Aston Martin has lifted the veil off of the 2014 Vanquish Volante convertible. Based on the range-topping Vanquish coupe, the V12-powered Volante represents several milestones for the hundred-year old British firm. None of the Vanquish coupe’s sexiness is lost in the transformation to drop-top Volante. Even the soft-top complements the body lines. That top is made from a lightweight triple-layer fabric and can be raised or lowered in 14 seconds and at speeds up to 30 mph.
2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante – Front 3/4
Like its coupe sibling, the Vanquish Volante wears carbon composite body panels wrapped around a bonded aluminum structure. Underhood, there are no surprises: you’ll find the same 6.0-liter, 565-hp, 457 lb-ft V12 that so ably powers the coupe. Aston’s 6-speed Touchtronic II paddle-shift transmission is also carried over, along with the hardtop’s six-piston Brembo carbon ceramic setup in front, with four-piston carbon ceramic stoppers in the rear.
2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante – Rear 3/4
Retaining the coupe’s 2+2 layout, the Volante’s interior is built with premium materials such as Luxmil leather, satin chrome and Alcantara. The cockpit boasts a new, user-friendly center console that is inspired by the exclusive One-77 supercar. The console is home to the infotainment system, the engine start button, the gear selection buttons and the climate control knobs.
In keeping with the Vanquish Volante’s range-topper status, it gets a range-topping price of $297,995. That’s a $16,000 premium over the Vanquish coupe, nearly $100,000 more than the four-door Rapide S, and a not-insignificant $150,000 more than the 2013 V8 Vantage roadster.
The British journalist Chris Harris has driven the street legal Formula Ford racing car 1.0 liter EcoBoost engine. The unit was tweaked to develop 170 horsepower.
This amount of power was obtained via a new ECU and thanks to a turbocharger from the larger 1.6 liter Turbo EcoBoost engine. The Formula Ford 1.0 EcoBoost is very light, sharp and responsive and thanks to that amount of power it can be driven at high speeds with no problem.
After the jump you can see how the street legal Formula Ford car can deal with Chris Harris.
The Pagani Zonda is a rock star car, no question. It’s all flash and loud noises and a spaceship shape that can never be mistaken for anything else. As it prepares to wind-down production of wild Zonda supercar, Pagani has introduced a limited-edition model called the Zonda Revolucion. It is an evolution of the existing Pagani Zonda R, and is powered by a 6.0-liter Mercedes-AMG V-12 engine.
Pagani Zonda Revolucion -Front 3/4 view
And like a rock star, the Zonda just won’t quit. Since 2009, there have been numerous editions of the Zonda that have been dubbed the final cars. This 2013 car is called the Zonda Revolucion, and it again is called the evolution of the species and the ultimate Zonda, in true Pagani fashion of never selling it short. The Zonda Revolucion’s 6.0-liter V12 engine has been tweaked to produce 800 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque, which which give the Zonda Revolucion a power to weight ratio of 748 hp per ton. The V12’s awesome power numbers are channeled to the rear wheels by way of six-speed magnesium transversal sequential gearbox that changes gears in 20 milliseconds.
Pagani Zonda Revolucion – HeadOn
New is a Formula 1-inspired Drag Reduction System rear wing. It can automatically adjust the level of downforce produced depending on the car’s speed; the driver can manually override the wing setting by pushing a button on the steering wheel. The front and rear carbon-fiber spoilers have also been modified for better aerodynamic performance. All in all, the carbon fiber and titanium monocoque helps keep curb weight just below 2400 pounds.
Pagani Zonda Revolucion – Front 3/4 from a far
As the photos reveal, the car features aerodynamic updates like new deflectors on the front bonnet, as well as a vertical stabilizer mounted on the rear bonnet. As for strictly visual enhancements, the Pagani Zonda Revolucion has a central red stripe with white and yellow borders, yellow wheel lips, and stripes along each side of the car composed of white, yellow, and red accents. The Pagani Zonda Revolucion costs the equivalent of $2.8 million before taxes, but will it truly be the last of the Zondas?
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and Chevy Camaro ZL1 were the most recent salvos launched in the pony car horsepower wars, and Chrysler Group is reportedly preparing to return fire with the rumored “Hellcat” engine. These latest spy shots might just show a Hellcat-equipped supercharged Dodge Challenger, as the prototype looks to have the brakes needed to slow down 600-plus hp.
Hellcat Supercharged V8 Prototype – Spy Shot
The tester wears an unusual set of wheels as well as a non-production exhaust system, which could lead the casual observer to believe it’s a modified Challenger SRT8. However, a closer look at what’s behind those front wheels reveals larger brake calipers and rotors compared to the standard SRT8.
Hellcat Supercharged V8 Prototype – Check out the Exhaust
As we’ve previously reported, that powerplant is rumored to be a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 producing as much as 640 hp. The Hellcat engine is said to be lighter and more compact than the Viper’s 8.4-liter V-10, and would likely be produced alongside the existing 6.4- and 5.7-liter Hemi V-8s. With SRT boss Ralph Gilles telling us in March that the upcoming Barracuda has been delayed, a high-powered Challenger could be just the thing to tide over Mopar fans.
