TVR Sagaris

The TVR Sagaris is a sports car designed and built by the British manufacturer TVR in their factory in Lancashire.

The Sagaris made its debut at the MPH03 Auto Show in 2003. The pre-production model was then shown at the 2004 Birmingham Motorshow. In 2005 the production model was released for public sale at TVR dealerships around the world. Based on the TVR T350,^[1] the Sagaris was designed with endurance racing in mind. Several design features of the production model lend themselves to TVR's intentions to use the car for such racing. The multitude of air vents, intake openings and other features on the bodywork allow the car to be driven for extended periods of time on race tracks with no modifications required for cooling and ventilation. The final production model came with several variations from the pre-production show models e.g. the vents on the wings are filled in, different wing mirrors, location of the fuel filler and bonnet hinges. There are other subtle differences as well.

As with all modern TVRs the Sagaris ignores the European Union guideline that all new cars should be fitted with ABS and at least front airbags because Peter Wheeler believed that such devices promote overconfidence and risk the life of a driver in the event of a rollover, which TVRs are engineered to resist.^[2] It also eschews electronic driver's aids (such as traction control or electronic stability control).
The car's name comes from the sagaris, the Greek name of a lightweight battle-axe used by the Scythians which was feared for its ability to penetrate the armor of their enemies. The car was designed by Graham Browne and Lee Hodgetts.
In 2008, TVR unveiled the Sagaris 2, which was designed to replace the original Sagaris. In the prototype revealed, there were minor changes to the car including a revised rear fascia and exhaust system, and modifications to the interior.^[3]
The 2010 film The Heavy features a black TVR Sagaris driven by Gary Stretch.

Specifications

Engine

• Engine: TVR Speed Six engine, Straight-6


• Displacement: 4.0L (3996 cc)


• Power Output: 380 bhp (283 kW; 385 PS) @ 7,000–7,500 rpm


• Torque Output: 349 ft·lbf (473 N·m) @ 5,000 rpm


• Bore/stoke: 96.0/92.0 mm


• Compression ratio: 12.2:1


• Valvetrain setup: 4 valves per cylinder, Dual Overhead Cam


• Camshaft Duration: inlet 264, exhaust 264 standard

Transmission

• Transmission: 5-speed manual

Suspension

• Front: Independent, double wishbones, coil-over gas dampers, sway bars


• Rear: Independent, double wishbones, coil-over gas dampers, sway bars

Brakes

• Front: 322 mm (12.7 in) ventilated disc brakes


• Rear: 298 mm (11.7 in) ventilated disc brakes

Wheels

• Wheels: 18 x 8.5 in aluminum alloy Spider wheels


• Tires: 255/35 R18

Chassis/body

• Body Panels: Glass Reinforced Plastic


• Weight: 2371 lb (1078 kg)


• Length: 4,057 mm (159.7 in)


• Width: 1,770 mm (69.7 in)


• Height: 1,175 mm (46.3 in)

Performance

• Top speed: 185 mph (298 km/h)


• 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h). 3.7 seconds^[4]


• 60-0 mph: 2.9 seconds

Vauxhall VX220

The Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 is a British-built mid engined, targa-topped, 2-seater sports car introduced in the summer of 2000.
It was built in both right-hand drive and left-hand drive versions at the Lotus Cars plant in Hethel, Norfolk, England. It was sold as the Vauxhall VX220 in the UK, and as the Opel Speedster in the rest of Europe. It was branded the Daewoo Speedster in the Asian market, in both right and left hand drive.
The car has a lot in common with the Lotus Elise, yet Opel/Vauxhall claims few parts are interchangeable. Both cars are characterized by strong performance and superb handling.

Joint Lotus development

The already developed Lotus Elise Series1 was unable to be produced beyond the 2000 model production year due to new European regulations around crash sustainability, and so Lotus needed a development partner to meet the investment requirement.
The Lotus Elise S2/Vauxhall VX220 design was based on the Elise chassis, modified to accept a General Motors engine in preference to the Rover K-series engine used by the Elise.

