McLaren P1

 The McLaren P1 is an upcoming hybrid supercar by English automotive manufacturer McLaren Automotive. The concept car debuted at the 2012 Paris Motor Show., and is considered to be the long-awaited McLaren F1 successor, utilizing hybrid power and Formula 1 technology. The P1's styling is influenced by the McLaren MP4-12C but with added body panels to make the car look aggressive. It will not have the same three seat layout as its predecessor, the McLaren F1. The design of the headlights is also reminiscent of the McLaren logo.

It will have to compete with the Ferrari LaFerrari, the Porsche 918 and the Lamborghini Veneno while wooing the hearts of millionaires. 

As with the McLaren F1 road car of 1992, the McLaren P1 is a rear-wheel drive, mid-engine design that uses a carbon fibre monocoque and roof structure safety cage concept called MonoCage, which is a development of the MonoCell used in the current MP4-12C and MP4-12C Spider upgrade that came out in early 2012.

The P1 features a heavily revised version of the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine used in the MP4-12C, tuned to 727 bhp. The engine is combined with a highly effective KERS electric motor that produces 176 bhp. The hybrid powertrain is connected to a 7 speed dual-clutch transmission, and will give a total power output of 916PS (903 bhp) at 7500 rpm and a maximum torque figure of 900Nm (664 lb ft). The powertrain can run using either the petrol V8 by itself or with the electric motor. The electric motor can be used to power the car on its own, with a range up to 20 km (12 miles) at an average speed of 30 mph. Power for the electric motor is stored in a high density battery pack located behind the cabin. The battery can be charged by the engine or through plug in-equipment, and can fully charge in two hours. The P1 comes with two Formula 1 derived features: The Instant Power Assist System (IPAS) will give an instant boost in horsepower to the petrol engine via the electric motor. The car also comes with a Drag Reduction System (DRS), which operates the car's rear wing. Both of these features are operated by two buttons on the steering wheel. It is capable of 239 mph, but is electronically limited to 217 mph. Despite this, the P1 will go from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds, 0 to 200 km/h under 7 seconds, and 0 to 300 km/h will be achieved in no more than 17 seconds, making it 5 seconds faster than the legendary McLaren F1. It does this with its set of Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires and can brake quickly with specially developed carbon-ceramic brakes from Akebono. 

McLaren revealed the last details of the production models at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The P1 will be strictly limited to 375 units to maintain exclusivity. Each model starts at £866,000, or over €1,100,000.

Ferrari LaFerrari

The Enzo's a legend. It's price keeps escalating every year, and after every other Enzo crash. Such is its exclusivity. It has design inputs by the then fastes-man-behind-the-wheel Micheal Schumacher. 

Now imagine the pressure at Ferrari's design house when the men in suits from up there told them they had to build a replacement for that masterpiece. But the Italian, being Italians, and Ferrari being Ferrari, made sure that replacement becomes an instant legend. 

And this is it- the LaFerrari ("La, what?" cried the attendees of the Geneva auto show that it was showcased at). But after you get over the name, there's a lot of feasting for your eyes to do, and lot of curiosity that has to be fulfilled about its specs. 

It comes from a long line of Ferrari hypercars, which includes the Ferrari F40, the Ferrari F50 and the Ferrari F60 or Enzo. It will lock horns with the Porsche 918, the McLaren P1 and the Lamborghini Veneno. 

Firstly, its a hybrid. But before you start shouting whats a Prius doing with a Ferrari badge, you'd be better off knowing that the scintillating V12 is still the main power source, those electric motors only there to provide more power and shut the mouths of all those Corporate Averarge Fuel Economy Norms' agents.

The car's beauty grows on you. Once your brain comes to terms with those cuts and arcs; its all a piece of exotica with wheels at each corner. The headlamps and certain other elemenst take inspiration from the Ferrari 458 Italia, the F12 Berlinetta and the FF. 

LaFerrari (also known as the F70, and by its project name, F150) is a limited edition hybrid sports car built by Ferrari. The car and its name were officially unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show. It is based on findings from testing of the Ferrari FXX and on research being conducted by the Millechili Project at the University of Modena. Association with the Millechili Project led to speculation during development that the car would weigh under 1,000 kg (2,205 lb).

The LaFerrari is the first mild hybrid from Ferrari, providing the highest horsepower of any Ferrari whilst decreasing fuel consumption by 40 percent. The LaFerrari's V12 will have a 6.3 litre capacity with 789 hp, supplemented by a 163 hp KERS unit, which will provide short bursts of extra power. Unlike conventional hybrid vehicles, the KERS system adds extra power to the combustion engine's output level, with an impact similar to that of a turbo charger.

