TopSpeed Daily Update

Rendering: 2013 Dodge Viper
The Speed Demon Tears Up Bonneville
EVCup iRacer
BMW M5
Quimera All-Electric GT
Rendering: 2013 Maserati Baby Quattroporte
Car Infographics: Comparing the Salaries of Auto CEOs and their Employees
999Motorsports Supersport

Rendering: 2013 Dodge Viper

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT

Dodge is doing a pretty good job keeping any and all secrets for the next generation Dodge Viper’s exterior look at bay and, quite frankly, we’ve grown tired of waiting. Yes, we got a sneak peek at the front of the car on a mule testing the engine components, but to see an idea of what the entire car will look like, we put our artists to work.

Ralph Gilles, head of Chrysler's design, has said that "there won't be a part of the car that's untouched." They can say what they want about the entire car getting made over, but our sights are set on the long hood housing a yet-to-be-unveiled powerhouse engine. The recent spy shots taken of the new Viper had a big air intake in the front bumper and what looks to be three air intakes in the hood. A need for cool air can only translate into a fiery engine and we are twitching at the thought of what it could be.

The first rumors surrounded the engine choice suggested the Viper would get a new direct-injection 8.4-liter V10 engine that would deliver around 700HP. Then, European magazines were talking about a V8 engine with an output of 500 HP for an entry level version. The latest ripples in the rumor pond are flowing towards a variation of Chrysler's new 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 with some form of forced induction. This new engine will also be available with stability control, a feature never before seen on their high-performance car.

To say we’re excited for the unveiling of the 2013 Dodge Viper would be an understatement. Unfortunately, Dodge has plans of its own and our impatience isn’t going to deter them from their path. We’ll just have to keeps our eyes and ears perked up for any and all information available.

gallery: Spy Shots: 2013 Dodge Viper

Rendering: 2013 Dodge Viper originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 26 August 2011 15:00 EST.

The Speed Demon Tears Up Bonneville

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT

The name pretty much says it all. Speed Demon. You’re not going to pull any muscles trying to figure what the vehicle is for and what it represents.

The vehicle was the creation of George Poteet and Ron Main, two people that had one objective for the project. They wanted to build a car that can go where few people have gone before: 400 mph.

The intimidating name of the vehicle comes as a result of having a 347- cubic-inch V8 engine that’s combined with a pair of Turbonetics "Demon" turbochargers to produce an output of 2,200 horsepower. Yikes.

So after months and months of testing and development, the team went to the Bonneville Salt Flats to give the Speed Demon a shakedown of a lifetime. With Poteet behind the wheel, the Bonneville Blown Fuel Streamliner known as the "Speed Demon" proceeded to run an astonishing 426 mph.

Even better, Poteet was able to capture his run on video, which will show you exactly what it feels like to travel at such ridiculous speeds.

Full details behind the machine have yet to be revealed by Poteet and Main, apparently because their site isn’t updated yet. Nevertheless, there are plenty of photos and videos you can look at to learn more about the Speed Demon.

The Speed Demon Tears Up Bonneville originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 26 August 2011 13:00 EST.

EVCup iRacer

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 05:00 AM PDT

You might not be familiar with the EVCup, but give it a few years and these guys are going to be on your racing radar. The world’s first racing cup series is set to kick off this November in the US, but before that, the series will head to London to participate in the EcoVelocity, a low-carbon motor festival.

As part of the event, the EVCup will be bringing one car that will be featured in the their racing series: the iRacer. As a track-focused electric vehicle that has been designed and engineered from the ground up as a pure race car, the iRacer will be one of many eco-friendly racers that’s set to compete in the ’Sports EV’ classification of the EVCup. Full details behind the iRacer will be unveiled by the EVCup during the festival where the latter is expected to announce the former’s official entry to the racing series.

"We are very excited at the prospect of unveiling the iRacer and we are delighted to be taking part in EcoVelocity," said Sylvain Filippi, the EVCup’s managing director.

EcoVelocity will be held from September 8-11, 2011 at the Battersea Power Station where it will feature the latest green models, including electric, hybrid, and low CO2-emitting cars, in addition to providing test drives for these vehicles on a specially-constructed circuit.

EVCup iRacer originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 26 August 2011 12:00 EST.

BMW M5

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:00 AM PDT

Just a few months before the car’s official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW has decided it was time to reveal the official specs on the fifth generation M5 sports sedan. After seeing the first concept version at the 2011 Shanghai Motor Show, now we can see the M5 in all its glory. And we sure like what we are seeing.

The M5 name was used for the first time back in 1984, but since then, the car has evolved into an impressive sedan that combines track potential with the comprehensive practicality of a luxurious business sedan. The new generation brings a high-revving 4.4-liter V8 engine with an M TwinPower Turbo package that delivers an impressive 560 hp at 6,000 – 7,000 rpm and a peak torque of 502 lb-ft from 1,500 rpm. The model will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and, when the speed limiter is removed, is capable of hitting an impressive top speed of 190 mph. Despite these impressive performance numbers, the car will deliver an estimated fuel economy of 28.5 mpg.

UPDATE 08/26/2011: Thousands registered to be a part of the BMW M5 Story, but only six were given the opportunity to test drive the new BMW M5 at the only testing ground worthy of the attention: the Nurburgring. Check out the scintillating experience by clicking on the image above!

More details about the BMW M5 after the jump.

BMW M5 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 26 August 2011 10:00 EST.

