2011 Pagani Zonda C9 - Pagani Exotic Sports Cars

A decade later, Pagani Zondas remain near the top of the exotic sports car list. They've been tested fast in a straight line, reaching 0–60 mph in the mid-3-second range and proved able to get around the Nürburgring in a video game-quick 7:27.82.

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

Every Zonda features another highly prized quality among exotic cars: rarity, with fewer than 100 in existence.

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

While lacking the classic, flowing beauty of a Pininfarina-designed Ferrari, the Zonda's shape is an attention-getter. It stops you in your tracks. We didn't think the design would age well, but a decade down the line it still rivets attention and holds it — from that low nose with its four small headlamps back to the big center exhaust port corralling four outlets. A photographer's dream.

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

The attractive interior is a mix of modern (carbon fiber), retro (toggle switches) and art deco (the design of instruments and controls) accented with aluminum and fine leather.

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

That Zonda body style is done as a sports coupe or a roadster in three levels, all with a mid-mounted 7.3-liter AMG/Mercedes-Benz V-12. The S version comes in at 555 bhp and 553 lb.-ft. of torque, the F with 602 bhp and 561 lb.-ft., and the F Club sport dynos at 650 bhp and 575 lb.-ft.

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

All use 6-speed manual transmissions, Brembo disc brakes and have the sort of A-arm suspensions you'd expect in a race car. Plus the level of suspension and aerodynamic tuning that allows 210-plus-mph top speeds.

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

Being in a Zonda at speed is a pure exotic-car moment. Like a Ferrari Enzo, there are nicely crafted touches from the museum-quality carbon-fiber finish to air conditioning that keep this from being a race car on the streets. Still, you are not cushioned or coddled or kept from enjoying the unfiltered fun of a truly fast machine. One with a price that likely will soak up $500,000 or more.

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

Sadly, the Zonda is nearing the end of its run. But don't mourn the supercar too much as the next step Pagani takes is pointed at the U.S.

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

Zonda production will round out at 100 with an added model called the R, a track-oriented version in the image of Ferrari's FXX. Looking like a still-more-aggressive Zonda — if you can imagine such a thing — the R will have a 750-bhp version of the AMG V-12.

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

While that project is being wrapped up in the original factory in San Cesario sul Panaro, both a new factory and car are being prepped for 2009. Code-named the C9, the new Pagani will be a carbon-fiber machine, possibly powered by a Mercedes/AMG V-8, so how about the SLR's supercharged V-8 with its 617 bhp and 575 lb.-ft. of torque?

2011 Pagani Zonda C9

Here's the best news: Having been frustrated in attempts to certify the Zonda in the U.S., Pagani will design the C9 for sale worldwide. We might see the new car at the 2009 Geneva show. Although there haven't been any concept drawings yet, we can count on the new Pagani being exciting...and fast. And expensive.

The Zonda nears the end of its run, but a new exotic is in the offing from Horacio Pagani.

Touring Superleggera A8GCS Berlinetta Sports Cars Concept

Touring Superleggera A8GCS Berlinetta was revealed in the flesh at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show after being previewed at the Concours d'Elegance. At the Festival Automobile in Paris last month, a panel comprised of designers, car experts and former Formula 1 driver Alain Prost awarded the Maserati A8GCS Berlinetta Touring the most beautiful supercar of the year. Television network Eurosport fielded over one million votes from viewers for the competition. Viewers’ choices included the Bugatti Sport Veyron, BMW 750i and Lotus Evora.

2010 Touring Superleggera A8GCS Berlinetta

Now this is how it's done. The Touring Superleggera A8GCS Berlinetta is a Maserati Gran Turismo rebodied with classic GT proportions and shapes. The result is classically beautiful, like a 1950s Maserati re-interpreted with 21st century technology.

Based on the Maserati Coupé GranSport mechanics, the A8GCS Berlinetta Touring represents the high performance sports car concept, with small dimensions, state-of-the-art constructive technology and perfect stylish synthesis between factory tradition and advanced aesthetic criteria.

Unlike the Bentley Flying Star shooting brake that's also from Touring Superleggera, the Berlinetta isn't destined for a well-heeled car nut. The company created it specifically to showcase its coachbuilding skills. If they have their way, they'll be turning the Maserati Gran Turismo and other exotic cars into vehicles that are even more exclusive, luxurious and personalized.

