Unique supercar sculpture under construction for MPH
An interesting sculpture by RoboSteel will be getting unveiled at the 2010 MPH The Prestige & Performance Motor Show. This sculpture will be crafted from recycled steel and will be shaped to look like a unique supercar. The sculpture will be unveiled at Earls Court, London, between November 4th-7th, 2010 and at the NEC, Birmingham between November 11th-14th, 2010. At the end of the show the supercar sculpture will be auctioned off in order to raise money for charity.
The ‘alien-like’ supercar of the future will weigh more than 500kg and will be more than one meter tall. Built using thousands of individual parts, the sculpture took approximately750 hours to finish and will be shipped to the UK in four different pieces. When those pieces get to their destination, workers will have to reassemble the sculpture before it goes on display in Earls court.
“This is the first time we’ve used our design concept to create a supercar. The initial design for the car was created by our art designer Toonrama. The RoboSteel concept supercar is based on the complex designs and structures of south Indian temples and the Kirtimukha sculptures that are positioned at the entrance to these temples. Dave Murphy from Dublin Ink has added an Alien theme to a second design drawing. RoboSteel will use both drawings to craft the Alien Supercar and we are really looking forward to this project.”
Press release after the jump.
Unique supercar sculpture under construction for MPH originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 2 September 2010 22:00 EST.
Video: McLaren MP4-12C
It’s already been about two weeks since the Pebble Beach Concours has ended and we are still receiving news from the event. Earlier today, we heard that the Ferrari 599 Roadster made a secret appearance at the Concours, and now we receive a video of the McLaren MP4-12C at the event as well. The video shows the interior and exterior of the car, as well as s Start UP followed by some driving and light revving.
The supercar is powered by a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 engine producing around 600 horsepower and 433 lb-ft of torque. The engine is coupled to a McLaren seven speed Seamless Shift dual clutch gearbox (SSG). It sprints from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds and can hit a top speed of more than 200mph. The McLaren MP4-12C will go on sale in the summer of 2011 with prices starting between $225,000 and $250,000.
Video: McLaren MP4-12C originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 23:00 EST.
Audi puts up petition website to bring the TT RS to the US
Just like most of you, we were bummed to hear that Audi decided not to bring the TT RS here to the US. Now it turns out that our pleas haven’t fallen on deaf ears as Audi is seriously reconsidering their decision and might end up bringing the flagship version of the TT series across the Atlantic eventually.
The whole thing, of course, still hinges on whether Audi receives a resounding vote of confidence from its US-based customers. All we need to do is head over to a special website Audi has put up and sign a petition to express your personal interest in bringing the Audi TT RS in these shores. Really, it’s not that hard to do. Just go to the site, sign the petition, and make your voice heard. We don’t know how many online signatures it’s going to take to convince those boys in Ingolstadt, but if they took all the trouble to make a new website solely for this purpose, then it most likely won’t take a whole lot to convince them to finally bring the Audi TT RS together with the Audi RS5 Coupe in America.
Audi puts up petition website to bring the TT RS to the US originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 9 August 2010 09:00 EST.
Super-rare $650k Aston Martin Shooting Brake up for auction
The British auto manufacturer Aston Martin is notorious for creating some of the most elegant and luxurious cars on the supercar market. What makes them stand apart is that they do so without taking away from any of the brute force of an agile hyper-car. However, when we see a car like the bulky, awkward looking 1996 “Sportsman” Shooting Brake, we wonder how all of that finesse got lost in in this particular translation.
With styling similar to the V8 Le Mans, the Shooting Brake is an entirely hand built 2-door hatchback. What makes it even more special is the fact that only two were ever built. Normally, we wouldn’t discuss automobiles such as this unless they were miraculously thrown back into the loop so you can guess that this one has gone back into circulation. The Shooting Brake is up for auction at Bonhams’ sale of Fine Motor Cars and Automobilia at the ’Weekend de l’Excellence Automobile on September 11th. Due to its rarity, the car is expected to fetch upwards of $650,000; as much as a couple of 599s.
We’ll let you decide if you want a hatchback over a couple monstrou, red Ferraris. Other Astons up for sale are a 1965 DB5 Vantage (one of which went for $830K at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed), a 1957 DB2/4 MKII Drophead Coupe, and a 1986 Volante.
Super-rare $650k Aston Martin Shooting Brake up for auction originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 8 August 2010 06:00 EST.
