Showing blog posts for Supercar

Lamborghini today released pictures of the Murcielago's replacement V12, well almost, the teaser pictures are of the rolling chassis. While to most it might look like scaffolding on wheels, to the discerning Sant Agata faithful it is definitely a peak at the next generation Lambo. Only a few days to go...

Our first thoughts were, Ferrari, 4WD, roof box, skis, Alps…perfect road trip?

The Ferrari Four or FF (four seats and four-wheel drive) is an entirely new V12 GT concept representing a new chapter in Ferrari’s history. Pininfarina has once again designed a car whose lines and proportions are perfection.

The FF features the company’s first ever four-wheel drive system. Ferrari’s exclusive, patented 4RM (four-wheel drive) weighs 50 per cent less than a conventional four-wheel drive system, maintaining perfect weight distribution (53 per cent over the rear axle).

Our first thoughts were, Ferrari, 4WD, roof box, skis, Alps…perfect road trip? It also, obviously, is a little reminiscent of the BMW Z3M Coupe and some people even think side and rear views are similar to a Subaru Impreza?! We can’t wait to find out more when it makes it’s official debut at the Geneva Motor Show…until then, here are some of it’s vital statistics and most importantly (perhaps) pictures:

Engine

• Type: 65-degree V12
• Overall displacement: 6,262 cc
• Maximum power: 660 CV @ 8,000 rpm
• Maximum torque: 683 Nm @ 6,000 rpm

Dimensions and weight

• Length: 4907 mm
• Width: 1953 mm
• Height: 1379 mm
• Dry weight: 1790 kg
• Weight distribution: 47% front, 53% rear
• Weight/power ratio: 2.7 kg/CV

Performance

• Maximum speed: 335 km/h
• 0-100 km/h: 3.7 sec

My dad kicked off my interest in cars, restoring his barn find E-Type Jaguar in the garage behind our semi-detached house in Stockport. I don't know how many nights I spent in there, listening to Neil Young and Bob Dylan, putting together one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Entering my teens I never really appreciated how special it was, and when the car was sold to make way for a new kitchen and the upgrade to a detached house, I never made a peep. I wish I had.

Like most, on leaving home I had no money, and no money meant “crap” cars. The Fiat Punto followed a diesel Nissan Primera, and a Volvo was next on the shopping list. Not quite the motoring CV of a self confessed car nut. However, after moving to London and finding my “fortune” I managed to upgrade to a Mini Cooper S (actually with the help of a loan financed by said father). The mini is fantastic. It's fast, small and hides my lower class financial situation better than my fake Ray Ban sunglasses or my “designer” t-shirts bought in Thailand. But I still can’t shake the feeling that I want a proper car, a supercar. Living in London is like a slap in the face to someone who dreams of driving fast cars but can't afford one, Lamborghini follows Ferrari, Pagani Zondas and even Bugatti Veyrons loiter around the city, driven by these young men, so much more financially fortunate than I.

So, I need to make a plan, how can I get the two hundred miles per hour head turner having no deposit and no credit? I don't really want to glue pieces of plastic to an MR2. My heritage excludes me from even considering it and I'd disowned by all who know me. A kit car? Can anyone actually drive a kit car without looking like a total idiot? Hmmm. I scower EBay and there are a couple of cars but the proportions just don't look right. They should, but do not. A little too big on the back or a little steep on the window angle...

Then I'm strolling home from work one day and I see this incredible looking car lurking in a private road, a Ford GT. The number-plate read SEX5Y. I was in love! The car was indeed sexy, albeit the number-plate not. All black, some kind of special model with 700 written down the side. This Ford GT was well out of my realm but a GT40? I remember my Dad talking about them beating Ferraris or something? That sounds good…they look good, could I afford one, is there a “kit”?!

I investigate further. What a car! Produced in such small numbers that originals change hands for well over a million pounds, but I can have a kit version, just as fast, looking just as good for much less. And I get to build it myself?! This surely sounds like a great idea! Scratching that itch over the next couple of years with concurrent purchases, specification decisions and presents to myself with every pay-cheque... The end of my itching might just be in sight…

We've found a couple of alternative uses for a Ferrari California, so next time your in the airport look out for the "Ferrari Tug", or if you're lucky enough to be watching the Red Arrows, see if you can spot "Red 11".

