2009 Bentley Continental by ASI

While most vehicles leaving the Crewe factory in England are bound to spend their whole life without any sort of customizations, there are some owners who wouldn’t mind jazzing up their Bentley. One of the few tuners that specialize purely on Bentley cars is a Japanese firm called ASI which stands for “Accuracy Spirit Imagination”. ASI’s latest proposition concerns a full bodykit for the drop top Continental GTC.

The package is made up of a front bumper spoiler with a carbon fiber lip and LED daytime lights, side skirts, a rear bumper with a carbon fiber lip and exhaust cutter and finally a discreet boot spoiler made out of carbon fiber. The aero kit is complemented by a set of 22-inch alloy rims wrapped in 265/30 tires up front and 295/25 at the rear.
Source and more pictures ---> Carscoop

The New Distinctive, Mid-engined, 2+2 Sportscar from Lotus: Lotus Project Eagle

Eagerly anticipated and making its official global debut at the British Motorshow in London on July 22nd, the first all-new car from Lotus since the iconic Elise in 1995, will enter the sportscar market as the only mid-engined 2+2 in production.

The new car, which is known only by its project name 'Eagle', is a more holistic offering than the Elise and Exige models that have been so massively popular with track day enthusiasts. The car, the name for which will be announced at the British Motorshow on 22nd July at an 11:30 press conference, is designed for people who desire exotic sportscar characteristics of stunning design, exclusivity, dramatic proportions and performance. Project Eagle also offers real-world usability and a unique sense of occasion.

Powered by a 3.5-litre V6 producing 280 PS, the new car employs innovative lightweight chassis technology to ensure visceral all-round dynamic performance, in keeping with the great Lotus tradition. Even in the very early stages of development testing, Lotus ride and handling engineers report that it is considerably faster around the famously demanding Nurburgring circuit than the Elise and more stable at speed than the Exige.

Inside, Project Eagle cocoons occupants with a sumptuous leather surfaces juxtaposed with contemporary high-tech features. With driver focused instrumentation the driver sits in cockpit-esque surroundings. A beautifully appointed dash boasts tactile details such as flush-mounted controls that glow with blue LED haloes and a stylised speedometer and rev counter ensuring that controls are both attractive and accessible.

Styled in-house by Lotus Design, the Project Eagle's sleek, sophisticated and attention-snaring lines brilliantly disguise its ability to accommodate passengers in the rear of the cabin, giving the car the external characteristics of a small, nimble sportscar whilst belying its internal space. As well as being sold in a 2+2 configuration, the car will also be available as a purely two-seater, the space in the rear being allocated to luggage storage. Other derivatives are also planned for the future, including a convertible and an ultra-high performance version.

Deliveries of Project Eagle will begin in Spring 2009, and with only 2000 of the hand crafted cars planned each year, this exclusive and unique car is creating a real stir with celebrity enthusiasts around the world. Hollywood actor and car enthusiast Patrick Dempsey is just one of the high profile collectors who are on the waiting list for a test drive.

Mike Kimberley, CEO of Group Lotus plc, had this to say about the new model: "Project Eagle is the biggest milestone Lotus has achieved since the Elise was born 13 years ago. We are currently working at broadening the appeal of the Lotus brand through an aggressive 5-year model plan of which this car represents the first exciting step."

Source: Tuning News

Rolls Royce Silver... Bullitt with 1040 Hp Hemi V8

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this kitschy Silver Shadow isn’t your typical chauffeur driven Rolls Royce. The custom made limo is equipped with a 592 Hemi V8 that with the help of a dual stage nitrous system pumps out a mouthwatering 1040Hp. Leaving aside the pimp-my-Impala steering wheel, another interesting detail is the roll cage that’s wrapped around with leather and contrast stitching.

Project Kahn Bentley Continental GTS ‘Black Edition’

Project Kahn is proud to announce the launch of the new Bentley Continental GTS ‘Black Edition’.

The ‘Black Edition’ has an eight-piece body consisting of a three piece rear valance, two side skirts, a two piece front valance and a rear boot spoiler. This kit has been developed by our Project Kahn design team and has undergone many hours of testing not only to ensure safety but also to ensure that a perfect fit is achieved for each car.

The ‘Black Edition’ package contains a full interior styling program which includes a bespoke Project Kahn Luxury Leather upgrade and high gloss piano black interior fascia panels with the optional extras of either a high gloss piano black steering or a carbon fibre finish steering wheel. Each car comes with privacy tinted glass perfectly matched to compliment the cars exterior. To complete the ‘low to the road’ aggressive stance the ‘black edition’ is fitted with a Project Kahn electronic lowering module. As standard the suspension is lowered by 20mm but this can be adjusted according to the customers’ requirements.
Each ‘Black Edition’ is fitted with the Project Kahn GTS sports exhaust system which provides a slight increase in performance whilst accelerating but more importantly emits a unique sound emanating from the car as a deep rumble.

However the most unique feature of the ‘Black Edition’ is the addition of the new ‘Silver Mist’ alloy wheel.

