Remember those photos of Tony Stark’s (aka Iron Man played by Robert Downey Jr.) Acura, spotted on the set of the new Avengers movie in Central Park, New York? That was supposed to be a one-off model. But, as it turns out, the famous super car could be the basis for the new Honda / Acura NSX and we could be seeing it in concept at next year’s Detroit Show.

As British publication Autocar has reported, Honda plans to debut a new concept called “Super Sports” at the Detroit Motor Show in mid-January. It will most likely have a “high output electric SH-AWD hybrid system” that combines a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine with a built-in, 40HP electric motor, two independent 27HP electric motors on both sides for the rear wheels, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a high performance lithium-ion battery – all part of Honda’s “Earth Dreams Technology” plan, which prioritizes Fun, the Environment and Safety.

According to Honda’s Creative director, Toshinubu Minami, this halo model will “wear the same Honda face as the concepts presented at [the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show], because of course there must be consistency, but they won’t be the same.”

Moreover, most probably the NSX will have a hard top, unlike Tony Stark’s Acura that has a fabric soft top. The super hot car will arrive in Europe also, but under the Honda badge, and is likely to go on sale by 2013.

If the rumors turn out to be valid, than not only will we have the chance to admire the cool new Honda concept in the Avengers movie set for release in May 2012, but maybe see it “strutting” down the streets, in reality, as well.

Maybach fans are not advised to watch the video below!

We’re used to seeing videos of rappers showing off their latest beauties – women or cars – as a proof of their wealth and hard-gained status, but Jay-Z and Kanye West’ s Otis video takes this rapper statement to a new level.

With the release of their joint golden & glittery album – literally! – Watch the Throne (August 8), the two rappers made it clear that their product is quite luxurious, and they also made sure everybody understood that by flashing a Maybach in their Otis video. But the Maybach wasn’t used just for showing off. Oh, no! Cutting the doors off and chopping the body down until the motorized beauty looked like something ripped out of a death race was definitely shocking. Destroying a $300k-$400k luxury car is quite a powerful statement.

The video begins with Kanye and Jay approaching the Maybach brandishing power tools. After a bunch of guys in white suits get the luxury car stripped-off, Jay and Kanye hop in and take it for a spin, circling an abandoned lot with four models packed in the back. Oh, and judging from Jay-Z’s smile – very unusual for him to show his teeth in a grin, by the way – it really looks like they had fun doing it!

Importantly enough, this much-praised video is part of a tribute paid to American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding – hence the name of the song – and the unique Maybach destroyed in it will be auctioned for charity and all proceeds will be donated to victims of drought in East Africa.

See the video:

If you’re a huge Transformers fan and Bumblebee is your favorite Autobot than this news will surely please you: General Motors released yesterday (June 27) the 2012 Transformers Special Edition Chevrolet Camaro Coupe, celebrating the car’s return to the Transformers movies – the third installment, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which opens in the United States today and worldwide on June 29.

“The Transformers franchise has helped introduce Camaro – and Chevrolet – to a whole new generation of fans,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “Its role in the films helped make the Camaro the best-selling sports car in America and one of the best-known cars of any kind around the world.”

The 2012 Transformers Camaro will feature black rally stripes that stretch over the hood, roof, decklid and unique high-wing rear spoiler; 20-inch, black-painted wheels wrapped in high-performance summer tires; and Autobot Shield logos on the center caps and front quarter panels. The interior also incorporates the Transformers’ Bumblebee theme, boasting black leather surfaces contrasted with yellow stitching on the instrument panel, center console, armrests and seats; Autobot Shield logos are embroidered on the front headrests, as well as the center console lid.

According to General Motors, the 2012 Transformers Special Edition will be available as a $3,000 package on 2LT and 2SS Camaro Coupes with Rally Yellow paint and Bumblebee fans in the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Europe, South America, and the Middle East can start ordering as of 1^st of July 2011. Vehicles are expected to arrive at dealers in the U.S. and Canada in September, surely much to the content of the US and Canadian Transformers junkies.

Now, turning our attention towards the much anticipated blockbuster – starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and new addition Rosie Huntington-Whiteley –, we might assume all of you Transformers fans will barge into the theaters to see some amazing 3D action sequences, not only the well-known robots fights, but also guys in wing-suits jumping from a skyscraper and gliding over Chicago – an action bit that has never been done before in films, according to the film’s director Michael Bay. You’ll also see the Bumblebee in action. Too bad that the real thing – the Chevy Camaro 2012 Transformers Special Edition – can’t pull off those stunts!

Here’s the movie trailer, just to have a glimpse at what to expect from both the movie and the Bumblebee Chevy Camaro. Although we’re pretty sure you haven’t missed it…

Should that even cross our minds? Well, according to the Lotus CEO, Dany Bahar, the new Lotus Esprit – eet for launch in the spring of 2013 – will offer a “more authentic driving experience than its rivals, the Ferrari 458 Italia and McLaren MP4-12C”.

