Motoring News

Today is the day of the Lamborghini Huracan

We’re less than a week away from the official March 4 unveiling of the Lamborghini Huracán at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. While we already know exactly what to expect, seeing it in the metal will be the true test of the Huracán’s visual impact–a key component of any Lamborghini’s feature set.

To whip up the excitement even further, Lamborghini has released this official trailer for the car, chock full of dramatic weather, dramatic music, and dramatic (if all-too-brief) shots of the car.

 

www.motorauthority.com will be live on hand in Geneva for the unveiling to bring you the live photos and information as it happens, but you can following along yourself with a live stream of the Huracán’s unveiling at the official Lamborghini site, too.

–and don’t forget, you can go configure one to your exact specification, too.

 

What is Faster than a Bugatti Veyron?

The Hennessey Venom GT’s run at Kennedy Space Center in Florida just pipped the previous two-seat sports car record of 269.86mph, set by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport in 2010.

 

Powered by a 7.0-litre twin-turbo GM-sourced V8 engine, the car powered from 20mph to 120mph in 7.71 seconds and was still accelerating at 1mph per second between 260mph and 270mph.

Former racing driver and Michelin tyre test engineer Brian Smith was at the wheel of the vehicle, which uses a highly-modified Lotus Exige chassis, on the 3.2-mile stretch of runway.

 

He said he believed the car could have reached even faster speeds if the runway had been longer.

 

He said: “It was still pulling. If we could run on an eight-mile oval we could go faster than that.

 

“On the very top end there was a little wandering but hey, we’re going 270mph.”

 

But the performance is not eligible for a Guinness World Record, which uses an average speed taken from two runs as the official record.

 

Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) boss John Hennessey said: “I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid. Neil Armstrong was my childhood hero.

 

“Even though the astronaut thing didn’t work out for me, I am humbled to have had the opportunity to set our speed record on the hallowed grounds of the American space programme.”

 

So far HPE has built and delivered just 11 Venom GTs to owners around the world.

 

Each vehicle costs $1.2 million (£720,000) plus shipping and optional extras.

 

It is built to order, takes six months to complete and the production run consists of just 29 units worldwide.

 

The car already holds the record for world’s fastest from 0-300kmph (13.63 seconds) and 0-200mph (14.51 seconds).

 

Hemingway still adore Bugatti Veyron and have some perfect examples ready to be hired out this summer in Europe.

New Range Rover Evoque to launch at Geneva show

Land Rover is introducing the Autobiography name to the Range Rover Evoque for the first time with the Range Rover Evoque Autobiography Dynamic, which has upgraded turbo power and an optimised chassis for sharper handling. The range-topper will debut at next month’s Geneva show. The Autobiography Dynamic is powered by the Evoque’s 2.0 litre turbocharged engine, but it’s upgraded to 285 PS and 400 Nm here, a substantial 45 PS/60 Nm increase. The petrol engine is mated to a nine-speed ZF automatic transmission. Active driveline 4WD, optional on all Evoques, is standard here. The optimised performance is matched with upgraded 350 mm front brake discs, while Torque Vectoring by Braking (TVB) is standard. TVB helps to reduce understeer on low- and high-grip surfaces.

RR Evoque Autobiography-04

The steering of the Autobiography Dynamic has been retuned for additional on-centre precision, while the chassis features upgraded suspension geometry, firmer spring rates and recalibrated adaptive dampers, increasing agility and turn-in response. This has been achieved without impact on ride quality, LR says. In the looks department, you get a new grille design, lower front valance, jewel-like headlights/tail lamps and 20-inch forged alloys. Autobiography ingot badging on the tailgate and front wing vents provides further visual differentiation. A new body colour called Phoenix Orange debuts across the Dynamic Evoque derivatives, as seen here. Inside, the Autobiography’s leather interior can be had in six colours. Headrests feature an Autobiography embossed logo whilst Autobiography illuminated tread plates greet you as you open the door. Hemingway looks forward to adding this beauty to the fleet and invites you to be one of the first to try it out.

 

Thank you to www.paultan.org for updating us with this news.

Welcome to the McLaren 650S

More power, more pace and an angry face: meet McLaren´s new 641bhp, 207mph supercar.

It’s been teased, it’s been partially leaked, but here it is in all its glory: the McLaren 650S.

Here’s what you need to know. The 650S is not the long-rumoured ‘baby McLaren’, the car codenamed ‘P13′ set to do battle with the Porsche 911, but rather an upgraded 12C that’ll sit above that car – but of course below the epic P1 – in McLaren’s range.

