lunes, 14 de abril de 2014

Commemorative 50 Years Edition of the Porsche 911 coupé

German car maker Porsche is celebrating a special anniversary of the 911 sports car at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt in September with a commemorative 50 Years Edition – half a century since the iconic coupé made its debut in the German city. Appropriately, the special model will be limited to 1,963 cars.
In 1963, Porsche presented the original model to the public. Since this first announcement – initially as the type 901 – the 911 has excited automotive fans across the globe. Porsche will unveil the limited edition model to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 911 at the IAA in Frankfurt, which opens its  doors to the public on 12 September, 2013.        
                                                                              
Like the first coupé, the 911 50 Years Edition combines a distinctive silhouette with a rear-mounted, flat-six engine and rear wheel drive. Yet its efficient performance, active sports suspension and exclusive body styling add contemporary appeal. Over seven successive generations, the Porsche 911 continues to resolve apparent contradictions – such as between tradition and innovation and performance and efficiency – andhas become renowned as the quintessential benchmark sports car.

This special anniversary 911 is based on the 911 Carrera S, but is clothed in the wider body – 44 mm broader across the rear wheel arches – that is typically reserved for the all-wheel drive Carrera 4 models. The unique exterior styling is combined with features that have contributed to the 50-year success story of the car. For example, the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), with special tuning to complement the increased track width, adds to the exceptional cornering dynamics. The car also features a sports exhaust system for increased emotional character.

In 1963, Porsche presented the original model to the public. Since this first announcement – initially as the type 901 – the 911 has excited automotive fans across the globe. Porsche will unveil the limited edition model to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 911 at the IAA in Frankfurt, which opens its doors to the public on 12 September, 2013.

Like the first coupé, the 911 50 Years Edition combines a distinctive silhouette with a rear-mounted, flat-six engine and rear wheel drive. Yet its efficient performance, active sports suspension and exclusive body styling add contemporary appeal. Over seven successive generations, the Porsche 911 continues to resolve apparent contradictions – such as between tradition and innovation and performance and efficiency – andhas become renowned as the quintessential benchmark sports car.

This special anniversary 911 is based on the 911 Carrera S, but is clothed in the wider body – 44 mm broader across the rear wheel arches – that is typically reserved for the all-wheel drive Carrera 4 models. The unique exterior styling is combined with features that have contributed to the 50-year success story of the car. For example, the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), with special tuning to complement the increased track width, adds to the exceptional cornering dynamics. The car also features a sports exhaust system for increased emotional character.

Powered by a 400 hp 3.8-litre flat-six engine, the 911 50 Years Edition sprints from 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds (4.3 secs with PDK) and can reach a top speed of 186 mph (185 mph with PDK). The NEDC Combined fuel consumption is 29.7 mpg (32.5 mpg with PDK), which equates to CO2 emissions of 224 g/km (205 g/km with PDK).

Giving a clear indication to the rear-mounted location of the flat-six power plant are bespoke chrome strips on the fins of the engine compartment grille. These are complemented with special trims on the front air inlets, and in a strip across the car between the rear lights. A further contemporary interpretation of 911 leitmotifs are the unique five-spoke cast alloy wheels whose style has been inspired by the so-called ‘Fuchs’ wheels, a legendary rim that was in fact a Porsche design and first fitted to the 911 in 1966. The new 20-inch diameter wheels are finished in matt black paint with machine-polished centres.

Two unique colours are available for this anniversary 911; a darker Graphite Grey and a lighter Geyser Grey metallic. Black is also available. Each of the cars has a ‘911 50’ badge finished in two-tone 3D-style on the rear lid, which is repeated in three-colour embroidery on the head restraints and as a two-colour logo on the rev counter and the aluminium door sill plates. It is also displayed on the passenger side fascia strip together with the limited edition number of the individual vehicle.

Other exterior characteristics of the special model are high-gloss window frames and SportDesign exterior mirrors. A technical highlight is the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS), which adds a dynamic cornering function to the already standard-fit Bi-Xenon headlights.

Inside, there are further styling touches reminiscent of the original 911 such as green labelling on the instruments with white pointer needles and silver caps on the instrument pivot pins. Another special feature are the centre panels of the leather seats, which are designed with a fabric pattern that evokes the ‘Pepita’ tartan design from the 1960s. The leather interior can be specified in Agate Grey or Black with decorative stitching. Sports seats with 14-way adjustment are standard, with 18-way Sport Seats Plus available as an option. The gear shift or selector lever – which, like the decorative panels on the dashboard, doors and centre console, is trimmed in brushed aluminium – comes from the Porsche Exclusive custom tailoring programme.

