50th Anniversary Edition Challenger celebrates golden anniversary with new exterior paint color, body-color Shaker hood on HEMI® V-8 models, unique badging and heritage style available on four Challenger models. Never one to turn down a chance to market yet another special edition of its wares, Dodge pulled the wraps off a 50th Anniversary Edition Challenger today at the L.A. Auto Show this week.Available in Canada on the Scat Pack 392 Shaker trim, this rear-drive brute earns a body-colour Shaker hood in addition to a raft of unique badging.On this side of the border, 70 numbered units of Scat Pack 392 Shakers painted in eye-popping Go Mango will mark Challengers original 1970 model-year introduction.Check Out All Our Auto Show CoverageThat Shaker hood puts the fun in functional, by the way, and comes with a Mopar cold-air intake that deploys a conical air filter and matching air box for improved airflow. Be sure to make like Brian OConnor and pop the hood, as youll also find a SHAKER underhood decal thats reminiscent of the original 1970 Challengers.Each 50th Anniversary Edition car will also wear a Satin Black painted hood and black-wrapped roof and decklid. Its interesting to your author that Dodge paints one panel but wraps the others.Challenger 50th Anniversary logo badges will show up on the grille and spoiler in a new Gold School finish (Dodges retro marketing team strikes again). Fender badges are also finished in this colour, while the standard Satin Black fuel-filler door with jumbo FUEL lettering adds a touch of nostalgia. From the steering wheel to the instrument panel, startup screens, gauge faces, seat backs, door bolsters and floor mats, the 50th Anniversary theme extends into the Challenger’s athletic interior. Future bidders at Barrett-Jackson, take note: All 2020 model-year Challenger SRT Hellcat and SRT Hellcat Redeye models will feature the 50th Anniversary badge. Dont let em fake you out in Scottsdale in twenty years time.Elsewhere in the FCA-in-LA booth, the Fiat brand showed off a refreshed 500X Sport, a machine that will need to take up much sales slack now the 500 has gone to the great scrap heap in the sky. The cousins of Giulia and Stelvio also got some tweaks for 2020, including a revised interior and some flashy new
Origin: Dodge’s latest Special Edition celebrates 50 years of Challenger
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Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato: 760bhp special revealed
Aston Martin’s ultra-exclusive DBZ Centenary collection has been revealed in full, with the DBS GT Zagato joining the DB4 GT Zagato Autocar drove earlier this week. Unveiled at an event in Rhode Island, the £6m (plus local taxes) pair are the most valuable new Astons yet built. They are sold exclusively as a pair, costing £6 million plus local taxes, and are limited to 19 models each. An extensively reworked version of the DBS Superleggera supercar, the DBS GT Zagato sees power from the 5.2-litre turbocharged V12 boosted from 715bhp to 760bhp. The exterior features an exclusive Supernova Red paint colour, exposed carbon-fibre accents, black and gold 3D-machined wheels and 18-carat gold badging. Aston claims a world first in the use of carbon and metal 3D-printed interior finishes, with one of the coatings taking 100 hours to print and prepare. The first examples of the collection will be delivered to customers at the end of 2019. The DBS’s styling was conducted by Zagato and Aston Martin’s design team. It features a ‘double-bubble’ roof styled after the original, which runs from the front windscreen to the tail of the car, replacing the rear windscreen. The front of the car has also been restyled, with a similar bubble theme, new headlights and a reworked Zagato front grille. The car gains a unique wheel design too. The previously announced DB4 GT Zatago Continuation is offered as a track-only car, because the specifications will exactly match the 58-year-old original design. That will include an updated version of the original’s straight-six, 380bhp
Origin: Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato: 760bhp special revealed
New McLaren GT Special Operations showcase heading to Pebble Beach
McLaren has unveiled a series of personalisation options open to buyers of its new GT through its in-house Special Operations division. The McLaren GT by MSO will make its public debut at this weekend’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It showcases a range of interior and exterior styling tweaks said to be inspired by iconic British architecture. The model is painted in a newly developed shade of silver that’s exclusive to MSO, with the door skirts, front splitter, wing mirrors, brake calipers, rear bumper and diffuser finished in the division’s graphite grey. Also included is the MSO Bright Pack, which comprises a polished titanium exhaust tip, black diamond-cut alloy wheels and chrome window surrounds. Inside, the seatbacks, sunvisors, door cards and armrest are stitched in a pattern that pays homage to the geometric canopy design of the British Museum in London. The seats are trimmed in white leather, with elements of grey leather throughout the interior continuing the exterior’s design theme. Additional interior features unique to the model include MSO-branded headrests and sills, silver-infused carbonfibre shift paddles and bespoke floormats. The GT by MSO also shows off the optional electrochromic sunroof, which can turn opaque in