Venom GT Hennessey Supercar

Hennessey Performance Engineering today announced that it is introducing the company's first The Venom GT. Penned by British auto designer, Steve Everitt, the Venom GT would incorporate Hennessey's potent Venom 1000 Twin Turbo Viper V10 powerplant into a light weight mid-engine chassis weighing "under 2,700 lbs". Power would be run through a 6-speed transmission or optional sequential gearbox. With a power to weight ratio of just 2.7 lbs per bhp Hennessey estimates that the Venom GT could attain 0 to 100 km/h times in less than 2.5 sec. and a 0-300 km/h time of around 14 seconds.

Venom GT Hennessey Supercar

Venom GT Hennessey Supercar

Venom GT Hennessey Supercar

“This is not the first time that Britain and America have joined forces to produce a weapon of mass propulsion”, said company founder and president, John Hennessey. “Over fifty years ago the American-built P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft was flown into history powered by a British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Today the Hennessey Venom GT promises to set a new standard of power to weight ratio in the rarefied air of today's supercar market.”

Venom GT Hennessey Supercar

In the case of the Venom GT, less weight means more performance. The Venom GT will have a production curb weight of less than 2,400 lbs (1,071 kilos) aided by its lightweight carbon fiber bodywork and carbon fiber wheels. Stopping power is delivered via Brembo brakes with 6-piston calipers up front and 4-piston calipers in rear clamping down on 15-inch carbon ceramic rotors.

Venom GT Hennessey Supercar

The Venom GT’s base power plant is the supercharged 6.2 liter LS9 V8 (the same as in the Corvette ZR1) tweaked by Hennessey to 725 bhp. The company will also be offering 1000 bhp and 1200 bhp twin turbo V8 engine variants. The mid-engine V8 will transmit its power to the rear tires via a Ricardo 6-speed gearbox.

Venom GT Hennessey Supercar

Hennessey plans to manage power output by using a programmable traction control system. CFD (computational fluid dynamic) tested bodywork and down force will also help keep the Venom stable at speed. An active aero system with adjustable rear wing will deploy under varying conditions on both the road and racetrack. An adjustable suspension system will allow ride height adjustments according to speed and driving conditions. Finally, power will be put to the ground via massive Michelin PS2 tires.

Venom GT Hennessey Supercar

Hennessey will be building the power plants at its Texas facility. The engines will then be air freighted to the company's assembly facility near Silverstone, England where the Venom GT is built and tested. Venom GT buyer will be offered a 1-day driver orientation and instruction program by a Hennessey factory test driver, at a track in the UK or USA prior to delivery.

Venom GT Hennessey Supercar

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Ferrari 458 Italia Spider

The possibility of the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider sporting a folding hardtop roof has already become a topic of widespread and serious debate. Ferrari boss Lucas di Montezemolo though has confirmed the existence of the 458 Italia Spider but has never spent any word on whether the Spider would sport a folding hardtop, which is further reason for the debate to continue unabated.

The first racing car with the Prancing Horse up front to have a folding hard top was the Ferrari California. The F430 Spider was later outfitted with a soft top so as to save weight with its high performance variant the Scuderia 16M too being meted out the same treatment later on. While this also allowed for the engine to be visible at all times top up or down position, the addition of the hard top to the 458 Italia would certainly rob the car of this feature.

The hard top feature however adds to security as well as comfort that’s lacking with a soft top. A hardtop also adds a touch of solidity to the lines of the car when it is up, something that’s never to be taken lightly for a marquee as image conscious as Ferrari. This would also add credibility to the spy images of the hard top F430 Spider that had been flashed way back in the 2008. Previous versions were more focused towards weight and space saving techniques which the soft top offered while now it has been performance oriented designs that holds sway. The hardtop all in all goes well on the California and Ferrari has the options open for switching over to the soft top version for the Scuderia model of the 458 Italia Spider.

