Passion Cars -The Greatest Cars in the World-

The latest generation, S-Class, premiered in 2007 as an all-new design. As in previous iterations, the latest S-Class is sold in standard and long wheelbase versions and offers V6, V8, V12, and diesel powertrains.
The W221 is the second consecutive generation of the S-Class to be solely produced in a sedan body style; past two-door coupe models of the S-Class became known as the CL-Class in 1998. Since 2003, the traditionally rear-wheel drive S-Class also offers 4Matic all-wheel drive in some markets. In the U.S., base prices for the W221 S-Class range from $87,475 for the S550, $144,975 for the S600, $127,775 for the S63 AMG and $194,775 for the S65 AMG.

Mercedes Benz has traditionally introduced its safety innovations in the S-Class. For instance, the S-Class was the first car in Europe to incorporate airbags. S-Class safety features include the following innovations in active safety (accident avoidance), passive safety (collision protection), and holistic safety (integration of both active and passive safety features):

* Active safety: ABS braking in 1978 (acts to reduce braking distances and improve stopping control; co-developed with Bosch); traction control and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) in 1995 (improves driver control during difficult road conditions); and Brake Assist (provides full braking power during emergency stops). In 2005, a new infrared night vision feature was introduced (improves visibility during nighttime conditions). Despite the popular misconception, the S-Class was not the first car fitted with ABS braking technology, although some credit can be given for popularizing this now largely standard feature (ABS was initially an option on most models of the W126 S-Class).

* Passive safety: crumple zones in 1957 (vehicle body structure absorbs the force of impact); three-point seatbelts in 1965 (provides additional torso/body protection); collapsible steering column (prevents the steering column from protruding into the cabin during accidents), strengthened occupant cell enhanced occupant protection during severe impacts, rollovers); pre-accident seatbelt tensioning (tightens seatbelts prior to impact), and sandwich platforms (allows the engine the slide under the occupants in a head-on collision).

* PRE-SAFE, Mercedes-Benz's holistic safety feature, was introduced on the S-Class in 2002. PRE-SAFE integrates multiple active and passive safety features for a "safety net" approach to vehicle safety by attempting to prevent accidents; if accidents do occur, PRE-SAFE aims to reduce occupant injury. In the latest version of this pre-collision system, PRE-SAFE will prime the brake assist system, lock the doors to prevent accidental opening during the accident, adjust the seats, close the windows and sunroof, and tighten seatbelts during certain types of collisions. In the event an accident results in a roll over, the "PRE-SAFE" feature unlock the doors and lower the windows approximately one half an inch to allow you to exit or safety workers to gain access easily.

The Bentley Brooklands Coupé will be hand-assembled, employing traditional coach-building techniques and the craftsmanship skills in wood veneer and leather hide for which Bentley is renowned. To ensure exclusivity, lifetime production will be strictly limited to 550 cars, with deliveries expected to start in the first half of 2008.

The Brooklands is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V8 engine producing 530 bhp (395 kW) and 1050 Nm (774 ft·lbf). It can achieve 0-60 mph in around 5 seconds, and a top speed in the region of 296 km/h (184 mph). With an optional ceramic braking system and 14 inch rotors the new Brooklands offers more stopping power than any passenger vehicle currently available for purchase.

Bentley’s rich coupé heritage provided the stimulus for Director of Styling, Dirk van Braeckel and his design team. For van Braeckel, the task was very clear: “To create a powerful, muscular and rakish grand touring coupé with classic British proportions, in the finest Bentley tradition.”

While the new Brooklands is influenced by Bentley’s fine coupé lineage, its design and engineering are thoroughly contemporary. The proportions of long bonnet, short front overhang and long rear overhang achieve the design objective perfectly, while the low roofline, steeply raked screens and pillarless side glass convey both power and movement.

Dirk van Braeckel describes the mission for the Bentley interior design team: “To create the perfect Bentley coupé: sumptuous hand-crafted luxury with a distinctly sporting character.”

As in every Bentley, peerless craftsmanship is to the fore, enhanced by the warmth and richness of the finest natural materials. To tailor for their individual requirements, customers may choose from an extensive palette of hides, veneers, carpet tones and seat belt colours.

The Reventón is a mid-engined sports car that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. It is currently the most powerful and expensive Lamborghini road car to date, costing one million euro.
The official press release states that only 20 will be built (and one for the Lamborghini Museum). The exterior styling was inspired by the F-22 Raptor.[citation needed] Although the exterior is partially new, almost the entire mechanics (including the engine) are taken directly from the Murciélago.

The Reventón is named after a fighting bull according to recent Lamborghini tradition. The car's namesake, owned by the Don Rodríguez family, is best known for killing famed bullfighter Félix Guzmán in 1943.