Confused? Let’s try to explain. The McLaren 650S is a more powerful, harder version of the 12C, described by McLaren as ‘its fastest, most engaging, best equipped and most beautiful series-production supercar yet’.

It uses an uprated version of the 12C’s 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, with power boosted from 616bhp to 641bhp (that’s 650 metric horsepower, hence the name). Torque is up by around 10 per cent.

You want performance figures? How about 0-62mph in 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 207mph? Small improvements on the 12C’s stats (3.1 seconds and 204mph) they may be, but small improvements that keep the 650S just ahead of the Ferrari 458 Italia.

You’ll notice the new front end, which obviously draws heavily on the P1. The lights are now LED affairs, while there are larger air intakes both in the nose and in front of the rear wheels, which not only aid cooling but also contribute to the 650S’s improved aero.

Impressively, the 650S boasts the same drag coefficient as the 12C, but produces 24 per cent more downforce at 150mph.

The 650S uses the same adaptive damping system as the 12C. Though the spring rates have been increased to ‘improve driver engagement’, McLaren says there’s no loss of comfort, promising the ride of an ‘executive saloon’. We’re also told that steering feedback and brake feel are improved over the not-at-all-shoddy 12C.

More kit, too: there are new five-spoke alloys, bespoke Pirelli tyres, more electronic infotainment cleverness and the option of carbon race seats.

So far, so mid-life facelift. But here’s the confusing bit. The 650S doesn’t replace the 12C, but rather sits above it. How far above? We’re told around £20,000 atop the 12C’s £176,000 asking price.

Which, when you consider the extra standard kit (especially considering the 650S gets carbon ceramic brakes as standard, a £10k option on the 12C), makes you wonder why any buyer would opt for the 12C when they could have the 650S – a car apparently improved by five per cent in every department – for much the same money.

All shall become clear when the 650S Coupe and Spider make their official debut at the Geneva show in early March. For now, what do you make of that new face?

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Why wait to try your luxury cars?

Buyers are going on waiting lists of  up to 7 months for expensive luxury cars. This follows a surge in demand this year that hasn’t been seen since the boom.

The level of orders for vehicles costing upwards of €80,000 has taken many dealers by surprise, the Irish Independent can reveal. Production lines are struggling to cope with orders globally – and that is pushing waiting times for Irish buyers further out into the year. In some cases, buyers may have to wait until next January to register the car they want. Dealers of more practical and less exotic vehicles are also complaining that some models are in short supply. They bemoan the lost opportunity to increase sales and capitalise on demand in what has been a boom start to the year. Sales are 32pc ahead of the same period last year. But the most resounding signs of big money being spent on cars are highlighted in the volume of prestige and luxury makes being ordered. If you want a €119,000 Range Rover, for example, you could have to wait five months before it arrives. In the case of the Range Rover Sport (€84,000+), there is now a seven-month waiting time. A spokeswoman said: “It’s really just a simple case of demand outweighing supply. On a global scale cars can’t be built quickly enough.” APPETITE She revealed that there is a four-month wait for the Evoque model (€41,000) with even those wanting to buy the likes of the Defender, Freelander and Discovery having to wait three to four months. Mercedes admits it can’t get enough of the luxury flagship S-Class (from €98,000) or the small four-drive coupe, the CLA, (€30,170). A spokesman said: “We have about 65pc of our requirements for S-Class and CLA. In other words, we could do with another 35pc production on both models which we are unlikely to get this year.” BMW said there had been a big increase in the “appetite” for luxury cars. “We are now looking at a typical lead time in the region of four months for bespoke orders,” a spokesman said. There was no waiting time last year, he confirmed. Last year, people came into dealerships, saw a car on display and, eventually, in a small number of cases, bought it. “Now they are coming in and ordering a specially tailored, bespoke, car and are prepared to wait months for it,” the spokesman said.

We believe that this isn´t just the case in Ireland but throughout Europe.

Hemingway Luxury Car Hire Sl have most of these cars on their fleet and they are available to be rented from their 25 offices throughout Europe. If you want to have the newest model for a trip before you get one of your own call us and we can arrange it for you.     Thank you to The Irish Independent for this report.

The prettiest Maserati MC12?

A truly unique Stain Baby Blue Maserati MC12 was recently spotted and filmed cruising through Monaco. Without a doubt the most unique MC12 to ever leave the factory, this video shows just how incredibly stunning the paint work looks.

Matching the baby blue exterior with a stunning pearl finish is a custom interior featuring light blue components. We can only begin to imagine how incredible this Maserati MC12 would have been to spot in the flesh!

