How a Texas Tuner and a Technicality Took Down the World’s Fastest Car

The former reigning world champion. Photo: Bugatti Automobiles

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport’s three-year reign as the world’s fastest production car has ended. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. Or, rather, a technicality.

The arbiters of such things at Guinness World Records invalidated the $2.5 million land rocket’s 267.857 mph v-max run in 2010 because of a speed limiter. More specifically, the fact the car, which boasts enough power to literally shred the tires, didn’t have the speed limiter enabled, unlike the cars sold to those with the coin to afford one. And that was enough for Guinness to declare that the Super Sport was not, strictly speaking, a “production” car.

“There was an oversight in its adjudication of the ‘Fastest production car’ which was set in 2010 by the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport,” Guinness said in a statement. “As the car’s speed limiter was deactivated, this modification was against the official guidelines. Consequently, the vehicle’s record set at 431.072 km/h is no longer valid.”

This is really about bragging rights for the people making these cars, and the few dozen buying them.

While being knocked off the top of the top-speed list is a blow to Bugatti, it’s just the latest in a series of pointless, if compelling, questions surrounding what is ultimately a pointless, if compelling exercise — declaring which car is the fastest on the planet. The biggest of these is, of course, what exactly constitutes a “production” car, and if a handmade machine cobbled together in a Texas garage and sold to eight — yes, eight — people can really be counted among the vehicles built by major automakers. This is really about bragging rights for the people making these cars, and the few dozen buying them.

But that doesn’t make it any less entertaining for the rest of us, especially when the record is undone by fine print.

What the speed limiter in the Veyron does is curb the 1,200-horsepower Super Sport’s top speed at 258, or less than 10 mph below the record set on the track VW — Bugatti’s corporate parent — owns near Wolfsburg, Germany. So small a difference might seem insignificant, but at that velocity, it’s the line that separates exhilaration and annihilation. The specifically developed tires for the Veyron all but detonate in a hail of rubber shrapnel north of 258.

So how did Guinness discover the Veyron it timed didn’t have the limiter and revoke the record? Some friendly competition.

Earlier this year, a 1,244 horsepower bundle of insanity called the Hennessey Venom GT made an unofficial top-speed run of 265.7 mph on a 2.9-mile stretch of tarmac at the Naval Air Station in Lemoore, California. When John Hennessey released the results, the Texas-based tuner claimed his car – which is a highly modified Lotus Exige stuffed with a turbocharged engine pulled from the Corvette ZR1 – was, in fact, the fastest production car on the planet, even though it fell 2.1 mph behind the Veyron. A bold claim indeed — even from a Texan — but Hennessey felt he had the goods.

“While a Veyron Super Sport did run 267.8 mph, Bugatti speed-limits its production vehicles to 258 mph,” the company said in a statement. “Thus, at 265.7 mph the Venom GT is the fastest production car available to the public.”

That got the guys at Guinness thinking. They poked around and decided Hennessey was right. Not that he takes any consolation in that.

“I take no joy in Guinness taking the record away from Bugatti,” he told Wired. “I have the greatest respect for Bugatti and the Veyron.”

And while it is a loss for Bugatti, it is not a win for Hennessey because there is a “production” car faster than the Venom GT.

It ain’t pretty, but it’s fast. Photo: Shelby Super Sports

That would be the 1,287-horsepower SSC Ultimate Aero, another car you’ve probably never heard of. It was built here in the United States, sold in tiny numbers at high prices and ended “production” in 2008, not long after setting a speed record at 256.14 mph in September of 2007. That was enough to knock the previous record holder – the standard 1,000-hp Veyron – off the leader board by a mere 2.33 mph. Now it’s back on top.

“This wasn’t how we planned to reclaim the record,” SSC founder Jerod Shelby said in a statement. “Although, it was still a nice surprise.”

But Bugatti isn’t relinquishing the title just yet.