Design

Produced by Lotus at their Hethel, Norfolk factory, the VX220 carried the Lotus internal model identification Lotus 116 and the code name Skipton for the 2.2N/A version and Tornado for the 2.0 L Turbo.

The chassis utilizes an aluminium chassis tub that weighs only 150 lb (68 kg). The car also features bodywork which is made entirely of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP). The entire car weighs in at only 2,050 lb (930 kg), much lighter than most small sports cars.
The normally aspirated version used a Opel Astra all aluminium alloy 2.2 L Z22SE engine giving 108 kW (147 PS; 145 bhp) in a car weighing 870 kg (1,918 lb) — originally designed for Opel/Vauxhall by Lotus, it arguably gives the VX220 more mechanical Lotus content than the Elise. The Turbo model, introduced in 2003, used an Opel designed cast iron block 2.0 L Z20LET engine, producing 147 kW (200 PS; 197 bhp) but weighing 930 kg (2,050 lb).
The Elise S2 was designed by Lotus to have 16" front wheels and 17" rear wheels. Opel/Vauxhall decided to fit 17" wheels front and rear to the VX220/Speedster for aesthetic reasons, which reduced the handling performance of the car.
A removable hard-top can be fitted as a factory or aftermarket option, providing - arguably - better looks and aerodynamics.

Production

With its low weight, mid-mounted engine, high torsional rigidity, and ample horsepower, the car is extremely quick and agile. Thanks in part to the car's light weight, the turbo version was able to reach a top speed of 242 km/h (150 mph) and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.9 seconds. The base price was around €32,000 for the 2.2 and €36,000 for the turbocharged version.
The car was hailed by the motoring press as a great drivers' car and won several accolades, including Top Gear's car of the year in 2003. The 2.2 NA (naturally aspirated) version was considered the easier drive of the two standard variants, and some journalists recommended that the Vauxhall car was better value for money than the Lotus (such as Jeremy Clarkson in his 2003 DVD Shoot Out).

Speedsters were displayed with the Daewoo badge, although only one was built to be used for marketing purposes. A final version, the track-oriented VXR220, based on the turbo model, was tuned to give around 220 hp (160 kW; 220 PS) and used 16 in (406 mm) front wheels that allowed the fitting of smaller front tyres to give sharper handling.
Production ended in 2005, with no direct successor.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato-first official pics

At the 2011 Frankfurt autoshow the British will present the production version of the V12 Zagato.The new V12 Zagato will be powered obviously by a V12 engine making 517 HP and 570 NM of torque.

    Each of the 150 units sold will be hand crafted with exotic materials like carbon fiber and other kinds of fiber.The starting price on all versions will be
505.365 US Dollars.

TVR Cerbera

The TVR Cerbera is a sports car manufactured by TVR between 1996 and 2003. The name is derived from Cerberus the three-headed beast of Greek legend that guarded the entrance of Hades.
The TVR Cerbera was the third car manufactured by TVR under the leadership of Peter Wheeler (the first was the Griffith and the second was the Chimaera). The car represented three firsts for the Wheeler-led company:

• The first hard-top—the Griffith and the Chimaera were both convertibles


• The first 2+2—TVRs were traditionally two-seaters


• The first to be driven by TVR's own engines—historically, TVR had purchased engines from mainstream manufacturers like Rover, Ford and Triumph

The prototype was introduced at the 1994 Birmingham Motor Show.

Prior to the Cerbera, TVR had purchased V8 engines from Rover and then tuned them for their own use. When Rover was purchased by BMW, Peter Wheeler didn't want to risk problems should the Germans decide to stop manufacturing the engine. In response, he engaged the services of race engineer Al Melling to design a V8 engine that TVR could manufacture in-house and even potentially offer for sale to other car-makers. In an interview for the television programme Top Gear, Wheeler explained "Basically, we designed the engine as a race engine. It was my idea at the time that if we wanted to expand, we ought to make something that we could sell to other people. We've ended up with a 75-degree V8 with a flat-plane crank. The bottom-half of the engine to the heads is exactly as you would see in a current Formula One engine."
Wheeler was quoted at the time of the car's launch as saying that the combination of light weight and high power was too much for a road car, a quote which ensured much free publicity in the press. Enthusiasts still argue about whether this was a typical example of Wheeler's legendary frankness, or an equally typical example of his PR chief Ben Samuelson's knack for saving on advertising costs by creating a story.

