Exotic Cars Around the World

The original model, introduced at the Grand Prix of  Lyon  on August 3, 1924, used an evolution of the  three-valve  2.0 L (1991 cc/121 in³)  overhead cam   straight-eight  engine first seen on the  Type 29 . Bore was 60 mm and stroke was 88 mm as on many previous Bugatti models. Ninety-six examples were produced. This new powerplant featured five main bearings with an unusual  ball bearing  system. This allowed the engine to rev to 6,000 rpm, and 90 hp (67 kW) was reliably produced.  Solid axles  with  leaf springs  were used front and rear, and  drum brakes  at the back, operated by cables, were specified.  Alloy wheels  were a novelty, as was the hollow front axle for reduced  unsprung weight . A second feature of the Type 35 that was to become a Bugatti trademark was passing the springs through the front axle rather than simply  U-bolting ...

The history of Bugatti cars go way back to 1900, when Ettore became inspired by the new petrol-engines and decided to build his own vehicle. A year later, he built his own and the first ‘Bugatti’ car (picture below) with the help of the Gulinelli brothers, which made its debut at the International Exhibition. Ettore won the T2 prize for the vehicle’s construction and design Following the success and reputation of his first vehicle, Ettore approached the ‘De Dietrich Company’ to ask them to produce his vehicle. After facing a few minor challenges, the license was finally granted. Since, Bugatti was only 21 years old (a minor) his father signed the contract on his behalf. However, a few years later, the contract was terminated. During this time, Ettore decided to join Emi Mathias, but that contract didn’t last long either. Regardless, Ettore wasn’t put off by the contract terminations and pursued his dream by opening his own plant. Therefore, in 1909 he sought financial help fro...

Automobiles Ettore  Bugatti  was a French car manufacturer of high-performance automobiles, founded in 1909 in the then German city of Molsheim, Alsace by Italian-born Ettore  Bugatti . ... Today, the name is owned by German automobile manufacturing group Volkswagen. I decided to add this to the blog as I have noticed that Bugatti is a fan favorite in almost anything automotive related so lets start from the beginning and work our way to the present. autosmithcar.com all materials are from other sources and none of which are my own expect for opinion.

The last Aston Martin Vantage was quite the looker, which meant that any attempt to build a successor would have to not only look as good as the last one, it would have to do so without appearing to be a carbon copy of that same car. Well, Aston's got a new Vantage on its hands, and it's quite different... in a good way. The 2019 Aston Martin Vantage bears more than a passing similarity to the other Big New Aston Martin, the  DB11 . The grille is mounted as low as it can be without falling off the bumper. The headlights are slimmer and angrier. Out back, there's a massive rear diffuser and embrasure-thin LED taillights following the shape of the integrated trunk-lid spoiler. Inside, there's a solid mix of luxury and sport. Smooth, stitched leather covers a number of surfaces, from the dashboard to the door cards and the center console. Physical switches cover the center stack, and above it rests a floating-type screen that carries a reskinned version of Mercedes-...

Hard to believe, but there was a time when diesel wasn’t being beaten with the Budget stick. Back in 2006, when sales of diesel road cars were on an exponential growth curve, it was being lauded as the next great performance fuel. Well, by Audi at least. On track, the R10 TDI LMP1 racer was wiping the floor with everything petrol-powered in endurance racing, courtesy of its 650bhp 5.5-litre V12 that could stretch a tank that bit further. Then two years later some slightly deranged engineers decided to bring the R10’s formula to the road. A distantly-related 6.0-litre V12 TDI was developed producing 493bhp and an absurd 738lb ft of torque and dropped into something that was neither racy nor dynamic… the big-boned Q7. To be fair, in 2008 the same engine was also fitted to the R8 V12 TDI Le Mans concept – until the engineers remembered that lots of weight does not a satisfying supercar make, and it was quickly shelved. But the Q7 V12 TDI marched into production, the o...

Volvo and Uber have signed an agreement. This agreement is for Volvo to sell “tens of thousands” of its cars to the ride sharing company between 2019 and 2021. Oh, and they’ll have autonomous driving capabilities. That’s right, Uber just bought a shedload of self-driving Volvos. Apparently, Uber’s engineers worked closely with Volvo to develop the rather serene – and lovely – XC90 for a future in the late night, post-pub run back home. As you’d expect, much of it focused on safety, as well as the “core autonomous driving technologies” Uber needs for its future self-driving fleet. Volvo will also use the SPA-platformed car to develop its very own self-driving technology, too, the culmination of which you’ll hopefully see in 2021. Anyone tired of all the press surrounding self driving cars?  It seems never ending!

