Men Free Blog

As we count diminished to such year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, one of the a good amount of highly set idea cars scheduled to motivate its debut there has popped up a bit early. Based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, the Pininfarina Hyperion has been heard commissioned by one lucky and presumably basically wealthy customer. The strange production performs away in on the rear seats and moves the front ones, along investing in the swept windscreen, coming back by 400 mm. If you can figure it, a gun rack has continued fitted in front of the cabin (yeah, we are serious), additonally famous watchmaker Girard Perregaux has crafted a special tourbillon timepiece for the Hyperion the current can be removed out of its wrist-strap and mounted in the dashboard. Meanwhile, word has it the current Rolls-Royce is able to be collaborating provided Zagato or Bertone on an extra special exemplary as well.

This, of course, is the mostly new car based on data from the Italian design stable to be unveiled from the time the untimely death of Andrea Pininfarina. Stay tuned for dwell shots of the Hyperion ensuing its unveiling in one days. In the meantime, click on the thumbnails beneath to view new images of the concept, along amid the previous teaser sketch.

UK-based Breckland Technology is no stranger to producing swiftly cars, as the low-volume producer of niche sports cars includes Mosler as one of its clients. For the earliest car branded provided its own name, however, the organization has introduced the Beira V8 soft-top roadster. The Beira is constructed on General Motors’ Kappa platform, the same one the emphasizes the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters, but uses a 6.0L LS V8 making 400bhp for go duties rather of an Ecotec four-cylinder. Weighing a bit more than 3,000 lbs., the moderate even though elegantly styled Beira are able to get to 62 mph in just now underneath thre moments according to Brecklands. It’s returning by a Tremec six-speed manual transmission, HiSpec braking hardware at all two corners and 18-inch or 19-inch wheels who are 9.5-inches wide in the rear and 8.5 up front.

Brecklands states the present it alone matured the Beira at which it needed to in condition to save development loss and time, but it did utterly revamp the Solstice suspension among blessing according to KW suspension, and as you can see, the interior is (thankfully) utterly unusual from what i read in the Solstice and Sky and can be made to order. The Beira serves to bidder out there £55,000, that ought to be a dear price level to pay for a Solstice or Sky, but the Beira V8 is just a good deal a good deal more as opposed to persons vehicles. The closest occurence you can get to one in the U.S. is somewhat similar to a Mallet Solstice V8, but we do not see why Breckland couldn’t export the Beira to the U.S. planning to the platform and engine its making use of currently equate U.S. safety and emissions standards.

The last-generation Chrysler Sebring may have been described by many as “lame,” but when you took off the roof, you had a convertible that was mildly attractive and relatively affordable. The new Sebring, although questionably styled, is likely better than the outgoing model, but again, the all-new convertible version is much, much cooler than its fixed-roof sibling. Plus, you can choose between a soft-top and hard-top.

Chrysler has released pricing information on the soft-top version of the new Sebring convertible, and prices have actually dropped from last year’s model. You can get a four-cylinder model for $25,470, which is about $700 less than the outgoing model. Add a V6 engine and the price comes to $28,070 and when you tick the boxes for 18-inch wheels and a premium sound system, the price gets a bit high at $31,670. While we like the price of entry for the new convertible, we got a bit worried when there was no mention of the 3.5L V6 model, equipped with the hard-top option. A $35k+ Sebring of any kind would be a very hard pill to swallow.
[Source: KickingTires]
Read

There’s a new MG TF on its way to replace the current TF, which is once again rolling out the doors at its Longbridge, UK ancestral home. The new TF will be available as a roadster, natch, and as a coupe, and based on the Roewe 550. AutoExpress has worked up some renderings based on insider information about the new rear-drive MG, and the car amounts to a smorgasbord of cues from a variety of unfortunately styled vehicles. There’s a lot of X80 concept, a dash of the crosseyed Qvale Mangusta, and a peppering or two of the MG SV, too. The end result looks like something Noddy assembled in a candlelit workshop, but then again, so does the existing MG TF.

The underlying platform for the new TF is one of the last vestiges of MG Rover, and would have been used for the MG ZS/Rover 45 replacement. Ricardo also played a role in the development of the chassis, which will have a turbocharged 1.8-liter four and a 2.5-liter V6 as power options. Still, more coupes in the MX5’s sandbox can’t be a bad thing, so we wish the new MG TF well, and hope that it comes to the United States for a proper taunting.
[Source: Auto Express]

In typical AC Schnitzer fashion, the German tuner wasted no time getting to work on the new BMW 1-series cabrio. Then again, it didn’t take much effort to port over the work AC did for the standard 1-series coupe to its softer, drop-top sibling.

The ACS1 Cabrio package includes all the Schitzerfied exterior elements (new front bumper, rear bumper with diffuser and side skirts) and interior bits (silver carbon fiber trim, aluminum pedal and shifter, etc.) you’d expect. More importantly, AC is offering tuning packages for every model in the 1-series lineup, including the 135i, 120d and 123d. The two diesel mills get a bump in power to 200 hp and 240 hp respectively, with the 135i outputting 360 hp through the use of a revised exhaust and some ECU tweaks. Naturally, AC is offering up a plethora of wheel options, sized from 17- to 19-inches.

[Source: AC Schnitzer]

Renowned Audi tuner Nothelle has dubbed its latest creation a “Porsche-killer.” A lofty title, but considering the amount of effort that was expelled on boosting the 3.2-liter V6 from 250 HP to 520 HP, it will certainly keep pace with its cross-town rival in a straight line.

