McLaren’s new F1 supercar undergoes tests

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McLaren Automotive has started testing their new McLaren F1 supercar due for launch three years from now. The new hypercar is the successor the the iconic F1 and aims to surpass the capabilities of other supercars lie the 918 Spyder of Porsche, Ferrari Enzo, and even the Bugatti Veyron.

Insiders shared that the test runs of the new McLaren F1 happened in Spain before the vehicle, which is set to get an alpha numeric tag during production, was transported to Germany. Testing in warmer weather conditions might have occurred in Bahrain.

The price of the new McLaren creation which was initially estimated to hit the £400,000 mark is now way off this grid and is expected to go for a whopping £1 million. The limited run might see 500 units rolling of the factory of McLaren.

The original McLaren F1 has a tag price of £540,000 back in 1994 or roughly around £810,000 at the moment.

The Mega-Mac will get the 799 horsepower V8 5.0L engine developed by McLaren in collaboration with Ricardo. This monstrous engine will be mated with the Graziano 7-speed dual clutch transmission that will transmit the power to the rear wheels. The peak power will be at around 7,500 rpm. The 590 lb-ft peak torque can be tapped from 3,500 rpm thru 6,800 rpm.

Experts foresee the new McLaren supercar to hit 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds and get to 100 mph in 5.5 seconds. Give it 20 seconds and it can blast to 200 mph.

The car will be using a lightweight monocell made from carbonfiber which is similar to the base of the the MP4-12C. The supercar will also be equipped with anti-roll control hydraulics, pushrod suspension made of aluminum, adaptive dampers, and a 5-stage traction control.

McLaren sees the new supercar to be more functional, angrier, and bigger than its sibling MP4-12C but carries over the styling concept of the F1 and the MP4-12C.

Production of 2 to 3 units of the supercar is expected to occur when production kicks off at their McLaren Technology Center. Production cycle is scheduled for four years.

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Facelifted Freelander by Land Rover spied

The first set of spy photos of the 2011 Freelander 2 by Land Rover hit the world wide web yesterday. The vehicle is pretty much wrapped but the pictures will still give car enthusiasts an idea of the direction the carmaker is taking.

Freelander Land Rover 2The LR2 will be getting a refreshed front fascia with the prototype having a new grilled under heavy camouflage, reshaped bumper, and possibly LED lights.

The colors of the side mirrors matching the color of the vehicle will be a nice touch for those purchasing the Freelander as a luxury item instead of having the look of rugged, black plastic. The rims are also heavily covered by tape in the pictures, it makes us wonder if they are hiding some elements in between the spokes.

There is still the awkward rear bumper but we maybe we can expect some changes with the design of the rear door that is covered by tarp on the spy photos.

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Nissan Fairlady Z Goes Hybrid

The newest trend in the automotive business is to go hybrid. Everyone’s very concerned about the environment and boosting power at the cost of high emission levels is no longer cool anymore. The Japanese manufacturer Nissan knows this only too well. This is why Nissan is reinventing its classic Fairlady Z and is now developing a hybrid version of the car.

Nissan will be working with Daimler on this project, and with the concept in the works, news has it that the Nissan hybrid will make use of the Mercedes-Benz hybrid system. Aside from the electric powertrain, the Fairlady Z can also have a diesel engine also developed by Daimler, but this is still being considered and no formal announcements about the concept has been made.

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The First Batch of Pre-production Ampera rolls out at GM’s Assembly Line

According to reports, something’s brewing in General Motor Corp’s assembly line. Apparently, the first batch of preproduction 2012 Opel Ampera has just been built. The coming months are looking at more pre-production Amperas rolling off the assembly line of GM’s Warren, Michigan plant.

Opel AmperaBefore you get too excited, though, hold off that trip to the dealer. Note that these are pre-production models, and they will not be sold to the public just yet. They still need to undergo a lot of testing so that the car manufacturer can finalize the software development stage of the vehicles. Producers will also be busy making final adjustments to the Ampera’s controls. These final tweaks are necessary to make this baby road-safe and optimized by 2012.

