Models
Italian tire manufacturer, Marangoni, has been down the tuning road before, having performed some previous projects on vehicles like the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
Today, Marangoni is back with another program, this time for the Range Rover Evoque. As comprehensive projects go, this one’s definitely right up there and the unmistakable work done on the Evoque speaks volumes about the talent of these guys.
For the exterior’s styling, Marangoni collaborated with TRC Italia in dressing up theEvoque with a special fine grain Titanium Fluid Metal paint finish. The front grill, hood vents, and door handles were then painted in gloss black to provide a contrasting look to the body of the Evoque. Other panels that were modified include the front bumper fascia, door lower moldings, and rear bumper fascia, which were also given a carbon diffuser. Speaking of carbon, Marangoni also gave the Evoque plenty of that, particularly to the wheel arches, fender vents, and mirror covers. Rounding out the exterior changes on the crossover are a set of 20" Oz Racing Dakar wheels wrapped in Marangoni’s exclusive ruby red M-Power EvoRed tires.
For the interior dress-up, Marangoni enlisted the help of Italian fashion house, Conte of Florence, who came out with the genius idea of dressing up the interior with a special golf inspired quilted upholstery with a large embroidered Tour Line emblem on the seats.
Under its hood, the Evoque was fitted with an "HFI" Hybrid Fuel Injection dual-fuel system, an upgraded turbocharger, a carbon fiber air box, and a larger stainless steel exhaust, all of which gave the crossover’s existing 2.0-liter turbo engine a spike in output. With the modifications in place, the Evoque’s output shot up from the standard 240 horsepower all the way up to 300 horsepower.
Italy has been celebrating the 150th anniversary of its unification all throughout 2011. In the past 11 months, a number of Italian automakers have paid homage to this special year, including Ferrari, which christened their 2011 Formula One race car as the "150° Italia". Ferrari’s biggest rival, Lamborghini, also paid tribute to the occasion with the release of the 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo Tricolore. At the 2011 Bologna Motor Show, Maserati unveiled their celebratory vehicle in the form of the GranTurismo S Limited Edition.
The most unique feature of this special edition car is the Sebring Blue paint finish, but it also comes with certain carbon fiber elements to make it stand out. Elements such as the front and rear spoilers, the side mirrors, and the door handles highlight the blue finish, while polished aluminum calipers, side skirts, headlights, and a new set of 20" alloy wheels round out the exterior details of the special edition GranTurismo S.
As for the interior, Maserati added a carbon trim for the instrumentation, particularly on the center console and dashboard. Additionally, there’s also a tradition commemorative plaque that highlights its tribute to Italy’s 150th unification anniversary, complete with the official number of the model.
On the technical side, Maserati has yet to announce whether the GranTurismo S Limited Edition received performance modifications. Nevertheless, the sports car still carries a pretty impressive 4.7-liter V8 engine that produces 440 horsepower, mated to an electro-actuated MC-Shift manual transmission. This setup is good enough to post a 0-62 mph time of just 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 183 mph.
Maserati will only be releasing 12 models of the GranTurismo S Limited Edition, which means that you’re going to have to strike early to score one.
The 2011 Bologna Motor Show will play host to a special collaboration between Mercedes and Ducati that includes a special edition model from both companies.
On the side of the German automaker, the vehicle is based on the 2012 Mercedes SLK 55 AMG. Inspired by the new Ducati Streetfighter 848, the SLK 55 AMG comes dressed with a "Streetfighter Yellow" exterior paint finish, an extraordinarily unique and aesthetically pleasing color scheme that is available as an optional special color variant courtesy of the AMG Performance Studio. Other unique highlights of the SLK 55 AMG Streetfighter Yellow include an interior that has been dressed with Black Nappa leather with contrasting yellow stitching. This material can be found on the door center panels, the beltlines, armrests, leather-covered roll-over bars, dashboard, the shift lever gaiter, and the AMG Performance steering wheel. The yellow theme of the SLK 55 AMG Stealthfighter Yellow continues with illuminated AMG door sill panels that feature LED technology, further accentuating the overall theme of the most powerful SLK of all time.
Speaking of power, the SLK 55 AMG is powered by a 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that produces an impressive 422 horsepower and 398 lb/ft of torque. Those figures translate to a 0-62 mph time of just 4.6 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.
It may not have any performance boost, but you only need to look at the car to understand that even without power modifications, the SLK AMG 55 Stealthfighter Yellow is delightfully awesome.
The Fiat line-up that’s headed to the 2011 Bologna Motor Show will also include a special edition 500 model that has been designed to commemorate the car’s introduction to the US market.
The special edition Fiat 500 model is called the "Nation Limited Edition" and it will come in hard-top and cabrio trims. As far as the former is concerned, Fiat dressed it up in an "America Blue" exterior paint finish and it comes with a bevy of unique trims, including a "Stars & Stripes" package on the sides and on the mirror casings, and a new set of 16" alloy wheels.
Meanwhile, the 500C version will come in a "Tri-Coat White" exterior paint finish and will also feature the same "Stars & Stripes" package on the sides and the mirror casings, as well as a new set of 16" alloy wheels. A different wrinkle on the 500C is the red soft-top roof, further enhancing the color scheme of the car as a celebration of our beloved land.
