The Lexus LFA is the most powerful Japanese car ever produced and features a 4.8 litre V10 engine producing 480 torques from 412kW of power. The high-revving engine will propel the LFA from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds and up to a top speed of 325km/h. Drivers of the Lexus LFA will have a choice of 4 driving modes Auto, Sport, Normal and Wet thanks to the LFA's 6 speed sequential flappy paddle automatic gearbox. The engine has been acoustically tuned to sound like an F1 car at higher revs but keep its sporty note at lower revs.
The Lexus LFA will begin production in December 2010 and they'll produce 20 hand built LFA's a month for 2 years. Although the majority of these cars will be destined for North America, Europe and Japan, Lexus has confirmed Australia will receive five of the LFA supercars from a limited production run of just 500 vehicles each one with a price tag close to $750,000 AUD.
The triangular appearance of the LFA continues from the headlights to the air intakes and down the triple tip exhaust. It's fitted with a speed activated rear wing and has a flat under belly for increased downforce and better air flow.
The 450cm supercar is fitted with 20 inch wheels sporting large carbon ceramic brakes. It's also fitted with traction and stability control, both driver's and passenger's airbags as well as seat belt airbags and a driver's knee airbag.
The weight is kept to a minimum with the help of a carbon fibre reinforced plastic body but then all weight savings are lost again with the addition of a 12 speaker sound system and leather racing seats!
This car is going to be a big hit!
Mazda has won the Design Challenge "Motor Sports 2025" at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show.
Nine of southern California's automobile design studios were asked to give their vision of how a sports car might look 17 years from now - in California's zero-emissions society - and Mazda North American Operation (MNAO) design team's concept car, Mazda KAAN, was chosen the winner.
Judges selected the Mazda concept for how well it integrates innovative technology into the design, and for its unique styling. It is an electric race car concept that uses a patented electronic tyre system to reach speeds of up to 400 km/h, while producing no harmful emissions. It is designed to drive on a race track resurfaced with a sub-level, electro-conductive polymer that powers electric cars. Its exterior design was inspired by electric fields and textures seen in nature, particularly those in a lightning bolt. It is uniquely designed around powerful electric wheels, while the cockpit acts as a capsule to safely house the driver.
This accolade is the latest of several prestigious awards won by Mazda Design during the last two years, including the 2008 Grand Prix du Design at the 23rd Festival Automobile International in Paris, the contest's 2006 Most Beautiful Design Concept for Mazda Senku, and the Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award 2007 for Mazda Ryuga. 
The bodywork has dropped 20kg and the engine has been given an extra 40bhp over the original Gallardo 560. The result is a 0-60mph time of four seconds and a top speed of 201mph.
Eco-warriors will be pleased to know that the Italian car manufacturer has reduced its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 18%, making the 5.2litre V10 a tad greener. The safety-conscious will also be delighted with the car's permanent four-wheel drive and a specially fitted roll bar that deploys in just 250 milliseconds if the car rolls with the roof down. Prices will start at around £150,000 for the basic model, but extras such as a rear-view camera and a height adjuster are available.
Lamborghini has thankfully held off on the UK launch until spring - understandably, convertible cars don't sell well in the British winter.
Back then, he managed 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, which, I'm very sure you'll agree, is very impressive, even if it does sport a hand-built 3.8-litre V6 twin-turbo engine. But the model coming to the UK next year promises to be even faster - an extra 5bhp has resulted from some very fine tuning, taking the performance figures up to 485bhp, while the fuel-tank capacity has also increased from 71 to 74 litres.
Suspension upgrades come as standard, as do the bespoke Dunlop SP Sport 600 DSST tyres which according to Clarkson, have to be held in place by rims when the car performs one of its extraordinarily fast corners.
Prices start at £56,795 on the road for a standard edition, with a rise of £1,300 for the premium edition, and another £1,300 for the prized black version. But expect to wait for yours to arrive: Nissan has already received 1,200 orders from the UK, taking the backlog to mid-2010.
The result is a car that can go from 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds, hit a top speed of over 250 mph and achieve 1.4g on the skidpad. That kind of performance comes at a price, though, with the CXXR listing for €1,575,000. No word on how many CCXRs Koenigsegg plans to produce.
