Hardcore Topic Hub

Top 4 Hardcore Off-Road Debuts – Los Angeles 2017 Auto Showfloor

LA is lousy with soft-roaders this year. There are at least a half dozen softroad compacts all the way to plush 7-seaters. But that is not our goal here. Here we will tease out the top four serious off-road vehicles to make their debuts or appearances at LA Automobility 2017. Special shoutouts to the very-cool foot porthole in the door of the Wrangler. The flat floor and full front trunk of the Bollinger is also pretty special. 2018 Jeep Wrangler 2018 Bollinger B1 EV-SUV 2018 Ford Expedition Baja Concept 2018 Land Rover Discovery SVX

Nov 30, 2017 Read more

2016 Ferrari F12tdf Goes Hardcore – 220-MPH GTO Brings Power Bumps + Double F12’s Aero Efficiency

What happens when you pour FXX learnings back into the Ferrari supercar stable? You get a bump of 40 ponies from the V12 in front, a slick new DCT with quicker shifts and a shorter final drive ratio, plus aero upgrades all around to suck the ultimate GT car down deeper into grippy tarmac. The latest Ferrari special edition is a salute to the Tour de France, hence its name, the F12 TdF. Offering a far more extreme road-going experience, the F12tdf is designed to bring track-ready thrills — but also road legality on the way there and back. …

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Oct 14, 2015 Read more

2016 Mercedes-Benz G500 4×4-Squared Priced from $265k, Arriving In December

The incredibly cool and macho new G500 4×4-Squared is officially available! Orders are open now for this new flagship, with pricing from $230k Euros and 422 horsepower via a new twin-turbo powertrain. The 4.0TT is shared with the AMG GT and delivers better power, efficiency and torque profiles than ever before. This engine is standard on the 4×4-squared as well as the standard G500 for this year, hitting 60-mph in just 5.9-seconds for the normal truck and up to 7.4-seconds as the 4×4-squared. The Squared’s biggest change mechanically is the addition of portal axles. Shared with the AMG 6×6, …

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Jul 11, 2015 Read more

2015 Aston Martin VANTAGE GT3 Is Most-Extreme V12S With Hardcore Aero Upgrade All Around

Okay, Aston special edition fatique is definitely setting in pretty hard lately. But this is one special Vantage to really get – and keep – your attention in focus. But there is a big catch. What is special about this Vantage GT3? Based on the Vantage V12 S Coupe, the new GT3 model is 200-pounds lighter and nearly doubles the aerodynamic grip generated at high speeds. How? Through an all-new nose with deep splitter and ductwork, a fresh hood vent design to free any trapped air in this ultra-tight engine bay, and full reprofiled intake and bumper design in carbon-fiber. …

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Feb 23, 2015 Read more

2015 Mercedes-Benz G500 4×4² Debuts Hardcore Off-Road Kit, New 4.0L V8TT and LWB Options

A concept only in name, the new G500 4×4² does what it says on the tin: four-by-four — squared. A giant wide-track design and 37-inch tires run much of the hardcore offroad tech from the AMG G63 6×6, but under the skin of the standard G-Class. This G500 runs the latest 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 from the AMG GT, but retuned to have rock-crushing torque at all times versus peaky high-rev horsepower. Even so, 422 ponies is plenty when riding this high off the earth below! Mercedes calls this a concept, but the G500 4×4-squared is almost a sure-thing for limited-production …

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Feb 23, 2015 Read more