First drive: 2015 Porsche Boxster Spyder

Less weight, more power, bonkers roof. Jason Barlow takes a drive in the Fifties-inspired roadster

Another new Porsche?

Yes, and if we were being immediately judgemental we might write the Boxster Spyder off as the Californian poser's Porsche.

On the other hand, this is the one that references the beautiful 1953 550 Spyder, while the double bubble - streamliners, in Porsche parlance - behind the headrests is a nod to the 1960s 718 Spyder. Roof off, you've got to admit, it's a serious looker.

And how do you get the roof off?

By hand. In a world of instant gratification, it's actually quite refreshing to do a bit of manual labour. In any case, the new Spyder's roof is almost as ingenious as the one on the latest 911 Targa.

A button on the centre console releases it by the windscreen header, you get out - sorry about that, traffic light show-offs - detach the end ‘fins' on the rear lid and clip them into little apertures, open the rear lid, stow hood, close cover flaps...

It's easier and faster than it sounds, honest.

I'll take your word for it.

Thanks. For some reason, the Spyder instantly feels more special than the regular Boxster. It's also only available with a six-speed manual gearbox, so it's a bit like plonking the needle down on a vinyl record as opposed to streaming or wrapping your ears round some horrible compressed MP3 file.

We don't want to wheel out the ‘analogue' cliche, but Porsche reckons that, following the Cayman GT4 and 911 GT3 RS, 2015 is the year of the ‘rigorous' Porsche.

Is it?

Well the Spyder's certainly got the tools, though it's worth pointing out that Porsche's Motorsport arm has had nothing to do with it, and it contains none of their fancy unobtanium.

Never mind. Porsche has become adept at mixing and matching different bits from its vast armoury so, like the Cayman GT4, the Spyder uses the 3.8-litre direct injection six-cylinder from the 911 Carrera S.

In this guise, it produces 370bhp at 6700rpm, 45 more than the Boxster GTS, and there are 37 more torques at 309lb ft overall. It'll do 180mph - with the roof up - and accelerate to 62mph in 4.5 seconds.

The combined fuel consumption figure is 28.5mpg. Bracing stuff.

Has it lost weight?

Of course. The Spyder weighs 1315kg, 30 less then the GTS, and if you want air con or an audio system you have to raid the options list (the air con weighs 9kg, fact fans).

That swooping rear lid is made of aluminium, and the hood has an unheated polymer rear window. The seats are skinny bucket jobs, there's less sound insulation, and you open the doors using straps rather than handles.

All good for a late-night blast up California's Highway One, but with the mercury pushing 40 degrees centigrade on our Italian test drive, we'd live with the air con's extra bulk.

What's it like to drive?

It's fantastic. The Spyder gets Porsche's ‘Sport Chrono' package as standard, and has dynamic transmission mounts for extra stability as you fang through a corner.

The rear wheels are wider (at 10.5in), it sits 20mm lower, and there's a mechanical differential and torque vectoring. The fully electric steering is borrowed from the 911 Turbo, and turns in with more intensity than lesser Boxsters.

It also brakes with more ferocity: there are 340mm diameter front discs, and the overall set-up is from the 911 Carrera S. It has sublime feel.

Is it a proper modern Clubsport?

Not quite, depending on your interpretation of that classic Porsche idiom, but it's pretty hard to fault overall.

Nothing sounds like a Porsche and while it doesn't have the induction roar of a 911, the Boxster Spyder has its own distinctive soundtrack. There's a fantastic burble and crackle on the over-run from the exhaust, and the engine piles on the revs in a sonorous, addictive flow.

You might want to cut that short by changing gear every now and then, because the (shorter) shift action is about as good as it gets. And even on 20-inch rims the Spyder rides beautifully, too.

Turn all the electronics off and push really hard and you can unstick it, but it's so well balanced that any impending waywardness is well flagged up. An Olympic-level nitpicker might possibly suggest that it's almost too compliant, and could do with being a teensy bit stiffer, but hey, it's not a track day car.

