Reviews

5 New Convertibles for The Best Summer Ever

With the weather finally warming up, we’re thinking about fun in the sun, trips up the coast, and blasting down the beach boardwalk.

Keeping that in mind, here’s a look at five hot droptops that might be on your radar this year if you’re the type who likes to drive al fresco.

5. BMW 4-Series

BMW 4-Series Convertible

BMW’s 4-Series has a well-deserved reputation for being a great handling car (we’ve driven the coupe and can verify that). It also has a well-deserved reputation for getting pricey with options. That said, if you can afford it (base price: about $50K), you’ll have a convertible that welcomes corners.

4. 2015 Ford Mustang

2015 Ford Mustang Convertible

Newly redesigned for 2015, the Mustang does away with the live rear axle and offers a new engine choice and a revamped interior to go along with the new exterior. After 50 years, the ‘Stang is still going strong, and we think the convertible version of this generation will be good enough to expand beyond Florida rental-car fleets.

3. Jaguar F-Type

Jaguar F-Type S

It isn’t cheap (starts just $70,000, but then, sexiness of this order rarely is. It has the go-fast bits (up to 495 horsepower) to back up its looks, too. Jaguar has been known for producing sexy roadsters over the years, and this is one of the sexiest.

4. Mazda Miata

2014 Mazda Miata

This performance bargain remains as iconic as ever, and it’s even available with a power hardtop. It’s one of the best-handling cars under $30,000 and after 25 years, its earned its place in the heart of every car-lover out there.

1. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible

We love the current iteration of the Corvette, but some people don’t want to be cooped up (pun fully intended). Well, no worry, for if you want the Stingray’s big power (up to 460 ponies) and fun in the sun, you can have both. You’ll need deep pockets, but who ever said going topless was cheap?

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Super Cars

Weekly Car Porn Black and White Style By Web2Carz (PHOTOS)

For Web2Carz’ fourth week of Car Porn, they have ten black-and-white beauties. Because for every yin, there is a smokin’ hot yang out there too! So look at these cars for hours on end — you’re only helping yourself find an inner balance.

Let’s start with a matte black Rolls-Royce Phantom.

The definition of “all black, everything.” (Source)

A street car named Porsche

Bonus points if you can name the city it’s in. (Use the comments below!) (Source)

This vintage Lamborgini looks very naughty.

White doesn’t always mean purity (Source)

An ebony El Camino

The Way, indeed. (Source)

McLaren MP4-12C in white? Yes please.

Really, I’d take it in any color. (Source)

These Ferarris are both black and white at the same time!

That means they are grey. And soooo pretty. (Source)

An Aston Martin

Shining bright like a diamond (Source)

Our favorite pony cars off to a black-tie event

They are dressed to impress, no? (Source)

White Mercedes, red interior

A LITTLE RED IS FINE BY ME! (Source)

Ebony AND ivory …

live together in perfect harmony … (Source)

via: Sarah Shaw – Web2Carz

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Super Cars

Everything You Need To Know About The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51

“What a weird time to get a Corvette.”

My friends are right. The high is currently 23 degrees Fahrenheit, and my press loaner – the Z51-equipped Stingray Coupe – is wearing Michelin Pilot Super Sports, regarded as among the best sports-car tires … when it’s warm out. Under about 40 degrees, they turn into grip-less blocks of ice, and when you’re driving a car that possesses even more torque (460) than it does horsepower (455), grip is paramount. Experiences with older Corvettes had my friends believing I would end up so far off the road that the USPS would have to give me my own street address.

I, too, believed that the all-new-for-2014 Stingray would be just a bit too powerful for weather patterns atypical of San Diego in July. Thankfully, we were all wrong. Chevrolet knocked this one out of the park, pushing the Corvette just upmarket enough to provide a more-than-capable grand tourer without losing anything that made the car great in its previous iterations. It’s nice and calm when you want to drive like a geriatric, but when you’re ready to engage your inner preteen, the car will give you more than you know what to do with.

Even with that Z51 package – a track-ready collection consisting of a limited-slip differential, dry-sump oil system, performance suspension and gear ratios, bigger brakes, and the aforementioned summer tires – the car is more than willing to live in whatever environment you throw it into. That said, it would be very smart of you to spring for some snow tires.

Interior

Is this even a Corvette interior? Everything feels so nice. The standard seats are supportive and more than comfortable enough for longer road trips – a far cry from the leather-wrapped milk crates in older models. The inclusion of two screens – one for the dashboard and one for the center console – also contributes to that 21st-century feeling without feeling over-engineered or pointlessly included.

Everything is driver-focused in the cockpit, with the exception of the redundant passenger-side HVAC controls – and even those are built with the intention of keeping the passenger’s hands away from the shifter and center console in general. The inclusion of two passenger-side oh-shit handles means that you have even more reason to ignore your screaming co-driver and push harder around the upcoming corner.

