Fast-Autos News

Aston Martin has introduced the roadster version of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. This is almost the same as the coupe except that it has a reinforced aluminum frame to compensate the the lack of the roof. As is obligatory these days, the hood is operated electrically.


You get the same performance as the coupe, but not the stunning looks. Just depends where you live which car you should buy. At the same time, the new sequential six-speed gearbox, operated by paddles, has been introduced on all V8 Vantages - as an option alongside the manual six-speeder.

Hotter Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

Mercedes-Benz is unveiling a special edition of the Mercedes-Benz
SLR McLaren, one of the hottest and fastest front-engined exotic cars in existence. Well, it was until the Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano hit the road. No doubt the guys at McLaren knew the Fiorano was coming and wanted an answer.

The new model will rely mainly on upgrading to sell, but the engine pumps out an extra 25 bhp or so. Of course, that also puts it a bit further away from the heavyweight Mercs with plenty of power, like the SL65 AMG. Which McLaren wants.

Jaguar XJR Portfolio - 400 bhp

Jaguar is building a special edition version of the suave all-aluminum XJ. This is the XJR Portfolio, which gets the 400 bhp supercharged V-8 from the S Type R. The result is masses of performance with subtle differences to the body, such as a mesh grill.

The V-8 is coupled to a ZF six-speed automatic, and to increase traction, 20-inch wheels are used. Speed is limited to 155 mph, but the XJR Portfolio can accelerate to 60 mph in just 5.0 seconds - pretty quick for a big luxurious car and a bit quicker than the S Type R owing to the low weight.

Connaught almost ready for production

Connaught, the small British firm developing both a V-10 2.0 liter sports coupe and a hybrid electric version, says that the first model should go into production next January - six months later than planned.

This will be the Syracuse, which I mentioned in News in February. It is a front-mid engined rear-drive 2+2 coupe which is fairly tall. Powered by Connaught's V-10 engine of only 2.0 liters capacity, supercharged to give a claimed output of 300 bhp, which should make the car pretty fast.