The result was dubbed the "Speed Eight" (official designation 'AJP8') after Al Melling, John Ravenscroft and Peter Wheeler, a 4.2 L V8 producing 360 horsepower (268 kW). A larger version of the engine was later offered that displaced 4.5 litres and output rose to 420 horsepower (310 kW). This larger engine was also fitted with a crankshaft that was made of steel for added strength and reliability. The smaller motor allowed the Cerbera to still achieve up to 185 mph (297 km/h).
The AJP8 has one of the highest specific outputs of any naturally aspirated V8 in the automotive world at 83.3 hp/litre for the 4.2 and 93.3 hp/litre for the 4.5. Later models of the 4.5 litre engine were given the option of being to the 'Red Rose' specification, which increased its output to 440 bhp (97.7 hp/litre) when fuelled with super-unleaded (high octane) and the driver pushed the unmarked button on the dashboard which altered the engine mapping to suit.
In some cases, real-world outputs for production V8s (4.5 in particular) were down from TVRs quoted output. Some of these have seen some form of modification (ECU, induction, exhaust etc.) to bring the power back up to the factory quoted output.
One of the attractions of the V8 Cerberas for many owners was the loud backfire produced on over-run, particularly at low speeds. In fact this was the result of an argument at the factory between one of TVR's executives and the engineers mapping the engine. The engineers wanted to map out this "irregularity" to improve fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions, whilst the executive insisted it was exactly the kind of thing owners would like. In the end a compromise was reached in which the popping and banging remained on the 4.5 L cars.
The engine is also unusually compact for a V8. According to TVR, the total weight of the finished engine is 121 kilograms (267 lb).
With the success of the Speed Eight program, Wheeler also undertook the design of a "Speed Six" engine to complement it. This engine also made its debut in the Cerbera. Unlike the Speed Eight, the new engine is 4.0 litre inline slant six (I6) design. It also differs from the V8 in having four valves per cylinder to the Speed Eight's two.

The car

The car itself was designed from the start as a four-seater. The rear seats are smaller than the front, a design commonly referred to as a "2+2". However, the interior is designed so that the passenger seat can slide farther forward than the driver's seat. This allows more room for the person sitting behind the front passenger. TVR have referred to this as a "3+1" design.
TVR maintained its tradition of building cars that were not only exceptionally powerful but also very light for their size and power output. The Cerbera's weight was quoted by TVR at 1100 kilograms, although customers claimed the weight varied between 1,060 kg (2,337 lb) and 1,200 kg (2,646 lb).
The dashboard was designed especially for the Cerbera and uses a two-spar steering wheel as opposed to the typical three-spar previously found in most TVRs. The reason for this is that minor instruments are located on a small panel below the steering wheel and a third spar in the wheel would have made them difficult to read.
Like all TVRs of the Peter Wheeler era, the Cerbera had a long-travel throttle to compensate for the lack of electronic traction-control and very sharp steering. The V8 powered cars were two turns from lock to lock and the Speed Six car was 2.4 turns. This made it easier for experienced drivers to maintain or regain control of the car in the event of a loss of traction but some less experienced drivers complained that it made the cars feel "twitchy" and more responsive than they would otherwise have preferred.
In 2000, TVR changed the styling of the car slightly by modifying the headlights to more closely resemble those seen in the TVR Tuscan. The "facelift" features were available with all three engine configurations. In addition, the cars equipped with the 4.5 liter engine were offered with the "lightweight" option, reducing the overall weight through the use of lighter body panels and a slightly reworked interior.