Zagato Alfa Romeo Sports Car TZ3 Corsa

Alfa Romeo and Zagato finally revealed the highly anticipated TZ3 Corsa at the Concours d’Elegance Villa D’Este, and boy is it special. Every line in this car’s gorgeous body is drawn with Alfa’s 100 years of heritage in mind, it screams passion! This priceless one-off is a racing car inspired by the early TZ models and features mono shell carbon fibre tubular chassis, coupled with a tubular frame and a lightweight aluminium body. It’s commissioned by German collector Martin Kapp, and he is now officially the world’s coolest man!

Zagato Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa

The Zagato-penned and developed Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa, which has been rumored for a while, was rolled out in a world premiere at this past weekend’s esteemed Villa D’Este Concours. And please be aware that this is not a show pony. Zagato pointed out, the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa is not simply a design exercise, but a one off race special commissioned by German collector Martin Kapp.

The Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa was inspired by its 1960s ancestors, the first Alfa TZ and TZ2, the TZ3 Corsa. The current iteration is based on a mono shell carbon fiber tubular chassis (whatever that might be), joined with a tubular frame and a drop dead gorgeous lightweight aluminum body. It’s proportions are just spot on perfect, and the rear has a certain Kamm tail/GTO breadvan look to it.

Power comes from the Alfa 8c Competizione's 4.2-liter V8 engine. Situated under the alloy hood of the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa, said mill develops 420-horsepower. Zagato says the racing car tips the scales at a lightweight 850kg or 1,874 lbs. Combine that little weight with that much engine, and the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa is capable of accelerating from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in under 3.5 seconds topping out in excess of 300km/h or 187mph. Or so says Zagato.

The Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa by Zagato is not a design exercise, nor does it take inspiration from the 90 years of collaboration between Zagato and Alfa. The TZ3 Corsa race-car is basically a gift from Zagato to Alfa Romeo honoring 100 years of races and victories across the whole 20th century.

The TZ3 Corsa weighs in at only 1,870 pounds and is powered by a 4.2L dry sump V8 engine making 420-hp. Mated to a 6-speed sequential gearbox. the TZ3 Corsa goes from 0-62 mph in less than 3.5 seconds with a top speed of more than 185 mph.

Tribute to the 100th anniversary of Alfa Romeo’s Racing Heritage:

Alfa Romeo and Zagato achieved the best results since the beginnings thanks to the Mille Miglia victories of the 1500 6C, the 1750 GS and the 8C 2300 Zagato of the Scuderia Ferrari. Already in 1933 an official advert of the Alfa Romeo 8C proclaimed: “The Spider that, with the trio Alfa Romeo – Scuderia Ferrari – Carrozzeria Zagato, brought countless victories in the homeland and abroad for the honour of Italy.”

Even the grandiose Quadrifoglio Verde was placed on the bodies of Zagatos of the Alfa Corse team numerous times. Among the most glorious moments is the victory of the Formula 1 championship of Juan Manuel Fangio, aboard his Alfa Romeo 159 bodied by Zagato, as well as the victorious Alfa Romeo 3000 CM bodied in 3 samples by Zagato.

During the 60’s, the list of absolute victories of the Giulia TZ and TZ2 by Zagato for the Autodelta of Ing. Carlo Chiti, was never-ending. Some of the most memorable victories included the 1964 12 hours of Sebring, the Targa Florio, the Nurburgring, and the 24 hours of Le Mans.

The single-brand Alfa Romeo S.Z. championship emphasized the Alfa Romeo ES30’s (Experimental SportsCar 3000) technical and dynamic abilities. The S.Z. delivered, and continues to so today, constant performance and driving pleasure to the Gentlemen drivers of the Alfa Zagato team, across the most important racetracks in Europe.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth - Chevron Sports Cars

Chevron Racing Cars is exhibiting the new Chevron GR8 in prototype chassis form at Autosport International. The new mid-engined competition coupe with Cosworth YD 2.0 litre power is being built for the one-make Chevron GR8 Challenge Series. UK-based specialist race car construction company Chevron have revealed the production specifications and images of their latest vehicle, the GR8. The GR8, which is the company's first all-new coupe for forty years, uses some of the design cues from Chevron's previous B8 coupe model. Although for the new car the bodywork has been made considerably sharper and more contemporary.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

