Latest news with #sportsCars
Motor 1
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
You Can Own This Ultra-Rare Italian Viper
Alfa Romeo has made some truly beautiful limited-edition sports cars in its time. Remember the Disco Volante? What about the Giulia SWB Zagato? Both stunning. This particular car is a TZ3 Stradale, one of just 9 ever produced—and for the right price, it can be in your driveway. Alfa Romeo built the TZ3 Stradale in 2010 to help celebrate its 100th anniversary. The car was designed by Zagato and debuted at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy. Built atop the Dodge Viper ACR-X platform, oddly enough, the TZ3 Stradale weighed just 1,874 pounds thanks to its lightweight carbon fiber frame and aluminum body panels. Photo by: Young Motorcars Under the TZ3 Stradale's long and lovely hood is the Viper's 8.4-liter V-10 engine. It made 600 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque when new, paired to a six-speed manual transmission. That was enough horsepower for a 0-60 mph time of just over 3.0 seconds, and a top speed of over 200 mph. This particular car was part of a collection in Arizona, and it has just 1,863 miles on the odometer. It's up for sale via Young Motorcars . The exterior is finished in a beautiful Dark Blue metallic paint, while the interior is awash in a lovely caramel-colored leather. When new, Alfa Romeo asked over $1 million for the TZ3 Stradale—expected for such a rare and powerful machine. But you can get this one at a pretty solid discount; the seller is asking just $675,000. That's quite the bargain for an ultra-rare piece of Alfa Romeo history if you ask us. 9 Source: Young Motorcars The Latest From Alfa Romeo New Alfa Romeo Stelvio: Everything We Know The Alfa Romeo 8C Is Back. But Not as You Remember It Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Car and Driver
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
View Interior Photos of the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Our test car was loaded with performance options, but its interior was the base 1LZ, which is bare-bones by the flashy standards of the C8.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Toyota to build more cars in Britain in free trade boost
Toyota is to begin building sports cars for the US market in Derbyshire, delivering a boost to British manufacturing weeks after Sir Keir Starmer struck a free trade deal with Donald Trump. The Japanese carmaker is poised to spend about $56m (£41.3m) on a production line used to make GR Corollas for American buyers, Reuters said on Tuesday. The move would help the company bring down wait times for the car in North America. About 10,000 cars a year will be made at Toyota's existing factory in Derbyshire, where output has fallen in recent years. Mr Trump announced plans to hit Japanese carmakers with a 25pc tariff in April. The government in Tokyo has been pushing to have this repealed amid worries it could hammer the nation's automotive industry. Roughly 9m cars are built in Japan annually, of which about 1.5m are exported to the US. The US president initially hit British-made cars with a 25pc tariff when he kicked off his global trade war in April. However, the rate was reduced to 10pc for 100,000 cars per year after Sir Keir Starmer signed a trade deal with Mr Trump earlier this month. Toyota declined to comment when approached by The Telegraph. Sources familiar with the situation told Reuters the company's decision was not directly linked to high tariffs imposed on Japanese carmakers by US president Donald Trump. Regardless, the decision to establish a manufacturing hub in Britain to serve the US is likely to be seized upon as a benefit of the US-UK free trade deal.