Ferrari states that the car has a top speed exceeding 350 kilometres per hour (220 mph), and that it is capable of reaching 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) in under three seconds. The LaFerrari achieves a speed of 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph) in under 15 seconds. The car is equipped with carbon ceramic Brembo discs on the front (398mm) and rear (380mm), with the tires measuring 265/30 R 19 and 345/30 R 20 respectively.Ferrari claims CO₂ emissions of 330g/km. Only 499 units will be built.

The LaFerrari is the first completely in-house designed Ferrari, not receiving any input from Pininfarina. This decision brings to an end the collaboration between Ferrari and Pininfarina which began in 1951. However, Ferrari has stated that two new models designed jointly with Pininfarina are yet to be unveiled and that there are no plans to end business relations with Pininfarina.

Ariel Atom

If there's something that Tom Cruise and the Ariel Atom can teach you, its that you really shouldn't judge a person by their diminutive stance. They hold their own, even triumph over, the hunks of their respective worlds. The Ariel Atom can easily smoke cars like Ferrari 458 Italia and even the Lamborghini Aventador around corners with evident ease. It's not about size, dude, its about you-see-me-now-you-don't. 

The Ariel Atom is a road legal high performance sports car made by the Ariel Motor Company based in Crewkerne, Somerset, England and under licence in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc. at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

There have been four Ariel Atom incarnations to date: Ariel Atom, Ariel Atom 2, Ariel Atom 3 and Ariel Atom 500 V8. The current models are the Ariel Atom 3, and the limited production Ariel Atom 500 V8 with a 500 bhp (373 kW; 507 PS) V8 made from two Suzuki Hayabusa engines.

The Ariel Atom is unusual in that it is exoskeletal — the chassis is prominently visible from the outside — and therefore lacks a roof, windows and other features normally found on road cars although a small windscreen is available as an optional extra. The chassis design leads to a relatively high drag coefficient of 0.40 in comparison to more aerodynamic road cars.

Design origins

The Atom began as a student project by Coventry University transport design student, Nik Smart. Known then as the LSC (Lightweight Sports Car), it was developed at the university in 1996 with input and funding from various automotive industry members, including British Steel and TWR. Ariel Motor Company boss Simon Saunders was a senior lecturer whose responsibility for the project was primarily as financial manager and design critic for Smart, whom he described as "The best all-round design student I've ever seen." The car was first shown publicly at the British International Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham in October 1996.

Specifications

• 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h): 2.8 seconds (manufacturer's claim)
• Top speed: 155 mph, 250 km/h
• Power: 245 bhp (183 kW; 248 PS) @ 8,200 rpm (300 bhp supercharged)
• Torque: 210 N·m (150 ft·lbf) @ 6,100 rpm
• Weight: 612 kg (1350 lb)
• Transmission: Honda six-speed with reverse or General Motors six speed with reverse
• Engine: 2.0 L Honda K20A1, four-cylinder, i-VTEC, 2.0 L supercharged, General Motors 2.2 L supercharged, 2.4 L Ecotec four-cylinder, 3.0 L 500-bhp Ariel V8
• Manufacturer: Ariel Motor Company Ltd
• Length: 3,410 mm (134 in)
• Width: 1,798 mm (70.8 in) / 1,828 mm (72.0 in) with 225 Tyres
• Height: 1,195 mm (47.0 in)
• Track: 1,600 mm (63 in) front and rear
• Wheelbase: 2,345 mm (92.3 in)
• Designer: Nik Smart

Suspension

Front spring, helper coil spring (in red), and shock

The Atom suspension setup was tuned by the engineers at Lotus. Edmunds "Inside Line" noted that "anyone who has driven a selection of Lotus-tuned cars, such as the Elise, the Aston Martin Vanquish and the Opel Speedster, will notice a common feel or signature, and it's replicated in the Atom."

The Atom’s suspension is derived from single seat racing cars and is fully adjustable, requiring only a spanner. Both front and rear double unequal length wishbones and inboard, pushrod-operated dampers contribute to the Atom’s dynamic racecar-like handling. Adjustable suspension rod ends feature inboard rubber/metal bushings to promote a more comfortable road-going ride. The front and rear Bilstein dampers are also adjustable. Stacked helper coil springs and main coil springs produce a low spring rate for minor deflections and a higher rate for large ones.

Acceleration

In 2005 Track and Race Car magazine published the results of a comprehensive test of a range of cars, from the Porsche 911 Carrera S, Ford GT, BMW M5 to the Caterham CSR 260. The Supercharged Ariel Atom 1 won the 0–100–0 mph (0–161–0 km/h) test by a clear margin at 10.88 seconds, ahead of the Caterham CSR 260 (11.41) and the Ford GT in 4th (13.17).