Organised by the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), the Series will make its racing debut at Silverstone on 8/9 May 2010. Two Series rounds are to be staged at each of seven BARC race meetings. An additional round is a possibility if racing is resumed at Donington Park.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The final decision by Cheshire-based Chevron to exhibit at Autosport International was not taken until last week as the finishing touches were being put to the prototype chassis. The body is being shown in the form of design renderings generated from the CAD files produced for machining the body tooling model. Commencement of testing, initially without bodywork, is imminent.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The GR8 concept rendering, which Chevron confirms is fairly close to the final design, reveals a discernable relationship to its illustrious predecessor, the Chevron B8, an enduring favourite with historic sporstcar competitors. Fabrication of the GR8 prototype is in progress and development testing is scheduled to commence in January.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The design of the new car has a deliberate affinity with the classic Chevron B8 racing coupe, some 70 of which were built following its introduction in 1968. Priced £3,380 new, Chevron B8s - which typically make up a significant percentage of grids in international championship historic sports and GT racing - now change hands for £300,000.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The body is the work of international automotive design consultant Lester Allen, an ex-GM studio chief designer and former senior Royal College of Art vehicle design course tutor. Most of Lester Allen's work in recent years has been behind the scenes for Asian manufacturers. Previous British car designs for which he has been responsible include the Bentley Continental R and Aston Martin Virage, both for the one-time Heffernan Greenley consultancy.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

Provision has been made in the bodywork design for window lifts and other refinements suited to customers who may wish to have a road-going car conforming to Low Volume Type Approval legislation.The Cosworth 2.0L YD in-line 4-cylinder power unit develops 255-260 bhp at 8200 rpm. Peak torque is 190 ft-lbs at 7500 rpm. Engines for the Chevron GR8 are being built alongside Cosworth's F1 production line.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The Chevron installation features a PiRQ4 engine control unit incorporating technologies derived from ECUs used by winners of the FIA GT and World Rally Championship titles. The Cosworth electronics package includes a Pi Omega LCD panel display, providing crystal-clear readouts for the driver and seamless integration with the engine control unit data.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The Chevron GR8 is constructed around a centre section comprising a semi-monocoque aluminium sills and platform structure integrated with an MSA compliant roll cage in 50 mm diameter steel tube. Forward of the front bulkhead, a 50 mm and 25 mm box section steel spaceframe incorporates a removable nose box. The rear spaceframe is also in 50 mm and 25 mm box section steel. The sills make more effective use of material than might be the case with a tubular structure and are seen as a better solution to side impact protection. The braking system uses AP callipers, with 330 mm diameter by 28 mm wide discs at the front and 304 mm diameter by 28 mm discs at the rear. Steering is rack and pinion. All aeroquip is by Goodridge.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

Two Chevron GR8 Challenge Series rounds will be run at each of the BARC meetings where the Series is in the programme and races will feature rolling starts. Entries are open to either one or two drivers. With a team of two, the idea is for each to contest one round. Accepting entries for two drivers creates obvious opportunities for sharing costs. As part of the support provided to participants, Chevron plans to have a pool car on hand as a spare should a competitor's own Chevron GR8 be unable to start a race for whatever reason.

Chevron Racing Cars GR8 Cosworth

The Chevron GR8 model name has aroused a certain amount of internet chatter. Chevron Racing's Helen Bashford-Malkie comments: "In the wake of the announcement late last year that the Chevron GR8 project was under way, I guess the name was up for discussion amongst blogging community for the reason that few hard details had been released about the car.

"The inclusion of '8' pays homage to the B8, the project's inspiration. 'GR' stands for Grand Touring/Racing, but as GTR is used for a Nissan model, we omitted 'T'. We elected for 'GR' because it's got a bit of 'grrrr' combativeness about it. If some people choose to interpret 'GR8' as texting for great well, okay. The fact that it is also being used in the name of the racing Series was also a consideration."