Exterior

This car has singlehandedly turned more heads than any other vehicle we’ve tested this year. It has a look that screams, “I might be a man-child, but I’m having far too much fun to notice.” The rear end borrows more than a few pages from the design books of Lockheed Martin or McDonnell Douglas, but not enough that you want to take your shirt off and play some oddly-competitive volleyball to a Kenny Loggins soundtrack. Its styling is far less smooth this time around, and its angles are reminiscent of a European exotic.

It’s just a damn good looking car, something that kids will want to have on a bedroom poster.

On the Road

Even without the drive-mode selector in Eco – which turns on the fuel-saving cylinder deactivation – the Corvette manages nearly 30 mpg on the highway at decent speeds. There’s also a somewhat-annoying skip-shift that takes you directly from first to fourth gear, but that’s easily overridden by letting the revs climb just a bit higher in first.

But who gives a crap about that, aside from the EPA? This is a Corvette, and power delivery is what matters most. And that power is available in just about every gear at every speed. If you’re a fan of announcing your presence, make sure to spring for the optional multi-mode exhaust; moving the drive-mode selector to Sport or Track opens up an internal valve that gives the exhaust a sound bordering on aftermarket. A cold start in Sport is enough to have the neighbors leaving notes on your windshield the following morning.

Final Thoughts

The Stingray is a brilliant value, coming with an MSRP that’s nearly 25 percent lower than its overseas competition. Of course, since Chevrolet still keeps bean-counters on the payroll, some corners needed to be cut along the way, some more annoying than others. The car does like to shake a bit at idle, and at low speeds the brakes will squeak like mice in Gitmo, but those flaws are expected in a car that still places performance over all else.

By far, the most unforgivable flaw of the car was the fender rub. Even before you’ve turned the steering wheel to full lock in either direction, the wheels and tires will start smacking around on pieces of the Corvette’s fender liners. This is especially annoying when backing out of driveways and parking lots, or while making tight turns at slow speeds. It’s almost like the car has aftermarket wheels with incorrect offsets. Come on.

Specs & Price

Engine: 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V-8

Transmission: Seven-speed manual or six-speed automatic

Power Output: 455 hp / 460 lb-ft

Fuel Economy: 17 city / 29 highway

Base Price: $53,800

As Tested: $62,085 (incl. $995 destination)

Optional Features: 2LT Package (Bose premium audio, heated and ventilated seats, auto-dimming mirrors, head-up display, colored console and door panels, lumbar adjustment, seat emblems), 3LT Package (2LT Package plus leather-wrapped interior, Nappa leather seats, navigation, instrument panel in interior color), Magnetic Selective Ride Control (active suspension damping), painted wheels, painted brake calipers, multi-mode exhaust, transparent roof panel, sport bucket seats.

By Andrew Krok – Web2Carz.com

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Super Cars

Brabus: The Weird World of the European Luxury Aftermarket

Enter a world where too much power still isn't enough

Brabus is weird, but in a good way. It’s the single largest Mercedes tuner in the world, achieving that title after Daimler assimilated Mercedes-AMG into its affiliate network way back in the ‘90s. Since then, Brabus has expanded its reach outside the Mercedes empire; its latest creation is a Range Rover Sport that will definitely turn your head, if not snap it completely off.

Power is the single most important part of a Brabus car.

It’s technically a Brabus, as that is the company that built the kit, but it’s being marketed under the Startech name so as not to cause confusion about what Brabus is built to do. That doesn’t mean the company doesn’t enjoy side projects, although given the amount of add-ons for the Range Rover Sport, you can’t really call it a “side project.”

The biggest change to the Sport’s body is the inclusion of carbon fiber body panels. Once the fender flares are added to the new bodywork, the Sport gains over two inches of width, making it slightly narrower than the average studio in Manhattan. Body panels alone won’t change the look, though, so Brabus has gone and added 23-inch wheels with low-profile tires, a lowered suspension, and a big ol’ roof spoiler atop the liftgate. It looks like, well, it looks like a heavily modified, expensive European luxury car. Mission accomplished, then.

Oh, but wait. We almost forgot about the engine, otherwise known as Brabus’s most favorite thing ever. On the Sport, a mild ECU upgrade brings an extra 31 horsepower and 59 lb-ft to the twin-turbo diesel V-6 underhood. If you look at the history of Brabus as a company, you’ll see what we mean by “most favorite thing ever.”

Power and torque are very, very important to Brabus. The company’s goal is, and always has been, maximizing engine performance through upgrades out the wazoo. Whether it’s the same engine that came with the car, or one that Brabus decided to shove in there instead, power is the most important part of a Brabus car. Of course, the company also deals with exterior and interior aesthetic upgrades to further differentiate the vehicle; after all, if you’re paying unspeakable amounts of money to upgrade your already expensive car, you want it to stand out from the rest.

