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Mercedes Reveals SLS AMG Black Series

Just yesterday, Mercedes-Benz released a teaser on its Facebook page showing what we could only guess was the SLS AMG Black Series, and this morning our suspicions proved true as the automaker removed the tight-fitting cover. Preparing for the car's official debut at the 2012 LA Auto Show, the latest addition to the Mercedes-Benz Black Series is by far the most impressive with extensive measures taken to improve performance and reduce weight.

Underneath the SLS' long hood, AMG has reworked the engine squeezing an extra 39 horsepower from the 6.2-liter V8 raising the output to 622 hp. And even though overall torque has dropped by 11 pound-feet, acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour is quicker at 3.5 seconds. Top speed is 196 mph. The handling of the car has also been improved on all levels, including upgraded ceramic brakes with two-piece rotors (measuring 15.8-inches in the front and 14.2-inches at the rear wheels), adjustable coil over suspension, electronically controlled rear differential and a track that has been widened by almost an inch. For added rigidity, many of the body braces in the aluminum space frame have been replaced with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) helping to shed precious pounds.

At 3,417 pounds, the SLS AMG Black Series has dropped a total of 154 pounds compared to the SLS AMG GT. Some of the numbers are actually pretty significant, such as the 35.3 pounds saved with the ceramic brakes, 29.3 pounds cut thanks to using a CFRP engine-to-transmission torque tube rather than aluminum and 28.7 pounds from the titanium exhaust system. Showing AMG's determination to shed pounds, even the car's conventional battery has been replaced with a lithium-ion battery which is good for another 17.6 pounds of curb weight savings – possibly the first such application of a lithium-ion battery outside of a hybrid or electric vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz says that the styling of the SLS AMG Black Series was inspired by its GT3 racecar, and elements like the front chin spoiler, forged alloy wheels, rear diffuser and the vented side skirts and rear fascia help the car look the part. Many of the body panels are made of CFRP, including the flared front and rear fenders. This racecar styling is also applied to the interior of the Black Series with a sport steering wheel that features a red 12 o'clock marking and plenty of exposed carbon fiber. The car shown in the images above not only sports the Solar Beam paint exclusive to this car, it also features the optional AMG Aerodynamics package that gets an adjustable CFRP rear wing with aluminum uprights and front fascia flics (the little swooshy fins below the air intakes), but all of the cars get a vented hood that increases front axle downforce.

The 2014 SLS AMG Gullwing Black Series goes on sale next summer, but Mercedes has yet to announce pricing or production numbers.

News Source: AutoBlog.com

Ferrari F70 to be revealed at 2013 Detroit Auto Show in January

The Ferrari F70 is excepted to be the successor to the iconic Ferrari Enzo which was built between 2002 and 2004. So far we know that the new F70 will have a carbon fiber chassis with a Formula One style build developed by the F1 team. The chassis will be 20% lighter than the Enzo's, yet stiffer. The cars total weight should come in around 2,500 pounds. As for the engine, it will come with a mid-mounted V-12 using a state-of-the-art energy-regenerating HY-KERS unit which will be able to produce around 900 horsepower; something we would expect from the Enzo successor.

2,500 pounds and 900 horsepower, you do the math.

SLS AMG GT3

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/08/mercedes-launches-sls-amg-gt3-45th-anniversary-racecar/

McLaren P1 Revealed at Paris Motor Show

Review:

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2014-mclaren-p1-photos-and-info-news

2013 Aston Martin Vanquish

The 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish comes as a replacement to the highly successful DBS. The British manufacturer’s new top-of-the-line model will come with a 5.9-liter 12-cylinder engine. Aston Martin has been able to squeeze out 55 more horses from the V-12 to produce a total of 565 hp at 6750 rpm and 457 lb-ft of torque at 5750 rpm. Top speed will be around 183 mph and 0 to 60 mph comes in 4.1 seconds. With a steep base price of $279,995, all of these performance upgrades are very welcome.

For the transmission the Vanquish kept the ZF6HP six-speed automatic previously used in the DBS but it now shifts up to 37 percent quicker. Some people complain about the lack of a manual transmission but the sleek paddle shifters seem to get the job done much faster and more efficiently than we could.

As for the interior, the Vanquish also retains the sloping center console, swing up navigation system, and futuristic transparent gauges; the type of interior we would expect in a top of the line Aston Martin. The Aston also has an impressive new climate control system that involves two touch sensitive pads. A high end Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System fills the interior with 1,300 watts of crisp, premium sound through 15 speakers. Noise compensation technology also helps maintain a constant volume under varying road conditions and speed. The interior is also touched up with Aston’s signature unique stitching. As for the trunk, it contains an impressive 13 cubic feet of space. When it comes to sophisticated interiors, Aston Martin seems to have always led the pack.

The exterior styling of the Vanquish is completely in line with the performance upgrades it received this year. Some of the new designs implemented in this car include: The half wing shape to its taillights, the angular rear side windows, an integrated rear spoiler, and exposed carbon fiber in the front splitter, side skirts, and rear valance. Aston chose to use bixenon headlights and LED daytime running lights, which are similar to that of the other Aston Martin models. The Vanquish can either come as a two seater or in a 2+2 configuration. A Vanquish designer summed up the exterior very well: “The styling tells you to move out of the way, in a polite way.”

For the price you can easily find cars that will put up similar numbers on the track compared to the Aston Martin Vanquish; but you'd be pressed to find something that looks as good while doing it.

