Italian Compromise

2012 Pagani Huayra (U.S. Spec)

Huayra fans rejoice! Horacio has decided to respect the regulations set by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and spend $5.7 Million on an advanced airbag system. What does this mean? Well, the Huayra won't be here 'til 2013. But, at least it will be making sales here, in the glorious United States of America. It seems that there are changing winds these season.

Cobra Stays Supercharged

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 (Courtesy of Brenda Priddy & Company)

It looks like the Cobra will remain supercharged after all. In recent rumors and reports, the big, bad GT500 will hold on to its Supercharger. But, with that intercooler also under the bonnet, expect this car to produce as much horsepower than the already menacing Camaro ZL1, which could receive 570 horsepower from its 6.2-liter LSA Supercharged V8. The current snake produces 550 horsepower, and in recent reports, the car will come with somewhat of a 20 horsepower power bump in 2014. In that same year though, a new Mustang will come forth as a 2015 model. Specifics are unclear as for now, but when I get something, I'll make sure you'll hear it from me first.

Twin-Turbo Cobra?

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 (Courtesy of AutoBlog)

It's possible! Why? Take a look at the intercooler hiding behind the grille. The only cars I know that have such an instrument would have an engine that's been turbocharged. And seeing that this is the GT500, I'm thinkin' two turbos would fit the bill. Don't panic Supercharger lovers. There are also rumors that an even bigger supercharger will be housed under the bonnet of the Cobra which will push the power from 550 to 620 horsepower. As for me, I'm just glad to see it hugging corners on the Nürburgring. That course is racing heaven. In order to master it, you'll need a fantastic car as well as fantastic driving skills. Since the GT500 came back in 2006, it's been praised for being a powerful car, but mocked for having stick-like handling. Now that it's on the Ring, this will give Ford the chance to make the car more grippy, less stick-like, and more refined. Hopefully, this car will beat the M3 GTS to the punch.

Mega Mac

2012 McLaren MP4-12C (Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit)

As we all know, the fastest car in the world is the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. We also have heard rumors that the fastest car around the Top Gear Test Track is the McLaren MP4-12C. These are two quite excellent accomplishments for two quite excellent cars, but McLaren wants more. Rumor has it they've started up a new project known as "Mega Mac" in order to compete with the Bugatti Veyron. They say that they'll use the same Carbon Fiber monocell that the MP4-12C currently has. As for power, McLaren were thinking of putting in an 799 horsepower 5.0-liter V8 into the "Mega Mac" thanks to Ricardo. The engine will be connected to a 7-speed Dual-Clutch gearbox from Graziano allowing it to do 0 to 60 in about 2.8 seconds. Will it have enough to match the Veyron? I'm not sure, but it looks like it could be enough. We'll have to wait and see. Prices for the "Mega Mac" are estimated at about £350,000 to £400,000, so even if it's not as fast as the Veyron, it will cost 800k quid less than it. That should be good for your wallets. 

The Super Cat

2011 Jaguar C-X75

Remember when Clarkson and the gang had this car over at the Top Gear studio? He said Jaguar wasn't going to bring this car to production. Well, today it turns out, he was wrong. With the help of the AT&T Williams F1 team, Jaguar will be bringing 250 C-X75s to production, each costing £700,000 ($1.149 Million). Williams will help with aerodynamics by perfecting the car's all-composite body, while Jaguar will deal with the motors and the engine. Let's not forget that when this car comes out, it will be the most powerful electric car/hybrid on earth with 780 horsepower's worth of electric motors (195 at each wheel) and a powerful turbo-4 engine. No information has been received on when the car will be produced, but this is good news for those who want to save and gas and be fast at the same time. 

Das Rally

2012 VW Polo R WRC

It seems that we have new competition entering WRC this season as VW have pulled back the covers on their rally racer. Say hello to the VW Polo R WRC. In order to meet WRC requirements, VW fitted the rally car with 1.6-liter TSI Turbo-4 engine producing 300 horsepower, a racing all-wheel drive system, a new aerodynamic kit, and sport-tuned suspension. You'll see this car do some rally action in 2013 with Mini, Ford, and Citroën. VW's already anticipating some wins. Let's hope they do gather some.

