WS Awards 2013: Car of the Year

It’s getting nearer to 2014, and it’s now where we start to reflect and dwell on the past year. But it’s not all doom and gloom for 2013, it has been an amazing year for car nuts. The best part of 2013 has got to be the the debuts of all the hypercars at the Geneva Motor Show, it was a biblical scene.

However, this article is way more important than the most exciting debuts of 2013, it’s our very own Car of the Year award. It will be split up into 5 segments from Hypercars to Performance SUV & Saloons. Each nominee will receive an award for either 1st (gold), 2nd (silver) or 3rd place (bronze).

HYPERCAR OF THE YEAR

Hypercars. There’s many ways to describe them, barbarically fast, ridiculously expensive, incredibly lust-able, however you describe it though, just defies this segment of cars into one word: Mad. 2013 saw the most incredible Hypercar fight of all-time, this included the all-new McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder, Koenigsegg Agera R and the Pagani Huayra. It was an incredible competition between all 5 automakers, but only 3 will come out on top for us.

1st: McLaren P1



The P1 is McLaren’s successor to the F1 from the 90′s. It was created to rival with the likes of the LaFerrari, Huayra, 918 and Agera R. The P1 boasts 903 horsepower, can hit 62 mph in less than three seconds, can hit 186 mph in less than 17 seconds, and will run into an electronic wall at 217 mph. It has also set a ‘sub-seven minute time at the Nurburgring. Why does it take first place? Well, the P1 is a massive step up from the F1, for a firm who didn’t make road cars for over 10 years to suddenly come out with a innovative super-sonic masterpiece like the P1, is truly incredible.

2nd: Porsche 918 Spyder



The Porsche 918 Spyder is a direct successor to the 2003 Porsche Carrera GT. Costing a whopping £720,420 (with Weissach pack), the 918 must pack a punch. It does. The 918 features a 4.6-litre V8 which produces 875bhp, hits 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds, a combined economy figure of 85.6mpg, a top speed of 211. On top of all that, it’s a hybrid, it has an electric motor which runs on lithium-ion batteries. The electric motor produces 154bhp alone. Solely on electricity, it can go 18 miles at a top speed of 93 mph. The 918 is a technological step forward in the automotive world, many automakers will learn from the 918. Porsche proved you can still go stupendously fast, whilst keeping your wallet happy. 

3rd: Ferrari LaFerrari



After the Enzo, Ferrari had to decide where to go next, and this is it, the Ferrari LaFerrari. Forget about its odd name for a second and just look at it, it’s nothing short of bloody awesome. It is definitely a bed-room pin-up poster. The LaFerrari packs the same 6.3-liter V12 as the front-engined Ferrari F12, but it’s been reworked for the LaFerrari’s mid-engined layout. This means the power has been upped to a mind boggling 789bhp produced at a crazy 9000rpm. And the V12 will keep revving to 9250rpm. Peak torque is 516lb ft at 6750rpm.

SUPERCAR OF THE YEAR

Think of supercars as toned-down versions of hypercars. They are mad, but quite subtle compared. Supercars are focused, road going batshit-fast-mobiles, that can make you look immensely cool on the road whilst obliterating everything at the lights.

Porsche 991 GT3



The 991 GT3 is a direct successor to the 997 GT3. The new GT3 features a naturally-aspirated 3.8-liter flat-six engine which develops 475 hp and has a rev limit of 9,000rpm. This power is sent to the road via a seven-speed PDK double-clutch transmission with unique steering wheel paddle-shift. The GT3 also features innovative active rear-wheel steering which increases cornering agility and enhances high speed stability. Combined, the 991 GT3 will accelerate from naught to 62 mph in 3.5 and will reach a top speed of 196 mph.

Honourable Mentions

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
Lamborghini Aventador Roadster
McLaren 12C

 

SPORTSCAR OF THE YEAR

The definition of fun, adequate performance, just enough to allow you to throw it around a corner and come out the other side completely unscathed, the sportscar.

Jaguar F-Type V6 S



The F-Type. Nothing short of amazing. As a car we’ve driven and tested, it was one of our all-time favourites. The V6 was lacking the specialty and the potential to what the F-Type could offer, the V8 was just a mental patient hiding in a car’s engine bay, but the V6 S is the sweet spot of the bunch, not too harsh, not too less, just perfect. Incredible handing, incredible performance and a truly biblical sound. It wins our Sportscar of the year award.

Honourable Mentions

Porsche Boxster S
Porsche Cayman S
Toyota GT86

HOT-HATCHBACK OF THE YEAR

Little pocket rockets. Using 100% of the power all of the time, whether it’s in town, or on a country road, hot hatches dominate corners, yet they retain being practical for the weekly shop as well! The perfect segment of car? Well, that’s for you to decide.

Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG



Mercedes-Benz totally revolutionized the hot-hatch market when they revealed the A45 AMG. The A45 is faster than its rivals in a straight line and around a track. Some incredible engineering has gone into this car by cramming a record thrashing 355bhp into a little 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine which gave its engine the title of the most powerful 4-cylinder engine ever made. It’s an absolute hoot to drive, it crackles on upshifts, it wants to oversteer even though it has a very good all-wheel-drive system and handles wonderfully. It wins our hot-hatchback of the year award.

Honourable Mentions

BMW M135i
Audi S3
Ford Fiesta ST

 

PERFORMANCE SALOON OF THE YEAR

You’ve settled down now with kids, a stable job, a loving wife, but no car. You need a family car, but you’re a race-car driver, and you want a family race-car.

Jaguar XFR-S


Before you chant “why not the M5, E63 or RS6?!” Well, specialty, exclusivity and brutality is what fun means these days. The XFR-S is not just unique, it’s rare, with only 20 entering the UK and 100 going to the US, it’s an epic unicorn. The XFR-S is Jaguar’s attempt to take on ‘Benz, BMW and Audi. It may not be faster in a straight line, nor it may not be faster around a track, but this car is just such an awesome creation by Jaguar, it turns heads, it makes a sweet noise and is still bloody quick.

Honourable Mentions

Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Model
BMW M5 F10
Audi RS6

 

PERFORMANCE SUV OF THE YEAR

Need more space, power, and practicality? Well look no further, performance SUV’s might just be for you!

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S



When it comes cars that are heavy and tall, taking it on a track seems totally hopeless. However, it seems Porsche has totally defied physics by making this car feel like a sports car on the road. No idea how they’ve done it, but those clever engineers at Porsche deserve a pat on the back for the Turbo S, it’s immensely quick in a straight line and can do four-wheel-doughnuts all day long, what more could you want? Oh, it can take the kids to school and do the weekly shop.

Honourable Mentions

Range Rover Sport 5.0
Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
BMW X5M

 
That wraps it up for this year, see you on the other side in 2014! Happy new year from us at Wild Speed.

Porsche To Expand Range With 911 Off-Roader

So far, the 911 lineup is quite extensive indeed. There is the Carrera, the Carrera S (+cabriolets), the Carrera 4 and 4S (+cabriolets), the Turbo and Turbo S (+cabriolets), the 50th Anniversary edition, and the GT3. All-in-all that is 14 911 variants, more than enough right? Well, Porsche doesn’t think so.

According to German publication, Motor Revue, Porsche will launch a 911 Crossover concept at the Beijing auto show in April.

The concept will possibly be called the 911 Safari and will be based on the all-wheel-drive Carrera 4. It’ll feature larger tyres, higher ground clearance, skid plates, and an off-road-capable suspension.

If the concept follows into production, it could hit the market around 2016 with a mid-cycle facelift.

So, what’s the point? Porsche wants to take advantage of the Chinese and Middle Eastern market where roads aren’t as smooth as Europe or US.

What are your thoughts on the 911 Safari?

BMW’s First M-Badged 7 Series

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With the M7 being in BMW’s pipeline, the firm has finally put the sacred M badge on a 7 Series. But, don’t be fooled thinking this is some S65 AMG bashing BMW M7, because it isn’t.

What it is though is a special edition for the Middle Eastern market. The 760Li V12 M Bi-Turbo is the first ever 7 Series to be adorned with M badges.

Boasting a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12, it produces 536 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, and a 0-62 mph time of 4.6 seconds.

Interested in buying it? Well you’d better live in Saudi Arabia because the car is being offered through Mohamed Yousef Naghi Motors.

It features eight M-exclusive colors, such as Monte Carlo Blue, Imola Red and Silverstone II as well as lightweight 20-inch alloys.

The interior hasn’t been overlooked either, the limited edition BMW has full a nappa leather interior with contrast stitching and piano black and ceramic trim.

Audi Taunts Rivals in New Ad

Recently, we have seen a lot of automakers battling against each other. The most recent has been Jaguar vs Mercedes-Benz.

However, Audi seems to have bigger balls as they set out to trump Lexus, ‘Benz and BMW! Hey, maybe they have some sort of nice relationship with Jaguar which is why they weren’t included.

It’s the latest promo video of the new Audi A3 Saloon which may possibly be Audi’s preview of the Super Bowl commercial.

The video shows what type of people drive Mercedes, Lexus and BMW. Take a look for yourself!

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe Patents Leak

    After countless spies of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, patent images of the upcoming ‘bimmer have been leaked onto the internet.

