Shelby GT500-Based Shelby 1000 S/C Has 1200 HP

Shelby American says that 40 to 50 customers purchased its 2012 Shelby 1000 S/C muscle car, which made 1100 horsepower. If you’d like to embarrass those people, we’d recommend opening your checkbook and buying this, the 2013 Shelby 1000 S/C. Why? Simple — it makes 1200 horsepower.

Shelby GT500-Based Shelby 1000 S/C Has 1200 HP

2013-Shelby-1000-front-three-quarter-2

2013-Shelby-1000-front-three-quarter

2013-Shelby-1000-front-view

 Shelby GT500-Based Shelby 1000 S/C Has 1200 HP

2013-Shelby-1000-interior-dashboard-seats

2013-Shelby-1000-wheel-and-brakes

Shelby GT500-Based Shelby 1000 S/C Has 1200 HP

You might recall that the last Shelby 1000 made 950 horsepower in street-legal form, but Shelby says that every one of its buyers opted instead for the Shelby 1000 S/C, which gave up its street-legal status in exchange for a power output of 1100 horsepower at the flywheel. This time around, Shelby says that it’s making a single model, the 1000 S/C, which promises street-legal status and more than 1000 horsepower.

The biggest upgrade over the last-generation car, as you might expect, comes under the hood. Shelby’s haste to release the 1000 on the 50th anniversary of the original Shelby Cobra meant that it had to use the “old” Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 engine, a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8. This time around, the boys from Las Vegas borrowed the 5.8-liter supercharged motor from the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 and went from there.

When we say “went from there,” we mean “upgraded almost everything:” the 2013 1000 S/C has a new 4.0-liter supercharger, new engine innards (including rods, pistons, and rings), a new fuel system with new injector, and a new cooling system. The result is 1200 horsepower at the flywheel; figuring that the upgraded six-speed manual transmission saps has a driveline loss of about 15 percent, we’d predict that the 1000 S/C makes between 1020 and 1050 horsepower at the wheels. Shelby didn’t release any acceleration or top-speed figures, but we’d predict that they’re somewhere between “oh wow” and “holy crap.”

2013 Shelby 1000 interior dashboard seats 300x187 image“Oh wow” is also a good way to describe the price for this monster machine: the Shelby 1000 starts at $154,995, and that’s on top of the price of a 2013 Shelby GT500 ($54,995 including destination). That means an all-inclusive base price of $209,990, although that 210 grand will get you a car that can fluster a Bugatti Veyron costing five times as much. Shelby also says that the car will be fully street legal and smog legal in every state but California, which means that those individuals who are both insane and wealthy could use this as a daily driver.

The 2013 Shelby 1000 S/C will debut at the New York International Auto Show next week next to another new concept vehicle. Shelby carefully used the word “vehicle” in its press release, and says “like the Shelby Focus ST, it will not be Ford Mustang-based,” perhaps indicating that we’re about to see a Shelby-tuned Ford F-150. We can dream, right?

Source: Shelby American

2014 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Priced at $97,990

what’s the most expensive 2014 Ford Mustang model you can buy? The 2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, at $54,650? Not quite. The race-ready 2014 Mustang Cobra Jet will set you back at least $97,990.

 2014 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Priced at $97,990

2013-Cobra-Jet-Mustang-Front-Three-Quarter

2014-Ford-Mustang-Cobra-Jet-side-view-green

2013-Cobra-Jet-Mustang-Interior

2013-Cobra-Jet-Mustang-Naturally-aspirated-5.0-engine

 2014 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Priced at $97,990

2013-Cobra-Jet-Mustang-Profile

2014 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Priced at $97,990

That’s a fair amount of scratch for a Mustang that isn’t street legal and cannot be registered for street use, but it does also buy you one helluva drag race machine that’s compliant with NHRA’s Stock and Super Stock classes. The Mustang’s body shell is stripped of all unnecessary equipment in order to save weight and optimize weight distribution, and fitted with a roll cage, Recaro buckets, and unique suspension hardware. Although we drooled over a Cobra Jet concept last year that boasted a twin-turbocharged form of the Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter V-8, production 2014 Mustang Cobra jet models continue to utilize a 5.0-liter V-8 with a Whipple 2.9-liter supercharger bolted on top.

2014 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet side view green 300x187 imageWhat, exactly, is new for 2014? In truth, very little. Although prior Mustang Cobra Jets were also offered in naturally aspirated forms, the 2014 model is only offered as a supercharger. 2014 Mustang Cobra Jet cars gain an all-new 3-speed transmission, a parachute mount for those planning on exceeding 150 mph, and the choice of two new colors, including flat black and the loud Gotta Have-It Green hue shown here.