The 911 50 Years Edition is available to order now from Porsche Centres in the UK and Ireland, priced from £92,257. First right-hand drive deliveries will arrive in September.

In addition to the bespoke equipment of the anniversary model, standard equipment on the 911 Carrera S includes Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with rear limited slip differential, 4.6-inch colour touch-screen Porsche Communication Management with satellite navigation, automatic climate control, Bi-Xenon headlights, a universal audio interface offering MP3 connectivity and a three year warranty.

Fitted to every 911 is a Porsche Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), a sophisticated vehicle security package approved to Thatcham Category 5 standard, and customers are also able to explore the potential of their new car by participating in a complimentary course at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone.



sábado, 12 de abril de 2014

Most Exotic Cars & Car Makers in the World: Top 10 List

What is an exotic car? It is rare, a work of art, a collectible. An exotic car is one that is extremely unique. It may perform at a high level compared to contemporary sports cars. To drive one of these would change your view of how cars should be made.
The following is a list of exotic cars & its manufacturers. Exotics often begin with a vision in mind, it comes from dreams, with intent and purpose, and swagger. That is what an exotic car is, when someone puts to reality a vision.

1. Ferrari - the spirit of Ferrari began with Enzo Ferrari who was an advent racer. The foundation of Ferrari marked the start of a burst of a frenetic sporting activity. This spurred the creation of powerful, exotic cars that are characteristic of Ferrari today. Because the visions behind Ferrari were one of the first innovators of exotic supercars, it deserves #1 for Best Exotic Car Maker.





























Pictures Above: Ferrari Enzo, Ferrari 599 GTB, Ferrari California, Ferrari 459 Italia, Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina, Ferrari F430

2. Lamborghini - the founder of Lamborghini made his name building farm equipment. He owned a Ferrari but noticed that he had to keep replacing the clutch. To his surprise, his own farm equipment clutches were better replacements. Thus, the beginning of the rivalry between Ferrari and Lamborghini was born. The spirit of competition spurred continual innovation over the years, bringing ever-improved exotic cars every year. However, the power of the original idea belongs to Ferrari. As #2, Lamborghini is only behind Ferrari in the popularity of its innovations.






























Pictures Above: Lamborghini Reventon, Lamborghini Furia, Lamborghini Gallardo, Lamborghini Murcielago

3. Bugatti - a 21st century “harmony of design and technology.” The heritage of Ettore Bugatti is the heart of impressive technical design and exterior beauty. This can be seen in Bugatti’s signature supercar, the exotic Veyron. Ettore Bugatti sometimes made technical compromises for the sake of aesthetic integrity. This is a very gutsy vision of exotic cars, one which can only belong to the #3 contender.






























Pictures Above: Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

4. Pagani - Horacio Pagani originally teamed up with Lamborghini, doing composite research for them in 1988. The company was called “Pagani Composite Research.” In the late ‘80s Pagani wanted to start building his own car, which was coded as the “C8 Project.” The C8 would later be named the Fangio F1 in commemoration of the F1 champion, Juan Manuel Fangio. For its amazing designs, Pagani is the #4 Most Exotic Car Maker.























Pictures Above: Pagani Huayra, Pagani Zonda, Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster, Pagani Zonda Roadster

5. Aston Martin - Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford found Aston Martin together in 1913. They had been in Callow Street, London selling cars made by Singer under the company name “Bamford & Martin.” After Martin raced cars at Aston Hill, the pair decided to start making their own cars. With Aston Martin’s eye-opening cars, it would be the #5 Most Exotic Car Maker.























Pictures Above: Aston Martin DB9 Volante, Aston Martin DBS, Aston Martin V12 Zagato Race, Aston Martin V8 Vantage

6. Mclaren - The Mclaren heritage rests upon the legendary soul of Bruce Mclaren, who was born in New Zealand in 1937 and passed away in 1970 while testing one of his cars. A sickly child with Perthes Disease, Bruce Mclaren went on to become a world class international motor racing driver, engineer and designer whose name is still used in Formula 1 motor racing today. Bruce’s success in the international racing scene was all about team work, and even today his contributions are remembered. His spirit is reflected in the exotic cars of Mclaren, which is the #6 Exotic Car Maker.






















