Range Rover SVO Holland and Holland edition revealed

Land Rover's Special Vehicles Operations have collaborated with British gun makers Holland and Holland to make the most expensive Range Rover ever.

The uber expensive long wheelbase Range Rover has been dethroned as the most expensive version of the luxury SUV that one can buy. Land rover’s Special Vehicles Operations (SVO) responsible for bespoke Jaguars and Land Rover projects have teamed up with legendary gun-manufacturers Holland and Holland. The new car is priced at nearly Rs 35 lakh more than the long wheelbase version.

The Range Rover SVO Holland and Holland will be visually distinguishable thanks to a Holland & Holland green paint job, special badging and deep green front grille with chrome highlights. Most of the tweaks have occurred on the inside where the high-priced Range Rover has received the executive seating package with two individually adjustable rear seats and an extended reworked center console featuring electrically-deployable walnut tables, upgraded stowage areas and bespoke ambient lighting. The car also gets a bespoke espresso and tan leather combination along with personalised etching and carving done on the aluminium grab handles.

The most striking feature can be found in the trunk where there’s a removable leather-trimmed aluminum cabinet created specifically for this model. It features an Alcantara interior and enough room to hold a pair of ultra rare and exquisitely designed Holland and Holland guns. The floorspace has also been remoulded using carbonfibre and leather along with a wooden veneer finish.

Land Rover will make no more than 40 of these every year with engine options including the 240PS 4.4-litre SDV6 diesel and the 510PS 5.0-litre supercharged diesel.

Datsun GO Plus

` 5.0 Lac*

*Ex-showroom Price New Delhi

Highlights

October 17, 2014: Datsun has began the production of its seven seater GO+ MPV at Renault-Nissan Oragadam facility in Chennai. The MPV is expected to be launched in the month of January 2014 though the vast dealership network of Nissan. The MPV shares designing cues from hatchback Go and also embraces same interior design and features such as Audio system with mobile docking, bench-like front seats, follow-me-home headlamps, smart wipers, etc. The Datsun Go+ sports a 1.2 litre engine with a five speed manual transmission which develops a healthy 68bhp, with a 104 Nm of peak torque. The MPV is also expected to carry a 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine from Nissan Micra.

Acceleration & Pick-Up

This yet to be launched vehicle is expected to be perkier in terms of acceleration and pick. It comes equipped with a 1198cc engine that comes with 3-cylinders, each of which have 4-valves. Considering its body weight and stature, it is expected to breach the 100 Kmph speed mark in about 15 to 16 seconds. At the same time, it is expected to reach a top speed in the range of 140 to 150 Kmph, which is quite good.

Stereo & Accessories

This yet to be launched vehicle is expected to come with basic audio system with a mobile docking station. This system comes with anamplifier, universal mobile holder, AUX-In socket, and a USB port (for charging only), which enables the occupants to connect their mobile for playing music. Also this vehicle is expected to get four high quality speakers, which delivers surround quality sound and keeps the occupants entertained. Apart from these, customers can opt for personalizing this vehicle with several aspects like leather seats, tweeters, floor carpets and so on.

Overview

Datsun India, the fully owned subsidiary of the Japanese automaker has officially unveiled a compact MPV model for the country. This vehicle is christened as Datsun Go Plus and it is expected to arrive in the last quarter of 2015, which is still a long way to go. At present, the company has only one hatch model in its India portfolio, which will go up to two after the launch of this MPV. According to the details revealed by the company, this upcoming vehicle will come with a total length of just 3995mm, which helps it to receive excise duty benefits. This sub 4-meter MPV has been unveiled with a 1.2-litre petrol engine under the hood, which is currently doing its duties in the GO hatchback. This 1198cc engine is expected to produce the 67bhp in combination with a maximum torque of about 104Nm. It is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox, which will help the vehicle to produce a mileage in the range of 17 to 19 Kmpl. This created a buzz in the Indian automobile market, which forced other automakers to come up with new compact models. This is perhaps the first ever compact MPV model in the automobile market with a capacity to host at least seven passengers. The company had designed this vehicle on the Datsun Go hatch body platform, which makes it look quite identical to the hatch. Its front profile carries similar design aspects of GO hatch, but its side and rear profiles have a distinct look.

The only Koenigsegg One:1 in RHD configuration previewed

To be delivered early next year

The BHP Project has been documenting online for several months the manufacturing process of their Koenigsegg One:1.

Just nine production units will ever be built and sold (plus prototype) and this will be the only one to get a right-hand drive configuration, despite the renders showing a LHD layout. The exterior will wear a combination of clear and blue tinted carbon with triple layered pearlescent white stripes. Delivery will take place early next year through SuperVettura, the official Koenigsegg dealer.

Billed as the first megacar the world, the 1,341 kg Koenigsegg One:1 made its debut earlier this year at Geneva Motor Show packing a twin-turbo V8 5.0-liter engine outputting 1,341 HP (1,000 KW) and 1,371 Nm (1,011 lb-ft) of torque.

It's characterized as being the "world's fastest homologated production car" with a simulated maximum speed of 273 mph (440 km/h) which hopefully will be tested in real life conditions. The 0 - 248.5 mph (0 - 400 km/h) sprint takes approximately 20 seconds and coming to a full stop from that speed is done in 10 seconds thanks to 397mm front / 380mm ventilated ceramic disc brakes with six- and four-piston calipers, respectively.

