TopSpeed Daily Update |  |
- New Details Emerge About Toyota-BMW Sports Car Venture
- Puritalia 427
- Jaguar XF Gets Two Smaller Engines for 2013
- Renault Clio
- The Nissan Leaf Sets an Odd Record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
- McLaren MP4-12C Spyder
- Legendary Ferrari designer Sergio Pininfarina dies at age 85
- 2013 Mustang GT500 vs 2013 Camaro ZL1 - Florida Heat Beats the ZL1
- Video: 1970 Austin Mini with Yamaha R1 engine meets Gallardo
- Saudi 'drifter' sentenced to death by public beheading after killing two
| New Details Emerge About Toyota-BMW Sports Car Venture Posted: 03 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT
Short of learning the fact that Toyota and BMW planned on developing a sports car together and the fact that BMW loves Toyota and vice-versa, we didn't learn much from the press conference where the two automotive giants announced their joint venture. Fortunately, BMW recently held an interview with Automotive News and released a good bit of information to shine a little clarity on the deal. The first thing cleared up is the fact that at least two sports cars will come from this joint venture – one for Bimmer and one for Toyota. Now, if you are starting to see similarities to the Toyota-Subaru deal that spawned three identical cars – the Subaru BRZ, Toyota GT 86, and Scion FR-S – that just wore different badges, you can scratch that nasty idea. The BMW spokesperson made it very clear that any vehicles developed from this venture will each bear completely unique styling. That's music to our ears, as even though we love the end result of the Subaru-Toyota deal, we really wish they would have given each model its own styling, so as to not water down the market. In addition to the details revealed above, the BMW went on to let us know that Bimmer's resulting sports car from this partnership will be a sustainable model – not needing gasoline – that will boast eco-friendly technology. This leads us to wonder if maybe Toyota might take part in the future development of the i8's drivetrain, or will there be yet another i model that sits above or below the i8 that boasts Toyota technology. Needless to say, we are pretty excited to see what in the world these two companies can come up with in the coming years. We're not so much excited about the BMW end, as sports cars are nothing new to it, but the Toyota end is truly intriguing, as seeing Toyota take this sudden shift back toward sports cars is surprising. We have about had our fill of seeing nothing but Camrys, Corollas, and Priuses on Toyota lots, so it's a refreshing change. New Details Emerge About Toyota-BMW Sports Car Venture originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 3 July 2012 15:00 EST.
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| Posted: 30 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT
Italians are famous for their amazing supercars and we’re not just talking about the Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s of the world. There are also the Maserati’s, Pagani’s, DeTomaso’s, and a little known company that was just launched by the name of Puritalia. This start-up company definitely has some large shoes to fill hanging out in this group, but they have promised to start building hand cars characterized by "simplicity and purity of driving experience." Their first car is called 427, a clear reference to one of the most iconic roadsters ever made - the Shelby Cobra - from which it will take some of its body lines. The Puritalia 427 will have a total weight of less than 2200 lbs, making it both light and compact. It will be built on an aluminum frame, while the body will be made from lightweight materials. As far as power is concerned, the 427 will run on American muscle in the form of V8 engine with an output of 445 HP. The company will also tack on a supercharger that will increase the power to 605 HP, if the customer so chooses. The official debut for the Puritalia 427 will be made at the end of June 2012. The company hopes to sell a total of 427 units in 2013. Puritalia 427 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 30 May 2012 19:00 EST.
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| Jaguar XF Gets Two Smaller Engines for 2013 Posted: 03 Jul 2012 06:00 AM PDT
  We recently took a closer look at the replacement of V-8s with supercharged and turbocharged 6-cylinders, and we determined that the V-8 is a thing of the past, for the most part. We also made it clear that top-live cars will continue offering V-8 options, but we also anticipated that standard V-8s would slowly disappear in these models too. Well, it looks as if Jaguar received that memo, as it is axing the standard V-8 in the XF sedan. Taking its place at the base of the XF lineup is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, which is a Ford design, that pumps out 240 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. The changes don't stop there on the 2013 XF, as Jaguar is also adding in an optional 3.0-liter V-6 with a supercharger that punches out 340 ponies and 332 pound-feet of torque. The XF will still have its trio of V-8 engines available as options, so if you are looking for a little more oomph you can opt for one of the V-8s, which crank out between 385 and 510 horsepower. These two new engines expand Jaguar's competition against the likes of the BMW 528i and the Audi A6 2.0T. The BMW 528i's base 2.0-liter boosted 4-banger cranks out the same horsepower as the upcoming 4-cylinder XF, but in the torque game, the 528i comes up about 9 foot-pounds higher than the XF. The A6 2.0T, on the other hand, matches the XF's 240 ponies but falls flat in torque, as it gives up a full 40 foot-pounds to the XF. This new 6-cylinder in the XF also gives Audi's A6 3.0T and BMW's 535i a run for their money. The Audi comes in 30 horsepower and 22 pound-feet short of the XF, while the BMW comes in giving up 40 horsepower and 32 pound-feet to the XF. So needless to say, Jaguar means serious business now, as it has an engine for the XF to compete with, and even crush, the competition. That's something we haven't seen from Jaguar in a long time. It's good to see Jag back to its old form. Jaguar XF Gets Two Smaller Engines for 2013 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 3 July 2012 13:00 EST.
