Tuesday, April 30, 2013

10 Classic American Muscle Cars


10 classic American muscle cars


A muscle car might be defined as simply a high-performance two-door car made in the U.S., but to its fans it's much more than that. The muscle car is the basis for an entire subset of car fans, and movies such as "Bullitt" that have featured them prominently have helped create a lasting high-speed subculture.

Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief of the online car review aggregator Total Car Score, is a self-described muscle car fanatic who characterizes these vehicles as his "primary passion." He provided CNBC.com with his list of 10 classic American muscle cars and some eye-popping estimates of their current market value.

"Vintage car collectors consider these must-have muscle cars, which is undoubtedly driving up the prices," Brauer said. He said that prices are likely to keep climbing, so if there's any time to buy a muscle car, it's now.

"The 1969-1970 Boss 429 Mustang, for instance, has skyrocketed in value over the past two years," he said. "If you're looking to buy you should act sooner rather than later. These vehicles will all likely cost more six to 12 months from now.

Read ahead to see the list of 10 classic American muscle cars.




1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30

Oldsmobile is not a name commonly associated with the muscle car era. Nevertheless, this company still made its contributions back then, which included the 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30.

"At the peak of the muscle car era, Oldsmobile offered a 455 cubic inch V-8 engine in the brand's 442 muscle car," Brauer said. "When equipped with the W-30 option the 1970 Oldsmobile 442 was rated at 370 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, often while sporting such luxuries as air conditioning and power windows." Its current market value is $35,000.




1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD455

According to Brauer and to many fans, the muscle car's golden age came to an end in 1971. However, a small but determined group of engineers at Pontiac remained undeterred, and created an evolved Ram Air IV engine, which turned up under the hood of the 1974 Firebird.

Despite its late vintage, Brauer called this Trans Am "a fully capable muscle car." The current market value of the 1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD455 is $75,000.




1970 Buick GSX Stage 1

"Buick was a performance player back in the muscle car days, with 455 cubic inch V-8s offered in the company's Gran Sport (GS) models," Brauer said. "The top dog was the 1970 Buick GSX with the 455 Stage 1 engine rated at 370 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque."

Only 400 of these GSXs were produced, so its relatively limited production run has kept it somewhat valuable among collectors and enthusiasts. Its current market value is $75,000.



1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6

The 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 was a beast, plain and simple. The 450 horsepower assigned to this Chevelle V-8 is the highest power rating ever given to a car from the original muscle car era, according to Brauer.

The high rating, however, was an understatement. "Even this rating was below the engine's actual horsepower, which was likely somewhere between 470 and 500 horsepower," he said. This Chevelle's current market value is $75,000.




1970 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV

"Pontiac's GTO started the official muscle car era in 1964," Brauer said. "By 1970 the competition on the street, and in the showrooms, required every automaker to step up their efforts."

Even Pontiac itself had to raise its game, which it did by introducing the GTO Judge. According to Brauer, it's "powered by the Ram Air IV engine, a 400 cubic inch V-8 with special high-flow heads and unique exhaust manifolds." Its current market value is $80,000.




1968 Ford Mustang GT500KR

"Carroll Shelby has a history of hot-rodding Mustangs that started in 1965," Brauer said of the late Ford Motor designer. Production of his Mustangs switched from his own shop to the Ford facilities in 1968, when the GT500KR was built.

Brauer called this muscle car "one of the most attractive and capable Shelby Mustangs ever created." He added that only 933 coupes were built, along with 318 convertibles. Its current market value is $130,000.




1969 Ford Boss 429 Mustang

In 1969, NASCAR was a major influence on automobile sales for the general public. "Winning on Sunday really would sell cars on Monday," Brauer said, so Ford responded by putting a Boss 429 racing engine into its most high-profile car, the Mustang.

The result was the 1969 Ford Boss 429 Mustang, which had a production run of 859 units, every one of which was built by an outside contractor. The current market value is $220,000.




1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Hemi

Ford wasn't the only car manufacturer hoping to capitalize on the sales potential of NASCAR. Dodge wanted in as well. Its bid at that customer segment took the form of what Brauer called "an ultra-aerodynamic version of the Charger."