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Peter Stevens Motorcycles' collapse leaves customers in limbo
The looming collapse of an Australian motorcycle giant is a direct result of falling consumer confidence amid a cost of living crisis. News that dealer giant Peter Stevens Motorcycles fell into voluntary administration rocked the motorcycle industry this week. But it's bigger than that, representing a warning shot for the economy as a whole. Motorcycle sales in Australia have declined steadily in recent years, dropping from 123,530 annual sales in 2021, to 94,224 last year. Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber said 'motorcycles are often a discretionary purchase, and in the current environment of high living costs and interest rates, many Australians are understandably more cautious with their spending'. 'While there is a slight softening across all categories in the wake of current economic conditions, we expect to see enthusiasm among Australian riders to return as conditions stabilise and maybe ease.' We've heard that before. He said in 2024 that 'as Australians manage tighter finances, recreational products are often the first to be affected', and in 2023 that 'recreational products are often the first items removed from household budgets'. There are similar warning signs in the sports car market. While a new Ford Mustang has injected life into the affordable end of the performance car market, sales of every other car in the class – cars like the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota GR86 – have dropped by 10 to 50 per cent. Sales of sports cars priced over $90,000 have dropped by 11 per cent for the year to date, and more expensive models have dropped by 12.6 per cent. While people might not have a lot of confidence in purchasing a new motorcycle, folks who have already bought bikes from 15 Peter Stevens showrooms should feel confident they will be supported. The bust is expected to affect the jobs of about 400 staff members. However, the question remains: What protections exist for customers who paid for extended warranties or are waiting for warranty repairs? While the administration process unfolds, experts say customers still have legal avenues to pursue warranty support under Australian law. James Voortman, chief executive of the Australian Automotive Dealer Association, notes that customers can take comfort in the protections provided under the Australian Consumer Law. 'Under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), the dealer and the manufacturer have a shared obligation to remedy consumer guarantees and warranty issues that arise as a result of a manufacturing defect," he said. He stressed that these Consumer Guarantees are statutory law and cannot be contracted out of, meaning they remain in place regardless of a dealership's financial situation. Voortman also clarified that customers are not without options, even if the retailer cannot fulfil warranty obligations during administration. 'In a case where the retailer is no longer operating because of a dealership closure, the customer will still have recourse through the manufacturer and potentially other dealerships within the network will take on warranty and ACL work,' he said. While Peter Stevens Motorcycles is still trading under administration, its future remains uncertain. According to the Herald Sun, several interested parties have contacted administrators KordaMentha requesting more financial information about taking over the retail business. The financial state of the 55-year-old family business will be further revealed at the first creditors' meeting, which is expected early next week. Sources said liquidation was unlikely at this early stage and that a sale, partial sale or restructure were all options. However, staff are believed to have received a four-week notice regarding the likely closure of the Peter Stevens businesses. In the meantime, Peter Stevens Motorcycle is urging consumers with concerns about existing warranties 'to contact their local store with any inquiries'.
Motor Trend
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
The Frontline MGA is the World's Coolest, Fastest, Most Fun—and Expensive—Miata
The original MG (not today's Chinese-backed version) may have been a British brand, but America made it. Thousands of service members returning from Europe after the end of World War II in 1945 brought with them an abiding affection for the light and fun-to-drive MG sports cars they'd seen on British roads. And when broken, bankrupted Britain switched back to making cars and trucks instead of fighter planes and tanks, MG, encouraged by a government desperate for export revenues, found a ready market stateside for its perky little TC roadster. 