“As officially measured by the German Agency of Technical Documentation and Certification… and confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records in 2010, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is the fastest production sports car with road-use registration,” the automaker said in a statement. “World record car and production cars are technical identical. Customers have the opportunity to drive their Super Sport over 415 kph without speed limiter at events regularly organised by Bugatti.”

Bugatti has yet to tell us why, then, the limiter is in place and when, where and how often these events are held.

Better yet, Bugatti claimed today that it has set another speed record, this time for the “fastest open-top production sports car.” Chinese race driver Anthony Liu achieved a top speed of 254.04 mph in a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse at VW’s track in Germany, though the company didn’t say when. The automaker claims the run was confirmed by the German Agency of Technical Documentation and Certification. Of course, Bugatti will commemorate the run with a limited edition run of eight “World Record Car Edition” models of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse and sell them for a cool $1.9 million euros apiece. That’s $2.4 million at today’s exchange rate.

All of this gets back to the question of just what constitutes a “production” car in this high-stakes game of compensating. And here, it seems Bugatti has the advantage.

Despite a price tag well over $1.5 million, Bugatti has sold enough Veyrons since the car’s introduction in 2005 – and Volkswagen has dumped enough money into developing the car and its endless iterations – that you can safely call it a production car. The SSC Ultimate Aero is a ground-up vehicle, developed completely in-house, but uses an engine supplied by General Motors and other non-custom components (although in fairness, the Bugatti shares the same key fob as a VW Golf). And then there’s the Venom GT, a Lotus Exige stretched and widened to accommodate a massive 7.0-liter V8 sourced from General Motors.

No, that’s not a Lotus. Photo: Hennessey Performance

“We’re straight up about what our car is,” Hennessey told Wired. “We get rid of like 90 percent of [the donor car]. But it’s completely street legal. It’ll pass a smog test. It’ll meet [street-legal] requirements.”

Hennessey has already sold more than a half-dozen Venom GTs – some of them to Veyron owners.

Guinness says it is reconsidering its definition and “reviewing all ‘production car’ record categories with expert external consultants to ensure our records fairly reflect achievements in this field.”

As for Hennessey, he has his sights on taking the top-speed record before the end of the year, “maybe in the next 45 days” and has little doubt the title will soon be his.

“I’m not going to run my car unless it goes over 270,” he said.

As for the debate over what constitutes a “production” car, Hennessey said he’ll leave that to others. He just wants to build crazy-fast cars.

“I’m going to back off my claim that this is the world’s fastest production car,” Hennessey said. “This is the fastest hyper car you can buy. And I plan to do a run that’ll give the people in Wolfsburg something to think about.”

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/04/bugatti-veyron-world-record/

How to choose a right car for me?

With so many cars on the market, one is perfect for you. But which of the more than 400 choices is it?

When Car and Driver editors buy cars, emotion often trumps logic. We love performance, so practicality isn’t a major consideration. But for many buyers, a car is a rational choice; they buy what they need to transport themselves and their loved ones as safely, comfortably, and cheaply as possible. It’s a smarter way to buy, but it isn’t any easier. With more than 400 new cars to choose from, how do you pick the right one?

Start by considering a series of questions, but beware: Once you find the car that fulfills your every need, an emotional connection may well form whether you like it or not.

What Kind of Car Do I Need?

Forget the number of models available, the number of body styles alone can be overwhelming: coupes, sedans, station wagons, crossovers, SUVs. How do you decide what you need?

Coupe/Convertible: If you want a car that makes a statement about you, coupes and convertibles are typically the most expressive designs, but restricted access to the back seat (if the car you are considering even has one) seriously limits their practicality.

Sedan: If there are kids in the picture or in the near-future plan, four doors are a likely requirement. Even if children are small enough to ride comfortably in the back seat of a coupe with any regularity, consider the difficulty of constantly climbing into and out of the back seat to tend to a child before committing to just two doors.

