Morgan Plus 8 ready for Geneva debut

In addition to the Aero Coupe and Electric Roadster, the new Morgan Plus 8 will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The revived model has not been seen since 2004.

Utilizing aircraft industry construction technology, unladen weight of the modern day classic is only 1100 kg (2425 lbs) making the Plus 8 the lightest V8 passenger car in the world. The Morgan Plus 8 also lays claim to one of the stiffest chassis of all convertible roadsters according to the company.

The Morgan Plus 8 is described as "a true drivers car" with its 4.8-liter V8 engine producing 367 bhp (270 kW) or 390 bhp (291 kW) with sports exhaust. Torque comes in at 490 Nm (370 lb-ft). Power to Weight ratio is 333 bhp per tonne or 354 bhp per tonne with sports exhaust. A six-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission is available.

Morgan Plus 8

Aston Martin DB5 to return to action in next Bond

A silver DB5 with the U.K. registration number BMT 216A – the same used in the 1964 “Goldfinger” film starring Sean Connery – was spotted in Glencoe, Scotland, over the weekend. According to The Sun, the DB5 featured a “weapons dashboard” and it will be used in a chase scene in “Skyfall,” the new Bond movie.

Those last two tidbits are important to note since a silver DB5 so closely associated with Bond movies typically takes a supporting role compared to newer high performance cars outfitted with all sorts of fantasy-based gizmos.

BMW Announces New X3 Drive28i

It seems that BMW has entered a non-stop process either revealing completely new models or updating its existing portfolio. Just to get an idea of what we're talking about, in the last 30 days alone, BMW has introduced these new models: 320i Turbo plus the 316d and 318d; the 125i Turbo, 125d, 116d ED and 1-Series M Sport Packages; the M550d, X5 M50d and X6 M50d; the X6 and X6M Facelift, the market launch of the ActiveHybrid 5; and of course, the M6 Coupe and Convertible.

This is 2014 Mercedes C-Class

Mercedes brought out the C-Class in 1993 as a replacement for the old 190E and since then, it has sprouted three generations and has become the most important model in the company’s line-up. To keep the momentum going, Mercedes is working on the fourth generation C-Class (internally called the BR205), which was recently spotted during its first winter testing. These clear images show off the luxury sedan set to be released in 2014.

Subaru BRZ in Australia

The Subaru BRZ is one half of a compact sports car joint project shared with Toyota – and since dubbed the “Toyobaru” by the industry. It was revealed in production guise for the first time at the 2011 Tokyo motor show last month, along with the Toyota 86.

Both cars will be built by Subaru in Japan. The Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ are virtually identical, including copycat exterior styling bar the odd detail.

The platform is derived from the Impreza small car’s underpinnings and is powered by a Subaru 2.0-litre horizontally opposed “boxer” four-cylinder engine but featuring Toyota direct fuel injection technology.

Subaru BRZ Price

Toyota Australia is expected to price the 86 from between $35,000 and $40,000 when it lands in mid 2012.

2012 Rolls-Royce Ghost EWB coming in March 2012

2012 Rolls-Royce Ghost EWB powered by a twin-turbo 6.6-litre V12 which produces 420kW and a healthy 780Nm, all running through the ultra-smooth ZF eight-speed automatic. The EWB gains an additional 170mm of rear legroom, and was built in response to the region’s demand for a Ghost with even easier access through the rear doors. It only weighs an extra 35kg over the standard Ghost.


2012 Rolls-Royce Ghost EWB Price

It will arrive in Australia with a price tag of around $750,000.

Volvo S60 Polestar extended preview

Polestar has been Volvo’s official motorsport partner since 1996, and with their considerable experience in developing Volvo race cars for competition in both the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STTC) and the World Touring Car Championship (WTTC), offer Performance enhancing packages for selected Volvo production series models.

S60 Polestar Price

The S60 Polestar will be priced from $82,990 and carry a full 3-year unlimited km factory warranty with 3 years free roadside assistance and a service interval of 15,000 kilometres.

Volvo Car Australia will introduce the S60 Polestar, which is essentially a factory-tuned version of the S60 T6 packing a modest increase in power and torque, but without affecting the fuel consumption over the standard model. Power goes from 224 kW to 242 kW, and torque rises to 480 Nm from 440 Nm.