The name Juha Kankkunen should immediately resonate with all you rally fans out there. Just in case you’re not a rally fan and you’ve never heard of Kankkunen before, here’s the skinny. He’s a former rally driver for Toyota, Peugeot and Lancia and has won 23 individual rallies and has earned four world driver’s champion titles.  Needless to say, the man can drive. 

What you may not know is that Kankkunen is a big fan of Bentley. Such a big fan, in fact, that he set the world speed record on ice in 2007 with his own Bentley Continental GT. You read that right – he drove his own car at nearly 200 miles per hour on ice. In 2011, Kankkunen beat his own record in a factory-provided Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible averaging 205.48 miles per hour (one run in each direction on the track).  Both records were set in largely stock vehicles, save minor aerodynamic improvements, the addition of roll cages, studded Nokian tires designed specifically for the task, and that’s it.  

To see what it’s like to drive a 5000-plus pound car at insane speeds on a frozen fjord, Bentley invited some of its best-performing dealers to attend a driving event in Finland. Our General Manager was the fortunate one from Bentley Minneapolis to make the trip.  Bentley provided lots of seat time for Matt and the other folks who were there, but the best part may have been the ride along with Juha himself.

Luckily for us, Matt brought a camera with him to capture the experience.  Check out the video to see what it’s like to ride with a world-champion rally driver in a 621 horsepower Bentley on nothing but ice and snow. 

Note: the car in the video is the very same Continental Supersports Convertible that set the 205-MPH record in 2011 (shown in the photo above).

Truth be told, I hadn’t heard of the Superstars Series, which is similar to the German DTM, Japanese Super GT, and Australian V8 Supercars series. The competitive field is made up of naturally aspirated V8 two and four door cars like the Mercedes C63 AMG, BMW M3, Audi RS4, Cadillac CTS-V, Jaguar S-Type R, Porsche Panamera S, and Maserati Quattroporte EVO. The EVO is a specialty race version of the Quattroporte featuring the bad ass widebody setup you see above, in full race trim.

Driver Andrea Bertolini drove his Swiss team Maserati Quattroporte to the championship, after trailing by 20 points leading into the final races at Vallelunga. Bertolini is a driver and test driver for Maserati and Ferrari, and previously won the FIA GT series in the Maserati MC12 in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010 – the only Italian driver to have won four international FIA titles.

Here’s a rather raw video of some highlights from the race at Monza, earlier this year:

The Swiss team was founded in 2008, to kick off the Maserati Quattroporte Superstars project. Based in Switzerland, the team now consists of 13 people, with Engineer Giuseppe Angiulli acting as Technical Director. Giuseppe’s experience covers 5 years in F1, 2 years in Alfa’s DTM project, 2 years working for BMW Motorsport, and work on ALMS prototypes. He collaborated with Michelotto Corse in developing the Ferrari F360 and F430, and worked with team Villorba Corse’ F430 in the Italian GT series. He worked for Vitaphone racing for two years as Track Engineer while they competed in the FIA GT championship, running Maserati MC12s.

Here are some more photos of the fantastic Maserati Quattroporte EVO:

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The driving experience is fantastic. The engine note is mean down low, and superb at high RPMs. Back in 2006 Lamborghini made some changes to the car which included a sportier exhaust system, with valves opening at high rpm, while maintaining a quieter note in town. They’ve also tweaked their E-Gear transmission over the years, and that was apparent driving this car. 1st gear engagement was smooth, even in sport mode, while the next 5 cog-swaps are dealt with how you expect them to be: Snappy when you’re driving hard, a bit more subdued when you’re taking it easy.

The suspension is surprisingly forgiving. Thanks to Minnesota’s notorious Winters, we can’t exactly brag about our road quality. Sure it’s still best to avoid the big potholes, but the average every-day stuff was soaked up without ruining my day. That is to say – you feel the bumps (you’re supposed to in a car that’s capable of nearly 200mph), but it’s surprisingly comfortable to drive.

In typical supercar fashion, the old Lambo stereo was not much worth mentioning. For 2008 Lamborghini added the onboard computer, a welcome addition. Flip down the screen and you can insert two SD cards full of MP3s. I had mixed success with the system. Most of my memory cards didn’t work. After searching the forums it seems it’s compatible with SD, but not SDHC cards. So you’re limited to under 2GB, which is something like 30 hours of music. In the real world I only got a 256MB card to work, with about 4 hours of music on it, but I presume a deeper dive into the owners manual would have solved my problems. The navigation is typical Audi, which is to say it works pretty well, but without the very-quick MMi interface it can be a little tedious to enter your destination.

