It's here: meet the new Ferrari F12 BerlinettaThe most powerful road-going Ferrari ever built, and successor to the 599, has finally arrived...
Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo likes to talk about different Ferraris for different sorts of Ferrari clients, but when it comes to the Prancing Horse's big front-engined V12 GT models, there's zero messing around. Meet the all-new F12 Berlinetta, and if the name lacks the flamboyance we've come to expect from Maranello, the rest of it will blow your mind. And possibly your ear-drums, too.
Like the 599 GTB Fiorano which it replaces, the F12's undoubted USP is that thumping great V12. A reworked version of the unit that first appeared in the FF, it shares the same 6262cc capacity and 65 degree configuration, but its power output is increased by approximately 80bhp to just over 730bhp (740CV), and it produces 509 torques. In other words, the F12 is the most powerful road-going Ferrari ever. Factor in a dry weight of 1525kg and you can imagine what sort of performance this thing delivers: 0-62mph in 3.1 seconds, 0-124mph in 8.5, and a top speed of 211mph. So, quite fast, then. Fast enough, in fact, to blitz Ferrari's Fiorano test track in 1min 23 seconds, a time that outpoints even the Enzo supercar to make this the quickest Ferrari road car to lap the famous circuit.
Aston Martin will be celebrating the iconic DB4GT Zagato’s 50th anniversary with a new concept car developed in collaboration with the Italian design house Zagato. The concept car made its first appearance at the Villa D’Este Concours on May 21st, 2011 and will make its racing debut at Nürburgring on May 28th.
Dr. Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive said: "The DNA of both Aston Martin and Zagato has combined successfully to make some of the world’s most desirable collector cars in the past and in this special anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato it is appropriate to explore a modern collaboration. Now is the right time for a new Aston Martin Zagato and in combining our design intelligence I think we can create something fitting of the iconic DB4GT Zagato that has gone before and since established itself as one of the most famous Aston Martins of all time."
The original Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato made its first appearance in 1960 at the London Motor Show. It was essentially a much lighter DB4 GT that got worked on by the Italian Coachbuilder to include a 3670 cc straight-6 DOHC engine that produced 314 HP with a top speed of 154 mph.
UPDATE 07/01/2011: The V12 Zagato has finally been listed on the Aston Martin web page, giving us an official confirmation that it will soon go on sale. According to the web site, "only a strictly limited run of road going cars will be built" and we will get more details about in the next few weeks.
UPDATE 07/0711: Now this is what we’re talking about! Aston Martin has finally given the pricing for the V12 Zagato. But that’s where the good news ends, at least as far as those that will have a hard time affording it. Anybody who wants to score this limited edition piece of beauty will have to shell out £330,000, which is around $528,000 based on current exchange rates. Gulp.
UPDATE 08/12/11: Aston Martin announced today that the V12 Zagato concept next with the One-77 supercar will make their American debuts in Monterey from August 17th to 21st. The V12 Zagato will debut in the evening of Wednesday August 17th at McCall’s Motorworks Revival and Aston Martin has confirmed once again that a strictly limited production run of the V12 Zagato will commence in summer 2012.
"Guests will be given the rare opportunity to test drive our latest model range, including the new Virage and Vantage S, as well as the four-door Rapide" commented Julian Jenkins, Vice President Aston Martin the Americas. "We are very excited about the program this year including the debut of the V12 Zagato, and we look forward to welcoming current owners, new customers and automotive enthusiasts to share our celebrations at The Aston Martin Estate."
Hit the jump to read more about the new V12 Zagato endurance racer concept.
Exterior and Interior
The new V12 Zagato is based on a V12 Vantage model, but incorporates the technologies applied in the One-77 supercar. The model is built on a handcrafted aluminum body, which allowed the team to easily model the car’s form. The result of this work is a car with a beautiful and muscular design.
Each front wing alone comprises seven separate pieces of aluminum, combined and then hand finished to give one flowing form. Another iconic Zagato design cue is the double bubble roof created, in this case, from five separate pieces illustrating further the intensity of craftsmanship involved in the construction of the V12 Zagato.
Director of Design, Marek Reichman said: "The Design team at Gaydon spent time refining the concept using a mixture of the latest computer based modelling techniques along with crafting traditional clay models to give a real world idea of proportion, stance and detail. The V12 Zagato is an elegant yet brutal design which reflects the great balance between race performance and pure Aston Martin style. The original DB4GT Zagato was a true icon, powerful and graceful; the new design is a true representation of the spirit of DB4GT Zagato. The muscular organic forms define the thoroughbred nature of the car’s racing credentials."
Engine
Under the hood, the V12 Zagato features a 6.0-liter V12 engine that delivers a total of 510 HP and 420 lb ft of torque. The engine is mated to a rear mid-mounted, six-speed automated manual gearbox with auto shift manual/select shift manual (ASM/SSM) electric hydraulic control system that sends the power to the rear wheels.