Powertrain figures for both the 500 and 500C remains the same - a 1.4-liter, in-line four-cylinder engine with state-of-the-art MultiAir technology that delivers 101 horsepower and 98 lb/ft of torque - although customers who opt for the 500C will have to shell out more money to be able to buy one.
Both models will be limited to 500 units apiece with the hard-top version coming with a price tag of €14,500, which is about $19,500 based on current exchange rates. As for the 500C, that one will cost you €18,000, which when converted, hits $24,200.
Fiat and Abarth are coming fully loaded to the Bologna Motor Show armed with barrel full of special edition 500s and Puntos. We’ve already touched on the 500 Competizione, the 500 Turismo, and the Abarth 695 Assetto Corse so now we’re pointing the proverbial spotlight on the fourth model headed to Bologna: the Abarth Punto Scorpione Limited Edition.
This particular model is being described as a tribute model to "everyone who loves to pit themselves against any kind of challenge in a never-ending search for speed and performance both on the track and facing a downhill road."
Dressing the part of a sinister-looking, all-black limited edition Abarth, the Punto Scorpione is poised to steal the show, not only because it has such an awesome name, but more so because it will be presented with the “Abarth Nitro” winter kit that will come with plenty of winter-themed accessories, including, but not limited to, the “Nitro Powered by Abarth” snowboard.
Adding more touches to the 99-piece model is a two-tone Nero Scorpione livery that’s enhanced by a special matte black paintwork on the bonnet and roof with special glossy black graphics for the roof and the bonnet. Inside, the special enhancements continue in the form of "Abarth Corsa by Sabelt" black leather seats with red and yellow stitching, a matte black backrest, a leather steering wheel with its own red and yellow stitching, Jaeger driving instruments, and a laser-treated aluminium kick plate with special graphics.
Under its hood, the Scorpione Limited Edition is powered by a 1.4-liter MultiAir engine that develops 180 horsepower and 199 lb/ft of torque with a 0-62 mph time of 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 134 mph.
Customers in the UK now have another chance to drive a new special edition Land Rover Freelander with the Freelander 2 SD4 Sport Limited Edition. This special edition comes with a refreshed interior and exterior design with a Firenze Red that seems to be especially created for the women out there. Don’t worry guys, this special edition also comes in Fuji White and Santorini Black.
Next to these special exterior colors, the new Freelander 2 SD4 Sport Limited Edition features a black grille and side vents, a new body styling pack which offers cleaner profiling to the front corners, a new rear spoiler, and 19" Shadow Chrome alloy wheels.
For the interior, Land Rover is offering Ebony Windsor leather with contrast Pimento stitch, or Ebony Napoli leather with matching contrast Windsor leather highlight stripe on the seats.
With a total output of 190 hp, the new SD4 Sport limited edition sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 8.7 seconds with an increased top speed of 118mph.
Press release after the jump.
Fiat’s little 500 hatchback is gaining quite a reputation as a special-edition friendly model. We’ve already seen a number of them in the past, but it seems that Fiat isn’t done with releasing special edition models.
The latest to come out of the Fiat woodwork is the 500 Bicolore Edition, which the Italian automaker revealed at the Bologna Motor Show. So what sets this particular 500 apart from other models?
Well, taking from its name ‘bicolore’, Fiat dressed up the car in a two-tone paint finish comprising of white on top and red on the bottom, separated by a line where the bonnet meets the body. Similarly, Fiat used the same treatment on the inside of the passenger compartment, which should add more life to the car’s interior.
Apart from that, Fiat left everything the way it was, which really isn’t so much as a bad thing because added features mean increased cost.
In the end, we liked the way Fiat treated the Bicolore Edition 500 - classy without going too overboard.
Details after the jump.
We don’t usually see auto brands like Alfa Romeo get dressed in green tires, so when somebody decides to do it – props to Marangoni – we jump on the opportunity to know more about it.
Based on the Alfa Romeo 1750 Quadrifoglio Verde that has had its fair share of modifications, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta G430 iMove Marangoni is a testament to an aggressive sports hatch being given randy dandy aerodynamic and aesthetic upgrades. Heck, these guys were nice enough to even include a Segway i2 a dashboard-integrated iPad and its own Internet connection.
Marangoni’s M-Power tires were used on the car and the green color wrapped around them came as a result of using compounds with high silica content and other innovative materials. Aside from being an aesthetic quirk, this colorful addition actually serves a meaningful purpose by minimizing rolling resistance and, consequently, saving up on fuel consumption.
Details after the jump.
People that have been going to the Bologna Motor Show in Italy are being treated to some kind of supercar-fest, haven’t they?
Days after catching a glimpse of Valentino Balboni burn rubber on-board his LP550-2 Balboni, a video of two other supercars – the Pagani Zonda R and the Prototype 2 – was captured doing a couple of laps on the very same track Balboni was on a few days ago.
While we’ve all seen glimpses of the Zonda R in action, this is the first time we’ve gotten a chance to look at the Prototype 2 – a car that Pagani is using to develop its new toy, the Cinque. Unfortunately, none of us could make the trip to Bologna, Italy for this extraordinary auto show so this video of the two cars roaring around the track would make do for us.
Online: http://www.motorshow.it/uk
Bologna Motor Show that will be held this year from 5 to 14 December is the most important Italian Motor Show. Bologna Motor Show will give car manufacturers the opportunity to showcase their latest products.