The Ferrari Testarossa: Miami Vice, Athena poster car, 1980’s bad taste…Microsoft Word clip art car. These are just a few answers you’d get if you were to ask the general public about the Testarossa. It’s one of those few cars in the world which is instantly recognizable. Is that a good thing? There some urban myths about these cars and hopefully my blogs can dispel some of them and also describe what it is really like to live with a Testarossa.

My love affair with J-Lo, my nickname for my Testarossa, began nearly 8 years ago. I had been bitten by the Testarossa bug in my late teens as my best friend, Keith, had a very early Testarossa, in the clichéd Rosso (resale) Red with crème interior. It had single knock on wheels and as a UK car had Michelin TRX metric tyres - more on tyres in a later blog. It was a single mirrored edition, which Keith had adjusted to be a little higher than normal. The car had so much presence to look at, it was incredible. Even as it was parked in his drive, it looked like it was going 200mph. I was hooked. At 19 years old, Keith threw me the keys and let me drive it. As you can imagine this was incredibly daunting; being almost 15 years ago, the car was worth more than some 2 bedroom flats in South London! A sturdy foot down on the clutch into the dog leg first, with a nice “clunk” that only Italian supercars have - I slowly pressed the throttle and away I went for a careful drive down the A3.

The car was just something I had never experienced before; the power was just out of this world for someone who at 19 years old had only driven a handful of “hot hatch” cars, namely my daily run which was a Lancia Y10 Turbo with a 200 bhp ex-RAC rally engine in. I thought that was fast, but the Testarossa was on a whole new level. The rev’s seemed to go on and on and the gear change was seamless. It was a very docile car low down, but once the noisy pedal was squeezed, 12 of Maranello’s opera singers, sung in perfect harmony. The half an hour drive was something I will never forget. From that moment onwards, I just HAD to have a Testarossa or at the very least a Ferrari. Like many I set myself a target of having one at 25. That would involve quite a drastic change of career as being a shelf stacker at a well known DIY chain wasn’t going to cut it. Time to set my sites on working harder and smarter!

Keith and I used to do lots of track days together, before they became a regular fixture. It was fantastic as I got to do lots of track time in the Testarossa and also in his Lamborghini Diablo. On track the Testarossa, is well, different. The power as mentioned is epic, so on the pit straight of Silverstone the car would eat up pretty much every car on track but preparing to turn into Copse Corner would require some advanced brake pedal usage. Leave it too late and you would end up in the kitty litter, which Keith and I did a couple of times. The brakes on the Testarossa were really not suited for track days. After 5 or 6 fast laps, the brakes would fade as the fluid would get very hot and rendered them useless. This was a real shame as the handling was surprisingly excellent. With its big bottom you would think it would handle worse than an early American V8, but you would be wrong. The pinpoint handling allowed you to go precisely where you wanted to go, with very minimal oversteer. You do have to keep on the throttle - if you let go mid corner at speed then mother nature would allow one of the biggest bottoms in the world to go the wrong way and you have to be very very quick to snatch it back. If you manage to you will look like a complete hero, but it doesn’t happen often. Except to me in front of a few thousand people at Dunsfold Park…

After spending more time on track I became very much “at one” with the Testarossa. I became very comfortable with the car in a “daily capacity”, even driving it in the stop-start of London traffic. Keith received a good offer on the car when I turned 24, so unfortunately my flirtation with the car ended, but I was determined to get my car at 25. It was still a tall order but I was working as much as I could, with fingers in every pie imaginable. I bored my friends to tears that I was going to have one. Maybe getting 6 numbers would be an easier option?

