Meet the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse – the hardest, fastest version of the Gallardo yet.
With styling cues taken from the Gallardo Super Trofeo race car, think of this as a hardcore track-special for the road.
Powered by the Trofeo’s 419kW/540Nm V10, the Squadra Corse rockets from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds and will hit a top speed of 320km/h.
As you’d expect it’s bristling with race-inspired tech, including carbon ceramic brakes, carbonfibre body kit and panels and the same six-speed e-gear paddle ’box as the Trofeo.
Weight is down too, with the Squadra Corse 70kg lighter than the standard Gallardo LP 560-4.
No word yet on cost, but expect to see the Squadra Corse make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
What you’re looking at here is officially the fastest roadster…in the world.
Unveiled overnight, it’s called the ‘Les Legendes de Butatti’, which translates as ‘Bugatti Legends’.
One of six ‘special editions’, it’s essentially a 408km/h 895kW rocket ship built as a tribute to individuals who shaped Bugatti’s future.
Based on the world’s fastest convertible, the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, this first example pays homage to Jean-Pierre Wimille – a Frenchman who won the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours twice in a Bugatti.
Just three Jean-Pierre William Bugattis will be built, with the brand yet to reveal pricing.
Expect the five remaining ‘Legends’ to be released periodically over the next year.
Hot hatch fans rejoice – from December you’ll be able to buy Audi’s new all-paw, turbo-charged S3 screamer for less than a Subaru WRX STI.
At $59,900, the new S3 Sportback not only undercuts the WRX and the automatic Mitsubishi Evolution, but is significantly cheaper than the hot hatches offered by Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Merc’s new A45 AMG will be $15,000 more expensive ($74,900), while BMW’s M135i will set you back $64,900.
Set to go on sale in December, the S3’s 2.0-litre turbo four pot develops 206kW/380Nm. That’s enough grunt to shoot it from 0-100km/h in just 5.0 seconds – again almost a second quicker than the WRX or Evo.
An additional S performance package is available for $4990, which adds LED headlights, Bang & Olufsen sound system, 18-inch wheels, S sports seats and Audi’s magnetic ride system.
Sick of building high-performance track cars and luxo limos, Mercedes-Benz has designed a…golf cart.
Think of it as a chic electric luxo-buggy that can be used on the golf green, complete with a head-up display, touch screen monitors and even an in-built refrigerator.
Solar panels adorn the roof to charge the batteries, the doors can be clicked out for easy access and it’s controlled by a central ‘joystick’, so both passengers can take the controls.
It even has a ‘fore button’ which alerts other Mercedes carts of errant shots.
Seems Mercedes-Benz knows its customers pretty well…
In a move sure to quicken the pulse of any car fan, Alfa Romeo is planning to switch its entire range to rear-wheel-drive.
Hooray!
For a brand renowned for making cars with ‘passion’ and ‘soul’, a move to a RWD platform could see Alfa recapture its old grandeur.
Recent times has seen Alfa develop front-drive-hatchbacks like the MiTo and Giulietta.
The news comes from a new report, published by CAR magazine, which also says Alfa is developing a BMW 3-Series rival to roll out in 2015, and two new SUVs (sigh).
Whether they’re built remains to be seen, but still, we like the noises coming out of Alfa at the moment…
It hasn’t been seen for over 20 years, but a female has finally conducted some meaningful racing laps in a Formula 1 car.
Scottish racer Susie Wolff spent an entire day testing a Williams F1 car at Silverstone recently, with her speedy times bolstering her claim to a full-time race seat.
Of the 16 drivers that took part in the test, Wolff was ninth fastest – just over two seconds slower than current world champion Sebastian Vettel.
But despite making headlines worldwide, Wolff maintains she wants to earn her race seat on merit, not because of her gender.
“Some say I seem very reluctant to play the female card but ultimately a race team is only going to put the best driver they can in a race car,” the 30-year-old Scot told the media.
“It was important to show that I have the performance. I’m really pleased. “I’m not going to say ‘give me the [seat] right now because I’m a girl and I was fast enough.’ I’ve got to keep fighting hard.”