As we already noted, Ford says 2014 Mustang Cobra Jet pricing begins at $97,990, excluding paint and graphic items. As usual, Ford plans on only building 50 examples for the 2014 model year, and availability is first-come, first-serve. Any excess customers will be placed on a waiting list for a subsequent Cobra Jet production runs. Customers will confirm their options with Ford Racing in April, and production should run between July and October 2013.

Want to try and order one? Give Ford Racing a call at  1-800-367-3788 .

Source: Ford

Why the 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 Doesn’t Have a Manual Transmission – 2013 Geneva

Why the 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 Doesn’t Have a Manual Transmission – 2013 Geneva After one of the fastest press conferences in auto show history, I spoke with Porsche representative Holger Eckhardt about the 2014 GT3. The car was unveiled at VW’s Group Night roughly 14 hours before its official Geneva Motor Show debut, so today’s event was more about showing the GT3 sitting next to the new GT3 Cup Car than an actual unveiling. The comparison between the two cars might answer enthusiasts biggest question about this new car.

Why the 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 Doesn’t Have a Manual Transmission – 2013 Geneva

 Why the 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 Doesn’t Have a Manual Transmission – 2013 Geneva

Why the 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 Doesn’t Have a Manual Transmission – 2013 Geneva

Why the 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 Doesn’t Have a Manual Transmission – 2013 Geneva

2014 Porsche 911 GT3 front 300x187 image“As early as the 996 GT3 talks had already begun about why the GT3 was still using a manual gearbox when better, faster technology existed,” Eckhardt said. It has been decades since top-level racecars have used a traditional manual transmission so a PDK does seem like the natural step. Some will argue that the GT3 should be Porsche’s driver’s car, but according to Matthias Muller, Porsche AG’s CEO, the GT3 is the ultimate distillation of Porsche’s DNA, which obviously focuses on GT Racing as much as road cars. The GT3 should be the ultimate transfer of race car to road car.

The new GT3 has a 470-hp 3.8-liter flat-six mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Acceleration from 0-60 mph is said to take 3.5 seconds, though we expect the car to outperform that estimate in Motor Trend testing. For the full rundown on the 2014 911 GT3, read our First Look here.

2014 Porsche 911 GT3 inteiror 300x187 imageAccording to Eckhardt, the active rear-wheel steering technology is not something that comes from Porsche Racing. The first time we saw the active all-wheel steering was on the 918, although development originally started with the 991 turbo in mind. The technology was so promising that it not only made its way onto the supercar, but onto the GT3 as well. The restrictiveness of racing governing bodies has stopped active rear-wheel steering’s development on competition cars.

Production of the GT3 will begin in June, with U.S. deliveries starting in November. It sounds as though work has already begun on the RS version, with hints being given we might see it one year from now, on the very same stage.

For all the latest news, photos, videos, and much more direct from the 2013 Geneva Motor Show floor, don’t forget to CLICK OVER to our 2013 Geneva show coverage page.

Volkswagen XL1 Diesel Hybrid Prototype Wears Red for Geneva

Volkswagen XL1 Diesel Hybrid Prototype Wears Red for Geneva When the Volkswagen XL1 prototype was first shown at the Qatar Motor Show two years ago, it was painted in a futuristic silver paint. With plans for the diesel plug-in hybrid still in the works, the German automaker brought a pair of XL1 prototypes to Geneva this week: one painted red and one in white.

Volkswagen XL1 Diesel Hybrid Prototype Wears Red for Geneva

Volkswagen XL1 Diesel Hybrid Prototype Wears Red for Geneva

 Volkswagen XL1 Diesel Hybrid Prototype Wears Red for Geneva

Volkswagen XL1 Diesel Hybrid Prototype Wears Red for Geneva

Volkswagen XL1 Diesel Hybrid Prototype Wears Red for Geneva

Volkswagen XL1 interior 300x187 imageThe XL1 is motivated by a 47-hp, 0.8-liter turbo-diesel two-cylinder engine – essentially half of the Euro-market 1.6-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder used in the Golf and Passat – paired with a 27-hp electric motor. Power is routed to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. With a full charge on the lithium-ion battery pack, the XL1 can travel up to 50 miles in pure EV mode. A 220-volt outlet can recharge the battery in just over an hour.

