Hall Of Fame

The Petersen Automotive Museum has confirmed a new exhibit that will discover the world of Hypercars, featuring some of the fastest and most exotic cars that money can buy, starting December 4, 2021. The Exhibit Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme will rotate up to 30 vehicles over the coming 18 months to showcase what a Hypercar really stands for, and why they continue to entice the automotive community the world over.

Bob Bondurant who left an indelible legacy in American and international motorsport, died last weekend on, Friday in Paradise Valley, Arizona, at the age of 88.

Marek Reichman, the chief creative officer at Aston Martin, takes us over each and every car from the British marque, that has appeared in every Bond film since the 60s.

With the latest bond film No Time to Die, there’s no time better time to look back at some of the most exciting Bond movie cars ever. Bond in Motion is the very first formal exhibition in the United States to display actual vehicles that featured in the James Bond film franchise.

The films were produced in conjunction with EON Productions and the Ian Fleming Foundation. The exhibition currently underway at the Petersen Automotive Museum commemorates the 60th anniversary of the 007 films, which began with the release of Dr.No, six decades ago back in 1962.

The Automotive Hall of Fame is finally headed to its roots as Hall of Fame President William Chapin has made it official, announcing that the visitor destination will move from its current location in Dearborn, Michigan near Ford’s headquarters to Detroit, Michigan where America’s automotive history began. The announcement was made at the end of the induction ceremony and is apparently being done to better reflect the city’s ties to the history of the industry in the U.S. and to help in the city’s own resurgence.

It is ironic that for a city that’s regarded as the birthplace of the U.S. auto industry, Detroit has never been the site of the Automotive Hall of Fame. The shrine to the automotive segment was first built in New York before moving to Washington D.C., Midland, Michigan, and now in its current location in Dearborn. According to Chapman, the decision to move the shrine is also being done to accommodate the massive overhaul Ford is embarking on as it pertains to its headquarters. Since the Hall of Fame is close to the Blue Oval’s facilities, any changes that Ford plans to make, including building a new research and development center, will have an effect on the Hall of Fame’s grounds.

So the decision has been made to move the Hall of Fame to Detroit where it should’ve been in the first place. Details on its exact location in the city have yet to be revealed, but there are reports that the museum’s big decision makers are looking into securing a space on Woodward avenue. The museum’s current location is approximately 25,000 square feet.

Details about the timetable are unsettled, but the Hall of Fame’s move will likely be completed by the end of the decade.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Back in the days when Ferrari developed engines quicker than they could do gearboxes or bodies, as per Enzo’s belief that those who rely on aerodynamics can’t put together proper engines, many memorable roadsters were built using the 4.0-liter Lampredi V-12 as the centerpiece. Other configurations sprouted from this 1951-designed powerplant as the company continued to use this layout all throughout the decade. One of the most emblematic models of the 340 series is the 340 MM, which appeared as an evolution of previous 340 iterations in 1953.

As with other Ferrari cars, MM stood for Mille Miglia, the race for which the car was originally conceived and which its forerunner, the 340 America, had won in 1951. In truth, the MM was the real replacement of the America, being a real step forward from the so-called 340 Mexico from which it evolved.

With only 11 examples built, the 340 MM is an extremely rare car, especially since both Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera and Carrozzeria Vignale dealt with building spyder bodies while Pininfarina crafted the coupes. This means that nearly each example is unique in its own way. Couple this with the racing history of certain chassis and you get part of the reasoning behind the prices for which these cars change hands. One of the many in the myriad of Ferrari ultra-exotic rarities.

Continue reading to learn more about the 1953 Ferrari 340 MM Competition Vignale Spider.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the TopSpeed readers, we hope that your Turkey Day is off to a great start. We all know the importance of Thanksgiving here in the U.S., but this day is also a very special one for the automobile racing industry.

On this day, 118 years ago — in 1895 for those that don’t have a calculator handy — America’s first ever automotive race, the Chicago Times-Herald Race, took place. It was a 54-mile journey from Jackson Park in Chicago to Evanston, IL and back, and it included just six cars at the starting line — two electric cars and three gasoline-powered cars.