Unsurprisingly, it is from Dubai!

If you want to rent a Maserati MC12  please contact us directly at Hemingway Luxury Car Hire.

Thanks again to www.gtspirit.com and World Supercars for sharing this video with us.

Enzo Ferrari – a brief look at his life

One of the favourite cars we rent at Hemingway Luxury Car Hire is the Ferrari 458 Italia and we know that there are few people who can resist any of these sports cars. We have taken a moment to share a few details of the man without whom this dream car would not be as sought after as it is today.

Ferrari is a name which has now become synonymous with speed and glamour around the world. But for all this, credit goes to one man who had an ambition to build the fastest and most advanced cars in the world, Enzo Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari was born in Modena, Italy on February 18, 1898. When only 10 years old, he went to witness the race, which completely mesmerized him. Throughout his life, he remained quite attached to his birthplace and spent a majority of his days there. He totally inhabited in his life the culture and the values with which he was brought up and never strayed away from it. His life was affected by the First World War, in which he along with his brother had to join the Italian army. This period had a grievous impact upon his life as he lost both his brother and father in a flu outbreak in Italy and also just nearly survived from the flu himself. After returning from the war, left with no employment opportunities, he sought after to fulfil his childhood ambition. Fascinated by cars and racing since his childhood, he landed a small job with CMN Car Company. Later on, he also raced for them, but did not garner much success.

By 1920, he left CMN and joined Alfa Romeo as a racer. He had driven in several races for Alfa Romeo, who had become impressed with his driving ability and were willing to give him a chance to drive at a higher level, but he declined the offer. This practically ended his racing career, and he then directed his attention towards managing racing teams.

After this, he continued to work with Alfa Romeo and managed their racing team. In 1929, he convinced Alfa Romeo to race under his name and formed his own racing team “Scuderia Ferrari”. During this time the trademark prancing horse logo was also adopted by him, he once described the reason for it –

“The horse was painted on the fuselage of the fighter plane of Francesco Baracca – a heroic airman of the First World War. In ’23 I met count Enrico Baracca, the hero’s father, and then his mother, Countess Paulina, who said to me one day, ‘Ferrari put my son’s prancing horse on your cars. It will bring you good luck’. The horse was, and still is, black, and I added the canary yellow background which is the colour of Modena.”

He also got hold of several young drivers like Tazio Nouvlari and Giuseppe Campari. After humble beginnings, his team started winning races and dominating the racing arena for several years. But by the mid 1930s, several nations had understood the possibilities of utilizing motor racing as a means to showcase their supremacy. This marked the arrival of well funded and technically advanced German teams like Mercedes and Auto Union in the racing arena, which had assistance from the German Government. The German teams with their superior machinery, completely outshone everyone on the grid including Ferrari. During this time, one man who still kept the team competitive was his lead driver, Tazio Nouvlari. Even with inferior machinery when compared to the Germans, he still outpaced the capability of the car and came up with several fine performances. The most famous of which was the German Grand Prix in 1935, in which against all odds, he outclassed the Germans at their home.

Nouvlari is perhaps one of the greatest drivers in racing history. Enzo Ferrari first noticed his talent while racing alongside him on the grid in the 1920s. He admired his talent a lot and considered him to be an ideal racing driver. Nouvlari served as a benchmark to Ferrari and he always looked for qualities like him in other drivers. His heroics at the 1935 German Grand Prix served to Ferrari as a benchmark as to how a driver should drive in a race.

By 1937, Nouvlari left his team and joined Auto Union. Later, Ferrari was sacked from the team when Alfa Romeo retook control the same year. He spent the next few years selling parts to other racing teams and also built two cars of his own in 1940. But all his racing activities were abruptly stopped after the beginning of the Second World War, when he had to direct his factory to produce ammunition for the Italian army. There was no major racing activity until the war ended in 1945.

After the war, in 1947, he laid foundations for Ferrari S.p.A, which still exists today. In 1950, there were foundations of a championship, called Formula One, which was to crown World Champions each year. Ferrari enrolled his team for the inaugural season and since then it has competed in every season of Formula One. In 1951, Jose Froilan Gonzalez provided the first win for the team at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.

Then Ferrari signed an experienced driver and a close friend, Alberto Ascari, who succeeded in winning the first championship title for the team in 1952 and also defended it the next year. Another championship was also won with the help of Juan Manuel Fangio in 1956. Ferrari continued to dominate in Formula 1 throughout the 1950s and its popularity further increased due to successful outings in Le Mans and Mille Miglia. During this time, aside from racing, he also entered the business of producing and selling sportscars, a business which has flourished since then and continues to be so till this day.

