Well, this is Lamborghini we’re talking about, and in their own mad way they always seem to come up with something more extreme, more wild.  So what, prey tell, have they done now? They’ve gone and brought out a new Superleggera version of the Gallardo, that’s what.

This latest LP 570-4 Superleggera, meaning Superlight, has the same 5.3L V10 as the standard Gallardo but has had its power upped…by 9 hp. Yes you did read that right, a whole 9 hp, which means the new Lambo on the block now has 562 hp. Torque has stayed the same at 398 ft/lbs. So what else has changed and why would you want one over the standard Gallardo?

For starters, the dry weight of the standard Gallardo is 1,410 kg and this has been reduced on the Superleggera to 1,340 kg, a saving of 70 kg. In fact it’s now the lightest of all the Lamborghini’s available. So how did Lamborghini’s engineers lose that sort of weight from a car which was already featherweight anyway? The rear windscreen, side windows and clear engine cover are made from polycarbonate and the engine surround on the exterior plus the sills, rear spoiler, diffuser and underbody are all made from the ultra-light and strong carbon-fibre.

Surprisingly, only 40 of the 70 kgs in weight saved are due to the exterior carbon fibre parts, the rest are due to interior parts being changed for the same material and things like the leather seats being swapped for Alcantara. According to the Lamborghini ‘rules’, the Superleggera’s reduction in weight is not synonymous with sacrifices in comfort levels, so air conditioning and electric windows are still put on the car as standard.

The mean and angular look of the car has the spine snapping performance to match too. 0 – 60 mph (0 – 100 kph) comes up in a mere 3.4 seconds, 124 mph (200 kph) in just over ten seconds and it’ll go onto top 202 mph (325 kph). Staggering. I’m sure you’ll agree, and even more so when you compare those sortof figures to say, a Yamaha GSX-R 1000. This Superbike weighs just 200 kgs (440 lbs) and will hit the 60 mph mark in near enough 3 seconds – the Superleggera makes it in just .4 of a second later and weighs over 1,200 kilograms more!

In the looks department, the LP 570-4 won’t disappoint the hordes of Lamborghini fans out there. The front air intakes are visually obviously deeper and wider than the normal Gallardo’s. There’s also a neat spoiler at the rear, which can be changed for the larger one on the options list. There are also larger matte black quad exhausts situated above a new and very large rear diffuser which emphasises to anyone behind what sort of permanent mission this car is on.

Thanks to engineering trickery, which in part includes their new Iniezione Diretta Stratificata (Stratified Direct injection) system, this latest Superleggera is over 20% more fuel efficient than the last one, and is now able to give a 24 mpg (20 U.S mpg) return. Okay, it’s still a laughable figure to the greenies out there, but this is a simply stunning figure in Supercar terms!

What sort of price will this beast fetch? On the road, that’ll be £178,600 please. In U.S.D it will start at $237,600. The question is though, is it worth all that extra cash over the standard £140,000 Gallardo? You’ll just have to wait and see!

Got a boat load of money and want to buy a LP 570-4? Then visit Lamborghini.com for more information.

The new Boxter Spyder, which will be unveiled at the LA Motor Show in December, should be a very nice car indeed. It’s lightweight, fast and priced well too. Not so much with the roof up perhaps but with it folded away it’s a thing of beauty.

The two bulges on the rear of the car, which are connected by bar which has a brake light integrated into it, are hugely like the Carrera GT’s and are a defining feature of the Boxster Spyder. Porsche have done wonders in the weight saving department and the car will be the lightest in their current range at just 1,275 kgs dry weight.

This is quite a mean looking car too, as it sits squat and bulging with an a powerful look to it. It’s not often that I appreciate the look of a convertible, especially in everyday cars such as the likes of Renault Megane’s, Peugeots 206 CC’s and especially the Lexus IS 250 C (yuk!), but this is something else and Porsche have managed to make this car look excellent.

The engine is the 3.4 litre naturally aspirated unit from the Boxster S, but has 10 more hp which brings the power up to 320 hp. If you decide to option the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) twin-clutch transmission (a pre-selecting gearbox much like VW’s) and the Sports Chrono Package, the 0 – 60 mph (100 k/ph) time will come up in a respectable 4.8 seconds and the Spyder will go on to 166 mph (267 kp/h) with the roof packed away. Not good if it’s bucketing down with rain, but, and this is important, it’s fun!

Consider the figures you’ve just read and now consider the fact that this Boxster, with the PDK ‘box, will deliver 30 mpg. That is simply astounding for such a car and I truly applaud Porsche for achieving this, for men across the world will now be able to say to their other half that the Boxster Spyder really is a sensible buy – and mean it.

The Porsche Boxster Spyder will be available to buy in the UK from February 2010 and prices will start at £44,643.

Visit the Porsche website here.

Yes ok, that’s all good but what about the stats you say.

Well, 0 – 62 mph (o – 100 k/ph) comes up in a mere 3.4 seconds and you will fly on to a top speed of 205 mph (330 k/ph). I say ‘fly’ as that’s exactly what the Reventón looks like it’s doing even sat still. The thing has the demeanor of a stealth attack jet for goodness-sake. Not just on the exterior, but the interior also shouts out ‘I could take off if I wanted. Really!’

So what are we looking at when we lift the rear section of the car? A mighty naturally aspirated 6.5 litre V12 faces us which kicks out 661hp and 487 lb/ft of torque. How does it sound though? Well, according to Lamborghini it performs ‘a symphony that sends shudders along the spine. The deep booming bass, the powerful mid-range and the exultant horn section that, once heard, can never be forgotten’. So it sounds okay then I guess.

Of course, you’re going to need some serious stopping power in this beast and that’s where the 15 inch ceramic brakes come in. That’s 15 inch brakes on both the front and rear. None of this silly smaller rear brake business for this Lambo. The fact that it has a dry weight of only 1,690 kgs due to the (nearly) all carbon-fibre body helps too in this matter too.

If you’re thinking of the environment then put away that cheque book right now. In fact, go and burn it to stop yourself buying this monster – it’ll only get 10 mpg around town and just 16 mpg on the motorway. Nevermind though, you can drive it save in the knowledge that there’s less than 20 models of this car driving about around the world.

Have you got a ridiculous amount of money? Want to buy one of these? Contact your local Lamborghini dealer for more details or click here.

So Lotus will soon unveil its new (very) limited edition Scura at the Tokyo Motor Show, and just 35 will make it off the production line. A good starting point as to a clue to the car’s nature is the name as it means ‘Dark’ in Italian. Apparently to Lotus this name conjures up Stealth but to me, it conjures up evil.

A quick look at the stats for this car tells you that. No, scratch that actually. One look at the car itself tells you it’s evil intentions. It’s finished in a Matt Black with three gloss stripes running the length of the body, one wide one and two smaller ones.

This car seriously looks like it’s about to cosh you over the head and steal your wallet and nice watch. The Scura is exactly what Lotus is about. A focussed, compact and agile machine capable of taking corners at speeds that will make your face come off. Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars states “Our Exige customers choose Lotus because we deliver thrilling performance and dynamic design and this special edition fits the bill on both counts.”

Visually the car look more meaty that even the standard Exige as it has an extra large rear spoiler, wide side air intakes, a roof scoop and oil cooler inlet vanes. Bare Carbon Fibre is used on the exterior and the interior of the car. The side intakes, roof scoop and front splitter are made of the good stuff while inside the centre console and seats are given the treatment too.

The interior, as expected, is sparse and only has what it needs. There’s no carpets and definitely no drink holders involved. Luxury, my friends, is gone. However, there is (unusually) a radio. Whether you will be able to hear it or not remains a mystery for now though.

The Exige Scura uses the same 1.8 litre Intercooled and Supercharged engine as the Exige Cup 260 and will boast around 257 bhp and 174 lb/ft of torque. Okay so it doesn’t sound much but remember this car weights about the same as a postage stamp.