The Last Cerbera

In August 2006, TVR held an online auction for what it billed as "The Last Cerbera". According to thelastcerbera.com, the website that TVR created especially for the auction, TVR's owner and chairman, Nikolay Smolensky (spelled "Nikolai Smolenski" on thelastcerbera.com site), brought the design out of retirement for one more unit as an homage to the "beautiful but brutish bygone British sports car." The "last Cerbera" was a 4.5 LW right-hand drive car in Pepper white with Prussian blue leather interior trim. The auction failed to meet its reserve price but TVR still decided to sell the car to the high bidder. The final bid was under £45,000 to which 5% plus 17.5% VAT would be added.^{[citation needed]} This car is currently for sale at Racing Green Cars in Ash Vale

Performance

Speed Six 4.0L model

• Engine type: straight-6 DOHC 24v


• Power: 350 hp (261 kW; 355 PS)


• 0-60 mph: 4.4 seconds


• Top speed: 180 mph (290 km/h)


• Torque: 330 lb·ft (447 N·m)

4.2L model

• Engine type: V8 OHC 16v


• Power: 360 hp (268 kW; 365 PS)


• Torque: 320 lb·ft (434 N·m) at 4500 rpm


• Redline: 7000 rpm


• 0-60 mph: 4.2 seconds


• 1/4 mile time 12.4 seconds


• Top speed: 185 mph (297 km/h)

4.5L model

• Engine type: 4475cc V8 OHC 16v


• Power: 420 hp (313 kW; 426 PS) at 6750 rpm


• Torque: 380 lb·ft (515 N·m) at 4500 rpm


• Redline: 7000 rpm


• 0-60 mph: 3.9 seconds


• Top speed: 195 mph (313,7 km/h)

Video:New Bentley Continental GTC

Bentley will officially introduce at the Frankfurt autosho the new super luxury cabriolet Continental GTC.This car takes over the main elements of the coupe introduced last year but is bigger,more powerful and faster !

20 Inch rims will be standard.The engine is a 6 liter W12 producing 575 HP of 700 Nm of torque.The new Continental GTC gets to 60 in 4.8 and to 100 in 10.9 secs and has a top speed of 195 Mph.

The starting price announced for the moment is of 244.937418 U.S. dollars.I still don't have any official info about the time when the car will be available for purchase in the US but its gonna be probably sometime in the spring of 2012.

Oldest Bentley functioning sold !

The last Bentley survivor of the 1921 generation was sold yesterday at Pebble Beach for almost a million dollars.This car was a Bentley 3 Litre.The 3 Litre was the sports car that put Bentley on the automotive map.

  It was a large car compared to the tiny, lightweight Bugattis then dominating racing, but its innovative technology and strength made up for its weight. The 4000 lb (1800 kg) car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, with drivers John Duff and Frank Clement, and again in 1927, this time in Super Sports form, with drivers S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis and Dudley Benjafield. Its weight, size, and speed prompted Ettore Bugatti to call it "the fastest lorry in the world.

The 3 Litre car was shown at the 1919 London Motor Show, but the engine had not yet been finished. It took two years to get the engine right, with the first customer delivery in September 1921. Production lasted through 1929, by which time the car had been surpassed by Bentley's own 4½ Litre car.

Daimler Super Eight

In July 2005, after a three-year hiatus, a new Daimler, the Super Eight, was presented, with a 4.2 L V8 supercharged engine which produces 291 kW (396 PS; 390 bhp) and a torque rating of 533 N·m (393 lb·ft) at 3500 rpm. It is derived from the Jaguar XJ (X350).

Significant Daimler Models for the Ford Premier Auto Group period include:

• 1992-1994 Daimler Majestic XJ340 wheelbase extended 5 inches (130 mm); 3.2 and 4 litre engines
• 1992-1994 Daimler Majestic Double-Six XJ381 6 litre engine. Intended to take 75% of group V12 sales
• 1994-2002 Daimler X300 and X330 body returns to a more recognizable shape. V8 from 1997
• 1996 Daimler Century limited edition: 50 V12, 50 straight 6; marking 100 years of Daimler Coventry
• 2002-2005 Daimler Super V8 X350 V8 engine, alloy structure
• 2005 Daimler Super Eight

Rolls-Royce Phantom

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a saloon automobile made in England by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a BMW subsidiary. It was launched in 2003 and is the first model introduced during the BMW era. The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, and the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé, are both based on the 2003 Phantom. It also won the Top Gear Car of the Year Award for 2003.
The Phantom uses a unique chassis platform, body, interior, and retains traditional Rolls-Royce design cues. The body is mostly aluminium.
Final assembly, including all body, paint, wood, and leather work, is completed to each customer's individual specification at the Rolls-Royce plant in Goodwood, West Sussex. The plant is down the road from the historic Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.

