La Dolce Veloce

The Geneva motor show seems to have attracted all sorts of ugly cars. First the Gumper Apollo Speed, now the four door Koenigsegg Quant concept car. The concept for the Quant is nice…it’s a four door electric car with nice performance specs (275km/hr top speed, for example). But the looks…well it makes one wonder. Read more over at Jalopnik.

The Gumpert Apollo was never a very pretty car, but they’ve somehow managed to go and make it worse. The bodywork is smoothed out in places for improved aerodynamics and a higher top speed, though the front end remains very busy-like, not at all meshing with the smooth tail. Then there’s the paint scheme, where they’ve chosen a Veyron-like two tone paint scheme…in a hideous shade of teal. I just couldn’t bring myself to post a picture of it here, it’s that bad. If you’re feeling brave, go look at it yourself over at the TopGear website.

The TT started out as something of a form over function car, but lately has developing performance to match its nicely evolved, aggressive looks. Case in point, the new TT RS. Its turbocharged 2.5 liter five cylinder gives the driver 340bhp to play with, and a 0-60 time of under five seconds (claimed 4.6 seconds). Going along with the extra power are the necessary suspension and brake upgrades, and the typical Audi all wheel drive. Look for it in showrooms later this year. (via AutoExpress)

Ah, now THIS is more like it. A Proper Lamborghini. Bold. Busy. Aggressive. The Murcielago, once so ‘Audi-like’ in its styling when first introduced, has followed the path of its predecessor, the Diablo, and become a true beast. This (relatively) lightweight Murcielago gets a bit of a power boost to 670bhp is rumored to be the final evolution of the model. It keeps its all wheel drive system, instead of being rear wheel drive like the Diable SV. The large wing (see rest of this entry for the pic) is optional and, not surprisingly, lowers the top speed to ‘only’ 209mph. And, as if it matters with a car this extreme, 0-60mph is yours in only 3.2 seconds. Price? Ha! Don’t ask. Just go buy one. (via Autoblog and Evo) Continue Reading »

Going on sale this week is the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, the world’s fastest open-top automobile (407km/hr with the roof on). From what I’ve read, it sounds like the removable hardtop roof is similar the Lotus Elise’s – you can’t store it on the car. However, the Bugatti, like the Elise, includes a fabric soft top for such use. (via Gizmag)