A couple of hours south of San Francisco lies the Monterey Peninsula – a large and picturesque wedge of land that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. Some 60,000 people live here, split between towns and communities including Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, and the area is known for its scenery and natural beauty, local wineries, seafood and, in the City of Monterey, a smalltown atmosphere, restaurants, and arts community.

Once a year in August, the area becomes a magnet for automotive enthusiasts as Monterey Car Week dominates the events calendar. And there is some epic stuff to enjoy for those with an appreciation of fine automotive craft. An abundance of car-related events are held – almost all favouring the high-end historical, luxury and performance side of the industry – including the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance and several auctions at which, if you have a thick wallet and deep pockets, you can pick up an exceedingly rare and classic motor or two. For example, this year’s Sotheby’s auction included a 1955 Ferrari Sport Spider which sold for an eye-watering $US22 million ($AU 32.2 million).

But Monterey Car Week is not all about classics of the past, with manufacturers also taking the opportunity to unveil their latest luxury creations. And this year was a beauty, with some real stunners being unwrapped by, amongst others, McLaren, Lincoln, Bugatti, and Aston Martin. So, in this month’s Motor Trader, we’re going to take a look at a handful of these stunning, sometimes outrageous, automotive works of art.

The era of the extraordinary, monstrously powerful, iconic W16 engine is coming to an end. So says Bugatti, which has used the massive Volkswagen-developed engine in a slew of its potent and record-breaking sports cars – from the Veyron to the Chiron to the Bolide, amongst others.

The company is not, however, saying goodbye to the engine without one last hurrah, and that comes in the form of this, the W16 Mistral roadster.

Built around the 1180kW incarnation of the W16 engine, the Mistral offers, Bugatti says, performance unlike any open top car that has gone before and one that will set the benchmark for open-top roadsters.

There’s plenty to like here, of course. The Mistral, while inspired by the Chiron model, has many unique features. Bugatti says its design and engineering is completely bespoke, with the existing monocoque not simply cut off above the A-pillars to make way for the new open-top design, but re-engineered and reshaped – using composite materials, aluminium and 3D-printing technology – to create a ‘more rounded silhouette without compromising performance.’

The wider horseshoe grille up front allows the engine radiator to be fed from one intake, while the two side intakes provide air to the intercoolers. Oil cooler intakes are on the side while the engine air intakes now sit on the roof, just behind the occupants. Those intakes, fashioned from carbon fibre, are strong enough, Bugatti says, to support the whole weight of the car in case of a rollover.

The four-light headlights are a nod to the W16 Mistral’s four-wheel-drive and four turbochargers, but their three-dimensional surface also functions as an aerodynamic aid that funnels air through the light and out through the wheel arch to improve aerodynamic drag.

The X-taillight at the rear, meanwhile, serves the function of venting the side oil coolers through ducts connecting the triangular space between the X lights to the side radiators.

On the inside, there’s woven leather and carbon fibre everywhere and in a nod to the W16 Mistral’s predecessors, the gear shifter is machined from a solid block of aluminium and features a touch of wood and an amber insert.

It is all pretty spectacular and looks like a fine way to farewell the engineering artwork that is the W16 engine.

“The union of a roadster format and our W16 powertrain is absolute perfection,” said Mate Rimac, Bugatti Rimac CEO. “With the roof removed, and a pair of large air intakes directly behind your head feeding around 70,000 litres of air through the engine every minute at full bore, driving the W16 Mistral connects you to the intricate workings of this revolutionary powertrain like no other Bugatti to date.

“What we also continue with W16 Mistral is a legacy of Bugatti roadsters, each of them incomparable in design, performance, and rarity, which stretches right back to the genesis of Bugatti. The Type 40, Type 41 Royale, Type 55 Roadster, Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid that inspired this car, or even the incredible elegance of the Type 57SC Corsica Roadster – Bugatti has always been associated with the purity of open top driving. So even though the legacy of the roadgoing W16 ends with the W16 Mistral, we continue the legacy of the roadster, first established by Ettore Bugatti more than a century ago.”

