Tag: drops

Video: 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage drops by Jay Leno’s Garage

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Aston Martin, Celebrities, Luxury

Jay Leno Aston Martin V12 Vantage

Jay Leno spends time with the 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage – Click above to watch video after the jump

The 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage sits up near the top of the ‘ole Autoblog must-drive car list. While we wait for the day that someone hands us a crystal ‘Emotion Control Unit’ to fire one up, we can sit back and live vicariously through Jay Leno. Mr. Leno recently got to spend some time with the British sports coupe and was kind enough to capture his experience on camera.

Leno remarks that the V12 Vantage is “almost the perfect combination of hardcore track sports car and GT car.” To prove that, he turns the camera over to his tame racing driver, Justin Bel,l who brings the car to Willow Springs and puts it through its paces. Check out Jay, Justin and the 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage in the video after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage

[Source: Jay Leno’s Garage]

Continue reading Video: 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage drops by Jay Leno’s Garage

Video: 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage drops by Jay Leno’s Garage originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maserati drops MC Sport Line for the Quattroporte at Sydney show

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Maserati, Misc. Auto Shows, Design/Style, Luxury

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S with MC Sport Line – Click above for high-res image gallery

MC. The letters are sacrosanct to fans of the Trident marque and its venerable racing prowess. They stand for Maserati Corse, and you may recognize them from the MC12, the Enzo-based homologation special that’s still kickin’ ass and taking names in the FIA GT1 series. More recently the Modenese automaker rolled out a racing version of its GranTurismo coupe bearing those same letters, which has since been followed by a roadgoing version of said racer called the MC Stradale. There’ve been MC Sport Line accessories for the GranTurismo S as well, but until now the Quattroporte has been left out of the fun.

Kicking things off for its four-door model, Maserati has unveiled the Quattroporte MC Sport in Sydney at the Australian International Auto Show. So what are we looking at, a road-going version of the touring car currently being flogged around Italy’s best circuits in the Superstars series? Unfortunately not. What you’re looking at here is the existing Quattroporte Sport GT S – already one heck of a car – with some added trim: carbon fiber interior accents and aluminum pedals, and little else. Not much on their own, but then this is how Modena kicked off the MC program for the GranTurismo, so we’re hoping this is the harbinger of things to come.

Gallery: Maserati Quattroporte MC Sport Line

[Source: Maserati]

Continue reading Maserati drops MC Sport Line for the Quattroporte at Sydney show

Maserati drops MC Sport Line for the Quattroporte at Sydney show originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ruf drops the roof on 911 Targa-inspired Roadster

Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Performance, Porsche

Ruf Roadster – Click above for image gallery

In the market for a 911? Lord knows Porsche has more than enough variants to choose from. And a fair few of them – like the Sport Classic and the Speedster – draw their inspiration from 911s of yore. But if those aren’t to your liking, venerable tuning house Ruf has a new option at your disposal.

Ruf calls it a Roadster, but it takes its cues (as well as its form) from the original 1967 Porsche 911 Targa. The Ruf Roadster features a solid roll bar that offers the structural rigidity of a coupe with a variety of configurations for open-air driving. Because the roof panels and rear window can be removed separately, the Roadster can be driven with the roof open and the rear closed, the rear open and the roof closed, or completely open or closed. You could even take one of the split roof panels off to let the sun shine in on the driver while keeping the front-seat passenger sheltered.

Buyers can choose from naturally aspirated (400-horsepower) or turbocharged (560hp) engines, with prices starting at €195,000 (approximately $275k at today’s conversion rates). Hey, nobody said flexibility came cheap.

Gallery: Ruf Roadster

[Source: PistonHeads]

Ruf drops the roof on 911 Targa-inspired Roadster originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Ford F150 SVT Raptor drops base engine, gets standard 6.2L V8

Filed under: Truck, Ford

Ford 6.2-liter V8 – Click above for high-res image gallery

During Ford’s announcement of the new powertrain lineup for the 2011 F-150 yesterday, we learned that the new 6.2-liter V8 would only be available in the SVT Raptor, Harley-Davidson and F-150 Platinum models. In the Platinum, the 6.2-liter engine will be an option for those who select the maximum towing package.

However, for the Raptor and Harley models, the big 6.2-liter will now be the only engine available. Since the two limited edition machines are considered premium products, Ford has decided that they should only get the most powerful engine that company will offer in its trucks for 2011. That almost certainly means that the base price of the 2011 Raptor will at least match the $3,000 price premium that was charged for the 2010 SVT Raptor with the then-optional 6.2-liter V8.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150 engines

2011 Ford F-150 3.5-liter EcoBoost V62011 Ford F-150 3.7-liter V62011 Ford F-150 5.0-liter V82011 Ford F-150 6.2-liter V8

[Source: Ford]

2011 Ford F150 SVT Raptor drops base engine, gets standard 6.2L V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari drops new photos of 458 Challenge test session at Vallelunga

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Ferrari, Racing

Ferrari 458 Challenge – Click above for high-res image gallery

A few weeks ago, Ferrari officially debuted its latest Challenge race car, based on the 458 Italia. Now they’ve released new photos of the car during its test session at the Vallelunga race circuit. Factory test drivers Maurizio Mediani and Jaime Melo were on hand to provide feedback on the 458 Challenge, and predictably, both seem impressed with the car’s capabilities. Mediani described his drive as “very quick and extremely good fun,” while his counterpart commented, “I am sure that Prancing Horse competition owners will be very pleased with the car.”

Using the standard roadgoing 458 Italia as a base, Ferrari creates the Challenge version by increasing output of the 4.5-liter V8 to 570 horsepower, cutting weight via thinner and lighter body panels, adding a race-specific suspension setup, fitting 19-inch BBS wheels with Pirelli racing slicks, installing a set of carbon ceramic Brembo brakes and more.

So equipped, Ferrari claims the 458 Challenge can lap Fiorano over two seconds per lap quicker than its predecessor, the F430 Challenge, while pulling a cornea-yanking 1.6g’s worth of lateral acceleration. You can check out the new photos below, and we’ll be sure to bring you any more if Ferrari sends them our way.

Gallery: Ferrari 458 Challenge racer

[Source: Ferrari]

Ferrari drops new photos of 458 Challenge test session at Vallelunga originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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