If you’re not a fan of the piecemeal method, you can buy an entire car from Brabus instead. Brabus will order the car from Mercedes, overhaul it, and then send it right to your door. A number of its vehicles have broken street-legal speed records, mostly due to the insane amounts of power and torque surging to the wheels. Let’s take a look at a few of the more ridiculous ones.

The Brabus E V12 starts with a normal E-Class sedan, which is a fine car in and of itself. Then Brabus adds the twin-turbo V-12 motor from the Mercedes S65 AMG. Then Brabus completely changes the engine, giving it more power and torque than is necessary to operate an entire city block’s worth of cars. In its most current form, that leaves the owner with 780 horsepower and 1,100 lb-ft of torque. Only the truly insane will reach the E V12’s top speed of 230 miles per hour. You can also get it in coupe and convertible variants, because why not?

If you think that was an exciting car, wait until you see its successor. The Brabus Rocket 800 starts with a standard 2011+ Mercedes CLS-Class and shoves yet another V-12 under the bonnet. In addition to the engine modifications, power is increased thanks to new turbo manifolds, new turbos, four intercoolers, and a free-flowing exhaust system. It produces about 800 horsepower (go figure, what with the name and all) and 1,100 lb-ft of torque, which must be artificially lowered to keep the transmission from exploding all over the ground.

Oh, and it meets the current EURO V emissions standards. Talk about leaving no stone unturned.

We clearly saved the best for last. If you thought the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 was the craziest thing you’ve seen this year, wait until you check out the Brabus 700 6×6. It takes the G63’s standard 5.5-liter V-8 engine and cranks the whole thing up to 15 (or at least, well past 11), with two new turbochargers contributing to the 700-horsepower output. The 6×6 itself is insane, but with Brabus power levels and an interior that would make George Soros feel poor, it’s so far north of insane that it’s almost back to the baseline of normal. Almost.

(Photos courtesy of Brabus’s Facebook page)

Written by Andrew Krok at Web2Carz

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Super Cars

Your Weekly Fix Of Car Porn (PHOTOS)

For those of you who like to drool over ridiculously good-looking cars, you are not alone. Web2Carz will now be bringing you 10 swoon-worthy automobiles every Wednesday that will always be easy on the eyes and get you through the rest of the week! Happy hump day, if you know what we mean! For our inaugural week, we have the ten hottest super cars we could find.

This Aventador of a mocha cappacino. Cars + coffee = love. (Source)

Red means go in this Ferarri (Source)

Modeling comes very naturally to the Jaguar XJ220. (Source)

Does this P1 look like it’s smiling? How can it NOT be a happy car? (Source)

And here is a view of an M1’s rear … for good measure. (Source)

Pagani Huayra interior … insides are pretty.

This Porsche 911 is our Black Beauty. (Source)

Green accessories? Hell yeah. This Sypder can do whatever the hell it wants. (Source)

An all-white Rolls Royce interior. Think of it as a modern-day carriage to roll up to the ball in.

We leave you with this Bugatti Veyron. *No words* (Source)

By Sarah Shaw – Web2Carz

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Super Cars

Which Is the Best Bugatti Veyron Out Of These 3 Awesome Models?

The Bugatti Veyron is one of the most insane vehicles ever produced. The first version of the Veyron contained an eight-liter, quad-turbocharged W-16 motor, good for 1,001 horsepower and 922 lb-ft of torque, enough to power an entire village’s worth of Honda Civics. It’s one of the fastest vehicles ever built, and it holds the world records to prove it.

Sadly, we’ve reached the end of this era of excess. Bugatti will no longer manufacture new versions of the Veyron – once the current stock is gone, they’re done forever. Since we (and the auto community at large) will miss this warp-driven egg, we put together a list of the three coolest variants to ever grace asphalt:

#3 –Grand Sport L’Or Blanc

The Bugatti Veyron L’Or Blanc is one of the most visually striking Veyrons on the road (or, probably, sitting in somebody’s garage). Bugatti teamed up with the Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin to create a single L’Or Blanc, which translates to “white gold.” The porcelain look covers the Bug both in an out, and it makes it look more like an expensive centerpiece than a full-on hypercar.

#2 –Jean Bugatti Vitesse Legend Edition

This is one of the rarer Veyron variants on the market, as only three Legend Editions were made. The whole point of the Legend Edition is to throw back to one of the most sought-after vehicles on the planet, the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic. The body is black, and the interior is covered with beige and brown, both of which are aesthetic homages to the definition of old-school cool. To top it off, the gear lever is finished in rosewood. Fancy.

#1 – Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Car

If you think a standard Mustang GT Convertible is a fast drop-top, think again. The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Car is a limited-edition Veyron that celebrates Bugatti’s capture of the world record for the fastest open-top production car. On Volkswagen’s test track in Germany, the Grand Sport Vitesse hit 254.04 miles per hour. And the orange paint gives the vehicle some loudness to match all that speed. Eight models went on sale for about two-and-a-half million bucks each.

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