A Hummer H3 made out of Lotto tickets?
We’ve all been there. You’re standing in the line at a gas station and you look up to see that the lottery has been bumped up to some unimaginable number. As the clerk slowly rings up the customer in front of you, you think of all of the things you would be able to buy and accomplish if you were lucky enough to strike it rich. It’s your turn now and you’re feeling a little froggy, so you jump. One lotto ticket please.
Like we said, we’ve all been there. Unfortunately, some of us have been there a lot more times than others and the amount of money that is literally slipping right off your fingertips stacks up as your chances get trimmed down. This is the exact idea that designers Lauren Was and Adam Eckstrom from the Rhode Island School of Design wanted to convey when they took $39,000 worth of lotto tickets and built a Hummer H3. They wanted everyone to see that with the money people have spent on lotto tickets, they could have just saved it up and bought something cool with it.
Their designs don’t just stop at Hummers either. Check out the gallery to see what other things were built using the useless pieces of paper that people paid for. We’re glad they built a Hummer because no one else is going to anymore.
A Hummer H3 made out of Lotto tickets? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 6 August 2010 22:00 EST.
Mobil 1 Global Challenge
Take on Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button in this high octane 3D arcade racer. Master a variety of tracks and cars including the 2010 Mercedes McLaren F1 car – are you as fast as two world champions?
Mobil 1 Global Challenge originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 5 August 2010 12:03 EST.
Porsche Cayenne Diesel by Lumma Design
Now that the States may be receiving a diesel variant for the ol’ Porsche Cayenne, it’s fitting that we take a look at a tuning package for the luxury SUV. As of right now, Americans may not be all too interested in a diesel from Porsche, but things change rapidly and we want to be prepared for it. The new tuning package comes from Lumma Design, who recently prepared a monstrous cosmetic package for the petrol version of the Cayenne.
For the diesel variant now being sold in Europe, Lumma Design has opted to not only give it a cosmetic makeover, but an engine makeover as well. A D-box plug and play kit has been added that increases the Cayenne’s horsepower from 240 to 276. The torque also gets a jump from 550 to 630Nm. This change allows the SUV to get noticeable savings in fuel consumption. Who doesn’t love that? And if you want to add a little flare under the hood as well, then Lumma can also provide the consumer with an engine optics package. This package consists of red-coated covers and a crest logo made of metal.
Hit the jump for the full story plus the press release.
Porsche Cayenne Diesel by Lumma Design originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 2 August 2010 23:00 EST.
In Need For Speed
In Need For Speed originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 1 August 2010 15:31 EST.
Audi R8 E-tron in "Silvretta E-Auto Rally Montafon 2010"
Audi has entered the new R8 E-tron in the Silvretta E-Auto Rally Montafon 2010. The electric R8 will be driven along the 104 route through the Austrian state of Vorarlberg by Michael Dick, member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Technical Development, and factory driver Lukas Luhr.
“We already received very good feedback on the Audi R8 e-tron in Le Mans,” says Michael Dick, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Technical Development. “In Montafon, the e-tron will put its potential to the test in ten different mountain, valley and timed special stages. This is a good opportunity to showcase Audi’s integrated approach and to experience the fascination of electromobility in a sports car on the road.”
The Audi R8 E-tron is powered by four motors – two each on the front and rear axles, that delivers a total of 313 HP and 4,500 Nm of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds and can hit a top speed of 124.27 mph.
Press release after the jump.
Audi R8 E-tron in "Silvretta E-Auto Rally Montafon 2010" originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 9 July 2010 09:00 EST.
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
Mitsubishi has announced the addition of a new model to their Outlander line-up: the new 2011 Outlander Sport. On the US market the new model will be offered in two trim levels: ES and SE, and both in 2WD and 4WD versions.
The 2011 Outlander Sport is powered by a 2.0-Liter inline-4 engine that delivers a total of 148 hp @ 6000 rpm and 143 lb.-ft. of torque at a lower 4200 rpm. The SE model comes with a Sportronic ® Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and the ES version gets a 5-speed manual gearbox.
The list of standard equipment includes air conditioning with pollen filter, cruise control with steering wheel mounted controls, tilt & telescopic steering wheel, power windows and door locks, remote keyless entry, and a 140-watt AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with steering wheel controls and 4 speakers. Adding to the stereo components are the digital signal processor, equalization control, and speed compensated volume.
Press release after the jump.
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 7 July 2010 23:00 EST.