combined figure around 1,130 hp, but the actual number will remain a mystery for the time being.

This video with the Valkyrie’s soundtrack layered behind it comes courtesy of Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer. Dramatic renderings of the Valkyrie cycle through in the background, but the noise is what we’re paying attention to here. The engine’s redline is reportedly 11,000 rpm and we don’t doubt it after listening to the soundtrack more than a few times. No other production car revs that high — even LaFerrari tops out at 9,250 rpm.

The team definitely has the engine working, and production is slated to kick off sometime in 2019. We’ll be waiting impatiently until then to hear that insane V12 in person.

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October 3, 2018 / Comments Off on The Aston Martin Valkyrie and its V12 sound insane
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New Lamborghini Aventador SVJ previewed in dealer’s Instagram post

The new Lamborghini Aventador SVJ will officially be revealed Thursday evening at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, but the limited-edition supercar has already been shown in an Instagram post.

British Lamborghini dealer HR Owen has been posting teaser materials of the SVJ, or Superveloce Jota, on Instagram, and showed the full frontal image of the SVJ today. In the photo, the SVJ’s distinctive front vents can be seen, as well as the shape of the new rear wing. For future supercar spotters, the front bumper vents, reminiscent of nostrils, will be a good way to tell the SVJ from lesser Aventadors. There’s also a new front splitter and a re-engineered dual-pipe exhaust system with aerodynamic benefits.

The SVJ has already claimed fame with its record-breaking Nürburgring Nordschleife lap of 6 minutes and 44.97 seconds in the hands of test driver Marco Mapelli. This made the SVJ the fastest production car on the track, and the lap time is 15 seconds faster than a regular Aventador SV. Reports say the SV’s 739 horsepower will be bested by 20 in the SVJ, for a total of 759 horsepower; some reports claim an even bigger jump to 780. All in all, the SVJ is likely to be produced in extremely limited numbers.

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August 23, 2018 / Comments Off on New Lamborghini Aventador SVJ previewed in dealer’s Instagram post
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Bugatti Divo teased again ahead of Monterey reveal

There are four days to go until Bugatti unveils the track-focused Divo this Friday at The Quail – A Motorsports Gathering during Monterey Car Week. Until then, we have this last teaser of the complete vehicle under a blue veil to try and draw out details. Bugatti once used the Vision Gran Turismo to tease aspects of the Chiron, and here it appears as though the French carmaker has returned to some elements of that concept while, at the same time, clearly evolving Chiron design language.

The rear wing is clearly toned down from the Vision GT concept, but a fin runs from the back of the greenhouse to the wing. The wheel arches stand out under the sheet, much punchier than the arches on the Chiron, and the rear fender contains a sharp edge. A clear departure from both the Vision GT and the Chiron, though, is the side line. The relaxed arc around the roof to the back of the cabin and down to the sills, a feature we’ve known since the Veyron, has been redone. On the Divo it looks like the roof line takes a shallow dip to a point, then makes a hard reverse to form a shoulder line that intersects the front wheel arch. Above that, a milder shoulder line descends from the cowl to underline the greenhouse.

“We’ve kept and further developed our Bugatti design DNA features, but on top of that have also taken the opportunity to exercise our freedom and create a completely new form language,” said Frank Heyl, the exterior design chief. Bugatti obviously wanted us to notice all of this, because the Divo example under the silk doesn’t have a side mirror.

Built by the company’s just-revived coachbuilding department and advancing the capabilities of the Chiron Sport, the Divo will bring “enormous downforce and G-forces.” Other than the top stabilizer fin and large rear wing, the additional feature we’ve seen to support its track mission is a vertical fin ahead of the front wheels. Cosmetically, it looks like the taillights will be LED or OLED with highly contoured shapes. We’ll have to wait until Friday for word on whether the 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 has undergone any changes.

Bugatti will make just 40 Divos, each with a price starting at 5 million euros, about $5.8 million in U.S. dollars, and nearly double the price of the Chiron Sport. Those numbers might be moot if every Divo is already spoken for. After brand CEO Stephan Winkelmann said “the Divo is made for corners,” and that it represents brand DNA “in terms of agile, nimble handling,” the number we’d really like to see is a Nürburgring lap time.

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August 20, 2018 / Comments Off on Bugatti Divo teased again ahead of Monterey reveal
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Pininfarina teases PF0 electric supercar interior

Automobili Pininfarina recently released a sketch of its PF0, an electric supercar with over 1,000 horsepower, as the design house transitions into a maker of high-end EVs. Last month, we heard that Pininfarina would reveal the PF0 at Monterey Car Week. With that event nearly upon us, we now have teaser’s of the car’s interior, as well as more details about that reveal. The concept will indeed be shown, but only to an exclusive group of prospective buyers.

