But for Hennessey Performance Engineering [HPE], that’s not enough. The Texas based tuner, known for its outrageously powerful tunes, has done it again with the introduction of the 2013 HPE800 Twin Turbo Jeep Grand Cherokee.

“We’ve built dozens of 600-800 hp Jeep SRT8s over the past five years, so we have an existing client base who will want to upgrade the new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 to an even higher level”, said company founder and president, John Hennessey.

“This vehicle is designed for the performance minded driver who lives in Aspen or Moscow and wants to be the fastest in all weather conditions.”

The tuner’s crew started out by increasing the V8’s displacement to 7.0-liters (426 cu.in.) and then added a twin turbo forced induction system, boosting output to an insane 805-horsepower and 823 lb-ft of torque, enough to propel the HPE800 from 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds and complete the quarter mile in just 10.9 seconds with an exit speed of 130mph (209km/h).

Hennessey also upgraded transmission system and its torque converter, and added more powerful 15.1 inch Brembo brakes on all four corners.

A lowered sport suspension system, along with 20-inch light alloy wheels, a carbon fiber front splitter and a custom leather interior with Alcantara steering wheel complete the program.

All sounds good until you hear the price: HPE said it will produce 24 examples, each priced

If you are a frequent Carscoop reader, you may recall a story that we wrote in October about Laurent Muller, the man who bought the rights to the Auto Avio Costruzioni trademark in 2004.

Muller’s original goal was to build a supercar based on the Ferrari 430, but with a V12 engine instead of the production version’s eight-cylinder unit.

However, as soon as he announced his plans in 2008, Ferrari filed a lawsuit against him claiming that it still owned the rights to the Auto Avio Costruzioni name, as it was used by Enzo Ferrari for a short period after leaving Alfa Romeo and before founding the car company that carries his name.

While Muller couldn’t proceed with his initial project, he decided to buy a used Alfa 159, tune its 1.75-liter turbocharged engine to 240HP and 370Nm (40HP and 30Nm up from the factory version) and give the bodywork a two-tone finish.

Now Mr. Muller has once again contacted Carscoop to show us his latest creation: since the first car was sold, he decided to make another two-tone 159, this time with dark grey bodywork complemented by matte black strips and an orange, Lamborghini-sourced paint for the roof. The car also features a 240HP version of Alfa’s 1.75-liter turbocharged four.

As Muller told us in his e-mail, the legal battle with Ferrari, the outcome of which will decide who has the rights to the AAC brand, will commence in March

merican-based design house Scagliarini Motorsports has unveiled its latest creation, the 504 Coupe Zagato Elaborata, or 504cze. As the name implies, the car is inspired by Zagato’s 500 Coupe concept that was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show last March.

Painted in a bright Lamborghini Arancio hue –that’s orange to you and me- the 504 Coupe Zagato Elaborata is based on the Abarth 500 esseesse with power coming from a 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged four-pot delivering 180HP and 300 Nm of torque.
But unlike the front-wheel drive only Abarth, the 504cze features an all-wheel drive system (hence the “4” in its name).

Other special features include a set of Brembo brakes, a performance exhaust system by Ragazzon, painted rear windows and Abarth front seats trimmed in alcantara.

As we speak, the 504cze is a one-off special due to be delivered to a client in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, Scagliarini Motorsports said it is willing to manufacture a limited production run if there is substantial interest from buyers

The new V12 Zagato was joined by four other Aston Martins on the track, including the factory supported V8 Vantage (aka Smurf) and V12 Vantage (aka Kermit).

“The V12 Zagato completed useful development laps during the four-hour race and while experiencing some inevitable teething issues, accrued valuable data which can be used to hone the car ahead of the 24-hour race next month,” Aston Martin said in a press release.

At the 24-hour race next month, Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez will be leading the team in a V12 Zagato endurance race car.

Refresher: Power for the Aston Martin V12 Zagato comes from a 6.0 liter V12 engine making 510-hp and a maximum torque of 420 lb-ft. The engine is mated to a six-speed automated manual gearbox with auto shift manual/select shift manual. The rear-wheel-drive model features an all round independent double wishbone with fully adjustable Multimatic DSSV dampers. The Aston Martin V12 Zagato will appear in the form of an endurance race car to compete at the Nurburgring 24 hour race

Developed to celebrate 35 years since the launch of the original Volkswagen Golf GTI in 1976, the GTI Edition 35 will make its premiere at the Worthersee Tour (June 1-4) in Austria. A 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine that develops 235-horsepower and 300 Nm of torque (221 lb-ft), 25HP and 20 Nm more than the standard GTI, powers the limited edition hot-hatch.

However, Volkswagen says the engine is not an upgraded version of the standard GTI’s unit but a detuned version of the AWD Golf R’s four-pot, adapted for a FWD setup. With 25 more horsepower than the standard GTI and a power-to-weight ratio of 6 kg/hp, the Golf GTI Edition 35 reaches a top speed of 247 km/h (153 mph) and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.6 seconds (gains of 7 km/h and 0.3 seconds respectively).

Like the standard GTI, the Edition 35 is equipped with the XDS electronic differential lock for improved handling and can be fitted with the optional six-speed DSG transmission. The average fuel consumption is rated at 8.1 liters/100 km (29 mpg) for the manual model and 8 liters/100 km (29.4 mpg) for the DSG version.

