Awesome Exotic Cars

This Japanese kei car has supercar looks, but the Autozam AZ-1 wasn’t exactly a powerhouse. Donut Media takes some time up close and personal with this awesome little lightweight that Mazda made from 1992-1995. Like a real exotic, it’s got a mid-rear-mounted, turbocharged engine, gullwing doors, and zero cargo space.

After carving a kid-sized wooden Bugatti Centodieci, ND Woodworking Art found an even more expensive vehicle to build – a working, scale replica of the world’s most valuable car, the Ferrari GTO 250. The wooden version appears to be somewhere between 1/2- and 3/4-scale of the real car.

McLaren takes its 765LT coupe and turns it into their most powerful convertible yet. Its 4.0L twin-turbo V8 makes 755 bhp and 590 lb-ft. of torque, launching the car from 0-to-60 in 2.7 sec. The track-focused ride is 176 pounds lighter than a 720S Spider. McLaren will make just 765 of the drop-top longtail, with prices starting at $382,500.

If you’re fortunate enough to own a McLaren 765LT, you should be happy that it produces 765 hp at the rear wheels already. But if that’s not enough, Hennessey will be happy to boost its engine’s output to 1000 hp, resulting in a 0-to-60 time of 2.1 sec. In addition to the tune, the upgrade includes a high-flow exhaust system.

Released in 2016 by Aston Martin, the Lagonda Taraf is the most expensive luxury sedan on the planet, with a sticker price starting at $1 million. So what exactly do those seven figures buy you? Automotive journalist Doug Demuro got up close and personal with the extremely rare ride for a look inside and a test drive.

The latest in McLaren’s “Longtail” series, the 765LT packs a twin-turbo V8 making 755 bhp and 590 lb-ft. of torque, and cuts 176 lb of weight from the already damned-fast 720S coupe. Combined with an optimized transmission, upgraded aero, and titanium quad exhaust, it’ll dash from 0 to 62 in 2.8 sec, and 0 to 124 mph in 7.2 sec.

McLaren’s exclusive roadster was inspired by Bruce McLaren’s minimal 1960s racers. The carbon fiber two-seater is the lightest production car they’ve ever made, but still packs an 804bhp turbo V8 to rocket it to 62 mph in less than 3 seconds, and 124 mph in 6.7 seconds. Just 399 of the cars will be made, starting at $1.67 million each.

Hot on the heels of the F8 Spider comes a very different convertible from the prancing horse. The Ferrari 812 GTS packs a front-mounted 6.5L V12 that cranks out 789hp and 529 lb-ft. of torque, making it the most powerful production convertible on the market. Does 0-to-62 in less than 3 seconds, and sounds phenomenal doing it.

Like the Chiron, the Bugatti Centodieci is powered by an 8.0L W16 engine, but that’s about where the similarities end. This $9 million special edition features a unique design inspired by the EB 110 Super Sport, plus it cuts weight, increases downforce by 200 lb, and bumps its horsepower to 1600. Just 10 will be made, and they’re all sold.

Aston Martin embraces the future of vehicles with the all-electric Rapide E. In place of its predecessors’ V12 engine is an 800V 65kWh battery and twin rear motors that produce 604hp and 700lbft of torque. It can go from 0 to 70mph in 1.5s and maxes out at 155mph.

LEGO and McLaren worked together to make a life-size model of the Senna supercar based on the Speed Champions’ color scheme. The model is made of 467,854 pieces and took 30 people 2,725 hours to build. It has functioning lights, doors, and infotainment system.

Ares Design’s concept is now a reality. the Panther ProgettoUno is the company’s modern take on the De Tomaso Pantera. Based on the Lamborghini Huracán, the car has a beautifully retro carbon fiber body. It’s limited to only 70 units.

Koenigsegg’s new track monster. The Jesko has a twin-turbo 5L V8 that produces up to 1600 hp, theoretically launching the car to speeds up to 300 mph. It has a proprietary seven-clutch, nine-speed gearbox that automatically chooses the right gear for the situation.

Pininfarina is pivoting from designing cars to actually making one, and it’s making one hell of a debut. The Battista is powered by four electric motors running on a 120kWh battery. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in under 2 sec, and tops out at a crazy 217 mph.

Lamborghini’s roadster variant of its SVJ coupe. Aside from its removable carbon fiber roof panels, practically nothing has changed from its hardtop sibling. It still has four-wheel drive and the same naturally-aspirated 6.5L V12 that produces up to 759hp and tops out at 217mph.

It’s already time for Ferrari to replace the 488 GTB, and its latest Berlinetta looks like a killer, with a 3.9L twin-turbo V8 that makes 710 hp and 568 lb-ft. torque, launching the stallion to 62 mph in 2.9 sec, and 124 mph in 7.8 sec, towards a 211 mph top speed.

Ferrari’s limited edition Monza SP1 and Monza SP2 sports cars were inspired by the carmaker’s racing barchettas from the late 1940’s to the 1950’s. The SP1 is a single seater, while the SP2 seats two. Each has an 808hp V12 engine that lets them rocket from 0 to 62mph in 2.9s.

Aston Martin will produce 25 special units of the DB5 based on its appearance in the James Bond film Goldfinger. That means outfitting the car with gadgets such as the revolving license plate. Each will sell for about $3.6M with deliveries starting in 2020.

Aston Martin’s replacement for the Vanquish S is a grand display of luxury and power. The DBS Superleggera has a 715hp 5.2L twin-turbo V12 and an aluminum structure with a beautiful carbon fiber body. It goes up to 211 mph and does 0 to 62mph in 3.4s.

The last version of Lotus‘ street legal track car. The 3-Eleven 430 sees the speedster’s 3.5L V6 engine optimized to produce 430hp, 20 more than the original. It now has a full carbon fiber bodywork, reducing its weight by 11lb. It goes from 0-60mph in 3.1s and tops out at 180mph.

The last version of one of the definitive Italian supercars. The 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach was designed by Pagani founder Horacio Pagani, and includes a tweaked nose, bumper and air intakes. It also has power windows and seats, and a more powerful A/C.

British auto engineering company RML Group specializes in race cars. But they did recently did the opposite of their operations, turning the track-only Aston Martin Vulcan into a street-legal beast. Lovecars spoke with the company for a tour of the conversion.

Italian coach builder Ares Design is preparing a reimagining of the classic De Tomaso Pantera for 2018. The Ares Project Panther will be a bespoke sports car that wraps the Pantera’s ’70s aesthetic over a modern Lamborghini Huracán chassis.