How much does it cost?

It's not a bargain -£60,459 before options. But it's destined to be a rare car, and if its predecessor is anything to go by, a good investment, too. Porsche only made 2000 of those, and they're appreciating assets.

No word on the production run this time out, but when everyone's tooling about in automonous EVs in 30 years' time, and downloading information directly to their cerebrum, this'll remain a reminder of what a world class driver's car really feels like.

Source: topgear

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Dodge Should Sell 12,000+ Hellcat Challengers, Chargers through 2016

Based on the recent news that the Dodge brand is planning to substantially increase production of the Hellcat Hemi in 2016, it is very realistic to believe that the company could sell upwards of 10,000 examples of the 707 horsepower Challenger and Charger.

In a piece from earlier this week in Automotive News, Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis stated that the company has already sold 4,000 Challengers and Chargers this year with the 707 horsepower Hellcat Hemi. He also explained that the company is continuing to build the Hellcat Challenger and Hellcat Charger as they work through the massive backlog of orders from the first few months of this year, so the final number of 2015 Hellcat models built should comfortably reach 5,000 units this year.

Finally, the Dodge boss stated that they are planning to build substantially more Hellcat engines in 2016, leading me to believe that they will sell at least a comparable number of Hellcat Challengers and Chargers in 2016, so it seems very realistic to believe that there will be more than 12,000 Hellcat Challengers and Chargers sold during the first two model years of the legendary muscle car and sport sedan.

Mind you, when these 707 horsepower beasts were unveiled last year, some people insisted that Dodge would only build 1,200 units while others foolishly insisted that there wasn’t much of a market for a pair of 707 horsepower cars that cost under $65,000.

2015 Production Estimates
Other than a single day in the middle of June, the Chrysler Group hasn’t accepted new orders for the Hellcat Challenger or Hellcat Charger for months. The decision to close the order banks for both of the Hellcat cars came after the company allegedly received more than 9,000 orders for the Challenger or Charger with the 707 horsepower supercharged Hemi. Around the time that the order banks were closed, there was a recall of the cars with the Hellcat Hemi engine to fix a fuel line issue and at that point, just north of 2,200 vehicles had been built and delivered.

That recall came in early March, so we knew that after the first two months of the year and the final few months of 2014 when production was first ramping up, so we know that in the first six or so months of production, the company built and sold 2,211 units. Based on Kuniskis’ comments with Automotive News, we know that another 1,800 or so Hellcat cars have been sold between that early March recall and now, so over the past four months, the company has built (or at least delivered) around 450 Hellcat cars per month.

Even though Chrysler has allegedly received more than 9,000 orders for the 2015 model year Challenger and Charger, it seems unlikely that the rate of 450 Hellcat cars per month would continue throughout the rest of the year. At that rate, we would see another 2,700 Challengers and Chargers built with the 707 horsepower engine and that would add up to almost 7,000 Hellcat cars in 2015. That seems unlikely based on the fact that the company has already been forced to increase production plans twice this year, but even at a rate of 300 Hellcat cars per month – we could see close to 6,000 Hellcat Challengers and Chargers built and delivered during the 2015 calendar year. However, for the sake of discussion, we can expect to see at least 5,000 Hellcat cars sold in 2015.

2016 Production with Substantial Increases
Even if production of the Hellcat Challenger and Hellcat Charger are held to just 5,000 units throughout the rest of 2015, a substantial increase for 2016 should at least account for an increase of 40% - and 7,000 Hellcat cars sold in 2016 would lead to right around 12,000 Hellcat cars sold in the first two model years.

That is 12,000 examples of the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger with a 707 horsepower supercharged V8 – a package which critics didn’t believe would sell very well.

                                                          Source: www.torquenews.com

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First Drive: 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB

Crack open the throttle of the new 488 GTB and it lunges forward with stomach-churning ferocity and almost no hesitation between right-footing and hotfooting.

