Motor Authority - blog Tag: Corsa

Almost a year after the C6-based Corvette GTR from Specter Werkes was first unveiled the Michigan-based performance house has released an updated version of the modified supercar that is on sale now. A unique and flamboyant interpretation of the Corvette's basic shape, the Specter Werkes GTR mixes custom bodywork with a distinctly American take on supercar muscle.

The addition of a custom cam design with more lift has liberated an extra 80hp (60kW) over the outgoing model, bringing output to a grand total of 615hp (459kW) and 578lb-ft (783Nm) of torque.

The company says many levels of engine tune will be available, but this package is... Almost a year after the C6-based Corvette GTR from Specter Werkes was first unveiled the Michigan-based performance house has released an updated version of the modified supercar that is on sale now. A unique and flamboyant interpretation of the Corvette's basic shape, the Specter Werkes GTR mixes custom bodywork with a distinctly American take on supercar muscle. The addition of a custom cam design with more lift has liberated an extra 80hp (60kW) over the outgoing model, bringing output to a grand total of 615hp (459kW) and 578lb-ft (783Nm) of torque. The company says many levels of engine tune will be available, but this package is based on a stroked LS3 that sees displacement lifted from 6.2L to 6.8L. The vehicle is also fitted with a Corsa exhaust and gets full widebody treatment, with broadened suspension and a wider covering. The full bodykit includes exposed carbon fiber details on the exterior, a new front fascia, carbon fiber splitter, extractor hood, front fenders, doors, rocker panels, rear fenders, rear fascia, and a carbon fiber rear diffuser. Special Forgeline VR3P wheels, measuring 19in up front and 20in in the rear provide ample room for the huge 285/30ZR19 front and 335/25ZR20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 2 Zero Press tires. Stop Tech 15in slotted brake discs and six pistons up front mate with 14in and four piston calipers in the rear for abundant stopping power, lap after lap. The car is painted in BASF liquid silver color (the same used on Mercedes Benz AMG models), while the interior gets GTR-standard embroidered seats and Spinneybeck leather trim details. Like the last version, the Corvette GTR upgrade carries a base price of $34,995, with more custom work available for a premium. All GTRs are custom-built to order and carry documentation and identification to that effect. Importantly, the upgrades are available across the Corvette range, including the base Coupe, new Grand Sport, Z06 and even the ZR1.Specter Werkes GTR Read More

Maserati officials have confirmed the convertible version of the GranTurismo will arrive in showrooms by March of next year and now we have a few new details about the car, which is expected to go by the name GranTurismo Spyder.

Maserati is yet to reveal if the car will sport a traditional canvas roof or a new hard-top, but according to most sources it will come with a conventional soft-top in order to keep weight as low as possible. The latest spy shots and renderings below give us a good indication as to what the final styling may look like.

The new Spyder is also expected to be priced from $130,000 in the U.S., pitting it perfectly... Maserati officials have confirmed the convertible version of the GranTurismo will arrive in showrooms by March of next year and now we have a few new details about the car, which is expected to go by the name GranTurismo Spyder. Maserati is yet to reveal if the car will sport a traditional canvas roof or a new hard-top, but according to most sources it will come with a conventional soft-top in order to keep weight as low as possible. The latest spy shots and renderings below give us a good indication as to what the final styling may look like. The new Spyder is also expected to be priced from $130,000 in the U.S., pitting it perfectly against rivals like the Mercedes Benz SL, Aston Martin Vantage Roadster, BMW M6 Cabrio, and Jaguar XKR Convertible. In keeping with its premium status the Spyder will likely come standard with the new 434hp 4.7L V8 engine from the more recent GranTurismo S. This means it will likely get Maserati’s new automatic gearbox (as opposed to the previous automated manual) and a Brembo brake package as standard. Performance will likely be down on its hard-top sibling, however, as the Spyder will require extra reinforcements due to its missing roof. Remember, the regular GranTurismo already weighs in excess of 1,800kg so the extra weight of this reinforcement plus the automated folding roof system could easily push the drop-top past the two ton barrier.Preview: 2010 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible2011 Maserati GranTurismo Spyder spy shots Read More

General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson has confirmed that the Vauxhall brand will stay on whether or not its sister brand Opel is sold off. If Opel was sold off, however, the move would cause significant problems for Vauxhall, which sources a majority of its vehicles from GM’s German subsidiary.

