Latest news with #hypercar
The Drive
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
The Very Complicated Mercedes-AMG One Hypercar Has a Fire Problem
The latest car news, reviews, and features. What's the saying? Two's company, but three's a crowd? It appears Mercedes-Benz has decided to intervene before any more of its AMG One hypercars burn to the ground, issuing a recall in its home country to address a fire risk related to its adjustable aerodynamics system. Per Mercedes, incorrectly installed (or missing) components of the hydraulic system that controls the rear wing can lead to a fluid leak, and hydraulic fluid has a habit of bursting into flames if you even look at it funny. The hydraulic rear wing is one of many adjustable components found on the AMG One, each of which interacts with the car's complex drive mode system. Apart from its outright performance, this song-and-dance is arguably the car's neatest party trick, and since the wing deploys based on several different parameters, it's not a simple set-and-forget feature that could be ignored by owners. Of the approximately 275 examples known to exist, 219 examples of them worldwide will have to be inspected to ensure their safe assembly. Mercedes-Benz stopped short of publicly associating the issue with the fires that have completely consumed two examples of its Formula 1 car for the street, but then its notice really doesn't include much of anything at all apart from a brief, dry description of the potential defect. You can look it up here; just bring your browser's translate feature. If we run with the assumption that this fix is related, it obviously came too late for the owners of the two now-lost examples that we know of. Um Mercedes-AMG ONE pegou fogo. A unidade estava no guincho, sendo rebocada no M6, em Staffordshire, quando explodiu em chamas.A Mercedes está investigando o incêndio no motor híbrido, que aconteceu quando seu motor estava desligado. 🗞️ | The Sun — Mercedes-AMG F1 Brasil 🇧🇷 (@MercedesAMGF1BR) May 22, 2023 The most recent AMG One self-immolation (linked above) happened on public roads in Germany, and was the first known example of a car being lost to fire in customer hands. The previous fire happened back in 2023, before many of the cars had been delivered. That car caught fire in a transporter while being moved between assembly facilities, Mercedes later confirmed. The company offered no insight as to the cause of that conflagration. Got a burning Mercedes in your driveway? Let us know at tips@
Top Gear
a day ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Praga Bohema review: the 700bhp twin-turbo V6 insect propellant Reviews 2025
It's a very expensive, track-focussed hypercar from the Czech Republic. A track munition from a little-known manufacturer, powered by a Japanese engine tuned by a UK company. It's rear-wheel drive, operates from six sequential speeds of single-clutch paddle – never the last word in refinement – and has no cupholders. It also has no hybrid assistance, a distinct lack of electric boost, isn't drowning in computing and has 'only' 700bhp. Oh, and it weighs under a tonne. Advertisement - Page continues below It is the Praga Bohema, and it's not for the weak. But we love it. Explain, please? Carbon tub, carbon body, carbon seats, lots of words with 'carbon' written in front of them. Biturbo V6 slung in the middle rather than positioned as a stressed member (this is supposed to be usable on the road), to prevent the engine's unfriendly resonant frequencies from using the carbon passenger cell as a subwoofer and turning the occupants' ears inside out. The engine is a 3.8-litre, and comes with some provenance – yep, it's the VR38DETT from the Nissan R-35 GT-R. An engine that's been on sale since 2009, and died with the GT-R in 2022. So not massively exotic. Except that Nissan has never really allowed this design to be used in anything other than racing cars and a couple of concepts. So it's still special. It's tuned by UK power brokers Litchfield to produce an entirely reliable 700bhp. Which these days sounds a bit white wine spritzer rather than shot of whisky. Similarly, 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds and 186mph+ won't necessarily satisfy the stat-collectors and paper players. Advertisement - Page continues below As mentioned, the Bohema weighs under a tonne and is essentially a giant, insectile aero device. That's the same power as something like a McLaren 720S, but 300kg lighter. Or a couple of hundred kilos lighter than an Aston Martin Valkyrie wet. It produces the greater proportion of its kerbweight in downforce at 155mph, some 950kg for 982kg of mass. It's about what happens in a corner, not altogether in the straight bits. Ever heard the phrase 'slow in, fast out' for muscle cars that are powerful but weigh a lot? This is 'fast in, faster