As it really is featherweight it makes for very impressive figure. 0 -62 mph (0 – 100 kph) comes up in just 4.1 seconds and pushing on to a top speed of  152 mph (245 kph) which should make good use of the six-speed manual ‘box. Although this looks to be primarily a track day orientated car, it might not be too unforgiving on the road thanks to the Ohlins 2-way adjustable suspension.

What’s going to be the dent in your bank account though?  Surprisingly, a mere £45,950 (around €61,000) will buy you this very cheap super-sports car. It’s also fairly economical too and will deliver nearly 44 mpg through Extra Urban driving.

If you want to purchase a Lotus Exige Scura or want more information on one call or visit your local Lotus dealership.

Looking very much like the DB9 was never a bad thing and the Rapide continues this to appear elegant and graceful mixed with a purposeful and slightly aggressive ambience.

In the rear of the Aston are two individual hand-trimmed seats, each featuring face level air conditioning and heating. It’s totally practical as the large 301 litre boot space can also be made into a 750 litre space if the rear seats are folded down. Front and rear doors open in a ’swan wing’ style, which look very cool indeed.

The engine is a front/mid mounted 6 litre V12 driving the rear wheels, which kicks out an almighty 470 bhp and 443 lb/ft torque. The predicted 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) time comes up in a respectable 5.1 seconds and another predicted top speed of 188 mph (303 kph). I almost guarantee that the 0-60 mph time will be quicker than that though and Aston are just hedging their bets.

The gearbox is a six speed ‘Touchtonic 2′ system which can be used fully automatically or ‘manually’. Come on Aston Martin, I thought you made real drivers cars? Where’s the real manual ‘box? It’s should definitely be optional.

Prices are expected to start at around £130,000.

For more information on the Aston Martin Rapide click here.

The MP4-12C will be aimed at the ’sports car market segment for cars costing between £125,000 and £175,000′. So we’re talking Aston Martin DB9, Ferrari 458 and Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Turbo and the Bentley Continental GT, then. In its first year McLaren will build 1,000 12C’s.

At its heart is the F1 inspired Carbon MonoCell (weighing just 80 kgs) which will encompass the driver and passenger footwells, seats under-dash and side sills. This will not only be incredibly strong but also very lightweight too. Inside the 12C it is a ‘uniquely comfortable and functional space…. the design offers a symmetry that wraps around the occupants and makes them feel not only physically, but also emotionally comfortable.’ As well as being all this, the new McLaren doesn’t have any ‘distractions’ (buttons etc) on the steering wheel, emphasising the driver focus of the interior.

With weight being just under 1,400 kgs and the powerplant in the 12C being a twin turbo 3.8 litre V8 producing 600 bhp and 443 lb/ft of torque and driven through the rear wheels of the car, expect the 0-60 mph time to be under 3.5 seconds and a Ferrari 458 competing top speed of around 210 mph. Did we mention also that 80% of the power will be available under 2,000 rpm? This thing will be a real monster away from the lights.

Shop for Official McLaren Merchandise and Clothing

The new Pre-Cog (pre-cognition or foreknowledge) SSG (Seamless Shift) gearbox saves much time in gear changes. What you do is put a slight pressure on the paddle shifters on the up or down selector, this primes clutch ready for the next  gear you’re going to. It may be slightly like Volkswagens DSG gearbox except you are pre-selecting the gear for yourself. Dick Glover, McLaren’s Technical Director states ‘It’s a little but like the first pressure on a camera shutter button. There’s no requirement for the driver to use it but it is more satisfying and engaging if you do…it actually speeds the car up by recovering the energy of the crank spinning as it drops engine speed’. Clever stuff.

Looks-wise we reckon it’s a grower. Sure it’s clearly no Aston Martin when you first glance at it, but take a more lingering look at it and it really does start to grasp your attention. According to McLaren there’s no ‘designing for designings sake’ and everything has been designed for a reason. The ‘dihedral’ doors for instance, move forward and upwards to ‘allow the driver and passenger to get into and out of the car as easily as possible as well as allowing a smaller door opening than would otherwise be necessary’, and to save weight the rear Airbrake is airflow-assisted.