In order to keep Vauxhall in business, GM is assessing importing South Korean cars for the British brand, according to Autocar. GM's South Korean subsidiary, GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM DAT), produces several relatively inexpensive models across many segments and these could provide a possible alternative for Vauxhall’s future lineup.

... General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson has confirmed that the Vauxhall brand will stay on whether or not its sister brand Opel is sold off. If Opel was sold off, however, the move would cause significant problems for Vauxhall, which sources a majority of its vehicles from GM’s German subsidiary. In order to keep Vauxhall in business, GM is assessing importing South Korean cars for the British brand, according to Autocar. GM's South Korean subsidiary, GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM DAT), produces several relatively inexpensive models across many segments and these could provide a possible alternative for Vauxhall’s future lineup. One possible scenario could see Vauxhall models such as the Corsa, Astra and Insignia replaced by Daewoo-produced models such as the Kalos, Lacetti and Epica. The case is not so simple, however, as GM already uses its Chevrolet brand to sell the Daewoo-sourced models in the UK. If Vauxhall were to start importing these vehicles then the Chevrolet brand would likely have to be disbanded for its British operations, or incorporated into Vauxhall. To complicate matters further, Vauxhall could also source vehicles from Holden, GM’s Australian subsidiary which specializes in large rear-wheel-drive cars such as the VE Commodore. Holden already has some experience with the situation Vauxhall finds itself in - it wasn't long ago that Holden replaced its Opel-sourced vehicles with Daewoo-source vehicles due to cost issues. Should Vauxhall begin sourcing vehicles from Daewoo and Holden, we could see its model lineup change dramatically in a relatively short time. Whether or not consumers warm to the idea is a different matter. Read More

Get ready to fight off the green-eyed monster of jealousy, as those lucky Brits have landed yet another pair of spicy limited-edition hatches. The already-impressive Vauxhall Astra and Corsa VXR will now be available with special Racing Edition packages to celebrate the company's success in the 2008 BTCC season and to kick of the 2009 series.

Liveried in colors to replicate the race team, buyers of the VXR Race Editions also get VXR Performance Center parts discounts as part of their ownership package.

Performance and comfort enhancements are also included, with up to 20 extra horsepower (15kW) on tap thanks to a new, optional, Remus... Get ready to fight off the green-eyed monster of jealousy, as those lucky Brits have landed yet another pair of spicy limited-edition hatches. The already-impressive Vauxhall Astra and Corsa VXR will now be available with special Racing Edition packages to celebrate the company's success in the 2008 BTCC season and to kick of the 2009 series. Liveried in colors to replicate the race team, buyers of the VXR Race Editions also get VXR Performance Center parts discounts as part of their ownership package. Performance and comfort enhancements are also included, with up to 20 extra horsepower (15kW) on tap thanks to a new, optional, Remus exhaust system. Full leather Recaro seats are standard, and a handful of VX Racing badges are applied to the B-pillars, door sills, and other areas. Tinted rear glass, a black rear diffuser, black mirror covers and door bump-strips and - in the Astra - piano black interior decor strips all help mark the Racing Editions out as more than a typical VXR. Gloss-black alloy wheels sized 18in for the Corsa and 19in for the Astra complete the sinister racing look. The cars are UK-only and priced to start from £17,425.00 ($24,800) for the Corsa and £21,445 ($30,500) for the Astra.Vauxhall Astra and Corsa VXR Racing Editions Read More

Bowing to customer demand, Maserati will finally add an automatic transmission to its stunning GranTurismo S. The ZF-sourced six-speeder is already available in the standard GranTurismo and will be sold alongside the existing Cambiocorsa electro-actuated manual in the sportier GranTurismo S. The photos of the car revealed today show there is little difference in the cockpit, aside from the new gear selector.