out, brace your core'. It tends not to really just drive around a corner. It hunts them. Like prey. That sounds interesting. But who the hell is Praga? The Czech Republic's answer to VW back in the day. Or possibly Aston Martin. A revival and refresh in the past decade or so of a very old company. Probably not the first name that pops up when you think of hypercar hall-of-famers, but it's making an impression. Born in the Czech Republic in 1907, Praga started out making cars, trains and buses, and has a long and storied history. These days it makes a variety of stuff; the single-seat Praga R1 track car – a tiny track-only Batmobile from which the Bohema very obviously learns the greater proportion of its lessons – the gorgeous Praga ZS800 motorcycle, the V4S DKR Dakar racing trucks, even a Praga aeroplane. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. And the name? Praga is the name of the home city – Prague – which was the traditional capital of the region of Bohemia back in the day. Hence Praga Bohema. So have they managed to make the Bohema convincing? Remarkably, yes. The trick with this car is that it is remarkably self-aware. It knows it won't appeal to everyone, but those it will appeal to will be drawn to it in no uncertain terms. It's a track car that can be driven on the road, but more importantly, it's a blistering track car that can be driven on the road. We visited three racetracks in the course of testing (Autodrom Most, Brno Circuit and Slovakia Ring) with previous roadcar lap records all held by the somewhat inevitable Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The Bohema mullered the records by a minimum of four seconds in the hands of Praga's test driver Ales Jirasek (below), and that's without specific set-ups – just a lowering of the ride height and removing of the licence plates. Which are themselves quick release with magnetic phone charger backings that keep the 'plate lights on. You can lower the car via the inboard pushrods with two spanners and a caliper or tape measure – it's not too much hassle, probably 30 minutes. And yes, even in the hands of a non-pro, it's incredibly fast, light to the touch and satisfyingly raw. A blood, bone and brass experience rather than something that relies on code and traction control, it's a bit old-school. In fact, it's the kind of thing that encourages you to up your driving game – the speed is there to access, the last seconds not given up quite so easily. So let's drill into this: is it actually any good on a track? Shades of Le Mans Prototype, so seriously quick, with little prep. The acceleration is actually within the realms of super/hypercar knowledge, but the impressive bit is actually more in the braking and turn-in phase. You stand on the brake pedal with as much force as you can muster, then drive the yoke wheel at the apex. You don't manage the weight so much as just tell it where you want to go and hold on. It's a downforce car, so it's not really interested in sliding or showy nonsense, but no less captivating for that. And that grumpy Hewland sequential 'box that hangs up if you're indecisive on the road becomes a hyper-focussed bin-kicker when you give it death on a track. Blistering upshifts and brutal downshifts on the brakes. It has one job to do, and it does it well – even if engaging first gear on the road always sounds (and feels) like someone just slammed a door right behind your head. And yes, it has the shiver and shake of a racecar sequential at idle, and the kangaroo-judder of a racing car pull away. Not interested in track driving? The Bohema might convince you – anyone interested in the control and management of a very fast car, the actual driving bit, will find it fascinating. While hypercars are actually very easy to drive once you've got used to the width/speed/attention, the Bohema actually needs you to put some time in to drive it to the limit, be that on road or track. There's something innately satisfying in that. So that means it probably eats your brain on a road? It's… committed. The Hewland can be tricky, and you have to blend the clutch actuation from the throttle pedal – or the behind-wheel clutch paddle in racier modes. It's noisy and doesn't have tonnes of ride height. Plus, jumping in and out isn't an elegant process. But you do get used to it. Entry and egress gets more convincing with familiarity, popping the key into its recess in the tub before entry leaves both hands free, and even though it makes a lot of noise, it's not deafening; you don't need ear defenders to have a normal conversation. And then there's the little thoughtful bits that make it a touch more usable. The air con blows cold. You can seat two, even if it is a bit snug. The ride is hard, but the expensive Öhlins dampers still suspend with distinct mercy even given the limited amount of spring