Feast your eyes on the all-new Audi R8 V10 Spyder. Rumored to get up to 17mpg, this convertible iteration of the famed R8 coupe has had people clamoring to get themselves on our waiting list here at Carlyle Motor Club.
When Brabus one day announces that they've developed a G-Wagen that can simply teleport from place to place, we won't be the least bit surprised. After all, getting there faster is the company's mission, and the Mercedes-Benzes it works its black magic on are certainly capable of that. Take, for instance, the latest ride to emerge from the skunkworks in Bottrop: the S600-based SV12 R.
The Brabus SV12 R is a car for drivers who feel that the 612-horsepower S65 AMG is lacking underhood. Fret-not, deep-pocketed speed freaks: Brabus has your back. The SV12 R features a 6.3-liter twin-turbo V12 that shovels out 750 horses and a completely insane 995 lb-ft of torque. How do we know it's insane? Because the Brabus folks – who aren't exactly shrinking violets when it comes to the gonzo power numbers – electronically cap it at 811 lb-ft to protect the transmission. (Somewhere in Germany, there must be a shady character named Klaus with a flash tuner doing back-alley torque liberations.) Regardless, that much twist going to the rear wheels ought to put you on a first-name basis with your local tire retailer, as you're likely to be in there every 45 minutes or so for new rubber. Brabus says that zero to 60 takes just four seconds, and that the SV12 R's top speed is an electronically-limited 211 mph.
What else? The de rigeur aero kit is in play, as are a variety of wheel designs for maximum curb appeal. Inside, the car can be outfitted with "BRABUS Yachting precious-wood" accents and a fully-equipped backseat office, allowing you to finalize that corporate takeover PowerPoint deck while your retired DTM-racer chauffeur breaks every traffic law ever written in a bid to get you to your meeting on time. The car will make its debut later this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The Frankfurt Motor Show is fast approaching, but rather than hit the brakes as they would for an approaching corner, Ferrari is pulling out all the stops. In gearing up to unveil their new 458 Italia at the show next month, Ferrari is giving us a little more each week. We've already seen the first batch of shots, downloaded the ringtone and heard the company's brand and technical directors talk about the car; now Maranello has released an additional video of Paolo Pininfarina of the eponymous design studio talk about the car's styling.
Like last year's California, the 458 gets a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox to send power to the rear axle. A lot of work has been done on reducing the internal friction of the powerplant, in addition to work on reduced aerodynamic drag. The results help improve the 458's mileage to a combined 17.1 mpg (US) on the EU test cycle. No mention is made so far of incorporating any type of KERS hybrid system, something that has been entertained in a lot of rumors... perhaps it will come at a later date.
Like its predecessor, the structure is fabricated out of aluminum giving the 458 a dry weight of just 3,042 pounds. As this is a Ferrari, talk of fuel consumption really does seem a bit pointless. The real question, is how quick is it? Based on specs at least, this new coupe does not disappoint. Acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 3.4 seconds, and this will be the first volume production Ferrari V8 to top the 200 mph barrier, with a top whack of 202 mph.