0:00 / 0:00 The TC and its successors, the TD and TF, were vintage 1930s-style cars, body-on-frame with a leaf-spring live rear axle and, until the TD was launched in 1950, a live front axle. They sold well, but by 1955 the MG TF was looking decidedly old-fashioned alongside rival sports cars such as the Austin-Healey 100 and Triumph TR2. Enter the MGA. The low-slung MGA was still a body-on-frame car with a leaf-spring live rear axle—and a wooden floor!—but it looked modern, with streamlined, faired-in bodywork styled by MG's chief designer Syd Enever that was inspired by the rebodied TD roadster he had developed in 1951 for the Le Mans 24 Hour race. America fell in love with the MGA. Of the 101,000 cars that rolled off the MG assembly line in Abingdon, England, between late 1955 and July 1962, more than 81,000 were shipped to the U.S. (The Brits bought fewer than 5,900 MGAs over the same period.) Affordable and easily tuned, the MGA proved popular on the track, too, becoming a mainstay in SCCA racing during the '50s and early '60s. The MGA was replaced in 1962 by the MGB, the company's first unibody sports car. And the love affair continued. More than half a million were built, with more than 300,000 sold in the U.S. through 1980, when British Leyland execs stupidly ordered the MGB be discontinued in a bid to boost slow sales of the newer Triumph TR7. Without a car to sell in the market that had so long sustained it, the MG marque abruptly vanished from the U.S., never to return. But the love affair still lingers. For some years now British MG restomod and restoration specialist Frontline Cars has been doing good business in the U.S. with reworked MGBs such the four-cylinder MGB LE50 and the recently launched LE60, which is powered by a Frontline-tweaked V-8 that punches out 375 hp and will take it to 160 mph. Now it's adding a delectable MGA to its restomod lineup. 'The MGA was the natural next step for us,' said Tim Fenna, founder and chief engineer of Frontline Cars. 'It's an icon of British motoring, but one that was always crying out for more performance and refinement.' Established, High-End British Restomod Formula The Frontline MGA follows the formula established with the company's long line of MGB restomods, combining a modern powertrain, plus suspension and chassis mods designed by Fenna, with subtly reworked sheetmetal and upscale interior hardware to create a sports car that combines classic style with everyday drivability. Frontline will find a suitable MGA donor car for you, or you can supply one yourself, be it left- or right-hand drive, roadster or coupe. The donor car is stripped back to bare metal and boxes of parts. The chassis is strengthened and fitted with a redesigned front suspension that features Nitron telescopic shocks and fabricated upper links in place of the vintage lever-arm shocks that were standard on the original MGA. The original MGA leaf-sprung banjo rear axle is junked in favor of a late-model MGB unit that's been modified to accommodate coil springs and Nitron shocks and is located by upper and lower trailing links each side, and a Panhard rod. Other chassis upgrades, using hardware and know-how from Frontline's long experience with MGB restomods, include the fitment of disc brakes all round, the front rotors vented and clamped by four-piston calipers, and electronic rack-and-pinion steering. Customers can choose between traditional-style 15-inch wire wheels or ultra-cool 15-inch Dunlop alloys that look like the wheels fitted to Jaguar's D-Type and Lightweight E-Type racers during the 1950s and '60s. Standard tires are 185/65 Bridgestone Turanzas. The MG powertrain is replaced by a naturally aspirated Mazda four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission. Two specifications are available: a 2.0-liter that develops 225 hp at 7,200 rpm and 178 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm, and a 2.5-liter unit that develops 290 hp at 7,100 rpm and 243 lb-ft at 4,200 rpm. Each engine features a bespoke individual throttle body induction system, revised camshaft profiles, a new ECU, and a tuned stainless steel exhaust system. The 2.5-liter engine's balance shaft has been removed to reduce frictional losses and improve throttle response. For context, the original MGA was powered by a 68-hp 1.5-liter engine, and even the temperamental and short-lived 1.6-liter twin-cam engine introduced in 1958 still made only 108 hp. All the mechanical hardware is topped with a body that retains its stock dimensions but has been carefully reworked to improve its structural rigidity, primarily by way of the addition of a steel floor that now tightly ties together the bodysides. Detail changes include the removal of the front turn signals—they are now located within the modern LED headlight units—and the deletion of the octagonal MG badge from the trunk. Look closely, and you'll also see discreet Frontline badging near the vents either side of the narrow hood, but otherwise the Frontline MGA looks just like a beautifully restored original car. A quick look in the sumptuously trimmed cockpit—customers can choose between leather or Alcantara, the trim work all done in-house at Frontline—hints at