Author: mark

Mexican Vuhl 05 sports car set for UK release

The Mexican-made Vuhl 05 is due to go on sale in the UK later this year.  The road-legal, track-focused sports car will have a starting price of £59,995, pitching it between the entry-level Ariel Atom at £30,000 and the Elemental RP1, priced at £75,750.

The car is equipped with a 285bhp version of Ford’s four-cylinder 2.0-litre Ecoboost engine, with power supplied to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.  Vuhl claim the car can achieve 0-60mph in 3.5sec, reaching a top speed of over 150mph.

Thanks to its lightweight Aluminium construction, the Vuhl 05 weighs in at just 695kg.  The standard bodywork is glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), with optional carbonfibre panels available, saving an extra 30kg.  The car features 17-inch alloy wheels at the front and 18-inch alloys at the rear, with double-wishbone suspension.  Around 40% of the Vuhl 05’s components are UK-sourced.

There are no doors to enter the car, something which Vuhl’s Iker Echeverría says contributes to a “race-car feel in a car you could use on the road every weekend”.  Vuhl will build up to 50 cars a year at its factory in Mexico City.

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One-off Lamborghini Concept S up for Auction

Back in 2005, Lamborghini introduced the ‘Concept S’ to the world.  Based on the Gallardo, the Concept S was designed by Luc Donckerwolke, who described it as an “extreme and spectacular expression of the Lamborghini brand.”  

The car’s design was inspired by the classic single-seater racing cars of the past, with separate cockpits for the driver and passenger.  In place of a conventional windshield, the car features a pair of low-profile wind deflectors.

The first Concept S was a non-running show car, but in 2006, in response to growing interest in the roofless Gallardo, Lamborghini built a street legal version (pictured), equipped with a 5.0 litre V10 engine. 

Fast forward 9 years and this one-of-a-kind hyper car is due to be auctioned in New York this November.  As a unique example, and with just 111 miles on the clock, RM Sotheby’s expect the car to fetch up to £1.9m ($3m).

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Koenigsegg One:1; The World’s Most Powerful Production Car!

A Swedish ‘megacar’ has broken the world speed record for accelerating from standstill to 186mph, and braking back to zero in just 17.95 seconds.

The One:1, which was introduced in 2014 and was built in 6 examples, plus one prototype, is one of the most exclusive production car programmes ever envisaged.

It is named ‘one-to-one’ for its perfectly balanced power-to-weight ratio (hp to kg curb weight), which is an astonishing 1:1 and previously thought impossible.

The new hypercar gets a twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V8 engine, with large air vents for improved cooling, a roof air scoop to support the 1 Megawatt of power, and custom-made Michelin Cup Tyres.

Moreover, it gets an upgraded rear triplex suspension with carbon bevel springs and active shock absorbers, combined with the revolutionary Koenigsegg Aircore carbon fibre wheels.

Koenigsegg has already sold the seven One:1 it will produce; four to Asia, two to Europe, and one to the U.S, at a price of £1,790,000.

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Classic Car Prices Soar in 2015

Specialist insurer, Hagerty has reported an average 8.4% rise in classic car prices over the first 6 months of 2015.

The rise is being driven by investors, who are increasingly turning to classic cars as an alternative asset.  Hagerty’s report follows a study released in March by the property firm Knight Frank which estimated a 252% rise in art prices in the last decade, surpassed only by classic car values, which rose 487% in the same period.

Unlike other investment assets, such as bonds and shares, car value rises are free from capital gains tax.  Last year, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO set a new record when it sold for $38m (£24m) at an auction in California.

In the UK, Hagerty’s data highlights the Fiat Dino 2000 Spider as the biggest riser in 2015, up 45% from £45,000 to £65,050. The Lamborghini Countach LP400S Coupe also performed strongly, up 42% from £210,050 to £298,500.

Hagerty’s analysts said the market trend appeared to be shifting, with cheaper supercars from the seventies and eighties performing better than the top marques from earlier decades, such as Ferrari.  As an example, the report highlights the price of a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe, which remains unchanged in 2015 at just over £1m.

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One of the Rarest Lamborghinis, Sesto Elemento, Is On Sale for £1.9m !

One of only 20 Sesto Elementos, with just 12 miles on the clock, is up for sale online for £1.9million.

It is thought to be the only one in the world currently on sale and it features one of the most extreme bodies Lamborghini has ever created, with an angular interior to match.

The Sesto Elemento was originally produced as a concept car, to represent Lamborghini’s expertise with carbon fibre. That’s where it got its name from, Sesto Elemento means “Sixth Element” in Italian and it refers to carbon.  

