Unlike the DB10, the C-X75 was originally developed as a
preview of a new hybrid supercar Jaguar was considering launching at one point.
Economic realities and tough competition from the established supercar
marques caused Jaguar to cancel the project, but the C-X75 and its sultry lines
never really went away.
A handful of the cars has been built for testing purposes
and more recently a new batch was built for filming work for Sceptre. If
you’re wondering why Williams is promoting a Jaguar, it’s because Williams
Advanced Engineering, the F1’s team technology offshoot, helped with the
development of the C-X75, namely its hybrid powertrain.
The original
concept made its debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show and came
with an extended-range electric drivetrain where a pair of jet turbines served
as the range-extender. For the intended production model, the design team
looked at using aturbocharged
1.6-liter four-cylinder engine Williams had developed for F1
before the sport decided on the current V-6 format.
“It was a thrill to take the wheel of a real stunt car used
in a Bond movie,” Massa said after the drive. “Jaguar partnered with Williams
Advanced Engineering on the production of these stunning supercars, so it
was great to experience some of what my colleagues have developed outside of
F1.
We've known about a
drop-top version of the Range Rover Evoque for some time, but now Land Rover
has confirmed the convertible SUV will be officially unveiled at the LA Motor
Show in November ahead of UK sales next Spring.
Shown initially in concept
form at the 2012 Geneva show, the drop-top Evoque marks a return
to Land Rover's
heritage of building soft-top off-roaders. Of course the Evoque is more fashion
accessory than 4x4, but the images show the firm demonstrating its ability by
negotiating a series of obstacles in a London Crossrail tunnel.
The confirmation marks an end to three years of debate
within the firm about the car’s business case rather than engineering
viability, according to company insiders. Strong demand is expected,
particularly from the USA, while a production version could get its airing by
the middle of this year.
Official details are still thin on the ground, but Land
Rover confirmed it will be "the most capable convertble in the world"
and will be built alongside the five-door and coupe Evoque models at its
plant in Halewood, Merseyside. And by studying these pictures, a few more
things are clear to be seen.
The folding fabric roof can be seen sitting on the rear deck
in the style of the MINI Convertible –
whether the production mechanism will look like this or fold neatly into a
compartment isn’t yet clear. It will also have a full four-seater layout,
although boot size will inevitably suffer.
Additional bracing for the Evoque’s ageing steel chassis is
likely to be required, to maintain torsional rigidity, along with the electrics
and motors for the roof system. The additional weight that brings will harm fuel
economy and handling slightly, but Jaguar Land Rover’s new
Ingenium engine family means efficiency should still be impressive.
Fitted with a 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel and two-wheel drive,
the recently updated
fixed-roof Evoque returns 68mpg and 109g/km of CO2. That makes it the
most economical and efficient car the firm has ever produced.
Land Rover has even developed a clever Roll Over Protection
System (ROPS) that won’t pop up errantly in extreme off-roadsituations. There’s
a nod towards the full-size Range Rover in the drop-down tailgate, too. Expect
prices for the Evoque Convertible to start from around £40,000.
Alongside the cabrio, it's also been rumoured that Jaguar
Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division is working on a performance
Evoque – hot on the heels of the Range
Rover Sport SVR – which could complete the Evoque range next
year.
The King of the
Street Texas Invitational brings amazingly powerful vehicles out of
the woodwork. The goal is straight-line speed, and the cars need four-figure
horsepower to compete effectively. Normally we expect to see the AMS Nissan
GT-R running in the top spot, but that car wasn't there this time. Instead, it
was a mightily modified Audi R8 that took home the top trophy.
Underground Racing tweaked this R8 immensely. A massive pair
of turbos and a number of other mods help push the output to more than 2,100
horsepower. At least that is what the team estimates as anytime they try to
dyno the car they have to deal with tremendous spin. Regardless, the driver
says the car is still street able. This Audi retains its air conditioning, and
it could apparently be taken on a road trip if the owner so desired.
