TopSpeed Daily Update |  |
- A Ferrari 599XX Evo will be auctioned off for earthquake victims
- Mercedes GL63 AMG
- Video: Ferrari F12berlinetta caught on Maranello roads
- Audi A4
- More Woes for Suspended Lotus Boss, Dany Bahar
- Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 by Melvin Betancourt
- BMW i sub-brand gets cut in half
- McLaren releases new video to celebrate MP4-12C's Middle Eastern debut
- Renault Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7
- Gemballa introduces "Genuine Diamond Coating"
| A Ferrari 599XX Evo will be auctioned off for earthquake victims Posted: 31 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT
  On Tuesday, May 29, 2012, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Northern Italy, leaving behind a number of victims, including Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Maserati who had to stop production because their production plants are just 25 miles away from the center of the quake. Even more detrimental is the fact that 17 people were killed and another 350 were injured) during this natural disaster, but Ferrari is doing what they can to help the victims left behind. In order to help the victims of the earthquake, Ferrari will hold an auction next week, with the most important unit on the block being a 599XX Evo, the extreme, non-homologated sports berlinetta with a commercial value of €1.3 million (about $1.6 million). Next to 599XX, the auction will include a number of Formula 1 items, including a V8 engine, racing suits and helmets donated by the Scuderia's drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, and numerous memorabilia items from the works racing cars from past seasons. The Online Ferrari Store will also dedicate a section to this event, where customers will have the opportunity to purchase auction items, including Prancing Horse watches. A Ferrari 599XX Evo will be auctioned off for earthquake victims originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 15:00 EST.
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| Posted: 31 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT
Mercedes unveiled the second generation GL-Class at the 2012 New York Auto Show, and now they have also revealed the most powerful version in the line-up: the GL 63 AMG. This new model will go on sale in November 2012. Next to a very impressive exterior look, the new GL 63 AMG also features an AMG 5.5-liter V8 biturbo engine that delivers an impressive 557 HP and 560 lbs-ft of torque. The model can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds and goes up to a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited). Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: "The new GL 63 AMG completes our performance-oriented all-wheel drive offering. In addition to the ML 63 AMG all-rounder and the recently unveiled, characterful G 63 AMG and G 65 AMG models, the GL 63 AMG places particular emphasis on dynamism and style. Combining the first-rate comfort of the S-Class with the performance of an AMG sports saloon, the GL 63 AMG is unique in its segment." Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Mercedes GL63 AMG. Mercedes GL63 AMG originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 14:00 EST.
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| Video: Ferrari F12berlinetta caught on Maranello roads Posted: 31 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT
Ferrari already revealed a bunch of videos for their latest F12 Berlinetta supercar, but all of them show the car in action on closed tracks, not in the real world. Now, Youtube user, Mikesupercars, was lucky enough to catch the car driving around in Maranello, Italy. According to him, the car came straight from the Ferrari factory gates and it’s a demo car for interested buyers. As a reminder, the Ferrari F12berlinetta is the most powerful high-performance Ferrari road car ever launched. The car is powered by a V12 engine that delivers a total of 740 HP at 8500 rpm and 508 lb-ft of torque at 6000 rpm. The car can sprint 0 to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds and to 124 mph in 8.5 seconds. Top speed goes up to 211 mph. Video: Ferrari F12berlinetta caught on Maranello roads originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 13:00 EST.
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| Posted: 31 May 2012 05:00 AM PDT
 Audi has just unveiled the facelift version of their successful A4 sedan and, as previously announced, the next logical step is a new generation, but it seems as though we’ll be receiving the new model a little earlier than expected. The new generation A4 is expected to arrive in Europe in 2014 and in the USA in 2015. In a recent interview with German magazine, Auto Motor and Sport, Audi Design Chief Wolfgang Egger offered up the first details on the upcoming A4, but they only pertained to the vehicle’s exterior design. He said that the future model will receive more muscular styling and improved aerodynamics, as well as an upright "three-dimensional" grille and better defined wheel arches. That’s about it, but we expected this considering rumors have been stating that future Audi models won’t see any significant changes. As for the engine line-up, the choices will include a 120 HP 1.4 TFSI, a 178 HP 1.8 TFSI, and a 148 HP 2.0 TDI. Rumors have also stated that a hybrid version is possible. Note: Current model pictured. Audi A4 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 12:00 EST.