Hatchback: If you add another door—bringing the total to five—you’re looking at hatchbacks and station wagons, which offer SUV-like space without the dynamic and fuel-economy compromises of heavier vehicles. These cars are pariahs in the U.S. market, but many buyers are starting to reconsider, as fluctuating fuel prices and increasing environmental awareness have them thinking twice about crossovers and SUVs. As manufacturers get increasingly creative and design ever more stylish hatchbacks—their roofs are sleeker than wagons’—the market is warming to the segment.

Station Wagon: Station wagons have perhaps the worst reputation of any body style on the market, but we’re fighting to change that. They offer the best attributes of a car without the trade-offs of larger crossovers and SUVs. The Mazda 6 wagon actually had more passenger and cargo volume than the Mazda CX-7 crossover, was quicker, and got better fuel economy. It was so immensely unpopular that it was discontinued last year, and a forthcoming CX-7 promises a weaker engine in an effort to reduce fuel consumption.

SUV/Crossover: Jack up the ground clearance of a hatchback or station wagon, and you have a crossover or an SUV. Do you need that ground clearance? Probably not. When was the last time your road didn’t get regularly plowed or cleared? Sure, it happens—most often to those of us in the northern part of the country, and that’s a few times a winter—but the fuel-economy penalty of opting for a taller and heavier vehicle is something that affects you every time you start the car.

Of course, the higher seating position of a crossover or SUV is something many people enjoy, for its increased visibility and for the ease of entry and exit as the seat is at a more natural height. But keep in mind that height adds weight, and weight diminishes fuel economy and stability.

Those who tow regularly already know they need something with that capability. But if you need a truck only to tow a few times a year, perhaps renting in those instances is a better alternative to living year round with the fuel-economy penalties of a truck.

Minivan: Those with large families—or dreams of such—often resist the practicality of the van, but if you routinely haul five or more people, there is no vehicle short of a school bus that will better accommodate six, seven, or eight passengers. A jumbo SUV like a Chevrolet Suburban orFord Expedition EL has more cargo space, but passengers will find greater comfort in a minivan. A minivan is the perfect family vehicle but normally does without any semblance of soul. A couple of notable exceptions are the Honda Odyssey and the Mazda 5, both of which manage to add an element of driving pleasure to the normally bland family-hauler character.

What Size Car Do I Need?

We say start small. And right off the bat, let’s debunk a common myth: Larger vehicles are safer than smaller ones. The safest collision is one you avoid in the first place. Lighter cars are typically more agile and give you a better chance of steering away from a crash rather than gripping the wheel, barreling in, and letting physics punish the other driver.

Before the inevitable “If I’m going to get T-boned by an idiot in a Navigator, I’d rather be in a Silverado than a Mini” response, consider that a shorter stopping distance might allow you to come to a complete stop before either car in that scenario ever enters the intersection. Small cars tend to cost less to buy and consume less fuel, too. Driving a smaller, more frugal car makes you look enlightened—at least in college towns and northern California.

Also, consider that small cars don’t have to be small inside. Thanks to the Manhattan approach of building up instead of out, small cars keep getting more and more spacious. The smallest car currently available in the U.S. is the Smart Fortwo, and it offers headroom within an inch of what you’d find in a Cadillac Escalade. Or consider the Nissan Cube: Despite being nearly three feet shorter than the Honda Pilot and weighing almost a ton less, it has more head- and legroom in the front seat, more headroom in the back seat, and only three inches less legroom in the rear. If it’s interior space you need, you needn’t buy big.

Do I Need All-Wheel Drive?

Probably not. All-wheel drive is seen as a safety feature in wintry climes, but the only difference the average driver will notice with all-wheel drive is the added traction when accelerating. All-wheel drive doesn’t increase a vehicle’s ability to stop or turn. What most buyers don’t realize is just how much difference a set of winter tires can make. And they are cheaper than upgrading to an all-wheel-drive car and won’t have the year-round negative impact on your fuel economy that comes with a car having to drive all four wheels all the time.

While we’re on the subject, weight does not automatically make a better winter vehicle. Heavy cars and trucks do plow through deep snow better and behave more predictably, but hit a patch of ice, and that weight is just extra momentum to try to control. Again, bigger is not necessarily better.

