by admin on November 7, 2009
Over its 61-year history, Lotus Cars has spent a considerable amount of time clawing its way back from the brink of insolvency. The company’s most recent bout with financial disrepair came in the early Nineties after the front-wheel-drive Elan proved a commercial failure (surprise!) and the Esprit toiled away in the shadows of newer, more powerful supercars. As hope for the historic marque’s triumphant return began to fade, a group of Lotus engineers pooled their collective will to create an all-new, back-to-basics model that would revive Colin Chapman’s company and give hardened enthusiasts the purist’s driving tool they craved.
Over the last decade, we’ve seen a raft of super-special-limited-edition variants follow in its lightweight wake, but the ultimate version is this: the 2009 Lotus Exige S 260. Packing more power and “more lightness” than the 240 Sport we sampled last year, there’s no doubt it’s a telepathic terror on track, but we wanted to know if it was up to the depravity of Michigan roads, so we set our chiropractor on speed dial and headed out.
Bite-sized and featherweight, the Exige S 260 Sport features a supercharged 257-hp version out back of Toyota’s 1.8-liter four-pot, and with no rear window, one-piece racing seats, and door sills as wide as the Great Plains, it is blatantly disinterested in accommodating anything other than two passengers in its cramped, noisy, spartan cabin. Those with back problems will have a horrendous time getting inside, and those same problems will only be made worse after being jostled around for a few miles. But honestly, comfort is soooo not the point of this limited-run Exige.
The 2009 Exige S 260 Sport costs $76,120, and the white paint on our tester added $3300. Given that eye-popping total, it’s no surprise there are several of the original 50 units available in dealer inventory. As for additional production in the future? We’ll quote Lotus’s PR chief, Kevin Smith: “At this point, we have no plans yet to do a new 2010 version of the S 260 Sport for the street, and we currently have no plans for a Cup 260 for North America because we’re still promoting the 2-Eleven as our track-only car in North America.
by admin on October 29, 2009
Supercars like the SLS AMG and SL65 AMG Black Series might be the flagships for the current Mercedes-Benz lineup, but back in the late 1990s it was all about the CLK GTR — an all-out race car slightly disguised as a road car. The street version you see here was built to homologate the race car that competed in the FIA’s GT1 class in 1997 and 1998 (wining the championship in 1997). Each came with a 6.9-liter V12 putting out 612 horsepower as well as features found on modern supercars like a sequential six-speed transmission with paddle shifters and carbon fiber brakes. Just 25 examples were built including five roadsters, making the CLK GTR one of the most exclusive supercars ever built.
At an auction last week, two rare 720bhp Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR supercars were bought for more than £1 million. These two cars were included in the 26 examples (20 coupes and six roadsters) of the GT1 racecar-derived machine that were made for the road in the late 1990s.
The 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster was the only right-hand drive example built and it was the top sale of the auction that evening, selling for £616,000. The coupe was sold for £522,500. These two cars were speculated to have come from the collection of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei. The coupe was estimated to be priced at £370-390,000, while the roadster estimate was £430,000-£500,000, about a third of what they cost new. The CLK GTR was modified only slightly from the racecar. It is powered by an Ilmor modified 720bhp 6.9-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine with dual overhead camshafts. It is claimed to have 572lb ft of torque and an acceleration time of 3.4sec to achieve 0-62mph.
by admin on October 7, 2009
The Suzuki Swift is a competent subcompact that the Japanese marque sells both in Japan and Europe. In the latter, the little hatchback is available with a solid 1.3-liter diesel dubbed DDIS. To make things even cleaner, Suzuki has announced that it will introduce a plug-in series hybrid version of the Swift at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, and the powertrain reminds us of nothing less than a smaller Chevrolet Volt.
Beside the SX4 FCV on display at the Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki is showing off a plug-in hybrid version of the Swift. The Swift PHEV concept pairs a 660 cc engine to a set of li-ion batteries that live between the front seats and send energy to a 54 kW motor that powers the front wheels.The technology is similar in concept to the Chevy Volt, which isn’t surprising since GM and Suzuki were partners for a long time. With Suzuki’s strong place in the Japanese market – and considering all of the make and model badges that the Swift has worn over the years – seeing a plug-in powertrain in this little car could portend good things.
The Swift can travel approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) on a single charge, which supposedly fits the needs of many Japanese drivers. Suzuki didn’t mention what type of batteries store the charge in the hybrid Swift.Under the hood, the car will carry the same 658cc gasoline engine found on the standard version as well as an electric motor capable to deliver 20 hp and this means that the total output of the car will be around 74 hp. More details to be revealed when the car will make its official debut later this month!
