Hot Cars

2007 Aston Martin Vanquish S V12

The fastest production model ever to be built by Aston Martin made its world debut at the 2004 Paris Motor Show.

With a maximum speed in excess of 200 mph (321 km/h) and a 6.0 liter V12 engine developing 520 horsepower, the Vanquish S has been designed to deliver even greater performance, complemented by subtle suspension and steering changes and a number of interior and external style revisions.

The Vanquish S has received subtle but effective changes to complement its elegant muscular body. The famous Aston Martin grille has a new rounded and more open appearance for better cooling, and an aerodynamic splitter improves high-speed stability.

At the rear, a redesigned boot lid featuring a new high mounted stop lamp reduces lift and improves balance and stability, helping to achieve an impressive Cd figure of 0.32.

These differences on the Vanquish S not only improve the appearance but also enhance performance. All the exterior body panels are constructed from aluminum with each individual panel hand tailored to the central structure to ensure a perfect panel fit. Every carefully detailed feature provides graphic evidence of the painstaking craftsmanship and quality, which is invested in its construction at Aston Martin’s Newport Pagnell site in Buckinghamshire.

Revised steering geometry provides a 20% quicker response, allowing the driver to apply a reduced input for required steering response. This enables the driver to be more precise with inputs - especially on winding roads - and more accurate feedback from the chassis.

The Sports Dynamics suspension, steering and braking package is now standard on the Vanquish S. This includes stiffer springs and dampers and shorter steering arms.

Further development of Aston Martin’s low emissions, all alloy, quad-overhead camshaft, 48 valve, 6.0-liter V12 engine has generated an increase in power from 460 bhp to 520 bhp at 7000 rpm and torque is boosted to 425 lb-ft at 5800 rpm.

Engine enhancements include new cylinder heads with fully machined inlet ports and combustion chambers to improve airflow, revised engine mapping and new fuel injectors.

The overall interior design is a subtle blend of traditional, classic and modern materials with Bridge of Weir leather upholstery matched to contemporary metal interior fittings and finishes. A number of detailed improvements have been made to the interior of the Vanquish S to enhance the overall appeal.

The luxurious but purposeful two seat or optional 2+2 cabin now features supportive all leather trimmed sports seats with many additional and exquisite detail touches which amply demonstrate the truly special nature of this unique hand crafted sports car.

With the capacity to continue to turn heads, the design of the Vanquish is already established as a modern classic. Since its launch in 2001, the Vanquish has proved to be a huge success for Aston Martin with over 1500 cars built.

Lexus IS-F Will Be Presented In Geneva

Powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine, the new Lexus IS-F sports sedan is clearly aiming at BMW M5 and Audi S6 high-performance vehicles.

Its 5.0-liter V8 produces about 400bhp of power and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm) of peak torque. That’s enough to accelerate the Lexus IS-F from zero to 60 mph in only 4.9 seconds and achieve a top speed on 168 mph.

The engine is mated to Lexus’ latest eight-speed manumatic transmission with paddle shifts, so expect a decent mileage and more dynamic acceleration. The company says that it takes the gearbox some 100 milliseconds to upshift. Not bad but it is still miles behind the DSG gearbox, which takes only about 8 milliseconds to switch to a higher gear.

Maserati GranTurismo Worldwide Preview At The Geneva Motorshow

The new Maserati GranTurismo, styled by Pininfarina, will make its worldwide debut at the Geneva Motorshow. The Maserati GranTurismo is a muscular and sporty car, that can be enjoyed every day and at the same time is engaging for the driver. Its excellent handling and sportiveness make it a point of reference in its category. The Maserati GranTurismo is built with particular attention to comfort, choice of materials and details and with enough room for four people, as only Maserati can do.

The new Maserati GranTurismo is a high-performance sports car, exciting to drive with a 4.2 litre V8 engine, delivering 405 HP, and a weight distribution of 49% at the front and 51% at the rear. It is fitted with an automatic gearbox and equipped with an adaptive control system which adjusts the gear-shifting mode to the driving style and the driving conditions.

Maserati’s tradition of the Gran Turismo concept dates back to 1947 when the Trident Company, following its clients’ demand, unveiled at the Geneva Motorshow its first Gran Turismo, the A6, designed by the great Pinin Farina.

It was the first Maserati road car and was produced in 58 units. The car was acclaimed by the automotive press for its advanced technical content and for its avant-garde style solutions.

The new model name – Maserati GranTurismo – is not incidental. Once again, the partnership between Maserati and Pininfarina gives birth to a car that is able to generate emotions and sets itself apart from competitors, due to the technique with which it is built and its unique style.