The new A8GCS Berlinetta Touring has been designed by the young Belgian designer Louis de Fabribeckers, in charge of the Touring styling department. The A8GCS Berlinetta Touring lines are not affected by time or fashion: the car is characterized by a soft aggressiveness originated by the perfect balance between the front end, directly derived from competitions, and the harmonious and fluent flanks reminding of the extraordinary Alfa Romeo, Isotta Fraschini and Lancia Flying Star of the Thirties, an exceptional series created by Touring and still considered the best interpretation of Marinetti and Boccioni’s Futurism.

The Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera style is first expressed through perfecly balanced volumes (reduced front overhang, front central engine and large rear overhang). The result is a dynamic form that doesn’t need a lowered waistline. Moreover, the horizontal development of lines create a natural elegance.

The sporty look of the car is underlined by the combination between bonnet and front grille. An element dashing forward the other volumes. Hence the lateral lines of the body: the lower line ends on the rear wheelarch and the upper line dissolves in the rear end of the car. Together they create a dynamic sail shape, as on Flying Stars.

Of course, also the most successful car design is not enough to make an alive and complete object. It must be combined with excellent dynamic qualities, derived from state-of-the-art technical solutions. For the prototype A8GCS Berlinetta Touring, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera studied and designeda body in advanced composite materials, able to give the car lightness, structural strenght and performance typical of top granturismo and obviously respecting all international safety and environmental rules. The result is clear: the style protoype A8GCS Berlinetta Touring is able to enter small series production, gaining immediately a top place among the best sports cars.

The A8GCS is a strict two-seater, unlike the car on which it's based which features a 2+2 seating layout. Touring Superleggera have made extensive changes to the car's bodywork while still retaining similar proportions. The styling details like the minimalist chrome trim and classic wire wheels give the car a distinctive retro vibe, while also not being unnecessarily nostalgic.

"We wanted a strong project" - says the Belgian Head of Design of Touring Superleggera, Louis de Fabribeckers - "I drew from the stylistic heritage of Touring the work of surfaces and also this sinusoidal line across the side of the Berlinetta".

The Touring Superleggera A8GCS Berlinetta is 4.2 metres long and only 1.2 metres high. The engineers are aiming for a 1,500 kg (3,307 lb) weight for the finished car - 180 kgs (400 lbs) lighter than the Maserati GranSport.

New Seat Sporty Leon Cupra R

Following a very successful debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Seat León Cupra R is about to go on sale. Equipped with a new 265 hp engine, it instantly becomes the brand's most powerful production car to date, earning a special chapter in Seat's history in the process.

New Seat León Cupra R

2010 Seat will unveil its most potent series production model to date, the new Leon Cupra R at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show (all of you may know already because we revealed this fact back in June in this post). The standard model’s 240-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-pot is replaced with a 265-horsepower direct injection 2.0 TSI. It is unconfirmed if the 2.0 TSI is the same engine found in the Vw Scirocco R.

New Seat León Cupra R

Seat claims however, that the new four-banger features a new, high-pressure fuel pump injector to satisfy its greater performance demands, while fully complying with strict EU5 emissions standards. As a result, the front-wheel drive only Leon Cupra R slashes the 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint from 6.4 seconds (standard Cupra) to 6.1 seconds and top speed climbs from 247 km/h (154mph) to 250 km/h (155mph).

New Seat León Cupra R

A be guiling mix of Latin passion and practicality, this new ‘superSEAT’ remains, of course, the rational choice for ultra-hot hatch buyers who want sporty coupé looks allied to five-door functionality.

New Seat León Cupra R

Boasting a thoroughbred sporty engine, the new Seat León Cupra R features exclusive interior and exterior styling touches which reflect its unique character. The Seat León Cupra R is, simply, an attention-grabber. Its feisty exterior design is mirrored on the inside, too, with a motorsport-inspired look and feel that lets you know this is not just another car.

New Seat León Cupra R

The standing kilometer takes 25.7 seconds and it has a combined fuel economy of 8.1 lt / 100km or 29mpg US / 34.9mpg UK. The range-topping Leon gets the ‘R’ logos on the central grille and at the lower right of the hatch, the right instrument dial and the remote control key. In addition, it also receives 19-inch, five double-spoke wheels shod with 235/35 tires.

