Car Throttle

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

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,

It's beginning to look like Alfa fans in the US can finally stop their incessant whining. Myself being an unsatisfied US Alfa coveter, I've really been getting tired of waiting for Alfa Romeo to return to US shores again.  It was supposed to be 2007.  Then 2009.  Now, who knows?  But thanks to Fiat's recent tie-in with failing US automaker Chrysler, the prospects of seeing Alfas on US roads - and soon - are pretty strong. And when the wave of Alfas start shipping over, this'll be the first thing off the boat: the new Giulietta.  It's the replacement for the archaic 147 hatchback, and it's been designed with a wider market in mind than it's predecessor. It was originally going to be named Milano, but due

Ferrari's top of the line production car, the 599 GTB Fiorano, is gaining two new variants this year, the HGTE (Handling GT Evoluzione) package and the 599 XX production racecar. The HGTE package is a reworking of the 599's rolling stock and suspension, meant to increase responsiveness and handling limits for people who like to actually drive their Ferraris.  Suspension changes include stiffer spring rates as well as a larger rear anti-sway bar.  The Maranello magicians have fiddled with the settings on the magnetorheological shock absorbers to provide stiffer damping when the Manettino is in the race setting. Other tweaks include recalibrated engine and transmission controls for even faster shifts in race mode, as well as faster throttle response.  20" split-spoke wheels, a matte-black rear diffuser, a

Another day, another Lotus Elise/Exige variant. It seems like the arrival of the newest, latest, greatest Exige/Elise is about a bi-weekly event; but it's still a Lotus, so who's going to complain?  Lotus is the flag-waving prime example of evolution, not revolution, improving the breed.  The latest evolution of the hard-top Exige has evolved just a little bit more, and it's the most powerful factory Exige yet. The flyweight mid-engine hardtop coupe, based on the resin-bonded aluminum spaceframe chassis of the Elise, fills the "track day" niche in the Lotus lineup.  I think.  Anyway, this year Lotus has boosted output on it's Toyota-sourced four cylinder powerplant again, from 240 horsepower to 257.  Lotus uses a proprietary supercharger setup on the Toyota 2ZZ-GE, which was used in

The latest in a long line of Renault hot hatches, the new Renaultsport Megane RS is just exactly what you'd expect: a turbocharged, hard-edged, body-kitted performance variant of the regular Megane. This is the first Renaultsport variant of the new Megane, which has been receiving relatively positive reviews in the press as of late.  It's based on the sleek-looking Megane Coupe, and features a revised motor plus some neat carryovers from the old Megane R.26R. Under the hood is a 2.0L, 16v inline-four equipped with a quick-spooling twin scroll turbocharger.  This motor makes more power and torque than the previous Renaultsport motor, while boasting a wider powerband and improved drivability and response.  Power peaks at 250 horsepower at 5,500rpm, while the torque peak of 340nM( 250lb-ft)

Bugatti is starting to develop "Mustang Syndrome." This rare but treatable condition involves the creation of multitudes of special editions of one model, which are all rather similar only slightly different, for no apparent reason.  While Bugatti doesn't need a reason to do anything (hey, they can sell a $1.4m USD car in this economy!) I do think the special editions are getting out of hand.  Still, the latest limited-edition Bugatti - the Veyron Bleu Centenaire - is easily the best looking of the Bugattis. It's mainly paint.  the Veyron Bleu Centenaire is being made to celebrate the French company's 100th birthday (thus Centenaire) and is painted in two-tone matte and gloss-finish "Sprintblue," Bugatti's traditional racing color of the 1930's.  It's a nice touch and gives the