Though it may result in fewer parking-lot fistfights, the turbocharged versus naturally aspirated argument is as tribal as Mustang versus Camaro. There's a line in the sand, and the "no replacement" faction doesn't take kindly to defectors. The rev counter in the new 488 GTB is those purists' greatest fear: a 10,000-rpm readout with a red dash at eight grand, a full 1000 rpm earlier than the outgoing, all-motor 458 Italia. Ferrari, a company that hangs its Borsalino on engine craft, ditching heady atmospheric V-8s in favor of smaller, forced-induction lumps? Maybe there'll be some action in the parking lot after all.

Here's the thing, though: Some of the greatest Ferraris featured forced induction. Cars like the F40 and the car to which it owes its existence, the 1984–1987 288 GTO. The Gran Turismo Omologato nameplate is just as steeped in Ferrari lore as wailing, naturally aspirated eights and twelves.

While the GTO wasn't Maranello's first boosted mid-engine road car, it's the first one you should care about. Back in 1982, in the midst of F1's dalliance with turbocharging, Ferrari bolted a turbo to its home-market 208 GTB, upgrading an emasculated 2.0-liter V-8 from a pathetic 153 hp to a respectable 217 hp. It's worth acknowledging the correlation between the 208 GTB Turbo and today's 488. But the technology available at the time meant delivering big power from a relatively small V-8 couldn't be done without massive lag.

Now it can. Crack open the throttle of the new 488 GTB and it lunges forward with stomach-churning ferocity and almost no hesitation between right-footing and hotfooting. It wouldn't be true to say there's zero lag—that'll come within the next five years when Ferrari starts electrically spooling its turbochargers. But the delay between asking for power and full boost is so small that on a graph Ferrari showed, the 488 is making the next gearchange while a McLaren 650S is still waiting for the torque tsunami.

The 488 GTB's 3.9-liter engine shares its aluminum block, but little else, with the California T. The heads, pistons, crank, and rods are new, and the turbo technology goes much further in eliminating off-boost torpor. The California T minimizes lag with twin-scroll turbos and expensive, three-piece, equal-length exhaust manifolds. But the 488's turbines—made by IHI—feature ball bearings and titanium-aluminum compressor wheels for reduced friction. An abradable seal between the wheel and the housing maximizes efficiency.

The result is 660 hp at 8000 rpm, up from the California T's 552 hp and the 562 hp produced by the outgoing 458 Italia. Impressive, but look at the torque: The Italia phoned it in below 6000 rpm, where its 398-lb-ft peak was achieved. The 488 makes 41 percent more twist at half the crank speed. And it transforms the way this 488 drives.

Where once you needed second gear for switchbacks, now third or even fourth will do. Instead of dropping two cogs to wake the motor for that impromptu overtake, you can do it with one. Or none. And all that despite the engine's full 561 lb-ft of torque being available only in seventh gear. As on the California T, Ferrari has tailored boost curves for each gear. So in seventh, you get a torque curve as tall and wide as possible for freeway passing. In the lower ratios, boost is artificially restricted at low revs to avoid the dull blare so many blown engines emit and to mimic the character of a naturally aspirated engine, encouraging you to chase the redline.

Drive a 488 as hard as you dare, then tell me it's not exciting enough. I'll look you straight in your dead eyes and call you a liar. This thing is intoxicating, and the responsiveness only makes it more engaging. Waiting an eternity to spool up and then being hurled forward like you've been rear-ended by a semi is base-level fun, but it also removes the connection between man and machine. And when you're slithering sideways through an epically fast left-hander at Fiorano, deep into fifth gear and wondering whether to feed in another inch of throttle, that relationship is kind of handy.

Still, something nags. It isn't that this engine sounds less sexy than the 458's (true). Or that design director Flavio Manzoni's revised bodywork trades delicacy for drama as it cleverly integrates the blow-through rear spoiler, active diffuser, and double-height front splitter that help improve downforce by 50 percent.

