Morgan’s styling department might live in 1960s, but their engineers are moving on, preparing a new electric drivetrain for the Plus 8.

They’ve teamed up with Zytek Automotive to develop the Plus E, and apparently, they’re going to make the world’s first manual EV. An electric sports car with a manual gearbox is quite something.

However, it’s not going to have dramatic effect on the car’s performance. It will perform within the confinements of the electric car. For instance, “You are not going to get any benefit from dropping down a gear at high speeds,” according to the project manager. But it will be more fun to drive than normal EVs, which feel like driving a laptop.

The car is said to have a limited top speed of 115mph, which is not exactly impressive. But there will lots of torque at low rpm. That will provide blistering acceleration, and, when the mood takes you, lots of sideways fun. The manual gearbox is especially helpful here.

It will be a fun car for sure, but your fun will be short-lived, as the batteries can hold enough juice for only a 100 miles.

They will be unveiling the car in concept form at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. If enough interest is shown in the car, then a production version might follow.

Source: PistonHeads

The Zonda is without the doubt one of the sounding cars ever in the whole of human history. but how does it compare to the new boy, the Huayra?

You might be able to find the answer by watching this six-minute long video, filmed by Marchettino, of both Zonda and Huayra clearing their respective throats. And if you didn’t come across an answer, you wouldn’t care because the excellence of the noise has melted your soul and you just want to hear more. They both sound like dream!

It’s been a while since we last heard of Pagani Huayra though, so as a quick recap, the new central monocoque on the Pagani Huayra is an entirely new design made from carbontitanium. However, with the gull wing doors cutting deep into the roof, much research was focused on achieving the highest levels of rigidity through the application of new advanced composite materials and technologies first tested on the Zonda R. It also gets a tweaked version of the bespoke AMG V12, with the following specs:

• Engine: Mercedes-AMG M158 V12 twin-Turbo
• Displacement: 5980 cc
• Power: >700 CV
• Torque: >1.000 Nm
• Gearbox: transverse sequential seven speed gearbox; AMT robotyzed system with driving programs
• Dimensions
  • Length: 4605mm
  • Height: 1169mm
  • Body width: 2036mm
  • Body width (with mirrors): 2356mm
• Dry weight: 1.350 kg
• Weight distribution
  • Front: 44%
  • Rear: 56%

The Swedish hyper car maker Koenigsegg is working on something radical to solve its environmental issues.

They are, reportedly, developing a new generation of camless engines which utilizes pneumatic-controlled valves for each cylinder. How it works is incredibly boring to explain, but the results will be a significant cut in fuel consumption.

The idea of a camless engine is not new, but so far there hasn’t been a mass produced system that works properly without glitches. This is a bold move by the company, especially as they’re applying it to that massive twin-turbo V8 engine.

This will also help the engineers to come up with an integrated cylinder deactivation system, further boosting the car’s efficiency.

Koenigsegg is also said to be working on new tricks to go round the rules and use airbag exemption to sell the Agera in the States. They will also be celebrating production of their 100th vehicle at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

via: Car & Driver

As we reported last month Caterham is going to run its own karting championship from 2013, and to sort it out they’ve hired a 20-year old girl.

It’s Laura Tillett, karting ace and the first British female to compete in the ‘KF1’ World Championship, the karting equivalent of Formula One. She’s definitely the lady for the job.

Tillett is well-known name in the British motorpsort scene, as they are the maker of Tillett Racing Seats and the world’s leading supplier of race seats, rib protection and karting accessories.

Laura will spearhead the Caterham kart series project in development and testing. The karting proect will complement Caterham F1 team and Caterham Motorsport’s existing 25 years of experience running low-cost, high-value one-make racing series.

Caterham Motorsport Manager, Simon Lambert, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Laura on board. Kart racing is clearly in her family’s blood and her expert knowledge of the karting world will be invaluable in helping us set up what will be a uniquely accessible championship.

“Laura will be working on every aspect of our planned karting series, from race formats to technical specifications and from race venues to organisational know-how.”

Morgan revealed the first pictures of their latest model, the Aero Coupe.

Granted, it’s hard to see what’s new in this car just by looking at it. But then that’s how Morgans always looked. Even the exotic AeroMax looks pretty much the same as this. You should be glad it’s not squinting!

The car is based on the Aero GT3 race car and is made almost entirely out of aluminum. It also has a stiff aluminium chassis and is hand-assembled in Malvern Hills by Morgan’s highly skilled craftsmen. Morgan says the new closed roof design will give you a more comfortable car, and more security.

The cabin is also retro-looking, but it has modern features and excellent craftsmanship. Ash hardwood surrounding the cockpit and doors can be hand polished in a colour of your choosing. The controls are luxurious to touch. The leather work is stitched with twin needles and combined with suede effect panels for contrast and a dynamic sporty feel.

The Aero Coupe is powered by a 4.7 liter BMW V8 and has a six speed automatic transmission. It can operate in two Sport and Auto modes to deliver the 320bhp output to the rear wheels. Under ideal circumstances the car does 0 to 60mph in 4.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 170 mph (273 km/h).

