Featuring a mini-Darth Vader in their last commercial, it’s fair to say Volkswagen has acquainted themselves nicely with Star Wars of late but their Superbowl 2012 spot is something else. Barking a familiar tune, the car manufacturer has teased a wonderful preview of the final advert with an invite to their special Big Game event too.
The most famous motorsport in the world, Porsche used to dominate Le Mans, the remarkable 24-hour race designed to test a driver’s mental stamina as well as their driving skills and speed of the car. In anticipation of their much-talked about return to the circuit in 2014, they’ve put together a little video highlighting their early years behind the wheel at Le Mans, and boy were they something. Hopefully their return will be just as entertaining too.
Boasting the tagline, “small but wicked”, Fiat’s new 500 Abarth packs a meaty 1.4l MultiAir Turbo engine, specially tuned suspension and brake systems and quite the striking paintjob, this is certainly a hot hatch, emphasis on the “hot”. To be officially launched in just a couple of days at the Los Angeles Motor Show, price and full specs coming.
Resurrecting their groundbreaking 40-year-old concept with a complete restoration, Holden’s Hurricane has the bravado of a Ford GT40 and the performance to match. Recently on show at Melbourne’s Motorclassica Car Show, the two-door features the original experimental four-barrel 253ci V8 mid-ship engine, it took a full five years to have her in full working order, but hopefully there are more on the way, and that they make it on sale or auction.
Up for auction tomorrow, this 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Coupé is expected to reach £300,000-£360,000, but that’s worth every penny for a car that screams style and sophistication such as this. The classic car boasts a 282 bhp, 3,995 cc DOHC inline six-cylinder engine, triple SU carburettors, ZF five-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension with upper and lower control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Offered for the first time from a private Swiss collector, RM Auctions ensure a copy of the original build sheet and a BMIHT certificate come with the purchase too. Oh yeah, and James Bond drove it in Goldfinger too.
To be auctioned on October 26th, and valued at between £360,000-£400,000, it’s rare to see a classic 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster so subtly gorgeous as this to hit the open market. In all-black with stunning red upholstery, the roadster packs a 250 bhp, 2,996 cc six-cylinder engine under the hood, four-speed all-synchromesh manual gearbox and independent front suspension with twin wishbones, so it’ll certainly still go a fair speed too.
Cadillac’s Ciel Concept somehow wheels all the way back around from ridiculous and excessive back into a would-be place on our driveway. Pairing a lithium-ion battery with a twin-turbocharged 3.6l V6, there’s little better than an overzealous convertible for that dream west coast Cali drive. With the interior boasting wood and luxurious leather, 22-inch brushed nickel plated rims, carbon ceramic brake rotors, a power-assisted transmission shifter and heating and cooling in all the seats, get your chequebooks out for when the Ciel makes production.
There’s a reason the new Ferrari 458 Spider has got a massive grin on its face. Slotting nicely into the legendary car manufacturer’s mid-engine line-up, the 458 Spider features a retractable hard top, 4.5l V8 under the hood, packing 562bhp, Ferrari’s dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission and some humongous 20-inch rims. Price is TBA, though it isn’t going to be cheap when it hits dealers early 2012. If you’re tempted, we’d advise getting in line.
Up for grabs on August 20th at RM Auctions, this 750 Monza Spider is one of only 35 ever built, and with 260 bhp under the hood and a DOHC four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission, it’s no surprise it’s expected to fetch between $2.5m-$3.25m. Even the car has a cheeky grin on it, though picture your own when cruising down the coast. Oh, and that mini cover comes off to reveal space for one very lucky passenger.