To sum the whole car up, a word from the Chairman of McLaren Automotive, Ron Dennis. ‘I am really proud of what the whole McLaren Automotive team has achieved with the 12C…we are determined to deliver the best car in its sector by almost any measure’.

We really can’t wait to hear that 600 bhp twin-turbo V8. Hurry up and bring us some action videos McLaren!

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For more specifications on and photographs of the McLaren MP4-12C go to McLaren Automotive here. Check out Jay Leno taking a look at the McLaren at the bottom of the article too.

It’s nigh-on a tangible slap in the face for all those newspapers and TV reports spewing out a ridiculous amount of mind-numbingly depressing facts and figures on the worlds economy, for in the past few months from their Goodwood home in West Sussex, Rolls-Royce have unveiled the Phantom Drophead Coupé, the Phantom Coupé and very recently, the Ghost. All these cars are hugely expensive, immensely luxurious and each really do say ’screw the economy’. Jolly good, chaps, carry on.

By now all us petrolheads have come to know and dearly love the Phantom (read the review of it on this site in Part 1 and Part 2) for its over-the-top grandeur, expense and all round bullishness. The car is a legend already for goodness sake. In 2006 Rolls-Royce unveiled what was then the 101EX, and due to high demand in 2008, decided to release it to the world. Even though it’s been out a while, let’s take a closer look at that beautiful Phantom Coupé of theirs.

The Coupé is aimed right at the (possibly) younger new-moneys of this world. The whole car looks more hunched and speedy than its older brother. It is in fact around two inches lower than the Phantom saloon, and the roofline seems to make the side windows have a slightly narrower look to them. The grille is also raked back at more of angle too, giving the Coupé a streamlined and very GT-like appearance. In fact Rolls-Royce themselves state that it is ‘designed to cover great distances with the minimal amount of fuss…Rolls-Royce have all always been about pace, performance and style’.

Looks-wise the Phantom Coupé is a very cool car. The coolest feature, in my humble opinion, has to be the rear-hinged doors. Yes, they open out backwards, just as the rear doors do on the Phantom saloon. A nice touch and one that certainly makes it differ from any other Coupé. The grille, as stated earlier, is at more of an angle and is much like the Ghost’s, which is no bad thing at all. Another subtle but elegant detail is that the door handles follow onto the front wing of the car, making the contours of the Coupé flow together nicely.

On the interior, as expected, the Rolls again doesn’t disappointed. Some very beautiful and well thought-out design facets include a stunningly gorgeous piece of wood surrounding the inside of the C-pillar, opposite to where the passengers sit, an optional Starlight headlining made up of hundreds of fibre optics – the impression of which is to to look like the best starry night you’ve ever seen and is also shade adjustable (you really do need to get this, no other manufacturer does one). The ‘lounge seat’ or ‘curved sofa’ in the rear is described by Rolls-Royce’s interior designer Alan Sheppard as ‘intimate for two yet superbly comfortable on long journeys’, and it really does look inviting too.

As in the Phantom saloon, the front is a definite drivers heaven with all the heating, media system etc controls being easily to hand and extremely simplistic to look at and use. In a very Rolls-Royce classy way of course. The front seats are apparently ’slim line and closer fitting’ than the Phantoms but ’still offer outstanding comfort’.

Performance is certainly on the Coupé’s side. It has the same 6.75 litre V12 engine as in the saloon which has 453 bhp and 531 ft/lbs of torque at hand. Strangely enough, although the Coupé may look far more sporty than the saloon Phantom it weighs in at exactly the same weight of 3,050 kgs. However, according to Rolls-Royce the Coupé is more dynamic and the ride is firmer due to stiffer rear dampers and modified spring rates and body roll has been reduced by fitting a thicker rear anti-roll bar. Steering has been tuned to offer more feel ‘enhanced…by a slightly thicker steering wheel’.