Only four of the cars actually finished, and the highest top speed during the race was a sluggish 7.5 mph. The winner, Frank Duryea, managed to complete the icy course in nine hours, netting a $5,000 prize in the process (about $140,000 by today’s dollar value), and the second-place finisher took another two hours to reach the start-finish marker, which was a boulder near the Museum of Science and Industry.

This rock is now legendary in the automotive racing industry, as it marks the beginning of one of the biggest industries in America. Each and every year, a group of 100, or so, exotic cars and motorcycles make their way to "The Rock" on Thanksgiving day to celebrate the race (weather permitting). And this year is no different. The celebration typically kicks off around 9 a.m.

So, if you have some extra time between cooking and stuffing your face with Turkey, you should swing by and check out some of the cars and see the most famous rock in racing history! For those that don’t know, "The Rock" is southwest of the Museum of Science and Industry. Simply take the Museum exit on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago and look for the line cars; you can’t miss it.

Check out a map of the original race after the jump.

Lamborghini Gallardo was unveiled in 2003 and during its decade-long run, it was Lamborghini’s sales leader. Now — on November 25th. 2013 — ten years later, it’s time to say good-bye to an Icon in the supercar world, as the last Gallardo rolled off the production line.

The final Gallardo was number 14,022, and it was an LP 570-4 Spyder Performante variant draped in a Rosso Mars hue. The model will go to an unnamed private collector who will receive his car in the upcoming weeks.

To understand what a successful car the Gallardo was, you have to know that during its entire lifespan, Lamborghini sold a total of 30,000 units; nearly half of those were Gallardos. Also, before the Gallardo rolled into showrooms, the company sold a total of 250 units per year. The Gallardo’s presence drove sales numbers up to a total of 2,000 units per year.

With the Gallardo making its triumphant exit, Lambo will now focus on the supercar’s successor, which will be called either the Cabrera or Huracan.

Click past the jump to read more about the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante.

Meet "the most important car."

We’ve covered our fair share of rare and historic classic cars here at TopSpeed, but this 1931 Voisin C20 MyLord takes the cake. Its level of beauty and class is only overshadowed by its rarity and appraised value. It is truly a gorgeous thing to behold.

Powered by an innovative sleeve-valve V-12 engine riding on an underslung chassis, the two-door coupe was built in France by automotive and aeronautics pioneer Gabriel Voisin who was more well-known for his achievements in the air than on the road. He did, however, start Avions Voisin, one of the world’s most prestigious automotive brands of the day.

The one-off MyLord was only a concept vehicle and never saw full production, making this example the only one in existence. It was treated to a full restoration before heading to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance auction block in 2010. One fortunate bidder took home the MyLord, leaving a $2,750,000 check in its place.

Click past the jump to learn more about the Voisin C20 MyLord Demi-Berline

The Nissan GT-R is my hero. I was so amazed by the performance of the R35 generation of GT-R when launched that I modified the back of my Legacy 2.5GT to read “2.5GT-R” with an expensive and genuine GT-R emblem from Japan.

To put a badge from another car onto your own, as a grown man, is pretty pathetic in retrospect. But for the year or so that my Subaru was a 2.5GT-R, every time I saw the beveled red letters of that logo, I could not help but smile.

My car, I told myself, was sort of like a GT-R for people with dogs and cargo flexibility needs. I eventually grew up and mounted the GT-R emblem in prime position on my refrigerator, where it delights me even today.

Do not meet your heroes, they say. A lifetime spent worshiping a professional baseball pitcher, only to find out he is meaner than a rattlesnake and twice as deadly. Seeing the underbelly of any icon could ruin baseball altogether - if that was your life’s passion until seeing the bad parts up close.

I got to meet my hero last week via the 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Pack. While the car defined my day, and has consumed my thoughts ever since, I am unable to form an opinion even a full week later.

This is rare for me. Love it or hate it, I generally get a good sense of a car’s merits and issues within a few minutes behind the wheel.

But the GT-R is very different. Our time together was more of a fling than going steady, but if I thought I loved the GT-R more than anything else in the world before I drove it, what do I think now?

Still hard to say. I do know that sitting down in the GT-R for the first time was very intense on a number of levels. The hoon before me had every setting in race mode, and, frankly, I was not prepared for the performance the GT-R offers its drivers every second it is on the roads.

