Sunday, 9 March 2014

Koenigsegg Agera / Agera R

The Agera and Agera R are the successors to the CCX and CCXR, and are the third cars that Koenigsegg has made in production. Like the CCXR, I believe that either the Agera or the Agera R will make it onto the top ten list of most beautiful cars in history.


Keonigsegg Agera
Koenigsegg CCXR
Just one look at these cars and your eyes can't stay away. Much different than the regular hyper cars of the world, Koenigsegg stayed away from the pointed front end. They did an excellent job at being completely different and still making a poster car for all kids growing up.

The Agera was originally supposed to have a 4.7L twin turbocharged V8, but was upgraded to a 5.0L turbocharged V8 right before production began. This engine is so well designed it puts out an astonishing 960HP. Its 0-100km/h time is an impressive 3.1s, but what is outrageous is the top speed of this speed demon. It is believed to be able to go over 410km/h but has never been tested.

The Agera R is a different type of demon all together. Producing 1140HP and reaching 0-100km/h in 2.9s, Koenigsegg really put in serious work. But those are not the best statistics, the Agera R set the world record for 0-300km/h in 14.53s, and 0-300-0km/h in 21.19s.

Agera R
Lets talk price. The Agera is priced at $1.33 million and the Agera R is $1.52 million. My personal opinion, if you are already spending $1,330,000 on the Agera, you might as well spend the extra $190,000 and get the much more powerful Agera R. Who agrees?

Friday, 7 March 2014

Pagani Huayra

Meet the 3rd car Pagani has ever produced: The Huayra (hwhy-rah) meaning God of Wind. It followed the C12 and Zonda, and was named Hypercar of the Year in 2012 by Top Gear. It is the fastest production car on the Top Gear test track by 1.3 seconds.

Huayra Rear
Huayra Front
Even though it looks a lot like its older brother: the Zonda, I personally like the look of the Zonda better. In the Huayra the front is too rounded, and doesn't look as mean or aggresive as it should for a car with so much power and intimidation. The back end has been improved drastically, going away from the 90's box style and into the new generation of rounded and curved. What I like is how Pagani kept their trademark 4 exhaust tips in the middle of the back. Hopefully they never wander away from that design. Despite my personal opinion, which car would you say has the better look and why?

Zonda Front

Zonda Rear

The engine is a beautiful twin turbocharged 6.0L V12 engine from Mercedes-Benz's AMG line producing 720 HP for this light little car. The engine allows it to go from 0-100km/h in a world leading 2.5s, comparable to that of a Bugatti, and can hit a top speed of 370km/h.


Sale price you ask? $1.5 million, but for the fastest production car to go around the Top Gear test track, Pagani can charge what it wants. But, would the average car enthusiast be willing to spend 3-4 times as much for a car that goes around a small track 3 seconds faster?

Thursday, 6 March 2014

Lamborghini Veneno

Say hello to the most beautiful car ever made in my opinion, the Lamborghini Veneno. Built for Lamborghini's 50th birthday, only 3 of these cars were made, plus an extra one for demonstrations. The colours they were made in are green, white, and red to represent the Italian flag. The name means venom in Spanish, a pretty good name for a car who's headlights look like snake fangs.


Lamborghini Veneno
Veneno Rear

This beautiful masterpiece puts me through a worm hole into the future. When I think to myself what cars will look like in a few years, this is the answer. All the sharp edges, the extra panel working, and the accented colouring all come together for a work of perfection. The shape itself is aimed to the ground, so that while driving at incredible speeds, it will stick to the road when handled aggressively. The extra air scoops behind the door allows direct air intake into the engine which sits in the rear of the car. The outside is completely made out of carbon fiber, making this a very light car to get up and go. 

The engine is from an Aventador with a little tuning done by Lamborghini. It's a 6.5L V12 pushing out 740HP. It still goes 0-100km/h in 2.8s because of its light weight, but imagine how much faster it would be with a slightly better engine. Not making it in the range of the P1 or LaFerrari, a possibly missed opportunity for Lamborghini?

All 3 of these sold immediately for a whopping $4 million. With the LaFerrari being 25% less than that, a lot more people would be inclined to buy the competing LaFerrari as it is cheaper and faster. Although this is not a production car and no more will ever be made, this is still the #1 poster car in my books. 

Tuesday, 4 March 2014

LaFerrari

The LaFerrari is the top production car that Ferrari has produced to date. Its 6.3L V12 puts out an incredible 950HP. It's the first Ferrari not receiving any input from the Pininfarina company.

Supposedly, this car is able to exceed speeds of 350km/h and can reach 100km in under 3 seconds. These numbers allow it to compete with the best of the super car class.


Front and side view

This latest Ferrari is one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever built. The pointed front makes it very aggresive and the elongated lights helps complete the look. The custom hood scoops give it a different look from any other super car. The door panel acts as a hole for air to get through, making it very aerodynamic. The rear of the Ferrari takes its styling for the Pagani automaker. From the body coloured panel going down the middle of the rear end to the horizontal carbon fiber panel going across, it is clear there was a little copying going on. What do you guys think?

Rear view
Pagani rear

The price of the LaFerrari is an outstanding $3.2 million. That price is probably triple of what any sane person would want to pay for a supercar. Prices like this absolutely make no sense, what could they possibly be charging you for that costs so much money?

Sunday, 2 March 2014

McLaren P1

One of the new additions to the McLaren family is the McLaren P1. The P1 is a plug-in hybrid supercar. It's supposed to be the long awaited predecessor to the McLaren F1.
McLaren P1
McLaren F1

The P1 has a 3.8L twin turbocharged V8, pushing out 727HP, allowing it to compete with the new LaFerrari and Lamborghini Veneno. It also has an electric motor pushing out 176HP. Combined the two motors give the P1 and incredible 903HP. Very impressive for a street legal production car don't you think? 

The styling of it makes it one of the most beautiful cars to look at. With the front very nicely rounded, the hood scoops beautifully placed and the accent on the door being a very creative design choice, it makes this one of the nicest looking cars on the road. 

When released for production in 2012, the entire collection of 375 P1's was sold out by 2013. With a giant price tag of $1.15 million dollars, it's not a car you just decide to buy one day. The price is comparable to the new Pagani Huayra and a fraction less than the counterpart's from Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Saturday, 1 March 2014

Lamborghini Huracán

The newest car in the Lamborghini family is the Huracán. The Huracán will be replacing the Lamborghini Gallardo on the Lamborghini assembly line. It will have a 5.2L V10 engine pushing out 602HP. It accelerates 0-100km/h in 3.2s making it able to compete with the top street legal cars in its class. 

Lamborghini missed out on some potential power in the Huracán by not implementing a supercharger or preferably twin turbochargers. The styling of the Huracán takes lots of its physical features from its older brother the Gallardo. The Huracáns front windshield is much more angled, and the front bumpers detail is made lower to give it a more aggressive look. The base is a little more extended and the car is a little bit lower, compared to the Gallardo. The Huracán's back has a much more curvy effect as opposed to the block look on the Gallardo.

Gallardo rear
Huracán front
Huracán rear
The price for the base model of the Huracán is approximately $250,000 and can go up to $300,000 for the fully loaded version. This is a little much as the predecessor Gallardo can be found online now for approximately $100,000. Would you spend the the extra money for the new one, or save they money and have a slightly used old one?