Quimera All-Electric GT

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:00 AM PDT

Electric sports cars are propping up at an increasingly fast rate these days. So much so, that it seems like we’re introducing a new automaker and their model at least once per month. This time around, our source of fascination is Quimera, a "cluster of multinational companies that have been assembled to manage sustainable projects in metropolitan and urban areas." One part of their entire vision of providing sustainable living in the future is the development of an electric sports car, the All-Electric GT.

With a profile that looks similar to the Zenvo ST1, the AEGT does provide an outstanding design language with a powertrain that’s likewise impressive considering that development of the model lasted this long without much fanfare. The AEGT is being touted as the first competition vehicle of its class to "run on 100% electric batteries and engines, with performance similar or superior to conventional internal combustion competition vehicles."

Together with the help of Altran, Quimera developed and built every nook and cranny of the AEGT, including the chassis, the carbon fiber monocoque chassis, and of course, the powertrain. Speaking of the powertrain, the AEGT runs on three 231-bhp UQM electric motors with high-powered lithium polymer EIG battery packs. The resulting output can hit as much as 700 horsepower and well over 740 lb/ft of torque. Just in case you haven’t wrapped your head around those numbers, that’s insanely fast for an electric car.

But it gets even better.

The AEGT’s output translates to a 0-62 mph time of just three seconds with a top speed of 187 mph.

Sure, the car’s still in the testing and development stage, but if the AEGT is as good as advertised, then Quimera just might have a knockout of an electric car in its hands.

Quimera All-Electric GT originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 26 August 2011 09:00 EST.

Rendering: 2013 Maserati Baby Quattroporte

Posted: 25 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT

After seven years of high end luxury and sales, the Quattroporte is changing it up just a bit to please a greater chunk of the luxury sedan market. One of the major changes befalling Maserati’s flagship model is the addition of a younger brother. The baby Quattroporte will be arriving in the middle of 2012 and is rumored to be priced at $68,000.

The whole idea behind the baby version is to please Maserati customers complaining that the standard Quattroporte was too big. The Italian luxury car manufacturer responded by providing a shorter wheelbase, thereby shrinking the vehicle in general. Recent spy shots have also shown smaller front brakes, an ill-fitting windscreen, and one exhaust on each of the vehicle’s rear end. Say what you want, but we need to see this to believe it which is why we created this rendering as a portal to the future.

As far as power goes, rumors have been circulating that Maserati will be dropping their Ferrari-sourced V8 engines and picking up a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter version of the Chrysler's Pentastar. This has yet to be confirmed, but seems to be a viable option considering the extreme pressure on automakers to improve fuel consumption. The problem with this engine, though, is that the standard Pentastar V6 only delivers a total of 280 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, a far cry from the Quattroporte’s 400 HP. However, the turbocharging should help out in that department. Whatever the output is, this engine will be mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox.

gallery: 2011 Maserati Quattroporte

Rendering: 2013 Maserati Baby Quattroporte originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 25 August 2011 20:00 EST.

Car Infographics: Comparing the Salaries of Auto CEOs and their Employees

Posted: 25 Aug 2011 12:00 PM PDT

Here’s a big shocker: CEOs make more money than their employees.

Okay, so this isn’t the most revealing tidbit of information we’ve had on our pages, but breaking down the actual number is a little more intriguing. Just last year, Ford CEO, Alan Mullay’s base salary consisted of $1.4 million, while other factors such as cash bonuses and "other expenses" bumped up that salary to $26.5 million. Chew on that for one second. Ford has to sell over 1200 units of their top seller - 2010’s best seller was the F-Series pickup starting off at $22,060 - to pay for its CEO. Not a bad gig if you can get it.

Then there’s your average autoworkers. Many factors affect what these men and women get paid yearly, including experience, geography, benefit, and just which automaker they work for. Continuing with the Ford example, the American company pays their workers between $24.24 and $29.15 per hour. According to this infographic, the average annual salary earned by autoworkers in America as of February 2010 was $48,000. The infographic then displays that the average autoworker with 1-2 years experience would have to work for 51 years to make as much money as the average CEO makes in one year.

Check out the rest of the infographic to get more mind-boggling information and remember to check back with us for the next installment in our Car Infographics series.

Car Infographics: Comparing the Salaries of Auto CEOs and their Employees originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 25 August 2011 19:00 EST.

999Motorsports Supersport

Posted: 25 Aug 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Straight from the land of muay thai and the Chao Phraya river comes a new track-ready sports car that’s ready to split some wigs blow the rest of us away. The Thailand-based company, 999Motorsports, has unveiled their latest piece of work, the Supersport.

The car, which has been designed to be a track car, has a tubular chassis, a carbon fiber and fiberglass body, and a set of 18" aluminum wheels among its chief details. Other features include an enormous rear wing, a giant rear diffuser, and gaping front air intakes. The interior of the car doesn’t leave much in the way of luxury features - it’s a track car, after all - but it does carry elements like a carbon fiber dashboard, a pair of racing seats with six-point harnesses, and an LCD instrument cluster.

With most of the standard features left out, the Supersport only weighs 2,095 lbs, which means that for all the things that were dropped, the car’s mid-mounted 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine more than makes up for it. This engine is mated to a five-speed sequential gearbox with a limited slip differential and reaches an output of 300 horsepower and 258 lb/ft of torque.

We don’t know if this car is going to hit the other side of the world, but over in Thailand, those guys should have plenty of fun with the 999Motorsports Supersport.

999Motorsports Supersport originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 25 August 2011 18:00 EST.

hot car wallpaper

Friday, August 26, 2011