The firm’s kit for both the hardtop and cabrio TT employs a bi-turbo arrangement to produce the aforementioned horsepower bump and a tire-decimating 468 ft.-lbs. of torque to propel the Bauhaus two-door to a top speed of 191 MPH. The suspension has been firmed up with the company’s coilover suspension that drops the TT 25mm overtop 20-inch rolling stock.

The exterior gets a body to match its extreme performance, utilizing a three-piece front fascia, along with side skirts and a trio of aero elements in the rear to increase downforce at speed.

More information about all the options provided by Nothelle is in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Nothelle via Carscoop]

“BRABUS” might as well be German for, “Hey, why not?” This would seem to be the question its engineers ask themselves before they stuff ludicrous amounts of power under the hoods of Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks. This behavior is well-documented, and it continues unabated with the arrival of MB’s new SL. Full wheel/tire, interior, and styling packages are a given. Backing up those enhanced looks is an assortment of tuning packages capable of providing more power than even Montgomery Scott could ever plead for.

The SV12 S Biturbo engine swap appears to have been created by someone with a severe, pathological hatred for tires. This is the same engine used in the Brabus Bullit, and it dishes out a predictably ridiculous 720 horsepower and 973 lb-ft of torque. The latter number is electronically restrained to a mere 811 lb-ft., and a top speed of well over 200 mph comes with the territory. Not interested in the full swap? No worries, BRABUS has your back. SL 65 AMG drivers can opt for the T 65 S package, which bumps the stock V12 Biturbo to 705 hp/811 lb-ft. There’s a solution for the all-motor SL 63 AMG as well that packs on an additional 40 horses over stock. This pattern continues right on down the line — even the “lowly” V6-powered cars can be tuned to deliver 327 hp/ 310 lb-ft. Bonkers. Er, BRABUS, rather.

[Source: BRABUS]

Autoblog does a lot of posts on car-related timepieces, and that’s thanks to Noah who has an affinity for the finer automotive-inspired paraphernalia in life. Unfortunately, he’s not here right now, so I get to tell you about this new limited edition Mercedes-Benz SL 63 that’s being produced in conjunction with Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen. Only 200 will be made, and each features the first application of a new white paint finish dubbed designo magno Kashmir.

 Though my desensitized retinas see plain old white where others see shades of Pearl and Egg Shell, there’s no denying this brilliant veneer looks like a million bucks on the SL 63 AMG. Contrast that with the matte black finish of other components on the car’s exterior, and you’ve got the world’s most expensive Storm Trooper. Tobago Brown nappa leather will cradle your bum in the AMG sport seats while your feet fall on special black floormats that are one of about a dozen interior surfaces emblazoned with the AMG logo. The rest is pretty much standard SL 63 AMG fare, if you can call anything about this 525-hp convertible standard with a straight face.Oh, yeah, the watchmaker tie-in: All 200 owners of the SL 63 AMG Edition IWC will also get a limited edition example of IWC’s “Grosser Ingenieur” watch. Nothing can replace my Swatch, but I would definitely take the car.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

The Daihatsu Copen is another example of a fun little car offered overseas that we wish would make the journey over the Atlantic to American shores. To sweeten the bitter-sweet pill, Daihatsu’s British importer has coaxed the Toyota subsidiary to introduce a number of revisions that make the quirky little roadster even more desirable.

For 2007, the Copen has received an engine transplant. Replacing the previous tiny 660cc turbo engine is the 1.3-liter twin-cam engine from the Sirion hatchback, producing just 86 horsepower, a 19hp increase over the outgoing engine plus an extra 15 lb-ft of torque. It’s mounted transversely up front and features the world’s first self-regenerating catalyst with temperature-sensitive palladium crystals. The innovative engine is good enough to drop a couple seconds off the 0-60 time, bringing the sprint down to 9.5 seconds while returning an average 47 mpg on the combined cycle. It’s a tiny motor, but it’s powering a tiny car that weighs in at just 850 kg, despite the power hardtop. The only visible additions for the new model are a new lip spoiler on the rear decklid under which the roof disappears and a new choice of colors.

The revised roadster comes with a bigger engine, producing more power while returning better fuel economy and producing lower emissions. Not enough? The new Copen sells in the UK for 1500 less than the previous model, retailing in old Blimey for just 10,995. Designed to fit into the Japanese Kei-car category, the Copen continues to offer a power aluminum roof that disappears in just 20 seconds, gas shocks and a host of other goodies. We hope the people at DaimlerChrysler are paying attention, because they’ve been beaten by Toyota yet again: this is what the Smart Roadster should have been from the get-go.

Hungry for more? Follow the jump for another pic and the full press release.

[Source: Daihatsu]
 

We already know that Bugatti’s second vehicle in the modern era will be a targa-top version of the Veyron 16.4, but AutoExpress has revealed that production of the open-air exotica will be limited to just 80 units compared to the coupe’s comparatively ample run of 300 cars. The cost of letting the sun shine through your Veyron’s dome will also be more prohibitive, with a price tag creeping up on £900,000 compared to the £840,000 cost of the coupe. As with most open-air cars, the Veyron’s chassis will be made beefier to cope with the loss of rigidity caused by a big hole in its roof. As such, the new car will weigh more than than the record-setting original. Top speed will therefore be relatively limited, if one can call a 217-mph top speed limited. Then again, as we learned while driving the car ourselves, every car is limited compared to the original Veyron.

[Source: AutoExpress]