The first line in the McLaren MP4-12C press release really gets your attention: “the first in a range of high performance sports cars from the home of the world’s most successful racing car company”, meaning more goodies to come, right? The McLaren MP4-12C has been officially released, along with the McLaren Automotive company, and while it’s the first road car from them, there is plenty of pedigree to draw on.

It’s hard to sum up what the 12C is all about with its stunning combination of McLaren technology and design. It has a carbon MonoCell chassis, for lightweight, compact but high performance driving with one of the best torque-weight ratios around. The whole car weighs in at 1,300kg.

The MP4-12C is equipped with a McLaren ‘M838T’ 3.8 litre, V8 twin-turbo engine with 600 hp and a dual clitch gearbox (Seamless Shift Gearbox or SSG). It has dual variable valve timing and about 600 Nm of torque. The press release below gives you more information than you ever wanted to know, plus a little history lesson to boot. While it’s all quite overwhelming, there are a few key points that we can take away from this display of pride in high quality engineering.

Continue reading: Official McLaren MP4-12C pics and details

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This video explains how the Ferrari hybrid technology works on the 599 Vettura Laboratorio Hy-Kers. The base model Ferrari is the 599 GTB Fiorano, which now houses both a traditional fuel engine and an electric motor system. The 599 GTB Hybrid will form the basis of all future Ferrari hybrid models.

The Hy-Kers system includes a number of elements which are succinctly displayed in this video. As we already know, the electric motor is placed in the rear of the vehicle and produces 100 hp on its own. Regenerative braking recharges the lithium ion batteries, which are placed in the floor to lower the centre of gravity of the car.

This shows that Ferrari is very conscious about focussing on keeping the weight-power ratio as much to Ferrari performance standards as possible. Another interesting feature is the use of dual-clutch transmission, which means that this Ferrari hybrid technology should easily accommdate a V8 engine option (rather than the current V12), without too much difficulty.

Ferrari says that the hybrid system has been achieved leaving handling and cabin space unaffected; which if proves true, will be essential to winning over traditional Ferrari fans dismayed by the movement away from the excitement of fuel to what is perceived as more tame environmental solutions.

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This Lamborghini Gallardo tuning is called the GT600 and is by Swiss tuners BF Performance. The GT600 is based on the Gallardo LP560-4 in both coupe and spider versions. There is a complete aerodynamic kit made of carbonfibre, which is also used on interior panelling. Other features include vertically opening doors, sports seats with a four seatbelt set-up and the option of fitting a safety roll bar.

The tuning work on this GT600 has shaved 43 kg off the weight of the original Gallardo LP560-4 and the engine has had a few tweaks to improve performance. One option available is to transform this Gallardo from all-wheel to rear-wheel drive, similar to the LP550-2 Balboni model.

BF Performance Lamborghini Gallardo GT600

Continue reading: Lamborghini Gallardo GT600 BF Performance tuning

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Saab saviour and Spyker boss, Victor Muller, has announced that we could soon see a Saab supercar emerge, inspired by the Saab Aero-X concept presented at the Geneva motor show back in 2006.

The pleasing rescue of Saab by the supercar company has also now evolved into interesting and ambitious plans for the Swedish automaker. The Saab range could get an overhaul, expanding from its current sedan focus, and according to Muller the idea of a Saab Aero-X is not so crazy. He has revealed that it could easily be done, creating the model off the base of the Spyker C8 Aileron.

Not only is that intriguing news in itself, in an announcement that could make Britain proud, Muller has earmarked production to take place at the Coventry plant in the UK, where Spyker moved its assembly operations until the end of 2009. This is turning into an auto romance and all we can do is hope that the rosy future for Saab comes to fruition under the guidance of Spyker.

Continue reading: Saab supercar based on Aero-X concept and Spyker C8 Aileron

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The Pagani Zonda R appears in this new video and frankly, the blood really does just go to your head on seeing it. The video is very cinematographic although its main purpose is to highlight the track focus of the new Pagani. We get to see the Zonda R from all angles, but more importantly we get some serious track action. Check it out in the video.

