2012 Aston Martin Rapide

The Aston Martin Rapide is a four-door ultra-luxury sedan that borrows styling elements and mechanical components from the brand's elegant DB9 coupe. Though many of its rivals serve up more space for the rear passengers, the Rapide does offer enough room for four adults to go along with its exotic looks.

Like Aston's other models, the Rapide is built on the company's VH (Vertical/Horizontal) architecture -- the same that underpins the DB9. The Rapide also shares its twelve-cylinder powerplant from the DBS, DB9 and Vantage models.

Built by hand, the 6.0-liter V12 engine produces 470 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 443 pound-feet of peak torque at 5,000 rpm. A specifically tuned six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission allows the driver to change gears automatically or manually via the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.

As one can see, the production version is very similar to the concept car, but does swap out quad-air intakes for upper and lower grilles. The rear of the car has strong family ties to other Aston Martin models, and sports 'smoked' rear taillights.

Continuing its series of firsts and oddities for the brand, the Rapide is the first ever Aston Martin built outside of the United Kingdom, thanks to a partnership up with Magna Steyr. Given a strong interest in the Rapide, Aston Martin says it will build between 1,000 and 2,000 units per year, up from an original estimate of 500 or less.

2013 Nissan GT-R

The Nissan GT-R just gets better and better every year and 2013 will be no exception. The original version launched back at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show delivered a total of 473 HP; the most recent model - Model Year 2012 - went up to an impressive 530 HP; and things aren’t slowing down for the Japanese automaker. The new version (2012 in Japan, 2013 in USA) has made its official debut at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, and Nissan has delivered the kind of performance the GTR is known for, but not what we expected.

The bad news from this reveal is that, despite previous rumors, the 2013 GT-R will not deliver 560 HP. Its output has been increased indeed, but "only" to 542 HP - an increase of 12 HP over the current model. The most impressive part however is that the 466 lb-ft of torque will be delivered from 3,200 rpm all the way up to 5,800 rpm.

For 2013, the GT-R will also offer a new "For Track Pack" special edition that adds new high-friction seats, a stiffer suspension, and lighter wheels.

UPDATE 01/20/2012: Nissan has just announced prices for the 2013 Nissan GT-R, which is on sale now at Nissan dealers nationwide. The model will be offered in two versions: the GT-R Premium at a starting price of $96,820 and the GT-R Black Edition priced at $106,320. An optional Special Paint-Super Silver will add another $3,000 to the car’s price.

UPDATE 06/20/2012: Nissan has unveiled a pretty cool video featuring the 2013 GT-R taking some laps on a race track at the Monticello Motor Club, North America’s Premier Automotive Resort and Private Race Track, located just 90 miles from Manhattan.

Hit the jump to read more about the 2012/2013 Nissan GT-R.

Jaguar XKR-S

Billed as Jaguar’s “most responsive, powerful, agile, and driver-focused production car,” the XKR-S is a serious performance machine. It builds on the “normal” XKR by adding more power, a revised and stiffened suspension and special styling touches inside and out.

The heart of the XKR-S, which is also available in drop-top XKR-S Convertible form. is its supercharged 5.0-liter V8. This twin-cam, direct injected unit makes 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque, levels that surpass even those of Jaguar’s XJ220 supercar from the early 1990s. Remapping the engine's fueling characteristics and increasing exhaust gas flow through the use of an active exhaust system helped liberate the extra ponies from the engine, which makes 510 horsepower in the XKR.

The motor hooks up to a quick-shifting six-speed automatic transmission that offers up smooth, rev-matched downshifts and helps the car return 15/22 mpg, which is just good enough to avoid the gas-guzzler tax. Jaguar quotes a zero-to-60 mph time of 4.2 seconds, though that figure is likely conservative by at least half a second, while top speed is electronically limited to 186 mph.