and damper travel. Once in, you plop your phone into the holder atop the central column – very Dacia Duster – and plug it into the USB hidden behind: it becomes an always-updated 'nav that stays updated and weighs grammes. There's a pocket by your left thigh for a wallet, easily changed mirrors, a bottle/flask holder behind your head in the central spine that can also be used to house a Bose bluetooth speaker. And yes, you'd be able to hear it. There's a button panel and rotary wheel combo in the headliner that's absolute genius; click a button to engage the mode, spin the wheel to adjust. You can do it by feel, and it makes so much sense in a car where you don't get much time 'off' at the wheel – there's no sneeze factor, so being able to adjust the air-con by touch without a complex screen is fabulous. It's also got a decently-sized fuel tank (over 60-litres), and remarkably, driven normally, registered 35-ish mpg. That's not a plug-in hybrid-assisted bit of special maths, either. Are we talking perfect compromise? No. It's absolutely compromised for road work, but those compromises are celebrated. The Bohema might well be too much for some, with too tight a focus; might be considered not V12 enough for those who need more exotic powertrains. That Hewland six-speed sequential can be annoying, loud and unrefined – it's not the car to wear tight trousers or a short skirt in. But all of that is part of the Bohema's character. You get it… or you don't. There is no in-between. What makes it better than… the other mega-expensive track things? There are a few things that make the Bohema attractive. It's got a low-access starting point in terms of skill, but a high limit when it comes to absolutes; both normal people and racing drivers will find a place here. It also doesn't need a 45-second start-up procedure, a team of engineers or particular fettling. The GT-R engine is there to be abused, and it's so reliable Praga actually offers an unlimited mileage warranty for road work. Plus, there's the vague option of tuning: the Bohema doesn't particularly need more power, but Litchfield does VR38DETTs like no one else, and offers billet 4.3 blocks with upwards of 1,200bhp – the idea of a Bohema with a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio is absolutely possible. And lightly terrifying. Why do you like it? You hate everything track-biased! Jan Martinek (below, right) – technical director at Praga and overlord of the Bohema project – is one of us. As are the people that have developed it. It takes lessons learned from the R1 pure track car, and sympathetically translates them into a real road car. But more than that, Martinek is obsessed. In a good way. While he appreciates and admires innovation – be that hybrid, electric, coal, steam or fairy dust – he's of the opinion that a hypercar's job is to make you smile, be you teenage onlooker or serious driver. The Bohema is singular, odd, complex and fascinating. Not your usual hypercar. And that makes it very special indeed. 22 minutes 14 seconds
Car and Driver
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear is the Brand's Most Aggressive Car Yet
The Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear is the newest and most aggressive hypercar yet from a company known for pushing the limits of road legality. The Sadair's Spear builds on the Jesko Attack with more power, less weight, and improved aerodynamics. Only 30 examples will be made, and as these things typically go, each has already been sold. Koenigsegg continues to push the envelope for how extreme a car can be while maintaining legal status on the roads. The 1578-hp Jesko Attack was already stretching that envelope to the extremes, but that didn't stop Christian von Koenigsegg and team from leveling things up even further. View Gallery Koenigsegg The new Sadair's Spear builds on the Jesko Attack by removing weight, adding downforce, and adding power—turning what was already a track monster into a creation designed to raze lap times and redefine your perception of speed. To prove it, Koenigsegg set the Sadair's Spear to dethrone the Jesko Attack's lap record on the Gotland Ring—which it did by 1.1 seconds . . . during its initial shakedown laps. Christian von Koenigsegg, the founder and CEO of Koenigsegg, named the Jesko for his father as an 80th birthday present and a "thank you" for his help with the company. Turns out Jesko was a keen jockey in his younger years, and the horse he rode in his final race was named Sadair's Spear. View Gallery Koenigsegg Back to the actual car—the powertrain is familiar enough, that is, if you're familiar with the Jesko's 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 and its nine-speed Lightspeed transmission. With no flywheel slowing it down, the V-8 revs to its 8500 rpm in 0.2 second. Revised engine calibration, new