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| Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT
French automaker Renault has been hard at work redesigning its flagship compact car, the Clio. We actually caught a few pictures of its high-performance variant, the Clio RS, testing with full camo last month. Then, Renault or Ireland mistakenly posted an image of this upcoming vehicle on its website and we were able to get a good look at the future model ahead of schedule. Renault, of course, did not confirm nor deny that the leaked image was actually of the freshly redesigned Clio, but it is fairly obvious now that they have released official details on this upcoming new hatchback. Unfortunately, as it has been for the last 23 years, this and all Renault vehicles will not be available in the U.S. The only hope we have of seeing a Renault-built car is the possibility that the upcoming revival of the Alpine brand may make its way to the U.S. So how does this compact hatchback's redesign stack up? Click past the jump to read our full review and find out. Renault Clio originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 3 July 2012 12:00 EST.
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| The Nissan Leaf Sets an Odd Record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Posted: 03 Jul 2012 04:00 AM PDT
Okay, it is odd enough to say that the Nissan Leaf is running at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but it's even odder to say that it actually set a lap record there. This strange record set at Goodwood was the fastest time up the famed hill while driving in reverse. That's right; they drove the entire 1-mile Goodwood hill in reverse. There are some people in this world that have a hard enough time backing out of their driveways, let alone driving a mile in reverse. Then again, many years ago, I had a friend drive his 1980’s Civic CRX in reverse the entire 3-mile trek home, after his transmission got stuck in reverse gear. In order to set this record, the team that worked with Terry Grant, the lucky driver stuck taking on this task, actually removed the reverse speed limiter, so he could essentially drive the Leaf in reverse just as fast as he could. Well, he definitely didn't hit top speed, as his best time came in at 1:53, which equals out to an average speed of about 30 mph. That's still an insane feat, though, as driving a car in reverse at 30 mph is definitely not a simple thing, but to traverse the Goodwood's twisting track is a completely different animal. Hats off to Terry Grant and his team for coming up with such an insane idea and actually executing it. You can see one of the videos of this stunt above and the other two can be found after the jump. The Nissan Leaf Sets an Odd Record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 3 July 2012 11:00 EST.
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| Posted: 30 May 2012 12:30 PM PDT
McLaren’s response to Ferrari’s 458 Italia Spyder is well on its way, thanks to the success achieved by the MP4-12C coupe. The new MP4-12C Spyder was confirmed back in 2009 and should be arriving within the next year if it plans to tackle Ferrari’s drop top. When it does arrive, expect the new model to be priced at a few thousand more than the $230K coupe. The MP4-12C Spyder will feature a retractable hard-top, but will maintain the same mechanical setup and general design found in the standard model. Under the hood, we’ll more than likely find the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 that will deliver a total of 592 HP. This engine will be mated to a 7-speed twin-clutch Seamless Shift Gearbox (SSG) that will be controlled via paddles mounted behind the steering wheel. The 0 to 60 mph will be made in about the same 3.3 seconds, while top speed will be 205mph. UPDATE 07/03/12: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs. McLaren MP4-12C Spyder originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 30 May 2012 19:30 EST.
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| Legendary Ferrari designer Sergio Pininfarina dies at age 85 Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:00 AM PDT
Sergio Pininfarina, the former chairman of the legendary Italian design firm, Pininfarina, has passed away at age 85 at him home in Turin, Italy on Tuesday. The Italian design firm formed in 1930 by Sergio's father, Battista "Pinin" Farina, has designed many of the classic Ferrari's throughout the decades, with the recently retired 599 GTB Fiorano and the present 458 Italia both being created by the firm. A host of other Italian cars have also been designed by Pininfarina, including the Alfa Romeo Brera still in production with Pininfarina's very first mass-produced design being the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 of 1933. Since then, the company has gone on to bigger and better things, despite the brand having to recently stop producing cars and instead focus solely on the design side of affairs. Other notable companies affiliated with Pininfarina include Cadillac and Volvo. Sergio Pininfarina took over as chairman of the company in 1966, after his father's death, and he's survived by his wife of 60 years and their two children. Legendary Ferrari designer Sergio Pininfarina dies at age 85 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 3 July 2012 09:00 EST.