The VW Golf GTI Edition 35 has a starting price of €30,425 ($43,750) in Germany. To mark the debut of the new model, VW has released a commercial entitled “Are you GTI enough?” which highlights the intense feelings drivers get from the car. Scroll down to see the anniversary GTI raising the adrenaline levels of a female driv

he Skoda Citigo will be placed in the sub-four meter hatchback segment and will be in similar lines as the Hyundai Eon and the Maruti Alto in India, provided it is launched in the country. The vehicle has dimensions of 3.56m length, 1.48m height and 1.65m width. The extra width of the Skoda Citigo gives it considerable advantage over the Maruti Alto. The Skoda Citigo also has superior height of about 65mm, which translates into additional headroom for the passengers. The width difference is even more significant at 175mm, which would mean immense interior space. This ensures that the Skoda Citigo will accommodate comfortably five adult passeto have a year-end release in Czech Republic. The car is also marked for launch in India sometime next year. has been is discussion recently as the response of the Czech auto manufacturer to the Volkswagen Up! Skoda Motors is ready to offer this latest vehicle to its home country, the Czech Republic. The Skoda Citigo will make an entry into that market by the end of 2011. The reason behind this action of Skoda Motors is to judge the response of its domestic consumers about the car before launching it in other markets abroad. This will probably be the time when this small car makes its entry into the Indian auto market, courtesy Skoda India. However, the export of this vehicle is not going to start anytime prior to Junegershough the car is being offered at a restricted budget, it has still been provided with immense features to ensure interior comfort. One indeed needs to give due credit to the thoughtfulness exhibited by the car manufacturer from Czech Republic in its designing of the interiors of this car. It has been provided with cup holders, bag hooks, storage pockets, photo holders as well as one book holder attached behind the seat of the front passenger. All these reflect extreme good taste o

As of now, the engine has been made exclusive to the Honda Civic. Market experts, however, feel that Honda India might adopt this engine for their flagship sedan, the Honda City, sometime in the future. This speculation has been generated from the increasing demand in the Indian market for diesel-powered cars. Honda City has been a regular feature in the list of favorite cars in India but the only drawback identified for the vehicle is its petrol engine. Some innovative strategy along with a small price cut by the manufacturers, have ensured continuous growth in sales of the Honda City. Honda has exhibited a strong competitive spirit in the market with its Honda Jazz and City variants, by offering discounts to the extent of Rs.1 lakh. Their efforts have also reaped rich rewards for them. The consumers have whole-heartedly received these changes and the 2012 Honda City is expected to get a stronger market rThe technology used in diesel engine is getting a quantum leap, courtesy Honda Motors. Taking everyone by surprise, the car manufacturer from Japan has lifted the curtains to display their latest common rail turbo-diesel engine, the 1.6L i-DTEC. The technology has left all auto lovers mesmerized. Honda Motors chose the ideal platform at the Tokyo Motor Show to highlight this breakthrough technology of theirs in the field of light-weight diesel engines. The most interesting aspect is that this engine that Honda has developed is in lines with their vision of providing fuel-efficient light weight engines.

The engine, which weighs just 170kg, has the capability of delivering excellent fuel economy. However, details pertaining to the same are yet to be disclosed by Honda authorities, as they continue to remain secretive about the same. It is assumed that they are waiting for some other forum to come out with the detailed specifications. The Honda Civic sedan has been identified as the vehicle in which this new diesel engine will be fitted with. This best-selling car from Honda is due to receive a makeover in the year 2012. It, however, remains a matter of speculation as to whether a new version of the Civic will feature this engine or it will have something else as its powertrain.esponse.

The Toyota Etios Liva and Toyota Etios will break cover for the first time in India. Participating racers will be taken to international venues. There will be around 5 to 6 races in 2012 and the racing schedule will be revealed in next couple of weeks. Both Etios Liva and Etios will be introduced in 13 cities throughout India for promoting Toyota Etios Motor Racing Series. Both models will carry all the enhancements needed for circuit racing and will be equipped with role-cage sport steering, 17 inch alloy wheels, customized bumpers at rear and front, racing exhaust and bucket seats

In this case, it appears to be the Environmental Protection Agency and its fueleconomy.gov website, which has apparently let slip the arrival of the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster. The information in the EPA data sheet is roughly the same as the existing Aventador coupe’s, but it’s not these sorts of details that count here. After all, how many Lamborghini drivers are really that concerned with fuel economy or carbon emissions?

Now, this should come as no surprise, as we’ve been expecting the open-air Lambo to arrive at some point, particularly since its predecessors – the Murcielago and Diablo before it – offered convertible models. But this appears to be our first real confirmation.

Luckily, MR Car Design didn’t mess around too much with the Quattroporte’s looks as the only cosmetic changes concern the new 22-inch Vossen alloy wheels shod in high-performance tires size 245/30 R22 at the front and 295/25 R22 with 15mm spacers at the back, the tinted windows and the new tail pipe designs.

A set of adjustable sport springs from H&R that lower the car’s ride height from 20mm to 30mm complete the updates.