The plant contains the paint shop, body shop, leather shop, woodworking shop, assembly line, and executive offices under one roof.^[1] There are only two robots in the factory. The two robots paint the body; the paint is polished by hand after the robots spray each coat. The coachlines, which are exactly 3mm wide, are done,^[2] as well as all other work, by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition.
It has a 6.75 litre, 48-valve, V12 engine that produces 453 bhp (338 kW; 459 PS) and 720 N·m (530 lb·ft) of torque. The engine is derived from BMW's N73 V12 powerplant. The engine is assembled by BMW. The engine uses direct fuel injection, and is a drive by wire design, using valvetronic technology. The power output is regulated by infinitely varying valve lift by moving the rockers and rocker fulcrums via electric servos, rather than using the throttle body. The throttle body is maintained for fail-safe operation.
The aluminium extrusions that are used to construct the aluminium spaceframe are produced in Norway using hydroelectric power, shaped and machined in Denmark and finally hand-welded in Germany.^[3]
It is 1.63 m (63 in) tall, 1.99 m (74.8 in) wide, 5.83 m (228 in) long, and weighs 2485 kg (5478 lb). The body of the car is built on an aluminium space frame and the Phantom can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.7 s and to 300 km/h in 60 s. It has a six-speed automatic transmission and double wishbone suspension. The transmission is sourced from ZF of Germany. The vehicle electronics are sourced from BMW. The car was originally designed for a V16 engine but at the very last moment they said it was a bit too much, so they instead used the engine mentioned above.
An extended wheelbase Phantom was presented in March 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show, which is 250 mm (9.8 in) longer than the standard Phantom. It is currently referred to as the Phantom Extended Wheelbase^[4] (or EWB).

Novel features

• Customers can choose from 44,000 paint colours, and specify any leather colour.^[5]

• Car has a power reserve dial indicating how much of the engine's power is left available to the driver. This is to provide a sense of tremendous power in reserve, and to hide "crude" underlying mechanicals from its owners. The instrument cluster is not shared with any other vehicle. Doors are remote operated.

• The rear doors are rear-hinged, a style commonly referred to as suicide doors, but called 'coach doors' by Rolls-Royce. Because of the rear-seating position in relation to the rear inner-door handles, buttons are mounted on both C-pillars which operate hydraulic motors in order to close the rear doors. An electronic lock prevents the doors from being accidentally opened when moving. The car will automatically brake to a walking speed if a coach door remains open when driving off.^[6] The rear doors also house umbrellas that are stored within the doors, and can only be accessed when the front or rear doors are open. The fabric of the umbrella is coated with Teflon to assist in shedding water when the wet umbrella is stored within the door.

• The traditional Spirit of Ecstasy ornament has an automatic electronic retraction mechanism to prevent theft and protect pedestrians in the event of an accident. It may also be retracted by the driver at the touch of a button, and retracted when the alarm is armed. The base contains a sensor which detects movement, and will retract if tampered with.

• The 'RR' logos on each of the wheel hubs are independent bezels in order to always remain upright while the wheel is rotating.Features (as of 2009) include a navigation system with voice recognition, power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 26-speaker premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls, power open/close trunk lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls. There are unlimited options available through the Rolls-Royce "Bespoke" programme through which the factory will create any reasonable option a customer asks for.