Helping to ensure that handling is up to the brutal straight-line quickness is a hardened suspension that features reworked aluminum front suspension knuckles, a revised rear geometry and stiffer springs and dampers. Jaguar also added lightweight forged alloy wheels, recalibrated the steering effort to minimize any response delays and hooked up a torque-vectoring rear differential to produce more agile and connected driving dynamics.

Audi R8 GT

Audi has unleashed its range-topping and highest performing R8 model yet in the form of the R8 GT coupe - a true supercar that brings a whole new level of performance to the already respected R8 lineup.
Marking the ultimate in R8 performance, the R8 GT uses Audi's 5.2-liter V10, producing 560 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque. Although the R8 GT focuses on lightness, it retains Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system. The quattro system delivers power to the wheels with a 15 percent front, 85 percent rear split by default. If needed, power distribution can be swapped to provide for 30 percent in the front and 70 in the rear.
Since AWD was retained, Audi had to find non-traditional ways to drop the weight of the R8 GT to a total of just 3,362 lbs.

How Audi managed to shave over 220 pounds from the R8
To achieve the drop in weight, the German automaker first turned to the glass on the supercar. The windshield now uses thinner glass, with the bulkhead between the passenger cell and engine compartment, as well as the window in the rear hatch being replaced with lightweight polycarbonate. The changes to the glass shaved just shy of 20 lbs from the total weight. The switch to the fixed rear wing saved 2.65 lbs, the thinner sheet metal and additional body cutouts dropped 5.73 more lbs.

SSC Tuatara

Shelby SuperCars (SSC), the American supercar manufacturer and creator of the world record breaking Ultimate Aero, is proud to introduce its latest contribution to automobile enthusiasts worldwide. Following several years of design and development of its revolutionary new supercar, SSC has named its new car TUATARA (pronounced twu-tar-ah).

"The design specifications for the Next Generation SSC were so extreme; we knew early on that a proper name would be a key piece of the puzzle for this project," says Jerod Shelby, Founder, Lead Designer and CEO of SSC.

Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

Innovative concept and phenomenal performance redefine the pinnacle of the super sports car segment

• Entirely new technology package, unique and powerful functional design language
• Innovative carbon-fiber monocoque
• New twelve-cylinder engine with 515 kW / 700 hp
• Super-fast shifting ISR (Independent Shifting Rods) transmission
• Pushrod suspension
• The very finest equipment and trim, extensive individualization

With the Aventador LP 700-4, Automobili Lamborghini is redefining the very pinnacle of the world super sports car market – brutal power, outstanding lightweight engineering and phenomenal handling precision are combined with peerless design and the very finest equipment to deliver an unparalleled driving experience. With the Aventador, Lamborghini is taking a big step into the future – and building on the glorious history of the brand with the next automotive legend. The first customers will take delivery of the new Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 in late summer 2011.

Ferrari FF

The 81st Geneva International Motor Show played host to the unveiling of two major new Prancing Horse innovations: the revolutionary FF, a four-wheel drive four-seater with a mid-front V12 that is the most powerful and versatile car Ferrari has ever built.

The revolutionary FF offers a completely new take on the sporting Grand Tourer theme. It is not only the first Ferrari with four-wheel drive, but, more significantly, a model that hails a major break with the past, effortlessly melding extreme sports car performance with the versatility and usability of a genuine GT and boasting an extremely innovative design.

Bugatti Veyron ‘Sang Noir’ Version

 Bugatti promised to build only 300 examples of its Veyron supercar in total but this number also included a number of special edition models such as the recently revealed Sang Noir and its Pur Sang forerunner. While the unpainted Pur Sang was limited to just five units, up to 15 examples of the all-black Sang Noir will be built to appease Bugatti’s American customers who missed out on their chance to bid on the Pur Sang model during its European launch last year.

