Top Gear UK Fans rejoice! Another thrilling episode of Top Gear UK is on tonight at 9 p.m. on BBC America. This time, the guys head to Albania to test out three super-expensive luxury sedans: the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, the Rolls-Royce Ghost, and the Bentley Mulsanne, well when I say the Bentley Mulsanne, I mean a Yugo. You'll see what I'm taking about when you watch it tonight. Then the guys discuss Ferrari's newest creation, the Ferrari FF, which they think looks absolutely fantastic because it brings back the great design that was the shooting brake. Then, Clarkson tests out three high-performance hatchbacks: the Ford Focus RS500, the Cosworth Impreza STI CS400, and the Volvo C30 PCP Polestar, all of which you can't even own. Then, British talk show host Jonathan Ross comes back to Top Gear to set a lap in the Kia Cee'D. It should be one exciting episode. Tune in tonight to see all of the action.
The first models of 4 exclusive cars will be up for auction at the Boca Raton Concours d' Elegance in Florida. The first of these cars is the 2012 Ferrari FF, Ferrari's first all-wheel drive shooting brake grand tourer. A 6.3-liter 651 horsepower V12 is under the hood of this car. 0 to 60 is done in just 3.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 208 MPH. It would be pretty cool if you won that.
2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster (Rendering)
Next up is the all new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. The car has ditched the artistic gullwing doors and a hardtop roof to make driving more pleasurable. What it hasn't ditched though was its 6.2-liter 563 horsepower V8 engine, the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 engine in the world. We've been waiting for this car to come out for a while.
2012 Audi R8 GT
Next up, for the hardcore drivers, is the Audi R8 GT. Effectively, this is the "Superleggera" version of Audi's successful supercar. The 5.2-liter FSI V10 engine now produces 560 horsepower. The body itself is 100 kg lighter than the standard V10 model. Because of this, 0 to 60 is done in 3.6 seconds with a top speed of 200 MPH. Only 333 will be made with just 90 coming here. Wouldn't it be great if you got the first of the 90?
2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
Last, but certainly not least, Mercedes will be auctioning off a limited edition CLS63 AMG. No word on what special power the car will have but only 30 will be made. So, those are the cars. If you have a big wallet and are in the Florida area, you might want to get in on this.
Sure Motor Trend thinks the Volt deserves to be their car of the year, but, out of all honesty, that thing is just an outdated bulgy thing that Chevy though would be more brilliant than the Tesla Roadster. Fortunately, there's a magazine that gets it. Robb Report recently had a list of 13 cars in line to be their next car of the year, and by just looking at the cover, you can already guess who won. For its unbelievable looks, luxurious interior, and overall performance, the Ferrari 458 Italia topped the board of cars that ranged from the Aston Martin Rapide to the Lotus Evora. The Chevy Volt was never on that list. Well done Ferrari!
For many years, we thought it would never be possible for a Ferrari to drive flawlessly through snow or dirt. But now, thankfully, there is one that can: the Ferrari FF. Thanks to its patent-pended all-wheel drive system, this car will do some exciting things with snow or dirt or any other loose surface. Just recently, a video was uploaded where some dog-sledders got their first glimpse of Ferrari's new Grand Tourer. They were quite impressed with it. Check it out below.
That's the new name now. It seems Ferrari has honored the Ford F-150 and were deeply apologetic for using the name without asking. This is coming from a company that will do anything to go against putting turbo-4 engines in their F1 cars, set by the FIA themselves. Anyway, it's good to see Ferrari show respect to one of most endured names in American motoring.
When Ferrari unveiled their new F1 racing machine, it seems that everyone was very pleased with it, except Ford; not because of the design, look, power, or speed, but because of the name: F150. As you know, this name belonged to their truck, the F-150, for more than 30 years. So, using a legendary name like that on a seriously fast race car is sort of disrespectful, in Ford's terms, that is. So what are they going to do? They're going to take it to court, of course. This should be somewhat interesting seeing an American brand go up against the most exclusive brand in Europe and the world for trademark rights.
Ferrari's aren't known for going off-road, however now, there's one that can. This is the Ferrari FF, Ferrari's first ever car with their patent-pended all-wheel drive system. You can see here that the system is doing good work in the snow. It also looks rather nice in some angles. Not to mention is it fast. It has a 6.3-liter V12 engine producing 651 horsepower making it the most powerful grand-tourer Ferrari's ever built. 0 to 60 is done in 3.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 208 MPH, making it the fastest grand-tourer Ferrari's ever built. So it's fast, powerful, and can handle snow like Ken Block's Rally Car. That's pretty cool. When this thing comes out later in the year, don't be surprised to see a lot of them out in snowstorms or rain showers. They've been built to handle these sorts of things. Here's some more pics of the car in action.