air intakes, and improved cooling mean Koenigsegg was able to increase output by 25 horsepower. That means the Sadair's Spear spits out a whopping 1282 horsepower on regular unleaded gasoline, and an astronomical 1602 horsepower on E85. Upgrades to the aero package make themselves known with an active top-mounted double-blade rear wing. Following extensive work by Koenigsegg's CFD team, the automaker extended the rear of the car for enhanced airflow. Expanded front canards, louvers, and reengineered hood vents, along with a new Gurney flap, also help with cooling performance. If all that isn't enough, the tires are wider for increased grip, and the carbon ceramic brakes come with upgraded pad materials. The suspension is upgraded too, with Triplex dampers and lighter springs which, together with other lightweighting techniques, combine to shed more than 77 pounds. Koenigsegg is limiting the Sadair's Spear to just 30 units—all of which sold out instantly despite a purchase price north of $5 million. Jack Fitzgerald Associate News Editor Jack Fitzgerald's love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn't afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. Read full bio
Car and Driver
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
View Photos of the Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear
Koenigsegg continues to push the boundaries of how aggressive a road-legal car can be. The Sadair's Spear is its newest example of that, and builds on the outline put forward by the Jesko Attack. Read the Full Story
Auto Express
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Watch out Bugatti! Koenigsegg may have just revealed the ultimate hypercar
Koenigsegg has unveiled the Sadair's Spear – a new limited-edition hypercar that features the same underpinnings as the wild Jesko – but with new aerodynamics, less weight and even more power. While the other 'Attack' and 'Absolut' variants of the Jesko hypercar (named after Christian von Koenigsegg's father) are fairly self-explanatory, the Sadair's Spear name comes from Jesko von Koenigsegg's horse, which he rode during his final race as a jockey in 1976. The Sadair's Spear does get some mechanical tweaks over other Jesko variants, but it's been altered cosmetically too. There's a new active top-mounted, 'double-blade' rear wing, an enlarged front splitter with independent underbody flaps, larger diffusers behind the wheels, a new front bonnet air dam and new side winglets. All this (plus the Jesko's existing aerodynamics) creates a total downforce of 850kg. Advertisement - Article continues below The new variant also weighs 35kg less than the standard Jesko, thanks to lighter springs in the self-levelling suspension, less sound deadening and bespoke carbon-fibre seats. The result is a kerbweight of just 1,320kg – less than a Ford Focus. There's a six-point harness inside to give you the full race car environment - although Koenigsegg still fits a radio and even a wireless smartphone charger to keep things civilised in there. Powering the Sadair's Spear is the same twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V8 with Koenigsegg providing its usual output figures for unleaded and more potent E85 fuel: 1,282bhp for the former and 1,603bhp for the latter, which is 25bhp up on the Jesko. There are no performance figures just yet; while the Absolut has a theoretical top speed of 310mph, it does this without the huge wing of the Sadair's Spear. To ensure Koenigsegg's latest hypercar stops as well as it goes, there are carbon-ceramic brakes front and rear with bespoke brake calipers in six-pot and four-pot forms. Pricing for the Sadair's Spear stands at £3.8m, which might sound like a lot, but there's clearly enough interest because all 30 that will be built have been spoken for already. Want the latest car news in your inbox? Sign up to the free Auto Express email newsletter... Find a car with the experts Best hypercars 2025 Extraordinarily fast and exceedingly rare, these are the best hypercars of all-time Best cars & vans 12 May 2025 BYD and Octopus Energy team up for 'all-inclusive' EV deal BYD and Octopus Energy team up for 'all-inclusive' EV deal Octopus' 'Power Pack Bundle' includes a leased BYD, a wallbox charger and charging all for less than £300 per month New Skoda Epiq baby SUV could be a Tardis on wheels New Skoda Epiq baby SUV could be a Tardis on wheels The new Skoda Epic will sit below the Elroq and Enyaq in the brand's ever-expanding SUV range and is set to offer plenty of space despite its compact … Car Deal of the Day: Fully loaded Vauxhall Mokka can be yours for just £175 per month Car Deal of the Day: Fully loaded Vauxhall Mokka can be yours for just £175 per month Our Deal of the Day for 21 June is this top-of-the-range version of Vauxhall's recently updated, style-focused small SUV