“Our presence in Monterey is an inspiring chapter in the story of realising Battista Farina’s long-held dream: one day there will be beautiful cars solely branded Pininfarina,” said Automobili Pininfarina CEO Michael Perschke in a statement. “These special VIP previews mean that future PF0 owners, most of whom will undoubtedly own numerous modern and historic classics, have an opportunity right now to be part of the birth of the company and their hypercar.”

The PF0, which will be limited to just 150 units, will be publicly revealed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, but the preview in Monterey will be accompanied by a complete design brief by Pininfarina Design Director Luca Borgogno. We do know that the car will feature a carbon fiber body and will be exceedingly fast. The company states a 0-62 mph time of less than two seconds, with a top speed of over 250 miles per hour. The all-electric hypercar could also boast a driving range of over 300 miles.

The interior sketches are sparing in their details, but we do get a sense of the forward-looking and driver-focused design of the PF0. We see a chunky sport steering wheel with digital speedometer and what appears to be a navigation display front and center, with the instrument panel flanked by digital screens with more information. We’re hoping we’ll get more details, either from Pininfarina or potential owners, following the event next week.

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August 16, 2018 / Comments Off on Pininfarina teases PF0 electric supercar interior
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Koenigsegg teases replacement for Agera RS in sketch

Koenigsegg just opened its first official sales location at a luxury-vehicle dealership in Australia, and at an invitation-only cocktail launch party late last week, the supercar maker gave attendees an exclusive glimpse of the upcoming replacement to the world-beating Agera RS.

Granted, it’s only a fairly crude sketch of the hypercar’s rear end, so there’s not a lot to go on, save for the large wing and diffuser, though the well-heeled attendees also were treated to a virtual-reality presentation of the new car. Koenigsegg says it will make its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2019.

First unveiled in Geneva in 2015, the company within 10 months sold out all 25 examples of the 1,160-horsepower Agera RS it planned to build, making it Koenigsegg’s fastest-selling model in its history. Last fall, the hypercar set an average top-speed record of 277.87 miles per hour in the Nevada desert.

Company founder Christian von Koenigsegg told Top Gear back in March that the replacement car will be “more capable than the Agera RS.” He also said the replacement won’t rely on a hybrid powertrain, to keep it distinguished from the plug-in hybrid Regera, but will instead focus on refining the company’s supercharged V8.

The Agera RS hit 284 mph in its one-way speed assault in Nevada last year, and companies like Hennessey are gunning to hit the 300-mph mark. We’ll see if this one’s the car to do it.

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June 25, 2018 / Comments Off on Koenigsegg teases replacement for Agera RS in sketch
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New McLaren coming, looks like a high-performance 570S

McLaren has a new model coming out soon, and to announce it, the automaker released the above teaser image and the below teaser trailer. Though there isn’t much detail in the announcement, we can tell a fair amount from what the company did release.

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First of all, the car in the image looks like a variant of the current Sports Series McLarens, which include variations on the 570S. This is based on the taillight design. It’s probably a high-performance version, too. The image shows this model has a far more aggressive diffuser, a new air outlet on the edges of the bumper behind the rear tires, and no visible exhaust tips. We do know that this car has some sort of internal combustion engine, though, since the trailer features a high-pitched, urgent exhaust note.

Further evidence of the high-performance nature of this McLaren comes in the phrasing used on the promotional website. It uses phrases such as “raw and uncompromised,” “total focus,” “pure adrenaline,” and “the edge is calling.” This is definitely some sort of extra fast, probably track-oriented McLaren 570. Maybe it will be called McLaren 570 GTR. Only time will tell, and how much time is also a mystery, since McLaren simply said the car is “coming soon.”

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June 6, 2018 / Comments Off on New McLaren coming, looks like a high-performance 570S
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Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus gives glimpse of SCG004CS

Let’s recap what’s coming from Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus. The small-batch U.S. manufacturer showed the 004S last November, a carbon-fiber bodied, 2,600-pound, three-seater road car that comes with a gated, six-speed manual but offers a paddle-shifter as a cost option. A track-only version called the 004C will be developed to run in GTE, GTLM, GT3, and GT4 racing, as well as Germany’s VLN series that includes Nürburgring races in the SPX class. Then we have the 004CS, which is the road-going version of the race-only car, rendered in the sketch above.