There's no word about the price tag but you can be sure it's one of the most expensive cars ever.

Mercedes-Benz celebrates motorsport heritage with classic car rally in Mumbai

Held to celebrate 120 years in motorsport, over 65 vintage and classic Mercedes-Benz cars took to the streets of Mumbai

  

A hundred and twenty years ago, a Mercedes-Benz automobile won the first ever automobile race in the world. This year, Mercedes-Benz has, for the first time in history officially won the constructor’s world championship in Formula 1. To celebrate both these feats, Mercedes-Benz India decided to hold a vintage and classic car rally in Mumbai.

Over 65 cars turned up for the event ranging from a 1929 Mercedes Nurburg to a host of 170Vs in both coupe and cabriolet form. Amongst the sportscars were a host of Mercedes Benz SL generations, ranging from the first generation W198 in both 300SL and 190SL form along with subsequent W113 Pagoda, R107 and the ever popular R129. A host of sedans including the popular W123 and W124 series were also a part of the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Eberhard Kern, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “Mercedes-Benz has always enjoyed a close connection with sporting attributes such as team spirit, dedication, responsibility, competition and fairness. These characteristics not only apply to our ultra-modern, highly technically advanced cars; they also reflect the goals of the company and its employees. Today we showcased some of the most iconic cars ever built by the brand which have been a visual treat for the enthusiasts to see these immaculate and timeless cars being driven around Mumbai.”

Other unique cars like the Mercedes-Benz Unimog also joined into the procession of Mercedes-Benz classic cars. Other notable entries were a duo of Mercedes-Benz SECs and a host of Ponton and Fintail models that enthralled bystanders. The rally, flagged off from the NCPA at Nariman point snaked through Marine Drive, Chowpatty, Peddar Road, Haji Ali, Worli Sea Face and the Bandra Worli sea link before returning to the original start point at the NCPA.

2015 Ford Mustang RTR with 730PS unveiled

The RTR-spec Ford Mustangs will feature two tune variants and will come with added exterior modifications.

The new Ford Mustang has already been heralded as a revolutionary step up in terms of both technology and design. With the new 4-cylinder Ecoboost engine, the Mustang has gone from a pure muscle car to something that is a blend of both power and economy. That said, the true hero in the Mustang range has always been the one with the V8 engine. Across the years, there have been several influential tuners like Shelby and Roush that have tuned Mustangs for both street and track use. The latest in the line of factory approved tuners for the Mustang is legendary drift car driver, Vaughn Gittin Jr and RTR performance.

Since its birth in 2009, RTR has rapidly become one of the most popular automotive brand names worldwide with its wild project builds and aftermarket appearance and performance packages for theFord Mustang. Now though, RTR has undoubtedly raised the bar in the aftermarket world with their development of the 2015 Mustang RTR with 730PS of peak power!

The 2015 Ford Mustang RTR will be available in two forms. The appearance upgrades available to both the Spec 1 and Spec 2 packages include a chin spoiler, a rear spoiler, a rear diffuser with side splitters and a new upper and lower grille package. In addition, the adjustable dampers, adjustable sway bars and lower springs to improve overall stance. The RTR also gets a new tuning setup that includes a supercharger, a custom ECU, cold air intake and a bespoke Magnaflow exhaust.

Speaking on the occasion, Vaughn Gittin Jr said, “Ford has really done an amazing job with the new 2015 Ford Mustang. The all new platform has very easily allowed us to mesh RTR’s tastefully-aggressive styling and modified performance to offer our most capable, best-handling fun-to-drive RTR’s to date.”

Facelifted 2015 Audi Q3 unveiled

The Audi Audi Q3 features sharper styling and more powerful engine options

Audi has taken the wraps off its facelifted 2015 Audi Q3. Typically, the new car features updated styling and a host of petrol and diesel options. Cosmetically, tweaks are subtle at best. There is a sharper single frame trapezoidal front grille and updated headlights equipped with xenon plus lighting and LED daytime running lights. Customers can also opt for LED headlamps that sync with the revised LED tail lamps. Both the lamps come with dynamic turn signals.

As far as the engines are concerned, the 2015 Audi Q3 will be available with three petrol TFSI and three diesel TDI four-cylinder engines. These turbocharged engines emit up to 17 percent less CO2 than before. Internationally, the Euro 6-compliant engines for the Audi Q3 vary from displacements ranging from 1.4-litres to 2.0-liters providing an output between 120 PS and 220PS. In India though, we can expect Audi to give us the 2.0-litre diesel engine and a new 2.0-litre petrol motor.

The crown jewel in the compact SUV range, the Audi RS Q3 continues with its five-cylinder 2.5-liter turbocharged petrol engine which now develops an extra 30PS & 30Nm to offer a grand total of 340PS and 450Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a quattro AWD system through a seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission. This setup allows the high-performance Audi RS Q3 to sprint to 100 kmph in 4.8 seconds (0.7s quicker than before) before hitting a limited top speed of 250 kmph. Aside from the bump in power, Audi has also installed a new RS exhaust system featuring switchable flaps to provide a more pronounced soundtrack