Supercars

Taking in the sights of a foreign land by car isn't a new approach to tourism, but this variation on the theme provides an extra injection of speed – supercar speed. The "Elite Car and Castle Tour" merges old world British castles with high adrenaline track days and luxury driving in 15 of the hottest cars in the world including the Aston Martin DB9 Volante and V12 Vantage, Audi R8, Bentley GT Convertible, Ferrari 430 F1 Spider and California, Jaguar XF, Porsche 997 Turbo PDK, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder and Maserati Quattroporte. Read More

Though the SLS AMG Coupe is now in showrooms, and we’ve just seen the first images of the 563 bhp convertible version a few minutes ago, they were developed in parallel and they’re apparently so close in so many ways that choice will boil down to personal preference, not driving dynamics. The convertible has an electrohydraulically-operated soft top that can be closed or opened at up to 31 mph, and is claimed to be whisper quiet to its electronically-limited top speed of 197 mph Read More

There just aren't enough superlatives to adequately describe the exploits of Ettore Bugatti and the remarkable history of his marque, let alone its resurrection as a world-beating performance car manufacturer. The 882 kW (1,200 PS) Bugatti Super Sport reclaimed the title of the fastest production car in the world last year and it has now been joined at the top of the heap by its sibling, the 736 kW (1,001 PS) Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport which is now the fastest and most powerful convertible in the world. It has an electronically limited top speed of 407 km/h (252.9 mph) with the roof on, and will best 360 km/h (223.7 mph) sans lid. Special editions of both cars greeted the throngs at Auto Shanghai this week. Read More

Looking to soup-up your supercar? The Maserati-dedicated arm of tuning specialists NOVITEC, a company best known for its Ferrari performance enhancements has turned its attention to the open-top Maserati GranCabrio. The result is a supercharged engine that puts out 590 hp / 434 kW, peak torque of 572 Nm and a top speed of 301 km/h (187 mph). Hold on to your hat! Read More

First shown as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show 2010, Porsche's highly innovative and deliciously proportioned Hybrid 918 Spyder is now available for order. Powered by a 500 hp V8 assisted by two electric motors, no more than 918 units of the new two-seater supercar will be made with production slated to begin in September 2013. The asking price: US$845,000. Read More

Christian von Koenigsegg has once again created a hypercar of the highest order – the new Agera R is capable of approaching 400 km/h and features so much innovation that we’re not going to even attempt to squeeze it all into the introductory paragraph. The 5 litre V8 bi-turbo engine is the lightest and most compact hypercar engine in the world, and produces 1100 hp on E85 bio fuel with peak torque of 1200 Nm spread over over a 3300 rpm rev range. It’s most notable feature though, is a Thule Roof Box which ensures you can take all your gear as well as having a show car with the standard roof when you get there. Read More

When Porsche promises a world premiere you expect something very special and as the curtain went up on the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) this morning, it delivered. The company has taken the drivetrain of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid and spliced it together with the silky lines of the 918 Spyder Concept to create the Porsche 918 RSR – a mid-engine coupé that puts out a remarkable 767 hp at peak using the combined forces of its direct injection V8 engine and electric motors on each of the front wheels. Read More

It feels like we’ve been awaiting this car for almost too long. We first wrote up the Covini C6W supercar in 2004 and the production version was unveiled in Bologna earlier this month. The four 15 inch front wheels of the 185 mph C6W (pics on left) are inspired by the Tyrell P34 F1 car (top right), but the rationale for four front-wheels was first detailed in a landmark Ford concept car shown at the World Fair in 1963 – the Seattle-ite's specification still stands up nearly half a century later - interchangeable fuel cell power units, interchangeable bodies, computer navigation and information systems, and four driving and steering wheels. That's it bottom right. Read More

Dale Vince, founder of British green power company Ecotricity, decided two years ago that he wanted to create a flashy, fun, fast automobile, that ran on nothing but electricity created by his company's own wind turbines. Vince and his team proceeded to buy and gut a used Lotus Exige, outfitted it with two electric motors, and after 18 months ended up with the Nemesis – a one-of-a-kind 170 mph green machine that reportedly eats V12 Ferraris for breakfast. Read More