New 2019 Aston Martin Project 003 Hypercar Teased

This new teaser image suggests Aston Martin鈥檚 Project 003, which called be called Valhalla, will adopt a mid-engined supercar layout, with high-exit exhausts and an active rear spoiler. Previous sketches and teaser images also hint that it will feature a jet-fighter-style canopy, with Aston Martin promising improved practicality over the Valkyrie. It鈥檚 likely that the British brand will debut a near-to-production version of the Project 003 at this year鈥檚 Geneva Motor Show. It will share the stage with new Valkyrie Pro and a new SUV from Aston Martin鈥檚 all-electric spin-off brand, Lagonda. Should Aston鈥檚 recent trademark applications be believed, its new supercar will be called the Valhalla, marking its position below the Valkyrie. Both cars鈥?names are borrowed from Norse mythology, and both are part of strict hierarchy. Supposedly, Valhalla is the resting place of souls deemed worthy of the god Odin鈥檚 company, while Valkyries are the warrior spirits who police it. Project 003 will be built around a lightweight structure and powered by an all-new turbocharged petrol-hybrid V6 engine. Aston Martin has previously confirmed that the hybrid powertrain will be a KERS system, rather than an efficiency-focused range-extending system, focusing on performance rather than economy. Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Aston boss Andy Palmer revealed that car is an additional part of his seven-year plan. 鈥淚t falls into the category of a 鈥榮pecial鈥?鈥?Palmer told us. The 003 is the latest in a long line of new models being developed by Aston. The next big launch from the British firm is its first SUV, while the Project 003 will follow shortly after Aston鈥檚 AM9 Ferrari 488 competitor.

I鈥檝e already mentioned the 718 Cayman silhouette had captured my attention in a way that can only be compared to my first Cayman. Where the 2009 was classic and reminiscent of traditional Porsche form, the 718 is like nothing on the road today - there is no mistaking it with anything else, though it is a Porsche to its core. My first Cayman was purposeful, functional and not quite blue-collar. The new model is more refined in almost every aspect. The interior is, as I mentioned, near perfection. The body panels transition from one to the next as if they were machined from a single piece of aluminum. Everything from fitment to the storage areas is subtly enhanced. I鈥檝e manually selected gears most of my life, but now I concede this activity to the Porsche PDK transmission. My Macan was fitted with a PDK, and I don鈥檛 know if I鈥檒l ever go back to a manual gearbox.

Sure, choosing your gears may add to the driving experience, but I can鈥檛 help but marvel at the lightning-fast exacting shifts. The engine does take some getting used to. The sound is certainly different - but if you had never driven a Porsche flat six, your perspective would be dispassionate. In the base Cayman, the turbo kicks in at about 2000 rpm and not quite as smoothly as the 718 Cayman S. But if you squeeze the throttle on launch, you won鈥檛 notice discernable lag. Speaking of forced induction, when the turbocharger does engage, the Cayman goes into warp-speed - far more convincingly than the flat six in my 2009 at even higher revs. Acceleration and torque is astonishing for a car with a smallish motor. But four cylinders never felt this powerfully breathtaking. Performance aside, the improvement in ride is the most significant development. Where my first Cayman had always tracked like a go-cart, rough terrain in a bend would toss the back-end laterally like a skipping water bug.

The 718 suspension has resolved this issue. Handling is more inspired and the ride and comfort are remarkably improved. I struggle to balance classic Porsche principles versus progressive engineering. And I admit that I can sit in a car that I dreamed of in my youth, and long for the simplicity it represents. But I can ultimately accept that the evolution of driving is tied directly to technology we could never have comprehended - and to ignore that is to regress. Similar to the years of development on the 911, I continue to be astonished that Porsche creates automotive hardware so perfectly conceived that it seems sacrilegious to even consider further development. Yet they continue to take the marketing risk and push the engineering envelope - which often involves changes we didn鈥檛 ask for. Improvements come in many forms, and are not always accepted as progress. Whichever side of the argument you fall on, you鈥檇 have to at least admit that Porsche is never satisfied with excellence.

