Articles by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

The car was snapped testing at Germany’s Nürburgring recently, where engineers are using a makeshift body of the latest 911 GT3 but several elements reveal the true identity of the test car.Look closely and you’ll see widened wheel arches, extra-wide rubber at the rear, and new side intakes for the turbocharged engine (the 911 GT3 is naturally aspirated). The wheels and brakes are also larger than those fitted to the 911 GT3 and the rear wing much taller. Additional aero pieces have been tacked onto the rear, presumably to boost downforce.Like the previous 911 GT2, the new model will feature a similar spec to the contemporary 911 Turbo, the new 2014 911 Turbo, but to separate the two the 911 GT2 will stick to rear-wheel drive and have a higher output. This means it will feature a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat-six engine, four-wheel steering and engine stop-start technology.Peak output is expected to register at 412 kilowatts, which is on par with the output of the latest 911 Turbo S and 22 kilowatts more than the output of the previous 911 GT2. As for the transmission, Porsche’s seven-speed PDK dual-clutch unit is likely to replace the previous 911 GT2’s six-speed manual. If that last tidbit doesn’t sit well with you, we suggest reading this article.Initial performance specs are a top speed in excess of 322km/h and an approximate 0-100km/h time of 3.0 seconds or less. Look out for a debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next March, with sales to commence shortly after.By 2015, a new generation of the ultimate 911, the infamous 911 GT2 RS, is expected to land. This model is expected to match the 456 kilowatts of the outgoing model but benefit from a lighter curb weight, the quick-shifting PDK and the new four-wheel-steering setup.www.motorauthority.com 

No, you’re not looking at someone’s attempt at building a Ferrari Enzo roadster. Featured in the gallery above is the latest product from one of Monte Carlo’s oldest car brands, the aptly named Montecarlo Automobile.The new car is a V12-powered supercar dubbed the Rascasse, and only 15 examples are destined for production, each priced at 500,000 euros (approximately $655,000).Using race car knowledge garnered from GT competition, which Montecarlo competes in with motorsport engineering firm BRC, Montecarlo’s engineers have built the Rascasse around a lightweight and sturdy monocoque chassis.Mounted in a mid-engine position is a 5.4 litre V12 originally engineered by BMW and featured in the 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, according to Ansa (via WorldCarFans). In its latest application, the engine has been tuned to deliver 373kW.Montecarlo’s version of the V12 is capable of running on gasoline or liquefied natural gas, but a further development of the engine and the Rascasse supercar is planned.This new version will feature a supercharger and hybrid system to help boost power and offer all-wheel-drive traction, presumably via a through-the-road hybrid setup. The new hybrid Rascasse is expected to be revealed later this year as part of Montecarlo’s 30th anniversary celebration.www.motorauthority.com 

Hollywood director Michael Bay just couldn’t contain himself from revealing the latest star to join the Transformers 4 crew, a Pagani Huayra supercar. Knowing what the Huayra is capable of, we wouldn’t have been able to keep it a secret either.Bay posted this image of the Huayra on his personal blog, where he also described the car as being a “masterpiece of design and engineering.” This particular Huayra is finished in a never-before-seen colour from Pagani, blood red, and it has a particularly fierce look to it that would make it an ideal Decepticon in the new movie, though it’s entirely possible the car could be an Autobot or perhaps, dare we say it, just a car.Other vehicles announced for Transformers 4 include a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, a Corvette Stingray and Sonic RS rally car from Chevrolet, a Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, a military truck from Oshkosh Defense, a Western Star truck, and a classic 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS.Interestingly, a modern, fifth-generation Camaro SS has also been spotted on one of the movie's sets, suggesting Autobot Bumblebee will transform into both versions during the movie.The latest instalment of the Transformers franchise is currently being filmed and is set to premiere nationwide on June 27, 2014. The movie will take place roughly four years after the events of 2011's Transformers 3 - Dark of the Moon, though none of the previous human characters are expected to return.Mark Wahlberg will play protagonist Flynn Vincent and is set to be joined by fellow actors Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci, T.J. Miller and Bingbing Li. Though it’s yet to be confirmed, Kelsey Grammer of Frasier fame is also believed to be starring in the movie.www.motorauthority.com 

