At the 71st Monaco Grand Prix, Renault unveiled its Twin’Run concept car that pays homage to the French automaker’s legendary R5 Turbo and Clio V6.

The Twin’Run race car is built on a tubular chassis and is powered by a mid-engine V6 based on the Megane Trophy race car and features 320 hp. The concept car is similar to its twin, the Twin’Z, and is a modern and playful take on the city car while previewing the future styling direction for the automaker’s city car.

The concept drove its first laps at the Monaco Grand Prix with its Renault CEO, Carlos Tavares, behind the wheel. It was joined by F1 racer Charles Pic in a Clio V6 and Jean Ragnotti in the Maxi 5 Turbo. All three vehicles took to the track to celebrate Renault’s motorsport history.

The 3.5-liter V6 is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox with limited slip differential while the concept car sports a well-balanced 43/57 weight distribution. Plenty of carbon fiber was used on the body to shave weight while the two-box architecture creates lift at high speeds.

“Twin’Run embodies the mad genius Renault has been known for over the decades, to the delight of motor sports enthusiasts. No one has forgotten the R5 Turbo and the Clio V6. Twin’Run is the true heir of those racing cars that had so much appeal,” says Axel Breun, Head of Concept Car Design.

GALLERY: Renault Twin’Run Concept Car

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To celebrate its third Formula 1 Constructors’ world title, Renault and Red Bull Racing have teamed up to create the limited edition Megane Renaultsport Red Bull Racing RB8.

The new flagship Megane Renaultsport is inspired by Red Bull Racing’s Formula 1 identity, but in a much more subdued fashion. It’ll be offered in a Twilight Blue exterior finish accented by Platinum Grey details.

Power comes from a 2.0-liter, turbocharged engine with 265 hp. The car is further made special thanks to Red Bull Racing branding, Recaro seats, R-Link multimedia and TomTom Live navigation system, Bridgestone Potenza RE05A tires and the latest Version 2.0 of the on-board R.S. Monitor.  The only available transmission is a six-speed manual.

Essentially, the limited edition model is a mechanically standard Renaultsport Megane 265 Cup except for the tires.

In total, 30 will be made for the UK market and will be available until September 30, 2013. Pricing will be announced closer to its launch.

GALLERY: Renault Megane Renaultsport Red Bull Racing RB8

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Peugeot is all set to compete in this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, revealing its race livery for the 208 T16 race car.

Packing 875 hp, the 208 T16 race car will be piloted by Sebastian Loeb and weighs in at a scant 1,929 lbs. The livery reveals the key partners to the Peugeot Pikes Peak race car including Red Bull, Total, and Michelin. This will be Peugeot’s first return to the famous hill climb race since its victories in 1988 and 1989.

SEE ALSO: Peugeot Pikes Peak Racer Gets 875-HP, Giant Wing

It will be competing in the Unlimited class at this year’s event. The 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb kicks off on June 30th in Colorado.

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The most successful driver in World Rally Championship history, Sébastien Loeb, is no stranger to fast cars, and even he is impressed by Peugeot’s new Pikes Peak race car. 

“The 208 T16 Pikes Peak is a rocket! It’s so powerful! The first time you drive it, each gear change practically stuns you,” says Loeb of the race car. “The shifts are really brutal, and it takes a little time to anticipate the sudden jarring. You get used to it, but it was quite disorienting to begin with.”

The performance comes from a mid-rear positioned bi-turbo V6 that makes 875 hp, combined with an overall weight of just 1929 lbs. That combo allows the race car to jump to 62 mph in just 1.8 seconds, and gives the car a power to weight ratio of 1:1. To top it off, the wing on the back is a full six-feet wide, providing loads of downforce to keep the car planted.

“Due to its aerodynamic downforce and wide tyres, its braking is amazing, too,” Loeb exclaimed. “The 208 package is a combination of the best of several worlds: it’s got the downforce of a Formula 1 car, the wide tyres of an endurance racing prototype and a differential, like a WRC car…”

The Pikes Peak hill climb is set to take place this year on June, 30.

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 GALLERY: Peugeot T16 Race Car w/Sébastien Loeb

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If Dark Helmet – the character Rick Moranis plays in Space Balls – drove a car, it would probably be the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. It’s big. It’s Ugly. It’s capable of ludicrous speed.

The Texan speed fiends at Hennessey tried to strip Bugatti of its speed title earlier this month. Much to the French makers chagrin, it worked… For a little while. But it didn’t take long for the world’s balance to be restored. Hennessey’s speed claim also wasn’t certified for the Guinness record books.

Hennessey’s argument was that the standing record wasn’t possible in a production vehicle, so Bugatti yanked the speed limiter and is selling a handful as “World Record Cars.”

SEE ALSO: Hennessey Venom GT Beats Veyron Top Speed… Sort Of

Bugatti unveiled the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse WRC in Shanghai earlier this month. Interesting as it can be to see such a rare car in person, the clip below offers an account of the convertible cresting 254 mph. This means Bugatti can currently lay claim to the land speed record for both a closed and open-air car.

Of course, this car has the same 8.0-liter W16 engine with four turbochargers, 1,183 hp and 1,106 lb-ft of torque.

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Renault has taken its small Twizy EV and surrendered it over to the engineers at its F1 team, the result from which is the Twizy F1 Concept, complete with KERS and F1-inspired performance. 

The regular Renault Twizy engine, a 17-hp electric motor, carries over to the concept, but thanks to the KERS boost system is capable of pushing its output up to 97 hp for up to 14 seconds at a time.  When the boost is active, the Twizy Sport F1 is capable of a top speed of 68 mph, and can make the jump to 60 mph in about six seconds.