The car was the fittingly named Charger Daytona, of which only 503 were built. Of those, only 70 had Hemi engines. So if you're looking to buy one today, be prepared to pay something like $400,000.




1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda

When the Plymouth Barracuda debuted in 1964, it was based on the design of the company's sedate Valiant. By 1971, it had been redesigned twice and bore little resemblance to its original manifestation, but the 426 Hemi engine of the affectionately monikered "'Cuda" remained.

Only 119 units of this classic muscle car were made. All of them featured a "shaker hood scoop, wide stance, and some of the best exterior proportions you'll ever see in a vehicle design," Brauer said. Its current market value is $425,000.




1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

In 1969, Chevrolet manufactured just 69 units of the Camaro ZL1. Its 427-cubic-inch aluminum block V-8 engine was assembled by hand, a massive and time-consuming undertaking.

Its low manufacturing run combined with the amount of sheer human labor involved in making a single car made it what Brauer described as "the rarest, most valuable Camaro ever produced." Its current market value is $425,000.

Monday, April 29, 2013

2014 Mazzanti Evantra V8



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Evantra V8 is the exclusive “tailor-made” supercar of Mazzanti automobili produced only in limited series of 5 examples per year, each of them individually personalized.
As the brand tradition, its name comes from the ancient etruscan language and represents an object unique, eternal and exclusive, infact Evantra was also the name of the Godess of immortality for the etruscan people.

Style:

The design of the Evantra was created side-by-side by Luca Mazzanti and Zsolt Tarnok (Mazzanti automobili chief designer), with the concept of perfect equilibrium of classical and modern.
The object was to conciliate elements difficult to harmonize to each other: a personal concept that is absolutely out of todays market trends, a really precise and tipically italian stylistical identity and a powertrain with ” absolute” performance are perfectly united in forms and function.
The smooth surfaces, the classicaly shaped fenderlines come from the traditional classic cars which influenced most the past creations. For the styling of the Evantra a modern and a bit more aggressive appearance was desired, so in the details more modern solutions were used. Such parts are the shape of the lights with the modern LED lights, and the precise and neat outlines and connections of the air inlets and outlets around the car. These virtually different concepts have been merged together in harmony to create this unique supercar, Evantra.
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Chassis:

The steel chassis is reinforced by a new chrome-molibden rollcage positioned under the roof while an other one connects the new engine to the rear suspension hard-points this way enchancing the structural stiffness of the chassis and in the same time helps protecting the occupants.

Body:

The body is a 2 seat coupe.
The bodywork is produced in two different options, the first called PRO-BODY: made of carbon fiber composite materials; or the second, called ONE-BODY: entirely hand crafted, all aluminim body, personalized by the client. With this option the client can have a project dedicated exclusively to the single vehicle, virtually building a One-off.
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Interior:

The tailor-made interior of the client is covered with all-natural leather prepared with special aniline leather treatment. The incredible soft touch of the leather is achieved thanks to a collaboration with a leader of the fashion/luxury sector. Every aspect of personalization is possible with the infinite options of special material, including exotic leather and precious materials. The center console is equipped with a dash and data acquisition system from AIM and a Headunit (NAVI/CD/MP3) from BOSCH as first equipment. The engine starter button is placed onto the roof panel in “Mazzanti” style as in the “sister car” ANTAS. On the lower part of the console the modality selector is placed with different maps for the engine/gearbox, “Strada – Street” and “Corsa – Race”. On the Nardi steering wheel a small display shows the actual gear, while behind the paddles are placed.

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Engine:

The Evantra’s “mechanical heart” is an aluminium V8, naturally aspirated 7.0 L. which is capable of developing  701 Hp @ 6600 rpm and 848 Nm @ 4500 rpm. The engine has a compression ratio of 11:1, a dry sump lubrification system, and valves, connecting rods in titanium.

