2015 Mclaren 650s on 2040-cars

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Seat announces five-door Mii city car

We knew at its unveiling in Frankfurt that the debut of the production version of the Volkswagen Up! was only the beginning, what with all the concept versions Volkswagen showcased over the years. But that was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. VW isn't the only brand in the group that will offer the little city car, and its sister marques are eager to follow suit.
So after Volkswagen debuted the Up!, Skoda unveiled the Citigo and Seat showcased the Mii - all versions of the same vehicle, but with slightly modified sheetmetal and different nameplates. But those were only the three-door versions. Now that Volkswagen has confirmed the five-door Up! and Skoda the five-door Citigo, Seat is taking its turn with the five-door Mii.
The similarities between the Mii, Citigo and Up are, of course, greater than the differences. But at the end of the day, the variety gives European buyers a greater range of choices when buying their new city car, even if similar exercises on this side of the Atlantic - Plymouth, Mercury, Pontiac, Oldsmobile...we're looking at you - have long since disappeared.

McLaren 650S to start at about $318,000 in Europe

Immediately following the reveal of a mid-engined piece of exotica like the McLaren 650S, one of the many, many questions that will be asked relates to the six-figure sum the 641-horsepower car will demand. Now, we have a rough answer - 232,500 euros, according to an alleged pricing guide leaked on on 650Sforum.com. That works out to $318,000, but in reality, the base US of the 650S is likely to be lower, what with things like Europe's Value Added Tax messing with the figures. Exterior carbon fiber items range from a 10,020-euro ($13,739 as of this writing) package that features CF versions of the rear bumper, door blades and front splitter to a 2,690-euro ($3,688) side intake. Like many exotics, there's a wide range of options to customize the cabin, with prices ranging from free (owners have their choice of a full leather cabin, a leather sport cabin, or an Alcantara-and-leather cabin at no cost) to 6,080 euros ($8,336) for carbon-fiber racing seats. Other intriguing items include a 5,670-euro ($7,774) sports exhaust and the option to go with steel brakes instead of the standard carbon-ceramic stoppers at no charge (but why?). You can hop over to the 650Sforum.com page and take a look at the entire list, including the leaked documents that revealed the pricing info. Have a look, and then let us know what you think a reasonable price is for this middling McLaren, by posting in Comments. Expect to hear more on the 650S ahead of its debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Featured Gallery McLaren 650S View 10 Photos News Source: 650Sforum.com Rumormill Geneva Motor Show McLaren Coupe Performance pricing 2014 Geneva Motor Show mclaren 650s

McLaren Senna LM gets a video walkaround

At the end of last year, rumor got out that 26 units of the McLaren Senna production run were still waiting their turn to impress the world. Word was that McLaren Special Operations would remake the roughly two dozen coupes into three special editions, the most numerous of them a Senna LM model. A finished example of the predicted coupe found its way to New Zealand, where McLaren Auckland Brand Manager Luke Neuberger gave the Payapa Orange supercar a walkaround for YouTube channel Giltrap TV. The English carmaker recently launched its 720S Le Mans as a tribute to winning — and hoarding four of the top five finishing positions at —  Le Mans in 1995 with the F1 GTR. That coupe got dressed in McLaren orange with Ueno Grey accents and five-spoke wheels recalling the OZ Racing rims on the F1 GTR, as well as vented front fenders, a roof scoop, and gold-painted brake calipers. MSO went further with the Senna LM, which is natural considering the Senna homage is reputed to cost about $1.7 million, compared to the 720S homage starting at $299,000. The Senna LM bodywork hasn't changed in front from the standard Senna, but the Auckland example wears a uniform color all over; the front fascia of a standard Senna sports black accents in the headlight pockets. Body-colored vents adorn the front fenders above a set of gray five-spoke wheels, and one of the many tiny particluars on the Senna LM sees the center-lock wheel nuts colored red on the left side, blue on the right. Behind those wheels, gold calipers clamp vented discs. As we saw in a spy shot of an early mule left in an industrial unit, the clear pane in the doors is filled in with a body-colored panel. Further back, the glossy carbon fiber wing endplates feature the initials "LM" carved out to show unfinished carbon fiber.  Neuberger wouldn't confess to a horsepower rating beyond "800-ish," but MSO worked on the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. The track-only Senna GTR makes 814 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The Senna LM engine's been blueprinted, the heads ported and polished, and four exhaust pipes stand up through the Senna LM's engine cover. The standard Senna shows three pipes.