Tag Archives: Exotic Supercars

Opinions

Pagani Releases the Huayra Roadster, and I need to go change my pants…

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Anyone who knows my taste in cars knows that Pagani is my holy grail. There’s something about Horacio’s philosophy of art and science intertwined that makes his creations truly special, even at a level above the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the world (for me at least).

Pagani just released the new Huayra Roadster, before it will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show this March. I guess they wanted it to be the center of attention when it dropped, rather than a bullet point in the clutter of the show itself. Very Smart.

The jest of it is that Pagani took a lot of elements from the Huayra BC, and used them to improve on the Huayra to make the Roadster something on the next level. Weighing in at around 2,800lbs, the Huayra Roadster is an impressive 176lbs lighter than the Huayra Coupe, and it boasts 764hp to the Coupe’s 730hp. So it’s lighter than a Cayman GT4 and it’s got almost double the horsepower. Chew on that for a minute.

The point here is that Pagani has made the Huayra even better as they’ve cut off its roof. Lighter and more powerful, with the improved transmission and suspension design from the BC, and you get to choose whether you want a roof or not… I’ll take this over the Coupe, gullwing doors be damned.

Speaking of which, we haven’t actually seen the doors open yet, so maybe they’re interesting. That said, most rumors indicate the Huayra Roadster will have normal style doors. For many that may be a detractor, certainly when it comes to posing the car for photos, but I think having the wind in my hair is a worthy trade.

So, if you’re see this, and you’ve got a spare $2-3 burning a hole in your pocket, you can actually go screw yourself because all 100 Huayra Roadsters are already sold. Sucks to suck.

You can still enjoy looking at it, though… Continue reading Pagani Releases the Huayra Roadster, and I need to go change my pants… →

Cars We've Seen

Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach in Outrageous Orange!

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It’s amazing how much the right color can add to the impact a car has on the world around it. The Porsche 918 Spyder has a ton of presence to begin with, but in this molten orange it seems like it can stop time itself.

People were pouring over this thing in Scarsdale, especially little kids, who must have been totally transfixed . Even with all of the other insane machines around it, this Porsche had it’s own special sort of gravity.

In addition to it’s spectacular paint job, this 918 Spyder was also fitted with the coveted Weissach Package. That made it extra cool for me because it’s actually the first Weissach-equipped Porsche 918 I’ve laid eyes on in person.

Enjoy the gallery!

Continue reading Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach in Outrageous Orange! →

Cars We've Seen

Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante in Philly

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Lamborghini Gallardo Performante

The hardcore experience without a roof. This is arguably the best Gallardo of them all, especially if it’s one of the manual ones.

-Nick

Cars We've Seen

I saw my first Ferrari GTC4Lusso in Philly

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I got my first in person look at the Ferrari GTC4Lusso at the Philly Auto Show, and I’m not really sold on the look. I definitely like the styling of the FF better. Ferrari seems to have toned it down a bit with the Lusso, and it didn’t do the car any favors.

Most of all I find the headlights awkward. They’re too big, and not a very elegant shape (I felt the same about the FF too). I also think the new taillights look weird with the shape of the car. I liked the FF’s single round taillights much better.

I will, however, always love the shooting brake design, and I’m glad Ferrari seems to be sticking with it.

-Nick

Cars We've Seen

The Stunning Supercar Display at the Philly Auto Show

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Usually the FC Kerbeck display of Aston Martins and Lamborghinis is the high point of auto exotica at the Philly Auto Show, but this year was very different. A local collector decided to bring his personal collection of ultra rare, limited production supercars to display.

We’ve featured most of them before in our coverage of the owner’s CF Charities Supercar Show, but these cars are so rare that you don’t pass up a chance to shoot them. What I find most interesting, is that (other than the Ferrari) these are  all the ultimate versions of exotic American supercars from Saleen, Mosler, and SSC. There are many great car collections in the world, but this one his absolutely unique, namely because the Mosler is a one-off and the Saleen is 1 of 3.