Characteristics&performance:

The performance of the Evantra V8 equipped with a 6-speed sequential gearbox arrives up to the maximum velocity of over 350 Km/h with an acceleration of 0-100 in 3.2 seconds.The aerodynamic development process was realized in partnership with Ysim, a company with notable experience in F1 and Le mans.
Sila holding industrial, leader company of gearshift systems has developed a special version of its robotized gearshift system “silatronic” for Mazzanti.
The power of the Evantra V8 is transferred onto the tarmac thanks to special high performance tyres from Continental 255/30 R20 front and 305/25 R20 rear, mounted on special 20″ OZ alloy wheels.  The braking system comes from Brembo, formed by 380mm discs with 6 piston calipers in the front and 360mm discs with 4 piston caliper is the back (carbon-ceramic system is optional).
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Technicalspecifications

Engine & Power
Engine layoutV8 naturally aspirated
Engine capacity7.0 L
Power output701 Hp @ 6600 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km/h3,2 sec.
Dimensions
Length4325 mm
Height1225 mm
Width1955 mm
Wheelbase2550 mm
Kerb weight1300 kg (PRO-BODY)

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Dubai Police add Ferrari FF

By Alex Nunez April 17, 2013 / Photos by Dubai Police



A week after it added a Lamborghini Aventador to its increasingly high-profile fleet of patrol cars, the Dubai Police unveiled their newest big-ticket cruiser, a full-dress Ferrari FF. Like the Aventador, it'll prowl high-profile areas to bolster the city's big-bucks image. This one'll actually make for a better cop car, what with the actual cargo space and all.



Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Shayton Equilibrium 2013


The name Shayton originally comes from the Sioux Indian word for a falcon (Chayton pron. Shay-ton) for this New Exotic Car.


The Shayton Equilibrium looks like it could be a whole barrel of fun. Or rather, it might be — if only it existed. For now, the Shayton remains a digital rendering only, but the Slovenian company is apparently toiling away at making the design a reality.
Focused on the future,  Shayton is set to let loose a disturbing movement in the increasingly competitive atmosphere, especially moving the competition based in Europe.
shayton equilibrium
This New Exotic Car of this section comes from Slovenia, the Shayton Equilibrium. The model has not yet been produced, but the car includes a central V12 engine, capable of generating 1,099 horsepower and 94.8 Nm of torque! With only 1.200kg, thanks to the use of titanium and carbon in the construction of the chassis, the supercar can go from 0-60mph sprint time of 2.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 250mph! There will only be 20 units made available, Shayton is already accepting preorders for the car, so get your check book out fast!

Soul of  Equilibrium

Shayton Equilibrium represents motion in shape, it is an core of super-car in 21st century. Striking balance between beauty and performance enables Shayton to stride out among respectful competition.
Competing influences are perfectly balanced: Equilibrium of design and engineering Combined with use of latest technology and materials, enable you thrilling driving experience or cause you a rush of adrenalin when you are up to achieving the best time on a race track.

shayton equilibrium

Essence of passion

Shayton offers a unique new lifestyle and defines a new angle of car use, moving around and travelling.
Imagine your plan for the evening is to visit the opera accompanied with your date but you are in need for rush of adrenalin just before you shall relax and enjoy the evening. What to do? You have two options.
Go straight to pick up spot using regular, common way or you could let the system help you set up more excited way. If you choose second option the car mode will go from normal to race. The suspension will lower the car and make it more fixed on the road, radio will volume down to the lowest, interior lightning will set to the essentials, engine will be ready to work with full power, turbochargers will suck more air, seat will offer you tighter grip and the safety belt will readjust.
Red lights, red lights, red lights, green lights goooo…
You arrive at the pickup spot, still shivering from adrenalin rush. As you wait for your date, you enter new destination, Opera. The system recognizes destination and setup the car. System softens, warm dim lightning turns on, radio browses trough the web to search music accordingly to destination and engine start working on lower rpms. From pure race to polite gentleman. Your date arrives, the night is yours. Relax, enjoy.
shayton equilibrium

Brand name: Shayton
Model name: Equilibrium
First release year: 2011
Current model year: 2013
Tagline: Limited edition Hyper car
Class: Hyper cars
Current status: Pre-production phase – business plan simulation
Brand symbol: Falcon
Manufacturer: PROVOCO d.o.o., Slovenia, EU
Country of origin: Slovenia, European Union (EU)
Descent: Central European
Author of the car:
Andrej Stanta
Author of the Brand:
Dominik Cernelic
shayton equilibrium