The following year, the Atom won Autocar's 0–100 mph challenge as the new Ariel Atom 2 300 bhp supercharged edition achieved a time of 6.86 seconds, and then stopped from 100 in 3.8 seconds. At the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, the Atom broke the indoor speed record. The high gloss floor that the cars ran on was only 220 m (720 ft) long, with an open door at the end of the hall. The driver of the Atom launched in fourth gear and still had wheelspin until the car reached 70 mph (110 km/h) and started to get traction. The Atom was beaten only by a Class 9 Autograss car powered by a 2.0l Lexus/Toyota touring car engine which set the official indoor speed record, beating the previous record held by a Toyota F1 car driven by Top Gear's driver The Stig.

The Sunday Times measured the time taken for the Atom to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) at 2.89 seconds, making it the world's third fastest accelerating production car then available after the $1.3 million, 1,001 PS (987 bhp) Bugatti Veyron at 2.46 seconds, and the Ultima GTR at 2.6 seconds; the review was in 2005.

United States licensing

Brammo Motorsports of Ashland, Oregon signed a deal with Ariel Ltd to manufacture the Atom in the US starting in late 2005. In the US the Atom 2 was available with the supercharged GM Family II Ecotec engine, which was introduced in 2004 on the Saturn ION Red Line and is also used in the Chevrolet Cobalt SS. A limited run of approximately 10 US built Atom 2 cars, manufactured in 2006-2007, were powered by imported Honda K20As. Brammo Motorsports ceased production of the Atom in 2008 to focus on the manufacture of an electric motorcycle.

In January 2008, it was officially announced that licensed manufacturing of the Ariel Atom for the US market would be undertaken by TMI AutoTech Inc at a purpose-built facility at Virginia International Raceway. TMI started production by building Honda-powered Atom 3 cars. TMI AutoTech Inc is also associated with Trak Motorsports Inc, the company that operates the Ariel Atom Experience trackdays in Canada and North America.

Ariel Atom 500

Ariel announced in February 2008 its latest Atom variant, the Ariel Atom 500. It features a 500 horsepower 3.0 litre John Hartley designed V8 engine, carbon fibre body panels and aerofoils, chromoly aerofoil wishbones, integrated function steering wheel, Alcon four-piston brake calipers, and Dymag magnesium wheels. The engine weighs 90 kg (198 lb) and is coupled to a Sadev 6-speed sequential gearbox to cope with the increased power over the Honda unit. During the development process the RS performance engine was replaced by a unit prepared by Hartley Enterprises giving the final production version of the 550 kg (1,213 lb) car 900 bhp/tonne.

Ariel claims this variant will accelerate from 0-60 mph in "less than 2.3 seconds".

On 23 January 2011, the Atom 500 set the lap record around the Top Gear test track, with a time of 1:15.1, making it the fastest road-legal car to go around the track - a record that stood for just over two years, until the Pagani Huayra completed a lap in 1:13.8 on 27 January 2013.

Wrightspeed X1

The Ariel Atom was unofficially used by Wrightspeed as the base of a one-off prototype called the Wrightspeed X1, which is a proof of concept of the company's all-electric powertrain.

Triumph Daytona 675/R

In an effort to keep up with the middleweight Joneses or maybe stay a step ahead, Triumph has completely overhauled its Daytona 675 and 675R, with an all-new higher-revving engine in a new frame, and a raft of improvements.

This new bike will send the already scared Japanese bikes like the Yamaha R6, the Suzuki GSXR600, new Kawasaki ZX-6R, CBR600RR, etc. looking for cover. This new supersport promises to take forward the legend of the original Daytona 675. It will also compete with the new Ducati 848 replacement, which, if its anything like its bigger brother the 1199 Panigale, promises to be a stunner.

Triumph says power is up by just 2 horses, to 126, and peaks earlier, at 12,600 rpm. But a wider bore and shorter stroke allow the Triple to howl on to 14,400—which we think means it could gain a lot more in modified form. Otherwise, Triumph went to a lot of trouble to gain just 2 hp, producing a new cylinder block that’s now separate from the upper crankcase and lined with ceramic-coated aluminum bores. Torque is also said to be 2 foot-pounds higher, at 55.3 ft.-lb., with an increase across the rev range.
Air now flows straight through the headstock and past two fuel injectors for each cylinder. Titanium valves (a first for Triumph) shaped for optimum flow but in the same sizes as before aid fueling accuracy and efficiency, and provide the new horsepower and torque. The most obvious change, obviously, is the new exhaust. As with the new Street Triple, a low-mount system replaces the old undertail cans, centralizing mass and helping the new frame shift weight more forward onto the front tire for sportier handling. Triumph claims a weight reduction of three pounds.

The six-speed transmission gains a slipper clutch, as well as new EFI programming that props the butterflies open a tad to prevent rear-wheel hop under heavy braking.