high-intensity sunlight and shield the car’s occupants from glare. MSO hasn’t modified the GT’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine, meaning the special edition model can accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.2sec and on to a top speed of 203mph. Ansar Ali, managing director of McLaren Special Operations, said: “We believe that the McLaren GT has class-leading elegance and sophistication and is the perfect car to further personalise, whether it be through an MSO Defined or MSO Bespoke option or, alternatively, a unique, customer-inspired design that MSO delivers a stunning interpretation of.” MSO unveiled a one-off reworking of McLaren’s new 720S Spider at this year’s Geneva motor show. As well as a unique blue-grey colour scheme, the 202mph roadster featured a carbonfibre tonneau cover, a sports exhaust and Alcantara interior trim. Costs for MSO’s range of bespoke GT upgrades are yet to be detailed, but deliveries of the standard model are scheduled to begin this autumn, with prices starting from
Origin: New McLaren GT Special Operations showcase heading to Pebble Beach
Rolls-Royce unveils ultra-exclusive Ghost Zenith special
Rolls-Royce has unveiled a limited-run Ghost Zenith Collector’s Edition, which will offer the highest level of bespoke features on the car to date. The Zenith will be limited to just 50 examples and the British firm says it offers more bespoke options than any model apart from the 2016 limited-run Phantom Zenith. The special edition is intended as the ultimate version of the current Ghost before the new model arrives next year. The Ghost Zenith features a number of design details inspired by the 2009 200EX concept that previewed the Ghost. They include an ingot in the interior made from the original concept car’s Spirit of Ecstasy. A section of artwork showing technical details of the 200EX has been engraved in the centre console, too. The Spirit of Ecstasy and clock of the Ghost Zenith are both engraved with its name. There are new illuminated door pockets with perforated leather to emit light into the cabin, while the contrasting leather seats feature embroidery inspired by seat details in the 1907 Silver Ghost. The Ghost Zenith retains the model’s illuminated ‘starlight headliner’, but a new ‘shooting star’ design note has been introduced to add “an extraordinary sense of theatre”. It features a gloss contrast two-tone paintwork, available in three colour pairings, and a Silver Satin bonnet as used on the 200EX. The Ghost Zenith will be available in standard- and extended-wheelbase forms and feature the same mechanicals as the regular Ghost, including the twin-turbo 6.6-litre V12 petrol engine. Pricing has not been disclosed but is likely to be substantially higher than the £200,958 base price for the current standard-wheelbase
Origin: Rolls-Royce unveils ultra-exclusive Ghost Zenith special
Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato: ultra-rare special previewed
Aston Martin has released more realistic renderings of the new DBS GT Zagato, a limited-run reworking of the DBS Superleggera created to celebrate Italian styling house Zagato’s centenary. Although still digital images, the new shots remove some of the exaggerated proportions of the previous renders, showing what we can expect for the final version to be revealed in the coming months. The new machine is limited to 19 models, and is being sold exclusively as a pair with a DB4 GT Zagato Continuation model. The DBZ Centenary Collection will cost £6 million, plus taxes. The DBS GT Zagato is an extensively reworked version of a DBS Superleggera, and takes styling cues from the original DB4 GT Zagato. The car’s styling was conducted by Zagato and Aston Martin’s design team. It features a ‘double-bubble’ roof styled after the original, which runs from the front windscreen to the tail of the car, replacing the rear windscreen. The front of the car has also been restyled, with a similar bubble theme, new headlights and a reworked Zagato front grille. The car gains a unique wheel design too. The mechanical underpinnings of the DBS GT Zagato will be unchanged from the Superleggera, including the 715bhp turbocharged 5.2-litre V12. The previously announced DB4 GT Zatago Continuation will be offered as a track-only car, because the specifications will exactly match the 58-year-old original design. That will include an updated version of the original’s straight-six, 380bhp engine. Customer deliveries of the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation will begin at the end of this year, with deliveries of the DBS GT Zagato following in late
Origin: Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato: ultra-rare special previewed
Rivian unveils a Camping Special trim for its upcoming all-electric pickup
