Morgan has today released details of their new Aero Coupe, to be launched at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. The model is essentially a full production version of the AeroMax Coupe which was first shown to the public in 2006 as a one-off model before eventually getting a limited 100 unit production run in 2008.

In order to differentiate it from the AeroMax though, Morgan have given the Aero Coupe a rear window design like the Aero Supersports, but ‘tucked in’ a little. The AeroMax had a very distinctive split rear window which opened, much like the famed Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic, so removing this feature presumably keeps the AeroMax owners happy, as they bought a limited run car.

The Aero Coupe gets a boat-tail like rear end, with buttresses curving inward to the rear, with a small vertical rear window and a fixed roof. The sleek rear lights (from the discontinued Lancia Thema, fact fans) remain, and there are added vents on the bodywork as a nod to the GT3 Aero race car it is based upon.

The new Aero Coupe is powered by a BMW-sourced 4.8-liter V8 engine that generates 390 bhp and rides on a lightweight platform. The body and chassis are made from aluminium which results in an expected kerb weight of less than 1175 kg.

These specifications amount to an admirable power/weight ratio of 330 bhp per tonne and allow the coupe to accelerate from 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds before hitting a top speed of 170 mph.

No prices have yet been announced, but expect it to cost a fair amount less than the £110,000 that the AeroMax cost. That was due to the low volume, so this Aero Coupe should be available for under £80,000.

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An incredibly rare Jaguar XJ220S is set to go to auction in Arizona next week.

The regular Jaguar XJ220 was limited to a production run of just 350 units, but this model is the super-rare XJ220S which had a production run of just 6 units. The XJ220S was built with the help of Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) who stripped most of the original XJ220′s aluminium body and replaced it with superlight carbon fibre. The ‘S’ also got a new front bumper with fared-in driving lights and large splitter, along with a much larger adjustable rear wing with the struts elegantly smoothed into the rear wings.

What this new bodywork and other lightening measures achieved was incredible – the XJ220S weighed a staggering 400 kg less than the standard car at 1080 kg. The XJ220S came with the standard XJ220’s twin turbo 3.5 litre V6 power unit but was tweaked by TWR to produce 680 bhp and 526 lb/ft of torque.

However this particular car has a new $20,000 titanium exhaust system by TWR and additional engine updates which has raised it to approximately 700 bhp. That’s a power to weight ratio of 605 bhp/tonne, very impressive numbers.

Visually the owner decided that this car; chassis #784, needed a little more mystique and aggression (really? Had he actually seen the car beforehand?!), so had it repainted in an exact match for the satin matte grey finish of the Lamborghini Reventon. There are new projector headlights and the magnesium wheels were refurbished and fitted with modern tyres, while the interior has had a full re-trim. What he created was possibly one of the best looking supercars of all time – such smooth lines and aggression combined in one package.

This exceptional XJ220S is expected to fetch between £150,000 and £200,000 when it goes under the hammer next week, which seems a little low to us. A standard XJ220 sells for around £160,000 in the current market so we’d expect this amazing and rare ‘S’ to sell for well over £200,000.

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Lotus Cars could be in trouble. Well, they could be in trouble if they get sold to the wrong company, that is. If Proton decide to offload them it could go one of two ways – certain companies have flourished when sold to the correct company – see Jaguar land Rover and Mini. Some haven’t done so well – see MG. Bloomberg has done some investigating and found that all may not be well in Malaysia and Norfolk.

Proton, the Malaysian maker of sedans and taxis that bought control of Lotus in 1996, hasn’t made any profit from the British unit for 15 years and probably won’t at least until 2014. Now that Proton itself may be divested by its state-run parent, investors such as Gan Eng Peng say Lotus Group International Ltd. is ripe for a sale.

“It will make sense for them to sell it,” said Gan, who helps oversee about $3.6 billion as head of equities at Hwang DBS Investment Management Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur. “Proton and Lotus are not a good fit. They are in different market segments, both in terms of geography and product.”