Pictures Above: McLaren F1, McLaren MP4-12C

7. Bentley - after a stint of making airplane engines in WWI, Bentley went on to make exotic cars. This venture was short-lived as Bentley was bought out by Rolls-Royce from 1930 to 1982. It was slowly revived as Volkswagen bought Rolls-Royce and Bentley in 1998. VW invested nearly one-billion dollars to get Bentley up and running again. From 2006 onwards Bentley became bent on producing ever-faster exotic sedans. For its strong spirit of endurance, Bentley is tied for #7. 























Pictures Above: Bentley Continental GTC, Bentley Azure T, Bentley Arnage, Bentley Continental Flying Spur

7. Rolls-Royce -
 the name derives from the surnames of the company founders, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. With a strong global engineering operation, Rolls-Royce maintains a vision of setting new standards and creating the “best car in the world.” With a strong heritage and work ethic, Rolls-Royce is tied for the #7 Most Exotic Car Maker in the world.

























Pictures Above: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Ghost

8. Maybach - Maybach holds a track record of manufacturing military engines. However it did not see light after WWII. In 2003 the sleeping beauty awoke with a new line of exotic cars, including the 57 and 62. With its luxurious cars, Maybach sits at #8.


























Pictures Above: Maybach Exelero, Maybach 62, Maybach 57

9. Shelby SuperCars (SSC) -
 the vision of founder Jerod Shelby was to produce the perfect car. Growing up as a kart racer, his dream began at an early age and never ceased. Shelby not only wished to participate in the market but also to excel and redefine it. He learned that the key to winning was in the smaller details which fabricated a complete larger image. SSC gets #9 for Most Exotic Car Maker.





















Pictures Above: SSC Ultimate Aero

10. Koenigsegg - this Swede exotic supercar maker thrived on the dream of Christian von Koenigsegg to make the perfect supercar. The company is rather young compared to other exotic car makers, having only launched in 1993. Its staff consists of a dedicated group of enthusiasts who had connections to the Swedish car industry and the universities. Koenigsegg is the #10 Most Exotic Car Maker.

























Pictures Above: Koenigsegg CCX, Koenigsegg CCR, Koenigsegg Agera

jueves, 3 de abril de 2014

Fastest Cars by Acceleration: Top 10 List

One way to determine a car’s speed, is to look at its acceleration capability. Common standards for comparing acceleration between cars are to examine the 0-60 mph acceleration times or 0-100 km/h times of different cars. For this discussion we will be using 0-60 mph acceleration times.
This list include street-legal production cars and modified cars; concept cars, strictly "race only cars", and one time only vehicles may not be included.


1. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. 0-60 mph time: 2.4 secs. Price: $2,400,000. 8.0L W16-Cylinder, 64v DOHC Quad Turbocharger w/ 1200 hp. The original Bugatti Veyron can torque 0-60 mph in 2.5 secs at the cost of $1,700,000. The Bugatti Veyron SS is also the fastest car in the world by top speed.
















2. Hennessey Venom GT. 0-60 mph time: 2.5 secs. Price is $725,000 for the 725 hp variant, and up to $950,000 for the 1200 hp twin turbo V8, which is the variant that is ranking second here. Only 10 will be made every year, and 4 are already on order.















2. Ariel Atom V8. 0-60 mph time: 2.5 secs. Price is $225,000. Only 25 will be made per year. Street legal race car requiring extra paper works to get it on the road depending on the state you are in. This car is mainly for people who want to take their race car out to the tracks but don’t want to haul it around with a truck.



















2. Caparo T1. 0-60 mph time: 2.5 secs. Price is $480,000. Only 25 will be made per year. Street legal race car. It resembles a prototype race car or a Formula One car.


















2. Lamborghini Sesto Elemento. 0-60 mph time: 2.5 secs. Base price $2,500,000. 570 hp. It is equipped with a V10 engine that is capable of producing 570 horsepower. Now that may not sound much, but if you’ll consider the weight of this car, it is more than enough to produce unprecedented speed.













3. Orca SC7. 0-60 mph time: 2.6 secs. Only 7 Orca SC7 has been produced. Price unavailable.


















3. Ultima GTR. 0-60 mph time: 2.6 secs. Base price is about $138,300. The thing is that the Ultima GTR is a kit car. It is not sold fully assembled; assembly must be done at home or at an auto-shop.

















4. Porsche 911 Turbo S. 0-60 mph time: 2.7 secs. Base price $160,700. 530 hp. A 2010 911 Turbo was tested 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds with the PDK transmission by Car and Driver magazine.













