Autoblog

Keating has finally taken the wraps off its duo of bespoke supercars and has already set it sights on the Bugatti Veyron for top speed supremacy. Both models share the same architecture, and are swathed in either fiberglass or carbon fiber body panels. Weight comes in at just over 2,600 pounds and the dimensions are 4,300 mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,100 mm tall. Prospective owners can opt for either a 6.0- or 7.0-liter GM-sourced V8, and both motors can be had in either naturally aspirated or supercharged guise. The entry-level model makes 404 hp and 400 lb.-ft. of torque, while the larger NA version crests the 500 hp. Slap a supercharger onto the 6.0-liter mill and it's good for 520 hp, or if you opt for the 7.0-liter version, its output runs past the 650 hp mark.

The SKR model is considered to be more of a GT, while the TKR will be a track-ready model with a rumored twin-turbocharged version that could create up to 1,500 hp. Keating is taking orders and expects to start delivery towards the end of the year. Based on what we've seen so far, however, Bugatti needn't be worried.

[Source: Autocar]

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Some of us here at Autoblog tend to avoid WreckedExotics.com. Don't get us wrong, it's a very well done site, but the images just make us cringe. And then cry. Knowing that hooligans with too much cash are regularly wrapping their supercars around poles is one thing, seeing it is another. But this one is just too funny to pass up.

Like something off of the Discovery Channel, the guys at Wrecked Exotics have assembled a collection of "wildlife" photography documenting the mating rituals of exotic supercars. Log on (alongside FIA president Max Mosley) and enjoy the close-up car-on-car action. Check out our faves below and visit the source for more photos from this odd safari


[Source: Wrecked Exotics]

Click the image above for a high-res gallery of Iconic GTR photos

This is what you need to know about the Iconic GTR: 800 horsepower and 2,200 pounds. Claudio Ballard's dream was to blend the best of modern tech with the best of classic design, and the result is a roadster that takes many of its design cues -- and its monumental power-to-weight ratio -- from another iconic car, the Shelby Cobra. In this case, a carbon fiber body meets F1 tech, heated and cooled carbon fiber seats and synthetic sapphire in the dash. But again, we all know what this car is really about: 724 horsepower/ton. Yeah. Production of the 100 GT's that will grace the planet is to begin in the fall. If you want one, give Mr. Ballard a call once you get your hands on $600,000. Follow the jump for the specs and press release, and check out the hi-res galleries of pics below.

Click above to view gallery of the Saleen S5S Raptor

Though Saleen won't be officially unveiling its new supercar, the S5S Raptor, on stage until tomorrow, we've got pics and details for you now. Though slated to slot below the hardcore S7 in Saleen's lineup, the S5S Raptor looks no less the part of a high-powered high-performance sports car. It's powered by a supercharged 5.0L engine mounted amidships producing around 650 horsepower and 630 lb-ft. of churn on a steady diet of E85 ethanol.

Developed as a collaboration between Saleen and specialty builder ASC -- both of which are owned by the same private equity firm -- the car is plenty of tech and a bit of throwback. The aluminum chassis 2-seater can get from 0-60 in a supercar-standard 3.2 seconds. When it's time to stop, six-pot calipers hidden by 20-inch wheels clamp down on 15-inch rotors up front. The retro bit: a six-speed manual gearbox. A paddle-shifting sequential is also in the works and may be ready when the car goes into production in 2010. Compared to the S7, the S5S is another relative domestic bargain at only $185,000.

We'll bring you live shots of the S5S Raptor tomorrow when it officially debuts, but until then, check out the gallery of shots below.

UPDATE: New high-res images added to gallery below. Look for live pics of the car's official debut tomorrow.

[Source: Inside Line]

Rarely a month goes by when some plucky upstart claims to be producing another world-class supercar to rival the big boys in the automotive sphere. Today is no different, with a release from Keating, a barely established British marque that will be unveiling two new vehicles to the assembled press on April 23rd, St. George's Day.

According to the company's release (posted after the jump), the first model, named the SKR, will be producing 400 hp with a chassis aimed to provide effortless cruising in the Grand Touring tradition. The other model, dubbed the TKR, shares the same sheet metal as the SKR, but "boasts more power than an F1 race car" and has supposedly beat the Bugatti Veyron's top speed run while undergoing testing.

While that claim is unconfirmed and highly unofficial, with eight years of development time under its belt, we're sure Keating is doing its damnedest to stoke the flames before its official reveal next month. We're hoping to see the finished product at one of the few international auto shows left this year.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the U.S.-spec Nissan GT-R.