Source: Tuning News

Jaguar XKR-S: Car Review

Quick quiz time- What's the fastest Jaguar ever, not counting the XJ220? Answer: you're looking at it. This new XKR-S has been de-restricted, so the standard XK-R's limited top speed of 155mph does not apply. Good.

This baby will run all the way to 174mph, which seems a lot more Jaguarish to me than a computerised restrictor. Here's a thought - remove the restrictors from all Jaguars. Just a thought.

Few owners will ever hit this car's maximum, but it's nice to know it's there. And the S is an improvement over the standard car in many other ways, all of which add up to a full and proper justification for the extra £9,000 on the list price.

Not least of the improvements is the superb body kit. This is instantly recognisable as the ultimate Jaguar XK, and a good many buyers will wear the extra cost for that reason alone. Lower front, side and rear skirts are subtle yet still striking, and work beautifully on the XK's fundamentally gorgeous shape - to such an extent that a couple of people asked me what the car was.

The rear diffuser combined with the larger rear wing really transforms this car's back end - the haunches look a lot more muscular and the bespoke wheels are absolutely perfect. Once again, this is a Jag that cocks a finger in the direction of Aston Martin, and I don't think there's an Aston to touch it, really.

Then there's the suspension upgrades. Jaguar's chassis gurus are surely the greatest in the business this side of Lotus. They've done some of their best work with the XKR-S, which is significantly harder all round for better response through corners, yet somehow maintains its cosseting ride.

If there's any GT car in the world with a better ride and handling compromise than this XKR-S, I haven't driven it.

The engine remains the same - a 4.2-litre supercharged V8 with 420bhp and 413lb ft - and so does the transmission, the six-speed auto by ZF - and I guess these are the only two areas that need updating. New, more efficient engines are on the way later this year, but there isn't a lot wrong with the drivetrain now. I'd like to see more controllability built into the auto 'box, though, like in the XF - it's an improvement Jaguar should make straightaway.

That's nit-picking, though. The way this car goes, stops and steers makes it the best Jaguar on sale, and probably the best GT too.

By Bill Thomas from Top Gear

Aston Martin N400 Roadster

It's all abou the sound of the engine in the new Aston Martin N400 roadster. With the roof down, at 4,000 rpm you reach what appears to be the most favorable feeling in the world "Nirvana". At this point at the exhuast baffles up more, rather than the V8 burbling away, it takes on a much harder edge. Thank goodness the engine has a lovely singing voice.

The N400 is a limited-edition car with only 240 built and now completely sold out, but you might still be able to get the odd one at one of the dealers. It gets the same rather naff Nürburgring map stitched into the leather on the interior ,and also gets the sports suspension option that appears on the Vantage face-lift.

What's really impressive though about this is, that it doesn't ruin the ride. There's still a suppleness here that's surprising in a roadster, which means that scuttle shake also never becomes a problem.

Other than the slightly notchy gear change, the driving experience is incredible, it really is surprising how pointy and directional the N400 feels. All of which means that concentrating on the noise becomes pretty much the only thing you need concern yourself with.

2009 Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe

As if we didn't have enough already with the four door Roll Royce Phantom. This 2 door coupe is more than enough to satisfy the needs of the rich and not so famous. Superior styling as always and a superior V12 engine pulling out 453 horsepower and 531 lb-ft torque going from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds. The Rolls Royce phantom is for those young professional people who don't have a family yet but want to roll in luxury. Or for the man who wants to go on a special trip with his wife alone on the weekend.

Engine

Power bhp: 453

Torque lb-ft: 531

Type: V12

Performance

Acceleration 0-60 mph: 5.6 Seconds

Top Speed: 155 (electronically limited)

Base Price for 2009 Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe: $412,000

ASI Tetsu GTR: Flower Power

The Bentley ASI Tetsu GTR, is a Japanese-modified Bentley Continental GT, that proves it's not only the Europeans who have bad taste in accesorizing their cars.

I'm not sure what offends me the most about the Tetsu. Is it the awful R8-mimicking rear end with DTM-spec rear wing? Maybe it's the jarring juxt aposition of the carbon-fibre bonnet with flower decals, which is apparently the work of renowned Japanese artist Nakamura Tetsui.

Which doesn't make it any more acceptable.

ASI has fettled an extra 250bhp from the Conti's six-litre W12 engine - bringing overall power to a nice round 800bhp - but doesn't specify how. Alchemy and witchcraft, perhaps. Over all the Tetsu is just one ugly car, that looks like it was designed by a crack head on lsd.

Jaguar Goes Into a New Direction

Jaguar's business has not been going well for the past 10 years, so they have decided to go into a new direction. The 2009 Jaguar XF a 4 seated luxury sports car, the exterior is a sporty, muscular and dynamic which was inspired by the XK. The interior maximizes the feeling of space, at same time making it a sports car. The new XF is a dramatic expression of a bold new Jaguar design language, with a driving experience that exceeds expectations created by the striking appearance: relaxed and confident, with outstanding ability and control. I believe the XF will help Jaguar's to grow in a better direction.

Engine
Power bhp: 420

Torque lb-ft: 413

Type: supercharged V8

Performance

Acceleration 0-60 mph: 5.1

Top Speed: 155 (electronically limited)

Base Price: 2009 Jaguar XF $49,975