No, it's more a philosophical musing. Every time engineers opened their mouths during the technical briefing, it was to explain how they've minimized unwanted side effects of turbocharging, to explain the lengths they went to make this feel like a naturally aspirated engine. The 3.9-liter is incredible, but is it what Ferrari would've built if CO2 targets hadn't forced its hand? Did any of them really want artificial aspiration over natural? No one is saying, but I'm convinced the answer is no.

Later, Matteo Lanzavecchia, head of vehicle testing and development, told me to look at it another way. "If we'd stayed with a naturally aspirated engine, we might have pushed to 610 hp, but there's no way we could have delivered 660 hp, and certainly not this much torque. Even without the pressure to meet emissions targets, we would have had to switch to turbocharging to meet our performance goals."

Those goals include beating the track-focused 458 Speciale's 1:23.5 Fiorano lap time, which the 488 GTB does by a half second, making it two seconds quicker than the base 458 Italia. Acceleration to 62 mph requires the same 3.0 seconds as the Speciale, but when the GTB hits 124 mph at the 8.3-second mark, the Speciale is almost a second adrift. The Italia can't get out of the 10s.

At a claimed 3252 pounds, the 488 is 22 pounds lighter than the Italia but 177 pounds heavier than the Speciale. The tires, downgraded from the track car's supersticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cups to regular Pilot Sports, sacrifice some outright grip for better wet- and cold-weather performance. There's a little more understeer than in the Speciale, but a little less than in the regular 458. More steering precision and a touch more weight, too. The carbon-ceramic brakes, lifted from the LaFerrari, feel fantastically strong and progressive underfoot. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission upshifts 30 percent faster, downshifts 40 percent faster, and now accepts commands for multiple downshifts. I miss three pedals as much as the next guy, but this is an astonishingly good transmission.

Dynamically, though, the biggest change between the 458 series and this 488 is the magnetorheological dampers. They're now looped into the second-generation stability-control system. No mid-engine car with this much power has any right making it so easy to drive far beyond the tires' natural limits. The compliance of the GTB—arguably the single greatest trait of any modern Ferrari—is staggering. Whatever the road, however bad the surface, you know you can keep the hammer down and make every single horse count. That never comes at the expense of body control—the 488 GTB's stiffer springs and revised shocks clamp down on rock and roll harder than John Lithgow in Footloose.

I have to admit, I missed extracting those last 1000 revs on track, and the noise that accompanied it. And I suspect Speciale values will go stratospheric in coming years as it takes its place as the last of a pure breed. On balance, though, the 488 is so much better than the car it replaces. Faster and more flattering and talented over a much broader spectrum, it's more fun more of the time. When the 288 and F40 died, so did the turbocharged Ferrari—left to look like a curio, a technical dead end. But, even at 8000 rpm, the 488 GTB proves it is anything but.

                                                           Source: www.roadandtrack.com

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Report: Mazda Won't Build More Powerful Miata

155 horsepower is enough, says the company. That means no Mazdaspeed MX-5 is likely. Luckily, the standard Miata is great as-is.

Now here’s a report from Top Gear that, first of all, has nothing to do with a loud, belligerent ex–TV-show presenter but that still has us torn. Pertaining to the all-new Mazda MX-5 Miata sports car, which already is a staff favorite here at Car and Driver, the crew over at Top Gear uncovered that there is not, in fact, a faster version of the two-seat roadster in the works. With rumors swirling of a spicy Mazdaspeed-branded Mazda 3, the news is surprising, to say the least.

On the one hand, we’d never argue against a fine-driving car like the Miata getting more power; on the other hand, you have to admire Mazda’s ballsy fixation on getting the Miata’s driving experience just right, even if that means selling a car with just 155 horsepower in a world prowled by Hellcats and Veyrons. Apparently, Nobuhiro Yamamoto, the program manager for the 2016 MX-5 Miata, agrees with the latter sentiment, telling Top Gear at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that his plucky little sports car isn’t about performance numbers at all. In Yamamoto’s words, “What’s very important to me is the feeling, and that you are happy driving it. I don’t want any more power or torque for the MX-5, but the sensation is important.”