Another episode of Top Gear UK has been uploaded by an anonymous user on YouTube. This episode features Top Gear UK and Top Gear Australia going head to head in a game of bests. If you have watched Top Gear Australia, most of the faces you will see are pretty familiar. Then Jeremy takes the 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO for a spin summarizing that it is a complete animal. Boris Becker, former Tennis World Champion, is the star in the reasonably priced, who is a serious fan of the Silver Arrow (Mercedes-Benz). A very interesting fact about him: he bought a very exclusive Porsche 959 for about €150,000 at the age of, get this, 19!
1987 Porsche 959
How on earth was he able to buy that? Another interesting fact: throughout the years that he's owned that Porsche, he never crashed it. He managed to get it over 200 MPH on a highway, but he never smashed it up. He is a serious driver. He set a time of 1:45.9. That's faster than Peter Jones's time on a dry lap, all thanks to new STIG. Anyway, enough summaries. Just watch the show to see what happened.
Ferrari's back for the 2011 Formula One Season, and this time they're pulling out all the stops in order to bring home a trophy. This is their new team wheels, the Ferrari F150. Now, it might not look any different from the previous F1, the Ferrari F10, but Ferrari say that they've improved the aerodynamics and stabilization of this car in order to produce keen results. They've also improved on their 2.4-liter V8 engine. It now has over 800 horsepower, new architecture, and their new KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) system. This will improve stability, efficiency, and, most importantly, speed. Ferrari still has no intention of switching to a turbo-4 engine, which is what the FIA want to do for 2013. Anyway, hopefully this new flagship race car will help Ferrari get in more wins, or else they'll be in a hole that'll be pretty impossible to come out of. See the unveiling below.
If you are a racing fan, it might be a surprise to you to know that one of the most popular racing game series have created a legal FIA GT racing team with real drivers. It might also be surprising to hear that they took first place at the Dubai 24H race. Their wheels was this 483 horsepower BMW Z4 GT3 race car, which is astonishing because the cars that this car outran were a Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 and the brilliantly strong Ferrari F430-GT2. It is quite surprising that a team of four drivers including Tommy Milner, Augusto Farfus, Claudio Hurtgen, and Edward Sandstrom can come from little to winning quite a big race. Well done, Team Need For Speed. Ohh, I forgot to mention that their car will be drivable in the new NFS game Shift 2: Unleashed coming this March. Share On Facebook
And here it is: Ferrari's new flagship GT car. They call it the FF which is an acronym for "Fast Four", and I think four is the keyword here. This car, like it's predecessor, the 612 Scaglietti, has four seats so you can seat your friends or your grandchildren. And, new for Ferrari, those rear seats flip down for more trunk space if you are doing some grocery shopping. This is one fast shopping cart though. It features the same 6.2-liter V12 engine that you get in a 599 GTO, only the power goes up to 651. 0 to 60 is done in an astonishing 3.7 seconds on its way to a catastrophic top speed of 208 MPH. This could possibly be the fastest GT car on earth. Also, that engine is mated to Ferrari's 7-speed Dual-Clutch Transmission for seamless gear changes as your driving along. As for design, this car borrows the front facial look of the beautiful Ferrari 458 Italia.
That's no Photoshop. That's real.
The rest of car was designed in a shooting brake type of style. As for drivetrain, this, ladies and gentlemen, is the first Ferrari in history to be fitted with, wait for it.....FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE! That's right! So, for the first time ever in a Ferrari, you can confidently drive fast on snow, dirt, or wet surfaces and not worry about a thing. This car is an exciting move up for Ferrari in terms of design and technology. Well done, Modena! Look for the new FF later this year. Share On Facebook
With TDU 2 coming only weeks away, some game reviewers already have their copies of the game and have put in their own fingerprints on the island of Ibiza. A German game magazine known as Gameswelt were so kind as to post the first 10 minutes of TDU 2 gameplay involving you choosing your character and starting out life in Ibiza. Your first car: a 2010 Ferrari California. Sounds good, doesn't it? Check out the video below to see what action is in-store for you. I must warn you now, it's in German, so unless you speak it, you might not understand anything.
Because if you were, I'm gonna need a picture of Ferrari's 612 replacement. Yep! Ferrari invited a significant amount of people to see the supposed unveiling of Ferrari's new 4-wheel drive grand-tourer. The new car will feature some facial features from the 458 Italia, a powerful 6.3-liter 670 horsepower V12 engine, a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, and some new luxurious amenities. The unveiling will be held this Friday at 12:00 CET, 6:00 A.M EST. The location remains known only to the invitees of this even. If you're on of them, send me a pic. Share On Facebook
It's taken him months, but finally, his masterpiece is complete. Jim Glickenhaus, the man who bought the one-off P4/5 Pininfarina from Ferrari, has finally turned his exclusive supercar into a race-ready machine. No word on the stats of this car yet, but rumor has it that his team have been testing it at the Nürburgring and plan to enter it in the next 24 hour race. What's also surprising is that it won't be racing for Italy, since this car's Italian. It'll be racing for America, since the owner is American. Look for this car at the green hell later this year. Share On Facebook
Life in the fast lane is quite exciting. OutRun was created so you can live this life, while driving sideways. In this next video, I do some more sideways drifting and perform some unusual maneuvers for a very pretty girl in the passenger seat. Editing took a lot of work, but I hope you like it. P.S: I borrowed the intro song from a popular blockbuster movie. Can you guess what it is?
