Tired of the old Porsche Boxster that looks like the Toyota MR-S? Well, this all new Boxster S Black Edition breaks the mold.

Black is beauty. This two-seater open-roof car combines the appeal of a powerful engine and dramatic styling.

To be launched on March 2011 with only 987 available worldwide, this Boxster lives accordingly with its name. The rear side intake grilles as well as the twin tailpipe are painted in black. The door entry is in stainless steel which adds a classier feel on the car. The interior is still stylish in black. The steering wheel, dashboard, shift lever or gear selector, the dials on the instrument cluster as well as the partial leather seats are all in black.

It has a 3.4-litre six-cylinder engine with direct fuel injection for greater power and efficiency. Its output is 320 hp. The revised engine reaches its rated power at 7,200 rpm. Peak torque of 370 Nm – boosted by 10 Newton meters – is available at 4,750 rpm. With its standard six-speed manual transmission, it accelerates from 0-62 mph in 5.2 seconds. This extra performance has not been achieved at the expense of fuel economy, however, for the Porsche Boxster S Black Edition contents itself with as much fuel as the Boxster S: 28.8 mpg Combined (NEDC).

On the recent Autosport International Racing Car Show, with their first carbon bodied production, Noble M600, was completed and shown with great critical acclaim. The Noble M600 is powered by a twin-turbo 4.4-liter Yamaha V8 engine with an output of 650 hp at 6800 rpm and 640 lb-ft of torque at 3800 rpm. It has a mid, longitudinal engine, rear-wheel-drive architecture and is equipped with a Graziano 6-speed manual transmission.

The Noble M600 measures 4360 mm in length, has a 2540 mm wheelbase and a 1578 mm wide track with a total weight of 1250 kg. It also has a power-to-weight ratio of 520 hp per tonne. The Noble M600 has an officially rated top speed of 225 mph and a 0-120 mph acceleration time of 8.9 seconds. It is built on a tubular space frame chassis with stainless steel tubes and a carbon fiber composite body. It promises good handling and control because of the power assisted rack and pinion steering wheel. The Noble M600 uses Alcon brakes with 380 mm discs and six piston calipers in the front and 350 mm discs and four piston calipers in the rear.

The supercar’s appearance maintains a slender and contoured shape that doesn’t scream for attention every time you look at it. It’s not that Noble copied design from other supercars, but on first glance, the M600 do have a few similarities. It’s just evidence that Noble used their competitors as an inspiration in developing a supercar.

To celebrate its 125th birthday, Daimler Benz unveiled a very artistic sculpture called the Aesthetics 125 that delivers the message that cars are not just soul-less machines but it gives riders enormous joy. It is called Aesthetics because of the philosophy that the Mercedes Benz design is an art.

The 125th anniversary is the start of a new era for Mercedes Benz. The Aesthetics 125 is actually a sample or a preview of the company’s future design language, a future in which they are rapidly growing greener and moving fast towards electric cars. The model was made by the Mercedes designers using the innovative rapid-prototyping technology, which enables digital data to be transferred directly to a design object. The technology works with various materials and applies them in fine layers so that no waste material is produced when a sculpture is created. Aesthetics 125′ is designed to preview the future styling language of Mercedes-Benz. It combines elements of an automobile’s interior and exterior by means of sweeping, almost soaring shape transitions.

To compliment the sculpture and provide additional celebration for the anniversary, Mercedes-Benz is also going on a 125 day world tour to show off their fuel-cell powered vehicles. The Aesthetics 125 shows the level of technological sophistication available today while hinting at the design language of tomorrow.

The newest version of the Ferrari California, dubbed as RACE 606, has a top speed of 201.95 mph, propelled by a 606 hp supercharged engine. Its performance is indeed impressive being able to reach 62 mph from 0 in less than 3.8 seconds.

Another impressive feature about this car is its aerodynamic design. With this level of performance, it is understandable why the designers of the RACE 606 had to develop body components that could reduce lift to optimize stability at high speeds. The front and rear spoilers not only complete the racing look of this car, they also contribute to the car’s stability.

The RACE 606 suspension system is also impressive. The racing springs drops the car’s height by 35 mm. In order to make the car suitable for every day use, the hydraulic front lift system raises the car by 40mm to navigate speed bumps and other obstacles. This system is activated with a single push of a button and the car can revert to its original position with another push of the button or when the car reaches a speed of 80 km/h.

Customers of the RACE 606 have the option to customize the interior of the car in any desired color. The carbon-fiber elements can be requested to match the exterior of the car.

Read more…

The McLaren MP4-12C is the first in a range of high performance sports cars from the home of the world’s most successful racing car company. It is set to re-write the rules of sports car design through Formula-1 inspired engineering, revolutionary chassis architecture, and absolute focus on efficiency.

McLaren pioneered the use of carbon composite construction in the 1981 Formula 1 MP4/1 model and set a trend that all Formula 1 teams have followed. On 1993, the company brought carbon fiber to road cars for the first time with the McLaren F1, and based on this, they built a carbon fiber chassis and body on the SLR manufactured on the same high standards.

Inside this McLaren is the Carbon Monocell. This 12C Monocell is unique in its class by offering carbon technology. It introduces the advantages of carbon composite – light weight, high strength and torsion rigidity, and longevity – through a more affordable sector as a one-piece molding. It has been designed to allow a much narrower structure overall which in turn contributes to a more compact car that is easier to position on the road and more rewarding to drive.

Why MP4-12C? MP4 stands for McLaren Project 4, resulting from the merger of Ron Dennis’ Project 4 organization with McLaren. The ’12′ refers to McLaren’s internal Vehicle Performance Index through which it rates key performance criteria both for competitors and for its own cars. And the ‘C’ refers to Carbon, highlighting the unique application of carbon fiber technology to the future range of McLaren sports cars.

Read more…