The 1950s and early 1960s brought a lot of success to Ferrari, but this was also the period when motor racing was extremely dangerous and it had almost become common for drivers to lose their lives. Ferrari’s team also did not remain untouched by this as during this period seven of Ferrari’s drivers lost their lives which also included his close friends, Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Campari. Perhaps this was why he chose not to get too involved with his drivers. But the most painful moment for him during this time was the untimely death of his son Dino, the heir to the throne of Ferrari, who died due to muscular dystrophy at a mere 24 years of age in 1956.

The year 1958 brought further success to Ferrari in Formula One as Mike Hawthorn triumphed in winning the world title. This was followed by further championship successes in 1961 and 1964 with Phil Hill and John Surtees respectively.

Ferrari always believed that the car had a greater role to play in winning than the driver. It is also supposed that during accidents, he was more concerned with the condition of the car than that of the driver. As a boss and team principal, he was known to be ruthless to his team and drivers. In order to win, he did not hesitate in creating a conflicting environment between his drivers, so that they would push each other in the race and help bring victories to the team.

By the late 1950s, other teams and especially British teams like Cooper, BRM and Lotus started challenging Ferrari and dominating Formula One. Enzo Ferrari always believed in horsepower in a car, he hated the concept of aerodyanmics which was being utilized by the new teams. He believed “Aerodynamics are for people who can’t build engines”.

After 1964, for several years his team did not garner much success. In 1969, due to increasing expenses, he had to sell a 50 percent share of his team to the FIAT Motor Group, who allowed him to remain in operational command of the team. Since then, the FIAT Group has retained its control over Ferrari and now owns 85 percent shares of it (as of 2008).

In the early 1970s, he spotted a young Austrian driver Niki Lauda, who had signed with BRM in 1973. By 1974, he signed Lauda alongside the more experienced driver Clay Regazzoni. Lauda immediately showed his prowess and by the end of the season, provided another world championship to the team.

The 1976 season is remembered mostly for the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt, in which Lauda returned to racing within a few weeks after a near fatal accident to challenge Hunt for the title. But this season also signaled a strain in the relationship between Lauda and Enzo Ferrari due to events at the Japanese Grand Prix, the last round of the season. It was raining heavily during the race, and Lauda was in contention for the championship, but he retired from the race due to safety concerns and thus eliminated all chances for Ferrari to win the title. This made Ferrari furious and this damage in their relationship was never undone. Despite this, Lauda stayed on with the team in 1977 and won another world championship, before departing in 1978.

After Lauda left, Jody Sheckter helped Ferrari in winning another world title in 1979. This would be the last time during Ferrari’s lifetime that he would witness a driver win a world championship with his team. By this time, the highly regarded Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve had also joined the team alongside Sheckter. Ferrari had spotted immense talent in him and found his driving to be similar to that of Nouvlari. He proved right in his potential, as Villeneuve had the talent to push and be competitive even in those cars which were no match against the others on the grid. In 1981, he was joined by another young driver, Didier Pironi. Both of them had the ability to lead the team towards another world championship, but their careers were abruptly ended the following year. In 1982, Villeneuve had a fatal accident during a practice session at Zolder, Belgium and Pironi’s legs were badly injured due to an accident at Hockenheim, Germany. After this, Enzo Ferrari’s team had moderate success during the 1980s.

Enzo Ferrari died in 1988 in his sleep. He did not live to see the glory which was to be attained by Michael Schumacher with his team in the future. But he has left behind a legacy which has been responsible for making Ferrari more than just a company but a phenomenon. Such has been the impact of Ferrari that even people who don’t know anything about automobiles, have heard the name of Ferrari. He is the one responsible for making Ferrari one of the most famous and beloved racing teams and car manufacturers in the whole world. The legacy which he has left behind is still growing and will continue to grow for numerous generations to come.

 

Credits to Sportskeeda (blog)

“Timewatch” The Secrets of Enzo Ferrari – BBC

www.grandprix.com

Porsche Introduce 2 New Models to the 911 Range.

At the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Porsche is introducing two new models to the 911 range: the 911 Targa 4 and 911 Targa 4S.

These models are the first to combine the classic Targa concept with cutting edge, innovative roof technology. Just like the legendary original 911 Targa of 1965, the new models feature the distinctive Targa roof bar, a movable front roof section, and a wraparound rear window. But unlike the classic 911 Targa, the roof segment can be opened and closed at the push of a button. The fully automatic roof system stows the Targa top behind the rear seats.