Electric vehicle start-up Rivian showed off a “camping special” trim available for its all-electric pickup truck late May—even though it’s yet to actually build its first production all-electric pickup truck. The California-based company showed the camper-equipped truck last weekend to visitors at the Overland Expo adventure travel show in Flagstaff, Arizona. The camping package includes a tent on top of the bed, roof racks for accessories, and a slide-out kitchen that fits into a storage compartment, called the Gear Tunnel, under the front of the truck’s bed. The kitchen included a two-burner induction cooktop, which runs off the truck’s battery. We’ve cooked up a mobile kitchen prototype that showcases just one of the many ways to utilize the extra storage space in the #R1T. It features 2 induction burners, a sink, 5 gallons of water storage and keeps all your cookware and utensils organized while youre out in the wild. pic.twitter.com/qsVXZUvCw8 Rivian (@Rivian) May 17, 2019 Founded in 2009 by R.J. Scaringe, the company unveiled its R1T electric pickup and R1S sport-utility vehicle at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. It says production models will go on sale in 2020, and claims specifications of around 800 horsepower, a battery range of about 750 kilometres, zero-to-96 km/h in less than three seconds, and towing capacity for the pickup of more than 11,000 lbs. The vehicles will also be capable of semi-autonomous highway driving. Prices haven’t been officially released, but the first higher-performance vehicles are expected to be around US$90,000, with less-potent models added later and starting at around US$50,000. They’ll be built in Normal, Illinois, in a former Mitsubishi plant the company bought from the Japanese automaker last
Origin: Rivian unveils a Camping Special trim for its upcoming all-electric pickup
Aston Martin going hyper-limited with Vantage special editions
2020 Aston Martin Vantage AMR The need for the fabulously well-to-do to spend ever more of their untold wealth on limited edition automobiles continues unabated. Aston Martin, for instance, after recently announcing a customized Vantage limited to but 200 units worldwide, has unveiled an even rarer bird that takes 59 of those 200 to an even higher plateau. Think of it as a limited edition of a limited edition. The basis of all this is the twin-turbocharged V8-powered Vantage with its 510 horsepower scooting the new AMR version to 100 kilometres an hour in just 4.0 seconds thanks to its seven-speed manual transmission — with AMShift automatic “blipping” to coordinate downshifts and full-throttle upshifts. Speaking of the sophisticated stick shift, Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO Andy Palmer said, “When I joined this company, customers asked and, as a gearbox engineer and racer, I promised that we would always offer a manual transmission in our lineup. The Vantage AMR not only honours that commitment but sets us apart from our competitors in continuing to offer a three-pedal option.” The first 141 examples of the AMR will be available in either Sabiro Blue, Onyx Black, China Grey or White Stone. The final 59 — that limited edition within a limited edition — are a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Aston Martin’s famed success at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic DBR1. Named “Vantage 59”, this top-of-the-line Vantage features a unique Stirling Green and Lime exterior paint scheme and Dark Knight leather interior (Christian Bale not included, but you could likely get Aston Martin to design you a matching utility belt), finished with a signature AMR lime stripe and will cost $242,494.25. Regular limited edition models will cost but a piffling $212,744.25. Aston Martin, meanwhile, continues to race at Le Mans, the Vantage GTE to take part in this year’s GTE Pro category. “With the Vantage GTE set to race again at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June,” says Palmer,“ I hope that those customers who are lucky enough to take ownership of a Vantage 59, will have even more reason to celebrate with their new
Origin: Aston Martin going hyper-limited with Vantage special editions
Autocar confidential: Mercedes-AMG’s delayed hypercar, Audi plans a special delivery and more
This week, we’ve got the lowdown on the the delay in launching Mercedes-AMG’s hypercar, Infiniti’s next step, Seat’s position in the VW Group, and more. Affalterbach needs its filter back Mercedes-AMG’s flagship hypercar, the One, has reportedly been delayed while the company works to fit a particulate filter – to ensure WLTP emissions certification – without dropping the power output below 1000bhp. AMG boss Tobias Moers admitted the problem to Autocar but said there has been “great progress” in implementing a fix. “We’re figuring out when the first customers will get their cars in the next few weeks,” Moers said. Audi’s new ‘hot’ hatch Audi reckons shared autonomous cars could revolutionise takeaways – by arriving with your food already on board. The firm’s AI:ME urban concept car features a food storage unit and subscribers can request a car and food using an app. The autonomous car stops at the restaurant and is loaded up with the food en route to arriving for use. Infiniti looks eastwards After announcing it will pull the plug on Europe later this year, Infiniti is betting the farm on China. At the Shanghai motor show, the brand said it will build its first electrified model in China, for China. Its target is to triple sales in China in the next five years with a number of locally made cars. VW Group remains Seated Seat may still be “very much a regional brand”, but a sale has never been on the table because it is so intertwined with the VW Group’s technology, according to group CEO Herbert Deiss. “It also makes sense within the group because it attracts a different kind of customer than anyone else.” That different kind of customer is a younger one – Seat owners are the youngest of any VW Group
Origin: Autocar confidential: Mercedes-AMG’s delayed hypercar, Audi plans a special delivery and more
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