Tag Archives: supercar
3 Things To Expect From The 2020 Aston Martin Mid-Engined Supercar
Technically, Aston Martin hasn’t launched its Valkyrie hypercar yet, but the brand is already thinking of a second supercar in its lineup. This mid-engined supercar, which is still unnamed but could be called the Vanquish, will be developed with Red Bull Racing and it will have 130 engineers and designers working on it.
Exterior
A rendering of the soon-to-be-introduced mid-engined supercar showed that it will have an aggressive design. The rendering is based on the current design language of the brand and the features of the Valkyrie.
The design might have a shorter nose, a trapezoidal grille, a carbon-fiber grille frame, and a big splitter at the bottom. The headlights will be familiar, though it will now have a unique shape and LED lights under the cover. Because the engine will be mounted behind, there would be no outlets or louvers on the front hood.
Like any supercar, the still unnamed car will have a low stance and a low roof with small quarter windows. There should be plenty of carbon fiber material, especially on the mirror caps, the fender vent inserts, and the side skirts. As an option, carbon fiber will also be offered for the wheels.
Interior
Things would have to change with a mid-ship layout, so that might mean there would be no rear seats. Based on the Valkyrie, everything inside should be made with carbon fiber with Alcantara used on the steering wheel, as well as parts of the dashboard and the seats.
The unique squared-off steering wheel will be similar to other race cars, though it will now include a small display in the center alongside various buttons and knobs. There will be another screen on the passenger-side dashboard, but there will be no center console.
Drivetrain
CEO Andy Palmer said the mid-engined supercar won’t be using a V12 engine like the Valkyrie. We expect it to have a hybrid drivetrain—the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 paired with Mercedes’ 48-volt hybrid system. There’s no word on the output yet but if Aston Martin wants to compete with the Ferrari 488 GTB and the McLaren 720S, it should be able to produce 650 horsepower.
First Huracan Super Trofeo Evo in U.S. Driven by a 14-Year Old
The new Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo just reached the U.S. soil. The recipient of the supercar was a 14-year old high school student in California.
Last week, the teenager Steven Aghakhani welcomed the delivery of the Lambo worth $295,000. It came as a surprise to him by his father at Lamborghini Beverly Hills. At first, it may sound like a very rich father spoiling his kid. However, for those who are not familiar with Aghakhani, it should be noted that he deserves it.
According to Steven Racing, Aghakhani happens to be the National Auto Sport Association Southern Region champion. It was his first ever championship and he did it in his first year in the racing organization.
The teen has been racing since he was seven. He started at go-karts during that period until he reached the NASA Pro Series Southern California Regional Championship.
In the 2018 season, Aghakhani will be competing using America’s first Huracan Super Trofeo Evo under Steven Racing. He will be taking the supercar against his rivals in spring.
The Huracan Super Trofeo Evo was constructed by Lamborghini Squadra Corse. The development of its chassis was from Dallara Engineering. The heavy use carbon fiber helped improve the auto’s aerodynamics and downforce. Along with the upgrades include new safety features like its roof hatch that provides another exit for the driver during an accident.
The Huracan Super Trofeo Evo is equipped with a 5.2-liter V10 engine. The one to be used by Aghakhani in racing has been tuned to deliver 620 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque. The power is distributed by an X-Trac six-speed sequential transmission. It also comes with Ohlins dampers and MOTEC electrical components.
Below is the official video of the new Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo:
Here are some photos of Aghakhani as he received the new Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo:
Everything We Know So Far About The Ferrari 488 Sport Special Series
There’s a leak and it involved the specifications and features of the Ferrari 488 Sport Special Series. It’s no secret that the Italian automaker is working on a high-performance version if its 488 supercar, but it’s only now that we have gotten our hands on some useful details.
Most Powerful V8 Engine
When Ferrari says it will produce the most powerful V8 engine in its history, you better believe it. The race bred 488 Sport Special Series will be fitted with the same V8 engine seen in other Ferraris, except this one is something special. In the standard V8, the 3.9-liter twin-turbo can produce 661 horsepower. The race version of this could churn out at least 700 horsepower. The engine will also be 10-percent lighter than the standard powertrain, so expect the Ferrari to “fly.”
Racing Technology
The car, typical of Ferrari supercars, will be fitted with the latest in racing technology such as a “race” gearshift, an “extremely” direct steering ratio, all-new Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires, and front S-duct and a rear diffuser from the 488 GTE Le Mans car.
There’s also a new aerodynamic package that will be 20-percent more aerodynamically efficient than the regular 488. The new 20-inch alloy wheels that this high-performance 488 is packaged in are 40-percent lighter than the ones on the base model.
Carbon Fiber All Around
The new 488 will almost be made entirely of carbon fiber. There’s no other car in the world that used carbon fiber as much as the high-performance 488, reports said. Both the front and rear bumpers, the bonnet, the active rear spoiler, and interior dashboard will be made of carbon fiber. The racing seats will also be made of carbon fiber, so say goodbye to the standard glovebox as well as to other interior niceties.
