A Day With A Bugatti: Test-Driving The Veyron Grand Sport

In the summer of 2011, I had just started my career as a junior Freelance-Creative Partner, specializing in copy writing, photography and video production. You can probably imagine my excitement when a message that I left at a local automotive blog was met with an invitation to the first test-drive and photo/film shoot of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. My first real car-job and it was one of the fastest and most expensive cars on the planet - I was ecstatic.

I arrived at the massive estate at an undisclosed location near Toronto to find the beautiful marvel of engineering sitting quietly at the base of the stairs to the house. The Bugatti didn't remain quiet for long. Before I could snap my second photo since walking up the driveway from the guest-house, the Bugatti representative turned the key, bringing the 1001 horsepower 8-liter W16 to life. We brought the car further onto the estate to get some pictures around the stunning property.

  

Full photo shoot here.

After a while, it was time to take the car out to the open roads. There was a lot of traffic on the city roads, which as you can guess garnered a lot of attention. Attention isn't the best thing to have when you're leaning out the window of a chase car with a camera filming a million-dollar supercar - believe me. I got a ticket for it.

Me, pretending to be badass enough to get a ticket in a Bugatti.

After being pulled over and questioned, we were off again. If you've never seen a Bugatti, I can assure you, this car lives up to the hype. It's loud, gorgeous and faster than a bat out of hell. Although most of the footage I have was contracted away to the automotive blog I was freelancing for, there is a bit of footage for your viewing pleasure:

Like what you see? Contact me via my website!

I hate the R8 Spyder. Yes, even the GT.

Now before those of you who clicked on this post in a rage take out your anger on me, hear me out: I love cars. I love Audi's. I love just about every car except the Pontiac Aztec, any Hummer after the H1 and the Ford Pinto. I understand different cars have different purposes, and with those purposes come different audiences. Even so, I seriously cannot make myself like the Audi R8 Spyder. Not even the GT version.

I'm sure the car is fast; it's still the R8. I'm sure it's comfortable; it's an Audi. I'm sure it's a pleasure to drive, but I truthfully cannot get past the sickening appearance of this once beautiful car. I used to dislike most convertibles, especially the rag-tops, but that's not what the case is here.

One place the Audi design team went wrong was the rear-end. They kept the oh-so-Audi fins under the lights, which I love (even though there's less of them), but everything above that is a complete let-down. One of the most beautiful features of the R8 was it's glass engine cover. That's gone. In its place is a disappointingly bland and opaque ventilation-style cover. I understand that this might have been necessary due to the addition of the drop-top, but that brings me to my biggest problem with the R8 Spyder: No big side panels.

The panels on the side of the R8, be they carbon fiber, white, black, gold or what-have-you look fantastic. They defined the R8. With the rear end of the R8 so low, there was no room for the side panels, and in there place sits a gaping hole that looks like somebody sanded down the side of a Lamborghini. When Audi announced their R8 GT Spyder, I had a glimmer of hope for a rear-end redesign. Those hopes were soon shattered. Although the overall appearance of the R8 GT Spyder improved slightly, it still just doesn't sit right.

The R8 GT Spyder. Close, but still so far.

In the performance department, the Spyder just doesn't measure up to the original R8 GT. The 0-60 time is slightly more than to original, and I'm sure the drop-top experiences the standard minute loss of handling that all convertibles are susceptible to. In addition to that, the car comes strictly with the Audi R Tronic automated manual transmission - no exceptions. I don't know what the R Tronic transmission is like, but I've heard from a few sources that not only does it feel clunky, but it occasionally causes a plethora of problems for some owners.

In short, I feel like Audi didn't do a very good job of making the Audi R8 GT Spyder an outstanding sports-coupe. It feels more like a luxury convertible coupe to me. Couple the list of issues I have with the car and the nearly $200,000 price tag, and you have a car which I can honestly say would never cross my mind if I were in the price range or category. I'd spend the little bit extra and take a Lamborghini any day - but that's just my opinion.

BMW i-Series: i3 and i8

In the industry-wide race to go electric without compromising performance, BMW is undoubtedly at the front of the pack. Revealed as a concept in 2009, and as a production model this year, the i8 and i3 are some of the most interesting vehicles to come out of BMW for quite some time.  

The i3 is meant for the urban commuter looking for efficiency. The i3 sports a liquid-cooled lithium ion battery which pumps around 170 horsepower, in this case 125 KW to the rear wheels, propelling the compact SUV from 0-60 in less than 8 seconds. Not bad at all.

To get even sportier, we’d have to take a trip in the i8. It’s been a while since a plug-in hybrid car caught my attention, but the i8 has truly won me over. Upon first glance, you know you’re looking at a fast car. What you don’t know is what planet it came from.  BMW managed to bring sleek and aggressive together in perfect harmony with efficient and dramatic. It's only rational that they chose this car to star in the coming Mission Impossible movie.

The massive sheet of glass that makes up the windshield spans across the entire car, right to the back seats. Yes, it’s a 4-seater coupe with glass doors. I would hope there is some kind of a factory tint, just for privacy’s sake. The i8 is powered by one of the most intricate systems in the automotive industry. The i8 uses an electric motor to send power to the front axle, coupled with a 3-cylinder turbo gasoline engine pushing 220 horsepower to the rear wheels. That equates to a 0-60 time of less than 5 seconds. Not bad for a car with a fuel mileage of roughly 94 mpg!

