Car Throttle

Meet the Explorer Sport - the answer to all of you hoping for a twin-turbocharged SUV.  As bizarre as that sounds...  actually, it's not that bizarre.  We can stop feigning shock and awe at performance SUV's now; Porsche is deep into the second generation of the Cayenne already, and even Jeep does it.  Still, this is the first performance Explorer Ford's cooked up in the model's 22-year history, not including aftermarket specials like the Saleen Explorer. So what is it?  Basically, it's an EcoBoost Explorer - it shares it's 3.5L DOHC V6 with twin turbochargers with the Taurus SHO, Flex and F-150 EcoBoost, and the Lincoln MKS/MKT.  That means at least 350 horsepower and 350lb-ft torque, and a six-speed automatic with a Haldex-esque AWD

Global warming. Hardly any oil left. Two reasons why V12s shouldn't exist. Not good news for car lovers like us who love the monsters but AMG have fiddled with the twin-turbo V12 in the latest SL65 and it not only promises to be powerful than the last version but it promises to keep the environmental campaigners reasonably quiet too! The 6.0-litre V12 'biturbo' produces 621bhp and 737lb-ft of torque. This new SL is lighter than the old car as well with a kerb weight of 1950kg thanks to an all-new aluminium body and carbon fibre materials smattered round the car. Those changes mean a 0-62mph time of just 4 seconds whilst the top speed is still limited to 155mph. It has faster acceleration than both the

The second-most-populous in Switzerland each year gives way to star-studded press events and a round-the-clock showcase of the latest new car models to hit the road. There are usually a few experimental concepts which aim to revolutionise the car world, however this year, Geneva 2012 has seen concepts which are works of art, extremely efficient and even models that claim to cure range anxiety. The weird and wonderful await... Mini Clubvan Good news for florists, fashion designers, metrosexual joiners (if there are any out there) and those souls who find small Transit vans dull - Mini have made a van just for you! The Clubvan is basically a Clubman with polycarbonate panels down the side instead of windows. The car seats two; yourself and a lucky colleague

Disco Volante is Italian for "Flying Saucer."  Of course, everything sounds slightly sexier in Italian (Quattroporte!), but Flying Saucer is a good start.  Touring built this outlandish concept car as a 60th anniversary of the original flying saucer - the 1952 Disco Volante, based off of the lithe Alfa Romeo 1900. The original car was designed to be super-light and minimize wind resistance, which enabled a surprising top speed of 140mph with just a 2.0L four-cylinder.  The new Disco Volante won't have to struggle so much: it's basically a reskinned Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, so it's powered by the same 4.7L Maserati V8, with 450 horsepower.  The Disco has a rear-mounted sequential shifting transaxle for ideal weight distribution, as well. Of course, if you're staring

The Audi RS5 is a fantastic V8 powered coupe and a worthy alternative to the BMW M3. It isn't the most practical way of getting five people and holiday luggage from A-B at lightning speed however, which is why Audi have resurrected this, the RS4. The recipe is simple. Lift the naturally aspirated 4.2 V8 (which produces 444bhp and 317lb ft of torque) out of the A5 coupe and slot it into the A4 Avant. This means that this load lugger can go from 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds and up to a limited top speed of 155mph. If you wish to pay Audi a small fee to get rid of the limiter then the car will then be able to reach 174mph. The RS4 also

Since Justin Bieber got given a Fisker Karma for his 18th birthday, where do the very stylish yet environmentally conscious car buyers that detest the young singer turn to? Well, this might be the machine for them. It's called the Emerg-e and although this car is currently a concept, Infiniti say that it is "feasible" to put the range extender into production. The only factors challenging that possibility are the very expensive carbon fibre materials used to make the body and the electric motors. To make this piece of Japanese art move, the Emerg-e has two electric motors which produce a total 402bhp and with electric power alone they can take the car 30 miles, which isn't very far. However, extending that range up to 300 miles is a

In response to the latest BMW 1 Series and Audi's brand new A3, Mercedes and their performance arm, AMG, have teamed up to create a new premium hatchback. The smallest car with a three-pointed star is now a worthy rival to the fellow Germans since Mercedes have ditched the tall and boxy granny-like design in favour of this much better looking five-door hatchback. One feature of the exterior that stands out a lot is the "diamond" grille which is heavily influenced by the Concept A-Class coupe but another neat touch on this particular car, the Sport model, is the red lip above the chin spoiler. Inside, it shares a similar interior with the B Class MPV; SLS-like air vents and instrument panel, a

Good news and bad news from Ford stand. The good news is that the Fiesta ST you see here is the one you can actually buy. The bad news, for anyone eagerly wanting to get their hands on it, is the hot Fiesta won't be in showrooms until this time next year. Under the bonnet of the new ST is a 1.6 EcoBoost engine. Putting the word 'eco' in a hot hatchback's engine is a fantastic example of an oxymoron but in this case, that's no bad thing since the turbocharged unit delivers 178bhp and 177lb ft of torque yet it only produces around 142g/km of CO2 which makes it cheaper to tax than the previous car. It uses the same technology that gives the 1.0

Let's cut to the chase, this is the most powerful production roadster in the world, but Bugatti can't obviously prove that the Grand Sport Vitesse is the fastest roadster in the world just yet as it hasn't even done a speed run. Even so, the chances are it will break the current record, which was set by the standard Grand Sport, thanks to the power plant under the bonnet. It's essentially the same 8.0 quad-turbo W16 that you would find in the Super Sport coupe which produces an astonishing 1200hp and 1,100lb ft of torque. It took the Super Sport coupe from 0-60mph in 2.46 seconds and all the way to a top speed of a mind blowing 267mph. The Vitesse's top speed has been reported to be

Are you ready to be offended?  It might already be too late; after all, you saw that intro image before you opened this article in the first place.  I'll allow you a minute to cry for the lost dignity of the famed British brand.  Bentley will be the next brand to follow Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche, and even Maserati into that market that makes purists cringe: SUV's. So go ahead and sharpen your pitch fork, light your torch and kill three pints of Guiness as you head towards Crewe.  But keep something in mind: car companies, even absurdly exclusive ones, exist to turn a profit.  Know where the high-end buyers are these days?  Know what has a large profit margin?  That's right, SUV's.  You