2012 Lexus LFA

With the success of similar cars like the Nissan GTR, Lexus has recently taken a shot at developing its own supercar, the LFA. The LFA starts at around $350,000 and reaches 60 in 3.6 seconds with its devilish launch control system. It also produces astounding numbers like 1.0g in lateral acceleration and stopping from 70 to 0 in 156 feet. The most impressive performance test this car excelled in was the slalom which is a fairly standard test done on sports cars where a car has to weave through cones set up in a straight lines and a certain distance away from each other. The faster the car can move through the slalom the better. The Lexus completed this test at 75.2 MPH, which is one of the fastest ever recorded. Then again, uniquely impressive performance should be expected from a car that costs almost $400k.

Lexus chose to use a V10 engine for the LFA for its ability to rev higher than the V8. The engine redlines at 9,000 RPM but doesn’t have a fuel cutoff set until 9,500 RPM. Lexus claims that this engine can rev from idle, to redline in 0.6 seconds, which is so fast that an analog tachometer couldn’t accurately track it so they used a digital one instead.

For its chassis it uses a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer center monocoque. According to the manufacturer, the material matches aeronautical grades and is woven by a laser monitored in a circular loom, currently one of only two in the world. This ultra light material saves approximately 220 lbs of mass over the equivalent aluminum alternative. The weight distribution of the Lexus is nearly perfect with 50.2% at the rear and 49.8% in the front combining to a total weight of around 3,300 lbs.

With its 5.0 Liter V10 producing up to 500 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque the LFA is able to reach speeds of over 200 MPH. This power plant gives the LFA a weight-to-power ratio of an astonishing 5.9 lbs per horsepower.

The LFA uses a 6-Speed Automated Sequential Gearbox, which can be operated with paddle shifters, mounted on the steering column. The driver can also choose between four modes: auto, normal, sport, and wet. In sport mode the LFA can complete shift times in 200 ms; these lightning fast shifts are what allow quarter mile times of 11.6 seconds.

In the end this is Lexus’ first attempt at creating a genuine super car. Their idea was to bring something completely unique to the table with exceptional performance, and with the LFA, they did just that.

Porsche 918 Spyder - 210 Miles per hour and 72 Miles per gallon

0 – 60 in 2.8 seconds and twice the fuel efficiency of your Honda civic; Porsche has recently confirmed production on its new wicked concept the 918 Spyder.

To achieve these super car numbers with far better than Prius fuel efficiency takes some extremely futuristic technology. For the main engine it uses a 4.6 Liter V-8 that produces over 580 horsepower, but this is also accompanied by three lithium ion powered electric motors that together, can produce 280 horsepower. To save fuel, the Porsche uses only the electric motors when the car is coasting or cruising.

The 918 was intelligently developed with four different running modes: E-Drive is the electric only mode that has a range of 20 miles and uses only the battery powered motor. Hybrid mode uses a combination of the two but maximizes the efficiency of using the electric motors. Sport mode, which harnesses more of the power from the V-8, provides a more sporty combination of the motors. Lastly, the most aggressive mode is Race. In Race mode a “push-to-pass” button is available which when pressed delivers additional electric power from the lithium-ion batteries, similar to a nitrous boost. In this mode the 918 can reach a top speed of 210 MPH but at that speed, forget about your 78 MPG.

The chassis of the 918 is a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic monocoque. It uses extremely lightweight aluminum and magnesium to keep its weight down to 3,300 lbs.

You were probably looking at the pictures of the 918 and wondering; “where are its mirrors?” Well another cool feature of the 918 is that instead of mirrors it uses cameras. This helps reduce drag as well as being really cool. The side view cameras are linked to displays on the dashboard of the car which also gives you important information like engine usage and climate control.

This car is Porsche’s attempt to compete with its Italian counter-parts in the extreme super car market, going up against cars like the Bugatti Veyron and Lamborghini Sesto Elemento; and at a price of around a million dollars it fits right in. With the 918, Porsche is also trying to reach an untapped market that consists of the performance oriented dual-source power hybrids. This is currently the only car in the world that can produce these types of numbers at such high fuel efficiency.

Porsche has taken a long time building this concept and we are just starting to see some 918 test cars covered in camouflage racing around the track. But soon this concept will be a reality, and the select few who were lucky enough to purchase one will have bought one of the most technologically advanced cars on the planet.

If Money Was No Object - Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento is one of the most extraordinary supercar concepts out right now. With only 20 of these cars being produced, a price tag of 2.2 million is not unexpected, but neither is a 0 – 62 time of 2.5 seconds. The Sesto Elemento includes a 570 HP V10 with an amazing power to weight ratio of 1.75 kilograms per horsepower. It is also possibly the most aerodynamic car ever built.

The President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini said “The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento shows how the future of super sports car can look – extreme lightweight engineering, combined with extreme performance results in extreme driving fun.”

With a curb weight of 2,202 lbs, an all-wheel drive system, and a V10, it is understandable why this car is able to produce such incredible numbers. Almost the entire car uses carbon fiber material which is why this is the lightest sports car in the world. To put it in perspective, this weighs about half as much as a CLS63 AMG. The Sesto Elemento uses a 6 speed transmission with paddle shifters on the steering column that set off shifts faster than you can release the paddle.

Putting the Bat Mobile to shame seems to be what the car does best. If you are somebody who just made a phone call to your personal assistant to write a check for 2.2 million dollars to Lamborghini though, I’m sorry to inform that all 20 units have already been sold.

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