Mazzanti Evantra V8 unveiled at 2013 Top Marques Monaco

V8 with 701 HP

Mazzanti Automobili has finally revealed the production version of the Evantra V8at 2013 Top Marques Monaco.

Described as a "tailor-made supercar", the Evantra V8 is a two-seater coupe offered with carbon fiber composite materials (PRO-BODY model) or with a hand-crafted, aluminum-made body personalized by the client (ONE-BODY model).

Power comes from an aluminum V8 7.0-liter naturally-aspirated engine producing 701 bhp (523 kW) at 6,600 rpm and 848 Nm (625 lb-ft) of torque at 4,500 rpm. Linked to a 6-speed manual or sequential gearbox, the Evantra reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.2 seconds, on its way to a top speed of more than 217 mph (350 km/h).

It rides on 20-inch OZ alloys covered by Continental 255/30 R20 front and 305/25 R20 rear tires. Stopping power is provided by Brembo with their 380mm discs with six-piston calipers for the front wheels and 360mm discs with four-piston calipers for the rear axle. Optionally available are carbon ceramic brakes.

The Evantra is 4325mm long, 1225mm tall and 1955mm wide, with a 2550mm wheelbase and a curb weight of 1,300 kg (2,866 lbs) for the aforementioned PRO-BODY variant.

The interior cabin will also be tailor-made according to client's requests. Mazzanti is offering all-natural leather prepared with special aniline leather treatment. The center console sports an AIM dash and data acquisition system plus a Bosch headunit with support for navigation, CD and MP3.

Different maps for the engine can be selected from the lower part of the console where there's a modality selector with "Strada – Street" and "Corsa – Race" modes. The Nardi steering wheel has a small display showing current gear, while behind it are the paddles for the variant with the sequential gearbox.

Full details are available in the attached press release.

Source: Mazzanti Automobili

via Worldcarfans

Jaguar F-Type V8 S: The cat that roars

Usually, it’s bulls that are driven through the streets of Pamplona, but we tried it with a big cat instead: the new 495HP Jaguar F-Type V8 S

The noise of a hundred thousand howling hellcats at siesta time? Old ladies in flowered aprons storm onto the road, even older men in dusty suits shake their heads and the entire local population of children runs waving and laughing after us, as the orange roadster with a louder-than-life roar flies through the small Spanish mountain town. It’s one of the first warm days of the year and the sun beats down on lush green meadows and hills through which the ribbon of asphalt winds in large curves. Ernest Hemingway immortalised Pamplona, including the gnarled trees along the mountain roads to the east, in his 1926 novel ‘Fiesta’ (though he later feared its subsequent fame had spoilt the previously unknown town).


But it wasn’t Pamplona that produced the biggest surprise of the day, or even the F-Type in general; it was the bloodcurdling sound that still rang in my ears a day later. If you drive the F-Type in Sport mode, thanks to the ‘active exhaust system’ you will find that every input to the throttle and every gearshift via the paddles is accompanied by such a fierce crackling and popping that one at first fears the petrol tank is in flames. Spare a thought for the Spanish goats with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of our test drive.


In other ways, too, the F-type is overwhelming. In just 4.3 seconds you are at 62mph and top speed isn’t reached until 186mph. Even at 90mph, however, there is such a storm of noise in the cockpit that conversation is near-impossible. The ecstatic topography of the mountains and valley roads, winding up from Burgui to 1,168m above sea level, only to spiral into gentle curves down to Lumbier, is predestined to test the agility of the F-Type.


The Alcantara-trimmed sports steering wheel is wonderfully precise at directing the roadster, while clever weight distribution makes it seem easier than it is (given its 1,665kg kerb weight) and the adaptive damping system provides extreme stability and security. Rarely has the driver been able to have such fun juggling throttle, brake and shift paddles.


On arrival in Pamplona, we switch back to the quieter comforts of automatic mode to negotiate the narrow streets of the old town, where the bulls are driven in the summer fiesta. I suppose we should travel in a Lamborghini through the town made famous by bulls – but who would have thought it: the big cat is a worthy competitor for the mid-engined aggressors of Sant’Agata. While we finish off the trip with Hemingway’s favoured Pastis and marinated octopus, heat shimmers over the bonnet of the Jaguar. Whether the English hero can win the battle against Porsche, Aston and so on, will start to become evident this week, when the first examples of the new Jaguar arrive at UK dealerships. It’s going to be a good summer.