    Is it a longer wheel base 3 Series? Or just a 4 Series Coupe with extra doors? You can be the judge of that.

    The 4 Series Gran Coupe will have the same engine variants as its coupe brother including the 435i’s 300-hp 3.0-liter six-cylinder unit. Expect a reveal at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

    XKR-S GT vs C63 BS vs V12 Vantage S

    It’s a weird world isn’t these days, automakers seem to be making hardcore versions of already hardcore version cars. Is it all really necessary? Well, automakers would like to think so.

    The XKR-S GT is a hardcore version of a hardcore version of a hardcore version… Yep, XKR, XKR-S, XKR-S GT. But the end result is a proper track weapon.

    The Aston Martin Vantage V12 S is an upgraded version of the already mad V12 Vantage.

    The C63 AMG is hardcore enough but AMG decided it needed more, it needed treatment from the Black works.

    Now all you need to do is kick back, relax and just enjoy all three of these beasts go hand in hand.

    Steve Sutcliffe of Autocar magazine demonstrates.

    2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG Pack Revealed

      Mercedes-Benz has just revealed their AMG Line Pack for the all-new 2014 C-Class. Ideal for those who either can’t wait for the C63 or just can’t afford its hefty price tag. The AMG Line makes most Mercedes’ look like they just rolled out of the Affalterbach plant.

      The exterior kit includes an AMG front apron, new bumper, mesh grille with two louvers and chrome inserts, AMG side skirts, a new body-color rear bumper, and polished aluminum window surround and trim strip.

      The pack also includes chassis upgrades such as a new set of 18-inch five-spoke alloys, lowers sports suspension, upgraded brakes and an exhaust system. Pricing is yet to be announced.

      Top 5 Car Debuts Of 2013

      We’re nearing the end of 2013, and it’s around this time where we start to reflect on the whole year, specifically the year of automobiles. 2012 had some pretty cool debuts such as the BMW M5 and even fast sports-utility-vehicles like the ML63 AMG.

      However, 2013 was less about thje ‘normal car turned fast’ and more about cars that were built to be fast in the first place. Below we have listed our top 5 car debuts of 2013. This list is in no particular order.

      McLaren P1

      The P1 is McLaren’s successor to the F1 from the 90’s. It was created to rival with the likes of the LaFerrari, Huayra, 918 and Agera R. The P1 boasts 903 horsepower, can hit 62 mph in less than three seconds, can hit 186 mph in less than 17 seconds, and will run into an electronic wall at 217 mph.

      Porsche 991 GT3

      The 991 GT3 is a direct successor to the 997 GT3. The new GT3 features a naturally-aspirated 3.8-liter flat-six engine which develops 475 hp and has a rev limit of 9,000rpm. This power is sent to the road via a seven-speed PDK double-clutch transmission with unique steering wheel paddle-shift. The GT3 also features innovative active rear-wheel steering which increases cornering agility and enhances high speed stability. Combined, the 991 GT3 will accelerate from naught to 62 mpg in 3.5 and will reach a top speed of 196 mph.

      Ferrari 458 Speciale

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      Being the successor to the legendary F430 Scuderia, the Speciale had a lot to live up to, and it did. The 4.5-liter V8 in the Speciale makes 597 horsepower at a 9000-rpm peak unlike the regular 458’s 562 horsepower. This is made possible by a14.0:1 compression ratio, revised combustion chambers, new pistons, shorter intake runners, reshaped intake ports, and higher lift on the exhaust and intake valves, along with a new carbon-fiber manifold and airbox.

      Jaguar F-Type R Coupe

      After the success of the F-Type Roadster, Jaguar gave the Coupe variant a green light and with its unveiling came the ‘R’ version which packs 550PS 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine enabling acceleration from 0-60 mph in 4.0-seconds, and a top speed of 186 mph (limited)

      Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG

      Although not appealing to many, it appeals to the family man who wants the perfect blend between luxury and performance. The S63 AMG features AMG’s M157 5.5-liter biturbo engine which produces 585 horsepower and a mad 900 newton meters of torque.

      Mercedes-Benz Smartwatch Revealed

        Mercedes-Benz recently teamed up with Pebble Technology to create a new smarthwatch which will connect to any Mercedes-Benz car. Smartwatch will allow the driver to alert them of potential hazards such as road traffic accidents via V2V communication.

        However, Mercedes-Benz isn’t the first marque to come up with something like this, Nissan unveiled the Nissan Nismo smartwatch earlier this year which allows the driver to monitor vehicle information from a watch.

        At this moment in time, there is no word from ‘Benz about when the Smartwatch will be available or how much it will cost but expect an unveiling at the CES Show in January.