This new Phantom Coupé will do the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) run in only 5.8 seconds, which is incredible considering its size and weight, and carry on to a limited top speed of 155 mph (249 kph). Come on Rolls-Royce, what’s the real top speed of these cars? I’m guessing 170-180 mph?

In amongst all the gloomy media hype of the economy, let’s hope we catch a glimpse of the Phantom Coupé on the road occasionally. It is, after all, good news.

For more information on and photographs of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé click here.

Prices start from £255,500 (€371,600, $408,000)

Rolls-Royce are set to reveal their new Ghost at the Frankfurt motor show

in September, and there’s no question at all that this is definitely one finely made car. According to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ press release the Ghost will pass ‘through 60 pairs of hands, the production process involves more than 2,000 individual operations and takes at least 20 days to complete’.

In keeping with their tradition, the new Rolls-Royce will be classically simplistic on the interior, but they have some very cool gadgets to keep it bang up to date too. Some that are featured are voice control (for the audio menus and phone etc) and all-round cameras including a night vision camera placed in the front grille which has Pedestrian Recognition inbuilt. This means that the front camera reads the road up to 300 metres away,  which then sends infra-red signal of the pedestrians heat signature to the cars computer, which in turn works out the speed and direction the car is travelling in and if necessary, issues a warning to the driver of any imminent danger. Now that’s modern technology.

Some other cool features are a H.U.D (heads up display) for the driver and Lane Departure Warning-this is, of course useful, in case you drift off to sleep, nestled deep within the warm leather seat with no road or engine noise to intrude on your lovely nap. High Beam Assistance means that your lights automatically dip on approach to another oncoming car, which saves you all that hard effort of reaching the huge chasm up the button to switch it off yourself. Strangely enough, Cadillac’s Series 62, built in 1959, had this feature on it, which worked brilliantly well, so how come more cars don’t have it on now?

Something very useful though, is the Active Cruise Control with Stop and Go. I say it’s useful because it bally well is. If you’re on cruise control going down the road and a car in front is going slower than yourself, the Ghost will slow the car down to the same speed as them. Once they move out of your way, dammit, the car will automatically take you back up to your original set speed again.

Out to the exterior of the Ghost and it does look very elegant. The doors, as on the Phantom, are rear-hinged or ’suicide’ style and seem to finish the classy look off very well. It doesn’t quite have that ‘out of my way peasants’ look as the Phantom does and is almost half a metre shorter, but still definitely commands attention on the road. From the front and rear it is unmistakably a Rolls-Royce, the front being adorned with the large grille and long, long bonnet, the rear having a ‘this is a hugely expensive car’ look to it. From the side you notice immediately that the car has no design lines running down it and it is beautifully smooth, almost like a yacht.

The Ghost’s engine is a twin-turbo 6.6 litre V12 and, even though the car weights nearly 3 tons laden, will accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) in just 4.8 seconds and go on to a top speed of 155 mph (249 kph), though we don’t know whether that is limited or not yet. The Ghost’s 8 speed automatic power plant produces a hefty amount of torque to the tune of 575 ft/lbs at just 1,500 rpm.  That’s some serious power from that amount of revs and put in this way, is nearly 175 ft/lbs more than a Lamborghini Gallardo 560-4. Horsepower is a staggering 563 hp which is an immense amount and 10 hp more than the Gallardo even.

Prices are looking to be around £190,000 including taxes and delivery. Will it be worth it? Well, the Phantom’s price was £265,000 and that was worth every penny you ever earned. We’re certain the Ghost will not disappoint its owners either.

Wealthy people of the world, get that deposit put down!

For more information on and photos of the Rolls-Royce Ghost click here.

The car boasts styling cues from past 911’s. The ‘Ducktail’ spoiler harks at one of the coolest Porsche’s ever built – the 1972 Carrera RS 2.7 Coupé. The 19 inch Fuchs-style wheel design on the 911 Sport Classic hail from the ‘72 Carrera RS too.

