The first London Motor Show in 8 years has been officially opened by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, at Battersea Park. With all the major carmakers under one roof, UK debuts included the new MG GS - the British brand’s first SUV - as well as the McLaren 570GT and the Infiniti Q60 coupe. TVR wheeled out the great Gordon Murray to disappoint the assembled press by seemingly lining up a world debut for its new sportscar, only to reveal, well - nothing. Order books opened for the sexy new Mexican-built supercar, the VUHL 05 with prices starting from £59,000 OTR while Riversimple presented its Hydrogen car concept, the RASA, capable of travelling 300 miles with only water vapour for emissions.
Audi has pulled the covers off its new TT RS in Beijing. The most powerful ever production TTis available as a Coupé or Roadster with both models powered by a 2.5-litre TFSI engine - with a 17 percent increase in performance. 0-62 takes just 3.7 seconds, and top speed is 174mph. The new TT RS is fitted with 19-inch alloys as standard, sits ten millimetres lower than the base model and has new 3D effect organic LED rear lights. Available to order this summer, prices have yet to be announced.
Aston Martin has revealed a new race derived Vantage GT8. Calling on all its sporting DNA, the new extreme special edition draws heavily on the V8 Vantage GTE race car, with sculpted carbon fibre bodywork and wide-bodied, race-bred aerodynamics. Powered by a revised 4.7-litre V8 with 446 PS, the Vantage GT8 will be strictly limited to just 150 examples with prices starting at £165,000 OTR.
BMW has previewed the Concept M4 GTS - a future high-performance model for road and track. It features new technologies such as an engine water injection system - which offers a ‘noticeable increase’ in output and torque and comes with carbon fibre aplenty. It runs on 20-inch lightweight M sport alloys and has a new light signature with organic LEDs.
Audi has revealed its TT clubsport turbo concept, which is set for a Worthersee festival debut. Austria's annual meeting for Volkswagen Group enthusiasts will get the first glimpse of the 'colossal' 600PS machine, which is powered by 2.5-litre engine and a 'close to production ready' electrically powered biturbo compressor - which revs up to maximum rpm rapidly, without delay. With 650Nm of torque on tap, 0 to 62 takes just 3.6 seconds and top speed comes in at of 192 mph.
McLaren has launched the second model in its new Sports Series - the 540C Coupe. Priced from £126,000 OTR, it's powered by a 3.8-litre V8, delivering 540PS for a 0 to 62 time of 3.5 seconds, and a top speed of 199 mph. Running on 19-inch wheels up front and 20's at the rear, and featuring a host of F1 derived components, the McLaren 540C Coupe is available for pre-order now.
Mercedes has pulled the covers off its new GLC Coupe concept SUV, at the Shanghai Auto Show. The 'close-to-production' vehicle provides a glimpse of forthcoming off-road models from Mercedes, with the sporty show car bringing the idea of the GLE Coupe into a more compact segment. Running on 21-inch wheels, the concept is powered by a 367bhp, V6 borrowed from Mercedes-AMG, with 520 Nm of torque mated to a 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive system.
McLaren has revealed its new 570S Coupe. The first model in a new 'Sports Series' family shares its DNA with the McLaren Super Series and Ultimate Series that sit above it in the range hierarchy. The light-weight 570S is billed as the most usable McLaren to date and is named after its 570PS 3.8-litre V8, which launches the new car to 62 in 3.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 204mph. The McLaren 570S goes on sale next month with pricing expected to be around the £145,000 mark.
Hyundai has announced the new i20 Coupe will start at £12,725 on the road. Despite its sportier appearance, the i20 Coupe still offers boot space of 336-litres. Available with a choice of two engines - a 1.2-litre 84PS petrol and a 90PS 1.4-litre diesel, the entry-level SE model gets 16-inch alloy wheels as standard along with rear parking sensors and a rear spoiler. Priced at £16,400, the range-topping 1.4 Sport Nav model and features 17” alloys and Hyundai's integrated sat- nav with 7” touchscreen and rear view camera.
Porsche has added a high-performance GT4 model to its Cayman range. The first GT model to be based on the two-seater is powered by a 385 bhp 3.8-litre, flat-six engine derived from the 911 Carrera S - delivering a 0 to 62 time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph. It has been lowered by 30 mm and features an uprated braking system and a chassis enhanced with components borrowed from the 911 GT3. The new Cayman GT4 is on sale in the UK now, priced from £64,451 on the road.
Ferrari has unveiled its new 488 GTB. The supercar brings 'track-level performance and responsiveness for the road' says the Italian brand, and is powered by a new 3.9-litre V8 turbo engine for a 0-124 mph time of 8.3 seconds and 760 Nm of maximum torque. Several design elements have helped achieve a record aerodynamic efficiency figure for a production Ferrari, including the double front spoiler, side intakes and active aerodynamics coupled with a 'blown' spoiler at the rear. The Ferrari 488 GTB will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor show.
The all-new Ford Mustang has officially gone on sale in the UK for the first time. Fastback or convertible versions are available, powered by either a 314PS 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine or a 418PS 5.0-litre V8 unit – mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The 2015 Mustang is fitted with 19-inch wheels, performance brakes and a rear diffuser as standard and is available to order now from new inner city 'FordStores'. Prices start from £28,995 on the road, rising to £38,495 for the range-topping V8 Convertible.
The new Bentley Continental GT V8 S will make its Goodwood Festival of Speed debut in the Supercar paddock this summer. Faster and more responsive with a 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 192 mph, the crowds will be treated to the twin-turbo 4-litre V8's full throttle soundtrack twice daily during the Supercar runs. The GT is to be joined on the hill by a car known as 'Old Number 1'. The Speed Six Bentley, which won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930, will be reunited with vintage team-mates 'Old Number 2' and 'Old Number 3'.
Sportscar specialist Arash Motor Company, has released details of its latest model, the AF8. Powered by a 7-litre V8 engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, the lightweight supercar produces 550bhp and 637Nm of torque, which will launch it from 0-60 in around 3.5 seconds on to a top speed in the region of 200 mph. A 'Hybrid' chassis construction features carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb along with high tensile-steel and Kevlar for extra strength. On the road prices for the Arash AF8 start from £165,000.
Audi has confirmed that the all-new TT will be available from launch with a choice of three four-cylinder direct injection turbo engines with power outputs ranging from 184 to 310PS. There will be two versions: a TT and a TTS -- with the latter delivering a provisional 0-62 time of 4.7 seconds when fitted with the optional 6-speed S tronic transmission. Under the skin the revised quattro all-wheel drive system can now temporarily deactivate to improve efficiency, while in the cabin, the driver is greeted by an all-digital 'Audi virtual cockpit'.
An 40-foot wide sink hole caused a major collapse at the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky. CCTV cameras captured the drama as iconic, irreplaceable models simply disappeared down the hole when it opened up at 5.39 am. Cars, including a 2009 ZR1 Blue Devil and a black 1962 classic, plunged some 30 feet, with a Ruby Red 40th Anniversary edition seemingly coming off worst. Morale was at least lifted when the ZR1 fired up first time, and now the damaged 'Vettes are all on their way to GM Design in Warren, Michigan for repair and restoration.
Mercedes has previewed a high-performance version of its new compact SUV, the Concept GLA 45 AMG. Powered by a 360bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, it can accelerate from rest to 62mph in under five seconds. The concept features all-wheel-drive, as well as a 7-speed sports transmission while a large front splitter, rear diffuser, twin-tailpipes and 'discreet' number 45 stickers underline its AMG performance credentials.
