1:1 Car news from around the world - DT_InsanE

British engineers unveiled plans for the world's first 1 600km/h car, a muscular streak of gunmetal and orange designed not to break the world land speed record but to shatter it.

Bloodhound SSC, named after the British cold war supersonic air defence missiles, will attempt to beat the existing record by more than 400km/h.

The £12-million car was recently announced by Lord Drayson, the United Kingdom science minister. Working from an aircraft hanger in Bristol, in the west of England, the team's engineers have been working on the project in secret for the past 18 months.

Calculations suggest the car could reach 1 689km/h, fast enough to outrun a bullet from a .357 Magnum revolver.

The car was proposed by Drayson, a racing car enthusiast, to inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers who are in short supply in the UK. The team plans to build the car within a year, the record attempt is expected in three years.

The project brings together mathematician and fighter pilot Andy Green, who set the current land speed record of 1 227,90km/h with Thrust SSC in 1997, and Richard Noble, who directed that attempt. The car will be the first to combine a Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine with a rocket booster. They will produce 20 000kg of thrust.

Green, a British air force officer, will use an accelerator to power the jet engine to speeds of about 563km/h. At that point he will fire the solid rocket booster. A V12 racing car engine will start pumping more than a ton of hydrogen peroxide into the booster, forcing the car to 1 609km/h in 20 seconds.



that is intence

it doesnt sound faster than my car by muchhhhh

speak for yourself, i have a very fast car. 0 to 100 in 4 days

I am trying to get picks but they very hush hush...

sounds wild

Heat is on in the £1million hypercar club as Brit’s new One-77 goes head-to-head with fastest-ever Bugatti...

In true James Bond style, some top-secret files have been liberated – and these are the spectacular results. This is Aston Martin’s ultra-exclusive supercoupé, the One-77, revealed for the first time thanks to images you weren’t meant to see. At least not yet anyway!

And in a double scoop, Auto Express can also take the wraps off the One-77’s closest rival in the billionaire club – Bugatti’s forthcoming Veyron Super Sport. This is an even more powerful version of the world’s fastest car, and as with the One-77, it’s another £1m machine. It will have the Aston beaten for speed, but will it match it for visual drama?

Judging by these images, the answer has to be no. The One-77 was partly unveiled at last month’s Paris Motor Show – bosses kept it cloaked under a cover, revealing only the front and rear wings. But these are the first images to show the newcomer from every angle.

The car here is the same prototype that appeared at Paris. After it left the French expo, it was photographed by Aston Martin and the pictures sent to potential buyers.

However, they leaked on to the Internet. And, as you can see, the One-77 is the ultimate progression of a shape that has evolved through the Vanquish, DB9, V8 Vantage and, most recently, the DBS.

At the front, it has a huge grille and wide wings with deep air intakes. The flanks get gaping gills, too, while at the rear is a race-style diffuser and what looks like a pop-up spoiler integrated into the bootlid – this is part of the car’s ‘active aerodynamics’. Add the deep side air intakes and grooved ceramic disc brakes, and the One-77 looks every inch a £1.2million machine.

Although official details are still scarce, the new Aston is said to feature a modified version of the 6.0-litre V12 that appears in the DBS. With a capacity of 7.3 litres, this will be the firm’s most powerful engine ever, producing around 700bhp.

Thanks to a carbon fibre monocoque chassis and a hand-finished aluminium body, the One-77 should tip the scales at around 1,500kg. That means a 0-60mph sprint time of around 3.5 seconds and a top speed of more than 200mph.

A twin-clutch semi-automatic gearbox with steering wheel paddleshifters is likely to be fitted, while buyers will get the option of a six-speed manual, plus adjustable suspension.

But it’s not all about speed and power. Aston is expected to reveal the interior soon, too, and it’s sure to be one of the most luxurious ever made, offering customers an incredible level of personalisation. Owners will be able to tailor nearly every part of the cabin to suit their own tastes – no two cars will be the same. About the only thing they won’t be able to change is the interior layout: the One-77 will be a strict two-seater.

Despite the current financial slowdown, interest in the Aston has been very strong, with more than 100 potential buyers putting their names down for the limited run of 77 models. Bosses will take the wraps off the final production version of the One-77 early next year.

even if it goes as fast as the Bughatti, it will be as reliable as a Aston Martin

Point taken, looks cool. nice price tag...

beautiful indeed.

just wish there where some real pics of the car, if you surch on the net all you get is the pic i posted here?

waitng in great antisipation...

Official details: Nissan 370Z. Wheels24

The all-new Nissan 370Z will be unveiled at the upcoming LA Auto Show, and new details have emerged ahead of its official debut.

Nissan has done a good job of keeping this car under wraps for as long as it has. Although official images were released a few weeks ago, technical details have been largely speculative. Until now.

We've known for some time that the new Z-car, as the 370Z nomenclature implies, will be fitted with a 3.7-litre V6.

However, Nissan has revealed via the LA Auto Show's official website that the new six-cylinder with double overhead camshafts and "variable valve event and lift control" has an output of 248 kW.

Fans can also expect to see a new seven-speed automatic transmission, while the six-speed manual gets, what Nissan claims, is the first synchronised downshift rev-matching system.

Furthermore, it has been made known that practically every component has been "rethought or redesigned" for use in the 370Z.

The new car has a shorter wheelbase than its predecessor and Nissan has made use of lightweight materials to trim the kilos and up the power-to-weight ratio. 370Z's more rigid body structure also promises to make it a treat with enthusiasts.

This thing looks wicked bud, I wonder if jap spec will be trading his in for one of these???

he wants a GTR... I want one toooooooo

London - A British adventurer plans to set off on Wednesday in a home-made vehicle which can transform itself from a car into an aircraft in minutes - destination Timbuktu.

On the ground the Skycar runs on a biofuel-powered engine, and can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds.

But with a powerful fan on the rear its take-off speed is 60km/h, and once in the air it can fly at speeds of up to around 110km/h, cruising at 2-3 000 feet with a paraglider-style canopy holding it aloft.

On Wednesday, inventor Giles Cardozo will leave the British capital for the 6 000km trip through France, Spain and north Africa, across the Sahara to the fabled desert city of Timbuktu in Mali.

The journey is expected to take some 40 days, during which they plan to soar over the Pyrenees, and the Straits of Gibraltar between southern Spain and Africa.

With four-wheel drive it can allegedly deal with the most rugged terrain, starting on the city streets of London and ending in the sands of the Sahara.

"It's not like a car - it's more like a dune buggy," said Cardozo. "But no other dune buggy or car has flown like this thing before. It flies brilliantly.

"It flies at about 110km/h and drives at 193km/h, so it's a really cool bit of kit," added the 29-year-old, whose trip is backed by famous British explorer Ranulph Fiennes as patron.