There was no lying around in bed feeling sorry for myself that morning though, because I was due out on Ferrari’s Fiorano’s racetrack in less than an hour! I managed to hold down a few pastries at breakfast and we were soon whisked off to the track where, waiting for us, were 6 gorgeous Californias all sporting different trim, spec, alloys and paintwork. After the customary safety briefing we took turns with Ferrari’s test drivers to be a passenger and get a feel for the track’s notorious geography which had plenty of tight turns and the odd blind rise. I could feel the sweat beginning to bead across my forehead as I approached the snarling, Azzuro-coloured car in front of me. Maurizio Ceresoli, an experienced touring-car driver welcomed me in to the car to begin a few fast laps. I was determined to try and film some of the drive, so to have some footage demonstrating how these cars could be driven properly by an expert. Effortlessly multitasking, Ceresoli calmly commentated on the laps as my breakfast strived to make an early exit after each tight, hair-pin turn. I thought that by asking him the occasional question, I could hide the fact that my face had turned green and I was now drenched in sweat! “Great laps, thanks!” I managed, as I practically rolled out of the car onto the pit lane tarmac.

Half an hour of gathering myself in the shade and I was ready, my turn to drive. In control of the car and with the nausea behind me I began to get a feel for this superb piece of machinery. The gearbox has to be one of the best around with dramatic acceleration just a paddle movement or throttle squirt away. Despite this, when in the driver’s seat and being constantly encouraged by Ferrari’s finest pilotas, I lost all sense of what gear I was in and certainly never had time to glance at the speedometer. It was easy see why the California matched the F430 in terms of sheer, straight-line acceleration. The gear changes are so fast; I tried and failed to count them as I watched other members of our group negotiate the track. All you can hear is the V8 growl and the incessant pop as car constantly switches via the double-clutch system to find the optimum gear at any given point. With driver aids on, it was virtually impossible to really unsettle the car into corners.

After an extremely generous amount of track time, we were then given a chance to take the cars out to the surrounding hills of Maranello. The weather was fabulous and with the roof now down, I was able to hear the sonorous V8 in all its splendour. Apart from some aggressive posing, the unfamiliar tight hill-roads meant there were not too many new things I could learn about the car. Perhaps what left most of an impression, was just how cosseting the California became when calmly cruising around the Italian villages. The quantum leap in build quality that Ferrari has made in the last 10 years has to be one of the most pronounced of any sports car manufacturer. The levels of refinement that now accompany the customary “Fezza” driving thrills are, I would argue, now second to none. This combination is best presented in the California which by the end of the weekend, seemed to have even some die-hard 599 owners tempted to switch. The versatility-factor is just so impressive that it’s impossible to ignore if you are privileged enough to be in the market for this type of car. Yes, I want one, and if my numbers come up next weekend, it’ll be top of the list.

(Just a quick note of thanks to our hosts from Ferrari Northern Europe and Maranello Egham for providing an unforgettable weekend).

The noise was very distinctive yet recognisable. I craned my neck, and pressed up against the window to view the inevitable. There was a brief flash of yellow and then the trademark Enzo-esque rear. The Ferrari 458 Italia hummed loudly past at about 3000 rpm. You could sense the excitement on our bus from the other passengers. And no, I wasn’t on the usual 170 from Battersea to Victoria Station that Tuesday morning. We were on our way to more hallowed territory that day – Ferrari’s corporate headquarters and primary production facility in Maranello, Italy. My musings some months ago on this forum, with regards to Ferrari’s fabulous California, had given me the opportunity (courtesy of Maranello Egham) to visit the place where it had all started for this iconic company 80 years ago.

The group was eclectic, made up of owners and dealers covering all corners of the UK – united in their shared passion for this coveted marque. Our hotel, the Maranello Palace, was perfectly located and it was certainly the first time I had been excited by having a room and balcony overlooking a factory on an industrial park. Once settled in at the hotel, we were whisked off for a quick tour of automaker’s museum, Galleria Ferrari – where we were reminded of Ferrari’s heritage in not only production cars, but its success and dominance in motor racing throughout the years. The countless racing cars on display were complemented by numerous road-going one-offs including the Enzo, the F40 and 288 GTO. These masterpieces provided great eye-candy but I could sense that the group were growing restless; there were owners and enthusiasts here and the opportunity to view the production line in action was palpable.