You can read Yamamoto’s full statement over at TG, but the gist is that a higher-performance Miata, much like the turbocharged Mazdaspeed Miata sold from 2004–05, comes saddled with too many compromises to the basic Miata ethos to pass muster today. Add power, and the balance of the car’s power and handling shifts; add power, and the price goes up; add power, and you stray away from the lighthearted, fun roadster concept. For now, the Miata will remain exactly what it wants to be, something we’re very okay with. We should also point out that Yamamoto missed one key point in his remarks to TG: The current Miata, despite its meager power, is the quickest ever, hitting 60 mph in 5.9 seconds in our testing thanks largely to its low curb weight. If you want more, perhaps try sticking it out for the next-generation Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S, which assuredly will pack more than 155 ponies and are rumored to be developed on MX-5 bones.

Source: Car and Driver

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Honda Civic Type R Engine: So Powerful, They Had to Build It in America

The 2015 Honda Civic Type R isn't going on sale in the U.S. market, but its brutish 306-hp turbo 2.0-liter engine is built in Ohio.

So, the 2015 Honda Civic Type R is an absolute barnstormer, a 306-hp hot hatch that obliterated the Nürburgring lap record for front-drive vehicles with a 7:50.6 blast in a preproduction example. The bad news is, we won’t get it here in the U.S. But the heart of every European-market Type R will beat to the tune of the Star Spangled Banner: Honda will build the 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo VTEC four-cylinder engine right here in the U.S. of A.

That’s right—while the 2015 Civic Type R will never be available in the U.S. market, the hot hatch’s mighty motor will be built at Honda’s Anna Engine Plant in Sidney, Ohio. The finished turbocharged powerplants will then be crated up and exported to Europe, where each will be mated to a six speed manual transmission (the only gearbox available, praise Honda) and slapped between the strut towers of the rip-snorting little hatchback.

Why go through the logistical struggles of building the engine in a market where it’ll never be sold? Well, while this current-generation Civic Type R is not destined for U.S. shores, Honda has confirmed that the next-gen Type R, due out in 2018, will be sold here in America. And we have reason to believe that it will almost certainly be powered by a version of the Ohio-built 2.0-liter turbo engine.

Of course, we like to think that Honda’s weapons-grade, 153-hp-per-liter baby brute of a four-cylinder was just too powerful to be built on European soil. Must be a clause in the Geneva convention. At any rate, we can’t wait for this peach of a powerplant to show up on the U.S. market. In the current Euro-only Type R, it’s a charming little brute.

Source:  Car and Driver

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First Look: The 503-hp, BMW-hunting 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia

To all the M3, C63, S4, ATS-V, and CTS-V owners out there, the Italians are bringing 503 hp in a 3300-lb sedan with what they claim is a chassis to top yours.

Does anyone do drama like the Italians? It wasn't enough to just to unveil the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio with the bit of disorganization that can come with debuts in Italy. They also trotted out famed tenor Andrea Bocelli, who sang "Nessun Dorma" from Giacomo Puccini's Turandot. This threatened to bring a tear to the eyes of hardened journalists just as the car was driven out for the first time.

It's been two decades since Alfa Romeo halted sedan sales in the U.S. and about a half decade since work began on the new Giulia. Designs were rejected, the project rebooted and placed in the hands of so-called "Skunks," a reminder of Lockheed Martin's seven decades of behind-the-scenes toil in its Skunk Works.

Where most automakers debut a new model in its base form and later add the performance versions, Alfa is doing the opposite, leading with its hero version sporting that Quadrifoglio moniker.

Here are a half-dozen things you need to know about this anti-BMW, anti-Mercedes, anti-Audi, and anti-Cadillac:

The engine and its enemies

How's this for heritage? Ferrari tuned, but didn't supply,the Quadrifoglio's all-aluminum, 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. Alfa is claiming 510 metric hp, which translates to 503 (SAE) hp in the U.S. We did not get a torque number, but Alfa contends there's enough oomph to get the sedan to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds. Also in the package is cylinder deactivation to improve fuel mileage and a nicely nasty exhaust note.

