2011 Perana Sports Car Z-One

South Africa is quickly becoming a hotbed for sports car development, with two new performance machines being announced in the country in just as many weeks. Built through collaboration between Zagato, the Milanese coachbuilders, and Perana Performance Group, the Z-One features a tubular and box section chassis with room for two passengers. Tucked among the exotica at Concorso Italiano was the new Zagato-styled, Hi-Tech-built and Superfomance-sold, Perana Z-One sports/GT.

2011 Perana Sports Car Z-One

The Perana sports car Z-One is designed in Italy, powered by American muscle and manufactured in South Africa. The "Z" stands for Zagato, Chief Designer Norihiko Harada using the Italian design house's DNA to form a dynamic supercar.

The sports car Perana Z-One will go on sale in the U.S. through Superformance after its Concorso Italiano debut in August. American buyers will get an allocation of just 99 units, so you probably won’t be seeing one parked outside of your local trattoria any time soon.

2011 Perana Sports Car Z-One is beautiful. And the build quality is exquisite. The panel gaps put all the high-priced Italian vehicles surrounding it to shame. The styling is definitely that of a European GT.

2011 Perana Sports Car Z-One

The 6.2L V8 engine generates 440hp (328kW) and 430lb-ft of torque (583Nm) of torque, and redlines at 6,600rpm. That's enough to scoot the 2,630lb (1,195kg) car to 62mph (100km/h) in an estimated sub-4 second time. Big brakes - 325mm up front, 305mm in the rear - slow things down again, while unequal length A-arms, Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs at all four corners handle the curves.

The drivetrain comes from Chevy, the Corvette's 6.2-liter V-8 delivering 440 bhp to the rear wheels. The Z-One also uses the Vette's 6-speed manual gearbox, but the tubular space frame has been engineered in South Africa. Perana claims 0–60 mph in just 4 seconds.

2011 Perana Sports Car Z-One is the limited production, because the gorgeous body of each Perana Z-One will be handbuilt in Italy by coachbuilder Zagato and then shipped in pieces to South Africa where there are attached to the vehicle’s chassis. The Z-One's chassis has been completely conceived and designed by Perana engineers in South Africa, despite the engine sourced from General Motors.

2010 Lotus Sports Cars Elite Concept Cars

British sports car company unveil at the Paris Motor Show the sun starts to rise for the dawn of Lotus' new era - the Elite will redefine "modern classic". So here it is, the Lotus Sports Cars Elite, the first taste of what's to come from Lotus in the future. This is not only beautifully elegant, in accordance with the burden of Lotus’ appraises, that car with the center consisting of several by the identical cutting-edge technological innovation Lotus has submitted a bid. Retractile hard top version of the cunning and consumption with optional cross with KERS technology is a special case with Lotus cutting technology to provide perfect performance.

The 2010 Lotus Sports Cars Elite Concept Car is labeled as a “production intent prototype and is scheduled to go on sale in 2014 with a pricetag around £115,000 (approximately $180,000). Set for release in spring 2014, this is an innovative, exciting GT that will set a new benchmark in design, performance and emissions. And it s not all about sleek lines and stunning bodywork with this particular 2+2, what hides beneath this shark like exterior perfectly does the aesthetics justice. A front-mid positioned 5.0l V8 engine delivering up to 620 PS meaning drivers can expect to go from 0-100 km/h in approximately 3.5 to 3.7 seconds.

2010 Lotus Sports Cars Elite Concept Cars

First up, the Elite will offer a retractable hardtop roof, adding significant weight to the automobile. It may weigh in at 3,600 pounds. This is a far step from Lotus’ usual super-light vehicles mentality. The Elite has a 2+2 seating configuration and is directly aimed at the competing with the Ferrari 612.

"Make no mistake, there's a definite market requirement for the Elite - it's the ultimate sports car feel with comfort and space. There will always be those who believe that Lotus should stick to small sports cars but we didn't take the decision to design something like the Elite lightly, it's based on months of careful research and planning. It's worth noting this sector has been very successful for us in the past and now the Elite raises the benchmark higher still." As for the new, awesome design of the car, the designer Donato Coco has designed what can only be described as a truly stunning car. It is completely different from all Lotus models of the past and really indicates that Lotus is ready to move from the ‘affordable’ sports car market deep into supercar territory.

2010 Lotus Sports Cars Elite Concept Cars

With the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin and Ferrari in its crosshairs, it’s not surprising that the new Lotus Elite sports car is significantly heavier and more powerful than the company’s current offerings. In fact, with an expected kerb weight of 3,637 pounds, the Elite is very different to Lotus’ usual assortment of light weight track cars but its designers are confident it will still have the ultimate sports car feel--just with a little more comfort and space. The design, specification and performance figures for all Production Intent Prototypes will be confirmed following official testing and will be available from Lotus Cars.