As we were shuttled deeper into Ferrari’s nerve centre the double-takes in our group were reaching fever pitch. Brand new 458s here, 599 GTOs there, everywhere you looked there was well in excess of £200,000 worth of motoring scattered around the side streets that intersected each factory building. As we pulled up outside our first stop, the entrance to the building opened and 4 men in suits strode out towards our group. A welcoming party of executives we presumed – nice touch. Among them none other than revered Ferrari Chairman - Luca de Montezemelo! Just as everyone mentally prepared themselves to bow down before one of the most influential men in global automobile production and motorsport, he walked straight past our bus and into a waiting car. We then realised that our chances of meeting the big man were as likely as Michael Schumacher serving me a cappuccino at breakfast the next day in our hotel. One member of our group had us all gawping when describing the Chairman’s commute to his villa in the surrounding hills – he allegedly drives a matte-black 612 Scagletti, with no number plates, and is accompanied by two police motorcycle outriders. Apparently speed limits don’t apply!

The factories were breathtaking with futuristic levels of modern technology and robotics assembling the minutest components within the engine blocks. Dotted among the various production lines were internal patches of green where vegetation sprung up from the floor – the internal gardens helped to create a softer, eco-friendly image set against the backdrop of heavy machinery and automobile manufacture. Ferrari was keen to stress its ecological credentials and informed us that their entire factory operation was self-powered. The final stage of the production process our group witnessed was within V8 plant- Californias and 458 Italias on one vast conveyor system, all at various stages of assembly. One really got to appreciate just how stunning the 458 Italia is; seeing it from every angle imaginable it was not hard to understand that despite the price knocking firmly on the door of £200k, there is two year waiting list for this beast. Red and black paintwork generally dominated the 458s that were rolling off with a splattering of yellow, Tour de France and grey. Prospective California buyers seemed to be more adventurous when it came to choosing from that Ferrari palette, but in truth these cars look pretty sensational in every classic colour. The drawback: no amateur photography allowed within the factory!

The group rounded off the tour with a visit to the famous Fiorano track which housed the Formula 1 preparation bays and development areas. This stunningly manicured facility provides Ferrari with a private, easily accessible location to stretch the legs of new cars and even test Formula 1 models. As the sun was setting we watched in silence as one of the Ferrari test pilotas screamed around the tight hair-pins in a new, black 458. The booming soundtrack on the straights was complemented perfectly by the illuminated glow of the red-hot brakes that shone through the car’s stunning five-spoke alloys. With California driving on this very track the next day, I knew I would need more than a few glasses of Montepulciano to temper my excitement and ability to sleep that night.

Here at Make and Model we are proud to unveil the Hear it, See it, Win it Competition, where a grand prize of a Ferrari vs Lamborghini Driving Experience Day will be awarded to the car enthusiast who can identify a motor vehicle by its sounds or obscure parts. The winner will experience first hand, Ferrari’s undisputed engineering with its dynamically designed body and suspension. Then straightaway indulge in driving the Lamborghini Gallardo's all-wheel drive, with its super power and daringly desirable fast acceleration.

This competition will take place once a week from the 20th of October to the 22nd of December. Every week we will post either an audio clip of an engine revving or a small detail of a car, such as a wheel nut or tail light. Entrants need only to identify the make and model of the car, then send their name, email address and answer to info@makeandmodel.co.uk. Then at the end of the 10 weeks, we will draw from all correct entries the winner of the grand prize, a Ferrari vs Lamborghini driving day.

But before that, each week’s correct answers will be put into a smaller draw to win an 18” x 12” supercar print from Feature Automotive photographer Dean Smith. And just to sweeten the deal even more: if you get the answers right every week, you’ll increase your chances of winning the grand prize 10 times!

Start warming up with our test question below.

(The competition is now closed).

Check out the live questions:

As darkness rolled in, the contrast between the backdrop of skyscrapers and the 1980s icon became more and more apparent and it was obvious why Dean had chosen this as the perfect location for a night shoot. We watched on as the minutes and then hours ticked by. The process was a slow and careful one, to get the perfect shot takes way more time and effort than I had realised. After re-positioning the Testarossa numerous times, which, incidentally seemed way more manoeuvrable than modern day supercars, three hours after we started, we were done and the results, well they speak for themselves:

We are going to be following Dean over the coming months to give you an insight into automotive photography, so if you like these pictures and are keen to find out more about how to get the perfect shot then please keep checking in to the blog. For more of Dean’s work, please visit www.deanphoto.co.uk.

