Great Machines: News: Auto Show Stoppers
06/01/2007
First, the bad news: Only 24 examples of the Spyker C12 Zagato will be built, and each has already been sold. But the uninitiated need not lament for long, because as if sheer scarcity and a €495,000 price tag were not enough to ensure that each car find its proper home, only current Spyker owners were invited to buy one.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The good news is that this could be the beginning of a
beautiful friendship between the Netherlands-based Spyker Cars and the famous
Italian design firm. Victor Muller, Spyker’s CEO, has been a lifelong fan of
Andrea Zagato. "I bought my first Zagato car when I was 18," Muller says. The
two met at Concorso Villa d’Este last April and began working on a special
edition of the C12 Spyder. (Click image to enlarge)
The C12 channels 500 hp from its Volkswagen-sourced 6-liter,
12-cylinder, W-12 engine to the ground via a 6-speed manual or automatic
transmission with F1-style
paddle shifters. Thus equipped, the car
accelerates from zero-to-60 mph in 3.8 seconds and can achieve a top speed of
193 mph. With such supercar performance on tap,
Spyker’s newly acquired
racing credentials were also called into play when the company acquired a
Formula One team last August. Then, Muller says, "I stopped the design
process to make sure we incorporated the F1 elements."
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Those racy components include everything from the front spoiler
and rear diffuser to the side and roof-mounted air inlets. Norihiko Harada was
the designer responsible for incorporating Zagato trademarks, such as the double
bubble roof and coda tronca
truncated rear end, with Spyker’s unique
design language. The resulting aluminum body will be hand built in England. As
Muller points out: "We are a Dutch company working with an Italian design
company with a Japanese designer, building cars in the U.K. This is a truly
cosmopolitan car." —Gregory Anderson (Click image to enlarge)
Spyker, www.spykercars.com
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With a limited production run of
550 cars, the Bentley Brooklands
marks Bentley’s return to the exclusive
luxury coupe market. Boasting a Crewe-built 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V-8
engine, the Brooklands develops 530 hp and 774 ft lbs of torque. According to
director of styling Dirk van Braeckel, the exterior design showcases the Bentley
coupe’s tradition—with a long hood, short front and long rear overhang as well
as the addition of more contemporary cues, like a low roof line, pillar-less
side glass, and "floating" rear glass. Each Brooklands coupe will be
hand-assembled with select wood veneer trim and leather. Deliveries are expected
to begin in the first half of 2008. —Paul Meyers (Click image to enlarge)
Bentley, www.bentleymotors.com
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On sale next spring, the 2008
Ford Shelby GT500KR resuscitates a model name last used in 1968. The so-called
"King of the Road" was the most powerful factory Mustang of its time. The new
GT500KR will be the mightiest Mustang of the modern era, developing
approximately 540 hp through a brawny version of the GT500’s supercharged
5.4-liter V-8. The engine, fed by a cold-air intake and aided by a
low-restriction exhaust, will be mated to the GT500’s 6-speed manual
transmission with shorter throws and a white ball on the shift lever. A
carbon-fiber hood, lower suspension, harder dampers and springs along with
stiffer anti-roll bars and a strut-tower brace promise better handling. The
GT500KR should retail for approximately $50,000, but average sale price—with its
limited production run of 1,000 cars that actually pass through Shelby’s speed
shop in Las Vegas—will likely mean a hefty dealer markup. —G.A. (Click image to enlarge)
Ford Motor Company, www.ford.com
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The BMW M3 concept at the 2007
Geneva Motor Show provided proof that the production-version 4-liter V-8 sport
coupe was on the verge of completion. A month later, the official release was
announced and the fourth-generation BMW M3 Coupe, boasting 420 hp and 295
ft lbs of torque, beckoned Bimmer-lovers everywhere. As the first M3 to carry an
8-cylinder engine, the 2008 M3 Coupe will dash from zero-to-60 mph in 4.8
seconds, with a limited top speed of 155 mph. Its carbon-fiber reinforced
plastic roof is derived from the M6 Coupe and the doors, trunk lid, windows,
headlights and rear lights are all carried over from the two-door 3-Series, but
the M3 Coupe is instantly recognizable with a powerdome hood, air intake
openings, front and rear air dams, side panel vents and light-alloy wheels.
—P.M. (Click image to enlarge)
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Styled by Pininfarina, the new
Maserati GranTurismo follows in the tradition of the first GranTurismo, the A6,
unveiled 60 years ago by the Trident Company at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show. The
two-door, 2008 GranTurismo delivers 405 hp from a 4.2-liter V-8 engine and
offers seating for four. Maserati’s latest production car is fitted with a
ZF-built 6-speed automatic gearbox and is equipped with an adaptive control
system that can adjust to different driving styles and road conditions. With
prices estimated to be just over $100,000, the Maserati GranTurismo will compete
with the Audi R8, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Porsche 911. —P.M. (Click image to enlarge)
Maserati, www.maserati.com