Lamborghini Reventon

Lamborghini, the company that is known for creating sports cars and producing absolutely great cars, yet again has created a new masterpiece. They call this masterpiece the Lamborghini Reventon, a new breed of Lamborghini supercars.
The Reventon is a car that has extreme characteristics that production is limited. The specifications of the car has taken its base from the Murciélago LP640, a classic supercar, and improved on its characteristics and designs. Its manufacturer made only 20 pieces of this car which sold at 1 million euro each (tax free).

Exterior & Interior
The Lamborghini Reventon is designed and created at Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy which is the birthplace of Lamborghini cars. It was developed at Lamborghini Research and Development by the company’s car experts and people from Centro Stile. The made sure that in creating the Reventon that it will be a super class car that has no equals.

Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster

Pagani, the Italian super car that relies on Mercedes Benz' power plant manufacturing has recently released another brand new roadster Zonda R version. The introduction of the Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster to the market is well-received, and similar to its coupe sister, Pagani only produced 5 units and was sold at a 1.3 million Euro price tag ($1.85 million). It is also patterned after the Modenese Atelier.
Performance

This super car, made of carbo-titanium material (carbon fiber weaved with titanium threads), features a hand built super twin engine that are turbocharged AMG v12 machines. This makes up to 678 horsepower of traction. The rocket ship inspired car accelerates to 60 kilometers per hour in only 3.4 seconds. Consequently, it also hits 200 kilometers per hour in less than 10 seconds. Overall, its top speed reaches 217 miles per hour. This coupe version features ceramic-coated exhaust system with a titanium framework. Basically, this is the same aluminum/magnesium that the rims are made of. The car also has maximum side acceleration of 1.45 G already with the road tires.

Aston Martin One-77

The rare Aston Martin One-77 made its first appearance at the lovely Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in North America. This supercar is also constructed to have a stunning exterior design and to deliver a powerful performance just like any other Aston Martin cars. This Aston Martin model is made with a combination of the advanced technology to capture the eyes of the prospective buyers. The production of Aston Martin One-77 is only limited because it is expected that few can afford this expensive car. If you want to have this spectacular car, you must prepare £1,200,000 ($1.85 million).
Performance
You will find a 7.3 liter V12 engine under the hood of an Aston Martin One-77. This huge motor powers the car and gives an output power of 750hp and generate a maximum torque of 533 lb ft. The top speed that this car can reach is 220mph and can accelerate from rest to a speed of 60mph in 3.5 seconds. The transmission used in this supercar is the same to that of the strong transmission of DB9.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Have you ever felt like saying “I feel the need, the need for speed!” The 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport gives you just that.
The fastest production, road legal vehicle in the world made its American debut on August 2010 at the Pebble Beach Concourse. This new offering from Bugatti went into production towards the end of 2010. The first five cars that came off the line has been sold as a limited “World Record Editions.” At a cost of over 2.4 million dollars (2.08 million Euros at time of purchased) each, the first five immediately sold out. This World Record Edition is a replica of the car that clocked 267.9 miles per hour at Volkswagens Ehra-Lessien test tracks in Germany.
The conditions were perfect when the new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport broke the record. SSC Ultimate Aero previously set the 256 mph record in 2007, in order to better the earlier Bugatti Veyron, but then, Bugatti came back with a vengeance by beating the record by at least 11mph.
Bugatti Automobiles SAS and the Volkswagen Group led the design and development of the Veyron. Hartmut Warkuss is the chief designer, while Jozef Kabaň of Volkswagen is responsible for its exterior design. In naming this outstanding vehicle, they have combined two giants in the car industry, Pierre Veyron and Ettore Bugatti.
Italian Ettore Bugatti founded his automobile company in 1909. Bugatti’s vehicles were much in demand for its engineering and stylish lines and finish. Story has it that only a select number of people had the privilege of owning a Bugatti, you were royalty or high up in the social class to own one. One other distinction Bugatti has is that it won the first ever Monaco Grand Prix.
Pierre Veyron, a Frenchman, was a racing driver that won the 1939 Le Mans 24 Hour race driving a Bugatti made vehicle.