F1 cars are not complete without proper aerodynamics, so a front splitter, side-pods, a rear wing and a diffuser have all been added to increase downforce, as well as complete the look of the concept. Topping it off are the tires, which are the exact same as the rubber used on the Formula Renault 2.0 single-seater.

Also lifted straight from the Formula Renault car is the steering wheel, complete with switches and knobs which can be used to control the KERS boost among other things. Six different levels of boost can be selected with a four-position rotary knob ranging from 10kW to 60 kW, and when the system is in use, a rain light incorporated in the diffuser will light up, same as the lights used in F1 to inform spectators that KERS is active.

The Sport F1 concept tips the scales at 1243 lbs, and achieves a power to weight ratio of 12:1.

The concept will be shown off at different public events throughout 2013, starting with the World Series by Renault meeting at Aragon, Spain (April 27-28), and the Barcelona Motor Show.

GALLERY: Renault Twizy Sport F1 Concept

Every year, teams from around the world gather together at Pikes Peak in Colorado to race up the hill, and today Peugeot released some new stunning images and info on its wild looking hill climb entrant.

Called the 208 T16 Pikes Peak, the car will be piloted by veteran rally driver Sébastien Loeb, and get its power from mid-rear positioned bi-turbo V6 that makes 875 hp. Weighing in at 1929 lbs, power will be sent to all four wheels for traction, which will also be aided by the aerodynamic kit and massive rear wing.

SEE ALSO: Honda to Campaign 10 Vehicles at Pikes Peak

“We’ve shaved it down to 875 kg,” said Jean-Christophe Pallier, Peugeot Sport engineer. ”As a result, we have achieved the magic and symbolic power-to-weight ratio of 1:1!”

For design, the 208 T16 draws inspiration from the Le Mans 24 Hours-winning 908, and shares in common the running gear, brakes and aerodynamic features, and most prominently, the rear wing which is two meters, or about six-feet wide.

GALLERY: Peugot 208 T16 Pikes Peak

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Peugeot will be attending this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a specially engineered and very wild looking race car from.

The 208 T16 Pikes Peak racer will be driven by nine-time world rally champion Sebastian Loeb and marks the French team’s return to Pikes Peak after its victories in 1988 and 1989. Though the race car’s exterior resembles its production counterpart, the race car was engineered and designed specifically to tackle Pikes Peak.

It will compete in the Unlimited class and draws inspiration from the Le Mans 24 Hours-winning 908. There’s plenty of carbon fiber on the race car, which looks to be a formidable opponent in a class that draws some of the world’s most renowned racers.

Unfortunately the French automaker didn’t reveal many details on its 208 T16 Pikes Peak race car, but promises more will come leading up to the event.

“Its proportions are very different to those of the production 208,” observes Michael Trouvé who is in charge of silhouette design at Peugeot’s Styling Centre. “This difference gives it an almost beast-like appearance. Peugeot Sport provided us with a number of technical constraints, such as the width, body height, location of the wheels and engine, and we worked to this brief to produce an extreme take on the 208.”

GALLERY: Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak

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After stripping Bugatti of the title for the fastest production car in the world, Guinness World Records has flip-flopped and confirmed that the title does rightfully belong to the Veyron Super Sport.

After conducting a thorough review with a “number of external experts,” the Guinness Book of World Records released a statement confirming Bugatti’s record of Fastest Production Car. According to Guinness World Records “a change to the speed limiter does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine.”

SEE ALSO: Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Stripped of Guinness World Record for Fastest Production Car

Bugatti Veyron owners have a speed limiter of 258 mph while the record was set at 267.8 mph.

Just last week Bugatti also laid claim to the title of the World’s Fastest convertible after it was confirmed that the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse achieved a maximum speed of 254.04 mph.

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Bugatti teased us yesterday with a picture and a caption that read “It’s almost time for us to share the latest example of exceptional Bugatti performance,” and today information has leaked online that the car will be a special edition of the Veyron Vitesse.

The car will be called the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse WRC, according to a user of Weibo.com. The WRC in the name may stand for World Record Convertible, as the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse WRC was reportedly driven to a top speed of 253 mph on Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien, Germany, test track recently.

SEE ALSO: New Bugatti Supercar Teased on Facebook

From the photo, the car appears to have minimal changes, besides the orange paint scheme complete with orange wheels.

The car is rumored to be heading for a 2013 Shanghai Auto Show debut, and surely we will have more information and better pictures sometime in the coming days.

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[Source: weibo.com]

Bugatti, maker of the former world’s fastest production car, is teasing a new model today with a picture and small caption on Facebook. 

The photo above, was posted on Bugatti’s Facebook page, saying “The stage is set. It’s almost time for us to share the latest example of exceptional Bugatti performance, simply keep a close eye on Facebook over the next few days.”

SEE ALSO: Next-Gen Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Rumors

The new model could be the next-generation of Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which is rumored to have 1,600 hp, a top speed of 290 mph and a 1.8-second 0-60 mph sprint. If that proves to be true, the Veyron will likely reclaim the crown of fastest production car on the market.

The other possibility is the arrival of the 16c Galibier, which has been teased by the company for years. The 16c Galibier is a sedan that focuses more on luxury than speed.

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Guinness World Records has announced that Bugatti has been stripped of the title for fastest production car in the world.

Bugatti has held that record for almost three years after setting a record speed of 267.8 mph. The record was re-investigated after accusations were made that the Veyron used in the record-setting run had its speed limiter removed.

Guinness World Records confirmed that the suspicions were correct and since the speed limiter was removed, it was no longer considered the same production car that consumers paid their hard-earned cash for. The rules state that the record must be set in a car that is mechanically identical to those on sale to the public.

The title of world’s fastest production car will likely go to Shelby SuperCars’ Ultimate Aero, which held the record of 256.1 mph before the Veyron Super Sport went 267.8.

[Source: The Sunday Times]

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