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We all know Alonso drives a Ferrari, but this is the Alonso 458 Italia, not the F1 version. Alonso will debut for Ferrari F1 on Sunday, and this is his official 458 Italia in a beautiful Bianco Fuji pearl white. The man has style - and his personal logo stitched onto the seats. Some people can just do these things…

Fernando Alonso Ferrari 458 Italia

Source | Automocionblog via Autoblog.it

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As we check out these live pics of the Lamborghini LP570-4 Superleggera from the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, we discover that Lamborghini had a tough sales year for 2009. Going green like the Ferrari 599 Hy-Kers concept, the Lamborghini SuperLeggera is the heir to the current Gallardo Superleggera, and the little sister to the Murcielago SV. Basically it’s all about carbonfibre, making the body light and therefore also increasing the performance.

The Lamborghini LP570-4 Superleggera is 70 kg lighter than the Gallardo, for a total of 1,340 kg. The V10 engine gets a power boost of 10 hp, up to 570 hp and the weight-power ratio is now a record 2.35 kg/hp. There is also a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and emissions compared to the first Superleggera. Top speed is 325 km/hr and acceleration to 100 km/hr occurs in 3.4 seconds.

There are plenty of other features of this model which hopefully bode well for Lamborghini in the future as sales reveal that the company sold just 1,515 vehicles last year. That’s a fall of 37.7 percent on 2008 figures. After the previous year saw record sales for Lamborghini, it’s now been dealt a hard blow, with earnings sliding from 479 to 281 million euros. It’s all down to the world economic crisis and the hard hit US and Eastern European markets. Grabbing the bull by the horns, so to speak, for 2010, Lamborghini is reducing production to keep the demand exclusive and hopes to ride out the crisis. We’ll have to wait and see.

Continue reading: Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera live at Geneva in face of Lamborghini sales crash

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We saw the Ferrari 599 Hy-kers hybrid concept in live pics from Geneva, and now we can get a look at it in this video from the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. While any dedicated Ferrari fan will baulk at the idea of a hybrid Ferrari, it is quite fetching in its green livery. In case you’re in denial, there’s always the lovely Ferrari 458 Italia to turn to. See the 458 Italia Geneva presentation from Montezemolo in the video above.

Source | Autoblog.it

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These live pics show the Ferrari 599 Vettura Laboratorio (laboratory vehicle) and the Ferrari California with new Stop&Start technology, both presented at the Geneva motor show. It’s all about Ferrari in green this year, with the 599 Vettura Laboratorio Hy-Kers the first of Ferrari’s hybrid projects.

It is a 12-cylinder model with electric motor (of more than 100 hp) that will contribute to Ferrari’s future need to reduce CO2 emissions and become more environmental. While we’re only in the initial phase, Ferrari president Montezemolo has said that the first Ferrari hybrid production vehicle will appear in the next three to four years.

The 599 Hy-Kers reduces CO2 emissions by 35 percent compared to the model it’s based on, and in the future its hybrid system could be transferred, as is, to V8 Ferrari models. The Ferrari California Stop&Start is another experiment with environmentally friendly technology, that has reduced CO2 emissions by six percent, to a total of 280 g/km.

Ferrari 599 Vettura Laboratorio live pics from Geneva

Continue reading: Ferrari 599 Vettura Laboratorio live at Geneva

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Pagani has presented both the Zonda Tricolore and the Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster, one of five examples made, at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Contrary to previous announcements that the Tricolore would be a one-off, Pagani has confirmed that the Zonda Tricolore will in fact, be made in three units. The model derives from the Cinque Roadster, also on show, with its exclusive tint and amazing airscoop feeding to the the V12 engine with 680 hp.

Pagani Zonda Tricolore live at Geneva 2010

Continue reading: Pagani Zonda Tricolore live pics from Geneva: Pagani Cinque on show

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