Posts Tagged ‘cool cars’
McLaren P1 Super Sports Car Debut, Geneva
February 18th, 2013 – With the Geneva Motor Show around the corner, automakers are on the verge of unveiling their new makes and models. As the press releases are rolling in, the McLaren P1 has proven to be a stand out machine, the type of car that helps the Geneva Motor Show maintain its famed reputation. This is not McLaren’s first rodeo when it comes to creating sensational hype on their new cars, so they commissioned renowned auto photographer George Williams to fly to the middle east to capture the stunning sports car in its natural habitat – the racetrack.
McLaren Automotive is a British manufacturer of luxury, high-performance sports cars, located at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, Surrey. Following the company’s global launch in 2010, McLaren Automotive launched the groundbreaking 12C and 12C Spider and plans to introduce a new model each year.
The interior of the McLaren P1™ offers the driver and passenger a cocooning, efficiently packaged, comfortable cabin. The interior feels like the cockpit of a fighter jet, complete with glass canopy overhead and, with a windscreen deeper than it is wide, visibility is optimized. This makes the car all the easier to plant on road and track.
Light weight – as with the rest of the car – is a priority, and switchgear is kept to a minimum, yet the McLaren P1 retains luxury features such as full climate control, satellite navigation and a bespoke sound system, developed from the outset with Meridian.
McLaren is a pioneer in the use of carbon fiber, and it features extensively throughout the McLaren P1, not least in the MonoCage chassis and the aerodynamically-shaped body panels, but also inside the two-seat cabin. It is the lightest possible material, while offering the strength desirable for safety and structural integrity, and is used for the dashboard, floor, headlining, doors, rockers and a single piece is shaped for the central control unit to further optimize weight. Attention to detail within the interior of the McLaren P1 is such that, to further reduce weight, the top layer of resin has been removed, to leave the carbon non-lacquered for a more natural look…and saves a further 1.5kg.
The racing bucket seats use the minimum amount of foam, are encased in ultra-thin carbon fiber shells, and mounted on lightweight brackets and runners, contributing to an overall weight of just 10.5kg each. The seat backs are fixed to 28 degrees from the vertical, but can be set to 32 degrees to make them more suitable for racing as it will give more helmet head room. The height of the seat will be custom set to suit the driver and passenger, and can be subsequently adjusted in the workshop. Fixings for a six-point race harnesses are in place, in addition to inertia reel seat belts.
The final, production-ready McLaren P1™ will make its global debut at the 83rd International Motor Show in Geneva, and the McLaren Automotive press conference will take place at 11.15am CET (10.15am GMT), Tuesday 5 March.
(Photography by George Williams)
Lamborghini’s New 2013 Gallardo LP 560-4
September 27th, 2012 – Sadly, Lamborghini’s LP570-4 Trofeo Stradale is no longer available, but we just got word that the 2013 Gallardo LP 560-4 has received a few dashing alterations! Lamborghini said the final brushstrokes gave the Gallardo a more “aggressive and muscular sportiness of the shape, with the elegance and simplicity of its contours.” The unique design, with it’s razor-sharp lines and limited availability, is sure to be off the market soon – somebody give us the keys, quick!
The new look has been enriched with larger air intakes ahead of the front wheels and the new 19-inch “Apollo polished” alloy wheels, painted in a cool matte black and spokes in polished silver.
The new rear end of the car emphasizes the design’s horizontal orientation by creating the impression of a low-slung car that adheres to the road
The redesigned front end is characterized by triangular and trapezoidal forms – two shapes that are highly typical of the Lamborghini design language.
Uncompromising, extraordinary and safe: only Lamborghini is able to deliver such a high driving precision and effectiveness thanks to the 4WD concept.
(Photo Credit: Lamborghini)
Peugeot’s XRC concept car
There’s a reason that little tykes are obsessed with drag racing remote controlled cars over curbs, into mud puddles and generally wreaking havoc on the neighborhood. They’re fast. They’re versatile. They’re indestructible. Peugeot’s XRC concept car is like one such coveted remote-controlled cars, only blown up life-sized and built to be rallied.
The fundamentals are similar, but the Peugeot XRC packs a punch. This baby is one of a kind, forged to surf deserts and tackle tough terrain. Dreamed up by CGI specialist Tiago Aiello, the vehicle mimics a typical RC car and yet the unique design takes on a life of its own, an almost arachnid-like quality. One thing’s for certain, if the concept car takes life there will masses of middle-aged men across America reliving their youth like nobody’s business. (Let’s just hope that they stop at the car, and don’t revert back to footie pajamas.)