So while I try to stop shaking with cold sweats after only a few full-throttle sessions, the GT-R is better than a hero to me. It was better than everything I had previously read or knew about the vehicle.

We are putting together the full Driven review for next week, but until then, please enjoy these TopSpeed First-Drive Video reviews of the 2014 Nissan GT-R.

Click past the jump to see me sweat it out while hitting 60-mph in a claimed 2.8 seconds.

By the early 1960s, the Corvette had triumphed over the Thunderbird and was now firmly America’s sports car for the second-gen’s arrival as a 1963 model. Car guys, pilots and engineers all over America had taken the lightweight-big engine formula to heart with their prized first-gen Corvettes, but now they wanted more performance by every measurement. Much more speed, in particular.

Chevrolet had similar ideas when brainstorming ways to replace the C1 as far back as 1957. The Q-Corvette concept was a working idea of a smaller, lighter and nimbler Corvette than ever before. Four-wheel discs were to be standard, and the car was could hold its own on a racetrack right off the showroom floor.

Over the C2’s relatively short time — until 1967 — this Corvette became the quickest factory machine ever in the quarter-mile with the 11.02 second time recorded by the 1967 Corvette L88 Sting Ray Convertible.

Click past the jump for the full history of the 1963-1967 Chevrolet Corvette C2, with highlights from two prize-winning concours examples.

The swinging 60s just brings up this roasted and muddy air of sex, sweat and drugs. Enough to intoxicate even the plastic hippies among us, the 1960s is rapidly becoming the most profitable segment of the classic supercar market.

And for good reason. Simple leather is mixed with gasoline until emotions boil. This list spans such greats as the Ferrari 250GT California Spider LWB Competizione to the 365 GTB/4 Daytona. And what a long, strange trip it was between those two masterpieces.

The birth of the Porsche 911, the Aston Martin DB5, the Shelby Cobra and Ford GT40, the Maserati Ghibli Spyder and many more.

All of the cars from this era are rich in prose. Sean Connery’s name pops up repeatedly, and so does Steve McQueen and Sir Paul McCartney. These were mens’ men in a time of changing morals on a global scale.

But the coupes and ragtops these gents preferred are really fit for the ages. So throw on some Aviators and slip into your slimmest racing loafers.

Click past the jump for a sunny-Sunday donut run in the Top-Ten Best Supercars from the 1960s.

Dream cars are such a regular and normal part of every car guy and gal’s life growing up. Waiting for that license, dreaming about the wild places you will go and friends you might meet. For generations of enthusiasts until the 1950s, however, such dreams were so unattainable they were foolish.

The only non-mass-market car around was the coach-built Phaeton from Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz or Duesenberg.

Such was the gulf between the rich and poor at the time that it makes today’s 99-percent protests seem as ridiculous as they are. In those days, the ratio was more like 99.99999 percent versus the 0.00001 percent.

You can probably guess which group we and most young car shoppers would fall into. And it is not the one with the nines.

For a generation of hot-shot former military officers, pilots and engineers: coming home from the battle fronts of Europe and the Pacific had whet their appetites for speed. The enormous volume of men and women enchanted by steel machinery during wartime was unprecedented.

But coming home, the cars these speed demons found were lumbering, great heavy beasts with no power and little cornering ability whatsoever. These men were chasing the rush they felt in fighter bombers - but in a stylish and affordable package.

The Corvette from 1953 was the answer to these wishes and much, much more. Initially just a throw-away concept for the Motorama events, such was the demand that Chevy had no choice but to produce the car for sale.

But those shapes could never be made in steel! And never made in time to get the car to eager buyers. So a stop-gap solution was born to make the panels out of fiberglass over a ladder frame chassis. Little did the fabricators know, this template would underpin America’s sports car for the next 75 years or more.

The Chevrolet Corvette C1 is a very special automobile. Collected here are three incredible examples of this ground-breaking achievement for affordable dream cars ever since.

Click past the jump for this debrief of the 1953-1962 Chevrolet Corvette C1.

The Ferrari F50 is by far the least popular of the firm’s first four generations of modern hypercars. All the world’s respect and awe for the F40 met the F50 at its debut, but the tide quickly turned for this $480,000 machine after reviewers and Ferrari customers alike revealed the F40 replacement’s familiar styling hid dynamics and a driver experience nowhere near the ferocity of the legendary original.

