August 28, 2012

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On Yer’ Bike! It’s Aston’s Biggest Gig Ever!

August 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Salon Privé is thrilling at the best of times. Britain’s most prestigious supercar show is one of those dates in the diary which keeps you awake at night, jittering with a Christmas Eve-like excitement , ready to run downstairs at 7 o’clock in the morning, dive under the tree and viciously tear the wrapping paper off of the latest remote control dinosaur. Come on, we’ve all been there!

If that description sounds very much like you, then you are in for an even bigger treat at this year’s edition of Salon Privé, where Aston Martin has announced it will be bringing along not one, not two, not even three but four of its most exclusive models. Oh, and something of the two-wheeled variety as well…

Where to start? Well the newest arrival is the eagerly anticipated and, until recently, highly guarded secret that is the V12 Vanquish. Such was the mystery surrounding Aston’s DBS replacement that we had to resort to shifty blokes with camera phones hanging around lock-ups to get hold of the first images of the car. As we reported earlier this year, the new Vanquish will be powered by the immense 565 BHP 6.0-litre V12 engine and it will be a pleasure to catch a glimpse of this carbon fibre-clad beauty in the flesh.

The car whose design inspired much of the V12 Vanquish, Aston Martin’s £1.2 million hypercar the One-77, will also be on display at Salon Privé. Possibly one of the most brilliant examples of precision engineering and craftsmanship in modern times, the example on show will be one of only 77 of the world’s most powerful naturally aspirated cars in existence.

Compared to the One-77, the £400,000 limited edition V12 Zagato is a mere drop in the ocean. One of the most exclusive sports cars on the planet, it is handcrafted work of art, combining the stylishness of the famous Italian design house with Aston Martin’s trademark chic. The result is sheer jaw-dropping beauty that would leave even the most hardened design critic drooling uncontrollably. Just 101 examples of the Zagato will be built, with production starting later in 2012.

The support act, if you can call it that, will come in the form of the ultra-luxury Rapide four-door saloon. Only at Aston Martin would a sub-5 second 0-60 MPH executive saloon look positively pedestrian!

No supercar show would be complete without some kind of bizarre sideshow, and Aston have duly obliged, with their attempt to ride the wave of Wiggo-mania currently sweeping the nation. Yes that’s right, if you can’t quite stump up the cash to buy one of Aston’s four wheeled models, you needn’t leave this year’s Salon Privé empty handed; providing you don’t mind peddling. The £25,000 limited edition One-77 Cycle is supposed to be perfectly aligned with its hypercar namesake and seems to feature more cutting edge motorsport technology than an HRT F1 car at about twice their annual budget.

If that hasn’t wetted your appetite for Salon Privé 2012, I don’t know what will. So much too look forward to from Britain’s most revered car maker and not a Cygnet in sight. Perfect!

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McLaren Roll Back The Covers On The New MP4-12C Spider

August 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Not content with trampling all over the supercar market with the mind-blowing MP4-12C, McLaren are continuing their quest for world domination at the global premiere of their brand new convertible, the MP4-12C Spider.

The second model in the 12C range has been unveiled for the first time in public at the glamorous Pebble Beach supercar extravaganza. The familiar carbon MonoCell chassis is identical to that of the 12C Coupé but the Spider now features a retractable hard top folding roof that can be lowered or raised on the go. At the back of the cockpit sits an electronically controlled windscreen which doubles up as a wind deflector with the roof down to minimise disturbance in the cabin.

Below decks, the nuts and bolts of the Spider are all carried over from the original 12C, including the staggering 616 BHP 3.8-litre V8 twin turbo engine and 7-Speed dual-clutch gearbox. This means the Spider will still do 0-62 MPH in 3.1 seconds and hit 204 MPH at top speed, just 3 MPH shy of its Coupé equivalent.

Not exactly renowned for their bargains, McLaren’s premium drop-top supercar will come with a premium price tag at £195,500. First deliveries of the new Mp4-12C Spider are planned for early 2013.

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All New Toyota Auris Set To Enter The Ring At The Paris Motor Show

August 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It has been a very busy week in the motoring world. Across the pond, the great and the good of the industry have been gathering at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance soaking up the California sun in the presence of supercar royalty, including such giants as the Bugatti Veyron, SRT Viper and McLaren MP4-12C. Meanwhile, back here on planet earth where we don’t have foie gras for dinner and caviar for breakfast, big news has been filtering through to Inside Lane of the more sensible variety.

Since its introduction in 2007, the Auris has been a real winner for Toyota, quite rightly staking its claim as one of the big fish in the shark infested waters of the small family hatchback arena. As with all the established big hitters, the Auris has had to evolve in order to keep pace with its rivals so for 2013 Toyota have announced a big refresh for their Focus challenger.

The original Auris Hybrid, released in 2010, had the dubious honour of picking up the baton from the Prius, which initially kicked off Toyota’s hybrid revolution, and offering that technology to a much wider market. The 2013 model signals the next chapter in that story, entering a world where hybrid technology has become far less of novelty, by offering several improvements in efficiency to its Hybrid Synergy Drive system. In amongst all this talk of hybrid power, we must not forget that the new Auris will also be available with the option of a 1.4-litre diesel or 1.33/1.6-litre petrol engine. However, the emphasis on green power here is deliberate: Toyota say that they fully expect to sell an equal one-third share of hybrid models compared with diesel and petrol variants. Proof, if needed, that the seismic shift in power on our roads is gathering pace.

Elsewhere, Toyota have lowered the ride height and driving position on the new Auris and the car is noticeably squatter than the outgoing model. Steering and suspension have both been revised which should provide a more responsive feel on the road.

The exterior has been completely re-designed, with a lower front end contributing to better aerodynamics and in turn improved handling, stability and fuel consumption. Still, the look is largely functional and won’t be turning heads anytime soon. The option of a piano black finish for the B-pillars doesn’t exactly set the heart racing but the angular rear with its wider opening tailgate is at least a little more daring in the design department. Inside, the 2013 Auris will be slightly more spacious and on higher spec models the dashboard will come with leather trim, but the real wow factor comes courtesy of Toyota’s Skyview panoramic roof, one of the largest in the segment. Despite all this, it is hard to shake off the niggling feeling that the new Auris just lacks some of that Focus and Golf panache.

The 2013 Auris will take its European bow at the Paris motor show this September. It will be interesting to see if, having climbed the greasy pole, Toyota can continue to punch its weight in such a cut-and-thrust area of the market.

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