 The ultra-exclusive supercar features the Gallardo LP560-4’s 562bhp V10 engine, and due to the extensive use of carbon fibre it weighs just 999kg. The Sesto Elemento can accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.5secs, that’s three-tenths faster than the 2015 Aventador SV. 

Just like the LaFerrari, the supercar features a fixed driving position so drivers have to move the pedals and steering wheel towards them. Inside, there is no dashboard and Lamborghini managed to disguise the absence of luxury by using flamboyant shapes and colours.

This unique Lamborghini Sesto Elemento is currently on sale on 6speedonline.com. 

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Singer’s Modified Porsche 911s Come to the UK. 

The US-based tuning house, Singer, is the creator of some of the finest modified Porsche 911s across the globe. Its latest work, a modified 911 Targa (shown here), cost around £351,000 and was revealed at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed after a personal invitation from Lord March.

Singer, which is synonymous with Porsche’s iconic sports car, started his operations in 2009 and since then has restored about 24 cars, each of which takes around 10 months to produce.  As Singer boss, Rob Dickinson, described, Singer is taking “an icon like the 911… polishing it up and re-presenting it to a new generation”.

Singer’s modified 911s are becoming legends, as the attention to detail is astonishing and nothing is left to chance. From the interior of each car, which is covered in leather, nickel, aluminium and high quality fabric, to the no less than 34 coats of primer, paint and lacquer that are applied during the restoration process. Each engine is rebuilt, the light units are custom made from scratch, and the body panel is made from carbon fibre to reduce the weight. Only the doors remain the same so they will still sound like a classic Porsche when they close.  

The main appeal for Singer’s customers is the hand-built quality and exclusivity of the product. There is already a 2 year waiting list for Singer’s restoration services, despite a basic asking price of around £256,000.

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The New ABT Audi QS7 is Unveiled!

The German tuning house ABT Sportsline has revealed its new sportier styling package for Audi Q7, which is named QS7.

The aggressive body kit gives the new SUV a more performance-focused image, with wider arches, more angular bumpers and a prominent roof spoiler.   

Audi’s factory-fit grille chrome-surround is now replaced with a colour-coded part, while a new front bumper adds hexagonal intakes. The rear features chrome surround exhausts and a new diffuser and optional rear wing. Completing the look is a new set of gloss black wheels.

Hans-Jürgen Abt, ABT boss, said that “with our extension parts, we want to visually underline that the Q7 of the second generation is much lighter, more streamlined and sporty than its 10-year-old predecessor.”

Even though no further information has been revealed on any power upgrades, and exact prices for the QS7 are yet to be confirmed, a price tag in excess of £50,340 is expected.  

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Lamborghini Announce New Aventador SV Roadster

Lamborghini has announced plans to build a Roadster version of the new Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce to follow on from the coupe model.

Lamborghini are already reporting strong customer demand for the open-top Roadster, even though the new car won’t be revealed until August.  Head of Lamborghini, Stephan Winkelmann said, “We have already sold all 600 Superveloce coupes, and now we are taking orders for the 500 roadsters… there’s already lots of interest from buyers.”

The SV Roadster will be equipped with the same 750bhp V12 as the coupe, but will be slightly heavier due to the extra strengthening required.  The fixed roof of the coupe will be replaced with a two-piece removable carbon lid.  The car should come close to the coupe’s 0-62mph time of 2.8 seconds, but is unlikely to attain the 217mph top speed, due to the open roof.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but the Roadster is expected to add £30,000 to the SV’s £321,723 price.

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BMW’s Fuel-Cell Powered i8 Unveiled!

BMW has revealed an experimental BMW i8 supercar, reworked as a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.

 The futuristic-looking prototype is considered to be one of the most advanced research vehicles to date and could provide few clues as to how BMW’s future i models might look.

Even though the vehicle is based on the i8 model it features significant styling alterations, such as a new, square-cut coachwork, redesigned headlights and kidney grille and a larger set of air intakes to feed radiators situated below.

The unnamed car relies on carbonfibre construction to keep its weight down, and the petrol-electric hybrid system of the current i8 has been replaced by a hydrogen fuel cell.

No further details have been released, but according to BMW  filling up the hydrogen tank will take ‘approximately’ the same time as refuelling a petrol/diesel engine and customers will be able to expect a range of 300 miles or greater.

BMW claims the car puts out 242bhp and manages a 0-62mph in less than 6 seconds, at a top speed of 124mph.

 

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