The enemies, according to Alfa Romeo? The BMW M3 with its 425-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six (good for 0–60 mph in 3.9 seconds); the Mercedes-AMG C63 S with its 503-hp, 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 (0–60 mph in 3.9 seconds); and the Audi S4, making 333 hp from a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 (0–60 mph in 4.9 seconds).

And an American pair apparently ignored by Alfa Romeo: The Cadillac ATS-V with its 464-hp, 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 (0–60 mph in 3.8 seconds), and its larger sibling, the CTS-V with a 640-hp, supercharged 6.2-liter V8 (0–60 mph in 3.7 seconds).

We received no information about the Quadrifoglio's gearbox, but the show cars appeared to have six-speed manuals. If an automatic is not offered in the U.S., though, consider that a self-inflicted wound on Alfa's part.

There will be other engines to go with the standard Giulia: In the U.S., we'll see a four-cylinder and a 3.0-liter non-turbo V6.

Shape, style, and carbon fiber

In this class, aggression often replaces beauty, and the Giulia Quadrifoglio is no exception. Note the short overhangs front and rear and the BMW M3-ish outlets on the front fenders, which exaggerate the aggression further.

Naturally, the design leads with a version of the classic Alfa grille, flanked by broad-mouth openings. Below the grille is an active-aero lip spoiler, along the sides are aggressive sills, and the trunk is capped with a decklid spoiler. Below the bumper are a diffuser and four exhaust pipes. We expect most of these design elements will not be on the standard Giulias.

While the fenders and doors are made of aluminum, the hood, roof, and prop shaft are done in carbon fiber—all the better to trim weight.

Inside story

We weren't allowed inside the Alfas with their darkened windows, but thanks to the wonders of digital photography and 52,000 ISO we got a look. It appears to be very much a driver's design, with well-hooded instruments and proper knobs for most controls. Several controls are on the steering wheel, including the start button, a la F1. The seats appear to have carbon fiber shells and proper side bolstering. We're told interior materials include carbon fiber, wood and fabrics.

Gripping the ground

A performance Alfa ain't an Alfa if doesn't handle properly. The Giulia Quadrifoglio has 50/50 weight distribution and is claimed to be better than the competition in torsional rigidity. At the front is a double wishbone suspension and what Alfa calls a "semi-virtual steering axis"—which is claimed to improve steering by keeping a constant caster trail while cornering. At the back is a multi-link design, both ends using major aluminum elements.

Another part of the handling package is torque vectoring via a pair of clutches that mete out torque to the wheels individually. Also included is an Integrated Brake System and overall control from the wonderfully named Chassis Domain Control. One of those center console knobs allows the driver to choose between Dynamic, Natural, Advanced Efficient (i.e. eco-friendly), and Racing modes.

Carbon-ceramic brakes ride inside 19-inch wheels mounted with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires.

What's in a name?

Considering most Americans are used to seeing Giulia as Julia, that's one the automaker can easily spell out for them. But Giulia is simple compared to Quadrifoglio, which is roughly "kwah-drih-FOH-lee-oh." That is, incidentally, the four-leaf clover emblem worn by Alfas since the 1923 Targa Florio. We sometimes despair that alphanumeric names have replaced actual names, but at least M3, C63, and ATS-V are pronounced about the same from Kennebunkport, Maine to Beaverton, Oregon. But Quadrifoglio? Lots of luck, Alfa.

It will be interesting to see if the names Alfa Romeo, Giulia, and Quadrifoglio register in the U.S. or if the marque's highly regarded history will mean anything in 2016. Alfas have long been major players in the vintage scene, with many owners and fans pledging allegiance to the brand. That's a starting point, but will it be enough?

Why?

Last year, Alfa Romeo sold around 74,000 cars worldwide, but FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne plans to sell some 400,000 annually by 2018. The U.S. is supposed to contribute 150,000 sales to that 2018 total. Helping will be another eight Alfa models to be launched by that deadline. Expect a full lineup of small and large vehicles, plus, of course, an SUV.

