Nissan GT-R Egoist 2011

If 530 PS, one of the world's most advanced four-wheel drive chassis, and supercar rarity value are not enough, Nissan has the answer: the Egoist, the ultimate expression of the famed Nissan GT-R, lovingly created for each owner using only the finest materials.

This exclusive version - specially created by 'father' of the Nissan GT-R, chief vehicle engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno - has a hand-crafted interior using only the best quality hides, a Bose sound system tailored to the owner's exact dimensions and other features that showcase ancient Japanese art forms.
Such is the care and attention to detail given to every aspect of the car that the hand-painted badge on the steering wheel, for example, takes several days to create.
It is little wonder, then, that the Nissan GT-R Egoist, which is built only to special order, is reassuringly expensive and, as a result, is aimed at a very select audience.
"Exclusivity is something the wealthy have come to expect. And while the standard GT-R will never be commonplace, the Egoist combines genuine rarity with the most exclusive materials," said Pierre Loing, Vice President Product Strategy and Planning, Nissan International SA.
"It is meticulously assembled by hand-picked craftsmen and thanks to the range of interior and exterior colour combinations available it is unlikely that two Nissan GT-R Egoist models will ever be exactly the same."

Nissan GT-R Egoist in detail
The Egoist has been developed from the 2011 version of the Nissan GT-R, which itself boasts a number of significant improvements to the engine, chassis and aerodynamics.
Revisions to the twin turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 give more power and torque - up from 485 to 530PS and 588 to 612Nm respectively - along with lower emissions and improved fuel consumption. Enhanced aerodynamics have increased downforce by 10 per cent while chassis and damper changes have sharpened the handling and smoothed the ride.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (2011)

The 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is powered by an all-new aluminum-block 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine, which produces 550 horsepower and 510 ft.-lb. of torque, a 10 horsepower increase versus the 2010 model. The engine also is 102 pounds lighter than its predecessor, delivering a better power-to-weight ratio, improved fuel economy, acceleration, handling and steering precision.
"Cutting weight to improve performance is a tradition among hot rodders," said Carroll Shelby, founder of Shelby American. "It might not be as sexy as adding more horsepower or bigger brakes, but shaving pounds off of a car is the single smartest move you can make."

The new engine uses state-of-the-art Plasma Transferred Wire Arc (PTWA) liner coating, a process that applies a 150-micron composite coating that contains nanoparticles on the internal surfaces of engine cylinder bores, replacing cast-iron liners typically used in aluminum engine blocks. The Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation honored the inventors of the Ford-patented PTWA technology with the 2009 National Inventor of the Year Award.

This is the first Ford application of the technology, and it offers improved overall performance and durability, along with functional benefits of reduced friction between piston rings and cylinder bores, improved heat transfer due to increased surface contact area and a weight savings of 8.5 pounds compared to a typical steel-sleeved aluminum block. A mechanical roughening process provides higher material adhesion for the spray coating.
The PTWA process uses air and electricity to create a plasma jet of 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which melts a steel wire that is fed into a rotating spray gun. Using atomized air, the melted steel wire is blown into a specially machined surface of the aluminum-block engine cylinder bore. In the process of melting and applying the metal to the surface, the steel wire oxidizes, creating a composite coating consisting of both iron and iron oxide.
"Ford's Global Research and Advanced Engineering looks to all industries for advanced technologies - and this comes from aerospace. It's the same technology you would find on aircraft engines," said Glenn Jorgensen, SVT powertrain team leader. "We've invented a coating as a replacement for cast iron that delivers improvements in power and performance and fuel economy."

The new engine also has its roots in the iconic Ford GT. The new 5.4-liter engine is an evolution of the GT engine, with improved block structure through the use of a unique bulkhead chilled process and six-bolt billet main bearing caps. This new advanced engine will exceed Ford GT performance with its traditional supercharger technology.

"The Ford GT has solidified itself as one of the world's most coveted supercars. To make improvements to the engine from this supercar and make it available in a Mustang is impressive," said Kerry Baldori, SVT global performance vehicle chief functional engineer. "The aluminum-block engine is robust and strong enough to produce the performance numbers and durability our customers demand."

Increased power and increased fuel economy
The 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 combines power and fuel economy into one impressive package. This 2011 Shelby GT500 will be the first modern Shelby without the gas guzzler tax, thanks to the EPA-projected 23 mpg highway and 15 mpg city it will deliver. This is up from 22 mpg highway and 14 mpg city for the 2010 model.

The 5.4-liter V-8 achieves 80 percent of its torque between 1,750 and 6,250 rpm, giving the car a higher level of performance feel. A larger two-row intercooler for the supercharger system has 40 percent more cooling capacity, helping to make power more consistent in higher ambient conditions.
Fuel economy gains come from the new 102-pound-lighter aluminum-block engine, EPAS and detailed aerodynamic changes to the underside of the vehicle.

Increased power and increased fuel economy
The 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 combines power and fuel economy into one impressive package. This 2011 Shelby GT500 will be the first modern Shelby without the gas guzzler tax, thanks to the EPA-projected 23 mpg highway and 15 mpg city it will deliver. This is up from 22 mpg highway and 14 mpg city for the 2010 model.
The 5.4-liter V-8 achieves 80 percent of its torque between 1,750 and 6,250 rpm, giving the car a higher level of performance feel. A larger two-row intercooler for the supercharger system has 40 percent more cooling capacity, helping to make power more consistent in higher ambient conditions.

Fuel economy gains come from the new 102-pound-lighter aluminum-block engine, EPAS and detailed aerodynamic changes to the underside of the vehicle.

Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca (2012)

"The Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca puts a race-ready version of the new Ford Mustang Boss 302 directly into enthusiasts' hands," said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. "Laguna Seca isn't intended for Boss buyers who simply want an exhilarating daily driver. Think of it like a factory-built race car, which we hope avid racers and track-day fans are going to love."
Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca builds on the bumper-to-bumper improvements found on the standard Boss while further stiffening the chassis and installing an aerodynamics package carried over almost in its entirety from the Ford Racing Boss 302R.
"Drivers who know how to get the most from a tuned race car on a closed course are going to be amazed by what the Laguna Seca is capable of," said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. "The balance, agility and tuning of each vehicle system places the driver at the center of the machine, completely connected to everything the car is doing."


Chassis enhancements
Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca cars are powered by the same smooth, high-winding 440-hp 5.0-liter V8 as the standard Boss, since the engine was already tuned specifically for road racing. Instead, engineers turned their attention toward delivering power to the ground most efficiently, and getting the car around a track in the quickest possible time.
"When we built the Boss, we had to step back and ask ourselves 'How do we improve on this?'" said David Pericak, Ford Mustang chief engineer. "That car is so strong we realized the Laguna Seca package was going to have to be just a fraction of a step back from the Ford Racing 302R to top it. So we went back and threw daily-driver practicality out the window, cut some things we couldn't cut on the volume model, like the back seat, and built it the way we would set up a production Boss for pure competition."
Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca cars eliminate the rear seats, instead adding a cross-car X-brace that couples the structure between the rear wheels. The brace offers chassis stiffness improvements of as much as 10 percent and allows the suspension tuning - precisely calibrated by Mustang team members - to better do its job.
Standard Recaro front seats were designed by Ford SVT in cooperation with Recaro for high performance Mustang models, and are shared between the Boss and GT500. An Alcantara-covered race steering wheel provides a solid grip for hard cornering.
Engine power routes through a six-speed close-ratio manual gearbox to a standard 3.73-ratio Torsen limited-slip differential, helping the revised rear suspension deliver maximum torque and traction under the punishing conditions encountered on the track.
Higher spring rates and a larger rear stabilizer bar - all upgraded over Boss specifications - help generate unrelenting grip. And drivers can dial in exactly the level of shock stiffness a particular track requires using the four standard, independently adjustable dampers with Laguna Seca-specific valving.

The final touch for a proper race car was to add the proper wheels and tires: Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca models use lightweight 19-inch alloy racing wheels in staggered widths: 9 inches in front, 10 inches in the rear. R-compound ultra-high-performance tires, 255/40ZR-19 in the front, 285/35ZR-19 in the rear, maintain contact with the pavement - a job that ended up being trickier than expected.
"The R-compound tires on the Laguna Seca are so sticky we had to really work on the rear suspension tuning to make sure drivers can get the most out of them," explains Pericak. "The rear stabilizer bar is the largest we've ever installed on a production Mustang - including any SVT product. The rear spring rate was also maximized to work with the massive rear tires and balance the car for minimal lap times."
While standard Ford Mustang Boss 302 cars get vented brake dust shields to help cool the rotors, Laguna Seca models receive Ford Racing front brake ducts that force outside air directly onto the 14-inch vented front rotors, helping to eliminate brake fade and ensure hard, repeatable late braking on the track. Combined, the braking changes help refine the sense for drivers of being directly connected to the pads - an essential edge during car-to-car combat on a road course.
Added up, the further improvements to Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca result in the best-handling Mustang ever, with more than 1.03 g of lateral acceleration, stopping distances shortened by three feet from 60 mph over Boss, 0-60 acceleration improvements of one tenth of a second, and an overall expected lap time improvement of one to two seconds over the standard Boss on a typical road course.

Bertone Jaguar B99 2011 Concept

A historic brand in automotive. A historic signature in design. Put the two together and you get an explosive new concept car called the Jaguar B99 which Bertone presented at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
The name B99 stands for B as in Bertone and 99 for the company near 100 year anniversary in 2012, one of the oldest design companies in the world. The concept projects Jaguar's classic style into the future with refined Bertone elegance, exploring a fascinating new form language with a "dynamic imbalance" between parallel lines and leaping forms. The result is a compact, four-door sedan (4.5 m long, 1.35 m tall, 1.95 m wide, 2.8 m wheelbase) that fits perfectly into the D segment. Starting with a classic three-volume architecture, Bertone designers have shaped the taut, muscular body with bold yet refined character, entirely constructed with handmade aluminum panels in true Italian "coachbuilder" tradition. The unique personality of the luxury sports sedan is emphasized by the sophisticated minimalism outside and in, underlining the true nature of the British authenticity where understatement equals exclusiveness.
Bertone will present not only the luxury sedan in Geneva but also a full GT2 race version, maintaining the exceptional "double soul" tradition of the Jaguar brand, adding high speed aerodynamic appendages and aggressive graphics for continued success on the race track.

Technology: clean power
"Performance through innovation" is one of Jaguars slogans, and today more than ever powerful sports cars must find new responsible ways to offer both high performance and ecological sustainability. The Bertone Jaguar B99 concept is powered by a modular, Extended Range Hybrid system which futuristic utilizes twin 150kW (204 Cv) electric engines connected to the inboard side of the rear axle for propulsion and a lightweight 1.400 cm3 thermal engine producing 125 kW-170 Cv for range extension, giving a combined power output of 425 kW or 570 Cv. The thermal engine charges the Lithium-ion batteries while driving allowing for a theoretical range of 700 kilometers of highway driving between fill-ups with a carbon dioxide output of around 30 g Co2/km. The Bertone Jaguar B99 concept can also travel in full electric mode offering zero emissions for 100kms.