Reventón means "explosion" or "burst" in Spanish, when used as a noun.; in automotive terms, it means "blowout, flat tire" when used as a noun. When it was used as the name of a bull, however, it was intended to be interpreted as an adjective a quality or property of that bull in particular. Then Reventón means "he who is used to making things burst".

Production: Of the 20 cars made, 10 of them are going to the United States, 1 of them is being sent to Canada, 7 will remain in Europe (including a single vehicle going to the UK), 1 of them is being sent to Dubai and 1 of them is being sent to Japan.

Motor: Initial reports suggest that the 6.5 litre V12 may receive a power boost of approximately 15 kilowatts (20 horsepower), bringing the new ouput close to 490 kW (650 horsepower). In spite of this, and the car's carbon fibre components, the Reventón accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in the same time as the Murciélago LP640 (3.4 seconds).

Price: 1.000.000 Euro. :)

The Porsche Type 997 is the project code name for the current version of the sports car Porsche 911, built by the German manufacturer Porsche since 2004. Production began in July 2004 and two variants, the Carrera and Carrera S coupés, were available immediately. The all-wheel drive Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S versions began shipping in November 2005, while the Turbo and GT3 derivatives went on sale in late 2006 and 997 GT2 going on sale in 2007. The new 530 horsepower (395 kW) GT2 has a claimed 0-60 mph of 3.6 seconds and top speed of 204 mph (328 km/h), the first production, street-legal Porsche 911 with a 200+ mph top speed. The Targa top models are also available, in Targa 4 and Targa 4S forms. The 997 is the most commercially successful 911 of all time. As of July 2007 it has sold 100,000 units since its introduction in April 2004.

The base Carrera has essentially the same 3.6 L flat-6 (Boxer) engine that its predecessor, the Type 996 Carrera used, producing 239 kW (325 SAE hp/329 DIN). The Carrera S uses a new 3.8 L flat-6 engine producing 261 kW (355 SAE hp/ 360 DIN). The US$16,900 X51 powerkit with a 381 hp (284 kW) power output is available as an option for the Carrera S, Carrera 4S, and Targa 4S models.

While the exterior styling is changed — in fact, the 997 Carrera S and Carrera 4S models share only their roof panels with their predecessor, the 996 — it is again more evolution than revolution, typical of Porsche and the Carrera. British motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson (a known detractor of Porsche vehicles, especially the 911) has often voiced the opinion that Porsche had "the laziest design team in the world" due to the almost unnoticeable change in external appearance between the 997 and earlier models.

It uses a new front bumper with LED parking lights in a horizontal bar through the air intake. The fog lights are moved to the corners of the bumpers. Large air intakes in front of and behind the rear wheels are other obvious visual cues. The retractable rear wing is also one of the highlights, a feature which has been available on the 996 Turbo as well.

According to official Porsche figures, it produces 480 hp (358 kW), accelerates 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds with the manual transmission, and a has 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of just 3.7 seconds with the automatic Tiptronic S transmission, which is more than enough to edge out its current rival from Ferrari, the new F430. It has also recorded a 0-60 mph time of 3.2 seconds at the hands of US motoring publication Motor Trend—eclipsing all of its major competitors and even Porsche's own Carrera GT supercar. The 997 Turbo has a top speed of 311 km/h (193 mph).

The Ferrari 599 Fiorano is not just another sports car; far from it. Ferrari have successfully achieved yet another new level of class and sophistication, while also delivering everything that you would expect from a sports car.

Since first going on display at the Geneva Motor Show the Ferrari Fiorano has received the admiration of auto-enthusiasts around the world. However, you certainly do not have to be an enthusiast to fully appreciate the sleek, subtle curves, lines and utterly beautiful exterior design of this truly magnificent car.

Unlike many sports cars, the elegance of the Ferrari 599 Fiorano's exterior is also carried through to the hand-crafted, personalised interior design, which is both sporty and extremely comfortable.

The interior makes use of the latest in carbon fiber and aluminum material technology, as well as taking full advantage of more traditional materials, such as leather. In their efforts to produce a high performance sports car that is a pleasure to drive, Ferrari have certainly not forgotten about the passenger.

Both driver and passenger will travel in supreme comfort and style, in fact a central grip has specifically been included to provide extra support for the car's passenger.

Engine: The 599's Enzo-sourced Tipo F133F 6.0 L (5999 cc) V12 engine produces a maximum 620 CV (620 hp/456 kW/611 bhp), making it the most-powerful series production Ferrari road car. Its 448 ft·lbf (608 N·m) of torque will also be a high for Ferrari's GT cars. Most of the

modifications to the engine were done to allow it to fit in the Fiorano's engine bay (the original Enzo version could be taller since the mid-mounted position allowed it to be so).
The company claims a top speed in excess of 330 km/h (205 mph), 3.7 second sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph), and 11.0 to 200 km/h (124 mph).