the truth. The dash features Frontline-branded Smiths dials, and there's an audio system with two speakers, two tweeters, an amplifier, and a Bluetooth module all controlled by a discreetly hidden head unit. Options include heated versions of Frontline's own-design bucket seats, as well as air conditioning. One-touch electric windows are available on the coupé. Meshing Old- and New-School Driving Our tester, the first Frontline MGA built, was fitted with the 2.0-liter engine and a relatively tall 3.07 diff rather than the 3.4 or 3.7 gears typically used in the Frontline MGBs because the owner wanted the car to feel relaxed while cruising. And relaxed it is: At 50 mph in fifth gear, the little Mazda four-banger, which will rev enthusiastically to 7,750 rpm, is turning just 2,000 rpm. It sounds crisp and gurgly when you take it through the gears, a digitally remastered version of an old-school British performance four-cylinder engine. And though the Mazda four has much more top-end bite than any of those old British motors, it has a similarly solid swathe of midrange torque you can exploit with the transmission's tightly packed ratios. The modern powertrain weighs 132 pounds less than the vintage MG hardware, which not only takes weight off the front axle, but also means the Frontline MGA tips the scales at under 2,000 pounds. So, despite its tall diff ratio, our tester felt marvelously alive on British B-roads, easily scooting to 80 or 90 mph between the corners. The ride is tightly controlled, but it's not harsh, thanks to the deft manner with which the Nitron shocks deal with sharp inputs and the absorptive quality of those generously sidewalled tires. The EPS assists up to about 30 mph, then drops away. Feel and feedback through the steering wheel rim is terrific. You can have manual steering if you want. But don't bother. It'll only make you work harder at low speeds. Like all old-school rear-drive sports cars, the Frontline MGA likes to be braked in a straight line, then turned into a late apex as you get on the throttle. Get too ambitious with your right foot, though, and the abundant traction from the standard Quaife limited-slip differential will push the nose wide. Brake feel is very good, and the well-placed pedals, combined with the beautifully crisp throttle response and the short throws of the transmission, make heel-toe downshifts a breeze. Throwback Look, Modern, Miata-Like Feel What stands out, however, is how taut and tight the Frontline MGA feels. There's no scuttle shake—none—and no vibration back through the steering. Suspension noise and impact harshness are extremely well suppressed. Although it's very light and has a live rear axle, the car feels astonishingly planted and composed, even on indifferent roads. Make no mistake, the Frontline MGA is a truly stunning piece of work; there are modern sports cars that don't feel as coherent to drive as this MG. Ironically, given its powertrain, the nearest modern car we can compare it with for sheer fun and driver involvement is the Mazda MX-5 Miata roadster, a car that's 1.9 inches shorter than the Frontline MGA, with a 3.1-inch-shorter wheelbase, but fully 10 inches wider and almost 400 pounds heavier. The Miata comparison provides extra useful context, too: The little Mazda delivers its thrills with just 181 hp under the hood, and after our drive of the 225-hp 2.0-liter Frontline MGA, we're not sure the 290-hp 2.5-liter engine is worth the extra money. The math is compelling. Frontline says the 2.0-liter car takes just 4.8 seconds to sprint to 60 mph (the MX-5 Miata takes 5.6 seconds). According to Frontline's own numbers, that makes it just seven-tenths of a second slower than the 2.5-liter version, and both models have a top speed of 155 mph. So there's not much of a performance advantage, and we suspect the bigger engine's extra power and torque could make the Frontline MGA, which has neither traction control nor ABS, a bit of a handful, especially on a wet road. The 2.0-liter model feels the sweet-spot car. Frontline MGA prices start at the equivalent of about $170,000 (on current exchange rates) plus taxes and shipping and the cost of a donor car. No, it's nowhere near as affordable as the original. But the Frontline MGA, sharper and quicker, tauter and tighter, better built and more highly equipped than any MGA that ever left the factory in Abingdon, England, is a bespoke sports car, and not just in terms of color and trim. Frontline will work with customers on mechanical hardware like diff ratios and suspension tune and steering to create exactly the MGA they want. The Frontline MGA is a truly outstanding restomod, easily one of the best we've ever driven. It has modern manners that allow it to be used every day, but it remains joyously analog, a pure driver's car that's thoroughly engaging at real-world speeds on real-world roads. Think of it this way: What Singer is to Porsche, Frontline is to MG. It's expensive, but it's worth the money.