Presented as a concept car at last year’s Paris motorshow, the Lotus Esprit was again brought to everyone’s attention in a press conference a few days ago, where Dany Bahar revealed some major details about it.
The new supercar will be the first to receive an all-new, Lotus-developed engine instead of the 5.0-litre Toyota engine. The former will be about 176 lbs lighter and 40 per cent smaller than the Toyota V8 and will be able to reach around 570 HP – a much higher figure than the one registered by the last Esprit (2004), 350 HP –, providing the new Esprit with “the character and emotion that the MP4-12C lacks”. The Lotus CEO also mentioned that the supercar would feature F1-derived KERS technology, which “will add and not detract from the driving experience”, and claimed that it would have “the character and emotion the McLaren lacks”.

It seems that the British automaker nurtures great ambitions of improving its position in the supercar segment, and has set the bar pretty high for itself considering its competitors’ success. Development of the new motorized hottie will take place at the Nürburging and Idiada (Spain) circuits, as well as at Lotus’s Hethel headquarters, where work on a new test track is almost complete.

Here are some photos of the Lotus Esprit at last year’s Paris motorshow.

Created by 21-year-old Zhang Yuhan, the Volkswagen Aqua is the winning entry to a Volkswagen-sponsored competition that asked designers to come up with a “Chinese off-road vehicle” with “go-anywhere” capabilities.
Complying with the requirements, the new futuristic concept car is truly amazing, not only capabilities-wise, as it can be driven on roads, sand, ice, and even water, but design-wise, as well – the vehicle boasts a sleek sports car appearance, with four high-powered fans and a large windscreen that stretches above the front seats to give a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape; it also features integrated airbags that inflate to lift it from the ground, and an entrance/exit hatch at its rear.

The Chinese female mechanic design graduate based her creation on technology that is currently available, equipping the Aqua with a hydrogen fuel cell to power two motors (carbon emissions-free) – one motor inflates the skirt around the vehicle to make it hover, while the second drives it forwards and controls its direction; it can reach a top speed of 62 m/h. Thus, the “futuristic hottie” works like a hovercraft and the way it can move seamlessly between different surfaces is absolutely brilliant!

The Xihua University student, who also made the shortlist from the CDN China Car Award, argued, very confidently, that “there is no better form of transport than an air cushion vehicle because it travels equally well over land, ice, and water”. “I hope Aqua will become an affordable supercar, available to the general public one day”, Ms. Yuhan added, and we couldn’t agree more. Why change several means of transport to reach a remote destination when this little beauty seems just perfect for the job?

Here are great some pics to feast your eyes upon:

Source

As a fan and owner of Honda, especially Civic hatchback, I was a little bit nervous about seeing what is going to happen with the new 2012 Honda Civic 5-Door Hatchback. It seems that the waiting time is over. Some guys spied this new model somewhere in the Alps. The camouflage is too heavy to see the new lines, but I’m sure that it will be a lot of changes. I already see two. One great, and one neutral. The great change that the new Civic will have is that it has a windshield cleaner on the back. This is a big problem with 2006 Civic because when you drive at low speed and it raining, the windshield doesn’t clean itself (as it supposed to as a feature of the car) and gets all wet and
full of dirt. I don’t want to tell you how the window will look like when the water evaporates. The neutral change is that the front windshield cleaners will move in the classic way, both arms will raise in the same way, not in different directions.
It is more than obvious that 2012 Honda Civic 5-Door hatchback body looks much the same with the actual one, but the new lines can make the difference. I truly say that some bigger rims will be great! So, stay tuned! Maybe soon will have some spied photos with no camouflage.

Porsche’s newest version of its popular and successful 911 GT3 RS, the 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0, was announced to go on sale in the United States in late 2011, and all of you Porsche fans out there must know that this is also the final version of the current 911 platform, before the car manufacturer introduces its next-gen model.

Unfortunately, it comes in a limited edition of 600 units worldwide, each priced from $185,000. But for this money you get a lightweight racer beauty with – you guessed! – a 4.0-liter 6-cylinder engine (the biggest engine fitted on a 911) which develops 500 HP at 8,250 rpm and maximum torque of 339 ft/lbs at 5,750 rpm; thus, with 125 HP per liter, this racer is all about high performance. The officials claim 7:27 lap time around the Nurburgring, a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 193 mph.

Oh, and transmission-wise – you guessed again! – the 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 is sold exclusively with a 6-speed manual sports transmission.