A traditional 6-speed manual transmission as well as Ferrari's 6-speed sequential manual gearbox called 'F1 SuperFast' is offered. The e-diff active differential from the F430 is not used. However, the Manettino concept first seen in the F430 also appears in this car. Ferrari sourced the Delphi Corporation's MagneRide semi-active magneto rheological dampers. Reviewers of the car have mentioned that the MagneRide suspension gives the 599 a very comfortable ride but allows it to handle well at the same time.
The Fiorano also sees the debut of Ferrari's new traction control system, called F1-Trac. Reportedly tuned using inputs from 7-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, the system supposedly allows a competent driver to lap the Fiorano test track at just 1 second behind Michael's time.

The Lamborghini Murciélago is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and designed by Luc Donckerwolke. It was introduced in 2002 as the successor to the Diablo. The Murciélago is a two-door, two-seat coupé. To celebrate the company's 40 years in operation, 50 special edition Murciélagos were built during the autumn of 2003. An open-top version called the Murciélago Roadster was introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The roadster features similar performance to the coupé with a more aggressive rear flank, as well as a considerably higher price tag.

The Murciélago sports a 6.2 Liter version of the legendary Lamborghini V12 engine, a six-speed manual or six-speed sequential automatic transmission, and four-wheel drive. It also has a rear spoiler that can be raised to an angle of 70 degrees, side mirrors that fold in to improve aerodynamics, and side scoops that automatically open to the needed size to let in just the right amount of air needed to cool its engine. The 2008 car's fuel economy is 8 mpg (U.S.) (29 L/100 km) city and 13 mpg (U.S.) (18 L/100 km) freeway, making it the least efficient 2008 car for city driving, according to the EPA.

The coupé's base price is US $313,000, which is US $107,000 more than its smaller sibling, the Lamborghini Gallardo.

In 2006 the Murciélago's engine was replaced by a stronger 6.5-liter engine and the car's name was changed to Murciélago LP640. For the 2007 model year Lamborghini did the same with the roadster model, which is now called Murciélago LP640 Roadster. Both versions received a minor facelift.

Engine.-
LP stands for Longitudinale Posteriore, referring to the longitudinally-mounted, 6.5 L V12 engine, capable of producing up to 633 bhp (472 kW) at 8000 rpm. Along with a new six-speed manual transmission, which can come in Lamborghini's optional paddle shift "E-gear" package, the LP640 can go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds: 0.4 of a second quicker than the previous Murciélago. The LP640 is accommodated by an electronic Launch control device called "Thrust."

Classified as a sports car and compared to cars like the Porsche Carrera GT and Enzo Ferrari, the presence of the automatic gear box, front mid-engined arrangement and its driving characteristics lead some commentators to classify the SLR McLaren as a Super GT whose closer rivals are the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish and Ferrari 599 GTB

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is inspired by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR of 1955 which was actually based on the W196 F1 car, yet named after the road-going 300SL Gullwing.

It is the fastest automatic transmission car in the world. SLR stands for "Sport, Leicht, Rennsport" (sport, light, racing). Mercedes-Benz has stated that they will build 3500 SLRs in a span of 7 years, with an annual production of only 500 cars.The car's base price is US$495,000 or €475,000.

McLaren's performance claims for the SLR have been confirmed. Depending on the source, the car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 3.2 seconds (see below), 0-200 km/h in 9.5 seconds, and 300 km/h in 24.4 seconds, and has a top speed of 360 km/h (225 mph). The car uses carbon fibre for its entire body construction, which makes it lighter. Curb weight is 1768 kg (3898 lb). The SLR is one of the safest and most luxurious cars of its class ever built, straying from the practice of eliminating luxuries for the sake of weight reduction.

Car and Driver achieved a 0-60 time of 3.2 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 10.4 seconds at 142 mph. C&D suggests the times may be even lower if temperatures were higher. Car and Driver achieved top gear acceleration 30-50 mph and 50-70 mph times of 1.7 and 2.4 seconds, which are the fastest ever recorded by the magazine in a production car. The SLR also pulled 0.97 g on the skidpad.

The SLR sports a 232-kilogram (512 lb), hand-built, 5.4-litre (5439 cc/331.9 cu in), supercharged, all-aluminum, SOHC V8 engine. The cylinders are angled at 90 degrees with three valves per cylinder and lubricated via a dry sump system. The compression ratio is 8.8:1 and the bore and stroke is 97 millimetre (3.82 in) and 92 millimeters (3.62 in), respectively. The Lysholm-type twin-screw supercharger produces 0.9 bar (13 psi) of boost, the turbine rotates at 23000 revolutions per minute, and the air is cooled via two intercoolers..