How Much Power Do I Need?

In our road tests, we always cite 0-to-60-mph times, but the fact is that very few people ever actually use full throttle. Around Ann Arbor, we see more drivers who fear full throttle than those who ever use it. Truck buyers who tow and haul heavy loads need lots of power, but the average car buyer doesn’t need any more than is necessary to keep him or her comfortable on a test drive. The buying practice of getting the bigger engine but never using more than half-throttle is like building a four-story house but leaving the top two floors vacant. All else being equal, larger engines use more fuel.

What about Hybrids and Diesels?

The type of driving you do determines whether or not a hybrid or a diesel makes sense for you. Hybrids tend to use less fuel around town, when low speeds and frequent braking keep them running on battery power longer. Diesel drivers will see their greatest benefits on the highway, although diesel vehicles are more efficient than gasoline cars at low speeds, too.

Either approach will extend your fuel dollar, but be aware of the premiums you’ll be paying up front and the distance you’ll have to drive to recoup your costs. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily have to be a deterrent if you know you’ll drive a car more than 60,000 or 100,000 miles, or if you buy a fuel miser on principle.

With a diesel, also be aware of the premium you’ll pay for fuel. As this is written, diesel is outpacing gasoline in the U.S. by only about 10 cents per gallon, or five percent—a much lower differential than we have seen in the past year. So right now, the 25-to-30-percent benefit most drivers will realize in fuel economy is worth it. But that can change quickly as fuel prices fluctuate.

Could You Please Be More Specific?

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/whats-the-right-new-vehicle-for-me

Electric Cars Pros and Cons: Why Buy an Electric Car?

Electric cars pros and cons are fundamentally a matter of personal opinion, and a disadvantage to one could be an advantage to another. Why drive such a car? What is it about such cars that attracts people not only to drive them but also to design and develop them?

There are two camps on this - those interested in the environment and those on economy. There is a third, as there is with any new technology - those wanting to appear 'different' or 'cool.' Whether it is perceived as being cool to purchase and drive such cars is a matter of opinion, but let's discuss electric car pros and cons first before making further comment.

Electric Cars - Pros

For anybody to purchase an electric car there must become benefit over regular gasoline cars for them to justify doing so. We shall start here with a cynical viewpoint, but prepared to be swayed by argument and see where it leads. With that understood, here are some of the main benefits proposed by those who advocate that we buy electric by choice.

1. Electrical Power is Environmentally Friendly

Let's examine this statement. 'Environmentally friendly' - what does that mean? Presumably the argument is that electrical power has less of a carbon footprint than a gas powered car. It has no need for fossil fuels, and so when you buy an electric vehicle you do not rely on oil sources for your fuel.

Nor do you emit hydrocarbon waste or carbon oxides - carbon dioxide and monoxide which are believed to be not only poisoning the planet, but affecting our upper atmosphere. Perhaps Messrs. Lenoir, Benz and Ford have much to answer for - or perhaps not, because there is no doubt that the internal combustion engine and the development of the motor car has played a massive part in the development of modern industry and technology.

However, back to the pertinent discussion regarding the potential effect on the environment of electric cars. There is more than just the power source and environmental effect going for them.

2. Electric Vehicle Technology

An electric vehicle runs from batteries - so is not internal combustion. What does that mean? First, it emits fewer (or no) hydrocarbons in its exhaust than regular vehicles - because it has none! That's a good argument, as is that of lack of noise.

No noise means no need for a muffler, and no hydrocarbon emissions means no need for a catalytic converter or an internal combustion engine, distributor, points, spark plugs, coil, radiator, fan belt, valves and everything else we swear at when we are trying to fix them or change them. That in itself is a blessing and a massive plus for electric cars.

These advantages are almost sufficient to persuade anybody to buy an electric car rather than a regular internal combustion car. But then again, they said that about airships in comparison to regular airplanes of that era. Airships had one drawback that counted against them - they tended to explode! This dissuaded people from using them, so what's the drawback with electric vehicles?

