Posted by autosport on 7:01 AM
Just a handful of days have past since Aston Martin confirmed it’s building the V12 Zagato race car to compete in this June’s 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. The images of the relatively tame red car, though, pale in comparison to these shots of the fully prepped version. The car, which will lap the Nordschleife for four hours this weekend as a warm-up to the longer summer event, was caught by our spy photographers while unloading at the famed German track.
Changes from the “preview” car are a bit obvious, beginning with the bright, emerald-green paint job that’s believed to be the primary color of the final livery. In the rear, the V12 Zagato now sports a colossal spoiler and an equally serious-looking diffuser, each necessary to keep its curvaceous sheetmetal planted to the pavement at speed. Both ends of the car are now fitted with the required towing fixtures, and the passenger-side C-pillar has a quick-fill fuel valve. Lastly, the massive wheels have been replaced by a set of smaller, race-worthy rollers wearing what look to be the car’s full-tread rain rubber. The front carbon-fiber splitter is absent, presumably to preserve it from the hazards of transport.
If it sticks with the current Aston livery pattern, expect to see lipstick surrounding this racer’s pouty grille when it makes its grand debut. Until then, check out the rest of the details on this 510-hp beast here.
Source : Car And Driver
Photo by KGP Photography
Posted by autosport on 3:13 AM
A super car can be be given that title through definition itself, but any true super car will need to test its worth on two different tracks: the Nurburgring and the Top Gear test track. Now it seems the latter has found itself a new record holder in the McLaren MP4-12C.
Up until now, the record for the fastest lap time around the Dunsfold track was held by the Ariel Atom V8 500’s time of 1:15.1. Now, a McLaren dealer in London is foaming at the mouth with information that the MP4-12C has smashed that record with a lap time of 1:14.118 when equipped with standard tires. Take it a bit further and this same dealer reports that, when the vehicle was loaded with the "Light weight package" and some Corsa tires, it managed to lap the circuit in 1:12.915. Oh, and it gets even better. The McLaren MP4-12C GTR is predicted to make that same lap in a blissful 1:09.
None of these times have been made official by McLaren just yet, but just the thought of them being true is enough for us to be left speechless.
Source : http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/mclaren-mp4-12cfastest-at-the-top-gear-track-ar109732.html?var_mode=recalcul
Posted by autosport on 3:02 AM
Here is the latest Mercedes SLS tuning work from the guys at MEC Design. This sleek kit offers a variety of styling improvements to give the Mercedes an extra aggressive look. First is the addition of a new body kit consisting of a new front and rear bumper, front lip with optional carbon fiber in one or two pieces, side skirts with LED lighting, rear spoiler, roof scoop, and a rear diffuser. What really sets this Mercedes SLS AMG apart is the wheel package from MEC Design. The tuners installed their very own MECxtremelll 3tg rims measuring 10.5×20 up front, and 11.5×21 at the rear. These lightweight pieces come wrapped in high performance tires sized 265/30ZR20, and 295/25ZR21 respectively.
While the LED lighting under the Mercedes SLS is a unique touch, the tuning company turned to the interior for upgrades as well. Inside you will find customizations to the steering wheel, center console, and storage compartment all with carbon fiber trims. Another optional aftermarket part is the rear bumper, available in either the Extreme diffuser, GT3 diffuser, or Formula diffuser, which can also be finished with carbon fiber by MEC Design.
Source: http://fancytuning.com/2011/05/mec-design-mercedes-sls/
Posted by autosport on 2:46 AM
Posted by autosport on 2:34 AM
Posted by autosport on 5:17 AM
German tuning specialists, Wheelsandmore, have taken an Aston Martin Vantage V8 as their next project, giving the British supercar a well-rounded set of upgrades that include a new set of wheels, a new suspension, and a slight increase in power.