Aventador Twin-Turbo: Who Will Do It First?

The Aventador - an aggressive and powerful snapshot of what is to be the next generation of Lamborghini.
Revealed in early 2011, the Aventador received much praise in the performance automotive community. With an astonishing 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds, it's hard not to like it. Despite it's mighty ~700 hp, some members of the automotive community, myself included, would like to see what happens when someone goes and over-does it. I think we'll have our fun soon enough.

There are a few tuning companies that have a long history with twin-turbo systems, particularly Lambo's.
Those companies are Underground Racing, Heffner Performance and RSC (Racing Sport Concepts).
All 3 companies have pumped out some impressive horsepower numbers over the past few years, but with Lamborghini's change to focus on more power-to-weight ratio initiatives, it has quickly become a race to the next step.

There's room for a twin-turbo system in there somewhere.

Underground Racing currently offers the most performance packages for the Gallardo and Murcielago models. They also currently offer the most powerful twin-turbo Lamborghini's money can buy. This video should give you an idea of how much power is actually being pushed out of these TT Lambo's:



After seeing the almost scary horsepower figures coming from UGR, I have to assume that they will get to the Aventador first. According to the internet rumor-mill, a twin-turbo Aventador could easily be putting out more than 1200 horsepower. Yes, please!

Will Ferrari Go Hybrid? The Enzo Successor Might.

In the rapidly-changing performance automotive world, many cars have seen some “greener” improvements. Companies like Jaguar and BMW have showcased their performance hybrid intentions for the near future. While some people cringe when they hear the word “hybrid” coupled with the word “performance”, I think it’s a great idea.

With that said, it’s no surprise that Ferrari’s announcement about a possible hybrid replacement for the Enzo stirred up a lot of internet controversy.  Ferrari’s hybrid 599 HY-KERS concept back in 2010 was the first hint of Ferrari’s hybrid efforts. The F1 technology-inspired 599 Hybrid was intended to feature a 100-hp electric motor hooked up to the shaft for the car’s odd-numbered gears. Not many fans expected such a big overhaul of the Ferrari line-up upon its debut.

The questionably-colored 599 HY-KERS

(Kinetic Energy Recovery System)

The Enzo successor, due in 2012, will also utilize a carbon fiber chassis and receive its main power from a mid-mounted V12. There are no specific details of the hybrid portion of the project, but many speculate that something similar to the KERS technology with a bit more focus on efficiency. Ferrari also plans on introducing a replacement for the 599, which could potentially feature a hybrid model as well.

Until we hear more details on the hybrid portions of Ferrari’s new line-up, all we can do is speculate.  That, and get artists to design us their renditions of what the new Ferrari’s will look like.

Regardless of the Enzo replacement's design or engine configuration, I'm sure Ferrari won't disappoint their fans with their flagship supercar.

The Sesto Elemento: Lamborghini's $2.5 Million Track Car

After its much talked about debut at the 2010 Paris Autoshow, Lamborghini’s Sesto Elemento (Sixth Element in Italian) quickly became one of the most talked about concept cars in the supercar community. Lamborghini had seemingly turned taken the idea of the Reventon concept of 2007, and turned it into a Gallardo-V10-powered monster.

The Sesto Elemento weighs only 999kg (2,200 lbs), making it the lightest Lamborghini ever produced. It achieved this weight via a carbon fiber diet. The body, chassis, driveshaft and even suspension components are all made of carbon fiber. This 570 horsepower lightweight Lambo boasts an astonishing 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds! Coupled with a top speed of 186 mph (300km/h), this is one fast bull.

Carbon is the sixth element on the periodic table.

This concept car was originally made to kick off the next generation of Lamborghini, showcasing their impressive carbon fiber technology and even more aggressive body design. However, the concept model was so popular that Lamborghini has decided the Sesto Elemento will go down the path of the Reventon, and will receive a limited production of 20 cars. Before you go running to the Lamborghini dealer nearest you, you should know that this car is for track use only. At an estimated price of $2.5 million, the Sesto Elemento had better be one hell of a track car.

"Super Juke": Godzilla's Little Brother?

With the approaching Tokyo and Los Angeles auto shows, the internet rumour-mill has been pumping out news and speculation by the hour. One particular rumour that caught my attention was the alleged “Super Juke” – a more powerful version of Nissan’s AWD turbo crossover. Although not officially titled the “Super Juke”, the codename has a certain ring to it.

When Nissan Europe confirmed these rumours and gave details on the “Super Juke”, even the most optimistic predictions were taken by surprise. Supposedly, the powerful crossover will be powered by the same 3.8L twin-turbo V6 that powers the Nissan GT-R. How they plan on fitting Godzilla’s heart in the Juke’s tiny engine bay is beyond me.

Do you see room for a twin-turbo V6?

The massive increase in power (460-530 estimated horses) is said to potentially bring the Super Juke’s 0-60 time down to an impressive 4-second range. The Juke will also receive some design changes as well, including more aggressive side skirts, a split rear wing, and presumably some GT-R tires. We can also expect to see some sort of rear diffuser and an assortment of aerodynamic additions to the body.

Currently, the Super Juke is just a concept project, but with all of the technology and resources at Nissan Europe’s disposal, I expect we could see the first versions of the JT-R (See what I did there?) by late 2012. I always thought the Juke was cool. I never expected it to be this badass.