2011 NYIAS (New York International Auto Show) - First 10 Photos

Here are the first 10 photos I took at NYIAS. I'll post the next 10 tomorrow. If you want to see all of them, check out the Facebook page or check out here.

Malibu Express

2013 Chevy Malibu

The Chevy Malibu wasn't always the best looking midsize sedan out there, but Chevy's done some tweaking and now, I think it looks great. This is just a leaked photo from GM. The real thing will be unveiled on Chevy's Facebook page tonight at 8:30 p.m., with its live debut happening at the Shanghai Motor Show this week. Chevy's only putting four-cylinder engines into this thing so expect either a 2.4-liter inline-4 or a 2.0-liter turbo-4 to come in the near future. As for now, this is Chevy, once again getting under the Toyota Camry's nose, and possibly licking it. Gross, but it's somewhat true.

Porsche's Idea of Green Becomes Reality

2013 Porsche 918 Spyder

When I first saw the concept version of this thing last year, I thought that this car would rival or even be greater than Porsche's other fantastic creation, the 959. Now, I think it's just greater than it, and much much more. Porsche has just told me this morning that the 918 Spyder has reached production mode and will be here when I turn 21 (September 18, 2013). It will feature their clever 4.0-liter 500 horsepower V8 engine that revs all the way to 10,300 RPMs. Team that engine with two electric motors totaling 218 horsepower, and you've got yourself a 718 horsepower plug-in hybrid supercar destined to break records. It's already achieved a faster lap time around the Nürburgring than its predecessor, the Carrera GT. Porsche say that thanks to its electric all-wheel drive system and its 7-speed PDK transmission, this car will do 0 to 60 in less than 3.7 seconds on to a top speed of over 200 MPH. Now that all may be true, but what makes this Porsche better than all the others is the way it looks.

Rear View

I mean, just look at that! Has any other Porsche ever looked this good? The only Porsches that have looked this good before this car came along were the Carrera GT and the 959. Everything else was just, ugghh!! Honestly, the more I look at this car, the more I want one, which is a shame. Porsche has also told me their only going to make, you guessed it, 918 of these, each costing about $845,000. Porsche has also told me they're now taking orders for this car, so you better you get your order in fast! The 918 won't be here until two years from now, but in the mean time, while you wait for your 918, Porsche will provide you with an extra special 911, if you're willing to pay for it, that is.

2012 Porsche 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder

And here it is. For an extra $160,000 to $172,000, if you're one of the lucky 918 people who pre-order the 918 Spyder, Porsche will personally give you this rare 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder. Basically, what this is is a 911 Turbo with some acid green accents and trims. But, hey! It's better than nothing. Once you pre-order the 918 and pay for the 911, Porsche will immediately add you to the list and ship the 911 to you as soon as possible, like an appetizer to a main course.

King Cobra

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (Courtesy of WorldCarFans)

It seems like Ford was rather displeased by the unveiling of the Chevy Camaro ZL1. So, after that car made its world debut, they decided to even the odds. And by evening the odds, I mean making their pony car the fastest and most powerful on the planet, in their terms at least. So, welcome everyone, to the all new King Cobra, the Shelby GT500 for 2013. No real changes in body work. Ford just wanted this Cobra to be more powerful. So what did they do? They took out the old 5.4-liter 550 horsepower supercharged V8 engine and put in an all new 5.8-liter 620 horsepower supercharged V8 engine. The new supercharger provides all the beans in this car. Our current GT500 uses one from Eaton Performance. This new one will use a TVS blower for more power and torque. No calculations yet on how fast the new Cobra can go, but Ford promises that this car will do 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds and a over 190 MPH. I hope they can achieve this. The Camaro ZL1 will do 0 to 60 in about 3.8 seconds and up to 200 MPH. Ford has a lot of work to do if they want to catch up.

[Source: WorldCarFans]