Lotus, which has struggled to compete against Porsche and Ferrari in Europe, has hung on to relevance in the auto industry partly because of its decades-long expertise in designing lightweight frames. Still, the company may need the backing of a carmaker more global than Proton to survive in an industry where carmakers such as Saab Automobile are filing for bankruptcy, according to Gan. Lotus showed 6 new concept cars at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010, but the first of these new models – the Esprit won’t likely reach production until 2013 at the earliest after they decided to develop their own engine instead of reworking a Lexus V8 engine. It will likely be a naturally aspirated 5.0 V8 with over 500bhp in standard form.

There are also new versions of the Elise, a new city car, a front engined 2+2 with a folding hard top named Elite and a four door coupe-saloon called the Eterne. The last two would be powered by the same engine as the Esprit but in the front of the car.

Hopefully if Proton do decide to sell Lotus, the company would go to a company that would develop the company and return it to the lightweight roots it became famous for. Many think that the new direction Lotus is going in is totally against the original principles of adding performance through lightweight design, not just adding weight and a more powerful engine.

Only time will tell though. We would like to see Lotus go to a company with the vision to develop it – maybe a partnership with Aston Martin as they share aluminium chassis technologies. Though the owners of Aston Martin aren’t exactly pouring money into that company either, so maybe someone could swoop in and save both, making a super-Brit sportscar company. We can but dream…

Report from of Bloomberg

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Bentley has today revealed the latest addition to the revised Continental GT range – the V8.

Traditionally the W12 powered GT has always been joined in the range by faster and more powerful versions later in the development cycle. But for the first time, Bentley have now added a cheaper, less powerful model to the range.

The GT V8 gets a 4.0 litre twin turbocharged V8 engine closely related to the V8 recently launched in the Audi S8. Packing 500 bhp and 487 lb/ft of torque, the V8 powered model gets to 60 mph in under 5 seconds and goes on to 180 mph.

Bentley are keeping the exact specifications closely guarded until the new year, but they promise that the GT V8 will be able to travel 500 miles on one tank of fuel. This sounds impressive, but bear in mind that the W12 GT has a large fuel tank, 90 litres in size. Helping to get this figure is the tech in this engine which turns it into a V4 on light loads. Bentley’s engine management system allows a “seamless and imperceptible” transition to four-cylinder running on light loads. Other technical highlights include special low-friction bearings, thermal management to avoid excess heat loss, energy recuperation via an intelligent charging system and turbo packaging within the engine’s vee to reduce throttle lag.

The V8 configuration should also give the Continental GT a very nice exhaust note with a tradition V8 ‘burble’ if the Audi S8 is anything to go by.

The V8 engine will initially be offered in launch editions of the Continental GT and GTC, identifiable by black grilles, red badges and ‘figure eight’ exhaust pipes, along with a new design of alloy wheel. The models will be positioned below existing 6.0-litre W12 Continentals, which will stay in production. Prices haven’t been confirmed, but expect the model to cost over £100,000 compared to the W12 model at £130,000.

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In one of the oddest link-ups ever seen in the automotive world, Lotus Cars has teamed up with record producer, rapper and ‘style ambassador’ Swizz Beatz and revealed the Special Edition Chrome Evora.

There really isn’t actually much that’s new about the car, but it does feature a rather interesting red chrome paint job. We actually suspect that it is a vinyl wrap instead of a paint job, as these chrome wraps are readily available and it would mean that after this promotion Lotus would still have a saleable car after the wrap was removed.

Of course, they may not have changed much mechanically with the Chrome edition, but this is still an Evora GTE.

Originally conceived as a limited run for the Chinese market, they thankfully saw sense and have reworked the GTE so it can now be sold in Europe as well (sorry USA, not for you). What Lotus has created is the most focussed and fastest Evora yet, making it into a ballistic road and track car in the mould of the Porsche 911 GT3.

The Supercharged Toyota-sourced 3.5 litre V6 engine has been tweaked and tuned to give a mammoth 444 bhp. This should be enough for a 0-60 mph dash in around 3.5 seconds and a top speed of over 180 mph. Clever use of carbon fibre has been integrated extensively throughout the exterior and interior of the car, this is one major contributors to the 105kg weight reduction versus the base Evora. Carbon fibre has been used for all the bodywork modifications including the front and rear bumpers, the rear wing and the doors.