With the ßeta finally over and the release date just weeks away, I thought it best to make a trailer of what you can really expect in the next TDU installment. Take a look at the video below to see my custom made trailer with help from iMovie.
Sega helps you visualize a Ferrari going sideways in OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast. With 30 Ferraris to choose from, you get the chance to do some drifting action behind the wheel of an Enzo Ferrari. If you saw my video of this game before, then you knew that that was part 1 of 5 of this awesome racing game. I made a trailer of part 2 thanks to an all new iMovie app I got off the Mac App Store. Check it out below and see if you like it!
This is it, ladies & gentlemen: my last ßeta video before the release of Test Drive Unlimited 2 coming this February. It might have some arcade stuff going on, but trust me when I say that it's as real as life can get. You live the life of a jet setter trying to rise to fame by racing and entering exclusive clubs. How you make it there depends entirely up to you. Race with your friends through the streets of Ibiza and Oahu as you claim bragging rights, buy exclusive cars, and live in big mansions. Sounds like the perfect life, doesn't it? Look for this game on the shelves on the 8th of February.
So, today, I'll be posting my last ßeta video for TDU 2 showcasing all of the awesome stuff you can do in the game. But, why sit down and drool at the cars when you can get acting right now! Go ahead and pre-order the game from any game store applicable. Different stores have different pre-order DLC's. The magnificent Pagani Zonda Tricolore One-off seen here is a PC exclusive when you pre-order it from Steam.
2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI Spyder
The Audi R8 V10 Spyder and...
2010 Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder
the Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder are GameStop exclusives. When you pre-order TDU 2 from there, you will also receive TDU 2 Casino Online giving you instant access to the many roulette games and slot machines available.
2011 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport
The fastest car in the world is back, and this time, it's on Ibiza. To achieve this car right out of the box, pre-order TDU 2 from Walmart.
2010 Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black
The sexy looking Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black is a Best Buy exclusive. It pushes all the right buttons of luxury and sport.
2007 Ferrari 612 Sessanta
This limited-edition Ferrari 612 Sessanta is a Kmart exclusive. It was built in honor of Ferrari's 60th anniversary and was limited to only 60 units. It's been hailed as one of the greatest Italian grand touring cars of all time.
2010 Jaguar XRK Black Pack
Direct-2-drive is another store worthy of giving you two cars: the Jaguar XKR Speed Pack & XKR Black Pack. Once you have these two, you pretty much can do anything you want with it and get away with it and it'll be okey because you've got a Jaaaag!!!
2010 Ford Shelby GT500
Pride of America! The Ford Shelby GT500 is an Atari exclusive. You can get just be pre-ordering it off the site.
2010 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Carbon Black
Another Carbon malarkey. The V12 Vantage Carbon Black is an Amazon exclusive. This car just defines itself as a whole.
So, there you are: the pre-order bonuses for TDU 2. Act fast though: February 8th is coming sooner than you think.
This is it, ladies and gentlemen: the final TDU 2 ßeta test before its February 8th release date. I've inspected a lot of things in this game and it seems that it will actually do well. I know I said before that this game wouldn't be good because of the lack of cars, but it seems that Atari is up to something more than just racing. Everything about this game feels somewhat realistic, and that includes the handling. In the last installment, handling was the #1 problem. Now, it seems that TDU have addressed it with better turning and more realistic car feel. The cars are actually impressive themselves, all 101 of them. Since the beginning, I've been driving the Ferrari California, Aston Martin DBS, Audi TT-RS, and Audi Q7 V12 TDI. All of them are good cars. They've been designed carefully and their physics are almost precise. But, there's one car that I've been trying to achieve since the beginning and haven't driven, until now, and you're looking at it. This Audi R8 Spyder makes me feel like Tony Stark in Iron Man 2. Fun fact: the car was actually supposed to debut in that movie. Anyway, the only way for me to achieve this car in the ßeta was to win it in the Slot Machines at Casino Island. After many tries, over 1000 to be exact, I finally won it. Just goes to show: gambling is addicting. Anyway, I was able to enjoy this awesome V10 Spyder on Ibiza racing with soon-to-be TDU friends and rivals. Check out the video below of all the stuff I did on Ibiza. The Audi video will be on later.