Both 911 Targa models exclusively come in AWD version, featuring the wider rear track and body, and the same Porsche Traction Management (PTM), found in all 911 all-wheel-drive models.

It is an active all-wheel-drive system that helps to ensure the optimal distribution of drive power for optimum traction in most road scenarios, whether on long straights, through tight corners, or on surfaces with different friction coefficients.

The combination of the wide body, the Targa bar, and the wraparound rear window results in an extremely sporty and low-slung profile. The 911 Targa 4 is powered by a horizontally opposed 3.4-liter 6-cylinder engine with 350 hp. Equipped with the optional Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) and Sport Chrono package, the 911 Targa 4 accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and is capable of a top track speed of 174 mph (175 mph with the manual transmission).

The 911 Targa 4S delivers 400 hp from its 3.8-liter horizontally opposed 6-cylinder engine, and accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds when equipped with optional PDK and Sport Chrono package. The 911 Targa 4S is capable of reaching a top track speed of 183 mph when equipped with a manual transmission and 182 mph with PDK. The 911 Targa 4 will have an MSRP of $101,600 while the 911 Targa 4S model will have an MSRP of $116,200. Both cars also have a destination charge of $995.

Source: Porsche Press Release

Are Range Rover the best of the best?

When it comes to fantasising about your dream car it seems that British marques are in pole position, taking 5 out of the top 6 spots in a giant poll of the most coveted cars.

And it’s Range Rover which is streets ahead of the pack beating Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche to claim not just one but three of the top ten places.

A survey of more than 55,000 petrolheads by Best of the Best, the airport and online car competitions’ company, has revealed British motoring is in a league of its own, even out-classing previous front runners of German and Italian descent.

The Range Rover, once the preserve of the country gent, has eclipsed its rivals with a series of new models adding to its widespread appeal to both men and women. The Sport TDV6 SE version is top of the podium with the Evoque in third place and the Vogue SE in fourth position.

With James Bond’s latest adventure, Skyfall, a massive hit in 2013, the Aston Martin badge has never had more pulling power with the Vantage named the second most popular.

British cars feature strongly throughout the list of more than 140 cars, giving a clear indicator the feel-good factor really is slowly returning to the UK economy.

While there are three Porsches in the top 20, there is no Ferrari – the 458 Italia only manages 21st place. Meanwhile, the recently launched Jaguar F-Type has proven hugely popular, reaching number six in the list.

William Hindmarch, who founded Best of the Best in 1999 and has since given away more than £15m of dream cars, said he was amazed with the results.

“It is great to see how popular British motors are, particularly when they are in direct competition with your ordinary motoring fan who dreams of winning his ultimate car. There is no better test of their popularity and proof that the ones we would assume are top of the list are nowhere near,” he explained.

“Our survey shows that drivers want performance and of course a good-looking car but it is the prestige of a British badge which is winning time after time.

“One of the really exciting things about this survey is that more than 80 nationalities took part, which means the British brand really is valued across the globe.”

And the least popular on the list? That prize goes the BMW Alpina D5 Saloon.

The top 10

l Range Rover Sport TDV6 SE

2 Aston Martin Vantage

3 Range Rover Evoque

4 Range Rover TDV6 Vogue SE

5 Mercedes A220 Cdi AMG Sport

6 Jaguar F-Type V6S

7 Mini Cooper S

8 Audi R8 V8 Coupe

9 Porsche 911 Carrera S

10 Mini Cooper S JC

 

Sourced from www.expressandstar.com

Rolls Royce to move into the SUV market?

If there was a super SUV we think it would come from Rolls Royce. They have been teasing us with plans to move into the SUV  market and today we are hoping that they may actually start the process.

Frankfurt – Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is getting closer to deciding on whether to make a sport utility vehicle, chief executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes signalled on Thursday.

“It’s a very interesting segment, definitely, and we are thinking about it,” Mueller-Oetvoes told Reuters Insider television in response to a question about whether building such a car would be feasible.

“We are playing with some drawings and we are starting now to look even deeper into the whole thing. A decision will only be done if we are convinced that this fits to the brand,” Mueller-Oetvoes said.

He said the main difficulty was reconciling such a vehicle with the Rolls-Royce brand values which have not been associated with sportiness or offroading.

Hemingway Luxury Car Hire think that it would be a simply awesome option to combine Rolls Royce brand values with sportiness and offroading, what are your views?

Rolls-Royce is a unit of Germany’s BMW Group. -Reuters