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17 Apr

Aston Martin Vulcan Can Be Made Street Legal

Ugo Colombo The Collection Astin Martin Vulcn

Source: Digital Trends

The Aston Martin Vulcan is a car that will set you back over 2 million dollars. The problem, however, is that it wasn’t looking like it was going to be street legal. Why dish out that kind of cash if you’re not able to take your fancy new ride onto the streets?

Luckily, Aston Martin plans on putting a program into place that will let you transform your Vulcan to be able to take it out on the road. Out of the factory, the Vulcan is barely raised off the asphalt. As you could imagine, this would be disastrous on any street that isn’t perfectly flat. You hit one bump and your ride is severely damaged.

It’s reported that Aston Martin is working with an outside company to make the conversions to street legal use. The conversions are said to take three months to complete.

08 Apr

The 911 has Gone Turbo

Source: LA Times

Porsche has been manufacturing 911s for over 50 years, so a new one is usually not the biggest of deals. The 2017 Porsche looks almost identical to last year’s model, however under the hood they are very different. The 2017 911 has gone turbo. Instead of the traditional naturally-aspirated flat six engine, the new 911 Carrera 4s will feature a twin-turbo flat six.

The new engine will give the vehicle 420 horsepower and 368 pound feet of torque, which is up quite a bit from the previous model. Porsche also claims that the car will get 12% better fuel economy than its predecessor.

The new car will also feature updates to the chassis and suspension. It sits 10 Millimeters lower than the 2016 model and also features optional rear-wheel steering

The new 911 Carrera has a starting MSRP of $111,350, about $5,000 higher than the 2016 version of the same car.

22 Mar

Aston Martin Unveils New DB11

Aston Martin unveiled their next vehicle, the DB11, at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. After the unveiling of the DB10 last year, which was made exclusively for the James Bond film “Spectre,” Aston Martin fans were excited to see a car which they could take to the streets.

The DB11 will feature the first turbocharged engine in the DB line, with a 5.2 liter v12 engine. It is said to achieve 600 horsepower and be able to burst from 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds.

Aston Martin DB11 Ugo Colombo The Collection

Source: AutoCar

Aesthetically speaking, the DB11 is a truly beautiful looking vehicle. It’s sleek and sport design is a joy to look at. The light and agile vehicle has earned the label of “most efficient and dynamically gifted” DB model ever, so fans of the brand sure have a lot to look forward to.

Aston Martin has priced the vehicle at $212,000 and is said to have received over one thousand advanced orders from customers who were able to get an early look at the vehicle. As one of the only truly independent luxury car makers left, Aston Martin has high hopes for this car to become a success.

10 Mar

McLaren 650s vs. Drone

Nothing says 21^st century like a Drone and a McLaren squaring off in a race throughout the streets of Dubai. The video, which looks more like a clip from a video game than real life, features a beautiful white McLaren 650s speeding through neon gates on a scenic night in brightly lit Dubai.

The video is a promotion for the World Drone Prix, which is taking place between March 7^th and March 12^th in Dubai. The World Drone Prix is an event put together to showcase the best drone racers in the world as they compete for cash and prestige in a likely up-and-coming sport.

The Drone won the race, but because of the nature of the video, that’s what everyone would expect. The real question is, what would happen if the two squared off in a real race? Would you put your money on the McLaren?

Check out the video below.

28 Feb

Next Gen Porsche 911 to Feature a Manual, Six-speed Transmission

No manual transmission option on the current Porsche 911 GT3 had many Porsche purists displeased. However, as announced at the Geneva Motor Show, the newest edition of the 911 GT3 was seen with a manual transmission, much to the liking of old-school Porsche fanatics.

It is speculated that this new model will be available in both manual and PDK automatic transmission. Aside from the unveiling at the motor show, Andreas Preuninger of Porsche recently confirmed that a six-speed manual transmission will be available in next generation 911 GT3’s. However, the track-focused GT3 RS will remain PDK only, with no option for manual transmission.

Porsche will be making 991 units of the 911 GT3’s available for purchase, with a starting price of $184,900.

Source: TopSpeed

21 Feb

Maserati Announces Company’s First SUV

Maserati has recently announced that they will be producing their first sport luxury vehicle, called the Levante, as the brand is looking to move farther into the mainstream.

Maserati has started making the vehicle based on an SUV concept they unveiled 5 years ago. They plan on having the automobile available in European showrooms by Spring and the rest of the world later this year. They will have tough competition in the luxury SUV market amongst the likes of the Jaguar F-Pace, Mercedes GLE, and BMW X5.

Source: Maserati of Albany

Maserati said the Levante’s design has, “clear associations with the Maserati brand and its distinctive Italian character.” The Italian automaker has said the SUV will have a starting price of $78,000. Look for more news about the Maserati Levante in the near future.