The fact is, only a Morgan lover will see the appeal of this car. We respect Morgan’s heritage, and the passion behind the cars they make.

Pininfarina released a teaser video for its 2012 Geneva Motor Show concept car, the Cambiano. The video shows the teaser pictures that have already been released in addition to a new shot from the back, which reveals the Cambiano’s rear-end almost completely. As for the facts known about the car, it’s a futuristic-looking saloon car with a weird roof, and some sort of green powertrain.

Jerod Shelby drops the use of Shelby name for its super car company to avoid further complications with the big Carroll’s brand.

Before this people thought it’s Carroll Shelby, the father of Cobra and Shelby Mustangs, who’s come up with the Veyron-killing Aero Ultimate and then Tuatara. But it isn’t. The only connection between Jerod and Carroll is that last name, Shelby.

Because of that, poor Jerod cannot put his familyname on his super car like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg and Pagani, among others. The company is now called SSC North America. We just simply call it SSC.

Come to think of it, SSC hasn’t been good with names from the get-go. Their first super car was called a combination of Aero, Ultimate and GT, and the new one, as I’m sure you know, is called the Tuatara. We hope they change that too.

That said, we can’t wait to see the 1,350-hp SSC Tuatara wipe the smile off the Veyron’s smug face, mainly because it’ll make the Germans come up with something even faster.

Vittoria is the name of this weird supercar by Italian company UP Design, unveiled at the 2012 Qatar Motor Show.

The car has an extremely radical design, which truth be told is not what you call pretty. Still, they’ve been brave and wanted to try something new, and we respect that.

The Vittoria has some unique details in its design. Well, in fairness everything in it is unique and never seen before. But the most striking features include the front air intakes, which are repeated at the back as exhaust pipes. The jet fighter-like cabin is also a nice touch.The only part we liked to some extent is the full-length LED taillights. We think they look good.

Talking about this car’s powertrain is irrelevant, because it’s just a show car and it’ll never see production. Think of it as an artistic sculpture, then it makes a tiny bit of sense!

This is the Elektrus, an electric car by the small German company PG. As it’s the case with German shed-built cars — while it excels at engineering — it is incredibly ugly.

It might be ugly, but it’s clever. For starters, it is based on the Lots Elise, just like the infamous Tesla Roadster, and features an all carbon fiber body. That means the two-seater sportscar doesn’t weigh more than 900 kg, and that, theoretically, means it’ll be great to drive.

PG remains tight-lipped on the specifications of the electric motor(s) that power the Elektrus, but they do claim a 0 to 100km/h time of under 3 seconds, and a top speed of over 300 km/h. What’s more, based on your driving style, the batteries will offer a range of up to 350 kilometers.

All these numbers sound too good to be true. But we shall soon find out if the Elektrus is for real, as they have plans to put it into production later this year.

The Atom, as you know, is one of the fastest and most sporty automobiles ever. It’s a lightweight rear-drive car with plenty of power – 270bhp in the Mugen Atom’s case – and enough grunt to upset the rear wheels. So you’d imagine you can drift this thing while reading a newspaper. But you’d be wrong. In the video after the jump Autocar‘s Steve Sutcliffe explains why.

Here’s the second part of Harry Metcalfe, Evo magazine founder, review of his own Pagani Zonda. In the first part he gave us a detailed look at this incredible car and showed us everything like keys and brochures and stuff. Now he takes us for a ride in the Zonda and let us know what that 7.3 liter AMG V12 is like on the road. As mentioned before, this is quite a famous Zonda and been on many car shows and magazines.

See Harry unleashing his Zonda – after he gets past the bloody farmers of course! – after the jump.

Harry Metcalfe, for those of you who don’t know, is Evo magazine’s founder and editorial director, and he’s got a very amazing garage. It’s not as busy Jay Leno’s, but it contains some very interesting items. One of them is this 2002 Pagani Zonda 7.3 C12S. This is a very special car, as it was the first Zonda press car in the UK. It’s been at every car magazine and TV show. It is the one Jeremy Clarkson drove on the very first episode of the new Top Gear.

In this review, which is actually from summer 2010, Harry gives you an in-depth look at his Zonda.

About time! The amazing Fisker Karma finally pops down at Jay Leno’s Garage for the man to take a look at, from Jay’s point of view. Joining him in this 20-minute long video — which includes the story behind the car as well as a review, is the founder of the company — and former Aston Martin designer, Henrik Fisker. So, if you want to know all that there is to know about the Fisker, check out the video after the jump.

Pininfarina released a new image of its Geneva-bound concept car, called the Cambiano, and it’s still hanging in outer space.

Judging by the images PF has revealed so far, the Cambiano seems to be more of a moon buggy than an Italian exotica. They say it’s a sports sedan. Chances are the Cambiano is one of those futuristic electric cars that give environment a higher priority than style and performance.

We will be finding that out soon enough. The car’s world debut is set for 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

Here’s the first tear image of the PF Cambiano:

The world famous Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, London, has put a Fisker Karma behind Brompton Road window to promote the car through the Winter Sale period until 4 February 2012.

