A british car magazine claims to have inside information surrounding McLaren’s latest automotive offering, tentatively codenamed the ‘P11.’ This time around, it seems McLaren isn’t trying to break any records, or beat the Veyron and SSC in a battle for top speed supremacy. Instead, McLaren is seemingly taking a step downmarket! (It feels so wrong even saying that…)
The P11 is targeting Ferrari 430s and Porsche 911 GT2s. Not that this is a bad thing! Power is thought to come from an AMG sourced 6.3-liter V8, generating an expected 500 horsepower down through the rear wheels. The P11 should be quick, with an anticipated sub-4-second run to sixty and a top speed over 200 mph. It should be able to stop quickly as well thanks to carbon-ceramic brakes and a lightweight frame made from aluminum and carbon fiber.

The McLaren P11 will be the first new vehicle from the British company since they paired up with Mercedes to make the SLR. But everyone knows that McLaren’s major claim to fame is the F1 supercar, which for many years had held the record for its staggering top speed.

CAR says the renderings are fairly close to the mark for the supercar that will launch in 2010. In this blogger’s humble opinion, this is a very very good thing. Because these renderings have the potential to reverse the effects of advanced erectile dysfunction in a way that could make Viagra jealous. Plus, I haven’t seen such a sexy rear end since… well, since I woke up next to three supermodels this morning. Yep. That’s how I roll.

[Source: CAR online]

I came across something pretty interesting today while scouring the web for the latest automotive news. While this is certainly nothing new, I’d like to present you with Volkswagen’s answer to Ferrari. What you’re about to see is the promotional video for the 2001 Volkswagen Nardo concept car.

The Nardo had a top speed of 217 mph and reached 62 mph in around 3.5 seconds.i Powered by Volkswagens W12 engine, it has twice broken the world 24 hour speed record. In February 2002 it covered a distance of 7,749.4 kilometers at an average speed of 322.89 km/h.
Weighing just 1200kg, it is one of the fastest sports cars in the world.

I’m not entirely sure why it wasn’t made, although I would guess that it would cannibalize sales from Lamborghini, whom Volkswagen owns.
Either way, this was a sweet car!

[Source: Volkswagen]

Perhaps Hennessey Performance Engineering is best known for their twin turbo Hyper-Vipers. Indeed, nobody can make the Dodge Viper more more potent then the boys over at Hennessy, but the company is about to show you they are more than a one trick pony. They are preparing a mid-engined supercar of their own, called the Venom GT.

Built from lightweight composite materials, Hennessy hopes to shoehorn their 1000hp twin turbo Dodge Viper V10 engine into a package that tips the scales at no more than 2700lbs.We’re pretty bad at math, but fortunately someone else figured it out for us. The weight/power ratio is an astounding 2.7 lbs/horse. Figures like that translate to a 0-60 time of roughly 2.5 seconds, and a top speed that could make a bullet weep from inadequacy.

Now, if you’re looking at the concept photo shown here, and thinking “Hmm, that looks like a Lotus” you’re not alone. That sketch was penned by a British auto designer named Steve Everitt. Evidently, Steve was inspired by the Lotus Elise/Exige, but probably figured he could butch it up a bit.

Hennessy plans on creating 2 different concept cars by 2009 to gauge public interest in the vehicles. Their plan is to begin production at their factory in Houston shorty after, and are hoping that existing Hennessy Viper owners will make up the beginning of their customer base.

Now, I honestly did want to remain professional here, but then I remembered that I don’t actually make any money from this site so screw it. HOLY CRAP, This car is wild!

What are your thoughts on it? Love it or hate it, please leave a comment.

[Source: Autoblog]

(Make the jump for the press release)

Read the rest of this entry »

Honda’s latest offering for you tree huggers environmentally engaged citizens out there is the FCX Clarity, a zero-emission, hydrogen powered fuel car that gets some impressive mileage stats. Honda tells us that the FCX Clarity will get a combined fuel-economy of 68mpg with a vehicle range of up to 270 miles! Based on Honda’s new V Flow fuel cell platform, the company announced plans to begin limited retail marketing of the vehicle in the summer months of 2008.

How much is it gonna cost? I couldn’t really tell you, to be honest. Full details of the production and limited retail sales won’t actually be announced until much closer to launch. I can tell you that current plans consist of a three-year lease term with a price of $600 per month, including maintenance and collision insurance.

Now my only question is WHY MUST IT LOOK LIKE A PRIUS?!

[Source: eGMCarTech]

Hyundai revealed yet another daring concept car at the LA Auto Show, this one a little more risque. Designed to appeal to the Y-generation, the Veloster concept coupe evokes a futuristic, high tech feeling.

The name supposedly stems from a combination of the words “velocity” and “roadster” and Hyundai execs hope to combine an iconic design with great value and robust construction.
Specs remain under wraps for the most part, but we can tell you that this car will be built on a FWD platform, and powered by a 2.0L DOHC 4 cyl engine mated to a 5 speed manual transmission.

We really like the direction Hyundai is taking, and they are definitely buzzworthy. The styling of this vehicle is a bit too radical, even for this member of generation Y. What are your thoughts?