Hellcat Supercharged V8 Prototype – Now thats a big boy brake kit
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray debut was missing one important piece of information: final power figures for the car’s V-8 engine. Now, Chevrolet has released horsepower and torque ratings of 455 hp and 460 lb-ft for the C7 Corvette.
2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray’s LT1 V-8 engine
To save Google some searches, those power figures are within spitting distance of the epic LS7’s 505 horsepower 470 lb-ft of torque. A cylinder-deactivation setup which is a Corvette first in combination with the LT1′s direct fuel injection contribute to fuel economy that Chevy estimates will exceed 26 mpg on the highway. As for the performance parameters that matter to those interested in the Corvette’s sports-car chops, Chevrolet estimates that the base Stingray should hit 60 mph in less than four seconds. Have we mentioned that we want to drive this thing? Badly.
2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray’s LT1 V-8 engine cut-away
When the 2014 Corvette Stingray goes on sale later this year, it will offer the LT1 V-8 mated to either a six-speed automatic or a seven-speed manual transmission. Coupe and convertible flavors will be offered, as well as a Z51 performance pack option. Pricing starts at $51,995 for the coupe and $56,995 for the convertible.
We are happy to introduce the wildest Aston Martin Vantage yet. In fact, One-77 hypercar aside, this new V12 Vantage S is the fastest road going Aston yet released, with a 205mph top speed nudging it 3mph beyond the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo.
2014 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S – Front 3/4
The heart of the matter is the new AM28 engine, a more evolved species of the 6.0-liter V12 that incorporates features like CNC-machined combustion chambers and hollow camshafts. Power output is 565 horsepower, a healthy 50-horse bump over the outgoing coupe, and 475 pound-feet of torque, a boost of 37 lb-ft. Acceleration from 0-60 miles per hour is expected to come before the four-second mark which is down from 4.2 seconds.
2014 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S – Rear 3/4
While we mourn the loss of yet another row-your-own option in a supercar, the new paddle-shifted gearbox offers two distinct advantages over the obsolete six-speed. First being top speed and second would be the weight savings of over 55 pounds. The transmission is a seven-speed automated manual transmission that has been harvested from the V8 Vantage S (it’s also the ‘box from Aston Martin’s FIA GT race cars), it gains a gear over the six-speed in the V12 Vantage yet is still lighter.
2014 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S – Side Profile
The biggest visual change is the car’s grille, which adopts the wide-open look previewed on the wicked CC100 Speedster Concept. It also gets a black painted roof and rear trim panel, new wheels, suspension and exhaust. The new sports exhaust is derived from the One-77, and boosts the already vocal Vantage’s soundtrack and there’s a quicker steering rack. The Vantage also gets its first adaptive damping system, with Normal, Sport and Track modes altering the suspension as well as the amount of power steering assistance. A Sport button sharpens the throttle response, gearshift times and exhaust note.
2014 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S – Interior
Although Aston Martin hemmed and hawed before finally porting the previous V12 Vantage to North America, the 2015 V12 Vantage S will be offered in the U.S. from square one. Pricing is being estimated to be in the realm of $200,000, however it has not yet been finalized, but dealers are now taking orders, with deliveries beginning in early 2014.
The last time you probably saw race car driver Justin Bell behind the wheel of a Viper was most likely the 1998 Le Mans race, when he won the GT2 class. Now, on the premiere episode of The World’s Fastest Car Show, Bell takes a turn behind the wheel of the 2013 SRT Viper.
With a naturally aspirated 8.4-liter V-10 that pumps out a massive 640 hp, 600 lb-ft of torque, and a rip-snorting soundtrack, the automotive world doesn’t get much more muscle than the Viper. In true sports-car form, all that power is directed to the rear axle through a short-throw six-speed manual transmission. No, an automatic is not available.
The 2014 Audi R8 is a very special car that requires special assembly techniques. And to remind us that the R8 isn’t just built on a run-of-the-mill production line, Audi has produced the following video showcasing the handcrafted process required to build the supercar.
The short clip features just a few of the 241 specialists who help construct the R8. Just under 5200 components go into the supercar and the video emphasizes the amount of care and detail that goes into installing each part, from the taillights to the four-ringed badge on the hood.
This video is meant to entice X Games organizers to choose Motown over the Queen City (Charlotte, NC), Silicon Hills (Austin, TX), and the Windy City (Duh). It needs to happen. Detroit is a ready-made X Games arena, and what could be cooler than motorcross running through the old Packard plant? But don’t take my word for it. Just watch this video.
Seeking a greater challenge for Godzilla, Nissan recently turned to watchmaker Oris so that it could drag race the GT-R with an ex-Swiss Air Force vintage Hawker Hunter fighter jet.
No matter how many times supercars challenge jets, the videos never get old. Though we can’t understand any German, the GT-R versus Hunter video starts as you’d expect, with Godzilla getting the early jump on the British-built fighter. Will the Nissan GT-R hold out for the victory? Check out the video to find out. The action starts around 3:28.
Car Rolodex 