Speaking of that bodywork, the GTE gets an all-new front fascia with more air channeling scoops and vents, a more purposeful rear diffuser and a mammoth rear wing. It transforms the look of the Evora from a pretty British coupe, into a raw aggressive track weapon.

Add in the race-inspired interior and you have a Lotus that is set to destroy all in its path. Prices haven’t been announced but expect the GTE to cost north of £100,000. The Chrome special edition is a one-off so would technically be priceless. Though given the price of a chrome wrap is about £2500, we’d value it at £102,500…

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Deep in the belly of rural Nottingham the calm and quiet is broken by the snarling rasp of an exhaust note combined with pops and bangs on the over-run. Dog-walkers whip their heads around to find where the noise is coming from and are greeted by the sight of a classic 1957 Maserati 250F bearing down upon them, a flash of red bodywork and wire wheels. Or is it?

In this case, no, it isn’t. What they are looking at is the brainchild of Andy Peace, and is a turnkey re-creation of that classic Maserati called the Tipo 250.

Andy Peace has always loved the 250F, watching it racing, hearing the stories of Fangio and Moss driving one within an inch of crashing, even just looking at images of the Italian beauty, much like many petrolheads have done throughout the years. What makes him different from the rest though, is that he decided to set about making one for himself, especially wise given that the remaining 250F’s sell for around $2-3,000,000 these days.

7 years later and the Tipo 250 is born. As faithful to the original design as possible the Tipo 250 has been built utilising BMW mechanicals making it both useable and affordable. To suit the home enthusiast and in keeping with the original, the engine is a BMW 2.5 litre straight six, running three weber carburettors. This makes the Tipo 250 very straight forward to maintain and exploit’s the established reliability of BMW mechanicals. An incredible exhaust system exits at the side of the car just like the original and makes a truly inspirational noise, heard below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc5i7Z9sbWM

The bodywork is all aluminium and is near identical to the original Maserati, meaning it is truly stunning - stop in your tracks, mouth open stunning. There are 16″ wire wheels; given the smallest of cycle wings as a nod to legislation, disc brakes all round, a five speed Getrag gearbox, Double wishbone front & rear suspension with coil over shocks, all held together by a tubular steel chassis.

What you end up with is a car that is as faithful to the original 1957 250F as possible, but with more modern construction and performance. And Andy Peace wants the cars to be a truly bespoke product, too. The best aspect of the Tipo 250 is also the one that people tend not to believe - it’s actually road legal. Take a look at the shot of the nose and you’ll see headlights, little indicators at the sides and then at the rear a couple of rear lights too. So you can drive this beautiful exotic on your favourite B-road with the addition of a couple of number plates.

“Every car we build will be strictly to order and, whereas we have a ‘standard’ specification, we are more than happy to discuss any particular requirements you may have, whether it be engine, transmission, or whatever and because we love what we do, we would rather discuss it over a bonnet than a laptop.” says Peace.

The ‘standard’ car will cost around £75,000 ready to drive. We wish the Tipo 250 the best of luck, as he deserves every success.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgnGeN-oObM

Jaguar has unveiled the 2012 XKR-S Convertible at the Los Angeles motor show today.

The XKR-S Convertible comes with the same supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine with 542 bhp and 501 lb-ft of torque as the XKR-S Coupe, coupled to a six-speed automatic gearbox. That allows for a sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph.

On the styling front the Convertible gets the same changes as the coupe, meaning a new front bumper with nostril-like vents at the leading edge of the bonnet, a large air intake centrally and neat ‘side spoilers’ on the edges of the bumper. These are allegedly proper aerodynamic devices and contribute to the car’s high speed stability. Also helping with that is the large rear wing with central carbon fibre panel and the carbon fibre diffuser nestling in the rear bumper. The XKR-S Convertible gets the same gorgeous graphite 20″ alloy wheels as the Coupe, along with the high performace braking kit underneath them. With all this, we’re really struggling to find a better looking convertible sports car than this XKR-S. Stunning doesn’t even come close.