99 examples of the W16 Mistral will be built – all of which have been reserved – and each carries the hefty price tag of €5 million ($AU7.3 million).

Aston Martin introduced the limited production V12 Vantage Roadster during Monterey Car Week. Just 249 units of the luxury Roadster will be built, and well-heeled buyers lucky enough to get their hands on one will get another splendid vehicle from the British manufacturer.

Underneath the sleek, widebody exterior sits a 5.2-litre Twin-Turbo V12 developing 515kWkW and 753Nm, enabling the rear-wheel-drive Roadster to skip to 100km/h in around 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 322km/h.

There’s a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission and mechanical Limited-Slip Differential (LSD) mounted at the rear, and the transmission calibration is, the company says, optimised to minimise shift speeds while adaptive software in the transmission’s control system monitors operating conditions and driver demands to enhance response and control.

The V12 Vantage Roadster features Carbon Ceramic Brakes (CCB), with the front discs gripped by 6-piston calipers, and rear discs paired with 4-piston calipers. The Roadster’s front bumper, clamshell bonnet, front fenders and side sills are made from carbon fibre, with the rear bumper and deck lid made from composite material. Additional weight savings have been made with the adoption of a lightweight battery and a special centre-mounted twin-exit exhaust system fabricated from 1mm stainless steel.

The Roadster’s widebody design is, Aston Martin says, necessary to accommodate the wide-track suspension, which is 40mm wider than the regular Vantage. The new front bumper design with full width front splitter generates additional downforce and aerodynamic balance, while increased cooling comes via the reshaped front grille and the ‘horseshoe’ engine vent in the bonnet. A rear wing can be specified as an option for the Roadster.

21-inch alloy wheels are offered in two finishes, satin black or satin black diamond turned. An optional lightweight forged wheel option is also available. Michelin Pilot 4S high performance tyres – 275/35 R21 front and 315/30 R21 at the rear – are standard fitment.

The V12 Roadster is fitted with Sports Plus Seats trimmed in semi-aniline leather and featuring a ‘Wings’ quilt and perforation pattern. A carbon fibre performance seat with exposed carbon fibre shell and manual 6-way adjustment can be had as an option. Customers can use Aston Martin’s bespoke customisation service, Q by Aston Martin, to give their Roadster unique touches.

Deliveries of the V12 Vantage Roadster are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

Hennessey Special Vehicles, the Texas-based hypercar manufacturer that has made its reputation on building phenomenally swift and powerful cars, has revealed its latest creation, the Venom F5 Roadster.

If things hold to form, the Roadster – which is based on Hennessey’s Venom F5 Coupe – could become the world’s fastest convertible with Hennessey saying a top speed over 300mph (480km/h) is in its sights!

Power for this lightning-quick machine comes from a twin-turbocharged, 6.6-litre ‘Fury’ V8, mid-mounted in the carbon-fibre monocoque chassis. That engine develops a whopping 1817bhp (1355kW) and that grunt is sent to the rear wheels through an automated single-clutch gearbox. At the rear, the curious can get a good look at the Venom F5 Roadster powerplant through a tempered glass engine viewing window.

The F5 Roadster’s body panels are carbon fibre, and its roof is a removable single-piece panel made from rigid carbon fibre composites and lined with Alcantara upholstery. Weighing in at 8kg, the weatherproof panel is secured with four quick-release bolts and a pair of high-strength latches to withstand high acceleration and the aerodynamic forces at extreme speed.

As with the Venom F5 Coupe, Roadster buyers can specify any exterior and interior color combination or leave areas of the Venom F5’s carbon fiber chassis and body panels exposed. The same can be done within the passenger cabin.

Just 30 units of the Venom F5 Roadster are to be manufactured, with production set to begin later this year. Price is $US3million ($AU4.34million).