  Safety recall

  In October 2010, the Phantom is included in a product recall campaign involving cars with a V8 or V12 engine from BMW for the potential to develop a leak in the power braking system.^[7]
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Drophead Coupé and Coupé

  Main article: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé
  Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is the latest convertible made by Rolls-Royce which debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on 7 January 2007. The platform is based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom and has styling heavily derived from the 100EX concept car unveiled to celebrate the company's centennial in 2005.

Bentley Azure

The Bentley Azure is a large, four seater convertible built by Bentley Motors Limited at its factory in Crewe, England. The model debuted in 1995 on the Continental platform and was produced in its original guise until 2003. A completely new version powered by a significantly updated engine and riding on the newer Arnage platform debuted in 2006. According to 2009 research by internet company Yahoo, the Azure is the fourth most fuel consuming car on sale in the United Kingdom.

First generation (1995-2003)

The Azure debuted for 1995 on the platform of the Continental R model, which had been launched in 1991. At 210 inches (5,334 mm) in length and 5,750 pounds (2,610 kg) in weight, the Azure often surprised onlookers with its size and bulk, intended to both convey a sense of "presence" and allow for comfortable seating of four adult passengers.
Power came from the company's stalwart 6.75 Liter V8, featuring a single, intercooled Garrett turbocharger and producing 400 horsepower (298 kW) and 645 ft·lbf (875 N·m) of torque; power was routed to the rear wheels via a modified, General Motors sourced 4-speed automatic transmission. With a 0 to 60 miles per hour time of 6.1 seconds, the Azure was very fast for a car of its size, weight and poor aerodynamic profile.
Owing to the limited space and workforce at Bentley's Crewe factory, the Azure's thick, powered convertible top was designed and manufactured by Pininfarina, which significantly added to the vehicle's cost. New in 1995, the Azure was priced at $347,645 -- $36,355 more than the Continental R on which it was based.
From 1999 through the end of production, the Azure was also available in "Mulliner" trim, which added special bespoke trim and additional equipment and allowed the buyer the option for further customization during the build-process; pricing varied by car, as equipment could be significantly different from one to the next depending on customer requests.

Second generation (2006-2009)

Volkswagen purchased Bentley from Vickers in 1998, three years into production of the Mark 1 model. Volkswagen executives decided to keep the then-current Azure in production until 2003, then release its successor at a later date. Production of the new Azure began for the 2006 model year.
Now based on the Arnage platform, power comes from the current variant of the Bentley turbocharged V8 making 450 hp (340 kW) and 645 ft·lbf (875 N·m) of torque. Volkswagen funded a significant re-working of the engine in 2001 to modernize it, including a switch from the old single-turbo system to a modern twin-turbocharger setup, reducing turbo-lag and increasing horsepower output. A new model-specific 6-speed automatic transmission feeds power to the rear wheels.
Bentley claims a 0 to 60 mile-per-hour time of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph (270 km/h) , slightly faster than the previous edition and still very good for a vehicle of this size and weight.
The United States Department of Energy lists Bentley Azure as the least fuel-efficient car in its class ^[2] with only 9 miles per US gallon (26 L/100 km; 11 mpg_-imp) city and 15 miles per US gallon (16 L/100 km; 18 mpg_-imp) highway rates.

This model was used in Turkish pop singer Yusuf Güney's video clip Git Bedenim Buralardan. Video clip was performed in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, 2009.^[3]

Azure T (2009-2011)

It is a higher performance version of Bentley Azure. Styling changes include 8.5J x 20-inch five-spoke, two-piece alloy wheels with 255/40 ZR20 Pirelli P Zero tyres, 'Le Mans' lower front wing air vents, dark-tinted upper and lower grilles, 'jewel' fuel filler cap (made from billet aluminium), door mirror mountings finished in body colour. The exterior styling was inspired from Bentley Mark VI.

Audio system includes large display audio head unit with Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot, iPod/USB/3.5 mm AUX interface; with optional 'Naim for Bentley' 10-speaker, 1100W audio system. Electronic Stability Programme, Tire Pressure Monitoring System are now standard equipment.
The twin turbocharged engine is rated 507 PS (373 kW; 500 hp) and 1,000 N·m (740 lb·ft) torque. It has 0-60 miles per hour time of 5.1 seconds (0-100 km/h at 5.5 seconds), 0-100 mph time in 12.1 seconds (0-160 km/h in 12.0 seconds) and a top speed of 179 mph (288 km/h).
The car was unveiled in LA Auto Show.