Nissan's upcoming supercar, the 2009 GT-R, has a base price of $69,850. It's a relative bargain when you consider the 911 Turbo, offering the same level of all-wheel-drive performance, will cost you at least $126,200. However, it's still far bit steeper than the average sales price of a new car in the United States (hovering just under $30,000 this year), not to mention the insane dealer markups that will likely put the sale price into the stratosphere. To help ease the financial burden, and put one of these turbocharged 473-hp monsters in your garage, Nissan North America has indicated that they will be offering a lease option on the all-new GT-R.

Don't print out your credit score and jog down to your local Nissan dealer just yet. There are about 1,400 Nissan dealerships in the States, and only 691 of them have begun to take pre-orders. Total sales volume allocated to the United States the first year will be just 1,500 units (to put that into perspective, consider that Nissan sold 284,762 Altimas last year).

While a lease program will be in place, Nissan expects most consumers to buy the vehicles. Purchase or lease, with high demand and low sales volumes you can be sure that each and every one of the GT-Rs will be fought over.

[Source: Inside Line]

Click the above for a high-res gallery of the Bugatti Veyron from Geneva 2007.

When a vehicle costs $1.4m, can go 253 mph and has a lifetime production run of only 300 vehicles, it's a very special ride. How, then, do you up the ante to make the vehicle even more amazing? When you're talking about the Bugatti Veyron, more power than the stock 1,001 hp just isn't the answer, so the super-upscale automaker is looking to pile on even more luxury on the inside. Bugatti is tapping into its history to once again team up with Hermès on a ultra high-end interior package. Hermès, which became famous for its leather saddles in the 1800s, switched over to cars and planes early in the 20th century, and the company supplied materials for Bugatti in the '20s.

Bugatti is set to unveil the Hermès Veyron at the 2008 Geneva show, and we'll be there to snap pictures of the absurdly rare supercar right from the show floor.The Hermès Veyron will likely have a production run similar to that of the Pur Sang, which included all of five units, and sold out in less than one day. One would think that for $1.4m you would get the top of the line interior, but it looks like the richest and luckiest of society's elite will get their hands on this exclusive four-wheeled beast.


[Source: World Car Fans]

Here's the only firm detail about the new Acura NSX: it will have a new ten-hole engine. While the designers have been trading bodyslams and suplexes over what the next Honda supercar will look like, engineers took the opportunity to collaborate about wrist pins, valve geometry, and vee angles. Everyone involved does acknowledge that it has to look right, thus the contention. Time has not yet slipped through Acura's fingers, and the company wants to avoid the stagnation that leaves a 2005 NSX looking little different than a '91. Acura's going to realign their brand, and the NSX is part of that effort, along with the new RL sedan that will be coming in 2010. According to Acura's Executive VP Dick Colliver, as far behind as the NSX is, the RL's further back. Assuaging fears, Colliver quickly adds that there's still time to get it together.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub Req.]

Click on the image above to view in high resolution

There are lots of Porsche tuners out there tinkering with 911s, but it takes a special kind of company to work up the nerve to let loose on a six- or seven-figure supercar. Edo Competition manages to do it repeatedly, and after squeezing more juice out of already high-strung exotics like the Maserati MC12, Ferrari 599 GTB and Porsche Carrera GT, the German tuner has turned its attention to the Audi R8.

By fitting a freer-flowing, lightweight exhaust system, Edo has managed to coax an extra 22 horses out of the stable, boosting output from the 4.2-liter FSI V8 to 442hp while trimming 18 lbs off the car's weight in the process. Buyers can specify a loud exhaust or a really loud exhaust, along with their choice of 19 or 20 inch forged rims. Edo has also crafted a set of carbon fiber aero bits, including a front chin spoiler, rear diffuser and – this is the best part – an eight-piece set of inserts for the rear bumper.

The result? Running to 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill is cut by 0.2 of a second, down to 4.5 from the standard 4.7 seconds. Sure, that isn't a dramatic increase in performance, but it'll probably make you smile a little wider when you pull away from that tricked-out 911 at the light.

[Source: Edo Competition]

If you live in South Florida, or can manage to get there, you may want to mark off the last weekend in January on your calendar. West Palm Beach is hosting what's being billed as the largest supercar show in the world, taking place along the waterfront from January 24-27, 2008.

The fouth annual Supercar Weekend invites collectors to showcase their own modern sportscars and classics along with a very Floridian array of mega-yachts docked along Flagler Drive in West Palm.

In previous years, the show included Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and Aston Martins by the dozen. Organizers expect this year's to be highlighted by a Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, a 1971 Lamborghini Miura and a 1967 Ford GT40 J6 racer, along with such personalities as well-known collector Jim Glickenhaus (father of the Pininfarina P4/5) and designer Henrik Fisker. Given the exotic wheels you can see running down South Florida's boulevards and highways on any ordinary day, the Palm Beach Supercar Weekend ought to be a real Woodstock for gearheads.

Follow the jump for the press release and a promotional video of the event.

[Source: Supercar Weekend]