I was speaking with several people in the auto industry and it appears "kit" cars are the new thing.  Yes I did see a lambo that was a kit car.  I get building classics and vintage cars or restoring them but making a new age exotic using a kit?  Maybe it is out of my league but I also saw a Shelby kit car and it was at a car show, vehicle was flawless, gathered plenty of lookers.  I don't know..I am up in the air on this one, I would love to have so many vehicles that I know I could never have but maybe that is why I love them so much because they are unattainable or maybe not now? autosmithcar.com

You’re looking at the ‘entry-level’ road car from Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus. It’s a carbon-chassis’d, carbon bodied mid-engined supercar with a 641bhp bi-turbo V8, a tri-seat, McLaren F1-style cabin layout with a manual gearshift, and a base price of $400,000, or just over £300,000. Some base model… A sizeable chunk of cash for a new supercar upstart, too. But consider this. The Ford GT cost more, is sold out, and that’s just about the only car we can think of that offers crazier road-going aero than this. Check out those flying buttresses. That whale-shark mouth. So perhaps the SCG004S is a bargain… What’s more, Glickenhaus and co have proper, race-proven pedigree. You may remember James Glickenhaus was the man behind the Pininfarina P4/5, the stunning one-off homage to the P3 racer of the 1960s that stunned the car world in 2004. At the time, it seemed madness to tear up a Ferrari Enzo to build a retro-inspired special. Now it’s a design masterpiece. Gl...

I wanted to make a section dedicated to peoples opinions.  Bugatti is always pushed to the top of everything involved in exotic cars.  Bentley and Rolls Royce always came to my mind.  Porsche at times seems forgotten.  We see the rise in Audi lately and the possible fall of Alpha Romeo as a leader in exotics.  What is everyone else thinking?

The  Audi  R8 began life as a  Le Mans  racecar. Here at  Robb Report , we were already fond of the coupe, which was one of the candidates for our Car of the Year competition last year. Racing is even in the convertible’s DNA, as about 50 percent of its parts are shared with the Audi R8 LMS, a GT3-spec racecar that competed at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Daytona 24. While many competitors have gone to turbocharging, the R8 sticks with a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-10 similar to that of the  Lamborghini  Huracán, though good in this instance for 540 hp. That power, coupled with impeccable performance, has also made Audi’s new R8 V10 Spyder a contender in  Robb Report’s 2018 Car of the Year  contest. One of my personal favorites ...autosmithcar.com

Entry Level Models starting at about $1.4 million, the interior is where the change is made, all hand made, then slowly pieced together for refinements.  Not the horsepower of a Bugatti but the Pagani Huayra still packs a punch.  It stands in line with most Porsche's speed levels. autosmithcar.com

To be fair, the current Alfa Romeo Giulietta isn’t dead yet. It’s actually still being sold in the US, and somewhat surprisingly, it has held its own against more established rivals like the  Mercedes CLA-Class,   BMW 2 Series,  and  Audi A3.  It’s not lighting its segment on fire, but it has performed about as well as Alfa would’ve expected out of it. That leads us to questions about its future. Is the Giulietta doing well enough to warrant getting another update or an entirely new-generation offering? The current-generation model certainly has some  mileage  in it on account of it being around for seven years now so if Alfa Romeo does decide to bring back the Giulietta, it could be doing so under the premise that a next-generation model is around the corner. I hope not, such a long history... autosmithcar.com

The battle for the 300mph road-car prize just got real. Ladies and gentlemen, John Hennessey is – once again – going into bat against Bugatti for the title of the world’s fastest car with this: the 1,600bhp Venom F5. Yes, that’s correct:  300mph . Not that John’s ever lost the title of the world’s fastest car, that is. The Not-Guinness-Certified-But-Still-Chuffing-Quick 1,244bhp, 270.49mph Hennessey Venom GT is still, technically, the fastest car in the world. Just in one direction. Bugatti of course, has built a faster car called the Chiron. And is planning a top speed run in 2018. So, not wanting to be Top Trumped, Hennessey is rearming with the F5 to futureproof his pride; a car he’s spent some four years perfecting. Named after a particularly destructive breed of tornado (not the refresh button on your keyboard), it’s the latest road-legal land rocket to conform to Hennessey’s ‘Minimal Maximus’ philosophy (that’s Texan Latin for big power and lightweight...