Apollo Automobil IE Teased Ahead Of Next Week's Launch

Apollo Automobil has released a teaser video of its upcoming IE hypercar that will be officially unveiled on 24 October in Italy. IE stands for 鈥業ntensa Emozione鈥?and has been developed by Apollo in Italy from a blank sheet of paper. Apollo鈥檚 aim is to bring back the connection between driver and car that it claims has been lost due to the increasing presence of autonomous technology. The teaser video shows the various angles of the new car and Scottish racing driver Marino Franchitti climbing behind the wheel. The car is aimed at exclusive exotica such as the LaFerrari and Aston Martin Valkyrie. The chassis is made entirely out of carbon fibre, although nothing has been officially revealed regarding engine and performance details. It鈥檚 likely that the engine featured on Apollo鈥檚 Arrow concept from the 2016 Geneva Motor Show will power the new IE. Following the Arrow, the IE is Apollo鈥檚 second entry into the hypercar world since it was rebranded from Gumpert. Now with Chinese backing it has shifted resources from Germany to Italy in order to develop the IE hypercar, which will be unveiled at an exclusive three-day event from the 24-26 October. Are you looking forward to seeing the Apollo Automobil IE?

While idling in traffic in Sports (AMG) or Dynamic (RS) mode, both cars sound possessed. The Audi has a nicer idle with a deeper burble and a rougher sound that suits its nature. The AMG, though, loves to crackle and pop on the slightest bit of acceleration, while it takes some serious use of the right foot to get the Audi to get theatrical. More on that in the dynamic test. Both cars have a reversing camera and reasonable rear visibility, though they are also equally terrible at doing three point turns (11m turning circle for both). And it took us far too long to work out how to make the AMG park itself, so we gave up, while the RS is a simple button to activate the system. Both are the sort of car you鈥檇 definitely let your wife drive to the shops without having a panic attack (or the other way around). They sit high enough not to bottom out, while the general manoeuvrability of each car in tight spaces is probably better than you鈥檇 expect despite the terrible turning circle.

Overall, there鈥檚 not all that much between them when it comes to the everyday commute. We found both cars blended in with traffic with minimal attention garnered, which is a shame in one way but a blessing in another. From our perspective, if the everyday commute was a big factor in the purchase decision, you would probably lean more towards the Audi. But only because it looks better inside and out, and offers more comfortable seats. 8885 more than the also-optioned-up AMG though, and you couldn鈥檛 buy it without the magnetic ride option (which Audi really should package independently as a cheaper option), which equals out their final scoring for the road test. Ultimately though, we are talking about sports cars here and you are paying a lot of money for their performance credentials, so that should mean more than around town livability. During our initial in-city and traffic road tests, it was obvious that the AMG was like a scalpel waiting to go to work.

The class has proven to be very successful and CREVENTIC provide the teams and drivers another platform to enjoy racing. The Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 981) has proved to be an ideal endurance car and so it fits perfectly in the 24H SERIES. The Cayman Trophy class will run according technical regulations 鈥淐ayman GT4 Trophy by Manthey-Racing鈥?with exception of the Hankook tyres. Thomas Raquet from Manthey-Racing: 鈥淲e are confident, this new class in the CREVENTIC 24H SERIES, will become be successful and widen the racing opportunities of our customers鈥? From today onward, teams with Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 981) can already enter the 2019 season at attractive prices. Entry fee for 24H DUBAI 2019, including standard transport from Europe to Dubai and back, is 8600 EURO. The first round in Europe is in Italy; 12H Mugelllo 29-30 March 2019. Entry fee: 4000 EURO for Porsche Cayman GT4 Trophy.

1.15 million. Yep, seriously. 3.6 million. The little-known Japanese automaker has been developing the Owl for quite some time and is promising to deliver a vehicle to customers that can accelerate to 100 km/h in just 1.99 seconds with street-legal tires. In February, an Owl with racing slicks clocked a 1.89 second sprint to 100 km/h. The reason behind the Owl鈥檚 mind-blowing performance is its all-electric powertrain that delivers the equivalent of 1150 hp and 885 Nm of torque. The car also makes use of carbon fiber throughout its construction and has a dry weight of roughly 1500 kg. Aspark is currently showing off the production-spec Owl at the Paris Auto Show and looking for rich clients to either put up or shut up. 1.15 million deposit is non-refundable and budding owners won鈥檛 be able to test drive one for at least another year. Despite all of this, Aspark expects to find 50 customers willing to take the risk, Bloomberg reports. Beyond the Owl鈥檚 potent acceleration abilities, it will allegedly be able to accelerate up to 280 km/h and travel 300 km on a single charge. Aspark may be able to find 50 customers if it had the electric hypercar market all to itself. However, it doesn鈥檛. Instead, vehicles from the likes of Rimac and Pininfarina are all promising better performance than the Owl for less money. The next-generation Tesla Roadster is also expected to have a performance advantage over the Aspark.