The 004CS will feature an interior close to the S, an exterior close to the C, plus street-spec front splitter and rear diffuser, and optional center-lock wheels. All three versions will be powered by the 3.8-liter twin turbo VR38DETT V6 from the Nissan GT-R, tuned to around 690 horsepower in the 004S, and around 900 hp in the 004CS. SCG plans to race the 004CS as well as the 004C, and will pull the same trick with the race-road hybrid at the 2020 Nürburgring 24-Hour race as it did a couple of years ago with the 003CS. Company namesake Cameron Glickenhaus said he plans to drive from his hotel to the ‘Ring and hand the car over to his race crew, who will swap in the race engine to compete. The carmaker will apply to race in the 2019 ‘Ring race, but might do so with the 003C.

Production should begin on the 004S at SCG’s Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., factory later this year. Having been approved for small-volume manufacture, SCG can build up to 325 examples of the $400,000 coupe, each with a VIN. The 25 Founder’s Edition will come first, SCG saying its entire 2018 production has been spoken for. Come 2020, the firm expects to build 250 units per year to satisfy homologation requirements. SCG remains mum on pricing for the 004C and 004CS versions.

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May 7, 2018 / Comments Off on Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus gives glimpse of SCG004CS
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Brabham BT62 will have 700 horsepower, debuts in two weeks

After nearly three decades away from motorsports, Brabham is back from the dead. David Brabham, son of company founder and namesake Jack Brabham, announced in February that he has plans to return to Formula 1. In addition to a new F1 car, the company will be building a new roadcar. Two weeks ahead of its debut, we get some of the big specs and a single teaser image of the Brabham BT62.

The new car will be powered by a 700 horsepower, naturally-aspirated 5.4-liter V8. The car will have a dry weight of just 2,142 pounds and put down 2,646 pounds of downforce thanks in part to a massive rear wing. Weight savings comes in the form of carbon, including six-piston brakes both front and rear. Other details remain a mystery for now.

The Brabham BT62 will be limited to just 70 units. Even with a base price of $1.4 million, we don’t expect it to take too long to sell out. We just hope that this helps fund future development of both road and race cars, similar to McLaren’s current lineup.

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April 19, 2018 / Comments Off on Brabham BT62 will have 700 horsepower, debuts in two weeks
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Italdesign Zerouno Roadster headed for Geneva Motor Show

It’s not often that Italian design houses sell cars under their own name. Sure, the name Zagato has been tacked onto Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo and Lancia coupes, but it’s rarer for the design house to act as the manufacturer. The last Fiat X1/9s were sold as Bertones, and late, 1980s 124 Spiders were sold as the Pininfarina Spidereuropa, but Italdesign hasn’t sold any cars of their own – until the Zerouno, that is. The company wants to introduce an own-brand model every year on from 2017; the coupe version of the Huracan-related Zerouno was the first.

Italdesign has now confirmed that there will be a convertible version of the Zerouno, and that it will be seen at the Geneva Motor Show. The coupe was only made as a five-unit production run, and it’s likely that there won’t be too many topless versions built. Italdesign is 50 years old this year, and it’s up to the Zerouno roadster to be displayed as a celebratory model. Pricing hasn’t been confirmed either, but reports say the base price is likely to top $1.8 million, and it’ll easily go past two million dollars nicely equipped.

For that money you get exclusivity as well as a 5.2-liter V10 engine good for 205 miles per hour and a 3-second 0-60 blast. Zerounos are all-wheel-drive, with Audi/Lamborghini DNA baked in thanks to the company’s ties to Audi-owned Lamborghini.

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February 21, 2018 / Comments Off on Italdesign Zerouno Roadster headed for Geneva Motor Show
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Ferrari 488 Special Series V8 named Pista in leaked photos

Ferrari Photo Page leaked Ferrari’s presentation of the 488 Special Series last month. Today, the site’s Instagram has what appear to be press shots of the coming Ferrari that reveal the coupe’s name: 488 Pista. The word “Pista” means “track” in Italian, and it would be the next peak in the lofty range already notable for the 360 Challenge Stradale (Road), 430 Scuderia (Team), and 458 Speciale (Special). We also get a few potential specs, namely a rumored 721 horsepower.

If the press photos are accurate — everything in front lines up with the blurry screenshot from the recent teaser vid — we can begin to see how Ferrari increased aerodynamic efficiency by 20 percent over the standard 488 GTB. Autocar says Ferrari’s aimed at the 340 kilograms of downforce produced by the Porsche 911 GT2 at 155 miles per hour, 15 kg more than achieved by the 488 GTB. Instead of a hood carved out with two deep scallops as on the 488 GTB, nearly the entire span of the hood on the 488 Pista plunges before reaching the leading edge. In back, a large, heavily dished wing tops a new rear fascia, its center span hovering a few inches above the bodywork. Below, a much more aggressive rear diffuser sits between vertical vents at the flanks.

