Welcome to the Hooniverse News! This is a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or the bull. I also throw in a little opinion of mine, just because I can. This week:
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Alfa Romeo unveils the 4C in production trim
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Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG is ready to take on Europe
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Audi overhauls the S3 Sportback
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McLaren shows off the P1 interior
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A very special Corvette is headed to Amelia Island
Alfa Romeo 4C
About two years ago, Alfa Romeo gave the world a taste of what they think a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive coupe ought to be with the 4C Concept. Since that first premier, they’ve confirmed that the 4C will enter production and will even be sold in America, but now we get official images and some technical details a few weeks before the production 4C is revealed at the Geneva Motor Show.
Starting with the powertrain, the 4C will feature 1.8-liter turbocharged 4-banger mounted behind the front seats that is expected produce around 240 horsepower and will be paired with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic. When you consider the car’s sub-2,200 lb. weight, that power figure seems perfectly adequate.
Apart from being a rather small car in general with a wheelbase of about 94 inches and a height of 46 inches, the 4C also utilizes a carbon fiber central cell (which is reportedly left partially exposed in the cabin) and various aluminum subframe components to help keep the overall weight down. The 4C will also adopt a 4-way drive selector called Alfa DNA, which allows the driver to select between Dynamic, Natural, All-Weather, and the brand-new Race mode to adapt to certain conditions.
As of now, Alfa Romeo is only planning to build 2,500 units per year due to manufacturing constraints that come with the carbon fiber components. Pricing isn’t official yet, but Autoweek is reporting a potential MSRP of about $80,000.
Source: Alfa Romeo, Autoweek
2014 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG
AMG is officially in the hot-hatch business with the unveiling of the all-new A45 AMG. Starting this April, Europeans will have yet another premium hot hatchback to choose from as AMG competes head-to-head with the likes of the BMW M135i and the Audi RS3. Us hoons on the other side of the pond won’t be seeing the A45 AMG, or any standard A-Class it’s based off of.
At the heart of the A45 AMG is a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces up to 354 horsepower and 332 lb.-ft. of torque. Between that impressive power figure, the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the standard all-wheel-drive, the A45 AMG is supposedly capable of a 4.6 second 0-62 mph sprint and a limited top speed of 155 mph. The drive split between the front and rear wheels constantly changes to adapt to different conditions, but it’s primarily a FWD car in normal driving conditions. The benefits of using a 4-cylinder engine are evident in the car’s fuel efficiency figures, which claim 34 mpg on the European cycle. Fun fact: the A45 will be the first AMG ever to feature a transverse engine layout since they were bought by Mercedes-Benz.
You’ll know when an A45 is coming just by sound, as the car utilizes a dynamic exhaust system which opens/closes some flaps depending on the throttle. Visually, the A45 can be distinguished from any other A-Class by its “twin blade” grille, speed-bump-friendly splitter, and the 18″ or 19″ alloy wheels. The full list of optional extras and interior features isn’t available yet, but it’s a Mercedes-Benz… that’s all you really need to know.
Source: Mercedes-Benz via Autoweek
Audi S3 Sportback
Speaking of hot hatches, Audi is rolling out an overhauled S3 Sportback (fancy word for 5-door) for 2013. This S3 is much like the 3-door S3 revealed back in September, featuring the same styling and the same powertrain.
The highlights include a clean 300 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque out of a 2.0 TFSI four-banger, a 6-speed manual or S-tronic automatic transmission, a 0-62 mph time of 5 seconds flat, and 34 mpg. Of course, Audi’s legendary Quattro system is standard and the available S sport suspension and magnetic ride further improve the car’s handling and balance in just about any road condition imaginable. The 13.3″ brakes that hide behind the 18″ wheels as well as the latest-generation of Audi’s electronic stability control also help keep the car out of furry woodland creatures’ homes. Overall the new S3 Sportback weighs in at 3,185 lbs, which is about 154 lbs less than the outgoing model thanks to the extensive use of aluminum in the body and the weight-loss in the engine.
The S3 Sportback will go on sale across Europe in September along with the S3 hatch at an undisclosed price. Audi is slowly bringing the A3 over to America, but no word yet on if we’ll get the S3 as well.
Source: Audi
McLaren shows off the P1 cockpit
A production-ready McLaren P1 is headed to the Geneva Motor Show for the world to see. We’ve already seen tons of photos of the concept, which according to a big wig at McLaren, is more or less exactly what the production car will look like, but until now we haven’t seen any photos of the interior. As you can see, it’s all business, and that business is going really, really fast.
All that exposed carbon fiber you see there serves the purpose of keeping the car’s weight below the targeted 2,900 pounds (and just looking cool). Autoweek reports that they’ve even deleted a layer of resin on the carbon fiber to save 3.3 lbs and haven’t bothered to put in any kind of sound-deadening materials. McLaren states that despite the sporting nature of the spiritual F1 successor, the P1 still comes with air conditioning, navigation, and an audio system, however, buttons and switches have been kept at a bare minimum in the spirit of a true driver’s car.
McLaren summed up the cabin nicely on their Facebook page by saying the P1 gives you “everything you need and nothing you don’t”.
Source: McLaren, Autoweek
XP-819 is headed to Amelia Island
Is anyone planning on going to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance next month? If so, you’ll be among the first outside of GM to ever see the mid-engine Corvette that never was, the XP-819, in person. Anyone planning on going now?
Back in 1964, a few engineers at Chevrolet came up with a mid-engine Corvette concept that provided Corvette looks (many design elements of the C3 are found here) and improved stability. After deciding they didn’t like it, Chevrolet ordered it to be cut apart for usable parts and stored in a Florida garage. Since it was discovered and auctioned off decades later, it has gone through a complete frame-off restoration and after thousands of hours of labor, they’ve got everything done but the body. What you’ll see next month at Amelia Island is a fully-functional rolling chassis comprised of totally unique parts that all had to be hand-made (which is why the body isn’t ready yet, according to the press release).
The 18th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will be on March 8-10, 2013 at The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach.
Source: Mid America Motorworks
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