Wolff is the wife of Williams shareholder Toto Wolff, who also directs the Mercedes F1 team.
Just two women have qualified to race in Formula 1, the most successful being Italian Lella Lombardi who started 12 grand prix in the 1970s.
Imagine this. You’re on a road trip in your Mini and can’t find a hotel anywhere. It’s getting dark and sleeping options are running out fast. The solution?
Pitch a tent on the roof.
At least that’s what Mini wants you to do with its new range of campers.
Covering the Clubman, Countryman and Hatch, the new ‘camping set’ ranges from roof-mounted pop-up tents to a two-sleeper caravan.
Mini has no plans to produce these concepts just yet, but if they do the designs looks fairly luxurious.
From the images we can see campers are able to watch The Simpsons, cook eggs on an in-built camper and even wash themselves with a hand-hand shower.
What do you think? Good idea or has Mini gone too far?
It won’t be unveiled until 2014, but BMW has previewed the look of its new M3 coupe successor with this – the 4 Series coupe M Performance line.
Unveiled at the 4 Series launch in Portugal, the new M Performance line boasts a more aggressive body kit, bigger wheels, more power and a revised interior.
A new model in the BMW line-up, the M4 will replace the existing M3 coupe when it goes on sale next year.
While not the fully-blown M4 we’ve been waiting for, the M pack does give us a glimpse as to what BMW’s new performance coupe will look like – including a deeper, more aggressive front splitter, flared wheels arches and carbonfibre design touches.
Power has been upped by 25kW/50Nm in the range topping 435i coupe, making maximum output at 250kW/450Nm.
BMW is tipped to unveil the new, even more powerful M4 as a concept at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show in January.
Forget hyperbole. The temptation after just driving the flagship supercharged petrol V8 version of Land Rover’s new Range Rover Sport is to switch straight to hyper-hyperbole. It’s that good.
During a day-long drive from England’s midlands through Wales and back, the Sport proved, well, incredible in terms of the breadth of its capability (see what I mean about the hyperbole).
With 375kW, 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds, superb ride and sports-car like handling, the new Sport was awesome on some of the best roads I’ve ever driven (it’s easy to see why the place is a favourite with the likes of Car and Evo magazines). It didn’t miss a beat while bellowing like an M3, especially in Sport mode.
But, here’s where the hyper-hyperbole really kicks in: on an off-road track, parts of which would have a seasoned four-wheel-driver reaching for his snatch strap, the Range Rover Sport ate the lot. One take-a-big-gulp-first, slippery descent that demanded under-1km/h crawling pace and plenty of courage on behalf of the driver, the Sport made it all seem easy … well, in retrospect.
Through thigh-deep water crossings – the wading depth of which was indicated on the Sport’s big central screen by an exceedingly cool graphic – it got through with aplomb. And it’s techfest of driving aids is so good, it gives you the confidence to take on just about anything you would’ve baulked it in even a hardcore dedicated four-wheel-drive.
Then, after a quick hose-down, the Sport was back on the M5 Motorway, again bellowing M3-like as the tacho swung towards redline through the first half-dozen of its eight-speed ZF auto’s gears before settling on a conservative 110 miles-per-hour (not km/h) in top at 2200rpm.
Two vehicles in one? Absolutely. A more ‘chuckable’ and responsive version of the next-rung-up, same-engined Range Rover itself? Damn straight.
The range-topping Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic we drove goes on sale in Australia on November 1 at $182,400.
Sick of spending hours moving the lawn? Honda has the answer.
It’s called the Mean Mower and it’s officially the world’s fastest lawnmower.
Built with Honda’s title winning British Touring Car Championship team, this 140kg monster can hit 0-100km/h in four seconds. That’s faster than a Porsche 911.
Top speed is a hideously unsafe 210km/h – thanks mostly to the Mean Mower’s 1000cc VTR Firestorm motorcycle engine.
Obviously Honda has made some pretty drastic modifications to its base Lawn Tractor, fitting a chomoly chassis, bespoke suspension, paddle-shift six-speed gearbox, custom body and ATV wheels.
Oh and don’t think it’s all about speed. Thanks to two electric motors, it can still cut grass, at a slightly slower 24km/h.
