The most important prize award for cars in Europe was instituted by the publisher Axel Springer in 1976, and has been awarded annually since then. On the 4th November, top managers from the car industry accepted awards for the model year 2009 at the Axel Springer Building in Berlin. Eight new models in total received a Golden Steering Wheel award. For the third time, a Green Steering Wheel prize was presented for the best eco car. Fiat and Ferrari president, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, received an honorary award.
The winners in the individual categories:
Small car class: VW Polo Compact class: Vauxhall Astra Medium class and above: Audi A5 Sportback Luxury class: Porsche Panamera Supercar: Mercedes SLS MPV: Renault Scenic Eco award: Toyota Prius and VW Blue Motion Honorary prize: Luca Cordero di Montezemolo
Diamonds might be a girl's best friend but a £140,000 supercar might just come close as one footballing WAG has just found out.
Melanie Slade, the long-term girlfriend of Theo Walcott, has just been presented with a brand spanking new Ferrari California by the Arsenal striker to celebrate her 21st birthday.
According to The Sun, the physiotherapist student is 'over the moon' and has already got personalised plates for the car.
It's a bit of a step up from the Volkswagen Beetle he bought her three years ago and the insurance premiums for the Ferrari are probably more than the Beetle was worth, but with a 193mph top speed we imagine Mel will find the upgrade more than makes up for the cost.
With the Veritas RS III, Vermot AG are trying to recreate the looks and feel of a sports car from the 40s or 50s. The prototype caused quite a stir when it was unveiled last year. At the Salon Privé show in London, it effortlessly won the Best Super Car of 2009 award. Now, as this super sports model goes into series production, Vermot have released new photos of the Veritas RS III Roadster.
As you would expect of a super car, this will be a relatively small-scale production run. At the company's headquarters in Gelsdorf (Rhineland Palatinate), they expect to have sold out of the complete edition of 30 vehicles by the end of the year. Deliveries to the first batch of customers will then commence in January 2010. Vermot will be charging a basic price of 345,000 euros (£310,000). For this princely sum, customers can expect a racer that sprints from 0 to 62mph in under 3.2 seconds. Maximum speed is claimed to be 214mph (347 km/h). The 15-strong workforce operates in three teams: chassis, bodywork and cabin interior. Each Veritas takes eight weeks to assemble, and at any one time, three will be in production. The RS III has a 1+1 layout with a covered passenger seat available only as and when required. The whole production process is conducted according to the strictest quality norms and the final result fully complies with homologated EU standards. A couple of days ago, a test drive was staged at Brands Hatch (Kent) in the context of the Trackdays event. Potential purchasers who went for a spin in the demo model were thoroughly impressed.
The 1,183bhp SSC Ultimate Aero TT is currently the world's fastest car. It's possible to achieve over 413 km/h (258mph) when the American muscle car really lets rip. In 2007, this supercar from the land of opportunity took the crown from reigning speed-king, Bugatti Veyron. The way in which the massive 1,183bhp engine propels the Aero from 0-100 km/h (0-62mph) in just 2.8 seconds is awesome. After six seconds, you have already passed the 200 km/h (125mph) mark. Adrian von Hooydonk, Head of Design BMW Group, is responsible for the Aero's aggressive looks.
Men's hearts beat faster at the sight of a Bugatti Veyron. This sports car is one of the world's fastest production vehicles. Towards the end of April 2005, a Veyron broke the 400 km/h (250mph) barrier several times at the Volkswagen Test Facility under TÜV's watchful gaze. Average top speed during these tests was 408.47 km/h. The top speed entered in the vehicle's registration documents is given as 407 km/h.
Bugatti Veyron Coupe 407.5 km/h 1,001 horsepower 0-62: 2.5 sec
Putting out a thumping 817bhp, this extraordinary supercar can achieve 395 km/h.bringt der extravagante Sportwagen mit brachialen auf den Asphalt. This vehicle tipping the scales at 1,180 kilos accelerates from 0-62mph in only 3.2 seconds. Power is provided by a V8 4.7L supercharged engine. The Koenigsegg CCX replaced the McLaren F1 as the world's fastest road car in the Guinness Book of Records.
Koenigsegg CCX 395 km/h 817 horsepower 0-62: 3.2 sec
The McLaren F1 supercar was built between 1994 and 1997 in a production run of 100 vehicles. Of that number, 72 were registered as road versions. Former Brabham designer, Gordon Murray, developed the bodywork of the McLaren F1. The car is a three-seater. The driver sits in the middle of the cockpit and passengers can enjoy the ride sitting slightly to the rear on each side. The XP 5 McLaren F1 prototype was until 2005 the world's fastest production road car with a true top speed of 386.4 km/h (240.1mph).
Mercedes have given the boys and girls at AMG a free hand and just look what they have come up with: one of the most exciting cars available today. Sporty through and through, possessing luxury aplenty and with an historical pedigree - that's how to build a supercar and show that German engineering is still in the premier league. One perfect technology package consisting of, aluminium space-frame body shell with gull-wing doors, AMG 6.3L, front-mounted V8 engine having dry sump lubrication, rated at 571bhp and 650 Nm, transaxle-mounted seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and sport's chassis with twin aluminium wishbones, guarantees superior driving dynamics and fun of the highest order The bad news, as always, is the price. At around 178,000 euros (£164,000), it's not exactly peanuts. But we can all have our dreams, more so than ever, given the present climate.
Ferrari's most powerful and fastest model to date was named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. This supercar was designed by Pininfarina and is one of the world's most powerful vehicles. The Enzo was originally going to be limited to a production run of 349. Ferrari sent out a prospectus to existing customers and all 349 cars were sold before manufacture began. A while later, after receiving many requests, Ferrari decided to build another 50 models, bringing the total number of cars produced to 399.
This Bentley is characterised by its impressive dimensions. It is 4.43 metres long and two metres wide. The car is like a living room on wheels. Its name is a reference to the engine, indicating in litres the capacity of the motor and number of cylinders. Today, this design is displayed in the company museum.
Bentley BY 8.16 Hunaudieres 350 km/h 623 horsepower
The most important prize award for cars in Europe was instituted by the publisher Axel Springer in 1976, and has been awarded annually since then. On the 4th November, top managers from the car industry accepted awards for the model year 2009 at the Axel Springer Building in Berlin. Eight new models in total received a Golden Steering Wheel award. For the third time, a Green Steering Wheel prize was presented for the best eco car. Fiat and Ferrari president, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, received an honorary award.
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