2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith




Rolls-Royce released the much anticipated Rolls-Royce Wraith today. It will debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2013 as the most powerful and fastest Rolls-Royce model to date. The release revives a name that the British company has not used since 1939. Back then, the car was sold as a chassis to be bodied externally. Today, customers will be able to order the complete car.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith has been designed as a luxurious, refined and exclusive Grand Tourer. It is a fastback design, as many have expected. The Wraith gets typical Rolls-Royce traits including a two-tone paint scheme and a modern Rolls-Royce grille.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith is built using traditional methods. Instead of a modern aluminium body, the Wraith uses a steel monocoque body. The advantages are simple. First, it means that the body panels and the chassis are one and the same. It gets a double front bulkhead the insulate from engine and road noise. In total, 6,364 individual spot-welds are applied to Wraith with 900m laser welded seams.
Compared with Rolls-Royce Ghost, the rear axle is 24 mm wider, the wheelbase is 183 mm shorter and the centre of gravity nearer the road thanks to a reduction in height of 5 cm. Rolls-Royce have set the Wraith to minimise body roll, with light steering at low speeds and heavier steering at high speeds. The Wraith gets double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear suspension with electronic variable damping and air suspension.
Individual load calculations are made by the dampers every 2.5 milliseconds which makes the Rolls-Royce Wraith one of the most comfortable Rolls-Royce models currently available. Electronic driver assistance for the Wraith include anti-roll stabilisation, dynamic stability control, including dynamic traction control together with cornering brake control and dynamic brake control.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith develops 624bhp and 800Nm of torque from a 6.6 litre twin-turbo V12 with direct petrol injection. This makes it the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever! This means the Wraith will hit 62mph in just 4.6 seconds and go on to an electronically governed top speed of 155mph. The power is routed through an eight speed, automatic ZF transmission to the rear wheels.
The accelerator pedal is fitted with a feature that Rolls-Royce refer to as “multi-shift”. A sensor in the accelerator recogn
ises when the driver is fully depressing the pedal. It then moves down a few gears for optimum performance. The gearbox also makes use of a feature called “Satellite Aided Transmission” which uses GPS to determine the driver’s next moves and plan for them accordingly.
The interior is as you would expect from a Rolls-Royce. It is available to cusomise like any other Rolls-Royce. The doors feature woodern Canadel Panelling and the dials get blood orange needle tips for speedometer and power reserve gauge. For the first time outside of the Rolls-Royce Phantom range, a Starlight headliner is offered.
The Wraith features many connectivity features too. A button on the steering wheel allows navigation, telephone and other commands to be directed straight into the on board computer. This is displayed through a 10.25 inch High Definition screen mounted on the dashboard. Real Time Traffic Information is built into the on board Satellite Navigation. Through the free Rolls-Royce Connect App, a driver can send postcodes to his car.
The controller for the system, called the Spirit of Ecstasy Rotary Controller, is now a touch pad with all the simplicity you would expect. The Wraith’s on-board hard drive holds 20.5 GB of storage coupled with a 1,300 watt, 18-channel speaker system. Speakers include central bass speakers located in the boot, seven tweeters, seven mid-range and two ‘exciter’ speakers in the headliner bringing the sound sensation to ear level.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith really is the full package. Worth of the name, we can’t wait to see it tomorrow on the Geneva Motor Show 2013 show floor!