All of these additions help to keep the car controllable at 186 mph, as the car itself was only ever designed to go around 155 mph so it wouldn’t step on the toes of the Aston Martin Vantage when they were part of the same company. Now they are rivals, Jaguar can up its game.

The soft-top roof of the XKR-S opens and stows in 18 seconds which allows occupants to be fully exposed to the Performance Active exhaust that produces a sound that Jeremy Clarkson described as ‘God gargling with thunder’. Very apt. Additionally, Adaptive Dynamics for the suspension provides safer and more exciting handling for the driver.

Inside the XKR-S Convertible gets carbon-leather trimmed Jaguar Performance seats, a multifunction three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel and Jaguar-embossed stainless steel pedals, along with coloured stitching for the whole interior which matches the exterior colour.

Prices for the XKR-S Convertible will begin at around £103,000, which is a lot for a Jaguar XK, but similarly powerful soft-top rivals all cost around the same. As a car to ferry you to the south of France via the Route Napoleon, we can’t think of anything better for the job.

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In the world of executive saloon cars, the Jaguar XJ stands head and shoulders above the competition in many areas, but the main one has to be in looks. Look at an Audi A8, Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7-Series and they look good, but somewhat clinical, efficient, day we say it… Germanic?

Whereas the Jaguar XJ is a fluid shape, feline in its features, delicate front end and slender headlights tapering back to a long graceful body ending in a taught rear, with claw-like LED lights draped over the back. If there’s one thing that could be said for the XJ though, it’s that it doesn’t look particularly aggressive. Yes, it’s graceful, purposeful and even beautiful, but it lacks a certain something for some buyers.

Which is why Jaguar have announced the launch of two new option packs for the XJ – the Sport and Speed packs.

The Sport Pack includes new aerodynamic features such as a front splitter, rear diffuser and extended rear boot lip. The package also includes 20-inch “Venom” alloy wheels, new quad exhaust tips, gloss black grilles and red brake callipers. For the interior, the Sport Pack also offers Jaguar Performance sport seats and a Piano Black trim.

Buyers of the Sport Pack on the Supercharged XJ Supersport can also opt for the Speed pack, which raises the top speed from 155 mph to 174 mph.

The Sport Pack can be ordered in SWB or LWB on the twin-turbocharged V6 diesel, 3.0-litre V6 petrol and naturally aspirated and supercharged petrol V8′s.

“The XJ is much more than a limousine. Its power and potential mean it can out-perform many so-called sports cars. The new Sport and Speed Packs allow customers to enhance that sporting dynamism even further and create an XJ that looks as good as it drives.” said Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar Cars.

With the addition of these styling modifications and the Speed pack, the XJ Supersport becomes even more of a rival for the Porsche Panamera Turbo, at much less cost. We would take the home-grown product anyway, but this just seals the deal.

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Vauxhall has today released details of the new Astra VXR. Based on the recently launched GTC 3dr coupe the VXR aims to set new standards for performance, ride and handling in a hot hatchback.

The Astra VXR comes with a 2.0 litre turbocharged unit with 277 bhp and 295 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful Astra model ever. The car also features a top speed of 155 mph. This makes it the most powerful of its rivals too, with the VW Golf GTi Edition 35 having 232 bhp, the Renault Megane RS having 250 bhp and the soon to be launched Ford Focus ST set to have 248 bhp.

Visually the VXR gets an aggressive makeover, with a front bumper featuring a large lower intake and prominent brake ducts at either corner. The rear gets a large diffuser (probably for show only) and twin exhaust outlets, while the car is lowered and sits on huge 20″ alloy wheels. They fill the arches perfectly and increase the track as well, but we worry that the ride will be overly firm with such massive wheels.

The additions sit very well with the GTC bodywork with the deep swage line around the door and the sharp styling crease which arches from the door handle to the rear lights. In our opinion it’s the best looking hatchback on sale today, a breath of fresh air in some rather boring and stagnated designs.