As the name of their company suggests, Wheelsandmore is no stranger to having some of the best rims on the market. For the Vantage V8, they decided to dress it up with a new set of handcrafted 21" three-piece 6Sporz² forged rims wrapped in 55/30/21 tires at the front, and 295/25/21 tires at the back. To go with the new set of gorgeous rims, Wheelsandmore also gave the Vantage V8 a new suspension kit courtesy of KW that comes with a rebound and compression adjustable stainless steel coilover suspension variant 3. Lastly, Wheelsandmore gave the supercar a new 200 sport catalysts and flip-controlled exhaust system, giving the Vantage’s 4.7 Liter V8 engine an increased output of 460 horsepower and 369 lb/ft of torque, up from the standard model’s 420-horsepower output.
All told, it’s not the most extravagant tuning program done on the Aston Martin Vantage. But in terms of subtle improvements all the
Source : http://www.topspeed.com/cars/aston-martin/2011-aston-martin-vantage-v8-by-wheelsandmore-ar109571.html
Posted by autosport on 5:07 AM
Aston Martin will be celebrating the iconic DB4GT Zagato’s 50th anniversary with a new concept car developed in collaboration with the Italian design house Zagato. The concept car made its first appearance at the Villa D’Este Concours on May 21st, 2011 and will make its racing debut at Nürburgring on May 28th.
Dr. Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive said: "The DNA of both Aston Martin and Zagato has combined successfully to make some of the world’s most desirable collector cars in the past and in this special anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato it is appropriate to explore a modern collaboration. Now is the right time for a new Aston Martin Zagato and in combining our design intelligence I think we can create something fitting of the iconic DB4GT Zagato that has gone before and since established itself as one of the most famous Aston Martins of all time."
The original Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato made its first appearance in 1960 at the London Motor Show. It was essentially a much lighter DB4 GT that got worked on by the Italian Coachbuilder to include a 3670 cc straight-6 DOHC engine that produced 314 HP with a top speed of 154 mph.
Exterior and Interior
The new V12 Zagato is based on a V12 Vantage model, but incorporates the technologies applied in the One-77 supercar. The model is built on a handcrafted aluminum body, which allowed the team to easily model the car’s form. The result of this work is a car with a beautiful and muscular design.
Each front wing alone comprises seven separate pieces of aluminum, combined and then hand finished to give one flowing form. Another iconic Zagato design cue is the double bubble roof created, in this case, from five separate pieces illustrating further the intensity of craftsmanship involved in the construction of the V12 Zagato.
Director of Design, Marek Reichman said: "The Design team at Gaydon spent time refining the concept using a mixture of the latest computer based modelling techniques along with crafting traditional clay models to give a real world idea of proportion, stance and detail. The V12 Zagato is an elegant yet brutal design which reflects the great balance between race performance and pure Aston Martin style. The original DB4GT Zagato was a true icon, powerful and graceful; the new design is a true representation of the spirit of DB4GT Zagato. The muscular organic forms define the thoroughbred nature of the car’s racing credentials."
Engine
Under the hood, the V12 Zagato features a 6.0-liter V12 engine that delivers a total of 510 HP and 420 lb ft of torque. The engine is mated to a rear mid-mounted, six-speed automated manual gearbox with auto shift manual/select shift manual (ASM/SSM) electric hydraulic control system that sends the power to the rear wheels.
Pricing
The Aston Martin V12 Zagato will make its first appearance at the Lake Como, Italy at the Villa D’Este Concours tomorrow and then its first race debut will be at the Nürburgring 24 hour race on June 25-26, 2011. The model will be followed by a production version, in extremely limited numbers. Expect that production version to appear sometime next year.
Competition
The one thing limiting the Aston Martin V12 Zagato is the number of production units. Other models such as the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Porsche Turbo S will deliver the same performance as the Aston, but these models are available for anyone with the money to purchase them.
As a reminder, the Ferrari 458 Italia is powered by a 4.5 Liter V8 engine that produces 570 HP and sprints from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds to a top speed of 202 MPH. The Porsche 911 Turbo S is powered by a six cylinder boxer engine with an output of 530 HP. It sprints from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds and can reach a top speed of 195 MPH.
Source : http://www.topspeed.com/cars/aston-martin/2011-aston-martin-v12-zagato-concept-ar109458.html
