Automobiles | Ugo Colombo | The Collection

26 Jul

The Aston Martin DB11 Drops Four Cylinders

One of the summer’s hottest releases, the Aston Martin DB11, has seen a surprising shake up to its engine. Going from a V12 to a V8 engine means that it lost about 97 horsepower and 18-pound feet of torque. What it gets in return is more agility, being that it dropped over 250 pounds.

Engineers also updated various other aspects of the car to take advantage of this new lighter model. The Suspension, anti-roll bars, dampers, springs, and stability control have all been updated. The look of the exterior has been modified slightly as well; more for aesthetic reasons than technical.

This development came about after Aston Martin partnered with Mercedes engineers. This brand is constantly changing the game and elevating their status as luxury vehicle makers. It seems that although the horsepower has dropped, its top speed is still an exhilarating 187 miles per hour.

The V8 model will go for $198,995, which is about $17,000 less than the V12 model. Interesting that Aston Martin has put their cylinders at a price of a little over $4,000 apiece.

Jaguar Gets a New 247-HP Four Cylinder

Starting with the 2018 models, the F-Pace, XE and XF will be available in a new four-cylinder engine. The new Ingenium turbocharged 2.0 litre four-cylinder will feature 247 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque, which is an increase of 7 hp and 19 lb-ft over the previous four-cylinder offered in the XE sedan.

The XE will also get a new top model in the XE S, which offers a 3.0-liter V6 with 280 hp.

Jaguar is adding safety features such as forward traffic detection to the surround camera system. This system is designed to detect objects with radar in the corners, handy for pulling out on blind corners like parking garages. Jaguar is also expected to roll out the app-based payment system later in 2017, to allow drivers to pay for gas at Shell stations using the car’s infotainment center.

16 Apr

Hate Waiting in Line to Pay for Gas? There’s an App for That

Jaguar has teamed up with Shell to allow drivers to make payments via their car’s infotainment system. With the shell app, the driver selects the amount of fuel they want to purchase at the pump, then pay using Apple Pay or PayPal. The app will email a receipt.

A couple of limitations hold it back – obviously first it only works at Shell Stations, and is only available in Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles with InControl Apps in the infotainment systems. The upside is that this technology is being rolled out into the market, and eventually will be available to pay for more than just gas. Parking, tolls, and car washes are just the beginning.

01 Apr

Porsche Camp4 Circuit Hits the Ice

In one of the newer stops for the Camp4 circuit, Porsche headed out to the cold Canadian tundra.

Camp4 is a chance for Porsche owners to improve their driving skill without risking dents, scratches, or crashes to their own vehicle. Drivers experience slalom runs, drifting figure-eight courses, downhill sweepers, and short tracks for rally flicks. It’s a 4-5day crash course that starts at $4,000 for the experience.

Drivers are offered vehicles such as the 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (to learn how to get Porsche’s pendulum rear end to swing around), or a 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman (for driving through the slalom).

There’s a full review on MotorAuthority.com with first hand reports of how the instruction improved driving skill on the ice and snow up in Canada.

15 Mar

Aston Martin: Customization with a Q

When thinking of customizing a car, the average person might think, “Oh hey, I’ll get leather seats… wait… I’ll get some heated seats instead.” When it comes down to it, though, they’re really minor upgrades. When you’re talking about Aston Martin, it’s really a whole new world. Aston Martin Customization with a Q

Aston Martin’s Q program allows you to imagine your car as a work of art and that you’re the artist, allowing you the flexibility to create something truly unique. Your car can be customized both interior and exterior as subtly or as boldly as you want.

For instance, the stitching on the upholstery on your seats could include a family crest, or include diamond stitching… yes, diamond stitching.

The exterior color collections are divided into seasons. For instance, some of the Spring-Summer paints include Satin Cobalt Blue and Satin Morning Frost, while the Autumn-Winter colors include Satin Jet Black, Scintilla Silver, and Satin Volcano Red. There are other grouped colors such as Heritage Paints and Pacific Coast Highway Paints, which are deep and rich in more ways than one.

The customization goes even further with the stitching threads which include Spicy Red, Californian Poppy, and Viridian Green. While your customization can’t include the ability to fly, you can drive down the road and the freeways in a true work of art.

01 Mar

Aston Martin DB11 Convertible Teaser Images for Spring 2018

If you’ve ever loved Aston Martin, you may want to take a gander at their Facebook page where they recently shared some images for the new DB11 Volante.

