Whether you prefer Ferrari over Lamborghini or Porsche over Jaguar, there is one thing that we all have in common. Its the need for speed! Take a look at the top 10 fastest road cars in the world.
1. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (268mph). This version of the original Veyron still has the same 8.0 litre, 16 cylinder engine but upgrades have pushed it into the record books
2. SSC Ultimate Aero (257mph). Built by USA firm Shelby SuperCars, it held the ‘world’s fastest car’ title for more than three years. It has a twin turbo V8 engine with 1183hp and costs from £435,000.
3. Saleen S7 Twin Turbo (248mph). An updated version of the California-built S7, this version was produced in 2005 and 2006 and cost £295,559. With the engine located in the middle of the car, it had both a front and rear boot
4. Koenigsegg CCX (245mph). The 4.7 litre twin-supercharged V8-engined car was first built in 2006 as a version of the original CC. Created by the Swedish motor firm founded by Christian von Koenigsegg, its name is an abbreviation of Competition Coupé X, marking the 10th anniversary of the test drive of the first CC vehicle in 1996.
5. McLaren F1 (240 mph). Fitted with a BMW S70/2 60 V12 Engine, it remains the world’s fastest naturally-aspirated production car. Naturally-aspirated engines use atmospheric pressure to increase the intake of air for combustion. 106 were produced between 1992 and 1998.
6. Jaguar XJ220 (217mph). First conceived in the late 1980s as an after-hours project among Jaguar workers, this car became an official Jaguar production with 281 manufactured.
7. Ferrari Enzo (217mph). Only 400 of these were ever produced, leading to price increases with every sale. Named after the Italian company’s founder, Enzo Ferrari.
8. Pagani Zonda C12 F (215mph). This Italian-designed car made its debut at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show
9. Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce (213mph). The 2009 incarncation of the Lamborghini Murcielago supercar has a top speed of 213mph thanks to fine tuning of the original design
10. Porsche Carrera GT (205mph). The most powerful and most expensive Porsche, at over £300,000
How much does a name or brand mean to you? Does it matter what up to date technology the car has, or the exquisite style and taste the manufactures use? Take a look at the new KIA Cadenza and see if it changes your mind!
When we think of luxury cars, we think Porsche, Mercedes and Jaguar. KIA isn’t generally thought of as an upscale brand and is known for more for value than luxury, but the 2014 KIA Cadenza aims to change that perception. It starts with the exterior design and moves right on through to the inside of the vehicle where you’ll swear you’re sitting in something that costs many thousands more than the number that’s on the sticker.
The exterior looks fantastic with a very European performance car flair although it’s definitely not a sports sedan. The lines are clean and smooth with a wide stance and a blunt hood with a wide grille trimmed in just enough chrome, but not too much. It’s not garish or flashy, but elegant and subdued even with the optional 19″ alloy wheels.
Once you open the door and take a seat you are surrounded by the full luxury car treatment. There are soft touch surfaces everywhere with a combination of leather and wood finishes that never become garish. Once again this is luxury, but in the most tasteful way possible without becoming ostentatious.
Leather trimmed, heated, front seats are both power adjustable with ventilation and heated rear seats available. There’s dual-zone climate control, a navigation system with 8″ display, Infinity surround sound audio system, UVO eServices Telematics with rear camera display, Sirius/XM satellite radio with a 3-month subscription, Bluetooth, push button start with smart key, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with HomeLink. Features? The 2014 KIA Cadenza has plenty.
There’s also plenty of safety with airbas, ABS brakes, traction control, electronic stability control and vehicle stability management all standard. Additionally there are LED positioning headlights, front fog lights, power-folding mirrors with turn signal indicators, LED tail lights and a backup warning system.
The 2014 KIA Cadenza is powered by a 3.3L direct injected V6 with 293 horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission w/Sportmatic. Torque is lacking at the low end of the range so it’s not quick off the line, but once you hit the sweet spot it’s a powerful and fun ride. Yet, if you’re looking for a performance sedan, all you need do is take a corner to realize that the Cadenza doesn’t qualify. The Nissan Maxima is a better choice for a sporty sedan at the same price, but it won’t match up on luxury.
Body control is good, but it handles unmistakably like a large sedan without the responsiveness of more performance oriented vehicles. Steering feel is good and the majority of the time it’s more than adequate, but on hard corners at higher speeds it doesn’t have quite the chops performance buyers seek. Braking is solid and manages the bulk of the sedan effortlessly.
The ride and comfort in the 2014 KIA Cadenza are somewhere between performance and cushy sedan. It doesn’t have the overblown, couch-on-wheels feel of some large but avoids the stiffness of performance vehicles, managing to provide a comfortable and easy ride for all passengers. It’s also a blissfully quiet ride with minimal road and wind noise that make carrying on a conversation with rear passengers easy. The Hyundai Azera comes close to the Cadenza here though with not quite the ambiance.
Yes, it has all the hallmarks of a luxury sedan, save for the price. The base Premium trim, which is already loaded with features, starts at $35,100. Technology and Luxury packages are available at $3,000 each. The Technology package adds smart cruise control, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, electronic parking brake, hydrophobic front door windows and 19″ alloy wheels.
The Luxury package adds an even longer list of features that includes panoramic roof with power sunshade, HID headlights with adaptive lighting system, Nappa leather seat and interior trim, power driver’s seat cushion extension, ventilated driver’s seat, heated rear seats and steering wheel, power tilt and telescopic steering column, supervision meter cluster with 7″ colour LCD, integrated memory system and power rear window sunshade.
The 2014 KIA Cadenza delivers a genuine luxury car experience, with all the features, comfort and technology you’d expect at an entirely unexpected price.
For those of you that still like your big brand luxury cars, come and have a look at we have to offer you on our website.
The Gumball 3000 rally will be using its new route from Miami to Ibiza this June. Those of you that are fans of the Rally will be able to see its array of supercars this June, starting on the 4th and finishing on the 11th, after it has passed through New York, Atlanta, Edinburgh, London, Paris, Barcelona and finishing in Ibiza
The annual Gumball 3000 rally is a rolling 3,000 mile festival of crazy driving and debauchery that features the world’s most exclusive supercars. This year’s race, which costs about $40,000 to participate in, will travel across two continents and five countries with various parties, concerts and VIP events along the way.
Photo Courtesy of Gumball 3000
Every major supercar marque — including Bugatti, Ferrari, Bentley, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce — will be represented in this year’s event, which was first started back in 1999 by ex-racing driver, designer and British entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper (he also got engaged to singer-actress Eve December of last year). The 2013 rally from Copenhagen to Monaco was won by a team from the United Arab Emirates driving a custom Lamborghini Aventador.
Photo Courtesy of Gumball 3000
This year’s event is set to be even more hedonistic thanks to a new partnership with AnastasiaDate, a leading international escort service specializing in beautiful Russian women. Two of the firm’s sexiest “employees” will drive a Lamborghini Gallardo Spider in the race in homage to the 1981 movie Canonball Run. Injuries along the route, which changes every year, are not uncommon — in 2007 there were even two fatalities — and cars worth a small fortune have been confiscated in previous years.
Fancy driving your own supercar? Have a look at our website and see what we have to offer!