Dodge, the iconic American manufacturer that is part of Stellantis, has unwrapped the Charger Daytona SRT, a battery-electric (BEV) performance concept that gives a glimpse of the brand’s electric future.

Dodge revealed the concept after announcing what will be the last incarnations of its combustion engine-powered muscle car line-up.

That petrol-powered line-up of Challenger and Charger will come to an end with seven heritage-influence variants for the 2023 model year, and each will share a connection to an iconic Dodge model from the past, reaching back to the dawn of the muscle-car era in the 1960s and 1970s, when the Charger and Challenger nameplates emerged.

The new path for Dodge performance cars will be an electrified one, and the two-door Charger Daytona SRT Concept will, the company says, be graced with a new propulsion system that will deliver ‘performance that exceeds the Dodge brand’s famed SRT Hellcat engine, accompanied by an industry-first BEV exhaust sound.’

While those performance figures are yet to be revealed, Dodge says that the propulsion system will be an 800-volt set-up called Banshee. If it is going to deliver more than 530kW 6.2-litre Supercharged V8 in the current SRT Hellcat, then the Charger Daytona SRT Concept should be ferocious indeed.
Along with the battery/electric motor set-up, Dodge says the Charger Daytona SRT Concept is fitted with what it calls ‘three game-changing, patent-pending features that will rewrite the rules of the BEV segment.’

These include an ‘R-Wing’ – an aerodynamic pass-through design feature on the bonnet that allows air to flow through the front opening, enhancing downforce. There’s also a Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, which the company says is an industry-first BEV exhaust, delivering what many a muscle car enthusiast might want – a 126dB roar.

No silent running here!

Instead, the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust pushes its performance sound through an amplifier and tuning chamber located at the rear of the vehicle.
Also fitted is an eRupt Transmission – a multi-speed transmission with electro-mechanical shifting delivering distinctive shift points, and for those times when an extra bit of juice is required, there’s a PowerShot push-to-pass feature, activated by the push of a button on the steering wheel, that delivers a jolt of extra power for a quick burst of acceleration.

A button on the steering wheel also enables the driver to pick from Auto, Sport, Track and Drag modes, which change the driving dynamics, instrument cluster information, Head-up Display content, performance sound and interior lighting features of the vehicle.

The Charger Daytona SRT Concept looks great, like a muscle car should, with retro styling and futuristic touches such as full width lighting front and rear, flush door handles, and 21-inch wheels with a turbine-like design and red Fratzog logo on the wheel centre locks marking it as something a bit special.

On the inside, the interior is suitably modern. There’s a 12.3-inch centre screen angled toward the driver, a 16-inch curved instrument cluster, and an 8-by-3-inch Head-up Display.

There’s a textured interior fitting, ambient lighting, and dual Blue Plasma and Silver stitching that surrounds the entire interior which is designed to indicate the electrified nature of the car. Carbon fibre door sills feature illuminated white Daytona lettering and there’s a jet fighter-inspired cap that flips up when engaging the start button. The seats are lightweight, race-inspired and slim in design, and there’s a panoramic glass roof.

“The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept exists because performance made us do it,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer – Stellantis.

“Dodge is about muscle, attitude and performance, and the brand carries that chip on its shoulder and into the BEV segment through a concept loaded with patents, innovations, and performance features that embody the electrified muscle of tomorrow. The Charger Daytona SRT Concept can do more than run the car show circuit; it can run a blazing quarter mile. And when it comes to product cycles, it outruns Darwin. Charger Daytona does more than define where Dodge is headed, it will redefine American muscle in the process.”

The Porsche 911 has to be one of the most famous nameplates in automotive history, and Porsche has unveiled another rip-snorting variant of its iconic model with the GT3 RS.

Plenty of racetrack-derived tech has gone into the new car, including some clever aerodynamics and lightweight construction and the result is a road-legal high-performance sports car that, with its 4-litre, naturally aspirated, six-cylinder boxer engine running power through a seven-speed PDK double-clutch transmission, generates 386kW and can rip to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds and top out at 296km/h.