Check out this Lamborghini Gallardo for sale on our site: www.twincitiesluxuryauto.com/detail-2008-lamborghini-gallardo…

Overall this is a pretty fantastic supercar. With around 520 horsepower, a superb all-wheel-drive system, and E-Gear transmission – this is a shockingly easy car to drive. Certainly it’s fast enough to hurt you, but it’s not quite so eager to take your head off like a Ferrari 430 might do if you’re not careful. Just about anyone could get in this car and drive it fast, a trait lampooned by Top Gear a couple of years ago:
 

Check out the full slideshow over at Top Gear

The only thing that makes this better, is knowing I’ll get to hear it in person. We just ordered our only allotted MC Stradale.

You know it’s Spring when the shop is full of cool cars coming out of storage, and getting prepped for warm weather driving…

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2011 Maserati Quattroporte

It’s been around for some time now, but the Maserati Quattroporte is still one of the best looking, sounding, and driving sedans on the planet. The competition is only getting more and more fierce, though, with the likes of the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide fighting for the same buyers as the Quattroporte. 

Autoblog is reporting that we should see the replacement for the long-in-the-tooth Quattroporte later this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Expect to see styling that echoes the design language used on the current GranTurismo and GranTurismo Convertible, as well as a more powerful and more fuel efficient version of the 4.7L V8 currently used in the Quattroporte S (the 4.2L is being phased out later this year), as well as an all-wheel drive option. There is also a possibility that the base powerplant could be an all-new turbocharged V6, though nothing has yet been confirmed.

Head on over to Autoblog to read what they had to say.

Stay tuned to our blog for more information as we get it. 

source [Inside Line]

via [Autoblog]

Maserati GranCabrio Sport

Maserati’s GranCabrio (GranTurismo Convertible to us Yanks) was introtuced almost two years ago, and the folks in Modena weren’t satisfied with just one variation of the breed.  In order to cater to the more performance-oriented of their clients, they unveiled their new GranCabrio Sport at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. 

Separation between the Sport and standard versions of the GranTurismo Convertible are definitely the type that the enthusiast buyer will appreciate – more power from the 4.7L V8 (up to 440hp), a recalibrated Skyhook suspension system optimised for more grip and sharper handling, upgraded MC Shift transmission programming, and improved braking performance courtesy of drilled and slotted brake rotors. 

Maserati knew the car had to look fast, too, so the exterior of the car shows a host of changes from the standard car.  Most obvious is the new Rosso Trionfale paint work, which Maserati says underlines the car’s “athletic soul.”  Also new are the 20″ Astro-design wheels (available in two finishes), headlamps with white turn indicators, and shadowline body trim that replaces the previous chrome accents.  Two new colors of leather are also available to accent the new front seats. 

Head on over to Maserati’s new minisite to get all of the info. 

source [Maserati]

It’s no secret that Bentley’s sales have lagged a bit in the past couple of years.  To combat that decline, the folks in Crewe have put a great deal of focus into strengthening their line-up with cars like the Continental Supersports, the Mulsanne, and the soon-to-be-released 2012 Continental GT.  It looks like they aren’t going to stop there, however.  Nothing has been confirmed yet, but we may see something along the lines of a Mercedes CLS competitor, as well as a crossover to fight the likes of the Porsche Cayenne and Maserati’s upcoming SUV. 

Here’s what Autoblog had to say:

Rumors continue to swirl that incoming Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer, who previously served as head of research and development at Porsche, is looking long and hard at how to expand the luxury marque’s product line. Considering Dürheimer’s experience making magic happen at Porsche, it seems likely that Bentley would tap into the platform used for the Panamera sedan, and that’s exactly what the blokes from Auto Express are suggesting.

The first new model may be an ultra-luxe machine that would fit into the burgeoning four-door-coupe segment. If so, expect a price tag in the mid-$250,000 range and engine choices ranging from the tried-and-true W12 to a new turbocharged 4.0-liter V8.

Those powertrains may also find their way into the engine bay of a Bentley crossover, says Auto Express. As much as some may protest, a Porsche Cayenne-based Bentley with a price near the $200K mark would seem a very real possibility… as would an optional diesel engine, which would be new territory for the brand.

Finally, the long-rumored entry-level (can anything with a $150,000 price tag be called entry-level?) Bentley coupe that would slot below the Continental GT is still a talking point. Branching out into any or all of these segments are seen as a way to get back to the 10,000-unit peak sales year of 2007, as compared to just 4,616 units in 2009.

Head on over to Auto Express to see some rendered speculation on what these vehicles could potentially look like.

via [Autoblog]

source [Auto Express]