Aston Martin One-77

The Aston Martin One-77 is a two-door coupé built by Aston Martin.
It first appeared at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, although the car remained mostly covered by a "Savile Row tailored skirt" throughout the show,^[1] before being fully revealed at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.

It will have a limited run of 77 units with delivery starting in October 2010.^[1][2][3] The car is featured in the video game Forza Motorsport 3 available as a drivable from AutoWeek Car Pack DLC. and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit as a drivable vehicle in both factory form and in police livery. It featured in the 2011 video game Test Drive Unlimited 2 where it is drivable by players and is one of the quickest and most exclusive cars on the game. It also served as the cover art of the 2011 game Asphalt 3D

Car details

Prior to the One-77's Paris Motor Show debut, various details about the car had been leaked,^[4] but official specifications were not fully revealed until the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.
The One-77 will feature a full carbon fibre monocoque chassis, a handcrafted aluminium body, and a naturally aspirated 7.3 litre V12 engine with 750 hp (560 kW). Aston Martin claims that this will be the most powerful naturally aspirated production engine in the world when the car is delivered.^[5]
The car will also use a strengthened version of the DB9's 6-speed automated manual transmission and height-adjustable pushrod suspension coupled with dynamic stability control.^[6] It will feature Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres (255/35 ZR20 front, 335/30 ZR20 rear) and Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes.

The top speed was estimated to be 200 mph (320 km/h) but actual tests in December 2009 showed a figure of 220.007 mph (354.067 km/h),^[7] with a 0–60 mph time of approximately 3.5 seconds.
The engineering and build source of the carbon chassis and suspension system is contracted to Multimatic of Canada.
The projected weight is 1,500 kg (3,307 lb).

Due to the lack of details from Aston Martin, many automotive publications have speculated on the final pricing of the car. While estimates vary, all expect the price to easily run in the millions.
According to the website 925.nl, the One-77 will cost approximately £1,050,000.^[4] However, the Australian newspaper The Courier-Mail expects it to be priced at around AU$2.6 million.^[9], $800,000 of which is tax and import duty.
According to British magazine Top Gear, the car's price will be £1,200,000,^[10] while the American magazine Robb Report expects it to be priced at US$1,700,000. In India, the car is expected to be priced at Rs 20 crores or approximately $4.4 million.^[11]
On 13 May 2011, it was reported that a New Zealand businessman, Neil Graham, the co-founder of Mainfreight, paid NZ$2.8 million. It is the only One-77 in Australasia.^[12]

Accolades

The Aston Martin One-77 has been awarded with several internationally renowned design awards including the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes^[13], the GOOD DESIGN award by The Chicago Athenauem: Museum of Architecture and Design in North America^[14] and the "Best Design" award by the UK motoring magazine Auto Express.^[15] and many others.

Bentley Speed Six

The regular Bentley 6½ Litre and the high-performance Bentley Speed Six were Bentley cars in production from 1926 to 1930. They were created out of the desire for more engine power by Walter Owen Bentley by adding two cylinders to the straight-4 engine used in his Bentley 4½ Litre car. The Speed Six, introduced in 1928, would become the most-successful racing Bentley. Two Bentley Speed Six became known as the Blue Train Bentleys after their owner Woolf Barnato's involvement in the Blue Train Races of 1930.he 6½ Litre was inspired by the Rolls-Royce Phantom I as a closed-body car. Although based on the Bentley 3 Litre, it incorporated many improvements. The cone-type clutch was replaced by a dry-plate design, incorporating a clutch brake for fast gear changes, and four wheel finned-drum brakes were used. The front brake drums had 4 leading shoes in each drum and the brakes were also power assisted. A single adjustment took care of the wear of all four brakes (an ingenious patented compensating device made this possible) which was adjustable by the driver, whilst in motion, from the driving seat. This was particularly advantageous during racing.
Like the four cylinder engine, Bentley's straight-6 included overhead camshaft, 4 valves per cylinder and two sparking plugs per cylinder, all exotic technologies at the time, as well as a single-piece engine block and head cast in iron, and therefore no head gasket to blow. Bore and stroke dimensions were identical to the Bentley 4½ Litre car at 100 mm (3.9 in) and 140 mm (5.5 in), respectively, giving a total of 6.6 L (6597 cc/402 in³) of displacement. 180–200 hp (134–149 kW) was produced, and the car was faster and more reliable than the supercharged Bentley 4½ Litre produced at the same time.
A large variety of wheelbases were produced for such a low-production car, ranging from 132 in (3353 mm) to 152½ in (3873 mm).