The gearbox software has been upgraded to handle the extra grunt from the 440hp (323kW) 4.7L V8 but the unit is claimed to be smooth and responsive to any changes applied to the accelerator pedal. The quick shifts are improved thanks to... Bowing to customer demand, Maserati will finally add an automatic transmission to its stunning GranTurismo S. The ZF-sourced six-speeder is already available in the standard GranTurismo and will be sold alongside the existing Cambiocorsa electro-actuated manual in the sportier GranTurismo S. The photos of the car revealed today show there is little difference in the cockpit, aside from the new gear selector. The gearbox software has been upgraded to handle the extra grunt from the 440hp (323kW) 4.7L V8 but the unit is claimed to be smooth and responsive to any changes applied to the accelerator pedal. The quick shifts are improved thanks to upgrades also found in the Quattroporte GT-S, which eliminates the problematic 'kick-down' in manual mode. The new automatic GranTurismo S will make its world debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. Later in the year Maserati will add a new Spyder convertible GranTursimo to its lineup and there is also a rumor that there will be sportier GT S variant as well. No changes are planned for the Cambiocorsa electro-actuated manual. For those unfamiliar with the unit, it features a twin disc clutch and triple cone synchronizer on the first and second gears and a double cone on the other gears. The transmission can be used in two ways: manual and automatic. Manual mode is for those who prefer a sportier, more involving driving experience with gear changes only made if the driver requests them in order to fully unlock the car’s performance. In either mode, however, gear transitions are nowhere near as smooth as a regular automatic. The exterior of the car also gets a few unique touches for the eagle-eyed enthusiast to spot: more prominent under-door sills, unique 20in Trident-design wheels.Maserati GranTurismo 'S'Maserati GranTurismo S AutomaticMaserati GranTurismo S driving footage Read More

With the global economic crisis forcing consumers to tighten their purse strings, small cars with low sticker prices and high fuel efficiency are becoming more and more popular. While European and Asian markets have been popular with small cars for some time now, it is only recently that selling the compact runabouts in North America has become attractive to manufacturers as the masses clamor for greater value.

Some of the manufacturers considering entering the U.S. market see the current economic conditions as a convenient time to bring their small cars to one of the world's largest automotive markets, and in the next few years the U.S.... With the global economic crisis forcing consumers to tighten their purse strings, small cars with low sticker prices and high fuel efficiency are becoming more and more popular. While European and Asian markets have been popular with small cars for some time now, it is only recently that selling the compact runabouts in North America has become attractive to manufacturers as the masses clamor for greater value. Some of the manufacturers considering entering the U.S. market see the current economic conditions as a convenient time to bring their small cars to one of the world's largest automotive markets, and in the next few years the U.S. may see a flurry of small city cars from major manufacturers such as Ford, as well as from smaller, foreign companies such as China's BYD, reports Automotive News. Cars that are already in production overseas are the most likely candidates, due to the relatively low development costs needed to bring them Stateside. Cars in this category include Ford's diminutive Ka, which is smaller than the Fiesta, as well as Fiat's popular 500 city car. Mercedes' redesigned B-Class line may also be hitting American shores in 2011, along with the subcompact Opel Corsa (which may be built in the U.S. and sold as a Saturn), as well as the Toyota iQ and the Volkswagen Polo. Other cars that are under development, or being considered for development, could also hit U.S. shores, such as the Audi A1, which would slot in below the Audi A3 and be based on the Audi A1 Sportback concept seen at the Paris Motor Show a couple of months ago. There is also the possibility of BMW's 'Project i' city car getting the go ahead, and if this car is developed then it too could hit U.S. shores. Additionally, small, cheap cars from foreign manufacturers may undercut European and American brands. Chinese company BYD, which is currently working on a plug-in hybrid for the U.S. market, may also introduce a small city car in the U.S. eventually, while the Hyundai i10 is also being considered for North America. Read More