Instead of a peaky and violent Group B reject like the F40, the F50 was a heavy, high-speed missile with limited tractability at low speeds from the V-12 versus the explosive F40’s twin turbochargers and short gearing.

Make no mistake, there is nothing wrong with the performance of the F50, which easily spanked [the hottest thing available from Lamborghini at the time, the Diablo VT in sprint pace, as well as maximum velocity. The construction is carbon-fiber with the rigidity of a fortified bunker, the rear wing is eye-catching, and the 1990s makeover of the F40’s simple nose was beautiful, at first.

The F50 largely included the F40’s exaggerated and exotic proportions and clamshell hoods front and back. Headlamps above the bumper and hood’s leading edge were possible via shrouded enclosures for the first time in three decades, and the unadorned intake wears only a simple and modest prancing horse.

The F50 is an enjoyable case study for armchair experts and everyone else forced to endure Ferrari’s frequent grandstanding. It also shows a few nice things for all supercar fans, especially those who are, unfortunately, not debating which Ferrari to purchase (at least not any time soon)!

Click past the jump for the full debrief of the Ferrari F50: the Ferrari’s hypercar sophomore album that is now a study in what *not* to do when replacing a legend.

The 2014 STI risks getting lost in the shuffle of the next-gen WRX’s launch at this fall’s Los Angeles auto show. As is customary for Subaru when upgrading the Impreza-based models, the next-gen STI will follow the regular WRX as a projected 2016 model year intro.

That is more than enough time to fall in love again with the current model’s brash styling, forceful turbocharged power delivery, and better tech integration in the cockpit than ever before. 305 horsepower and a 4.7-second sprint to 60 mph means the WRX STI is still a favorite here in the TopSpeed Garage.

Introduced for 2011, the current STI’s strength as a Subaru performance flagship is fully intact. As a low-volume model, its boxer rumble casts a performance glow over even the base $18,000 Impreza sedan. No changes to the STI for 2014, aside from the audio system now offering integration of Aha’s music app.

First-hand driving impressions of this track toy are included, as are comparisons with the WRX STI’s potent competition from the BMW 135i and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

Click past the jump for the full TopSpeed Garage review of the 2014 Subaru WRX STI, still a game-changer with wild turbo boost and AWD traction to make every corner seem like a straightaway.

The BMW 2002tii is one of the most fun-to-drive and affordable classic cars available. Most classic cars have a distinctly fragile and wooly way of handling and accelerating down the road, causing drivers to think... ‘Don’t floor the throttle because something might break!’

Not in the BMW 2002tii. This car is plugged into the tarmac and every pebble is felt through the giant unassisted steering wheel, pedals and shift knob.

The seating position and performance sensations are far more modern than the VIN number stamp would have you believe. It was this light and nimble attitude that brought BMW back from the brink of bankruptcy in the late 1960s, when Germany was reeling from a prolonged recession even as the rest of the world danced in tie-dye shirts and went to Woodstock.

BMW had big problems at the time, most critically being a lack of cash to invest in the business. Their primary 1500 sedan was well-regarded in Germany as a more agile and cheaper Mercedes alternative, but the small sedan was a fish out of water on U.S. roads clogged with millions of Ford Mustangs. Sedans and BMW’s U.S. sales were out of gas as two-door coupes became all the rage.

As with some other TopSpeed Hall of Fame models like the NART Ferrari Spider from last weekend, the beginnings of the BMW 2002 legend start with a strong-arm tactic from a U.S. importer.

Against BMW’s protests, he cajoled them into adding their largest engine under the 1500’s hood and chopping the rear doors. Instant sports coupe and American success meant nothing less than salvation for this historic engine manufacturer.

And for a clue about the origin of the 4 Series coupe names, a quick look at the (odd) 1500 sedan becoming the (even) 2002 two-door explains BMW’s logic.

Click past the jump for the full review of the 1972 - 1974 BMW 2002tii, with special highlights on this sport model’s extra performance and style.

The record-shattering $27 million dollar auction price of the ultra-rare 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider is making waves through the entire classic car scene.

Never before has such a late-model Ferrari earned such totals - which are typically the preserve of the 250 series from pre-1964.