Pricing
The Aston Martin V12 Zagato will make its first appearance at the Lake Como, Italy at the Villa D’Este Concours tomorrow and then its first race debut will be at the Nürburgring 24 hour race on June 25-26, 2011. The model will be followed by a production version, in extremely limited numbers. Expect that production version to appear sometime next year.
Competition
The one thing limiting the Aston Martin V12 Zagato is the number of production units. Other models such as the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Porsche Turbo S will deliver the same performance as the Aston, but these models are available for anyone with the money to purchase them.
As a reminder, the Ferrari 458 Italia is powered by a 4.5 Liter V8 engine that produces 570 HP and sprints from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds to a top speed of 202 MPH. The Porsche 911 Turbo S is powered by a six cylinder boxer engine with an output of 530 HP. It sprints from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds and can reach a top speed of 195 MPH.
Lamborghini has already confirmed that the Sesto Elemento will indeed be headed to the production line, albeit in a very limited run. With such a minute number being produced, anyone would be hard-pressed to get know when Lamborghini is even actively selling it, let alone be able to grab hold of one of those units. The task of purchasing an Elemento got even harder as a high-end dealership in La Jolla, just north of San Diego, confirmed that Lamborghini was already accepting orders for the car and that only three units were headed over to the United States.
The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento will be offered at a princely sum and rumors suggest that payment will be taken Reventon- style, which means three equal payments of $300,000 or higher with the remainder being paid at the end of the deal. That kind of price tag will bring its owner a 570 HP V10 engine and a power- to-weight ratio of only 1.75 kilograms per HP. This allows the Sesto Elemento to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in a sensational 2.5 seconds, while top speed will be higher than 186 mph.
Anyone willing and able to pay that incredible price tag better have their phone in hand and their bank account numbers handy.
UPDATE 05/05/2011: The German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport reports that the production version Sesto Elemento will arrive in October 2011. Lamborghini will produce only 20 units of the supercar each carrying a price tag of 1.9 million euro, or about $2.8 million at the current exchange rates.
Hit the jump for more details on the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento
Exterior
The main component of the new Sesto Elemento is carbon fiber and more specifically carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). Lamborghini has been able to successfully develop a process that takes the material from 3D design through simulation, validation, testing, and finally into production. Its collaboration with the Boeing company is perhaps one of the most important to the development of this vehicle. The two companies have been able to develop the CFRP design much further than ever before thanks to their ACRC (Advanced Composite Research Center). Two of the most unique parts designed for the exterior are the wheels made entirely out of carbon fiber and the exhaust system which is made out of a material called Pyrosic. This is a glass ceramic composite that can withstand high heat.
“The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento shows how the future of the super sports car can look – extreme lightweight engineering, combined with extreme performance results in extreme driving fun. We put all of our technological competence into one stunning form to create the Sesto Elemento,” comments Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “
Nearly every panel of the vehicle is graced with this carbon fiber material including the monocoque passenger cell, front frame, exterior panels, and crash boxes. One of the coolest aspects of the car is that it remains unpainted in the traditional sense. The panels shine through in a matte finish, but Lamborghini has added one last piece of magic to their carbon-fiber. Towards the end of the development process fine crystals are added to the mixture and in the end a red glow is added to the entire exterior. The surface is not only stunning, but actually much stronger than a normal paint job.
Cool air is able to flow through two red triangular openings in the hood beneath the front windscreen and through large outlets in the side panels behind the front wheels. Sharply cut headlamp units complete the front end. Alongside the bi-xenon lamps, there are four LEDs in each unit. The low front end looks incredibly dominant, with the partially double-lipped front spoiler pushed way out front and distinctively formed air intakes. A powerful sideline starts at the front wheel arch, rises along the door towards the rear and ends at the broad shoulders above the rear wheel. The triangle shape is used extensively – and can be seen everywhere from the door handles to the points of the air outlet triangles in the hood that are carried through into lines along the roof. The aerodynamic elements of the Sesto Elemento are unmatched in today’s world and the design is absolutely stunning.
Interior
Lamborghini has been able to take a standard car interior and completely turn it on its head. The design of the Sesto Elemento circles around function rather than form and the first defines the latter. The interior is exclusively shaped by the carbon fiber monocoque tub which provides a minimalist yet purely Lamborghini feeling. The most unique feature is the fact that the Sesto Elemento does not have seats. Quite literally the cushioning is fixed to the carbon fiber tub giving the driver an unparalled sense of road feel. In order to adapt drivers of differing stature the steering wheel is completely adjustable for height and reach. Furthermore, the pedals can be adjusted longitudinally.