2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug Powered by Sewage Waste

Mohammed Saddiq, general manager of GENeco, has another idea, which would take something that's normally thought of as waste, and turn it into a way to power a vehicle. The prototype 2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug is powered by methane gas which is produced from human waste at sewage works. Another environmentally friendly car has been shown to the world today by Wessex Water in England.

2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug Powered by Sewage Waste. The Bio-Bug is a project from Wessex Water, a sewage treatment company in England. Now there’s Bio-Bug, a VW Beetle that runs on the methane gas generated at a sewage treatment plant, reports The Telegraph. Wessex Water, near Bristol, England, says that human waste from the toilets of 70 homes can power the Bio-Bug for a year.

2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug Powered by Sewage Waste

GENeco believes that more gas will be produced at its Avonmouth site when the company embarks on its latest green venture to recycle food waste. Mr Saddiq said: “Waste flushed down the toilets in homes in the city provides power for the Bio-Bug, but it won’t be long before further energy is produced when food waste is recycled at our sewage works.

At first glance, the Beetle appears to be a publicity stunt for GENeco, which owns a number of waste treatment sites in the U.K. But consider this: A single sewage treatment plant in Bristol, England generates 18 million cubic meters of biogas each year. The Bio-Bug squeezes out 5.3 miles per cubic meter of biogas. So just one sewage treatment plant could keep cars running for 5,400,000 miles each year, according to the British Daily Mail.

The Volkswagen Beetle dubbed the “Bio-Bug” was built for GENeco by UK’s The Greenfuel Company. The Bio-Bug’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine was converted to run on biogas and still hit about 114 miles per hour. However, the Bio-Bug uses regular unleaded gas to start, then switches over to methane automatically once it’s running. GENeco, a company owned by Wessex Water, supplied the equipment to treat the gas. “If you were to drive the car you wouldn’t know it was powered by biogas, as it performs just like any conventional car,” said Mohammed Saddiq, general manager of GENeco, in the release.

Mr. Saddiq explained that GENeco had been supplying treated compressed methane gas to generate electricity for the plant site and exported to the National Grid. The fuel for the Bio-Bug was surplus gas “we had available” and “we wanted to put it to good use in a sustainable and efficient way.”

The Bio-Bug was built by the Greenfuel Company, which specializes in converting gas cars to run on liquified petroleum gas.

2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug Powered by Sewage Waste

“The choice of car was inspired by students who took part in a workshop. They thought it would be appropriate that the poo-powered car should be the classic VW Beetle Bug because bugs naturally breakdown waste at sewage works to start the treatment process which goes on to produce the energy.”

Brilliant! Now, that’s a great marketing hook.

2010 Jaguar Sports Cars XKR 75

The 2010 Jaguar Sport Car XKR 75 will provide owners with exclusivity, excitement and a hint of Jaguar’s great heritage its debut at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 2. Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr Ralf Speth, initiated the challenge to the Jaguar engineering team to construct an XKR to celebrate Jaguar's 75th anniversary, which would deliver a combination of enhanced performance, superb chassis and steering control and grip levels to inspire the driving enthusiast to explore the true potential of the XKR's capabilities.

2010 Jaguar Sports Cars XKR 75

“The Jaguar Sport Car XKR 75 will provide owners with an exclusive, fun and a bit of the Jaguar heritage. This is a way to celebrate the power of the XK sports trademark name Jaguars 75 years,” said Mike O'Driscoll, managing director, Jaguar Cars.

Jaguar engineers increased the power and torque of the acclaimed 5.0-litre supercharged engine to 530PS and 655Nm respectively for the Jaguar Sport Car XKR 75, to deliver truly outstanding performance. While the limited edition model’s top speed is electronically limited to 174mph (280km/h), the Jaguar Sport Car XKR 75's 0-60mph (100km/h) acceleration time is reduced from 4.6 to 4.4 seconds compared to the standard 510 PS XKR. "We conceived the XR 75 as a sports car with a duality of character that makes it perfectly suited to driving across Europe to the Nurburgring, completing some very fast laps, and then driving home again, added Mike Cross, Chief Engineer Vehicle Integrity.

2010 Jaguar Sports Cars XKR 75

The Jaguar Sport Car XKR 75 features revised suspension and handling for increased precision and agility in addition to the performance enhancements. To ensure the XKR 75 remains stable at high speeds, a revised aerodynamic body pack with a front splitter, side sills extensions, a rear diffuser and larger rear spoiler provide increased balance and a reduction in lift. The XKR's computerised Active Differential Control also adjusts to reduce steering sensitivity at very high speeds, further improving stability and driver control.

Production of the Jaguar sports car XKR 75 is limited to just 75 vehicles, which will be available to order from July 2010 in the UK priced from £85,500 OTR. Customer deliveries will commence during October 2010.