Not a bad look at all then. Only one colour is available which is the aptly-named Sport Classic Grey.

Also impressive to look at is the retro-modern interior which, as with the exterior, only available in one colour – ‘Espresso Nature’. Or Brown, as we’d call it. The seats look wonderfully comfortable and luxurious. They feature woven leather in the centres surrounded by very high quality-looking smooth leather. To add to the retro look they have white piping running around the seams.

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The engine, taken from the Carrera S, is the 3.8 naturally-aspirated ‘flat six’ unit but features a newly-developed air intake system, on top of which Porsche have also added new cylinder heads and an engine management upgrade. So okay this might not sound like a lot but it equates to a better mid-range power band and also increases the horsepower to 408 (an added  23 hp) and the torque to 310 lb-ft. Surprisingly, Porsche have managed to keep the CO2 emissions and fuel economy to the same specifications as the Carrera S. An achievement in itself.

This look to be a real drivers car, and Porsche have kept true to this and only sell the 911 Sport Classic with a six speed manual gear box. Big respect to them on that front.

Stats for the car are impressive, with a 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) time of only 4.6 seconds and top speed of  187 mph (302 kph) it’ll keep you happy, no doubt about that.

The Porsche 911 Sport Classic will be available to buy in January 2010 and will cost £140,000.

For more information on and pictures of the car click here.

The F1-style gearbox paddle shifters are now longer to allow easier shifts from any angle, the Shock Absorber setting button is placed next to the Start button on the steering wheel and even the indicator buttons, high beam lights and windscreen wipers buttons are all on the steering wheel and easily to hand (or finger). In fact the cockpit is entirely driver focussed, where even the lower centre console buttons are angled so that they are easier push than conventional flat buttons.

Now onto the exterior styling which was deigned by Pininfarina. I’m definitely seeing styling cues from the one-off Ferrari P 4-5. The small rear light clusters are very similar as is the rear diffuser to a certain extent. Overall the styling is very much like the P 4-5 as the 458 Italia looks hunched and purposeful. The ‘hanging’ triple exhausts pipes (two real, one for show) at the rear make the car look extremely mean and fast. Typical Ferrari thinking this. ‘Two exhausts, that’s just boring! Four exhausts. Been there, done that. Three exhausts eh?. Bellissimo’. Also sculpted into the car’s rear are air outlets to release the heat from the engine.

The front has an almost aggressive look to it as the ‘eyebrows’ next to the front lights are slashed into an angry demeanour . In front of the radiator grille are two ‘winglets’ which move slightly as speed increases to improve aerodynamic performance. These are beautifully sculpted and really make the front look unlike any other Ferrari to date.

The new mid-rear 4499 cc V8 has 450 Nm of torque and 562 bhp which equates to a 0-62 mph (0-110 kph) time of just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph (325 kph). The Ferrari’s extremely low weight of just 1380 kilograms no doubt has a part in those acceleration figures. The 458’s engine has been made to develop most of its torque at low revs meaning it’s easily capable of hitting its top speed.

Thanks to the new ABS braking system the car will do 62 mph (100 km)  - 0 mph in only 32.5 metres. Now lets have a look at our (UK) completely out of date highway code braking distances and have a laugh. According to their ‘typical stopping distances’, the average car (in what year again, eh Government?) will brake from these speeds in 73 metres (240 feet). Ha. The Ferrari will do it in under half that distance Mr Brown. Even the average family car will now trounce those outdated and pathetic Gov. issued figures. But that’s another article altogether .

According to the official Ferrari blurb ‘the 458 Italia is designed for owners for whom the priority is uncompromising on-road performance with occasional track day capability, but who still demand a car that is useable in day-to-day driving like all Ferrari’s recent models’.

Keep an eye out on this website for an up-close and personal review of the 458 Italia when we get hold of one.

For more information on the Ferrari 458 Italia (including some great audio clips and videos) click here.