The aerodynamic features include continuously adjustable wing elements in the front and a massive swan-neck rear wing which consists of a fixed main wing and an upper, hydraulically adjustable wing element. Up front, there’s a front splitter that divides the air flowing over and underneath. Front wheel arch ventilation is provided via openings in the front wings.

A drag reduction system (DRS) is fitted as well, enabling the wings to be flattened out and for low drag and higher speeds to be achieved on straight sections of a track. These elements adjust under emergency braking and are set to maximum, acting as an airbrake.

Even the suspension comes in for aerodynamic attention, with the components of the double-wishbone front axle designed with teardrop-shaped profiles.

The 911 GT3 RS offers three driving modes: Normal, Sport and Track. In Track mode, the basic settings can be individually adjusted. Among other settings, the rebound and compression damping of the front and rear axles can be adjusted separately and in several stages. The rear differential can also be adjusted via rotary controls on the steering wheel.

Braking power is delivered by aluminium monobloc fixed-calliper brakes with six pistons each and brake discs on the front axle. The rear axle is fitted with brake discs and four-piston fixed-calliper brakes. Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes are an option.

The interior is suitably racing-inspired, with black leather, Racetex microfibre material, and carbon-weave finish. The 911 GT3 RS is available with the Clubsport package at no extra cost, which includes a steel rollover bar, a hand-held fire extinguisher and six-point seat belts for the driver.

A Weissach package, available at extra cost, offers much more, including more components made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) – including the roll cage – and lighter, magnesium forged wheels.

In Australia, the 911 GT3 RS will be equipped with Tinted LED main headlights including Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS), automatically dimming mirrors including rain sensor, front-axle lift system, ParkAssist (rear only), reversing camera, tyre fit set (sealant) and digital radio.

The new 911 GT3 RS is available from $500,200, and Australian deliveries are expected to start in the second quarter of 2023.

This is the McLaren Solus GT, once a car that lived in the digital world of the Gran Turismo Sport video game but now brought to life as a fully-fledged, track-only hypercar.

A special commission for just 25 customers – with all cars already sold – the single-seat, closed-cockpit track car was unveiled during Monterey Car Week and will, McLaren says, deliver a driving experience ‘close to the engagement and sensation of driving a Formula 1 car.

Weighing in at less than 1,000kg, the Solus GT is based around a carbon fibre monocoque, with front and rear chassis structures also made from carbon fibre and the engine and gearbox forming the rest of the chassis.

At its heart, the car has a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine that revs to more than 10,000rpm and delivers 618kW and 650Nm through a seven-speed sequential gearbox. McLaren says the Solus GT should do the 0-100km/h sprint in 2.5 seconds and reach a maximum speed of more than 320km/h.

Visually a striking machine – with a sliding canopy above the single, central seat being one of the more eye-catching elements – the Solus GT is all about on-track performance.

The wheels – 18-inch forged aluminium wheels with centre locking nuts – are shrouded in aerodynamic pods. Braking is provided by 6-piston monobloc machined aluminium calipers and carbon brake discs and pads. A large front splitter feeds air into ground-effect tunnels before it exits the car via a full diffuser, and a motorsport-inspired intake above the cockpit integrated into the design of the roll hoop cover feeds cold air into the engine.

Race car design also inspired the sidepods which house the Solus GT’s radiators. A twin-element, fixed rear wing is key to a downforce figure of 1200kg that can be generated.

The suspension system incorporates double wishbones with inboard torsion bar damping, operated via pushrods at the front and pullrods at the rear. Both axles are linked by anti-roll bars, with tuning options available to the driver.

McLaren is offering a full ‘racing driver experience’ to Solus GT customers. This includes a driving seat moulded to the driver’s individual body shape; an FIA-homologated race suit, helmet and HANS device (head and neck restraint) bespoke to each owner, and radio-enabled ear inserts. A full driver-development coaching program will also be available.