When thinking about super cars, one of the last things that spring to mind is their environmental friendliness. Even though the very low and exclusive production volume of Koenigsegg can hardly be considered to have a measurable impact on the Co2 problem that global society is facing, it is an impressive statement that even a small and extreme company like Koenigsegg can afford to develop environmentally focused solutions.
By following conscientious and forward thinking strategies, Koenigsegg has managed to create CCXR with even more spectacular performance than the standard CCX. These two almost conflicting results are made possible due to the simple fact that the ethanol in bio fuel has the positive side effect of cooling the combustion chambers, as well as a higher octane value, well over 100 RON, which gives the high power. Due to the fact that the bio fuel has higher octane and cooling characteristics, the torque has gone to 1060 nm at 6100 rpm. It is natural to expect a substantial gain in power when optimizing the engine for E85(biofuel) instead of Petrol. Still the actual gain obtained even surprised the enthusiastic engineers at Koenigsegg. Following the long term strategy of Koenigsegg, all previous CCXs will have the possibility to be converted by the factory to accept the biofuel option and reap the performance and environmental benefits of this wonderful and eco friendly fuel. The CCXR Biofuel upgrade has been developed in-house on the factory's engine dyno by the skilled technicians at Koenigsegg, led by Christian Koenigsegg, Marco Garver and Anders Hoglund from the Koenigsegg partner company Cargine Engineering. Curiously enough the CCXR is the first homologated car currently in production to reach over 1000 BHP. Coupled with its gorgeous looks, the Swedish super car is sure to be on the Christmas list of corporate big-wigs everywhere.
The car is more track biased compared to the standard models, as it has stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, reset dampers and lowered chassis. It also features a fully visible carbon body a large adjustable rear wing, larger front splitter and side strakes for increased down force and a unique forged wheel design. The interior is also reworked and features; color matched leather carpets, Edition side step plates, Edition chronograph instrument cluster, New edition only layout for the center console control panels. All other extra equipment comes as standard, such as Carbon Wheels, Special interior trim and color, Rear view camera, Satnav or Bluetooth, Amplifiers, complete Inconell exhaust system in order to save weight. The two first of each version are already spoken for. Unveiling of the Edition versions will be at the Geneva Motor show in March 2008, where the first delivery will take place.
The CCXR will take you to an entirely new level of performance. The CCXR is the first green supercar in the world and thereby sets a great example for others to follow. Since the ethanol in E85 fuel has a much higher octane rating and internal cooling capacity, the engine can run with higher compression, boost pressure and more spark advance compared to the normal petrol-fuelled CCX, whilst still maintaining the same exhaust temperature.
The Clan Crusader typically had a Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) Monocoque (French for single [mono] and shell [coque]), body with Hillman Imp Sports Engine from the Rootes Group (later Chrysler Europe).
The Clan Crusader was designed by a group of engineers who had previously worked for Lotus and were led by Paul Haussauer with John Frayling focusing on the styling. The Clan company was set up in 1969, and production started in 1971 at a new factory in Washington set up with the help of a government grant.
The Clan Crusader was available fully built or in a kit version. Although the car received good reviews and achieved some competition success, it was expensive at £1,400 when compared with rivals and as a result the company shut down in November 1973. Total production of the first phase of the Clan Crusader was 315.
The exact specs of the Clan Crusader (licence plate: NYL 7L) in these Car Journal photos are as follows:
Engine
Transmission
This Clan Crusader has been an on-going restoration project since 1992 and the car has been off the road and dry stored. It was put back on the road for the Clan Owners Club 30th anniversary on 1st June 2008.
The Porsche Panamera is the fifth range from Porsche (Porsche Boxter, Porsche Cayman, Porsche 911, Porsche Cayenne) and is developed to be a strong competitor to the Volkswagen four-door coupé, the future Aston Martin Rapide and the Mercedes CLS.
Hurry for your last chance to get your entries in by 21 July for this unique competition run by 
Michael Schumacher unveils the Ferrari 430 Scuderia at Frankfurt.
Daniel Craig drove a concept version of the Aston Martin DBS 16 months ago in Casino Royale, where he crashed the DBS in a spectacular scene while trying to avoid the lifeless body of Vesper laying in the middle of the road.