Electric Vehicles - Cons

1. The Power Source

Electric cars don't explode, but they do run out of electricity. Not for the lack of a coin, but for the lack of a charging point. Larger cities might have them, but you won't get far down Route 66 on electric - certainly nothing like from Chicago to L.A.! Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry and the Stones would be very lucky to get out of state with their electric vehicle! The average car, such as the Nissan LEAF, does no more than about 90 miles on one charge - what then?

That's the main drawback. They are fine for the school run and shopping, and perhaps that's what they were designed for. With today's technology, electric vehicles will never catch on big time unless something is done about recharging. Not just with charging stations, but also the speed of charging since it takes up to 8 hours to fully recharge a battery. "I'm just going to fill her up dear - book a room for us!"

However, Nissan has tackled this problem quite well with the Nissan LEAF (Leading, Environmentally Friendly, Affordable, Family Car). A home charger will take 8 hours, sure, but you can get a commercial fast charge at a Nissan dealer, or street charging station, that provides an 80% charge in 30 minutes.

Once supermarkets install these you can plug in, do your shopping and your car is charged ready for you when you return. There is no doubt that as sales increase, this will become a commercial decision and all supermarkets will have them. Not only that, but a Nissan LEAF can receive a 30 mile charge with a rapid 5-minute supercharge!

2. The Environment

Electricity has to come from somewhere, and some have calculated electric cars to be only slightly more friendly than gas cars in their power source. This will change as methods of generating electricity changes, but it still cannot be denied that electric vehicle emissions are zero.

3. Power

Electric motors cannot match the power of internal combustion engines, and in this respect they never will unless there is a radical new discovery in electrical power. However, for normal day-to-day use, an electrically powered car offers sufficient power and speed for normal use. Again taking the Nissan LEAF as an example, this car can reach a speed of 60 MPH in 10.8 seconds. That is sufficient for normal driving within the speed limit.

Conclusions: Buy an Electric Car or Not?

Electrical cars have both good and bad features. However, for driving around town, they appear superior to gas cars in all respects. If you are driving long distances go for gasoline. It would not be surprising to find most 2-car households owning one of each in the not too distant future.

If you are looking for a new car, then electric cars might be worth thinking about.

http://EzineArticles.com/7574366

Hybrid vehicle sales speed up

Fueled by higher gasoline prices, a growing track record for reliability and a wider selection of models, hybrids' share of the U.S. auto market climbs to 4% and could double by decade's end.

The LaFerrari, unveiled this month in Geneva, has a V-12 engine making 789 horsepower and an electric motor making an additional 161 horsepower. A second, smaller electric motor powers the car's ancillary systems. (Laurent Cipriani, Associated Press / March 5, 2013)

 When Ferrari's biggest and baddest supercar is a hybrid, you know the world has changed.

Once considered the province of techies and the eco-friendly, hybrids are catching on in almost every vehicle segment.

Hybrid sales were up 32% in the first two months of this year compared with the same period last year, according to research firm Autodata Corp.

That's driven by a combination of trends, including upward-creeping gas prices, a growing track record for reliability and the wider selection of hybrid offerings — everything from the entry-level Toyota Prius C to the spacious Ford Fusion sedan to the LaFerrari, a 949-horsepower, million-dollar monster.

Market share for all hybrids had been stalled at less than 3%. It has recently crept up to 4% and could double by the end of the decade, said Thilo Koslowski, an analyst at Gartner Inc.

"Hybrid technology has certainly reached the inflection point," Koslowski said, "and is being taken seriously by virtually all the automakers."

The vehicles use at least one electric motor to assist a primary gasoline engine, particularly in fuel-sucking situations such as taking off from a stoplight. The cars also capture electricity when they slow down and store it in a battery. Some can run on electricity alone for varying distances. Their fuel economy can be more than 40% better than the conventional gasoline version of the same model.

Already, hybrids are ubiquitous in California, the nation's largest auto market. The Toyota Prius overtook the gas-only Honda Civic last year as the state's bestselling vehicle.

