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Dec 1 2011

2013 Venom GT Spyder

2013 Venom GT Spyder
There’s gilding the lily, and then there is this: An open-air version of Hennessey’s 1,200-horsepower Venom GT supercar.

The Venom GT Spyder turns up the wick on its hardtop sibling to the tune of an additional $150,000, with a base price starting at $1.1 million. That’s a pretty steep charge for a removable roof panel, although Hennessey Performance Engineering CEO Don Goldman says Venom GT Spyder buyers will also get “an even greater driving sensation.” While we have yet to see official specifications or an order sheet for the Spyder, we imagine seeing “Extra wind and sound from the twin-turbo V8″ listed under standard equipment. Regardless, we know which one we’d take the keys to if given the opportunity: This Vitamin D special.

Hennessey says it has already received orders for two of the five Venom GT’s it will build for the 2013 model year. So if you’re in the market for one of the remaining three cars, now you have a choice.

Source: Hennessey Performance Engineering

Oct 28 2011

Next-gen Viper may get 8.7-liter V10

Next gen Viper may get 8.7 liter V10
Word has it that Chrysler may be planning an increase in displacement for the 2013 Dodge Viper. According to the Dodge-obsessed crew at Allpar, the vehicle’s V10 engine may jump from 8.4 liters to 8.7, making it the largest lump Chrysler has ever placed in a passenger car. Allpar doesn’t say exactly where the report originates from, though upping the vehicle’s displacement certainly fits the brash character of the Viper. We have to wonder what sort of tricks the company will employ to keep fuel consumption and emissions at reasonable levels, however.

The same report also repeats the fact that the vehicle will be manufactured in 2012 as 2013 model. That certainly runs contrary to those whispers we heard about the 2013 Viper receiving a clandestine unveil at a Florida charity event.

Source: Allpar via StreetLegalTv.com

Oct 5 2011

2012 Tesla Model S Beta – Review

2012 Tesla Model S Beta Review
Tesla had a big weekend. Some 1,500 Model S hand-raisers and their +1s descended on the company’s recently acquired NUMMI plant in Fremont, CA to see where their $5,000 deposits have gone. The event, which served as both a product extravaganza and a subtle reassurance, sought to prove that the Model S is well on its way to production. And part of the program included rides in three Model S betas.

As Tesla was keen to point out, showing off a prototype – even one that’s 80-percent complete – is relatively unheard of in the industry. Regardless, the EV upstart invited a handful of journalists to go for a brief spin in the passenger seat of the betas. How brief? Less than five minutes.

So… don’t expect to find any mind-blowing revelations, 10/10ths impressions or thorough interior dissections. Here’s all you need to know: It drives, it steers, it stops, it’s practically – and predictably – silent and the interior tech is enough to make gadget nerds forget about the lack of an iPhone 5.

Of the three betas on hand, two were developed for fine tuning the interior and one was set up for rides. There are currently five betas undergoing testing, all of which were built at a contract plant in Detroit and not at the newly refurbished, ex-Toyota plant in Northern California. That said, an extensive tour of the facility revealed that Tesla is almost completely set up to begin Model S production this January before deliveries begin in the middle of next year. The plant currently employs around 180 people, with that number set to hit 250 by the end of the year and then swell to 500 when at full capacity. All in, 300 to 400 people will handle drivetrain production and by 2013, roughly 1,000 people will work between the powertrain and chassis facilities.

So yes, Tesla can build them. And after spending a few hours around the Fremont plant, much of our skepticism about Tesla’s abilities to bring the sedan market were laid to rest. They’ve pulled in equipment and talent from around the world (Germany in particular) to make a modern, world-class facility. And now we get to sample what they’ll be building.

Source: AutoBlog

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