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| More Woes for Suspended Lotus Boss, Dany Bahar Posted: 31 May 2012 04:00 AM PDT
Okay, let's do the math on Dany Bahar, the suspended CEO for Lotus, and see where we stand so far. First, he is generally regarded as an overall jackass by a large number of automotive media members. Secondly, he decided to rant on Facebook whining about us media folk speculating on the sale of Lotus and the failing company's overall health. Lastly, he was "temporarily suspended" while an investigation for undisclosed reasons goes on. The latter of these issues we thought was mostly tied into his general character combined with his child-like Facebook post. New details have come to the front that show his suspension is for far worse reasons than just a flame-post on a social media board. It turns out that Lotus has been footing the bill for Bahar to rent two houses, which is not uncommon for a CEO, but what is uncommon is a £375,000 ($589,000) builder's bill for renovations to said rental house that was paid by Lotus. Obviously Lotus shut off that leaky water valve at one point, leaving £92,000 ($144,450) of a builder's bill unpaid, resulting in Bahar being taken to High Court, according to reports. So now this suspended CEO may be in for a little more than just jabs from us media folk as he may be in for some criminal charges, if he is found to have defrauded Lotus. Then again, Bahar collecting his minimal pay package of £1.2 million ($1.48 million) after sending Lotus further into ruins since he took over in 2009 is fraud enough for us. So it looks like we are not quite done talking about Bahar yet and he will likely not go away quietly, given his loudmouth reputation. We will let you know the second we know more about this ongoing story. More Woes for Suspended Lotus Boss, Dany Bahar originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 11:00 EST.
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| Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 by Melvin Betancourt Posted: 31 May 2012 03:00 AM PDT
At the beginning of May 2012, a one-off Roush Stage 3 Ford Mustang Special Edition raised a total of $100,000 for the SAE Foundation's STEM. Now, another one-off Mustang will be auctioned off for charity: a special 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 designed by Melvin Betancourt. The auction will be held on September 22, 2012 at the "Get Your Heart Racing" fundraiser at Ford's Dearborn test track. All the proceeds will go to Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute at Henry Ford Health System. This one-off Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 will feature a very cool exterior white paint finish combined with white graphics and a new set of 20" wheels. The interior will continue the white theme with white-leather Recaro seats contrasted by black stitching. Under the hood, everything remains unchanged, but with a 662 HP V8 engine, who needs more? At the same event last year, a Mustang Boss 302 was sold for an impressive $300,000, so let’s hope this year will reach or surpass those results. Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 by Melvin Betancourt originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 10:00 EST.
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| BMW i sub-brand gets cut in half Posted: 31 May 2012 02:00 AM PDT
 BMW is in deep with their upcoming i-brand with the first i3 hatchback set to arrive in 2013 and the i8 to follow in 2014. BMW is counting on these two models to bring in big sales: 100,000 i3 units and 10,000 i8 units, annually. Considering the i3 will be priced at about $45K, these targets shouldn’t be as hard to hit as they sound. This sounds all fine and dandy, but BMW has hit quite a snag in development. See, the i3 will cost about the same amount as a 335i sedan, but will come with a carbon-fiber body shell, an aluminum platform, a lithium-ion battery, and a rear-mounted 150-hp electric motor. The problem is that, in Europe, things haven’t been looking up in the past few months and BMW is hard-pressed to find a country with the money to build the recharging infrastructure. More than that, if things don’t get better, owners may not get as many EV/hybrid tax credits as they would hope. All in all, it seems as though BMW is at risk of building a car that is way ahead of its time. However, the "good news" is that BMW is still going forward with their new i-brand, frankly due to the fact that dropping it at this point would cost the company billions of dollars. The i3 and i8 models may be delayed due to the recharging infrastructure, but the i1 and the i5 have been dropped entirely. BMW i sub-brand gets cut in half originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 09:00 EST.
