anablogcar

    This is our first opportunity to hear the 4.0-litre V12 at speed, and as Franchitti approaches the headline-bating 12,100rpm rev limit, the engine note has obvious echoes of the twelve-cylinder power units used in Formula 1 until 1996.  As was the case with the McLaren F1 (also developed by Gordon Murray and widely regarded as the T50's spiritual forebear), this test mule, known as George, is based on an Ultima, which is usually powered by a Chevrolet-derived V8 and as such has had to be extensively modified to accomodate the larger engine. Three functioning XP cars are in operation, however, and one will star at the Goodwood Member's Meeting next week, lapping the Sussex circuit in anger in what will be the T50's public debut.  The biggest mechanical difference between George and the final production car is that the early prototype goes without the T50's trademark downforce-enhancing fan technology. Inspired by the device used by Brabham's 1978 F1...

 

    Aston Martin has revived the hallowed V12 Vantage name for a commemorative and highly exclusive range-topping edition of its two-seat sports coupé, promising substantially enhanced performance over the standard V8 car. The British firm will build just 333 examples of the new  Aston Martin V12 Vantage , all of which were sold prior to its unveiling for a starting price of £265,000 - £123,000 more than the previous range-topping Vantage F1 Edition. "The engine is the heart of every  Aston Martin , but never more so than in this," the company said. The eight-speed automatic gearbox is carried over from the standard Vantage but recalibrated to give faster shift times and "driver interaction". Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers said the V12 Vantage has been the firm's "hero car" in recent years and that this latest iteration is a fitting final outing for the name. "Right from the moment the first V12 Vantage RS Concept was shown back in 2007, our c...

    Keen drivers wanting a healthy bang for their buck have for years sought solace in Type R   Honda s, whether through the pumped-up kicks of the Integra Type Rs or the tantalisingly agile   Honda Civic Type R s, both of whose entertaining handling goes at least some way to making up for their occasional lack of subtlety and finesse. If any of them can lay claim to being the sweet spot, though – the baby bear’s porridge in the history of the sporting Honda – it’s the Accord Type R, a four-door, five-seat thriller that combined terrific and immensely usable performance and real driving purity with a modicum of practicality and a hint of decorum and, dare one say it, even maturity. For starters, what you got under the bonnet was a gem of an engine, a hand-finished, naturally aspirated 209bhp 2.2-litre VTEC DOHC inline four known as the HA27 and derived from the engine in the contemporary Prelude. It produced its maximum power at a tingly and sonorous 7200rpm and woul...

    Keen drivers wanting a healthy bang for their buck have for years sought solace in Type R   Honda s, whether through the pumped-up kicks of the Integra Type Rs or the tantalisingly agile   Honda Civic Type R s, both of whose entertaining handling goes at least some way to making up for their occasional lack of subtlety and finesse. If any of them can lay claim to being the sweet spot, though – the baby bear’s porridge in the history of the sporting Honda – it’s the Accord Type R, a four-door, five-seat thriller that combined terrific and immensely usable performance and real driving purity with a modicum of practicality and a hint of decorum and, dare one say it, even maturity. For starters, what you got under the bonnet was a gem of an engine, a hand-finished, naturally aspirated 209bhp 2.2-litre VTEC DOHC inline four known as the HA27 and derived from the engine in the contemporary Prelude. It produced its maximum power at a tingly and sonorous 7200rpm and woul...

    UK sales of the rugged   Audi A4 Allroad   and   Audi A6 Allroad   estates have been ended, with   Audi  declaring no intention of importing any future generations.  The decision was taken due to the variants accounting for only a small proportion of sales for their respective model lines. Audi sold 292 examples of the A4 Allroad in 2021, for example, compared with 446 of the significantly more potent and expensive  Audi  RS4 Avant, accounting for just over a thirtieth of total  Audi A4  sales. The larger A6 Allroad was an even slower seller, shifting just 256 units in the UK last year, less than half the number of  Audi  RS6 Avants sold in the same period and just 4.4% of  Audi A6  sales. Neither variant is now available to configure on Audi UK's website, and a spokesman confirmed to Autocar that the German brand has no plans to bring any future Allroad models here. The A6 ...