I remember being a kid and just oogling at the supercars on display at the Philly Auto Show. I admit, seeing a standard Lamborghini doesn’t do what it once did for me at this point, but seeing these insane cars lined up together brought me back to that feeling.

Enjoy!

Continue reading The Stunning Supercar Display at the Philly Auto Show →

Cars We've Seen

A bright red McLaren F1 in the paddock at Laguna Seca

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McLaren F1 Red 2

This is it, the McLaren F1, and in many ways it has remained the most insane hypercar ever made. Sure, it’s top speed of 240.14 mph has been beaten by a few other cars now, but it took the industry ten years to accomplish that. Even still, no one has been able to beat the McLaren without a boosted engine, and it’s likely the F1 may remain the fastest naturally aspirated car of all time.

Even if we forget about its monumental performance, the McLaren F1 is one of the most unique and clever designs ever to grace an automobile. 3 seats, with a central driver, two trunks on each side of the car right behind the doors, and gold plating lining the engine bay to reflect heat. It is an incredible experience getting to see an F1 up close, and pour over its every detail.

For the car’s 25th anniversary, McLaren has released unseen footage from the F1’s world record 240 mph run. See it below, and enjoy the rest of the photos!

Continue reading A bright red McLaren F1 in the paddock at Laguna Seca →

Opinions

Could we see a mid-engined Porsche 911 road car soon?

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991 GT3 RS ORG

The new Porsche 991.2 GT3 is rumored to be essentially like the previous 4.0L RSs, with Porsche’s mighty 4.0L flat six, around 500hp, and a choice of two or three pedals. Meanwhile, the new 911 RSR racecar is a mid engined now. So the next 991.2 GT3 RS finds itself at a fork in the road. Should it stay as the ultimate rear engine track crusher? Or should it be based on the new mid engine RSR, staying true to form as a racecar for the street?

If the new 991.2 GT3 RS were to be based on the mid engine RSR, it could create a break-point between rear and mid engine 911 models, which would amount to the line between sports cars and supercars.

The rear engine 911 is a great sports car, maybe the greatest, because it offers a totally unique driving experience. However, Porsche clearly knows they’re pushing the boundaries of what a rear engine layout can do. The fact that the new 911 RSR racecar is blatantly mid engine just makes it obvious, but Porsche has been pushing the 911’s engine more and more forward of the rear axle with each new generation. At this point, the current 991 is extremely close to technically being a mid-engine car.

Look, whether it happens within the 991.2 generation or not, I think a mid engined 911 GT model, or lineup of models, is absolutely coming. People want what the racecar has, and now the racecar has its engine in the middle.

I do think the basic 911 Carrara up through GT3 and Turbo models should remain “rear engine” sports cars to stay true to form. After all, a rear engine is the defining feature of a Porsche 911. That said, I also think that opening up a range of mid engine 911 supercar models at the top of the range creates a healthy evolution for the Porsche brand. Okay, sure, maybe they might call the new mid engined cars by a name other than “911”, but they would essentially be mid engined 911s. For those of you scoffing right now, appalled at the idea of a 911 with an engine in the middle, just remember there’s already a major precedent for this from the late 90s; it’s called the 911 GT1.

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What I think may happen here is the 911 GT3 and Turbo will be the top of the rear engined 911 range. Then the hardcore GT3 RS will kick off the new range of mid-engine, 911 GT1-style supercars derived from the RSR. The GT3 RS would have the rumored 4.0L+ naturally aspirated flat-six, as well as a host of track-ready features. Porsche should then offer turbocharged models of the mid engine 911 supercar, ready to compete directly with the Ferrari 488s, Ford GTs, and McLaren 650s of the world. Maybe that would be the “GT2”, and then have a “GT2 RS” with an upgraded turbo engine (a turbo 4.0?) and all of the trackday tricks of the GT3 RS.

Price wise, I picture it as follows: Rear engined 911 Turbo and GT3 models occupy the $150k-$250k range, as they do right now. The mid engine GT3 RS would come in around $300k, the turbocharged mid engine GT2 would run $350-400k, and the GT2 RS would be $500-600k and be built in limited numbers.