God knows how much they charged Fisker for the spot – that said, Harrods owner Qatar Holding is also a shareholder in Fisker Automotive Inc. – but this will work for them better than any dealership or motorshow, as thousands of Harrods shoppers, most of them wealthy foreigners – will be seeing the car and thinking it’s so cool because it’s at Harrods, and they will get one!

That’s why prospective customers visiting Harrods will be able to take a tour of the vehicle, offered the chance to virtually configure their own model and put in touch with their nearest dealership to arrange a test drive.

About the car: The Karma is the world’s first true luxury electric vehicle with extended range (EVer™) allowing it to offer Uncompromised Responsible Luxury.  It combines the efficiency of electric drive with the range and freedom of petrol-powered cars, while offering the comfort and performance expected of a high-end sedan.

Despite its size, performance, and visual appeal, the Karma is one of the most efficient, low-emission vehicles available today.  It can travel from 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds yet was recently given an astonishing emissions rating of just 51 g/km CO2 by the TUV and a 112 mpg equivalency rating.

Caterham Motorsport announced its plans to launch its very own karting championship with Caterham-designed karts next year.

Under the new ownership Caterham is really branching out rapidly. The karting program will complement the motorsport division’s activities including Caterham F1 Team and Caterham Racing GP, and SP/300.R one-make championship.

It will will provide young drivers with the opportunity to take their first step in the world of motorsport. Caterham has 26 years of experience in running low-cost, high-value one-make race championships, so they should have no problem at all running a karting championship.

More details on the series will be announced throughout the 2012.

Caterham Motorsport Manager, Simon Lambert, said: “We’ve built a strong reputation for providing terrific value for money in motorsport through great cars and a playing field so even you could put a spirit level on it.

“Now we’d like to use this wealth of knowledge and expertise in karting by establishing a cost-effective series that will combine fun, technology and great competition elements that we think are beginning to be overlooked in kart racing.

“With progression possible through the Caterham ‘ladder’ right through to F1, Caterham karting will appeal to those looking to make a career in motorsport but, more importantly, our aim is to target the mass-market of parents and youngsters who would like to race in a competitive and yet affordable karting series which, until now, might have been an unachievable dream. Caterham is determined to make motorsport accessible to everyone.”

This 1959 Corvette takes the idea of restoring a classic car to the next level. In fact, apart from those glorious looks it shares little with the original ’59 Vette. This car is the winner of GM Design Award at 2011 SEMA. It’s got a 700-hp engine, and it looks very scary, but in a good way. In this video Jay asks Sean Cassar, the man behind this project, what on earth possessed him to come up with such a beast.

Jay Leno’s Garage

The Italian design house Pininfarina released the first teaser of a new project they’re preparing for the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. It’s called the Pininfarina Cambiano Concept, and the only fact known about it is that it’s a sedan, powered by some sort of green powertrain. Judging by the tear image, the Cambiano doesn’t seem like a proper Italian exotica. It must be one of those futuristic concepts designed for efficiency and stuff like that.

More on the Cambiano closer to the the 2012 Geneva show.

Caterham will be putting on a fun and thrilling show for the fans at this year’s Autosport International Show in Birmingham.

They will be showing the legendary Seven, the SP/300.R sports prototype launched at the show 12 months ago and a Caterham-branded F1 car. But static display is just part of the program.

They have built a custom-built indoor drift course in Birmingham NEC, on which Caterham Sevens will be demonstrating their incredible abilities to thousands of visitors to the motorsport event. People will be allowed to experience the course from inside the car sitting beside one of Caterham’s professional drivers.

Caterham says this feature will recreate all the noise and speed of its Caterham Drive Experience (CDX) days.

James Drake, Caterham Cars’ Marketing Manager, said: “Having nearly our full ‘family’ of race cars come together like this is very exciting for us. Only the GP2 car is missing but we’ve so much going on at the stand and at the live action arena that we just couldn’t pack it all in.

“I’m sure that any motorsport fan will be impressed by the growing line-up of Caterham vehicles but Caterham has always been about much more than ‘cars on carpet’ and our live action arena will bring all of that motorsport prowess to life for visitors.”

DC Design acted quickly after their first teasers and revealed the very first Indian supercar as the Avanti at Auto Expo 2012.

As promised by the makers, the Avanti has most of the ingredients of a proper super car. It has a cool name, a fancy design, a well-sorted chassis, the lot. They didn’t promise big horsepower though, but turns out it will have 400 hp, which is not bad.

The 400 hp output comes from a turbocharged Honda V6 engine. Initially, the car will be available with a four-cylinder Ford engine with 265 hp.

Performance is not very supercarish, with a quoted 0 to 60mph sprint time of around 7 seconds. An average Indian driver used to Nanos and Marutis would call that pretty brisk.

So the Avanti is closer to a sports car than a full on super car as DC Design claims. They actually call it an affordable supercar, with a base price of $56,000. Now it makes more sense. DC design is setting itself an ambitious goal of producing 2000 cars per year.