New Seat León Cupra R

The larger wheel assembly allowed Seat’s engineers to upgrade the braking system with 17-inch 345 x 30 mm discs at the front and 16 inch 286 x 12 mm at the rear. The interior of the Leon Cupra R gets a pair of racing-style bucket seats in grey alcantara upholstery, LED lighting on the instrument dials, a leather multi-functional steering wheel and an aluminum pedal arrangement.

New Seat León Cupra R

The intercooler fitted to the new engine delivers its superior performance through greater turbo pressure. As on the 240 hp version, the engine set-up includes a new, high-pressure fuel injection pump to satisfy its greater performance demands, and the ratios on the six-speed gearbox have been specifically adapted.

New Seat León Cupra R

The extensive, generous equipment list features Seat's impressive new electronic self-blocking XDS system for excellent handling, as well as a broad array of standard features that provide both top notch safety and exceptional on-board comfort. Undeniably, the focal point of the new Seat León Cupra R is its 265 hp direct injection 2.0 TSI engine. Its main characteristics are its tremendous power, easy torque transmission and fabulous flexibility.

New Seat León Cupra R

UK pricing for the new Leon Cupra R is confirmed at £25,205, with orders books opening at dealers nation wide on Thursday 1 April, and the Spanish sports car is Euro 5 compliant as CO2 emission levels are at just 190 g per Km.

New Seat León Cupra R

Welcoming the UK arrival of the brand’s most extreme model to date, SEAT UK Product Marketing Manager Andy Medcraft said: ‘The engineeringand styling revisions that have gone into the new Leon Cupra R under line our determination to make this exceptional new car a tru e class leader.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth - Chevron Sports Cars

Chevron Racing Cars is exhibiting the new Chevron GR8 in prototype chassis form at Autosport International. The new mid-engined competition coupe with Cosworth YD 2.0 litre power is being built for the one-make Chevron GR8 Challenge Series. UK-based specialist race car construction company Chevron have revealed the production specifications and images of their latest vehicle, the GR8. The GR8, which is the company's first all-new coupe for forty years, uses some of the design cues from Chevron's previous B8 coupe model. Although for the new car the bodywork has been made considerably sharper and more contemporary.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

Organised by the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), the Series will make its racing debut at Silverstone on 8/9 May 2010. Two Series rounds are to be staged at each of seven BARC race meetings. An additional round is a possibility if racing is resumed at Donington Park.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The final decision by Cheshire-based Chevron to exhibit at Autosport International was not taken until last week as the finishing touches were being put to the prototype chassis. The body is being shown in the form of design renderings generated from the CAD files produced for machining the body tooling model. Commencement of testing, initially without bodywork, is imminent.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The GR8 concept rendering, which Chevron confirms is fairly close to the final design, reveals a discernable relationship to its illustrious predecessor, the Chevron B8, an enduring favourite with historic sporstcar competitors. Fabrication of the GR8 prototype is in progress and development testing is scheduled to commence in January.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The design of the new car has a deliberate affinity with the classic Chevron B8 racing coupe, some 70 of which were built following its introduction in 1968. Priced £3,380 new, Chevron B8s - which typically make up a significant percentage of grids in international championship historic sports and GT racing - now change hands for £300,000.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The body is the work of international automotive design consultant Lester Allen, an ex-GM studio chief designer and former senior Royal College of Art vehicle design course tutor. Most of Lester Allen's work in recent years has been behind the scenes for Asian manufacturers. Previous British car designs for which he has been responsible include the Bentley Continental R and Aston Martin Virage, both for the one-time Heffernan Greenley consultancy.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

