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Subaru has introduced the WRX STI Final Edition as an official send-off for the current generation to make way for more efficient platforms that may involve electrification. The Japanese automaker will only be making 150 cars for the UK market, and it comes with the latest bells and whistles.

First of the lot is driving performance, which has been improved by changing from mechanical and electronic to fully electronic control of the Multi-Mode Driver’s Control Centre Differential (DCCD). This provides the vehicle with optimum cornering ability, by shifting power to the wheel that needs it most.

Wheel size has been increased to 19-inches to accommodate the larger Brembo brakes with yellow painted calipers. This new setup improve fade-resistance and brake performance as well as offer a consistent pedal feel. Subaru says that the improvement will prove exceptionally useful when driving at the car’s limit.

Visual disparities between the Final Edition and the regular WRX STI are subtle at best. It gets Final Edition badges and a redesigned front bumper that houses the lower grille blacked out with a geometric textured panel. The signature hexagonal grille has been sharpened with a black surround outline.

Inside, Subaru has given the car high gloss black inserts for the instrument panel, gear stick surround, door panels that complement the steering wheel with red stitching and red seat belts. The front seats are now heated, and a larger 5.9” multi-function display has been added to the top of the dash.

Like models that preceded it, the Final Edition gets bi-functional projector LED lights, with a single bulb enabling High Beam Assist to switch between high and low beam automatically. There’s a single-lens camera embedded in the font windscreen that detects on-coming traffic and this allows the headlights to switch to a different light intensities.

The Subaru WRX STI Final Edition has already gone on sale in the UK and it won’t be long before all 150 vehicles are snatched up.

The general consensus when it comes to purchasing a car is – all of them suffer some form of depreciation. As soon as they are driven off the showroom floor – their values drop. While cars like a Toyota Camry may hold its value for several years, other cars from lesser known marques may loose a whole lot more, rendering them almost unsaleable.

It seems as though a Bugatti Chiron has bucked the trend, with its owner expecting to make a cool £1.1 million (RM6.1 million) over the initial purchase price of £2.5 million (RM13.8 million). The UK based owner has put his car up for sale at specialist supercar dealer Romans International in Surrey for £3.6 million (RM19.9 million).

If this news has you scratching your head, its understandable considering that the car is considered ‘pre-owned’. But this isn’t the main criteria that makes the Chiron extremely valuable. The reason for the price tag – its the most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and the most exclusive production super sports car in the world.

Bugatti will only be making 500 of these cars over the course of the next 10 years, which makes it extremely desirable and valuable to many collectors and billionaires. But this one is extra special due to the options that come with it.

The black Chiron has been fitted with a leather and carbon interior at a cost of £53,000 (RM292,923) and carbon fibre seats for nearly £16,000 (RM88,429). It’s an insane amount of money to spend on a car that has covered only 1,609km since new, just to list it for sale shortly after taking ownership of it.

Speaking of the car’s listing, Tom Jaconelli, Director of Romans International, said, “Although the Chiron is not yet sold out, if you place an order today you will be waiting at least three or four years before the car could be built and delivered, so we are offering the chance to ‘jump the queue’ but of course there is a hefty premium to pay for this privilege.”

The supercar dealership has been in the business of selling exotic vehicles for nearly 20 years and has already sold a Maserati MC12 and a pair of Ferrari LaFerraris. Like the Chiron, these hypercars were also built in extremely low numbers and have commanded hefty asking prices.

The second season of the ever popular entertainment show involving cars, the Grand Tour will premier on December 8th 2017. This puts to rest rumors that suggested that due to several health related setbacks involving two of the show’s presenters, the show would have to be postponed.

According to an announcement on the Grand Tour’s Youtube page, the premiere date has been set in stone. And we can expect to see Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May take centre stage in their make-shift tent to provide us with all the foolhardy automotive related adventures before Christmas.

This is welcoming news considering that not too long ago, Jeremy Clarkson had to battle a severe bout of pneumonia, one that his doctor said almost killed him. He was admitted at a hospital in Spain where he was supposedly enjoying his vacation.

When this news broke, it cast further doubt on the 2017 release date of the second season, which already seemed shaky after Richard Hammond’s shunt. Clarkson’s co-host, lost control of a Rimac Concept car while filming, causing it to slide off the elevated track and barrel roll further down hill where it eventually caught on fire.