The bike’s shorter new frame appears to be the same one introduced a few weeks ago on the new Street Triple—a simpler, stronger design with slightly steeper steering geometry and a shorter wheelbase. A new die-cast aluminum subframe furthers the svelte theme that began with relocating the undertail exhaust—and the whole rear light/license plate assembly comes undone with the removal of three bolts. Though the bike is optimized for high-speed work, Triumph says the seat is 10mm lower than before, with less weight on the rider’s wrists.

The latest in fixed-cartridge forks from KYB and a new rear shock, new lightweight wheels and Pirelli Supercorsa tires are all standard. Switchable ABS includes a track setting.
Just as the new Street Triple bumped up a notch in terms of overall fit and quality, the new Daytona gets a tricky new ventilated upper triple clamp, machined engine mounting bolts, and instrumentation—and an overall cohesiveness that’s a step up from the previous bike. Yours for $11,599.

Daytona 675R

But why stop there? For a mere $1900 more—$13,499—you could be riding atop an Öhlins TTX rear shock and NIX30 inverted fork. The R also gets the latest in Brembo Monobloc brake calipers, and that new lightweight switchable ABS is also included in the package. Also the improved-for-’13 quickshifter, carbon-fiber cockpit panels, carbon-fiber rear hugger, red subframe, red wheel pinstripes, etc.
Both bikes (like all Triumphs) get an unlimited mileage, two-year factory warranty, and should be in dealers by February.

2014 Porsche Cayman

Porsche has rolled out the 2014 Cayman at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2012. The company claims that the new Cayman is longer and sits lower than the outgoing version. A 275PS 2.7-litre flat-six Boxster engine is standard and so is the 6-speed manual gearbox. 

Customers choosing to buy the Cayman S will get the 325PS 3.4-litre engine mated to an optional 7-speed PDK box. Porsche says that with the Sport Chrono and PDK combo, the standard Cayman will shoot from 0-100kmph in 5.1s while the S will do it in 4.4seconds.

The new Cayman will be launched around March 2013 in North America and will have an asking price of Rs 29.29 lakh for the standard and Rs 35.53 lakh for the S.

It will compete with the Mercedes CLK, the Subaru BRZ, Chevrolet Camaro and the Audi TT. 

Porsche also makes the 911, the Cayenne, the Panamera. the 918 Spyder and the Boxter.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14

 

                                     

The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14, or ZZR1400 outside North America, is a motorcycle made by Kawasaki that was their most powerful sport bike as of 2007. It was introduced at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show and released for the 2006 model year as a replacement for the ZX-12R. The ZZR1400 is capable of accelerating from 0–60 mph in 2.5 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 186 mph (299 km/h) as a result of an agreement between the major Japanese and European motorcycle manufacturers.

It competes with the Suzuki Hayabusa and the MV Agusta F4.

The motorcycle was featured in season 10 of Fifth Gear on October 30, 2006.

Motorcycle USA road tested the bike in its October 10, 2006, issue and posted the following stock results:

• 60 ft.: 1.713 seconds
• 330 ft.: 4.349 seconds
• 1/8 mile: 6.447 seconds, achieving 117.39 mph
• 1/4 mile: 9.783 seconds, achieving 147.04 mph

Motorrad magazine in Germany achieved the following test results:

• Top speed 299 km/h (186 mph)
• 0–100 km/h 2.9 seconds / 40 m (130 ft)
• 0–200 km/h 7.6 seconds / 241 m (791 ft)
• 0–250 km/h 12.5 seconds / 548 m (1,798 ft)
• 0–280 km/h 18.5 seconds / 991 m (3,251 ft)

MTT Turbine Superbike

The MTT Turbine Superbike, also known as the Y2K Turbine Superbike, is a wheel-driven motorcycle powered by a turboshaft engine, created by Ted McIntyre of Marine Turbine Technologies. The bike is powered by a Rolls-Royce-Allison Model 250 producing 320 hp (240 kW) at 52,000 rpm. Unlike some earlier jet-powered motorcycles, where a massive jet engine provided thrust to push the motorcycle, the turboshaft engine on this model drives the rear wheel via a two-speed gearbox.

Rear view showing the wide rear tire and large bore exhaust

With a top speed of over 200 mph, it is faster than the Suzuki Hayabusa, the MV Agusta F4 and the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 too. 

The engines used in the motorcycles are second-hand, having reached the FAA-mandated running time limit, after which they have to be rebuilt, regardless of condition. To get around the problem of procuring the kerosene usually used in turbine engines, the engine of the bike is also able to use diesel, or jet fuel.

In 2008, MTT released the "Streetfighter," another jet-bike with a more powerful 420 hp (310 kW) engine.