Sony has confirmed that a demo version of its upcoming Gran Turismo 6 racing simulator will be available for download from the PlayStation Store from July 2 onwards. The demo is completely free and will be downloadable up until August 31 for PS3 users.It will include a range of Nissan cars, including the Leaf, 370Z and GT-R, and will allow players to drive at the Silverstone circuit. The full version will be available for purchase in the fourth quarter of the year and include 33 tracks and 1,200 cars to choose from.There is additional significance surrounding the availability of the new demo. As previously reported, contestants in 2013’s Nissan GT Academy will be competing against one another via the demo for their chance to win a seat in a real-life Nissan race car.The 2013 Nissan GT Academy, which is open to contestants from a record 19 countries, will also commence on July 2 and end on July 28 at 3:59 p.m. PST. The demo will allow contestants to set and submit qualifying times in the first round of the competition.Like previous years, contestants will start with slower cars like the Leaf and Juke, and then make their way up to the 370Z and GT-R. The U.S., Russia and Germany will each have their own standalone qualifying competitions while the remaining countries will be grouped in a single competition.www.motorauthority.com 

The Aston Martin Vanquish Volante has just been revealed, but so far we’ve only seen it in the one shade, a delicious electric blue. Now the Vanquish Volante has been given its very own configurator on Aston Martin’s website, which not only lets you play around with the exterior colour but the colour of the interior, brake calipers and many of the exterior details, too.Click here to visit the online configurator.The new Vanquish Volante is the convertible version of the equally stunning Vanquish coupe and comes on the market early next year as the replacement for the DBS Volante. At a US starting price of $297,995, it is now the most expensive model in the Aston Martin lineup, but given its looks, performance and rarity the price is not unreasonable.The Vanquish Volante gets a full carbon fibre body and a powerful 6.0 liter V12 engine spinning its rear wheels. Peak outputs are 422kW and 620Nm, enough for 0-100km/h jaunts in around 4.1 seconds and a top speed of about 290km/h.Unique to the Vanquish Volante is its roof structure, naturally. It consists of a triple-skin lightweight fabric top that can be operated at speeds of up to 50km/h and takes just 14 seconds to fold.Announcing the arrival of the car earlier this month, Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez said: "This car is what luxury super GT driving is all about--great performance, fantastic style and exhilarating Volante motoring in one superb package.”www.motorauthority.com 

BMW has announced a follow-up to its 1-Series Gran Turismo-previewing Concept Active Tourer, which it plans to unveil at the OutDoor Friedrichshafen outdoor and camping event in Germany next month.The new concept is called the Concept Active Tourer Outdoor and it has been described as having been developed to meet the special needs of “outdoor and leisure time oriented” individuals.Presumably, the vehicle will feature a more rugged design than the previous Concept Active Tourer and come with a number of lifestyle modifications; perhaps a built-in tent or picnic table. BMW’s press conference at the OutDoor Friedrichshafen event will take place on July 12, 2013.As mentioned, the Concept Active Tourer previews BMW’s upcoming 1-Series Gran Turismo (final name is yet to be confirmed), which we’ve spied in prototype form on a number of occasions. The car will be BMW’s first front-wheel-drive model and share its platform with the next-generation MINI family.Both five- and seven-seat versions are expected, and engine options should include regular gasoline and diesel units as well as a plug-in hybrid option. Stay tuned for the reveal of the BMW Concept Active Tourer Outdoor in just a few weeks.www.motorauthority.com  