Hammond was immediately taken to hospital where he has had extensive surgery done correct the injury to his left leg. his recovery took awhile, but the youngest member of the trio managed to bounce back from his injury but thankfully, it occurred sooner rather than later.

We hope that the second season is just as enjoyable as the first. But judging from the trailer video however, it could be more action packed and enjoyable compared to the first. That said, we won’t know for sure until the 8th of December, so stay tuned.

A new Aston Martin dealership has opened for business in Tokyo, Japan. The 1,000 square meter facility is said to be the largest Aston Martin dealership in the world and is part of the British luxury marque’s £500m (RM 2.8 billion) trade and investment programme in Japan.

Referred to as ‘The House of Aston Martin Aoyama’, this new dealership also serves as the company’s first global brand centre and a place to bring together the art and entertainment of Aston Martin. Located on the Aoyama Dori, this centre covers three floors and includes vehicle displays, a shop and space for relaxing and entertaining visitors.

Regarding the launch of the new facility, Dr. Andy Palmer, President & CEO Aston Martin said, “As the second largest luxury car market worldwide, Japan is key to Aston Martin’s future success. As we map out our global retail presence, we are confident that Aston Martin Tokyo will quickly become our largest dealer by volume in the world.”

Aston Martin hopes that this place not only functions as a place where customers can purchase cars, rather a hub for art, culture, shopping, luxury and ‘elegance’. It will be the go-to place for inspiration and to learn about Aston Martin’s design philosophies.

Sky Group, which already manages 26 other dealer facilities in Japan, is in-charge of operating Aston Martin’s dealership as well. This state-of-the-art facility will serve as the main source of attraction for those who appreciate fine art, cars and incredibly well designed architecture.

Roush Performance, the world renowned tuning house that specializes in building supped up performance vehicles, has teamed up with Ford to produce something interesting. The duo have co-developed a new supercharger kit for the Blue Oval’s Mustang and F-150 truck.

When bolted on to the Mustang GT that has a 5.0-litre V8, this new supercharger helps to provide a total output of 700bhp and 827Nm of torque. A 2018 F-150 pick-up truck that has the same V8 and bolt-on supercharger kit, will produce 640bhp and 813Nm of torque.

It takes advantage of the new V8’s port and direction injection fuel system technology to maximize boost for better power delivery. The kit comes with all installation hardware and an exclusive performance calibration.

Though considered an aftermarket upgrade, Ford says that this new supercharger kit will be offered with a limited warranty and the vast support network of Ford Motor Company and Roush. Adding to that, bolting it to a Mustang or F-150 will not void the vehicle’s warranty.

“Ford and Roush have teamed up on performance for years on and off the track,” said Doug White, Global Ford Performance Parts Manager. “This new supercharger is another great example of our innovation in performance, greatly improving horsepower and torque so people can enjoy two of our most iconic vehicles even more.”

The partnership between Roush and Ford dates back more than two decades and since that time, both companies have enjoyed a successful partnership on track and the road. Roush is considered a leading expert in Ford powertrains and how best to improve power and enjoyment.

A BMW Z8 formerly belonging to Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs is up for sale. Jobs purchased the car in 2000 and then sold it on to the current owner in 2003. It was then resold to a third party but bought back three years later.

The vehicle is said to have extremely low mileage and complete service history was well as a full set of accessories and items that came with the car. These items also include a BMW branded Motorola flip phone, which Jobs despised.

There were only 6000 BMW Z8 cars that were ever produced, which makes it a bit of a rarity. It was offered with either a 4.8 or 4.9-litre V8 that was mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic. Weighing about 1,585kg, the car had an all-aluminium chassis and body, which helped increase agility and stability.

It’s 400bhp engine, which was shared with the E39 M5 allowed the car to sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds and eventually reach a limited top speed of 250km/h. As a means to lure more enthusiasts to the Z8, BMW promised that it would retain the car’s spare parts for 50-years.

Meant to be a modern interpretation of a retro sports car, the Z8 never managed to garner the success it was meant to achieve. Despite factory-backed support and other unique customization options, the car didn’t quite live up to the hype.

That said, due to the relative significance of this particular one, speculators suggest that the car might fetch somewhere between $300,000 (RM 1,270,050) to $400,000 (RM 1,693,400) when it is eventually sold at the RM Sotherby’s New York auction.

Source: Car Throttle

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