[Source: 4WheelsBlog.com]

It really is a shame we couldn’t be there in person for the unveiling of the Genesis Coupe at the LA Auto Show. Nope, instead we have to live vicariously through our friends at Autoblog. There, they managed to get some juicy details about this thing, as well as some awesome photos.

Here’s the facts:
The Genesis Coupe and the next generation Tiburon (or its replacement) are 2 different vehicles.
The car you see here is adorned with all kinds of carbon fiber goodies, however this is not a final production model. Obviously to keep cost down, the carbon fiber stuff will likely have to go when we do get to see the production model in March 2008.

Hyundai used the BMW E46 M3 (last gen) as a performance and quality benchmark. Boy are we glad they did! The top notch engine for the Genesis Coupe will be Hyundai’s 3.8L V6 which produces 300 horses. A slightly less powerful turbocharged 4 cyl will also be available. Brembo will be supplying the brakes, and a limited slip differential will be helping to ensure power makes it to the ground as efficiently as possible.

All we know is that this thing is freaking SWEET and we can’t wait to get our hands on more information for you.
Make the jump to read Hyundai’s official press release!

[Source: Autoblog]

Read the rest of this entry »

A few months ago, Chevrolet had a website set up for people to vote online for their favorite of 3 potential small cars. The Beat came out victorious, with 1.9 million votes cast in its favor.

Today, GM execs announced that the Beat will be the next generation small city car in Europe. Chevrolet General Manager, Ed Peper, spoke at the LA Auto show, and was quoted as saying: “The people have spoken. The vote count tripled all previous GM online consumer surveys, telling us Beat resonated with customers all around the world. Chevrolet was overwhelmed by the positive reaction to each of the three mini concept cars, but Beat was a sound winner.”

No pricing information has been released yet, but we can give you a few performance specs to ponder:
The concept vehicle was powered by a 1.2L turbo engine that drives the front wheels. The concept came with an automatic transmission, though we would guess that in a car as sporty looking as this, a manual transmission would also be available.

GM is rumored to be considering bringing the Beat to the North American market too.

[Source: Left Lane News]

According to World Car Fans, Volkswagen could be creating a convertible version of the Scirocco. They came to this conclusion based on the fact that the VW Eos coupe-convertible (CC) will be the platform used for the Scirocco coupe.

The new Scirocco looks to have a wide stance, suggesting that it’s going to handle quite well. Engines will be both gas and diesel, with the 1.4-liter 140hp gas unit offered as the base model. A more powerful 2.0-liter turbo engine from the Golf GTI should produce around 200hp and will be the top engine from the beginning, followed by the possibility of an even more powerful version producing 230-240hp later on. The most powerful diesel engine will be the new 2.0 liter common-rail delivering 170hp. Unfortunately, the car’s appearance will likely be dulled down with the usual government mandated bumpers and lights.

There is a problem though… a Scirocco Cabriolet could steal sales away from the Porsche Boxster, because it would be a cheaper alternative, assuming more powerful engines become available. Since a Porsche takeover of VW is iminent, the entire project could be dropped, or at the very least a Scirocco cabrio could be tamed down.

I guess we’ll find out soon enough. The Scirocco Coupe’s market release is scheduled for 2008, while the CC could launch the following year.

[Source: Work Car Fans]

Hyundai has just released these renderings of the upcoming Genesis Coupe concept ahead of the official debut of the real deal at the LA Auto Show in a few weeks. You can bet we’ll be on that the way a fat kid is on his Halloween candy.

Hyundai has been mum on specific details, other than to offer a small press release seen below. This means its time to get speculative!
Obviously the coupe will be RWD, but will it come with the V8 Tau engine built for the Genesis sedan? While we really really hope so, the official concept to be presented at the LA Auto show may only come with the 3.8L v6. Still not a bad offering, but if the real car looks as radical and badass as the renderings will lead us to belive, it would be pretty lame of Hyundai not to show us a V8.

With a resurrected interest in Hyundai, we are reminded that a few months ago we proposed a question to our readers: Should Hyndai create a luxyry subdivision?
We want to know your thoughts!

[Source: Hyundai]

PRESS RELEASE:

Hyundai to Unveil Concept Genesis Coupe:

LAS VEGAS, October 30, 2007 – Concept Genesis Coupe (shown here as an exaggerated sketch) will make its world debut at the 2007 Los Angeles International Auto Show on Weds. November 14. Concept Genesis Coupe hints at design direction for a future rear-wheel drive sports coupe from Hyundai.

Honda has confirmed plans to build a production version of the CR-z hybrid sports car. We reported earlier that the CR-z was considered a successor to the highly popular compact sports coupe, the CRX from a few years back. Though no dates were given by Honda execs as to when the car would hit the sales floor, sources close to Honda have suggested a launch between late-2009 and mid-2010.

At the Tokyo Auto Show, Honda’s execs explained that their vision of the production CR-Z will be a compact, lightweight sports car powered by the latest iteration of Honda’s hybrid IMA powertrain, promising to deliver low emissions and fuel consumption figures, without sacrificing performance potential.

We’re pretty stoked that this concept will see the light of day as a production model, but we’re guessing that some aesthetic changes will have to be made first in order for this vehicle to become consumer friendly. Check back on Driver’s Life for more details!

[Source: Car Scoop]