Paris: Jaguar F-Type heralds return of first new sports car for Leaping Cat in 50 years [UPDATE]

Paris: Jaguar F-Type heralds return of first new sports car for Leaping Cat in 50 years [UPDATE]:
Filed under: Convertible, Paris Motor Show, Jaguar, Design/Style

"We're not worshipping the ashes of our ancestors here."

Jaguar finally has its much anticipated - and much leaked - new sports car. Revealed at the Musée Rodin Museumin Paris ahead of the Paris Motor Show, the rakish convertible picks up the long-dormant mantle of the legendary E-Type, but it isn't a retro-retread. Autoblog was invited to England earlier this month for a hush-hush preview of the F-Type, where Jaguar Vehicle Line Director Ian Hoben assured us that "We're not worshipping the ashes of our ancestors here." While Jag has offered the larger XK grand tourer for years, it hasn't really fielded a new sports car in 50 years. And as Hoben points out, "For us not to be there [the segment] seems as wrong as Ferrari or Porsche not building sports cars."

The new all-aluminum F-Type is a strict two-seat affair, none of the leather-wrapped and seatbelt-equipped parcel shelves of the XK here. Available in three trims, F-Type, F-Type S and F-Type V8 S, the baby Jag will offer one of three powertrains, a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 (380 hp / 339 lb-ft.), or a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 (495 hp / 460 lb-ft). The sole transmission at launch will be ZF's ubiquitous eight-speed automatic, with paddles and a more conventional gearshift lever in favor of the rotary selector of recent fame. Jag won't confirm it, but we suspect a manual transmission will be made available in a year's time, possibly on a harder-core R model. In its top specification, Jag promises a 0-60 dash of 4.2 seconds and a limited top speed of 186 mph. The mid-level V6 S does the deed in 4.8 seconds and taps out at 171 mph, while the 'base' F-Type still runs to 60 in 5.1 seconds and hits a 161-mph vMax. While we have yet to drive them, we have heard the new cars fire up and under power, as the Brits say, they sound "right cracking."
Continue reading Jaguar F-Type heralds return of first new sports car for Leaping Cat in 50 years [UPDATE]

Jaguar F-Type heralds return of first new sports car for Leaping Cat in 50 years [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris: Rolls-Royce goes glam, celebrates Art Deco heritage in Paris

Paris: Rolls-Royce goes glam, celebrates Art Deco heritage in Paris:
Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Sedan, Paris Motor Show, Rolls-Royce, Design/Style, Luxury


Rolls-Royce has used the 2012 Paris Motor Show to pull the covers off its art deco-inspired Phantom saloon, Phantom Drophead Coupé and Ghost models. These three bespoke machines are said to pay homage to the 1925 Paris Exhibition or Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. Not coincidentally, the phrase 'art deco' was coined at that very show.

These three models are finished in period-correct color schemes and feature details that include mother of pearl and silver inlays and ornamental glassware. According to Giles Taylor, Design Director Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, "Art Deco was defined by theatre, glamour and a sense of excitement. Working to create contemporary interpretations of these classic themes has been enormously rewarding for everyone in my bespoke design team." But of course.

Feel free to check out our live gallery of high-res images above along with the official shots released by Rolls-Royce below. There's also a press release or two waiting for your prying eyes, if you're so inclined.
Continue reading Rolls-Royce goes glam, celebrates Art Deco heritage in Paris

Rolls-Royce goes glam, celebrates Art Deco heritage in Paris originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris: 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo gets a new smile and restyled rear

Paris: 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo gets a new smile and restyled rear:
Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini, Luxury


Lamborghini didn't bring the Gallardo Edizione Tecnica to the Paris Motor Show, intending for us to instead focus on the cosmetic changes made to the 2013 Gallardo LP560-4 Coupe and Spyder. We have to go back to a line we've had the pleasure of not using in a while: the revisions look better in person than they do in pixels. Even though the above photo does appear to lend credence to the accusations of droopiness, in person, standing above it at normal human height, the three-dimensionality of the design comes through.