Provision has been made in the bodywork design for window lifts and other refinements suited to customers who may wish to have a road-going car conforming to Low Volume Type Approval legislation.The Cosworth 2.0L YD in-line 4-cylinder power unit develops 255-260 bhp at 8200 rpm. Peak torque is 190 ft-lbs at 7500 rpm. Engines for the Chevron GR8 are being built alongside Cosworth's F1 production line.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The Chevron installation features a PiRQ4 engine control unit incorporating technologies derived from ECUs used by winners of the FIA GT and World Rally Championship titles. The Cosworth electronics package includes a Pi Omega LCD panel display, providing crystal-clear readouts for the driver and seamless integration with the engine control unit data.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The Chevron GR8 is constructed around a centre section comprising a semi-monocoque aluminium sills and platform structure integrated with an MSA compliant roll cage in 50 mm diameter steel tube. Forward of the front bulkhead, a 50 mm and 25 mm box section steel spaceframe incorporates a removable nose box. The rear spaceframe is also in 50 mm and 25 mm box section steel. The sills make more effective use of material than might be the case with a tubular structure and are seen as a better solution to side impact protection. The braking system uses AP callipers, with 330 mm diameter by 28 mm wide discs at the front and 304 mm diameter by 28 mm discs at the rear. Steering is rack and pinion. All aeroquip is by Goodridge.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

Two Chevron GR8 Challenge Series rounds will be run at each of the BARC meetings where the Series is in the programme and races will feature rolling starts. Entries are open to either one or two drivers. With a team of two, the idea is for each to contest one round. Accepting entries for two drivers creates obvious opportunities for sharing costs. As part of the support provided to participants, Chevron plans to have a pool car on hand as a spare should a competitor's own Chevron GR8 be unable to start a race for whatever reason.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The Chevron GR8 model name has aroused a certain amount of internet chatter. Chevron Racing's Helen Bashford-Malkie comments: "In the wake of the announcement late last year that the Chevron GR8 project was under way, I guess the name was up for discussion amongst blogging community for the reason that few hard details had been released about the car.

"The inclusion of '8' pays homage to the B8, the project's inspiration. 'GR' stands for Grand Touring/Racing, but as GTR is used for a Nissan model, we omitted 'T'. We elected for 'GR' because it's got a bit of 'grrrr' combativeness about it. If some people choose to interpret 'GR8' as texting for great well, okay. The fact that it is also being used in the name of the racing Series was also a consideration."

SAAB Spyker 9+ Tribute - SAAB Supercar

Paying his tribute to the SAAB Spyker Automobiles, Swedish designer Eduard Gray has come up with a vehicle concept called the “SAAB Spyker 9+ Tribute” that is not only pleasant to watch but to drive as well. Combining the elements of a mid-engined SAAB with the Spyker platform, the new supercar featuring low down aerodynamics will possibly generate power from an Audi-sourced V8 engine. Touting a big windshield that extends to complete the roof, the Saab Spyker 9+ Tribute allows a wider view to the commuters. His long, lean two-door Saab Spyker 9+ concept car imagines an evolution of Saab's Aero-X enhanced by some of Spyker's exoticism.

SAAB Spyker 9+ Tribute

The ink is barely dry on Dutch supercar marque Spyker’s deal to buy Saab, but speculation as to what sort of alluring automotive offspring might arise from the union has already begun. Eduard Gray, an industrial designer educated at Coventry University in the UK and now based in Trollhättan, Sweden, has come up with a concrete vision.

SAAB Spyker 9+ Tribute

The union of Saab and Spyker presents a unique opportunity to create a design that takes the best of each brand and distills their qualities into a single product," he said. Gray, who is Dutch and English, points out that a truly unique car can be assembled with the low-slung mid-engine Spyker supercar chassis and the design language at Saab. Spyker lends us its supercar chassis with a mid-mounted engine and low down aerodynamics while Saab contributes with the style, character and engineering making for a design that is as pleasant to look at as it is to drive.

SAAB Spyker 9+ Tribute

Indeed, his six drawings of the Saab Spyker 9+ Tribute shows elements of both companies. Gray calls the work "a quick expression of my optimism for the future of the brand."

SAAB Spyker 9+ Tribute

The distinctly Scandinavian design features a Spyker chassis with a mid-mounted engine and low down aerodynamics, including a system to reduce friction in straight line driving whilst increasing traction in cornering and braking. An enormous panoramic glass roof gives it something of a targa feel as well. Envisioned as a 2+2 model in the storied GT tradition, engine-wise it’s speculated to house a V6 bi-turbo capable of producing over 600 hp, perhaps powered purely by ethanol – we’re talking about the future after all.