#exotic

Ford’s Australian high performance FPV division Black Concept sedan has been given the green light for production after their a concept version was unveiled last month at the 2011 Australian Auto Show.

It looks as though Lamborghini maybe working on a very fast Aventador prototype. Spy shots have been taken of an Aventador sporting camouflage, fitted with Bugatti Veyron rims and tires.

The   Land Rover Defender concept is set to make its debut at the 2011 Franfurt auto show next month as Land Rover decides whether the vehicle will be produced or dropped. With ever tightening emission requirements and a need to broaden market appeal, it may be difficult to produce a new Defender.

Infiniti may develop its own version of Nissan’s famous GT-R sports car. Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan was asked if Infiniti would tap into the existing products through Nissan and use the brilliant GT-R sports car platform for a high- performance Infiniti.

Fans of the Batman movies or car enthusiasts in general, may be interested to know that the Tumbler, which debuted in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, has been spotted prowling the streets of Pittsburgh.

The latest addition to the franchise entitled ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ has yet to be completed, and the production crew for the film have been spotted cruising around the streets of Pittsburgh with a collection of Tumblers. The Tumbler features an 8.7-liter Chevrolet V8, a truck axle in the rear and heavy duty Hoosier tires in the front. The rear off-road tires are supplied by Interco and the suspension components are derived Baja racing trucks. Overall, the design and development process took around nine months and cost several million dollars.

Check out the videos after the jump!

Technology has significantly impacted the automotive sector especially when cars are produced in the factory. Computers and robotic platforms assemble engines and build the cars without much help from workers. However Ferrari has a different take on production, with their engines being entirely hand-built.

This video shows the buildup of a 458 Italia engine starting with assembling the crankshaft and ending with the installation of the cam covers. The 11 minute video is a walkthrough of the Maranello facility, with interviews from many members of the Ferrari team. Each of the workers explain their task to produce the 4.5-liter V8. It’s nice to see something made by hand for a change.

Check out the video after the jump!

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the most successful race car the German automaker has ever offered. Porsche has sold 2,200 GT3 Cup units and is the most popular choice amongst racing teams all over the world.The GT3 Cup currently competes in 19 Porsche brand trophy series worldwide and runs in various GT race series and at long distance events. The GT3 Cup is based on the lighweight 997 911 GT3 RS sports car and features a 100-liter FT3 safety fuel tank.

Ferrari announced today that the first six months of 2011 have been the best in the company’s history. The Italian automaker posted a record revenue of $1.1 billion for the first six months of this year and delivered a record 3,577 units or 11.8 percent more than the first half of 2010. Sales also increased in the U.S by 23.9 percent to 939. Chinese sales have increased 116 percent to 378 vehicles.

The Audi R8 is nearly five years old, which is amazing because the sports car still seems relatively new, however the first details are emerging regarding a facelift for the model.

Hennessey, the famous Texas tuner of Corvettes has just created the Frankenstein of Cadillacs. It’s called the V1000, and the 1000 stands for 1000-hp.

The eagerly anticipated 2012 Porsche 911 has been spied with almost no camouflage, which is a big change.

A 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six often referred to as the Ghost Car is to be auctioned July 30 at the RM Auctions St John’s sale in Plymouth, Michigan. This unusual car’s exterior is made of Plexiglas body panels making it transparent. Plexiglas was a relatively new material in 1939, and supplier Rohm & Hass replicated each of the car’s body panels by hand.

The ultra luxurious 2012 Audi A8L W12 is finally going on sale in the U.S, and has been priced at a whopping $134,375. This is an enormous sum of money considering the most expensive A8L sells for $85,575. The A8L is powered by a 372-hp 4.2-liter V8 and can get from 0-62 mph in 5.1 seconds – more than adequate for most people.

It is amazing what some people will attempt to do in their cars. Porsches are fantastic cars but unfortunately, they were not meant to fly, or in this case, perform somersaults in the air.

The driver of the Porsche managed to flip and roll his the car into a series of open spots to create his very own parallel spot. He was probably trying to keep the car on the road, which begs the question, how did he manage to flip the car into a parking lot? Despite the impressive acrobatics session, the driver hops out of his Cayman to examine the damage and looks to be walking normally. Unbelievable.

Check out the video after the jump!

Shelby has just unveiled the name of its upcoming supercar, the SSC Tuatara, which is expected to reclaim the position as the fastest production car in the world.

The American automaker’s previous model, the Ultimate Aero TT, came equipped with a twin turbocharged V8 which produced 1,287-hp and beat the Bugatti Veyron. The Aero TT achieved a top speed of 414 km/h (257 mph). However the speed record was reclaimed by the Bugatti Veyrom Super Sport.

The Tuatara name was chosen because of inspiration drawn from the lizard that lives in New Zealand. The name means “peaks on the back”, which is symbolic to the winglets on the back of the new car. The reptile also possesses the fastest evolving DNA on the planet, which inspired Jerod Shelby. Shelby said, “Most manufacturers essentially use the same basic model and body shape for up to 10 years, while only making small refinements to it each year. After only three years in production with the Ultimate Aero, SSC’s Tuatara is about to monumentally evolve in the areas of sophistication, design, aerodynamics and shear all‐around performance. We felt that the fastest evolving DNA was a perfect definition of SSC’s latest project”.

Details on the Tuatara are still top secret but what is known is that the car will be powered by a 7.0-liter DOHC V8 twin-turbo cranking out around 1,350-hp. The car will weigh approximately 1,200 kg (2,654 lbs) and will accelerate from 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds.  The Tuatara is also expected to have a top speed of 442 km/h (275 mph).

Check out the video of the Tuatara after the jump!