Remember the recent Pininfarina Ferrari P4/5 and Maserati GS Zagato? Well, Lamborghini is now building a specialty car of its own: the Reventón, a limited-edition version to be sold to 20 lucky customers as a designer piece.
Deciding not to wait until a coachbuilder picks up a Murciélago to convert it into something different, Lamborghini decided it could do the job better and started work on project code LP640/2, aka the M.O.A., which stands for “Meanest of All.” Spokesman Dominik Hoberg said the designation was decided on because the car is expected to have “at least” 650 bhp. However, we now know the final name of the car to be the 2008 Lamborghini Reventón.
We all agree that the look is stunning. All body parts are new, except for the windshield. Edgy, metallic-gray carbon panels form an extreme appearance inspired by modern aircraft design. The Reventón sports LED lighting front and rear, an all-new fuel inlet and black alloy wheels topped with carbon blades.
True to stock dimensions, the Reventón was designed in-house by Centro Stile Lamborghini and “embodies a compression of the brand’s DNA,” as CEO Stephan Winkelmann points out. Underneath, the Reventón is all Murciélago with a 6.5-liter V-12 drivetrain.
The interior is as special as the exterior. Instead of the stock instrumentation, you’ll find functional 3D displays including a g-force meter. By pressing a button, instruments can be changed to a classic analog readout.
The 20 slated for production next spring carry a price tag of €1 million. Eleven cars are destined for the U.S.
Jaguar XF
The Jaguar XF replaces the retro-style S-Type sedan. Design Director Ian Callum has jumped Jaguar into modern styling with the XF, creating a coupe-like profile on this roomy sedan. The XF is a bit larger than the S-Type, and the heritage styling found in the hood, the headlamps and the grille will be the design model for future Jaguar cars too.
The XF in the U.S. market will be offered in three trim levels — Luxury, Premium Luxury and Supercharged — and you can expect every sort of electronic control system from parking help to adaptive cruise control.
Pricng for the car has been released in the United Kingdom, with base models equipped with either a 2.7-liter diesel V-6 or 3.0-liter gasoline engine costing 33,900 pounds (nearly $68,000). The 4.2-liter V-8 model is listed at 44,500 pounds ($89,000) and the SV8 with the supercharged 4.2 engine, is priced at 54,900 pounds ($110,000). While current exchange rates are hoving around two pounds per dollar, don’t expect this S-Type replacement to cost more than the current XJ. Those prices include Europe’s Value Added Tax (VAT). Most likely, the pricing of the XF will range somewhere between $50,000 and $80,000 for the three versions.
Jaguar’s new XF sedan is labeled a 2009 model but will make its way into owners’ hands in March 2008. The objective for the XF, according to chief program engineer Mick Mohan, was to create “a bold, striking, contemporary sports saloon [sedan]; a 4-door, 5-seater that blends sports-car performance with the luxury and comfort of a sedan.” The XF is powered by Jaguar’s 4.2-liter V-8 engine in naturally aspirated (300 bhp) and supercharged (420 bhp) forms. Both engines mate to a 6-speed automatic shift-by-wire transmission with the all-new JaguarDrive Selector rotary knob on the center console, and steering-wheel-mounted paddles for sequential operation.
BMW X6 ActiveHybrid
BMW chose its home show to unveil its new X6 model, its take on the next generation of SUVs. Unlike its boxy station-wagon-like X5, the X6 is characterized as a Sports Activity Coupe, even though it has four doors.
The steeply raked rear atop the muscular body is designed to be more sporty than utilitarian. The front view sports a toothy BMW trademark split grille, while the flowing lines and sleek greenhouse are contrasted by muscular wheel arches filled with 21-in. wheels. It will be interesting to see if it can carve out a niche in the crowded SUV market—the closest competitor to the X6 is Infiniti’s FX35/45.
To address concerns that SUVs are fuel-wasting behemoths, BMW’s thinly disguised concept of the X6 production vehicle was introduced as the ActiveHybrid, which incorporates a dual-mode hybrid transmission jointly developed with GM and DCX. This system uses two different electric motors, one for low speeds and the other for highway cruising. In addition to providing the correct levels of torque, depending on road conditions, engine loads and on- or off-road use, the X6 ActiveHybrid boasts a 20-percent reduction in emissions and fuel consumption when compared to a car of equal size on a conventional drivetrain.
The X6 is scheduled to be built alongside the X5 at BMW’s U.S. assembly plant in South Carolina with an on-sale date sometime next year.
Ferrari F430 Scuderia
A quick spin in a Ferrari F430 is enough to make anyone — non-car enthusiasts included — appreciate the mystique of the prancing horse marque. The F430 positively screams “race car!” and demands complete driver involvement, whether speeding down the road or around a track; its handling agility is amazing, and the high-revving engine note is mesmerizing.
For 2008, the F430’s tightly wound energy meter is about to spin off the chart with the introduction of the 430 Scuderia, which is comparable in mission to the 360 Challenge Stradale version of the 360 Modena, but with numerous technical improvements.
The 430 Scuderia’s midship 4.3-liter V-8 is the same basic engine seen in the F430. But thanks to revised intake and exhaust, a new piston shape and a higher compression ratio (all managed by an updated ECU), power gets bumped from 483 to 503 bhp. Expect the exhaust note to sound racier as well.
The F1 paddle-shift transmission has been upgraded to shift gears in a mere 60 milliseconds, an impressive improvement compared with the F430’s 150 milli-seconds and the 599 GTB Fiorano’s 100. New traction control on the Scuderia combines the electronic differential and yaw control into one system.
Weight-saving measures such as titanium suspension components, as well as a carbon-fiber undertray, dash, seats and steering wheel, plus reshaped composite front and rear bumpers, allow the Scuderia to shave off about 220 lb. from the standard F430.
Ferrari’s most serious road car will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September by Ferrari’s most serious racing driver — none other than Michael Schumacher. Customer cars should arrive stateside in late 2008.
Porsche 911 GT2
After much speculation, Porsche has finally decided to produce a 997-based GT2 in early 2008. The new GT2 will officially be the most powerful 911 to roll off the Porsche production line, with 530 bhp on tap from its twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-6. Based on the 911 Turbo, the GT2 receives larger air intakes that feed two hopped-up variable-geometry turbochargers, which in turn send the intake charge into a new expansion manifold. This manifold is specially designed to keep temperatures down and increase efficiency, so much so that Porsche is claiming up to a 15-percent increase in efficiency over the 911 Turbo, despite the additional power.
A 6-speed manual transaxle routes this turbocharged fury to the rear wheels — doing all they can to keep their 325/30ZR-19 rubber from going up in smoke. The 235/35ZR-19 front tires will have their turn when all four carbon-ceramic brake discs are pinched between monobloc calipers and haul the GT2 down from anything south of 204 mph. Rounding out the package are titanium mufflers and exhaust tips and Porsche’s Active Suspension Management system, all included in the $191,700 list price.