Despite talk of a new Maserati sports car being in the works, the Italian brand’s flagship GranTurismo is here to stay and will be spawning a successor sometime in 2015. Not much is known about the new GranTurismo, though Maserati styling boss Lorenzo Ramaciotti has previously revealed that its size will be smaller than the current GranTurismo. This will mean that the four-seat layout of the current GranTurismo will shrink to a 2+2 arrangement, similar to that found in the Jaguar XK, allowing the new car to be more compact and dynamic. Edmunds, citing a company insider, is reporting that the new GranTurismo will also reveal a change in styling direction for the Maserati brand. A new GranTurismo GranCabrio convertible is also planned. Maserati’s new sports car, which is tipped to revive the GranSport name, will also be launched in 2015, though not until after the new GranTurismo is launched. The change in styling direction is a key step in Maserati’s overall plan to boost its sales from less than 7,000 units last year to as much as 50,000 within the next several years, as it will not only keep the lineup looking fresh going forward but also lay the groundwork for the launch of even more models by offering a more versatile design than Maserati’s current theme. www.motorauthority.com  

If you’re looking for a car with some significant history and one very famous owner, then Swedish supercar dealer Garage Zénith might be worth a visit.The officially recognised Ferrari and Maserati dealer has a handful of rare Enzo supercars up for sale, but two of the cars, featured in the gallery left, were previously owned by none other than seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher.Both cars were specially built for the racing legend during his time with Ferrari and come with a number of personal touches including his initials dotted around their interiors.The regular Enzo also has a number of famous signatures under its hood, including that of Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo. Interestingly, it has 8,500 kilometers on its odometer, suggesting Schumacher did manage to drive the car somewhat during the time he owned it.The same can’t be said for the FXX, whose odometer reading is just 900 kilometers, though this makes sense considering the car can only be used at the track and Schumacher has access to much faster track toys.This particular FXX is the only black example of the Enzo-based experimental supercars, of which only 30 were ever built, and it famously appeared on Top Gear back in 2009 with Schumacher taking it for a power lap at Dunsfold Aerodrome.Both of these cars were gifts to Schumacher for his achievements at Ferrari, so it’s odd that they’re now up for sale. If you’d like to own one you’ll have to front up some serious cash; the Enzo will set you back approximately $1.47 million while the FXX will cost you close to $2.67 million.www.motorauthority.com 

Bugatti’s sole model, the Veyron supercar, has been around since 2005 and is likely to be replaced within the next couple of years. We know orders for the car’s unique Ricardo-built seven-speed dual-clutch transmission have been extended through to the end of 2014, suggesting we have at least one more year of production.To help send out the Veyron, there’s been talk Bugatti is planning to unleash a much more powerful version. The last we heard, the new version would develop upwards of 1193 kilowatts, weigh roughly 250kg less than the 1905kg Veyron Super Sport, accelerate approximately to 100km/h in a mindboggling 1.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 463km/h.    Speaking with Autocar, an insider revealed Bugatti has several options on the table for its final Veyron but said all planned versions of the regular Veyrons could be sold out so there is no need for such a car. “The reality is that we are not under time pressure because we are confident of selling out the full Veyron production run regardless,” the insider said.If the alleged ‘super’ Veyron is built, pricing is expected to be much higher than the already exorbitant price tags of the existing Veyron models. But as Lamborghini’s $4 million Veneno has proven, there are buyers willing to spend extraordinary sums of cash on rare autos.One possibility for increasing performance of the car is hybrid technology, though Bugatti is expected to reserve this for a future model. As for what comes after the Veyron, it remains to be seen.Possibilities include a production version of 2009’s Galibier sedan concept or a new supercar. We should know more following this September’s 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show, where Bugatti has previously been reported to be presenting its final Veyron.www.motorauthority.com

The annual Tokyo Toy Show is always full of fun weirdness. We've already seen Toyota roll out the Camatte sports car concept it hopes will attract a new generation of buyers yet to learn of the advantages of car ownership. We now have more news coming out of the Tokyo Toy Show, this time about a self-transforming Chevrolet Camaro robot. As reported by Gizmag, the tiny Camaro robot was developed by Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy and is controlled using a smartphone. Presumably for licensing reasons, Takara Tomy hasn’t called its transforming Camaro robot a “Transformer” but we still think it’s cool. Now if only the company made a bright yellow example that more closely resembled the Autobot Bumblebee. www.motorauthority.com