Volante is a four-passenger convertible line with the 2018 DB11 Volante as the newest addition. The preview images posted on Aston Martin’s Facebook page are all saying “Opening Spring 2018” in big stickers on the car, so we won’t get a lot of details yet.

This new edition will probably have the same 5.2-liter twin turbo v12 found in the current DB11 coupe. Output should be steady at 600 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, and it may only come in an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The coupe starts currently at $214,820, so the new DB11 Volante will probably be higher, closer to the $250,000 mark.

Take a look at the teaser images and let us know what you think!

19 Feb

Aston Martin’s Push Towards New Markets

The luxury car maker, Aston Martin, will soon shift its focus from the auto industry and branch out to sell a wide variety of new items. These items include furniture, eyewear, yachts, and even a luxury baby stroller.

Aston Martin’s efforts to broaden their horizons comes after the economic crash which left the car industry in a state of volatility. It’s look into new markets is its way of enlarging its customer base from solely car enthusiasts.

Aston Martin’s wide variety of products attracts everyone who is familiar with the company but unable to fully afford the price of their vehicles. Currently, Aston Martin is working on creating a sports Yacht, but so far it’s having more success in the apparel and furniture markets.

Aston Martin isn’t the only one shifting from a Luxury car brand towards a luxury brand, Bentley & Ferrari are both branching out as well.

Aston Martin believes that their push towards new markets will offer an access to a lifestyle and way of living previously only available for those who could afford their cars.

08 Feb

Maserati restyled its new Quattroporte

The Maserati Quattroporte received a full new makeover in order to create a new product experience for Maserati enthusiasts.

This new design still embraces Maserati’s signature elegance, but underlines a push towards a futuristic sleeker look.

The new well known Maserati model offers additional high-tech features including: a high resolution 8.4” screen with multi touch function, a redesigned central dashboard, and a new infotainment system that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Smartphone functions.

Let’s not forget to discuss the Maserati Quattroporte various exterior touch-ups. Maseratidrivers are given the choice of choosing between the Gran Lusso trim which blends a luxury look with a sporty feel, and the Gran Sport trim that has an aggressive racing exterior with a worthwhile racing feel.

Maserati continues to represent the perfect mixture of luxury and sportiness thanks to its race-bred engineering roots.

Read more at: http://www.maserati.com/maserati/international/en/news/The-New-Quattroporte-restyling-and-range-strategy-for-a-new-product-experience

22 Jan

Pushing the limits of vehicle control with Porsche’s Upgraded Stability Management Systems

Hazardous road scenarios threaten all drivers around the globe, that can be blamed on the increase in inclement weather and the rapid decay of our infrastructure. This is pushing many automotive manufacturers to increase research towards adding more safety features into their car models.

The tragedy in adding extra safety features is that it takes away the thrill of driving from car enthusiasts. Porsche is one of the few leading automotive manufacturers that has been able to bypass this with their unique control system.

One of Porsche’s leading safety feature is their stability control system. Porsche’s Stability Management System or (PSM) helps stabilize the vehicle by using sensors to continuously monitor the speed, velocity, and direction during hazardous road scenarios. However, Porsche has added an upgrade to this safety feature which will allow enthusiastic drivers to continue challenging the roads with speed and agility while also maintaining control of their vehicle.

The PSM Sport will allow for a quick gentle transition from instability to stability to occur while driving at performance limits. The PSM Sport works by detecting when the driver is close to oversteering. The focus on increased traction control rather than braking for stability allows for an increased feeling of freedom for the driver.

The Porsche 911 Turbo is one of many models that Porsche will be implementing their upgraded Sport Stability Management System on. Other models include the Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Cayman, which will allow a larger consumer group to try out this sport stability control feature.

Porsche continues to amaze car enthusiast by pushing the limits of their vehicles. while also being a leading advocate for increased automotive safety features.

10 Jan

Electric Ferrari Race Cars?

When you think about Ferraris, one of the furthest things from your mind might be an electric-powered Ferrari. While Ferrari race cars can be electrifying to watch on the race track, how would it even be possible to have an all-electric Ferrari?

According to digitaltrends.com, this idea might not be as farfetched as one might think. There are some hurdles involved, but they’re not insurmountable. In fact, Ferrari is seriously considering entering the Formula E race series.

One of the considerations is, of course, battery life. Right now, batteries have to be changed out mid-way during the races.

Another consideration is standardization: all race cars must use the same chassis and powertrain specifications. Still, those rules may change in the upcoming years. The major sports manufacturers seem to be on board for modifications to the rules, but it will be a matter of time to see if the rule changes come to fruition.