What makes this gorgeous Ferrari so much more valuable than the thousands of other classic Ferrari’s seeking new homes? How did the price of this single model nearly double the $14 million dollar average price - excluding this giant total - when any of these 10 cherished models have changed hands in the past?

Part of what makes this NART Spider so valuable is the car’s unique blend of the gorgeous late-1950s Ferrari styling and advanced mechancials. The GTB/4S upgrades dramatically increased the performance and handling of this V-12 supercar. Almost the entire Maranello racing technology suite was applied to the NART Spider - allowing it to be a posh cruiser that was also capable of serious speed on a racetrack.

The V-12’s quad overhead camshafts were a first on a road car, while the rear-mounted transaxle, limited-slip diff and independent rear suspension were all huge advancements that were offered first in the NART Spider.

Ferrari never looked back from all the new technology introduced on the NART Spider. At the same time, the NART is especially sentimental because Ferrari would not make make such an emotionally-styled road car again for decades. The 365 GTB/4 Daytona was 1967’s new hot style and Ferrari followed the money trail by ending 275 production.

Little did they know, the layers of exclusivity and special editions that helped create this this NART Spider would make it the most valuable road car ever sold. Ever.

Click past the jump for the full review of this timeless classic Ferrari, with details on the technology and style of this model during its 10-unit production run in 1967.

The Aston Martin DB5 is a global phenomenon often referred to as ‘the most famous car in the world’ thanks to its longtime heritage over 50 years of James Bond films. The car itself retook center stage a few times in the films since originally starring in Goldfinger and From Russia With Love, most recently with Skyfall’s Daniel Craig wheeling it out of secret storage before a midnight dash to his childhood orphanage in Scotland.

RM Auctions 2012 sale of this Sierra Blue example also includes a big name attached: Sir Paul McCartney, who rewarded himself with his first Aston Martin just a few weeks after The Beatles breakout appearance on U.S. television via The Ed Sullivan Show.

As special as the DB5’s numerous celeb owners and movie credits are, the coverage can be exhausting sometimes because the same tired facts are reshuffled. In this full review of the DB5, the focus is the merits of the car itself versus its contemporaries like the E-type Jaguar, Lamborghini 350 GT and Ferrari 250 GTO.

The DB5 was also created in a fashionable convertible body-style and as a one-off shooting brake for company lead David Brown, but the two-door hardtops are the most recognizable and affordable examples of 1963’s most advanced car.

Click past the jump for the full review of this cherished dream car.

2012 has been a very exciting year for supercar enthusiasts all over. Many high profile brands have launched new and exciting cars, and wowed many enthusiasts. But, if we were to point out which one of them had us head over heels, it would be Pagani.

With the launch of the Huayra, Pagani has swept the competition off the floor by achieving the highest number of laurels that any hypercar can achieve in a single year. This above video celebrates those laurels.

Most of the prestigious publications in Europe, like EVO, Top Gear and CAR Magazine, have nothing but praise for the Huayra. Even we do. We think this is a hypercar precisely engineered by angels and tuned to make Satan shiver at the mere thought of driving it.

With a delicate balance of Italian design and Bugatti-shaming performance, Horacio Pagani has every right to be proud of his masterpiece that has taken the world by storm.

Before we go on irritating you on how great this car is, check out the cool cinematography above that only the Huayra can pull-off.

One of the key selling points to any car’s success is its design. Even if the brand of a car is unknown, with the help of a good design, it can grab positive attention from the most discerning of critics. This focus on beauty is the main reason so many brands invest millions of dollars in design studios.

One of the most important steps toward the success of any project is to get the design right. It should not be pretentious but also should not be too bland. Nowadays, automobile designing is one of the toughest jobs in the industry. People who can draw and have passion for automobiles simply cannot call themselves a designer. It takes a certain skillset and experience to make a mark. The toughest part in designing a vehicle is balancing key elements such as aerodynamics with modern design that pays homage to the brand’s original design language. Take for instance the Jaguar F-Type. It’s a car that, Chief designer Ian Callum says, ushers in a whole new design language for the Leaping Jag while still keeping certain elements of the legendary E-Type alive. Customers of today’s world not only want a head-turning design but also a design that is recognizable.