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| 2013 Mustang GT500 vs 2013 Camaro ZL1 - Florida Heat Beats the ZL1 Posted: 30 Jun 2012 03:59 PM PDT
We have seen the competition between the 2013 Mustang GT500 and the Camaro ZL1 get exhausted in the last few weeks, so seeing yet another comparison doesn't really interest us much. Then again, if that competition is happening live on a public track and it is between two competitors that have been jawing at each other via forum flame posts, well, we suddenly become extremely interested. So the story begins with us taking a short trip from the TopSpeed offices down to the Miami Homestead racetrack for a day full of watching various cars tackle the track. We stumbled upon this situation of a stock 2013 GT500 with under 1,000 miles on its clock and 650 ponies under the hood, and a Camaro ZL1, which was modified by Torq and is touted as a true racecar, ready to go head-to-head to settle their online feud of which is better. The Camaro ZL1 admittedly had supercharger overheating issues in the past, so Torq installed a high capacity water pump to help aid in the cooling. Apparently, Torq overestimated the capacity of the new pump before heading to Miami and the blazing hot South Florida sun resulted in the engine overheating. Yeah, Torq forgot an important fact, if you install a high-capacity water pump, you need to raise the amount of coolant stored in the cooling system. Ironically, Torq is quoted as saying that pitting the GT500 against this modified ZL1 is "like bringing a knife to a gun fight" and we agree, because the GT500 is better known as a drag-style car and the ZL1 truly is a better road handler. Let’s see if Torq can rectify this issue and get us a good race to see. 2013 Mustang GT500 vs 2013 Camaro ZL1 - Florida Heat Beats the ZL1 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 30 June 2012 22:59 EST.
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| Video: 1970 Austin Mini with Yamaha R1 engine meets Gallardo Posted: 02 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT
Fitting high-revving motorcycle engines into cars is nothing new, as the incredible Ariel Atom 500 makes use of no less than two highly-modified and tuned Suzuki motorcycle engines. It’s little wonder why this exercise is so popular for lightweight sports cars. Motorcycle engines rev like no other internal combustion engine in the world, with the exception of Formula One cars, and as a result, they provide an engine note unparallelled to those offered from high-performance sports cars. Additionally, they're generally very small and pump out considerable amounts of horsepower. The following YouTube user has actually fitted a 170WHP, 1.0-liter engine from the 2003 Yamaha YZF-R1 to a 1970 Austin Mini and the results can be seen in the following video. The YouTube user responsible for the video, Daign, was recently out cruising down the highway when an orange Lamborghini Gallardo popped up, and the driver of the Mini was quickly on his tail. Even though no drag race eventuated between the two (Boo!!!), Daign stated, "I think the Gallardo was a bit confused where the 11000 rev was coming from honestly. Shame we were in traffic. Just for kicks it’d be fun to see how the Lambo pulls against the Mini’s powerband between 7-11,500rpm... In the power band it pulls harder than my 500hp Camaro without a doubt. 170hp with only 1300lbs. It’s scary and fun." Video: 1970 Austin Mini with Yamaha R1 engine meets Gallardo originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 3 July 2012 04:00 EST.
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| Saudi 'drifter' sentenced to death by public beheading after killing two Posted: 02 Jul 2012 07:00 PM PDT
Capital punishment. It's one of the most fiercely debated issues plaguing the world and whether or not it should be performed, no matter the severity of the crime committed. This latest case is sure to spark off even more topical debate about the issue as a man from Saudi Arabia was recently sentenced to death by public beheading after killing two people. The man, identifying himself as "Mustannish," killed two spectators a few months back when he lost control of his 'drifting' car in a reckless form of outlaw driving known commonly as "Hagwalah" which takes place in the land-locked nation. In short, it simply involves hoons taking to the streets in stock Honda's and Toyota's and performing dangerous slides and spins in their cars with spectators watching the action from just meters away. If you want to find out more about these hoons, then simply head over to YouTube were you'll find a selection of videos, including the one above, of these drivers and their idiotic ways of showing-off. Keep in mind however, that several clips posted to YouTube have depicted spectators being hit by the cars, although a select few have been removed due to their severity. Anyway, back to the issue at hand. The following video purportedly depicts "Mustannish," which directly translates to "he who ignores," in one of his many failed attempts at impressing the crowd before crashing into a sand bank. Fortunately, in this particular video, no one seems to be injured. However, the case which has landed the man in hot water occurred when he plowed into the crowd, killing two, and the aforementioned punishment was swiftly handed down: Public beheading by sword. Not pleasant. Despite this firm punishment, it's currently unclear if and when the penalty will actually take place, as another man who killed three in 2005 under similar circumstances had his death penalty wavered and instead faced 3,000 lashes and 20 years in prison. Saudi 'drifter' sentenced to death by public beheading after killing two originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 3 July 2012 02:00 EST.
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