A small footprint (153 inches long, 65.6 inches wide, and 45.3 inches tall) and an extensive use of carbon fiber keeps weight to just 1795 pounds, according to VW. The XL1’s slippery shape achieves a drag coefficient of just 0.189. The combination of the frugal drivetrain, small size, and aerodynamic shape add up to an impressive estimated 261 mpg rating and a range of nearly 700 miles. Just 8.3 hp is needed to cruise at 62 mph. The tradeoff for fuel economy comes at the expense of acceleration, with 0-62 mph taking 12.7 seconds and top speed limited to just 100 mph.

Production of the Volkswagen XL1 is expected to begin soon at the former Karmann plant in Onsabruck, Germany, where Golf cabriolets and Porsche Boxsters are currently built. Volkswagen has kept mum on pricing, on-sale date, and annual production numbers, but we expect pricing to land around the $60,000 price point when it does go on sale.

See photos of the red-hot hybrid from the 2013 Geneva Motor Show floor below.

Video Find: Jaguar F-Type Follows in XK120's Footsteps With 179-MPH Sprint

Video Find: Jaguar F-Type Follows in XK120's Footsteps With 179-MPH Sprint It’s been 60 years since a record-setting, modified Jaguar XK120 hit an average flying mile speed of 172.4 mph, and in this Video Find, a Jaguar F-Type V8 S revisits the same area to set a new speed record. The F-Type V8 S accelerated from 0-179 mph and back to a stop in Jabbeke, Belgium, piloted by 1988 Le Mans 24 Hour winner Andy Wallace. Before Wallace sets out on his run, he and former Jaguar chief test engineer Norman Dewis share their thoughts in this Video Find.

Video Find: Jaguar F-Type Follows in XK120's Footsteps With 179-MPH Sprint

Video Find: Jaguar F-Type Follows in XK120's Footsteps With 179-MPH Sprint

 Video Find: Jaguar F-Type Follows in XK120's Footsteps With 179-MPH Sprint

Video Find: Jaguar F-Type Follows in XK120's Footsteps With 179-MPH Sprint

Video Find: Jaguar F-Type Follows in XK120's Footsteps With 179-MPH Sprint

Jaguar F TYPE V8 S 0 179 0 mph run right rear 1 300x187 imageThe 0-179-0 mph acceleration and braking run was done in Jabbeke – the same area where Dewis made a record-setting run with a 172.4-mph average in the flying mile behind the wheel of a Jaguar XK120 in 1953. While Dewis had a five-mile stretch of road to accomplish his run, Wallace had just two miles for his acceleration and braking attempt.

While the F-Type is available with a 340-380-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 or a 495-hp supercharged 5.0-liter V-8. The V-8 model’s 0-60 mph time is estimated at 4.2 seconds, though we’re guessing the car is capable of slightly quicker performance. With more than two miles of track, the car’s top speed is said to be 186 mph. Like the V-6 powered F-Types, the V-8 model uses an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Source: Jaguar

Up Close With the Aston Martin Rapide-Based Bertone Jet 2+2 (wPoll)

Up Close With the Aston Martin Rapide-Based Bertone Jet 2+2 (wPoll) The Aston Martin Rapide has been in the spotlight lately, with a new, restyled S model unveiled earlier this year and now a one-off shooting brake variant from specialty coachbuilder Bertone, which debuted at this week’s Geneva motor show. The special Rapide-based model is called the Bertone Jet 2+2, and is the latest creation to come from the 60-year relationship between Aston Martin and the Italian design studio.

Up Close With the Aston Martin Rapide-Based Bertone Jet 2+2 (wPoll)

Up Close With the Aston Martin Rapide-Based Bertone Jet 2+2 (wPoll)

Up Close With the Aston Martin Rapide-Based Bertone Jet 2+2 (wPoll)

Up Close With the Aston Martin Rapide-Based Bertone Jet 2+2 (wPoll)

Bertone Aston Martin Rapide Jet 2 2 interior 300x187 imageAs the name states, the Jet 2+2 seats four passengers, who are cocooned in a four-door hatch body based on the Rapide sedan. The Jet 2+2 reportedly provides more headroom than the Rapide, and also boasts bespoke materials. In addition to its unique silhouette and rear end, the Jet 2+2 showcases a few styling differences compared to the Rapide. The front bumper, for example, features air vents at the outer edges. Out back, Bertone has added thin vertical air slits to the bumpers and boomerang-style taillights connected by a red strip, similar to the One-77 supercar.

The Jet 2+2 is powered by the Rapide’s 6.0-liter V-12 engine, tuned to produce 470 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. For now, it remains a one-off vehicle for a private collector who approached the companies with the project. That said, should it spawn a production version to take on the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo? Tell us in the poll and comments below.
Should the Bertone Jet 2+2 remain a one-off?
No, the world can never have enough shooting brakes.Yes, kill it with fire.