Automakers say the success of the Prius has helped fuel interest in hybrids nationwide.

"Gas prices are part of the equation, but it's more about having the product in decent numbers," said Jason Mosley, general manager of AutoNation Ford in Houston. The dealership's sales of Ford's hybrid cars are up 400% from a year ago.

Ford's new hybrids are selling to car shoppers such as Paul Cunningham, an insurance industry executive from Encino who bought a hybrid Fusion last month.

"I really like the design of the Fusion. I like the idea of hybrid and saving money on fuel with the current gas prices," Cunningham said. "I also like the idea of buying an American car."

Cunningham's Fusion is getting about 42 miles per gallon, about double the fuel economy of the Saab it replaces.

Now the Cunninghams are a two-hybrid family. His wife, Sherri, drives a Prius.

"The public has embraced these technologies because they have proven to be reliable and efficient," said Ed La Rocque, Toyota's brand manager for advanced technology vehicles.

Even so, hybrids most likely will account for a comparatively small portion of auto sales for years to come.

"A lot of it still depends on fuel prices," La Rocque said. "If we get up above $5 or $6 a gallon, we will see a dramatic change."

Some would-be buyers have been reluctant because they worry that the batteries will have to be replaced or that the cars will experience technical problems with their multiple drive systems.

But this hasn't proved to be the case so far. Toyota says 90% of the Prius cars it has sold since introducing the model to the U.S. market in 2000 are still on the road.

"That's why you see so many Prius taxicabs," La Rocque said: If the cars were unreliable, he reasoned, taxi services wouldn't use them.

Another drag on sales is the higher sticker prices.

The Toyota Camry hybrid is about $3,500 more than a similarly equipped gasoline-only Camry. At current California gas prices, it takes almost five years of fuel savings to make up for the higher price.

Ford's Fusion hybrid carries a similar price premium but has a payback at least a year faster because of the bigger difference between its fuel economy and that of the conventional Fusion, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

At the same time, gasoline-powered cars are becoming more competitive.

"The fuel economy on gas engines is getting better. There are some new diesels coming out that get great mileage," said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst with auto information company Edmunds.com. "Americans want fuel economy no matter what, and they aren't that picky about where they get it."

What's helping the hybrid market most is that more automakers have embraced the technology.

Nissan dropped out of the hybrid market several years ago, but it showed off a hybrid version of its new Pathfinder crossover at the New York Auto Show last month. Honda will launch a hybrid version of its Accord this fall, which according to the EPA will have a class-leading fuel economy rating of 49 mpg in city driving. Toyota is seeing some early success with sales of the hybrid version of its full-sized Avalon sedan.

"With more entries — products that are not so much a science experiment, but rather are real cars and give you the full vehicle experience — we are seeing customers select hybrids," said Nancy Lee Gioia, Ford's director of global electrification.

Since September, Ford has become Toyota's toughest hybrid competitor by launching the new Fusion hybrid and its C-Max, a smaller hatchback hybrid that competes with the Prius V station wagon.

Ford is now selling 3,000 to 4,000 of each of the vehicles per month in the U.S. and has jumped to 17% of the nation's hybrid market in February, from 5% in the same month last year. Much of that market share has come from Toyota, which has seen its hold on the market drop to 63% from 72%. But both automakers are sharing a bigger pie.

"That's what this market has needed the whole time," Caldwell said. "More exposure of consumers to cars other than just the Prius."

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-hybrid-20130330,0,2070748.story

Study: Younger buyers open up to Ford, Hyundai

They are embracing more Detroit-made cars, and a lot more South Korean brands

American Ido(Photo: Matt Hamilton AP)

Younger buyers are increasingly choosing Detroit brands over Japanese rivals, a huge reversal from the past, reports research groups R.L. Polk and Edmunds.com.

New vehicles from Detroit's Big 3 -- General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler -- accounted for 36.8% of cars bought by Americans age 25 to 34 in 2012, up from 35.4% in 2008. During the same period, the share of cars from Japanese brands -- Toyota, Nissan, Honda and others -- for the same age group fell from 50.6% to 42.9%.