06 Feb

Porsche 911 R May Debut At Geneva

The limited run Porsche 911 R will reportedly debut at the Geneva motor show this March. If reports are to be believed, the 911 R will be based around the popular GT3 and capped to just 600 units worldwide.

Source: Car Scoops

The 911 R will likely come equipped with the 911 GT3’s 3.8-liter flat-six engine that produces 475 hp. That engine will pair up with a manual transmission sending power to the rear wheels. The car’s suspension will be GT3 spec, but tuned to accommodate less aggressive aero. Expect its power-to-weight ratio to match the GT3 RS.

The real headline for the model will be its transmission. While all Porsche 911 models created by the company’s GT division are offered solely with automatic ‘boxes, the 911 R will come standard with a six-speed manual transmission, similar to the Porsche Cayman GT4.

Sneak Peek: Aston Martin DB11

Details are beginning to emerge of one of this Autumn/Winter 2016’s most anticipated “pieces” – the all-new Aston Martin DB11. Scheduled to steal the show in Geneva in the first week of March, the DB11 is the most significant design yet from Aston’s head of studio, Marek Reichman.

Much like how the previous DB9 ushered in a new generation of cars from Aston’s Gaydon, UK, headquarters, the British carmaker says the DB11 will kick off its “Second Century Plan.” An insider told us that Aston is in the final tuning stages, and as such, the engineering prototype pictured here is likely the closest thing we’ve seen to a final production-spec car. While early mules had moldings and panels, we now have a good sense of the DB11’s proportions, and can clearly see the rear-wheel-drive coupe’s character lines. We can also see an aero-lip intake under the grille that appears to be significantly wider than on the DB9. Beyond being aesthetically pleasing, this is a necessary addition for better cooling.

Source: AutoBlog.com

Aston Martin unveiled the DB11s new engine recently, a twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 based on the old cars normally aspirated six-litre V12 and good, one imagines for at least 600bhp (given the opposition). That will also allow Aston to turn up the boost on future Vanquish models to 700bhp. It’s hard to imagine Aston Martin won’t take the opportunity to update the transmission to the very latest eight-speed ZF. There will be other versions of the DB11 — a turbocharged 4.0-litre developed from the V8 in AMG’s GT — but not immediately.

Learn more about the Aston Martin DB11

13 Jan

James Bond Aston Martin for Sale

An Aston Martin DB10 created exclusively for the latest James Bond film, Spectre, will be going to auction at Christie’s King Street auction house in London in February.

James Bond DB10 Auction Ugo Colombo The Collection

Source: Motor Trend

Only 10 units were produced for the film, hand-built by Aston Martin’s team of designers, engineers, and craftsmen. The DB10 up for auction is one of two that was not modified for the film. Christie’s claims it’s the only DB10 that’s been released for sale to the public and that it includes a plaque signed by Daniel Craig himself.

All proceeds from the DB10 sale will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.

07 Jan

Meet the 2017 Audi Q7

Source: Kelley Blue Book

Audi pulled the wraps off of its new 7-passenger box full of luxury, style and technology in Switzerland. This 2nd-generation Q7 will be a 2017 model when it arrives in the U.S. next January.

All of the standard Q7 features return for 2017: Three rows of seating. Quattro all-wheel drive Comfort and convenience features like leather seating and a power rear liftgate. And a panoramic sunroof comes standard.

While many of its crossover peers have been playing catch-up, the 2017 Audi Q7 appears to take on a look that’s even more sport-wagon-influenced than before. It’s a familiar look and profile, but with a somewhat more chiseled look to the details, a more prominent beltline, and a roofline that looks ‘canted back.’ Up front, it gets a brighter take on the single-frame grille, with thick crossbars and a little more sculpting; it connects directly into the headlights. which now have either xenon HID, LED, or matrix LED lighting technology, and the DRLs are arrow-shaped.

Significantly, the new Q7 weighs a lot less than the outgoing model — between 500 and 700 pounds, depending on the model. The bulk of this diet comes thanks to lighter materials used in the outer construction, suspension and powertrain, and weight-saving attention paid to every other inch of the SUV — right down to two pounds saved by using aluminum for the brake pedal.

The exterior is not a wild departure from the current model, but the differences — particularly the LED headlight adornments and less-wide-mouth-bass grille treatment — make the big SUV’s case for bold. And while those outside dimensions are slightly slighter than the current Q7, the interior is notably roomier. The first two rows, in particular, stand out. The third row, generous in headroom and usable in legroom, is a cinch to access via the split second row’s fold-down/tumble-forward mechanism. The second row also slides fore and aft. The 50/50-split 3rd-row seatbacks can be lowered/raised electrically to expand the rear cargo space.