4. Pagani Zonda R. 0-60 mph time: 2.7 secs. Base price $1,830,000. 750 hp. An expensive yet remarkable car, the non-production Zonda R is powered by 750 horsepower with 524 lb-ft of torque. It equals the time of the Porsche 911.















5. SSC Ultimate Aero. 0-60 mph time: 2.78 secs. 1183 hp, base price is $654,400. The SSC Ultimate Aero is an American-produced supercar. It was the fastest production car in the world before it was succeeded by the 2010 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.















6. Ascari A10. 0-60 mph time: 2.8 secs. 625 hp, base price is $650,000. The Ascari A10 is a British produced automobile. It was designed by a Dutch millionaire named Klaas Zwart. Only 50 A10s are produced at the Banbury, England facility per year.

















6. Nissan GT-R. 0-60 mph time: 2.8 secs. 530 hp. Base price is $89,950. The GT-R is Nissan’s supercar that it produced for the first time in Japan in 2007.













6. Saleen S7 Twin Turbo. 0-60 mph time: 2.8 secs. 750 hp, base price is $555,000. The S7 is a limited, hand-built, American-made supercar. It was the only car made by Saleen that had its own chassis engineering design.
















7. Caterham 7 Superlight R500. 0-60 mph time: 2.88 secs. 263 hp. Base price is about $66,768 (£41,000). The R500 is all about lightweight performance. It is a car stripped to the bare essentials to minimize weight and thereby maximize big kicks.















8. Ferrari LaFerrari. 0-60 mph time: 2.9 secs. Ferrari's eagerly anticipated limited-series special, the LaFerrari, was recently unveiled. This Ferrari comes with a 6.3 liter hybrid engine that produces a total of 963 horsepower and 664 lb ft of torque. The Prancing Horse's first in-house car is also known as the F70 and as the F150, it is a mild hybrid sports car and only 499 will be built.


2013-Ferrari-LaFerrari-elevated-view 480






















8. Koenigsegg Agera R. 0-60 mph time: 2.9 secs. 1115 hp. Base price is $1,600,000. The Agera R is a Swedish supercar. The wings on the Agera R are designed to respond to wind pressure and high speeds. This design is not only lighter than conventional designs but also allows smarter response to headwinds and tailwinds.













8. Gumpert Apollo Sport. 0-60 mph time: 2.9 secs. 700 hp. Base price is $450,000. The Gumpert Apollo is a race car modified for the streets. The people responsible for its design are Roland Gumpert, ex-boss of Audi Sport, and Roland Mayer, the owner of MTM and Audi.














8. Lamborghini Aventador. 0-60 mph time: 2.9 secs. 700 hp. Base price is $379,700. The Lamborghini Aventador is the fastest street legal bull.















8. Nissan GTR. 0-60 mph time: 2.9 secs. 530 hp. Base price is $89,950. The GTR comes in two trims: Premium and Black Edition. Both come with a 3.8 liter twin turbo-charged V6 engine that produces 530 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 448 pound-feet of torque at 3,200 to 6,000 rpm and. Those unfamiliar with its automated manual transmission may find it awkward at low speeds.
















9. Mclaren MP4-12C. 0-60 mph time: in 3.1 secs. 592 hp. Base price is $229,000. The MP4-12C was the first car designed by constructed by McLaren after the F1. The Mp4-12C features a carbon fiber composite chassis and a M838T V8 twin-turbo engine.















9. Rossion Q1. 0-60 mph time: 3.1 secs. 450 hp. Base price is $90,700. The Rossion Q1 is a sports car made in the U.S. by 1g Racing/Rossion Automotive. Its design is based on the Noble M400.



















9. Caterham 7 CSR. 0-60 mph time: 3.1 secs. 260 hp. Base price is about $71,328 (£43,800). The CSR is the latest model from Caterham Cars. Though it retains the appearance of the Super Seven, the CSR is the most heavily modified Caterham.
















9. Koenigsegg CCXR Edition. 0-60 mph time: 3.1 secs. 1018 hp. Base price is $2,200,000. Only four were ever produced, making the CCXR Edition one of the rarest supercars. They are only available as a special order from the factory of Koenigsegg.












10. Ferrari Enzo. 0-60 mph time: 3.14 secs. 660 hp. Base price is $670,000. The Enzo was named after the company’s founder, Enzo Ferrari. It was designed using Formula 1 technology, F1 electrohydraulic shift transmission, featuring a carbon-fibre chassis, and C/SiC ceramic composite disc brakes.