It's also capable of ripping off a 213-mile per hour run
down the airstrip that serves as the racing surface for the Texas Invitational.
Throughout the day, the R8 posted multiple runs over 200 mph. During its final
face off, it was paired against a GT-R that did nearly the same all day. The
GT-R posted a 210 mph top speed, but it wasn't enough to outpace the R8.
It's even more incredible when you consider the GT-R is
running slicks and a parachute, and the R8 is on street-legal R Compound tires.
Check out the video to witness ridiculous power in action.
Mercedes was the first carmaker to coupe all the things. It
turned the E-Class sedan into the CLS--something they call a four door coupe,
confusing as that might sound.
But when it came to SUVs, Mercedes was beaten to the punch
by BMW. And maybe that was a good thing, because for every coupe-like SUV BMW
sold, there were failures. ZDX, Crosstour--yup, we're looking at you.
Now, Mercedes-Benz is trying to claim some of that coupe-y,
off-road turf with its own slope-roofed SUV. Does the new 2016 GLE Coupe
do pretty--and do off-road--better than the X6?
Let’s start with the obvious--the whole "coupe"
thing is marketing speak for a better-looking SUV. The GLE Coupe has four real
doors--five if you count the hatchback. But it also has a rakish profile with a
fastback rear, that wears its new body better than the X6. There's body
cladding to imply off-road capability, too, but let's face it, the chances of
this machine hitting the Rubicon are pretty low.
Inside, the GLE Coupe will feel familiar if you’ve been in
the most recent GLE, which is the renamed, updated M-Class. There’s a
freestanding infotainment screen here and Mercedes’ COMAND infotainment
controller. The mix of old and new can feel a little cobbled together: the GLE
Coupe doesn't get the round vents or upgraded climate controls that other new
Mercedes vehicles have adopted.
Front seat space is fine, but it’s the rear seat we should
talk about. It's a mixed bag. It's easy to step into, and leg room is fine, but
the X6 has generous rear seat headroom compared to this car. Six-footers,
you’ll want to sit up front.
The rear seats do fold down to provide a long, wide, and
perfectly flat cargo floor. Can you say ski weekend?
Under the hood buyers will have two engine options: the base
engine is a twin-turbo V-6 rated at 362 horsepower. It's connected to a
nine-speed automatic transmission. Want more? There’s an AMG model with a
twin-turbo V-8 pumping out 577 horsepower, connected to a seven-speed automatic
transmission. No matter the engine, power is sent to all four wheels via
Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.
Stick to the pavement and the GLE Coupe does everything
right. Combining an air suspension and an adjustable damper system was pure
genius. Nice work, Mercedes. The setup works flawlessly, and the driving modes
such as Individual, Comfort, Slippery, Sport, and Sport+ allows you to dial in
the powertrain response, steering, and suspension how you like it.
All that said, there’s no way around mass. The GLEs feel
portly, but, no more, truthfully, than the X6. After playing with all the
settings on some backroads and choppy surfaces, we like the Sport setting in
terms of steering, it just feels more settled and comfortable.
The GLE Coupe hasn’t been crash tested yet, but, the M-Class
on which it’s based has done well in the past. It also factors in lots of
safety technology--everything from adaptive cruise control to attention assist,
which lights a coffee cup on the dash when it senses you're about to fall
asleep. It's like the thought balloon of our lives.
Priced from 61,500, the GLE Coupe comes well equipped with a
power tailgate, all-wheel drive, an air suspension, and Magic Vision Control,
which is a really complicated windshield washer system that won't splash the
liquid, oh, and totally serious on the name Magic Vision Control.
So what's the bottom line with the 2016 Mercedes GLE Coupe? If the BMW X6 can make
it work, well, we think some well-off empty nesters are going to fall in love
with GLE Coupe’s charms.