The new Maserati GranTurismo represents a further step towards the completion of the Trident product range, following the worldwide launch of the Quattroporte Automatic at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Land Rover Offers The Disco Pursuit

A new well-equipped limited edition Discovery 3, called the Pursuit, will be on sale in March 2007, for under £30,000 OTR.

Only 300 Discovery 3 ‘Pursuits’ will be available from Land Rover dealerships across the country. Based on the TDV6 GS model, the Pursuit also features Java Black paint work with Ebony interior, 19″ alloy wheels, body coloured wheel arch surrounds, manual leather seats and chrome finish mirror caps.

Land Rover’s multi-award winning Discovery 3 is a technology-packed, premium 4×4 designed to deliver outstanding performance both on the road and off-road. The bold, versatile design is distinctively Land Rover and offers exceptional space, comfort and flexibility, for up to seven adults.

All Pursuit limited editions are powered by the Discovery’s acclaimed TDV6 diesel engine and feature standard technologies including Hill Descent Control, air suspension and Terrain ResponseTM, all industry-firsts for Land Rover.

“Since launch, the Discovery 3 has brought new levels of ability, comfort and refinement to the large 4×4 market. Winning 95 awards worldwide is a testament to its class-leading diesel engine, its versatility and its all-round package,” commented John Edwards, Land Rover UK managing director.

“The limited-edition Discovery 3 Pursuit gives customers the opportunity to buy an exclusive specification for the exceptional price of £29,995 OTR for the TDV6 manual and £30,995 OTR with automatic transmission. We think this represents incredible value for money”.

All Land Rover vehicles include a CO2 offset for the first 45,000 miles within the on-the-road price. Administered by Climate Care, an independent CO2 offset provider, the programme ensures that the average amount of CO2 produced by a Land Rover is offset by investments in a mixed portfolio of projects, including renewable energy, technology change and energy efficiency initiatives.

The Discovery 3 has sold nearly 30,000 units in the UK and 115,000 units globally since launch in 2004, and continues to collect critical accolades the world over.

2007 Roush Roadster

The Roush Roadster is a custom painted, two-toned cruiser intended for those who want to drop the top, feel the wind blowing through their hair, and watch the world as they cruise by. The base Ford Mustang GT is upgraded by the Roush factory technicians in Livonia, Mich., with a four-piece aerobody kit which includes a front fascia (with lower valence fog lamps), chin spoiler, hood scoop and rear wing.

The most striking visual enhancements are the unique two-color paint scheme - black across the top with a choice of Torch Red, Redfire, Vista Blue, Silver or Grabber Orange as the base. A pinstripe runs along the edge as an attractive break between the base colors.

The car is further accented by Roush 20-inch RR04 forged chrome wheels, high-performance Cooper Tires and the Roush convertible light bar. The interior has custom sport leather seating with the unique Roush Roadster logo stitched in, embroidered floor mats, and a billet aluminum pedal kit.

For a smoother ride, and furthering the visual appearance, the car is lowered approximately one-inch with custom-designed Roush lowering springs and jounce bumpers.

The Roush Roadster is a very limited edition model with only 100 vehicles being assembled and sold which should make this a very desirable and collectible vehicle.

Options include a ROUSHcharger™ powertrain upgrade which boosts the stock Ford GT 4.6L, V-8 engine to 415 horsepower (available on manual transmission cars only), white face guage clusters with illuminated Jack Roush signature, interior carbon fiber design dash trim kits, short throw shifters, and more all designed to enhance the performance or appearance as desired.

“We have done some limited edition convertibles in the past, but this new Roush Roadster is certainly one of the finest looking cars we have ever designed,” said Jack Roush. “The two-tone paint scheme is beautiful and with the top down the stresses of the day just seem to go away with the wind. I know that the plan is only to make 100, but I think that number might have to be reduced by one as there should be a Roadster in my garage.”

Subaru ‘Boxer’ Turbo Diesel In Geneva World Premiere

The world’s first horizontally-opposed turbo diesel engine - offering exceptional refinement and smoothness - makes it debut at the 77th Geneva International Motor Show next month on the Subaru stand.

The Japanese all-wheel drive specialist - renowned for producing cars with outstanding chassis dynamics and active safety - will be displaying an entire drivetrain at the ’show.

Subaru believes passionately in its ‘boxer’ engines which are more compact than in-line units and provide a much lower centre-of-gravity.

This reduces body roll for safer cornering and also enhances handling precision such as during a sudden lane-change manoeuvre on a motorway.

Due for its first vehicle application early next year, the Subaru ‘boxer’ turbo diesel is a highly rigid unit with low levels of noise and vibration.

Not only does this eliminate the need for a balancer shaft which counters uneven combustion pressures and general roughness, but Subaru’s first diesel is as compact as its petrol sisters and combines unusually strong pulling power at low engine speeds with high-rev throttle-response.