Monaco 2013 Car Show


Top Marques Monaco 2013 Highlights & Gallery

Today is the first day of Top Marques Monaco 2013 and we start this edition with a bang. Below you will find a full gallery of the annual Top Marques Motor Show on the Cote d’Azur but first we take you past some of our highlights at Top Marques Monaco 2013.
Pagani Huayra
The Pagani Huayra is mainstay at events like this. With 730hp from an incredible twin-tubocharged V12 engine, it has to be one of the greatest hypercars on the market.
Koenigsegg Hundra
We first saw the Koenigsegg Hundra at the Geneva Motor Show 2013. It features a unique green carbon exterior with a gold leaf accent. Pretty much every component is designed in house by Koenigsegg. The Hundra is based upon the Agera S and so features a 5.0 litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine pumping 1,030hp. This is your last chance to see it in Europe!
Mansory F12 Stallone
The Mansory F12 Stallone is a bit special, not least because Mansory managed to manufacture the car so quick after release! carbon fibre replacements for the entire front end, with a new bonnet design and a downforce-generating front spoiler with special air intakes. Power is 775hp from the 6.0 litre twelve- cylinder engine.
Hamann M6 Mirror
The Hamann Mirr6r BMW M6 is completely distinct from the standard BMW M6, sporting wider wings not to mention the side skirts with and air intakes to the rear spoiler, including the integrated carbon Venturi diffuser. Together with the carbon rear spoiler, the diffuser ensures optimal air flow. The diffuser incorporates two stainless steel tailpipes on the left and right-hand side. The Hamann exhaust produces a pleasant sporty sound with throttle closed and a brutal sound when the throttle is opened with a push of a button.
Ferrari 599 XX
There is a Ferrari 599 XX on display at Top Marques Monaco 2013. The 599XX produces 780hp at 9,000rpm from its specifically tuned 6.0 liter V12 engine which is mated to a semi-automatic paddle-shift transmission which can change gears in just 60ms. Consequently, the car managed to lap the Nordschliefe in just 6 minutes 58 seconds, which was later beaten by the all-conquering Pagani Zonda R.
Vencer Sarthe
Dutch company Vencer released their Sarthe supercar to the public. Vencer are one of three supercar manufacturers in attendance at the annual Monaco event. The Vencer Sarthe is built around a tubular steel frame and has a floor made ​​of an aluminum honeycomb structure. The exterior is made of carbon fiber. The weight of the two-seater is only 1,390kg with a weight distribution of 45 percent front and 55 rear. The dimensions of the supercar are 4.515 x 1.984 x 1.190mm ​and the wheelbase is 2.79 meters long.
Mazzanti Evantra
The Mazzanti Evantra is Italian designed. It is powered by a V8 engine with a displacement of 7.0 liters and a performance of figure of 701hp with 848Nm of torque. The engine is naturally apirated and propels the Mazzanti Evantra from zero to 100km/h in just 3.2 seconds. It is the second car we’ve seen from this company at this show, the first came six years ago!
Jaguar F-Type V8 S
We love the Jaguar F-Type V8 S. That exhaust note is really something special and the hadling is sublime. It features a 5.0 litre supercharged V8 with more than enough power to make it an entertaining ride. Its refreshing to see it on display here in Monaco!
ABT R8 GTR
ABT are best known for their chip tuning. The ABT R8 GTR gets a package that boosts power up to 620hp. Door panels, exterior mirrors, front spoiler, rear spoiler, rear wing, hatch door and bonnet are all new and all made from carbon fibre.
Delavilla 991 Speedster
Delavilla have bought a very unique concept to Top Marques Monaco 2013. The Delavilla 991 Speedroad is a stylised Porsche 991 Cabriolet. Essentially the car features a new removable hardback concept. It sits on top of the existing convertible rear hatch. It is a double-buble design, much like we saw with the Porsche 997 Speedster.

2016 BMW M8


Rumours: BMW M8 Supercar Coming in 2016



BMW will likely add a new model to its M-Divison by 2016. The much anticipated M8 will be a 600hp supercar built to coincide with their 100th Anniversary if it debuts in 2016. The reports come direct from M-Division boss Friedrich Nitschke who has alluded to a few cruicial details. Expect the M8 to share the same carbon fiber and aluminum components as the i8 plug-in hybrid which is due to land in 2014. The M8 will be a spiritual successor to the classic BMW M1.
Despite sharing many of its components, the powerplant fitted to the BMW M8 will be completely different from that of the i8. The i8 is expected to feature a 1.5 liter 3-cylinder set up aided by an electric motor mounted at the front axle. The i8 should produce a combined output of 349bhp and 405lb ft of torque, whereas the M8 is expected to get a 600bhp twin turbo V8 motor. Speculated performance figures suggest a 0-60mph time of just 3 seconds and a top speed of 200mph.
This latest report follows an earlier story we published back in 2010 suggesting that BMW was planning an ‘extreme super sports car’ with hybrid drive and 600hp with a hybrid combination consisting of a V10 engine from the current M5 and two electric engines. We’re told that while the technical basis for this car is ready, the developers are waiting for the green light from management to bring it to production. The new supercar was expected to be revealed by the spring of 2013.