Thank you, God, for bestowing Ian Callum upon us. For yea verily, he can design a car that will stop us from coveting our neighbors' oxen once and for all. This C-XF sedan heralds styling cues for the model that will replace the heathen S-Type. And it's not just a pretty face, the interior sports plenty of brushed aluminum and cool gauges, while the engine houses a supercharged 4.2-liter V8. It's got the power and the glory.
Stola, the Turin-based creator of concepts and niche models, has produced this coupe (which looks like a lot like the Maybach coupe concept that was around a while back). It's based on a Brabus V12 biturbo powertrain and platform, so under that super-long nose is a 6.3-liter engine that kicks out 750bhp, a ridiculous 1002 lb-ft of torque, and pushes the machine to beyond 200 mph. Stola has stated that this car will be produced "in the near future" and it intends to become "the first haute couture automotive brand." Customers can help create the styling and the interior, and even decide on the name. Please God, not the 'Britney.'
It's so wrong, it has to be right. German tuning firm, Mansory, has taken the Rolls-Royce Phantom and tricked the hell out of it. The matt-black paint job, body panels and 24-inch wheels almost make a virtue of the car's inherent ugliness. The engine sees a power hike to 490 bhp and 575 lb-ft of torque, while top speed is a claimed 168 mph. Mansory calls it the Conquistador. But if you had really discovered El Dorado, would you blow all your gold on this?
Maserati could never be accused of being overly prolific, so when it does bring out a new model, it's worth a fanfare or two. Especially when it's been designed by Pininfarina and has a 4.2-liter, 405bhp Ferrari-derived V8 engine. And it's hooked up to a ZF six-speed auto 'box (with paddle shifters). Car-bore stats run at 5.2 seconds for the 0-62 mph time, with a top speed of 177 mph. The Gran Turismo is the third Maserati to bear this name and it seems to have all the right ingredients to continue the heritage,
including plenty of toys and an almost perfect weight distribution (49/51 front to rear). So if a Mercedes-Benz CL or Jaguar XK is on your shopping list, you might want to think about this too.
This is what happens when you put crazy Dutch car makers, Spyker, together with superb-yet-edgy Italian coachbuilders, Zagato. The Spyker C12 Zagato. It's powered by a 500-bhp version of VW's W12 engine and is good for 193 mph. Only 24 will be made and they'll sell at around $650,000. We love the hallmark Zagato 'double-bubble' roof and the blinged-up rear.