Bucket Seat: Ferrari 812 Competizione and Competizione A

6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12, the most powerful ever made by Ferrari, that alone should send shivers down your spine as a motoring purist. It is the heart of the beast behind the new twin flame models launched today by the Maranello based motor manufacturer, dubbed the 812 Competizione and Competizione A which I'm guessing stands for Aperta seeing that its missing a roof. Revving to 9,500rpm, so a high revving engine of note and I can only sit back and wonder how ungodly it must sound, it probably will awaken the underworld with its growl on start up. 

Seeing that this is a spawn of the 812 Superfast, which lived up to its name being Superfast, one can only imagine the raw power that is waiting to be unearth in this machine. Ferrari has redesigned the pistons, fitted titanium con-rods that are 40 percent lighter), layered a diamond like carbon coating on the piston pins and rebalanced the crank which is a whopping three percent lighter than before. There are new cylinder heads, F1-tech for the cams which are also coated in that diamond like carbon and redesigned the intake system across the the manifold and plenim as well as variable geometry inlet tracts. All of this translates to a motor that produces 819bhp, a 0-100km/h time of just 2.85 seconds and a top speed of over 340km/h. 

The car looks phenomenal, with Ferrari going all out on a superb aero kit that not only is functional in maximizing downforce and generating speed but looks the part too. It is almost like a samurai suit that is fitted over the standard 812 guise, my favourite part being the rear engine cover with the gills of sort to allow for engine cooling. The Aperta version is a lot less intimidating, if I could use that analogy but it would probably be the more terrifying and enjoyable one to be in. Bit strange that Ferrari opted to launch both the coupe and drop top model at the same time as they normally do stagger their releases, unless they will run some double special for selected customers. No word on pricing or number of units to be produced but you can bet its going to be ultra limited like most of their special models. 

 

Bucket Seat: BMW M760Li xDrive - First Impressions

For those who visited the Festival of Motoring held at Kyalami last year, you would have noticed something really special parked off at the BMW stand. Tucked away at the back was the range topping model of the 7 series stable, the M760Li. It's presence was well felt, as soon as you entered the room it caught your attention, from it's large 20" rims, to the flared front bumper and grill to the various M badges and V12 badges that adorn the car. Even the paint work was something to be admired, a dark charcoal grey in matte finish. The car has the long wheel base which means extra room for the passengers at the back, visitors to the festival got to experience this first hand with the rear seats being able to recline with the optional foot rest which forms part of the front seat deploys to give you the ultimate limousine effect. 

Even though the car was on our shores last year, the official worldwide launch of this car only happened this past weekend in the US. From it we learn't more about this spectacular car. The power plant consists the most powerful engine in BMW's arsenal, a 6.6 litre V12, which develops an output of 448kW, 610bhp at 5500rpm.  It is a beat of note, the peak torque of the motor is 800Nm all of which is produced by the help of the high performance unite with leading edge M Performance TwinPower Turbo Technology. The claimed acceleration for 01-00km/h is just 3.7 seconds, the car is electronically governed to a top speed of 250kph. There is an optional M Driver's package, if specified it pushes up the limited speed to 305Km/h. With immense power as that being produced by the engine to haul the 2.2 tonne car along, BMW felt it needed something else to hold the car in place, hence the car come with xDrive. 

What is xDrive? We in SA don't get many BMW models with xDrive, especially the sedan's simply because there is no need for it. xDrive is BMW's all wheel drive system and why the M760Li needs it is quite simple, that power going to just two wheels could be a bit much so it's distributed to all four wheels to enhance the grip and efficiency of the power produced. Not to mention it also adds to a more smoother ride, after all this is a luxury sports limousine. Another cool feature of the M760Li is the rear wheel steering, yes the rear tyres also rotate when steering but just a tad bit and not as noticeable as the front. The car also has innovative Executive Drive Pro suspension, which BMW said adds to the dynamic sharpness and unbeatable ride comfort. The Active roll stabilization minimises body movements and the systems team up with performance tyres. 

We know the car goes very fast but it can also stop fast, the car is fitted with the new 19" M Sport brakes, boasting blue metallic brake calipers and M branding, set the seal on the dynamic armory of the BMW M760Li xDrive and ensure unbeatable deceleration at all times. As with the regular 7 Series, there is a lot to this car and while we didn't even cover half of what it can do here in this post, we got the important bits, for the rest of it we have to wait till this beast makes it's way to the country, yes, this one is coming to South Africa so if you're looking at getting a luxury sedan that packs enough power to rival some of the fastest cars on the roads, this one should be high up on your list.