Speculations are rampant that the new 488 will carry the GTO badge, but the schedule doesn’t seem to fit it seeing as Ferrari just released a GTO badge in 2010 via the 599. Seeing as Ferrari only ever revives the GTO badge every two or three decades, it’s unlikely that the 488 will get the infamous badge.
Aston Martin V8 Supercar To Arrive In 2022
Aston Martin has a new business plan, and it will culminate in the building of the V8 supercar by 2022. Company executives revealed that Aston’s “second century plan” includes releasing a new model every year until 2022, when the range will be completed and model replacements will begin.
What will generate the most interest among Aston Martin enthusiasts is the mid-engined supercar that is set to arrive in 2022, according to Autocar. This will be the final car in the company’s plan. But instead of being too out-of-this-world, Aston’s design boss Marek Reichman said that the mid-engined supercar will be “more mainstream” compared to the limited edition AM-RB 001 hypercar currently being developed by Aston Martin and Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer.
When it goes on sale, the Aston Martin V8 supercar will sit just above or at par with Ferrari 488 GTB. According to Reichman, all car designers “dream” of designing a mid-engined supercar, which should include a smaller fronter area, lower nose, shorter overhangs and smaller wheels.
Aston Martin last showed interest in building midengined cars in 2014 when it introduced the DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo at Goodwood. This 800bhp mid-engined GT racer was specifically created for the Gran Turismo 6 computer game and the theoretical twin-turbo V12 was also made available for download.
But the DP-100 project is far from being just available in the online world since Reichman revealed that the design cues used on the DP-100 could very well be applied on sports cars Aston Martin will launch in the real world.
Coupled with the developments in the AM-RB 001 project, the DP-100 concept could very well be used to engineer and design Aston’s mid-engined supercar. No doubt, the V8 supercar we are expecting in 2022 will have the same design aesthetics to the AM-RB 001 and the DP-100 concept.
Check Out the Leaked Photos Of The McLaren 688HS
If you think there’s nothing more dangerous for the supercar industry than McLaren’s 666-horsepower 675LT, then you’re dead wrong. The company is looking at readying another supercar to add to its roster of Super Series. Sources said it could even be faster and more performance-ready than the 675LT.
The Dutch auto website Auto Gespot released photos of what is reported to be a 688 High Sport. It can be remembered that McLaren’s last High Sport, called the HS, was based on the 12C Sports Coupe. It came with few visual modifications and a boost in power.
The new McLaren 688HS will follow its predecessor. The 688 in the name is in reference to the supercar’s ability to produce 688 metric horsepower or about 678 horsepower by American standards.
When it comes to the car’s exterior, the 688HS won’t fail you. The bodystyle’s sleek and elegant lines would make your eyes pop out from the sockets. At first look, it clearly shares the same features as the 675LT, especially with the stretched body.
The fixed rear wing, on the other hand, resembles the one used on the 650S GT3 race car. There are also some winglets on the front bumper—also resembling the ones on the GT3 race car.
The new 688HS is a creation of the McLaren Special Operations personalization department, much like the previous 12C HS. This means that production of the new supercar will be limited; probably only 25 units of the car would be out in the market and up for grabs.
It’s quite selfish of McLaren to release another supercar on the high-end market, especially because it has just successfully launched the 675LT and the 675LT Spider—both sold out in two weeks even amid the skyrocketing prices.
The McLaren 688HS will reportedly make its formal debut in September’s 2016 Paris Auto Show. More updates are expected to come in the next days.
NextEV Electric Hypercar Rivals McLaren P1, LaFerrari
NextEV Electric Hypercar rendering from Autocar.
NextEV is getting ready to reveal its first car “somewhere in Europe” before the year ends. The car is reportedly going to be fully-battery-powered, a testament to the Chinese-backed electric vehicle startup company headed by former Ford President for Europe Martin Leach.
The car will rival both the McLaren P1 and Ferrari’s LaFerrari in terms of performance and price. Reports indicated that the hypercar has been developed at the company’s Munich design center for the past two years. Production, however, will start at the new UK branch.
NextEV was a product of an agreement between Chinese Internet billionaire William Li and Leach at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Leach was Ford’s head of product development before becoming its president for Europe operations. Since that agreement, the startup hired Cisco System’s former chief technology officer, Padmasree Warrior, to run its US operations.
Warrior is heading the software development for the hypercar.
NextEV is gaining ground in concept competitions, too. It won the inaugural Formula E championship for the all-electric, single-seat race cars.
The problem, however, is that NextEV’s market seems to be targeted at the billionaire circle. This would mean ordinary mortals won’t even have the chance to get their hands on the supercar.
But Leach maintained the company’s vision is actually more than just targeting billionaires. It aims to widen its supercar market in the future.
He maintained that the production of the brand’s first hypercar is aimed at attracting and gaining attention, and to show what the company can do technology-wise. Over time, NextEV is expected to showcase more than just supercars.
The first NextEV supercar has been compared to the Tesla model, but Leach said his creation would definitely offer more convenience and accessibility.
We won’t be seeing this hypercar in US soil anytime soon, however. NextEV’s main market would be China, which is under immense pressure to cut down car emissions.