The McLaren Solus GT is currently at the track-testing stage of its development process with the first of the 25 cars scheduled for delivery in 2023.

This is the Bentley Mulliner Batur, a new two-door Grant Tourer coupe from the famed British marque.

From time-to-time Bentley will produce limited edition, uber-luxury creations, and these often fall under the care and direction of the company’s coachbuilding division, Mulliner. The division has created plenty of special editions over the years, including of Bentley’s Continental GT, the Flying Spur, and the Mulsanne, as well as such astounding cars such as the Bacalar that appeared in 2020.

Now, they have come up with the Batur Grand Tourer and it is, of course, drop-dead gorgeous and dripping with all the luxurious appointments one would expect of a limited-edition Bentley.

Just 18 cars are to be built (all are already spoken for) and the buyers will get a supremely powerful, beautiful machine for their money.

Bentley says the Batur will be its most powerful car yet, with a version of its hand-assembled 6-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine including a new intake system, upgraded turbos, new intercoolers, and ‘extensive recalibration’. It will deliver more than 545kW and 1000Nm. That monster engine is paired with an 8-speed double-clutch transmission and a sports exhaust designed to hit the right notes.

The engine performance will, the company adds, be matched to the most advanced Bentley chassis ever, with air suspension, electric active anti-roll control, eLSD, four-wheel steering and torque vectoring.

As always with Bentley, customers will be able to access an almost unlimited array of options – from paint to graphics, from the colour of the 22-inch wheels to the interior upholstery and veneers to the material used for control knobs and buttons, anything is possible. In fact, for the Batur, certain controls, including the organ stops for ventilation, are available in 3D-printed 18K gold!

While the Batur is a special, limited-edition model, there is more to digest here than just a rare, luxury motor. Bentley says that the Batur previews the design principles driving the development of its first battery-electric vehicle, due in 2025, and the family of cars that will follow. If that’s the case and the Batur represents the future look of the brand, we reckon they’ve got it spot on.

We all love a good, futuristic concept car, and Lincoln – the luxury brand of Ford which has owned Lincoln for a century – unwrapped its very stylish Model L100 at Monterey Car Week. It certainly looks like it belongs in a future a few years (or decades) from now, with its streamlined shape, tapered rear, and illuminated wheels.

Envisioned as an autonomous vehicle offering an ‘intelligent driving experience, connectivity and software-driven innovations’, the Model L100 Concept is designed to use next-generation battery cell and pack technologies but, just as importantly, gives an indication of what Lincoln designers consider when creating a cabin space which meets the requirements of its ‘Quiet Flight DNA’ – that is to say it is a ‘beautiful gliding human sanctuary.’

That’s a nice, flowery way of describing an interior that is all about comfort, ease and relaxation, and the Model L100 appears to do a fine job of that.

“Concept vehicles allow us to reimagine and illustrate how new experiences can come to life with the help of advanced technologies and allow our designers more creative freedom than ever before,” said Anthony Lo, chief design officer, Ford Motor Company. “With the Model L100, we were able to push the boundaries in ways that evolve our Quiet Flight brand DNA and change the way we think about Lincoln designs of tomorrow.”

An interactive, centre console features a jewel-inspired chess piece controller that replaces the traditional steering wheel; seating configurations allow for passengers to engage with each other – the front row seats are able to be flipped so front passengers can sit across from rear passengers; the cabin trim is created with animal-free materials and luxury alternatives; and the interior has been designed to create an immersive environment – a digital floor, canopy and ambient lighting are supposed to harmonise to create a personalised experience.

Getting in and out should be nice, easy and relaxing too thanks to an extraordinary set-up of huge doors and a roof canopy hinged at the back.
Suitably grand and ambitious, the Model L100 Concept is what one might expect from a luxury brand, and while this is unlikely to be a production model, if this is where things are heading, those who can afford such vehicles in the future will have a very relaxing time during their daily commute.

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (September 2022)

12 September 2022