Car Throttle

Colin Chapman must be rolling in his grave. "A Lotus all stuffed full with batteries and electric motors?  That's hardly what I'd call 'adding lightness.'  You're all fired." I can't imagine there would be any other reaction from the mass master himself, but at least on paper this electron-infused Evora has what it takes to deserve the Lotus badge - and at the very least, it's a showcase of the brand's impressive technical know-how. It's based on the 2+2 seater Evora, currently the top of Lotus' lineup, but ditches the 3.5L Toyota V6 for...  a 3-cylinder engine and some batteries.  While this doesn't sound especially promising at first, stay with me for a minute here.  the Evora 414E is an ER-EV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle), like the

Lamborghini's Gallardo range is seemingly evergreen. Just as we get used to how face-bashingly awesome the latest variant is (in this case the hardcore, rear-wheel-drive LP550-2 Valentino Balboni), Lamborghini drops a new version in our laps that starts the drooling all over again.  The latest long-name Gallardo derivative is arguably the best yet, and it goes by "LP570-4 Superleggera."  It's a lightweight, more powerful, aero-equipped monster coated in radioactive lime green paint and giant black carbon fibre scoops and spoilers everwhere.  In other words, it's business as usual for the Sant A'gata automaker. The 5.2L direct-injected V10 sees power climb from 560 to 570 at 8,000 rpm, and still employs cool tech goodies like an aluminum crankcase, dual-plane crank throws, dry-sump lubrication, infinitely adjustable cam timing

Fiat's tiny retro-supermini, the 500, has been taking Europe by storm. Styled to resemble the old Cinquecento, and designed to take the fight directly to Mini, the 500 has been capturing hearts and minds on the continent since it's debut.  Like any good supermini, there are heaps of variants for every sort of taste.  There was the pinked-out Barbie edition (gag), the hot-rod turbocharged Abarth models, a Ferrari-inspired special, and even a roll-top 500C convertible.  The Geneva show will see the debut of the latest in the line, which combines the sporty trimmings and mechanics of the Abarth with the aforementioned soft-top 500C convertible. The 500C, unlike most convertibles, doesn't actually have a folding roof- rather, a fabric section running down the center of the roof

We've been expecting it for a while, and now it's here. Enthusiasts have been guessing that Audi would bring out an ultra-high performance variant of the svelte A5 Coupe since it debuted, but the specifics were a bit cloudy.  With the Geneva show approaching quickly, pictures and technical details of the RS5 Coupe have hit the 'web, and it sounds like it's going to be an absolute stormer. On the outside, the RS5 gets the typical subtle RS-style makeover we've come to know and love.  It's a fantastic look, to be sure - but then again, when you start with a car as strikingly beautiful as the A5, it's sort of hard to screw it up.  The new coupe takes a lot of styling cues from

The Continental SuperSports sits at the top of Bentley's range, as the halo performance variant of the Phaeton-based Continental range.  It's a bit out of place in my mind, to be honest:  carbon fibre this and that, parcel shelf instead of a back seat, E85 flex-fuel capability, a horse-ton of horsepower, Darth Vader-on-meth styling, and a top speed that clears 200mph by a comfortable margin are not things one associates with an "old money" traditional British luxury brand.  Still, it's awesome in an "I don't quite understand this" sort of way - there's no obvious reason for it's existence, but aren't you glad it exists in the first place? Well if you're a fan of the Continental SuperSports, by the transitive property you should be even

I'm quickly becoming a big fan of Citroen's DS-series of cars. It's a pretty good marketing tactic- a lineup of very French  niche cars based on Citroen's somewhat dull mainstream cars that offers individuality, style, and customizability.  Plus, if the DS3 and this DS Highrider concept are anything to judge by, they are stunningly good-looking cars to boot. Now, I'm going to admit I don't know why they call it the Highrider.  Perhaps this is the French definition of long-travel suspension, and maybe the French are just strange.  It looks like a large 3-door hatchback with pretty normal ride height to me.  Citroen says it's all about the proportions and the stance, so we'll run with that.  It sort of works; considering this is about the

Lately, Ford has been on a roll. The new Taurus is gorgeous, the upcoming Focus and Fiesta seem like best-in-class products, the 2011 Mustang lineup kicks ass and takes names, and even the unloved Edge crossover is getting some well-deserved attention for the 2011 model year. Most obvious is the visual restyling of the mid-sized crossover SUV.  Ford's new corporate looks is massively attractive to me, and this reskin has turned what was a lumpy, uninteresting CUV into a rather attractive proposition.  The whole front end is redone to be sharper and more aggressive, with neatly sculpted headlights and a massive chrome "Gillette Mach 3" grille.  (What else are you going to call it?)  The back end is largely unchanged save for some new taillights, but

Volvo's future may be tenuous (what with the pending Chinese ownership), but they are still rolling out new products as if the apocalypse wasn't approaching.  The Geneva auto show this year will be home to a lot of big debuts, and among them is a brand-spanking-new Volvo S60, the brand's mid-sized volume offering.  Considering the current S60 has been in production since 2000, it's about time - that's about three lifetimes as far as mid-luxury offerings go. We've seen some leaked pictures and videos of the S60 here at CarThrottle before, but today brings tons of high-resolution images and details and specifications about the new sedan.  One thing's for sure: this is a brand-new car, not a shallow re-skin of the old P2 chassis.  Perhaps tired

Another day, another special-edition Porsche 911. But, let's put it this way: if your house was overrun with Playboy Bunnies, would you be complaining about too much of a good thing?  I didn't think so.  Porsche's just released details on their latest special edition 911, and while it seems like just another 911, if you want to be technical, it is the fastest-accelerating 911 ever. It's called the 911 Turbo S, and it's quick. Based on the revised 3.8L 911 Turbo, the  new Turbo S boasts more of everything, but mostly it's more power.  Output jumps from 500bhp to 530bhp (same as the 2-wheel-drive 911 GT2), with torque rising to 516 lb-ft of torque thanks to revised engine management software.  The power is channeled through Porsche's

Since the first ones came out more than a decade ago, folding hardtops have pretty much followed a set formula. There are usually two pieces (a roof bit and a back window bit) that fold on top of each other, then pivot back, and fold under a rear-hinging decklid.  Since those first 3000GT's and Mercedes SLK's it's been this way, with very few exceptions.  But sometimes it just takes some original thinking on an already-developed concept to come up with something brilliant. Folding hardtops have taken off much more in Europe than they have in the US, primarily in the compact C-segment.  You can get a folding metal roof from pretty much all the mainstream manufacturers in Europe, based on their mid-sized hatchback offerings.  Ford, Renault,