This is all just me pondering at this point, but if you remember back a couple years, there were rumors of Porsche wanting to develop a mid engine supercar above the 911 Turbo but below the 918. This would be that car, clear as day. Porsche had supposedly sacked the idea, but now they have a racing program with a mid engined 911 RSR?

It sure seems like they’re headed in this direction…

-Nick Walker

Auto Idolatry, Automotive Lifestyle, SHOWCASE

This may be the most bougie thing I’ve ever seen

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They’re asking a quarter of a billion dollars for this house in Bel Air that comes stacked with more fancy shit than you’d ever know what to do with. It even comes complete with a helicopter on the roof, and a collection of rare classic and exotic cars, including one of those special edition Bugatti Veyrons, a Pagani Huayra, and, I believe, a pre-war Mercedes 540K.

It’s a total orgy of materialism, and it looks incredible. That said, I feel like after the realtor handed over the keys and left, I’d just be standing there like, “Okay, now that I have everything I ever wanted, now what?”

-Nick

Cars We've Seen

Maserati MC12 Corsa at The Quail

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Maserati MC12 Corsa Quail 6

This is the track version of the street version of that racecar Maserati made back in the mid 2000s, the MC12 Corsa. It’s one of just 12 examples built, and it costs $1,470,000 more than the inbound US President has paid in taxes in the last 20 years (fun fact!).

Naturally, we didn’t see such a beast at just any venue. This thing was at The Quail, a show for people who are above going to Pebble Beach. It’s the sort of place us car guys dream about, a place where you’ll rub shoulders with the likes of Horacio Pagani or Valentino Balboni, and you’ll get to see cars you’ve barely been able to imagine.

This MC12 Corsa is one of those automotive unicorns. A “normal” Maserati MC12, of which they made 50, is crazy enough, but the Corsa is on a whole different level. It’s also got 745hp to the standard car’s meager 612hp. The biggest thing about the Corsa is that it’s based directly on the race-winning MC12 GT1, rather than the road-going Ferrari Enzo. Not technically street legal, it was designed to be a track day toy like the Ferrari FXX.

Even so, this MC12 Corsa was spotted driving around on the streets around Monterey during Car Week festivities. It must have been awesome weaving through traffic in this, and it’s well-known that the cops generally interpret street “legality” pretty liberally during the week. Hell, I myself have seen a Porsche 935 roll by in downtown Carmel a few years back.

Enjoy!

Continue reading Maserati MC12 Corsa at The Quail →

Automotive Lifestyle

Wine and Painting with a Car Guy: “Miami Sunset”

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The Assignment:

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Nick’s Result:

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And Gab’s result: (her art degree is showing…)

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Opinions

Why the Porsche 911 R is the best of 2016

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Porsche is moving the 911 forward with turbocharging and whatnot, but it’s great to see they still understand that much of their clientele still values driving purity. The 911 R is a Porsche purist’s wet dream, the lightest 911 available with the biggest, baddest engine, the 500hp 4.0L.

Base price for the 911R was under $200,000, but prices on the used market immediately shot up to more than four times that. Only 991 911 Rs will be built, but the car represents hope for us driving enthusiasts who crave the experience of a pure 911. We’re all praying that much of what has made the 911 R so desirable will find its way into the new 991.2 GT3, which supposedly will have a manual transmission as well.

You see, while cars have been getting faster in terms of lap times with paddle shift transmissions, they’ve also gotten duller in many regards. Some paddle shift gearboxes are fantastic, and Porsche’s PDK is one of the best, but it still can’t offer the depth of experience that a manual gearshift does. In the end of the day that shifter paddle is just a glorified button that tells a computer to shift a gear. You’re not actually doing it, and that does make driving less engaging of an experience. Faster be damned, fun is what matters most, especially in a road car.

The 911 R embodies the driver’s mindset in the modern era. It shows that a car can be modern, and still be extremely engaging. 911s aren’t transportations appliances, they’re sports cars, and it’s good to see that Porsche may be remembering that for the long run.

There were many other phenomenal cars that dropped this year, but for me, the 911 R hits at a deep ideological level.

-Nick