Detroit automakers have reached out to young buyers as never before with a raft of appealing small cars that they would have rejected as unprofitable in the past. Chrysler Group has the fun Fiat 500, General Motors has models like the small Chevrolet Sonic and smaller Spark and Ford has sponsored TV's American Idol for its small car lineup, such as the Fiesta and Focus.

But before anyone breaks out the champagne in Detroit, there's another factor to consider: Hyundai. The same Edmunds study based on Polk data found that many buyers fleeing Japanese brands looked to the Hyundai or Kia.

The twin South Korean brands accounted for 10% of cars bought by young buyers, a rate that has doubled since 2008.

"U.S. automakers have burst onto the scene in recent years with small, fuel-efficient and affordable cars that really appeal to a young set of buyers," says Edmunds.com senionalyst Jessica Caldwell in a statement. "But while Detroit might be chiseling away at the Japanese grip on Gen X and Gen Y, South Korean brands are taking big hacks."

She says in addition to an appealing lineup of cars for younger buyers, Hyundai and Kia also have made credit available to young buyers who may have limited work histories.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/03/21/young-buyers-japanese-cars-edmunds-polk-toyota-honda/2005133/

The most beautiful girls from Opel team dancing at 83rd International Motor Show Geneva

The most beautiful girls from Opel team dancing at 83rd International Motor Show Geneva

New Ferrari Supercar, LaFerrari, Unveiled at Geneva Auto Show

The fastest Ferrari road car ever has finally debuted at the Geneva International Auto Show. The new Ferrari supercar combines the highest performance V12 engine ever placed in a Ferrari with the Formula One derived hybrid drive system, the HY-KERS. LaFerrari will be produced in only 499 examples and its bodywork is entirely in ultra-light weight carbon fiber. The computer controlled aerodynamics, dynamic control systems and braking are all integrated with the revolutionary hybrid drive system which provides superior levels of low speed torque allowing optimizing the V12 engine at higher speeds. The result leads to a seamless delivery of exceptional power and a maximum speed of 217 mph.

LaFerrari represents the marque's most important project to push the limits of technology on a road car, in order to achieve the best expression of the Prancing Horse's technology enhancements in both GT engineering and Formula One. The new Ferrari supercar features the most extreme performance ever achieved by a Prancing Horse production car as well as the most innovative and advanced technical solutions and will be available to only 499 selected clients in the world.

LaFerrari is the first car produced in Maranello featuring a hybrid technology. Its V12 6262cc engine delivers 800 CV that generates a total of over 960 CV if we add the electric motor additional 163 CV. The new Ferrari Supercar is the most efficient and high performance Ferrari ever built, mainly thanks to one of the most technological enhancements o represented by the new HY-KERS, a system that provides maximum incorporation between the electric motor and the V12 engine, impeccably mixing maximum efficiency with extreme performance. The high levels of torque delivered at low revs by the electric motor optimize the performances of the internal combustion engine at higher revs, while also securing a maximum torque peak of over 900 Nm. A solution that did not increase the car wheelbase or dimensions but that contributed, instead, to lower its gravity center.

The Formula One dual-clutch gearbox is joined with the electric motor allowing reducing weight and optimizing the overall car dimensions. Lastly, the Ferrari HY-KERS system was designed to be modular and flexible so it can be applied to other Ferrari models in the future.

The new electric motor was coincided with High Specific Power Density technology to allow a drastically volume and weight reduction compare to available torque as well as performance easily equivalent to those of the Formula One car, since both features the same efficiency and torque density.

As every Ferrari, the new 458 Spider and its coupe version the Ferrari 458 Italia have a truly unique design approach and technology innovations to achieve indisputable performance and driving experience under all weather conditions. Inquiry about the new Ferrari California today. Only available at Authorized Ferrari dealerships, such as Beverly Hills Ferrari.

http://EzineArticles.com/7537460