That offensive begins with the Giulia, and one has to admire Marchionne's confidence as he marches ahead with Alfa Romeo as a lead brand for FCA.

Expect Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglios in dealerships in early 2016. Prices are unknown, but the BMW M3 starts at $62,995 and you can easily pump one over $70,000. Would you pay that amount for the distinction of parking your Alfa Quadrifoglio next to an M3 or a C63 at cars and coffee?

                                                             Source: www.roadandtrack.com

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Bugatti's next supercar could be a 1360-hp hybrid

VW Group Chairman Martin Winterkorn tells a German tabloid that Bugatti's next hypercar will have a W16 engine plus hybrid boost.

The upcoming Bugatti Chiron, likely to be the fastest supercar in the world, will be available with a hybrid powertrain on top of a regular powertrain with a gasoline engine. The confirmation came from none other than VW Group chairman Martin Winterkorn in an interview with the German tabloid Bild am Sonntag. The lengthy interview was supposed to underline Winterkorn's visionary qualities, which had been questioned by former supervisory board chief Ferdinand Piëch during the brief power struggle for control of the Group that ended in May.

Winterkorn said that the hybrid version will improve performance, thus hinting that reduced consumption is not the driving force behind adding batteries and electric propulsion system to the W-16–powered Veyron successor. At the Vienna engine symposium last month, VW executives confirmed that the Group would continue building W-16 engines. The Chiron is expected to make at least 1360 horsepower, but even more is possible.

The Chiron variant will join the sold-out Porsche 918 Spyder, the Ferrari LaFerrari, and the McLaren P1among this era's hybridized hypercar crowd.

As for what else is shaking at Bugatti, the ultra-powerful Galibier high-performance sedan remains on ice after the design department was unable to provide an aesthetically pleasing solution to packaging a front-mounted W-16 engine. But the project is not entirely dead. Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer has hinted that the car could be revisited down the road.

                                                      Source :Car and Driver

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This mid-engine speedster is the original Ford Mustang

The original Mustang wasn't a V8 pony car. It was this mid-engine two-seat concept from 1962, with a four-cylinder engine and no roof.

The Ford Mustang name is synonymous with a very specific type of car: V8 engine up front, oft-spinning tires out back, four seats in the middle. Even people who don't give two hoots about cars can recognize a Mustang.

This isn't always how things were, though. Ford's first use of the Mustang name wasn't for a pony car—it was for this mid-engine speedster powered by a V4 engine.

If you've visited the Henry Ford Museum, you've probably ogled this fantastic Mustang I concept car from 1962. It's an amazing piece of early-60s car design: Low, sleek, with enough aerodynamic flair to look like a land-based spaceship.

If you haven't, or if you're just anxious to learn a little more about the delightfully unconventional concept whose name went on to practically define the conventional pony car, here's Ford historian Matt Anderson to tell you more.

                                                                   Source: www.roadandtrack.com

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This is the 2015 Shelby GT

We caught Shelby American's new Mustang GT package in Cali.

Sometimes, you get lucky. This is one of those times. What you're looking at, friends, is the heretofore-unseen 2015 Shelby GT, Shelby American's upgrade package for the new Ford Mustang. 

Chris Cantle is currently on the launch event for the new Ducati Scrambler in Palm Springs, and while out riding this evening, he happened upon the new Shelby-fettled pony as it strutted its stuff for a BF Goodrich TV-commercial shoot. 

As before, the Shelby GT package includes a laundry list of appearance, interior, suspension, and performance upgrades, including a 627-hp blower kit. 

This new power-dome hood is the business—well worth considering on its own if you buy a '15 Stang. Also, note how different the car looks with the silver grilles. It's more detailed...better, IMO.

It won't come cheap; pricing starts at $39,995 for the package, not including the new Mustang GT you need to supply as well. 

                                                                                        Source: www.roadandtrack.com

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