Volkswagen's just-unveiled Golf-based race car
concept looks like a GTI that's gone on an intake bender, pumped up its guns at
the gym, and popped some roll-cage Viagra. Yet, the Golf's most notable feature
is that it's just a Golf, sort of. There is no "R" badging anywhere,
and Volkswagen stresses that the race car is simply a heavily modified, good
ol' Golf, and its front-wheel drive!
Volkswagen
Created to evaluate Volkswagen's possible participation in
the new Touring Car Racer International Series (TCR), the Golf TCR concept is
less "concept car" than full-blown, ready-to-race race car. It routes
330 horsepower from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four (okay, the engine was
borrowed from the
Golf R) to the front wheels via a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic. The
chassis is 40 cm wider—that's a mind-blowing 15.75 inches!—a move we assume was
made for greater stability and to make room for those ultra-wide 18-inch
wheels.
The front and rear bumpers feature gaping vents and intakes
seemingly inspired by the wild-looking Volkswagen
Design Vision GTI concept from 2013, augmented by a carbon-fiber
splitter and a towering rear wing. Inside, there's a full safety cage, a racing
seat with harnesses, and a minimum of carpet, interior plastics, or visual
banality. If Volkswagen's evaluation of this concept car is successful, we
could see customer cars just like it race in TCR in 2016.
ALL-NEW JAGUAR F-PACE SETS GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR LARGEST
EVER LOOP-THE-LOOP
#FPACE
Gravity-defying entrance for the all-new Jaguar F-PACE
F-PACE breaks Guinness World Record for largest ever
'loop-the-loop'
F-PACE withstood extreme forces of 6.5G as it completed the
giant 19.08 metre tall loop
Dynamic reveal showcased exceptional performance, agility
and strength
Jaguar F-PACE is in a class of its own - the ultimate
practical sports car
Special 'First Edition' model also available- limited to
just 2,000 vehicles globally
Exciting reveal celebrates 80th birthday of the Jaguar
brand and follows successful launches of the XE and XF saloons
Jaguar's first family sports car has defied gravity by
performing a record-breaking 360 degree loop, one day ahead of its global motor
show debut in Frankfurt.
The all-new Jaguar F-PACE, the world's most practical sports
car, was driven with daring precision by expert British stunt driver Terry
Grant. The F-PACE sped through the specially built structure, using its sports
car derived technology and world-class collection of safety features to
complete the record loop and officially signal the opening of order books
worldwide.
The 2016 BMW M2 may have
only been unveiled earlier this week, but BMW is already talking
about the latest M model's Nürburgring lap time.
In its "official launchfilm [sic]" for the M2, BMW
claims the car can lap the 13-odd miles of the full Nordschliefe in 7:58. For
comparison's sake, that's six seconds slower than the 7:52 time of the larger M4
coupe recorded by German car magazine Sport Auto last
year. Still, a sub-8 minute lap of the 'Ring is still pretty impressive, and
low lap times probably weren't BMW's only priority when developing the M2.
That's apparent from the launch video, which shows the M2
lapping a track that isn't the Nürburgring with a 1M and an E30 M3 hot on its
tail. Given its compact size and classic three-box proportions, the M2 was
always going to be compared to these legends, and it seems BMW isn't
discouraging that. With the M4 now bigger and more complicated than ever, BMW
needs a model that can more directly channel the essence of its older
performance cars.
At the heart of the M2 is a 3.0-liter turbocharged
inline-six that produces 365 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque (369 lb-ft
with overboost). Transmission choices include a six-speed manual and a
seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. With the dual-clutch transmission, BMW says
the M2 will do 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds (the manual requires an extra 0.2
second), and top out at a governed 155 mph.
The M2 also gets upgraded suspension, in the form of a
lightweight aluminum setup derived from the underpinnings of the M4 and M3.
Engineers also dialed in M-specific settings for the electric power steering,
which carries over from the base 2 Series models. To match the more muscular
hardware, the exterior is more aggressively styled, while the interior features
sport seats and M-specific trim.