Here are further details from the press release:

“This limited edition 911 is painted Carrara White as standard and emphasizes its proximity to motor racing by its dynamic appearance. Signature characteristics are the wide track, the low vehicle position, the large rear wing with side plates, central twin tailpipe, and the aerodynamically optimized body. Air deflection vanes mounted on either side of the front bumper – called ‘flics’ or dive planes – make their first appearance on a production Porsche. They create increased downforce on the front axle, and together with the steeply inclined rear wing, provide aerodynamics on par with its performance capabilities. As a result, at the 193 mph top track speed, aerodynamic forces exert an additional 426 lbs of downforce, thus pushing the 911 GT3 RS 4.0 onto the road.”

Now, on a side note, an earlier sibling of the 2011 Porsche GT3 RS 4.0, the 2002 Porsche GT3 RS, appears in the 2011 summer blockbuster Fast Five. As every Porsche fan, we’re sure you’re dying to see it in plain action. Apparently, Paul Walker is a huge Porsche fan, so this was enough of an incentive for the producers to add the hottie to the list of amazing cars featured in the film.

The first full-production Lexus LF-A arrived in the UK and made its public debut at the open-to-all Supercar Sunday Breakfast Club – based at Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex –, seducing the audience with its looks and its roars.

The Japanese sizzling-hot-supercar stood out among the jaw-dropping line-up of the world’s most desirable and cherished vehicles, proving that Lexus can build a high-performance car that sounds amazing.

Apparently, there will be only 500 LF-As, each one hand built; for those who wonder – or just need a reminder – the Lexus LFA is powered by a 4.8L V10 engine with an output of 552 HP and a maximum torque of 354 lb-ft. Paired with a 6-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox, the LFA goes from 0-60 mph with a time of just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph.

And to think Paris Hilton received one of these beauties for her 30th birthday… Grrr!

The Lexus LF-A is on the list of the cars featured in the new 2011 summer blockbuster Fast Five, the fifth installment to the Fast and Furious franchise. If you’re a car junkie, you must see the movie. But until then, here are some videos of the Lexus LF-A at the above-mentioned popular event, and some of the reviews given by the people attending it. Pretty enthusiastic, right? Well, we couldn’t agree more!

We’ll just let these two videos speak for themselves. We’re in awe…

Although the Koenigsegg CCX was first unveiled on February 28, 2006 at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, the Swedish beauty is still one of the most powerful and impressive supercars on the market, drawing attention everywhere it is taken, as it happened at the Top Marques Monaco 2011.

The Swedish Snow White, as it was dubbed, was available in the test drive pit, and so everyone could see “her” strutting around, eager to run at its highest speed.

The Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg started the CCX (Competition Coupe X) project with the aim of entering the world market, but engineered it so as to comply with the U.S. regulation and market demands. And the result is – we’re sure you agree – stunning! The Koenigsegg CCX is powered by a 4.7 liter twin-supercharged V8, which delivers an output of 806 bhp (601 kW) and 919Nm of torque; it can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and the top speed is over 245 mph, according to its manufacturer.

Have a look at the stunning CCX owning the streets of Monaco, in the videos below – a piece of advice: turn up the volume to hear that roar loudly while the Swedish super beauty is accelerating several times in tunnels and driving around town!

P.S. Koenigsegg CCX is also featured in the much anticipated 2011 summer blockbuster Fast Five – the fifth installment to the Fast and Furious franchise -, along with other badass fast cars. For all of you supercars’ fans, the movie is really worth watching!

Yes, you read it right! A 1965 Ford GT40 Works Prototype Roadster – one of just five specimens ever built – is up for auction on May 21, at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, run by RM Auctions.

This particular hunk of Detroit muscle has an interesting history as it was believed to have been lost for 4 decades. According to TopGear, it was built in 1965 by Ford Advanced Vehicles in Great Britain, as one of twelve pre-production GT40s – seven were closed cars and five were roadsters –, and raced in that year’s Targa Florio. Unfortunately, it crashed hitting a wall, and after that it virtually disappeared. 40 years later it reappeared in a lockup garage in East London, and as soon as GT40 experts were called in to inspect it, it was declared authentic. It has since been entirely restored and raced in the Spa 6 hours and the Le Mans Classic in ’07 and ’08, and came 2nd in class at the 2010 Masters Festival at Brands Hatch.

This green beauty features a 4.7-liter (289 cubic-inches) V-8 engine, an output of 444 HP, and a chassis numbered GT/111, in reference to being the 10th car built after the original GT40, which had the chassis number GT/101.

Its pre-sale estimate is $3.6 million to $4.3 million.

Other beauties set to go under hammer at Villa d’Este are a 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta (pre-sale estimate: $4.8 million to $6.2 million); a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Coupe ($4.8 million to $6.3 million); a 1938 Talbot-Lago T-150C SS Teardrop Coupe by Figoni et Falaschi ($4.6 million to $5.6 million); and a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A ($1.9 million to $2.7 million).

If you are a Ford GT40 fan, you must know it is featured in the much acclaimed 2011 summer blockbuster Fast Five, which is the fifth installment to the Fast and Furious franchise – great action, great cars, great movie!

[Source: TopGear]