When interviewed, Andrew Farah, Ampera’s Vehicle Chief Engineer, said that GM is “right on target”. This car should be ready for the European market by late next year. Although he did say that there are still a lot of work left to be done on the vehicle, the pre-production line is already a significant accomplishment for all the teams who have been pouring their efforts on the car.

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Official details: GQbyCITROEN Concept

French carmaker Citroen unveils a new concept car fitting the bill of a compact sports vehicle. The follow up to the 2008 concept GTbyCitroen is a product of collaboration with fashion publication GQ magazine. The design is aimed to bull’s eye the ultimate gentleman ride.

Citroen by GQThe designers from Citroen responded to the briefing of the editors from GQ, reviewed the theme of the grand tourer, injected some design elements of Citroen, and the GQbyCITROEN was born from the drawing boards into a concept car.

The design lines of the GQbyCitroen features the sculpted front, rounded tail end, and concave windscreen on the rear. The cabin is really spacious, very futuristic, and comfortable.

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R-Class Mercedes-Benz to get another facelift for 2011 model

The R-Class struggled to live up to the expectations of the Mercedes-Benz brand reporting dismal sales figures since its release. The German carmaker though is not giving up on its Grand Sport Tourer and is planning to make it better so consumers can take notice.

R-Class MercedesThe R-Class design was slightly modified to prepare for a better run in 2007. Mercedes-Benz is planning another facelift for its 2011 R-Class model. It seems that the company is planning a more extensive makeover for the R-Class and some of the industry’s spy photographers have spotted an R-Class testing the roads in Germany.

The vehicle started its run in 2005 when it was officially unveiled to the public during the auto show in New York. The first facelift was done in 2007, about two years after its debut, primarily aimed at improving its appeal to their market segment. The car manufacturer added some variants of the R-Class to the lineup including a rear wheel drive and a seven-seater. Other than these configurations, the R-Class was basically untouched.

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Infiniti EX35 2010 model gets more features for the same tag price

The new Infiniti EX35 gets a bunch of new features but still starts at $33,800 like the 2009 model. It is a very attractive deal for a sport cross over in the luxury segment of the market.

Infiniti ex35Infiniti The 2010 EX35 gives consumers sets of packages to choose from with a pimped out Bose set up, air purification system, and climate control. The new navigation system incorporates XM NavWeather, streaming audio, and the restaurant guide from Zagat.

The new member of the fleet gets the Infiniti standard heated side mirrors and auto power headlights. The entry-level RWD EX35 also gets heated front seats. Occupants can do Bluetooth enabled hands free mobile phone calls for the Journey line up. The 2010 EXs go with a better USB port for the iPod while those with the Bose entertainment system come with a 2 Gig hard drive where you can store all the music files.

The EX35 AWD has a sticker price of $35,200. The rear drive journey has a barcode for $36,000 while its all wheel drive version sells for $37,400.

The 2010 EX model continues to have their impressive leather interiors going well with a long list of features like RearView Monitor, coat hanger for the driver’s seat, and power aided folding second row seats.

The new Infiniti EX35 sports a 3.5L V6 engine with an output of 297 horsepower. It is coupled with a 5-speed auto transmission.

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Jaguar plans to build a plug-in XE Roadster hybrid

Anxious can be a term used to describe the atmosphere formed by the new ownership of Jaguar in 2008. The market wondered what will Jaguar be like under Tata Motors’ helm, and Tata proved that it has plans to keep the brand running smoothly against its competitions.

xe jaguar hybridEvery car manufacturer got a fair share of the knockout punch of the recent recession. Jaguar, like other car makers, plans to get up on its feet by next year. Jaguar plans to do it by launching a roadster.

Previously, Tata Motors insiders confirmed that a roadster is on their design boards and is on early stages of development. Reports confirmed that the production of the car will miss its original due date set for 2011. The extra time buys time for Jaguar to inject to the market a plug-in hybrid variant of the roadster. The powerplant of this unit will be a combination of a 3-cylinder gas engine and an electric motor dependent on lithium ion battery packs.

The British government has extended its help to Jaguar so it can develop new technologies which focus on lower emission and higher fuel efficiency. There is also news that Jaguar is planning to make a hybrid for the upcoming XJ saloon flagship.

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