The interior doesn’t look much changed, but note the carbon fiber floor instead of floor mats, the leaner center tunnel area, and shift selector buttons on a stalk styled after the one in the LaFerrari.

A reveal at the Geneva Motor Show seems likely, where we’ll look forward to detailed specs on that engine derived from the 488 Challenge race car but 10 percent lighter. Based on what we’ve seen so far, a Geneva debut will be thrilling no matter how much of the 488 Pista leaks before then.

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February 20, 2018 / Comments Off on Ferrari 488 Special Series V8 named Pista in leaked photos
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Techrules will bring its Ren RS diesel turbine hybrid to Geneva

The Chinese startup Techrules, from Beijing, has appeared at the Geneva Motor Show before. This year the company is returning with a new hybrid supercar called the Ren RS, which is a lighter version of the Ren we saw at Geneva a year ago. Techrules says the Ren RS is a production version, albeit designed for track use only. The RS uses a diesel-powered turbine generator to charge its 28 kWh battery pack, and the manufacturer promises an impressive range of 727 miles from 80 liters of diesel (that’s about 21 gallons). Given that the vehicle is limited to racing use, that should translate into quite a few laps at a track of any length. The RS can be configured with four or six electric motors, and the six-motor, 960-kW/1,287-horsepower version can hit 62 mph in just three seconds, going all the way to 205 mph.

The jet-fighter style, TREV-powered (for Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle) RS is Italian-built, and reportedly its on-track characteristics have been honed by Italian motorsport specialist L.M. Gianetti. Gianetti is an outfit that has already operated for half a century, working as a motorsport subcontractor for Fiat and Alfa Romeo, and it also manufactured components and monocoques for the late ’90s Ford Focus WRC rally car.

So far, the teaser image of the RS is all we get; the Geneva show will surely provide more shots and insight into one of the few diesel-powered vehicles currently shown in a positive light.

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February 19, 2018 / Comments Off on Techrules will bring its Ren RS diesel turbine hybrid to Geneva
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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 on SSC — remember them? — releases new teaser image for Tuatara supercar
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Lamborghini and MIT to debut new supercar concept next week

Today, Lamborghini released a teaser of what it’s calling the “vision for the super sportscar of the future.” The new concept will debut next week in a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and there’s buzz that it might employ a nontraditional type of battery to boost performance. MIT is, after all, working on solid-state lithium batteries with greater energy density and perhaps a lower failure rate. More energy density could mean either lower weight per unit or greater energy storage overall. Both would be excellent attributes for a high-performance Lamborghini.

EmTech 2017 is a tech conference hosted each year at MIT. It may sound strange to reveal a concept outside of an auto show, but this really isn’t all that much difference than a new debut at CES in Las Vegas. And if MIT is lending a hand with some of the tech this car will use, and if it’s as groundbreaking as we think it might be, even more reason to debut it at this conference.

We don’t know exactly what the concept will preview. It could be an advanced technology demonstrator, or it could preview a replacement for the Lamborghini Aventador. We’ll know more next week.

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November 3, 2017 / Comments Off on Lamborghini and MIT to debut new supercar concept next week
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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 on Hennessey’s Venom F5 hypercar teased for Nov. 1 reveal at SEMA
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Mercedes teases 1,000-horsepower, 217-mph AMG Project ONE

Mercedes has been surprisingly forthcoming with details and information about its upcoming AMG Project ONE hypercar, having shown a completely undisguised powertrain. But the one part of the car the company has been tightlipped about is the body. Finally, the company has released a teaser giving us some idea of what the car will look like.

One of the first interesting things we noticed about this car is that it seems the three-pointed star is not going to have the same prominent position in the center of the grille as with virtually every other production Mercedes. Instead, it appears to be lying flat against the bodywork, away from the grille. This also seems to indicate that Mercedes isn’t trying to shoehorn the AMG GT‘s fascia onto this unique car. The headlights are narrow slits unlike the more bulbous units on regular Mercedes. The silhouette also looks reminiscent of GT1-class race cars of the late 1990s, such as those based on the McLaren F1 and Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR.