As for the use of leather, wood grain, or any other typical luxury material, they are non-existent. This car gives the feel of a race car once inside. The CFRP material is exposed everywhere and even major components of the engine management system are visible. Controls are just as simple and include a starter button, reverse gear button, and a final switch for the lights. The weight reduction inside and out has led to a major savings when compared to other lightweight Lamborghini models. The Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera has a dry weight of only 1,340 kilograms. Compared with the already extremely lean Gallardo LP 560-4 Coupé, this represents a further reduction of 70 kilograms, or 154 lbs, which would easily make it the lightest of any sports car.
Performance
With the Elemento having an overall curb weight of just 2,202 lbs and a massive V10 power unit feeding a permanent all-wheel drive system, this car is sure to impress on the track. Output is 570hp giving the lightweight bull a power to weight ratio of 1.75 kilograms per horsepower. What that statistic really comes down to is the car being able to accelerate from a standstill through 60mph in 2.5 seconds.
The V10 offers 5,204 cm3 of displacement, delivering a specific output of 80.5 kW (109.6 hp) per liter of displacement. The engine utilizes an aluminum crankcase including dry sump lubrication and a cylinder angle of 90 degrees. Both solutions are an integral part of the lightweight engineering approach, as well as serving to lower the center of gravity and thus tighten the handling characteristics. Ideal combustion chamber fill comes courtesy of a switch-over induction system and continually variable, chain-
driven camshafts.
Lamborghini has taken its carbon fiber knowledge and expanded it to the suspension as well. Carbon-fiber control arms help reduce weight while the rear subframe with the engine mount and rear axle suspension points are made from aluminum which is another lightweight material that is used extensively in high performance vehicle design. The glass composite material used for the tailpipes on the exhaust system, which is composed of ceramic powder and synthetic resin, makes this carbon material extremely heat resistant.
The Sesto will use an e-gear transmission controlled by paddle shifters on the steering column. It uses a six gear setup and is automated to complete shifts faster than a human is able to. The final piece of the equation for the Sesto Elemento was the use of its partner company Audi and their knowledge of all-wheel drive systems.
Pricing
The production Sesto Elemento is rumored to be priced at 1.9 million euro, or about $2.8 million at the current exchange rates, with units arriving in October 2011. Apparently, only 20 units of this supercar will be built, with three headed over to stateside.
Competition
In the $2-3 million dollar category, there is quite literally no competition for this car. Nothing on today’s market exhibits the use of carbon fiber to the same extent that the Sesto Elemento has and in the near future don’t look for any rivals. The Koenigsegg Agera R is close in some respects, but goes about things completely differently. It and the Bugatti Veyron are more concerned with using brute force to reach high speeds, where the Lamborghini was initially a testbed for CFRP technology. Koenigsegg is a company that has a lot of experience with carbon fiber as well, but has nowhere near the resources that Lamborghini can pull from thanks to the help from Boeing. Overall, this car will go down in the history books as one of the most radical design concepts to ever come from Sant’Agata Bolognese – and that is not something said every day.
It is 6:30 a.m., and a bunch of journalists have gathered at Detroit's Cobo Hall. Most managed just a few hours of sleep following a kick-off party across the street the night before. Is this ridiculous press-conference slot Porsche’s penance for shunning the Detroit auto show for three years?
There is a more charitable way to look at it: This is a rehash of the September 28, 2000 gathering in front of the Louvre to witness the unveiling of the Carrera GT. It was pouring rain, but absolutely no one regretted rising early, as automotive history was made that day.
The car we are seeing now is called the 918 RSR. It is not entirely new, but a stunning evolution of the 918 Spyder that took last year's Geneva auto show by surprise. Not long after the 918's debut, Porsche's supervisory board gave it the green light for series production.
When the Spyder debuted, Porsche claimed "over 500 hp" from a version of the 3.4-liter V-8 found in the RS Spyder race car, plus electric motors front and rear. With the RSR, Porsche is getting more specific. The direct-injection V-8 makes 563 hp at a screaming 10,300 rpm; two 75-kW electric motors, powering the front wheels only, boost maximum power to 767 hp.
Imagined as the racing version of the 918 line, the RSR has a flywheel-based hybrid system like that in the GT3 R hybrid race car, rather than the hefty lithium-ion battery pack the first concept toted. The flywheel stores electrical power and is charged during braking. At the push of a button, it provides extra power for up to eight seconds. (The 918 Spyder’s battery pack, meanwhile, was said to be able to propel the car for 16 miles on its own, which would take considerably longer than eight seconds.) The motors can vary torque side to side for increased agility. To the same end, the RSR has a six-speed racing-style sequential transmission in place of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission fitted in the 918 Spyder. Instead of the Spyder's futuristic touch-screen, the RSR’s center console sports a purposeful spread of rocker switches.