This year, we have witnessed quite a few cars that have amazed the public through soulful beauty without compromising on aerodynamics and brand image. Here is a list of five cars that we think are the most beautiful cars, launched this year.

Being huge fans of the Prancing Horse, we dedicate this article to the brand that has created and sold beautiful pieces of art that move on four wheels. With designs that emanate Italy’s passion for racing and perfection, and power that not only is a source of melody but also the source of true Italian power, every Ferrari that has rolled-out of the Modena factory since its founding days have been well received by the discerning audience and stayed true to Enzo Ferrari’s philosophy "building the greatest cars in the world."

Also not to be forgotten is Ferrari’s favorite design studio, Pininfarina, which was headed by the creative genius, Sergio Pininfarina. Held responsible for strengthening the partnership between Ferrari, which his father started, Sergio’s creative skills helped him find a stylistic key which has made Enzo Ferrari’s cars a unique phenomenon on the international manufacturing scene for over half a century.
Designing almost every Ferrari that rolled-out from the Ferrari factory, from the Ferrari 250 GT to the unannounced Ferrari F70, one can compare today’s partnership between Ferrari and Pininfarina to the relationship between Apple iPhone and the AT&T — a partnership that is still strong today and will remain strong for the years to come.

We decided to showcase the Top-10 Ferraris, designed by Pininfarina and his team, that have stood the test of time and still look very desirable.

Click past the jump to feast your eyes on these beautiful models designed by Pininfarina’s studio.

After we lost racing and general automotive legend, Carroll Shelby on May 10th, a squabble ensued over his remains. His estranged wife, Cleo, claimed that she had the rights to his remains and the documentation that his children had, which requested that he be cremated and his ashes split between his children and his burial plot in Texas, was forged.

According to reports, Shelby had filed for an annulment of the marriage, citing that his wife had lied about her background and even her name, just before he died. Unfortunately, the annulment was not awarded posthumously, so it appeared as if the only other way to settle the dispute was in court.

Fortunately, the two sides managed to keep the case out of court by coming to an agreement on Monday and Mr. Shelby’s body will be laid to rest in the way that he requested, except for one minor compromise. The minor compromise is the fact that his estranged wife gets part of his ashes.

We’re glad to hear that the issue is settled, though we would have preferred to see his wife completely cut out of it. The most important thing, however, is that the issue is done and this legend can now be laid to rest peacefully and his children can hold their heads high that their father was laid to rest in the way he requested, though his son Michael says that they are still not happy with the results.

We absolutely love daredevil antics in cars and on motorcycles, given they are done safely and by professionals. The folks at Top Gear Live are just about to satisfy our craving by pulling off the first 720 on four wheels, which Top Gear has dubbed the “Deadly 720.” The term “720” refers to a pair of 360-degree loops in succession, so absolute perfection is required to succeed in tackling each loop.

To give you an idea of just how much precision is needed, the engineers heading up the stunt have estimated that the customized buggy that Top Gear Live is using for this stunt must enter each loop between 24 and 26 mph, 2 mph more could result in excessive G-force and result in the driver blacking out and 2 mph too low would cause the buggy to fall from the loop. To help avoid driver error, Top Gear has fitted the special stunt buggy with an accelerator lock that will hold the accelerator in a precise position to maintain the prescribed speed, so the driver can focus only on keeping the buggy on the 58-meter-long track.

Despite the accelerator lock, we all know that any given car can run drastically different from one day to the next, so even with the lock, there is still a great possibility that the car will have too much or too little speed and we will see a spectacular crash. We are pretty certain that there will be tons of test runs on the actual day to make sure the car is perfect, so a crash is very unlikely.

Crash or not, we are all set to see history take place at the Top Gear Festival in the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa on June 16th – 17th, 2012. Ah, the things people will do to get in a record book.

UPDATE 06/19/2012: The group at Top Gear finally attempted the “Deadly 720” this weekend, and just as expected… It all went exactly to plan. This places the Top Gear Live clan in the Guinness Book of World Record for the most loops by an automobile. Congrats to our Top Gear daredevils. We have also attached a video of the stunt (above). Hit the one minute mark to skip the introductions.

Click past the jump to read Top Gear’s full press release.