Mercedes-AMG Project ONE powertrain

We’ll have to wait for the car’s full reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show to get a clear look at the body, but we can tell you plenty about what’s under the skin. It uses a hybrid powertrain consisting of an F1-based 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 that revs to 11,000 rpm and a quartet of electric motors. Mercedes confirmed with this teaser that the powertrain will produce over 1,000 horsepower and take the car to a top speed of over 217 mph. The company will build 275 examples of the car at $2.54 million a piece. Mercedes has said that the car can be operated like a normal car, but the engine will have to be rebuilt at 31,000 miles. Such is the life of a racecar engine, but we doubt prospective buyers will be too concerned about the short engine span, and many cars likely won’t even reach that any miles. Expect more fascinating details to come forth when the car is revealed.

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September 1, 2017 / Comments Off on Mercedes teases 1,000-horsepower, 217-mph AMG Project ONE
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Kode 0 is a new one-off supercar from Ferrari Enzo designer Ken Okuyama

Ken Okuyama is famous for his time as lead designer at Pininfarina, and specifically known for penning the Ferrari Enzo. He now has his own design house in Japan. Last year, he wowed the world with a one-off supercar, called the Kode57, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. That car will return to The Quail this year, but will be joined by a new stablemate, a wedge-shaped supercar called Kode 0.

We don’t have a lot of details about the car yet, but what we do know is enough to excite us. The Kode 0 is powered by a V12 situated amidships. We’re not sure what the output is, but the 6.0-liter V12 in the Kode57 produces about 600 horsepower, if that’s any indication. The Kode 0 features a carbon fiber monocoque, which helps the car save weight and provides structural rigidity. The photo of the car in a magazine ad posted to Okyuama’s Facebook page says the Kode 0 is inspired by Italian supercars from the 70s, like the Lancia Stratos Zero and Lamborghini Countach.

In addition to the magazine photo, Okuyama has posted the following teaser shots of the car:

According the Ken Okuyama Design website, the Kode 0 will be unveiled at The Quail on Friday. We can expect to learn more details then.

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August 16, 2017 / Comments Off on Kode 0 is a new one-off supercar from Ferrari Enzo designer Ken Okuyama
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The latest Fittipaldi EF7 teaser image shows serious aero pieces

By now you probably know that F1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi is developing a futuristic supercar with famed Italian coachbuilder and design house Pininfarina. New teaser images are constantly trickling out, and they paint a picture of a very interesting vehicle, one that is supposed to take advantage of Emerson Fittipaldi’s track knowledge.

The Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo will be properly unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on March 7. For those unable to either make it to the Geneva event or lay their hands on a Pininfarina-built Fittipaldi special, the supercar will be able to be experienced in Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo video game, as the name implies. Or as the creator of the Gran Turismo game, Kazunori Yamauchi, put it: “Emerson Fittipaldi’s vision, Pininfarina’s design aesthetic and HWA’s engineering capability, the Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo by Pininfarina boasts a collective of some of automotive’s best partners and is a project we’re honored to be a part of.” Interestingly, there will also be a FIA-certified eSports Gran Turismo Championship, for virtual racing, and the fact being mentioned in conjunction with the EF7 introduction gives some reassurance that it will take part in the eSports championship.

Today’s teaser shows a better view of the massive rear wing on the supercar, as well as what appears to be a multi-level rear diffuser. It appears the car is mid-engined, and there is some reinforcement visible through the window over the powertrain. What we’ve seen so far looks very serious.

Pininfarina speaks fondly of the EF7. “The result is an exciting car that embodies Pininfarina’s DNA in terms of style and innovation, Emerson’s long-lasting experience and HWA’s engineering skills. Our collective team was able to turn a dream into a driving machine,” says Pininfarina Chairman Paolo Pininfarina.

As well as the EF7 receiving shapely flanks and aggressive spoilers courtesy of Pininfarina, its powertrain will be overseen by AMG’s offshoot HWA, named after Hans-Werner Aufrecht, one of AMG’s founders. “The realization of the dream of a multiple Formula 1 World Champion in building a supercar is an exciting new challenge for us. As a development partner, we achieved together with Emerson Fittipaldi and the renowned Italian automobile designer, Pininfarina a vehicle, that combines racing technology and breathtaking design with drivability and the highest safety requirements,” said Aufrecht. HWA has been building racing cars for half a century, and it has a number of DTM championships to its name.

We’re likely to see more of the EF7 before it is unveiled next week. Pininfarina will be having a busy show, as it will also debut a concept version of an electric luxury sedan being built for a Hong Kong company. That car is called the H600 concept.

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March 2, 2017 / Comments Off on The latest Fittipaldi EF7 teaser image shows serious aero pieces
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