Related Links Configure your Jaguar F-Type at F-type.jaguar.com Numerous classic and modern Jaguars can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Jan Baedeker (Classic Driver)
Photos: Jan Baedeker / David Shepherd, Nick Dimbleby

Bol d’Or : a chilly warm-up / un warm-up bien frais

The 51 teams made full use of this morning’s 45-minute warm-up session to make the final adjustments to their race set-ups before the bikes go on the grid at 2:15pm.

Dernières prises de repères et derniers ajustements, les 51 équipes ont disposé de 45 minutes ce matin pour affiner leurs réglages avant le début de la mise en grille à 14h15.

It’s a chilly 10°C this morning at Magny-Cours and the sky is covered by ominous grey clouds. Some are predicting rain for the early part of the race and there aren’t very many spectators in the grandstands for the moment.

The temperature is much lower than it was during the week’s different free practice and qualifying sessions, so the riders used the warm-up run to adapt to the current conditions. A number of them were caught out by the cold and fell.

The factory teams stayed out of trouble, however, and monopolised the top of the timesheet. SERT was fastest with a lap of 1m41.002s, ahead of GMT 94, BMW Motorrad France Team and Kawasaki SRC. YART was sixth, behind the R2CL bike.

Penz 13 topped the Superstock order, chased by AM Moto Racing and Louit Moto.

The mechanics used the session to rehearse their pit-stop routines one last time and mark out the places where the bikes should stop when they come in for fuel.

Predicting the weather accurately could be one of the keys to winning this year’s Bol d’Or. Don’t forget to join us at 3pm for the start.

Le thermomètre peine à atteindre les 10°C ce matin sur le circuit de Magny-Cours où le ciel est chargé de gros nuages gris. La pluie pourrait accompagnée les pilotes lors du départ à 15 heures. Les spectateurs s’installent timidement dans les gradins encore bien clairsemés.

Les pilotes n’ont pas connu de températures aussi fraîches lors les essais libres et qualificatifs et doivent s’adapter à ces nouvelles conditions de piste.  Quelques pilotes se sont faits surprendre et sont partis à la faute.

Rien à signaler pour les teams officiels où les principaux prétendants à la victoire ont trusté les premières places. Le SERT a signé le meilleur temps en 1.41.002 devant le GMT 94, BMW Motorrad France Team, Kawasaki SRC. Le YART pointe à la sixième place derrière le team R2CL.

Penz 13 s’est montré le plus rapide de la catégorie Superstock devant AM Moto Racing et Louit Moto.

Les mécanos se sont entrainés une dernière fois au ravitaillement et ont validé les marquages au sol pour optimiser les arrêts au stand.

L’anticipation des conditions météorologiques sera peut-être la clé de cette 77^ème édition du Bol d’Or. On vous donne rendez-vous à 15 heures pour vivre en direct le départ.

motoracinglive

Fiesta! Ernest Hemingway's wild Pamplona

Pamplona and its San Fermín festival, or fiesta, became a love affair for Ernest Hemingway in the early 1920s. Ninety years later, and you can still watch the bulls tearing their way up Calle Estafeta in the Spanish mountain town. 

The Nobel Prize-winning writer’s nine trips to the capital of the Navarre region of Spain formed the inspiration for several of his works; perhaps most notably his first novel, ‘The Sun Also Rises’, also published under the title ‘Fiesta’. His fascination with the bull-fighting and the running of the bulls is what drew him to the tranquil (and largely unknown in those days) town, during the eight-day festival held there every July. 



He would frequent the Gran Hotel La Perla on his visits, usually staying in room 217: a suite that is still available to book today (albeit under a different number), largely untouched since his final trip and still as it was described in the 1926 novel. In fact, his reservation for room 217, scheduled for the festival of July 1961, was cancelled just a few days before Hemingway shot himself at his home in Ketchum, Idaho. 



Although room rates are high during the festival, to walk in Ernest Hemingway’s footsteps, drink in his favourite watering holes in the Plaza del Castillo and, perhaps, run through the narrow streets with the famous bulls, would be an experience like no other.



His legacy lives on in Pamplona – ‘Hemingway Corner’ in Café Iruna, and the bronze bust of the writer on the entrance to the bullring - though, in his mind, the associated fame and subsequent tourism he brought to the town was its downfall, resulting in a place he felt he no longer knew. Regardless of that, the town, nestled deep in the heart of north-eastern Spain, remains forever in his debt. 

Related Links The Gran Hotel La Perla website: www.granhotellaperla.com

Text: Classic Driver
Photos: Getty Images