Under that great body sits GM/Saab’s HiPer strut suspension at the front to retain steering purity while the front wheels cope with transmitting a large amount of torque. An adaptation of a conventional front-strut, the VXR’s design features a separate knuckle joint that stops the ‘steering fight’ or torque steer that high power front-drive cars usually suffer from. Ford and Renault use similar designs in their rival hot hatches. The VXR also has a mechanical limited slip differential, which should cut wheelspin and improve traction from a standing start and out of corners. Under those 20″ alloys sit high performance brakes by Brembo.

Inside the VXR gets high-backed leather sports seats, a VXR leather steering wheel and other small changes to give the cabin a sporty lift.

The VXR has had the chassis tuning work done in the now de rigeur Nürburgring, though Vauxhall haven’t yet divulged the all-important lap time. With the new Focus ST arriving soon, and the Golf GTi and Renaultsport Megane 250 stealing the sales the hot hatch battle looks like it’ll be continuing for some time yet…

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=v04D-53Lh5M

Mini has officially revealed the 2012 Cooper Roadster.

Essentially a production version of the 2010 MINI Roadster concept, according to Mini it “embodies unadulterated sportiness” and “irresistible charisma.” The overall design echoes the MINI Coupe, but the Roadster has a manual soft top and a more striking silhouette. Notable highlights include a steeply raked windscreen, stainless steel roll bars and an active rear spoiler which deploys at 80 km/h (50 mph). The look is very sleek with the roof down, and with the roof up there are even hints of (dare we say it) the Lamborghini LP560. It certainly looks better than the Coupe, which has the awkward ‘Backwards Baseball Cap’ design to the roof.

We can’t help but think that this is the car the Mini Convertible should have been all along. The Convertible has two near useless rear seats, a very small boot and due to rollover protection requirements, two very high roll bars at the back of the car. When the roof is down the roof stows on top of the boot, giving it a look not dissimilar to a pram handle. With the new Roadster, Mini have given us a car which has an easy to operate roof, which looks great hood up or down due to the hood stowing in a space between the seats and boot and still has a boot twice the size of the Convertible. We wouldn’t be surprised if this Roadster demolishes sales of the Convertible with only those intent on installing very small people (or children) in the rear buying one.

Inside, the cabin is instantly recognizable thanks to a center-mounted speedometer, a wide dashboard and circular air vents. Standard Mini fayre really, but when an interior looks this good and works this well, there’s really no need to change it.

The entry-level model features a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine that develops 112 bhp and 118 lb-ft of torque. As you’d expect, it’s a tad slow as the dash to 62 mph takes 9.2 seconds and the top speed is 124 mph. On the upside, the car averages 49.6 mpg with CO2 emissions of 133 g/km.

Next up, the MINI Cooper S Roadster is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with 181 bhp and 192 lb-ft of torque. This allows the convertible to run from 0-62 mph in 7.0 seconds, before topping out at 141 mph. It averages 47.1 mpg and emits 139 g/km.

The JCW also has a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine, but it produces 208 bhp and 207 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to the extra power, the car accelerates from 0-62 mph in 6.5 seconds and hits a top speed of 147 mph. In terms of efficiency, owners can expect to average 38.7 mpg with CO2 emissions of 169 g/km.

Lastly, the Cooper SD has a turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel engine with 141 hp and 225 lb-ft of torque. It enables the car to run from 0-62 mph in 8.1 seconds, before maxing out at 132 mph. So it may not be as quick as the petrol Cooper S but thankfully to compensate it returns an average of 62.8 mpg with CO2 emissions of 118 g/km.

The Cooper SD is unique in the marketplace as the only small 2-seater Roadster with a diesel engine. Great looks, fun handling, good performance and fantastic economy go together to mean that this could just be the surprise hit of the Roadster range.

The Mini Roadster goes on sale in the srping of 2012 in the UK and will cost from £18,015 for the base Cooper variant. But as with all Minis, the price creeps up massively with the ‘essential’ options such as the Chilli Pack which adds all the toys expected upon resale, but costs around £1500.

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