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| McLaren releases new video to celebrate MP4-12C's Middle Eastern debut Posted: 30 May 2012 09:00 PM PDT
In line with McLaren Automotive's massive expansion across the globe, which includes the construction of more than 30 dealerships, the British brand recently opened its latest showroom in the Middle East with McLaren Abu Dhabi. Now they are celebrating the occasion with the release of another video promoting the MP4-12C and the firm itself. Mark Harrison, McLaren's Automotive Regional Director of the Middle East and Africa, stated: "We wanted to produce this video to highlight our presence across the Middle East and reaffirm our commitment to establishing our brand in the region. The 12C is as comfortable on the road as a premium sedan, yet faster than any competitor car in its segment and this excellent video shows this fact; capturing the beauty of the desert, the emotion of the urban environment and the drama of a world famous Formula 1 circuit – three locations where the 12C is supremely confident." Don't for one second, however, think that this was a poorly executed marketing scheme by McLaren as its team actually invested thousands into the production of this 5 minute long video, even utilizing the latest in RED camera technology which captures images in four times the resolution of High Definition. McLaren Abu Dhabi is now the fourth McLaren retailer in the Middle Eastern region, and the remaining two will be completed by years end. So all up, the wealthy upper class in the Middle East will have access to McLaren Bahrain, McLaren Doha, McLaren Dubai, McLaren Jeddah, McLaren Kuwait, and of course, McLaren Abu Dhabi. It's currently unclear how many orders have been placed for the MP4-12C in these regions, but it's clear that McLaren is targeting this area for its sole model as well as all the additional models it has planned, including the McLaren MP4-27. McLaren releases new video to celebrate MP4-12C's Middle Eastern debut originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 04:00 EST.
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| Renault Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7 Posted: 30 May 2012 08:00 PM PDT
Earlier in 2012, Renault unveiled the Clio R.S. Red Bull Racing RB7 Edition in order to celebrate the 2011 Formula 1 Constructors' world title. Now the company is continuing the party with a new Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7 and an announcement for the production of a Megane R.S. This special Twingo will only be offered in 10 countries in Europe and will go on sale in June 2012. Just like the previous Clio R.S, the new Twingo will be distinguished by design cues from Renault Sport including a forceful front-end styling and a large, vertically-mounted logo set to a black background. The front bumper gets a Formula 1-style blade, while at the rear there will be bigger wheel arches, lip spoiler, and diffuser. The model is painted in a very cool Pearlescent Black combined with Sirius Yellow on the F1-style blade, door mirror housings and lip spoiler. The interior gets yellow stitching for the steering wheel, seats, and dash cowling, plus gloss black inserts for the dashboard and audio console. Renault Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 03:00 EST.
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| Gemballa introduces "Genuine Diamond Coating" Posted: 30 May 2012 07:00 PM PDT
You know when people say that "diamonds are a girl’s best friend?" Apparently, it’s also pretty close to German tuner Gemballa. In what could be one of the flashiest, gaudiest, and downright most expensive new aftermarket products, Gemballa has introduced the "Genuine Diamond Coating." As the name clearly suggests, the diamond coating is the world’s very first exterior and interior diamond coating. And here we thought that Swarovski crystals were already a tad over the top. Silly us, right? According to Gemballa CEO Andreas Schwarz, the German tuner isn’t kidding when they mean diamond coating. "When GEMBALLA speaks of diamonds, we really mean it", Schwarz explains. "Our complex process uses genuine diamonds as its key ingredient - not metal pigments, glass fragments, or crystals." The process in creating diamond coating is a doozy. In order to ensure the product is ready to be ’coated,’ Gemballa ensures that grinding the diamonds into small enough sizes is done with painstaking attention-to-detail, all while ensuring that the diamonds don’t lose their brilliance. From there, it’s a matter of coating the car with the pulverized diamonds. We gotta give props to Gemballa for thinking about doing something like this, even if it sounds and looks as extravagant - diamonds! - as any tuning program we’ve seen in recent memory. We’re curious to see how much this sparkly paint job will cost. Gemballa introduces "Genuine Diamond Coating" originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 02:00 EST.
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