The wheels are a move into something more ornate for the bullish brand, part of the series of wheel and tire combinations that will be exclusive to the LP560-4 in order to differentiate it from its siblings in the lineup. To our eyes, it's not a bad way to go out.

Scroll down for the official release.

2013 Lamborghini Gallardo gets a new smile and restyled rear originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris: Porsche Sport Turismo Concept introduces Panamera to pulchritude and plugging in [w/video]

Paris: Porsche Sport Turismo Concept introduces Panamera to pulchritude and plugging in [w/video]:
Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Wagon, Paris Motor Show, Porsche, Design/Style, Luxury


When we heard that Porsche would be bringing a Panamera wagon concept to Paris, reaction was just as scattered as people's reaction to the Panamera itself; some actually wondering if the Panamera isn't already a wagon, others deciding, to put it kindly, that the back end of Porsche's five-door can only go up, design-wise.

Then we saw leaked pics of the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept and it was a whole different world - one of decidedly confident beauty. Going all junior-Cayenne-with-attitude, the Sport Turismo is "an outlook on a possible Porsche sports car of tomorrow" that we think needs to drop the "possible," add some side mirrors and get with the production program.

Powered by an evolution of Porsche's current hybrid system used in the Panamera S Hybrid, the Sport Turismo Concept's new "e-hybrid" system uses the 333-horsepower, supercharged 3.0-liter V6 and a 95-hp electric motor for 416 combined horses and a 30-kilometer electric range. Unlike the current production system, this e-hybrid setup prioritizes all-electric motivation unless the driver instructs the car otherwise. Interestingly, the Sport Turismo is technically a plug-in hybrid, as the lithium-ion pack can be charged in as little as 2.5 hours when plugged into a wall outlet. Porsche says the combined powertrain is good for a 0-62 mph time in under six seconds, and the Sport Turismo can exceed 80 mph purely on electric power. (You can learn more powertrain specifics by checking out the official PR by scrolling down).

Inside is more conceptual, with a binnacle-mounted TFT screen displaying vehicle information, a black panel screen in the center console, monitors providing feeds from the cameras that substitute for sideview mirrors, and even a touchscreen starting process.

There's really nothing not to like here, and so we can find no reason not to build it. Porsche, you know what to do.
Continue reading Porsche Sport Turismo Concept introduces Panamera to pulchritude and plugging in [w/video]

Porsche Sport Turismo Concept introduces Panamera to pulchritude and plugging in [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris: McLaren P1 is the nearly real supercar of our drive-to-race dreams

Paris: McLaren P1 is the nearly real supercar of our drive-to-race dreams:
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Design/Style, Racing, McLaren

Destined to be one of the splashier events of the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the unveiling of McLaren's newest supercar, and successor to the intimidating F1 legend, went off beautifully today. Despite being a design exercise, the P1 concept here in Paris clearly paves the path forward for McLaren, with the company's stated goal being to produce a car that is superlative both on the road and on the track.

While the stunningly orange-and-black P1 concept is not the final product, recently exposed schematic drawings from McLaren reveal that this design is probably very close to what the company is planning to put on the road in a few years. In fact, our own man-on-the-ground, Matt Davis, reported yesterday that the P1 is "97-percent final."

A close inspection of our gallery images of the P1 reveal, using human beings for scale, that the P1 is a delicately sized sports car. We're told that the new Mac will have the smallest frontal area of any car in the segment, while still delivering something like 1,300 pounds of downforce at 125 miles per hour.

Additionally, but none too surprising, the P1 will make use of all of McLaren's hardest won racing technology. The midengined car is built around a carbon fiber monocoque that also incorporates a safety cage within the roof structure - a concept that McLaren calls "Monocage." This structure also works to deliver heaps of fresh air to the engine via a roof snorkel, which is pretty rad. All of the car's body panels are made from carbon fiber, as well, to keep the P1 as light as possible.
It almost goes without saying, but we're just aching to get our hands on a test-ready version of the P1, sometime around when the car goes on sale at the end of 2013. Stay tuned.
Continue reading McLaren P1 is the nearly real supercar of our drive-to-race dreams

McLaren P1 is the nearly real supercar of our drive-to-race dreams originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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