Aston Martin One-77

Aston Martin revealed this weekend the first working concept of its £1 million One-77 supercar to the world today. The covers were pulled off the concept at the exclusive Concorso d’Eleganza show in Italy 24 -26^th April.

This marks the first time the new Aston Martin has been seen in public. Aston Martin describes the show car as a fully-complete concept. Billed by Aston Martin as the ‘definitive sports car’, there is no denying it’s dramatic. It’s an Aston Martin on steroids, with impossibly pumped bodywork and taut, bulging wheel arches.

It’s also ultra-exclusive. The immense price tag will be for a very lucky few. Indeed, just 77 of them. And it will be fully customizable to suit their needs.

In showing the very first complete car, Dr. Ulrich Bez, Aston’s CEO, says Aston Martin is demonstrating “new benchmarks in many different fields of automotive design. The craftsmanship and design that has gone into the creation of the Aston Martin One-77 lifts automotive engineering into the realm of art. It surpasses any Aston Martin that has gone before it. With its finely sculpted forms and sleek lines, it is an expression of unparalleled beauty that embodies everything Aston Martin stands for,” said Bez.

Aston Martin’s European operations chief Marcel Beci revealed earlier this month to AutoTelegraaf that the first One-77 customer car will roll out of the company’s Gaydon factory later this year and that the limited production run of just 77 cars will be complete by the end of 2010.

Beci also explained that Aston Martin keeps in close contact with all its One-77 customers, and that every effort is being made to ensure the car does not fall prey to resellers who may attempt to profit from it.

The structural core of the One-77 is a lightweight and immensely rigid carbon-fiber monocoque. Conceived and designed at Aston Martin’s Gaydon HQ, the monocoque, or ‘tub’, has been built in partnership with Multimatic (MTC) – a world leader in carbon composite technology.

Underlining the truly bespoke nature of the One-77, the car’s suspension characteristics will be precisely set-up by Aston Martin engineers to suit the owner’s exact requirements.

The One-77’s power unit is an extreme evolution of the 6.0L V12 engines fitted to the DBS, DB9 and new V12 Vantage models. The brief for engine team was to take the 6.0L V12 as far as it could go, both in terms of output and weight reduction. The targets were a power output of no less than 700hp (522kW) with a 10% reduction in engine mass. Incredibly, the Aston Martin and Cosworth engineers who worked on the powertrain achieved a mass reduction of some 25% while increasing displacement to 7.3L.

Wearing Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires developed specifically for it, all 700hp is transmitted to the rear wheels via a new six-speed gearbox. Controlled via column-mounted paddles behind the steering wheel, this robotised sequential manual is a new generation of Aston Martin’s familiar automatic.

Braking power comes from a set of carbon-ceramic discs and up-rated calipers designed to transmit less heat from the brake pads into the brake fluid.

Top speed is projected to be in excess of 200mph, and doing 0-60 in 3.5 sec.

With its finely sculpted forms and sleek lines, it is an expression of unparalleled beauty that embodies everything Aston Martin stands for.

BMW X6

the first ever Sports Activity Coupe

A coupe never had such capacity. An activity vehicle, never such adrenaline. The X6 Sports Activity Coupe has broken all barriers and found itself in a class all its own.

sheer torque

Starting at $66,650 MSRP, this twin-turbo V8 direct injection, 400 horsepower intelligent xDrive is an intelligent all-wheel drive. The 400-hp, twin-turbo vaults the BMW X6 from 0-60 faster than any vehicle in its class. A fairly impressive 6.9 sec!

And no vehicle in its class can claim better fuel efficiency or boast BMW’s xDrive, intelligent all-wheel-drive system. This coupe attains a fairly impressive 18mpg highway.

standard equipment

The coupe’s 19 –inch alloys & run-flat tires are bound to catch the cops’ attention.

Standard equipment on this marquee include intermittent rain-sensing wind shield wipers, engine-speed sensitive power steering, 6-speed sport steptronic transmission, 4-wheel ventilated disc brakes, and believe it or not, heated water jets!

accessories

Vintage BMW eccentricity is displayed in the X6 coupe’s accessories: telescopic leather-wrapped multi-function sport steering wheel, chrome tail pipes, metallic paint & Xenon Adaptive headlights with auto-leveling Corona headlight –rings!

Oh! The halogen fog lights also come with Cornering Lights function!

for the discerning driver

Only BMW can pamper you this way: engine start/stop button, park distance (front & rear), tire pressure monitor, ‘one-touch’ opening & closing of all windows, active charcoal micro-filter ventilation, adaptive brake lights & a host of all things BMW. Need I say more?

It’s the coupe one better. It’s a coupe above.

2009 Audi S8

The AUDI S8 is the supreme athlete in the luxury class. With its combination of V10 FSI power, permanent sporty Quattro all wheel drive, the 2009 S8 is the unique face of sporty sedans.

Sports appeal is firmly anchored in the DNA of the Audi brand. In the case of the S models, however, sportiness is a declared principle, combined with comfort, aesthetics, elegance & uncompromised quality. The S8 5.2 liter V10 FSI engine promises nothing but sheer power, superiority & passion.

adrenaline

The V10 engine fascinates the adrenaline junkie with its spontaneous response. 0 – 60mph in just 4.9 seconds. 90% of its power is available at just 2300 rpms. The car is extremely easy to drive at top speed thanks to asymmetric/dynamic torque distribution and a mere weight of 2089 kgs.

factory tuned

The center differential distributes 40% of the torque to the front and 60% to the rear. The S8 comes standard with a 6-speed tipronic transmission that ensures forceful transmission even in 6th gear!

The S8 glides on adaptive air suspension which delivers agility and maneuverability that is unparalleled, while ensuring driver & passenger safety.

Every S8 leaves the factory with newly developed S-design parallel spoke 20-inch alloys which cut an exceptional athletic figure.

pure luxury

The S8 is eccentricity at its best! It comes with the eye-catching V-shaped single-frame grille in platinum grey chrome finish proudly bearing the S8 badge.

Standard equipment includes chrome door handles, 4 chrome tail pipes, an integrated spoiler, chrome mirror housings. The accentuated interior comes in standard carbon fiber. The 4-spoke multi-function steering features color-contrasting and aluminum controls. The upholstery is all leather – seats, armrests & center console.

Brand new on the S8 are noise-insulating double-glazed windows, DVD navigation & Bang & Olufsen state-of-the-art surround stereo system.

4-zone climate control allows the driver, the front passenger & the outer rear passengers to set their required temperature & air flow for their individual seats.

The 16-way driver & front passenger seats come with a memory system & electronic lumbar support.

The Bi-xenon headlights are automatic self-leveling with adaptive light adaptive LED daytime lights.

Audi’s mantra: life’s better when you have intuition working for you. I couldn’t agree more!