After a shaky marriage with America’s Ford Motor Corp, Aston Martin has successfully returned to form under the stewardship of Prodrive’s David Richards and more importantly, committed funds from Kuwaiti investment companies.

The Gaydon HQ is an impressive site; with its security guards, modern architecture, water features and contemporary art, you would be forgiven for thinking you were arriving at a Bond Villain’s lair. V12 Vantages and DBS are strewn throughout the car park and our group is greeted by Mark Gauntlett a senior executive of Aston Martin who harks back to the old school of the company’s glory days. We discover his father was once the chairman and as he begins his tour we realise he has lived and breathed the firm’s heritage all his life. There is so much to see and take in and Gauntlett has every detail memorised; as my mind wanders I stare longingly at a DBS rolling off the production line, I am half expecting to hear “pay attention 007!”

The factory is unusually quiet with no heavy-duty welding on site; the cars’ components are assembled and thoroughly stress-tested by countless engineers on the floor. I am amazed to see how manual the process is, but despite some critics’ reservations around Astons’ build quality of old, it is reassuring that the company is able to retain a traditional artisan element in the manufacture of these beautiful cars. A new Porsche, in contrast, is very much order-form driven whereas an Aston is a unique project from start to finish, with details such as body-work colours added from bespoke samples chosen by the buyer.

Test-driving follows the factory tour and I am given the chance to stretch the legs of a fully spec’ed DB9 Volante, followed by the gorgeously muscular DBS coupe. Having driven up from London to Gaydon in a F355 GTS I have low expectations as to how much driver-feedback I will receive through the cockpit of the modern DB versus the analogue ‘90s Ferrari. How wrong I am. The big Aston has plenty to give and with the roof down and with the sun pouring into the stunning hand-built fuselage, I begin to get the joke (I also remember how good the car looked when Vincent Chase and his pals were cruising through the Hollywood Hills in Entourage!). The DB9 doesn’t try and be something other than itself, it exudes pure class – it doesn’t drive you, it wafts you, and in some style. Having witnessed the individual seamstresses just moments ago threading each leather panel to each seat component, I begin to really appreciate what the Aston signature wings are all about: exclusivity and desirability.

These two qualities are delivered in spades in the DBS. Collecting a brand new DBS from Gaydon must be up there, I would imagine, with one of the most memorable supercar-owner experiences. It’s hard to take your eyes off this car because from every angle it makes you want to re-mortgage your house, hit the gym, buy the car (and a tuxedo), drive to Monaco and put whatever is left “on black”. For starters, you sit lower than in the DB9 and the ride is tighter, the exhaust note thunderous and the interior detailing is more “secret agent” than “desperate house-wife”. The car pulls from very low revs, thanks to its V12 power plant which produces a mighty 510 bhp and 570 Nm of torque – this makes overtaking on Warwickshire’s single-lane A-roads an absolute doddle, especially when matched to the smooth-as-silk automatic, paddle-operated transmission on my test-car. When cruising, the DBS is as refined as its older sibling – the DB9 – yet a quick dab on the left paddle, sink your right foot into the well and the signature Aston howl fills your eardrums and deafens whichever poor soul is trying to keep up.

We wrap up the day with a design brief from the visual architects behind the staggeringly impressive One-77, and more controversially, the new Aston Martin Cygnet. The Cygnet represents Aston’s first stab at a mainstream, city car. The car is the result of impending EU legislation around emission averages across a manufacturer’s total product range. By introducing a Smart-esque car, and selling it in large numbers, it is likely to make a decent dent in their emissions output. The prototype in front of us at Gaydon proves to be quite a divisive talking point. Two members of our group, who are proud owners of the V12 Vantage and the DBS, are a little suspicious of the brand dilution that could be the product of too many Cygnets flooding the market. However this Cygnet, which is by no means an ugly-duckling, has a fairly prohibitive price tag of £28k. I still feel that the car will sell, as it looks like a piece of jewellery on wheels and will be too much for the WAGs and teenage oil heiresses to resist.