Bentley Speed Six

The Bentley Speed Six was introduced in 1928 as a more sporting version of the Bentley 6½ Litre. It would become the most-successful racing Bentley, claiming victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1929 and 1930 with Bentley Boys drivers Woolf Barnato, "Tim" Birkin, and Glen Kidston.
However, the Speed Six was also fitted as a conventional road car, and many were used for everyday use. Bentley Motors Chairman Woolf Barnato used them with various bespoke bodywork from British coachbuilders as his personal automobiles. Two saloon-bodied Speed Six were used as patrol cars for the Criminal Investigation Department of the Western Australia Police.
In January 1930, the Rover Company's Rover Light Six gained a worldwide reputation when it was the first successful participant in the Blue Train Races, a series of record-breaking attempts between automobiles and trains in the late 1920s and early 1930s. For the race motorists and their own or sponsored cars raced against the Le Train Bleu, a train that ran between Calais and the French Riviera. ^{[1][2][3][4][5]}
One evening in March 1930, at a dinner at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, talk around the table had swung round to the topic of motor cars; in particular to the advertisement by Rover claiming that its Rover Light Six had gone faster than the famous "Le train bleu" express. Woolf Barnato contended that just to go faster than the Blue Train was of no special merit. He raised the stakes by arguing that at the wheel of his own Bentley Speed Six, he could be at his club in London before the train reached Calais and bet 100 Pound Sterling on that challenge. The next day, the 13 March 1930, as the Blue Train steamed out of Cannes station at 17:45h, Barnato, with one of his friends who had offered to act as a relief driver set off. From Lyons onwards they drove through heavy rain. At 4:20h, in Auxerre, they lost time searching for a refueling rendezvous. Through central France they hit fog, then shortly after Paris they had a burst tyre, requiring the use of their only spare. They reached the coast at 10:30h, sailed over to England on the cross-Channel packet, and were neatly parked outside The Conservative Club in St. James's Street, London, by 15:20h - four minutes before the Blue Train reached Calais. He won the bet, whereupon the French authorities fined him a sum far greater than his winnings for racing on public roads.

Blue Train Bentley

Barnato drove a H. J. Mulliner-bodied Bentley Speed Six formal saloon during his Blue Train Race, which became known as the Blue Train Bentley. Two months later, on 21 May 1930, he took delivery of a new Bentley Speed Six streamlined fastback "Sportsman Coupé" by Gurney Nutting. Barnato named it the "Blue Train Special" in memory of his race, and it too became commonly referred to as the Blue Train Bentley. The H. J. Mulliner-bodywork was stripped off the original car's chassis to make place for a bespoke replacement, as was common practice for automobiles at that time.
With growing historical distance from the event, the Gurney Nutting-bodied car was regularly mistaken for or erroneously referred to as being the car that had raced the Blue Train. This was re-iterated in articles and various popular motoring paintings depicting that car racing "le train bleu". Even in 2005 for the 75th anniversary of the race, Bentley's promotional material continued this depiction as the rakish coupé and the related daredevil Bentley Boys mythology symbolised the brand image Bentley was asked to project as a marque of the Volkswagen Group much better than the rather staid formal saloon bodywork by H. J. Mulliner