Daaamn SLIM: !! Bugatti Galibier Detailed, Will Have More Than 1000 hp

via Car and Driver Blog by Jens Meiners on 8/16/12

Bugatti 16 C Galibier

It still will be a few years before you can get one, but the four-door Bugatti Galibier is taking shape. The project is being pursued “with high energy,” Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer tells us. But it is not decided yet whether the Galibier will come before or after the successor of the two-seater Veyron supercar. Read full story »

445 horsepower: 2013 BMW 7 Series makes its North American debut

via Autoblog by Zach Bowman on 8/17/12

Filed under: , , ,

Behold the 2013 BMW 750i. The German automaker's flagship sedan bowed to a North American audience for the very first time at Pebble Beach, and while designers kept the big 7 largely unchanged outside, buyers can look forward to a slew of incremental improvements indoors. Under the hood, engineers rustled up an additional additional 45 horsepower and 30 pound-feet of torque from the 4.4-liter V8 in the 750i thanks to the addition of Valvetronic. The swap nudges the machine's final power figures to 445 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of twist, which help scoot the massive four-door to 60 mph in a scant 4.7 seconds. Hi-ho, Silver.

Even with the nudge in performance, BMW says it has managed to improve efficiency by around 25 percent due to the addition of a new eight-speed automatic transmission. Meanwhile, the 740i continues on with the same horsepower for 2013, but receives a 20-percent jump in efficiency thanks to its eight-speed gearbox.

Look for a new ECO PRO powertrain management system to bow on both the 740i and 750i as well. The system helps eek every last bit of available efficiency from the engine and transmission and includes a coast mode that allows the 7 Series to freewheel at speeds between 30 and 100 mph.

2013 BMW 7 Series makes its North American debut at Pebble Beach originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Official Car Lover: McLaren X-1 Concept created as one-off for anonymous client

via Autoblog by Jeremy Korzeniewski on 8/17/12

Filed under: , , , , , ,

McLaren X-1

The first major surprise of Pebble Beach weekend in Monterey has officially landed.

The machine you see above is the McLaren X-1 Concept, and it was created by McLaren Special Operations for an anonymous client. Underneath that crazy slice of bodywork lies the British company's unique carbon monocell - the same basic structure that underpins the MP4-12C. MSO Programme Director Paul MacKenzie describes how it came to be:

"One of our clients who already owned a McLaren F1, a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and now a 12C, wanted a unique car. The conversation began with our Executive Chairman Ron Dennis almost three years ago − before the 12C was even launched. The client wanted a machine that had all the capability of the 12C but wrapped in a unique body that reflected his needs and personality."

We're not sure that we'd use words like 'timeless and classical elegance' to describe the X-1 (at least without seeing it in person), which is what the client had been yearning for, but the result is nothing if not striking and memorable. Design Director Frank Stephenson used cars such as the 1961 Facel Vega, 1953 Chrysler D'Elegance Ghia, 1959 Buick Electra, 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K and 1971 Citroën SM for inspiration.

The initial design, after a competition was held between McLaren's own designers and a selected few from outside the automotive world, came from McLaren's Korean-born RCA graduate Hong Yeo. It took two and a half years to complete once the design was finalized, and the company says everything from the lights to the wheels were created specifically for this project.

Most of the carbon fiber bodywork has been painted piano black, though some of the panels let the natural carbon weave shine through, and all the brightwork - including the so-called McLaren Airbrake rear wing - was hewn from solid aluminum and nickel plated. The interior is finished in Harissa Red Nappa leather.

We highly suggest you have a closer look at the McLaren X-1 in our high-res image gallery above, and you can bet we'll have live shots of this stunner in short order. If nothing else, one thing is perfectly clear: Ferrari has some real competition in McLaren when it comes to building bespoke supercars for wealthy clients. Scroll down below for the official press release.

Continue reading McLaren X-1 Concept created as one-off for anonymous client

McLaren X-1 Concept created as one-off for anonymous client originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments