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Top Gear names BMW i8 Car of the Year, Corvette, Ferrari, Mercedes also win big

The lads at Top Gear have released their listing of the finest cars of the past year, handing the ultimate honor to BMW's revolutionary i8 plug-in-hybrid supercar. "The i8 is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers - and then some," the British mag wrote. The i8, though, was far from the only hybridized car to take victories. James May and Richard Hammond both highlighted hybrids as their personal cars of the year, with May saluting the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Hamster, unsurprisingly, heaping praise on the Porsche 918 Spyder. Jeremy Clarkson, meanwhile, opted to shock many by selecting not only an American car as his best of 2014, but giving the honor to of all things, a Corvette. Clarkson wasn't the only person to honor the USA's iconic sports car, with the new, 650-horsepower Z06 variant being named TG's Muscle Car of the Year. Other big winners include Mercedes-Benz, which TG honored for S-Class Coupe (Luxury Car of the Year), the new AMG GT (Sports Car of the Year) and the not-for-US C-Class Estate (Family Car of the Year). The 458 Italia Speciale A snagged a second win for Ferrari. The best of the rest include the Citroen C4 Cactus, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen Golf R, Lamborghini Huracan and Audi TT. Take a look below for the celebratory press blast from BMW. The BMW i8 wins Top Gear Car of the Year The BMW i8 has been named as Top Gear magazine's global Car of the Year 2014. The plug-in hybrid performance vehicle beat off some stiff competition from a host of other premium and luxury manufacturers to win the overall award. The editorial team of Top Gear commended the BMW i8 for its breadth of abilities. Its 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine combined with an electric motor gives searing acceleration and driver enjoyment but all wrapped in a package that takes BMW's EfficientDynamics philosophy to the extreme courtesy of CO2 emissions less than 49g/km and a 135mpg combined cycle figure. Charlie Turner, Editor in Chief at Top Gear magazine, said: "The BMW is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers – and then some. It's the kind of car we should celebrate, a beautiful vision of the future, delivered now.

Lamborghini restores ultra-rare one-off Miura SVR

This is the one-of-one Lamborghini Miura SVR. It's a racing development of the already rare Miura SVJ, and its 19-month factory restoration has just been completed. It could very well be the most desirable Miura ever built. The SVR is one of 763 Lamborghini Miuras built by the factory between 1966 and 1972. In addition to "regular" Miuras, there was a limited-number run of "Jota" specification cars, or SVJs, developed by factory test driver Bob Wallace. The specific car here was originally a green Miura S with the chassis number #3781, built in 1968 and displayed at the Turin Motor Show. In 1974, it was acquired by a German customer, who brought it back to the factory to be reborn for the first time. During that 18-month rebuild, it was converted into special, created-for-the-occasion SVR spec, a notch above the vaunted 440-horsepower SVJ cars. In 1978, #3781 was sold to Japan, where it became an actual hero car, making it into manga comics and serving as a basis for toymaker Kyosho's SVR model car line. It certainly takes something for a single car to be so breathtaking that it creates its own niche and following. After 40 years, the SVR was deemed to need restoration, and it arrived to the factory already in pieces. It wasn't a rotten shell, as it was sold as a complete car in Japan in 2015; however, the gold leather interior seen in this Petrolicious post didn't make it to 2018. The head of Lamborghini's factory restoration division Polo Storico, Paolo Gabrielli, says that the factory wasn't really able to use the same approach as Polo Storico restorations usually require. "The original production sheet wasn't of much help, as we relied mostly on the specifications from the 1974 modifications," said Gabrielli. The only ways where the restored SVR differs from the original 1974 build is that it now has 4-point safety belts, better racing seats and a removable roll bar, as the car sees race track use and these modifications were requested by the car's current owner for safety's sake. Now that it's finally finished, #3781 was shown at the Nakayama Circuit in Japan. Related Video:

Exposed carbon fiber 2017 Lamborghini Centenario Roadster up for sale

Carbon fiber is used in just about every supercar on the market today, but it remains a special sight to see a vehicle built entirely out of the strong-but-light weave. Lamborghini has been practicing this art form for years, and one of the best examples is this 2017 Lamborghini Centenario Roadster with a glossy exposed carbon fiber finish. Just a few years after it was released, it is now posted for sale in Toronto. Via DuPont Registry, Lamborghini of Uptown Toronto and Grand Touring Automobiles are offering an extremely rare opportunity to buy a Centenario. The Centenario, as the name suggests, was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of founder Ferruccio Lamborghini's birth. Only 40 examples were created, and those were split into 20 coupes and 20 roadsters.  From afar, this Centenario appears black or gray, but up close, the artistry comes into focus. The body panels are carbon fiber. The engine cover is carbon fiber. The wheels are carbon fiber. The monocoque, splitter, air vents, scoops, wing, bumpers, and the diffuser are all carbon fiber. On the exterior, the only things not formed from carbon fiber are the lights, the tires, and the badges.  Contrasting with the exterior, the inside of the bull gets a pop of color. It's built with a Nero Ade and Rosso Alala color scheme, which is further complemented by more carbon fiber accents and real metal bits. In today's world of forced induction, the Centenario is made more unique and rare by its naturally aspirated V12 engine. Lamborghini claims the supercar makes 759 horsepower, enough to be the company's most powerful car ever when released. It weighs just 3,351 pounds and can sprint from 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds. Helping control that power, the limited-edition model is also equipped with all-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering.  Since the car's delivery to Canada in 2017, it has been driven only 369 miles. It's listed for $3.7 million, plus taxes. The initial price was just under $2 million by today's conversion rates. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.