Ferrari Reveals Eric Clapton SP12 EC One-Off

It took a while for them to officially announce and reveal what they’d done, but Ferrari finally revealed that very special one-off 458 Italia-based car they built for Eric Clapton.

It’s officially called the SP12 EC, is rumored to have cost GBP3 million as it was purchased from a London dealer and still look like a bad idea.

"The world-famous guitar player has been attached to one particular Ferrari model: the 512 BB, of which he has owned three over the years. So his desire was to drive a car inspired by this model, with influences from the multi-award winning 458 Italia,” Ferrari says.

Since Ferrari didn’t reveal anything else, and there are no other clues about the car hidden in backwards tapes of Clapton’s music, we’re stuck for details.

However, we expect that car has various bit from older Ferraris, was custom built by Maranello themselves. and is actually a V8, not a V12. Clapton wanted a car to be a spiritual successor to the 512, which indeed had a 12-cylinder, but it was a boxer engine which Ferrari doesn’t make any more. We might still be proven wrong, but until specs for this car appear we’re going to stick to our gums and say this is a V8.

Clapton says that this project is one of the most satisfying things he’s ever done, but will the automotive world agree?

2012 Bentley Continental GTC: First Look

Competes with: Aston Martin DB9 Volante convertible, Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

Looks like: Subtle changes are well worth the wait

Drivetrain: 567-hp, 6.0-liter W-12; six-speed automatic transmission; all-wheel drive

Hits dealerships: Late 2011

After taking a year off, the Bentley Continental GTC is back for a second generation. Overall, the model undergoes the same aesthetic and mechanical upgrades that the Bentley Continental GT received. To read our review of that very similar model, check out Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder’s review here.

Whereas the previous Bentley GTC aimed to look more modern — at the expense of Bentley’s storied past — the new model isn’t shy about showing its heritage. Like the GT coupe, the redesigned GTC gets subtle exterior changes that add more definition to the body, particularly around back: The more pronounced rear fenders and the trunk’s raised crease line help invoke images of Bentleys from long ago. You can see elements of the 60-year-old Mark VI and R-Type here.

All GTCs now get 20-inch wheels standard, with three differently styled 21-inch wheels optional. (Those are a first.)

Along with the looks, the GTC’s chassis has been reworked. It now features a wider front and rear track, sharper steering and a retuned suspension. There’s also a new 40/60 rear-biased all-wheel-drive system (compared with 50/50 in the old model) to reduce understeer, Bentley says.

An upgraded engine now uses twin turbos on the 6.0-liter W-12, boosting power to 567 horsepower and 516 pounds-feet of torque. That’s 15 hp and 37 pounds-feet more than the previous model.

The interior gets updates, too. There’s a new dash padded in leather and more legroom for backseat passengers. A new touch-screen with Google Maps, navigation and a media interface for a 30-gigabyte hard drive is standard, along with automatic seat-belt presenters and a neck warmer.

The GTC is still available with just a soft-top. Bentley is taking orders now and should start making its first deliveries later this year.

The latest GTC starts at an eye-watering $212,800, up from $201,500 in 2011. While that 5.6% price increase is probably insignificant to the folks who buy such extravagance, just keep in mind that the $11,300 difference could get you an entry-level 2012 Nissan Versa hatchback.

Long Term Update 1: 2011 Nissan Juke

A trip south to downtown San Diego from our Los Angeles headquarters is just over 120 miles. Or in Nissan Juke terms (with yours truly behind the wheel), that's around three-quarters of a tank down the notoriously traffic-clogged Interstate 5 highway.

Only if I kill the air conditioning, set the amusing I-Con system to "Eco", and play coy with the throttle, will the thirsty little 1.6-liter drink maybe half its 11.8-gallon premium fuel capacity on the way to America's Finest City. And that's being generous with an absolutely desolate path ahead and cruise control pegged at 72 mph. A Santa Ana tailwind always helps out, too.

Keeping the Juke's instant mpg gauge above 20 mpg is as tricky as juggling three Penns while standing on one leg. Sometimes you nail it, but most of the time you fail horribly. So far during my 4000-plus miles, I've managed to eek out 23.6 mpg. The EPA says I should be getting around 287 miles per tank. How could all this be, you ask?

One likely reason has to do with the fuel-sapping all-wheel drive system. Even with onboard technologies like a continuously variable transmission, direct-injection, and a small turbo designed specifically to boost power while minimizing fuel consumption, the Juke continues to suffer from the adverse affects of all-wheel power.

As it usually goes, the more wheels you power, the less efficient the vehicle becomes. Nowadays, AWD efficiency in general has been on the uptick, but in the case of our Juke, the decent 25 mpg city/30 mpg highway/27 combined fuel economy numbers simply haven't translated to the road during its three months of service.

Granted, there is also this other real-world explanation to consider when speaking of miles per gallon: Although it may look like a laboratory experiment gone wrong, the Juke is undoubtedly a fun crossover to drive.

Somewhere in process of creating a vehicle for the young, securely employed, and at times adventurous urbanite, Nissan's engineers underestimated their customers' affinity to partake in spritely driving. Hints of frugality go quickly out the door once a peppy, spool-happy mill and a responsive chassis are introduced to the vehicle equation, no matter the driver and his/her intentions.

I can't get into a Juke (long termer or not) without wanting to ring-out the four-banger to its 6600 rpm redline. Then I have to push it aggressively into a bend as if my last name were Vettel. Frugality can't be a reality at this point in a Juke. It begs to be played with, albeit at a slower, top-heavy performance level.

Sure, go ahead, call me ridiculous. To which I say: Go test drive an SL AWD for an extended time and be prepared to sport a wide grin on your face as the digitized torque distribution indicator flashes furiously before your eyes. You'll be entertained, to say the least.

Each time I strap in, I find myself wanting the drone-happy CVT to shift into an actual mechanical gear (the CVT gets old fast). Even better would be a six-speed manual option on the AWD variety. But until such a Juke exists, I'll have to be satisfied with a crossover that rewards its driver with more than a few unexpected smiles, and some less than impressive mpgs.

2012 Mercedes Benz E63 AMG Exhaust

You should know the drill by now. For the last 18 months, AMG engineers have been on a transplant tear, swapping out naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8s for the new, 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8, codenamed M157. The first vehicles to receive these downsized upgrades were the 2011 CL63 AMG and S63 AMG. A few months ago, Affalterbach put the 2012 CLS63 AMG under the knife. Now, it's hammer time.

The 2012 E63 AMG is essentially a mechanical doppelgaenger for the CLS63 AMG. Both have the same hand-built, direct-injection V-8 that makes 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Both have the same seven-speed wet clutch transmission, the same electrohydraulic steering system, and upgraded suspension and electronics. Unlike the CLS63, which had dramatic plastic surgery along with its heart transplant, the 2012 E63 receives only the tiniest of Botox injections, primarily new 10-spoke wheels and V-8 BITURBO badging. That makes sense, as E-Class sheetmetal is some of the freshest in Mercedes' sedan lineup.

To give us a taste of what the E63 can do with its new heart, Mercedes-Benz jetted us to the south of France for some quick laps at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track followed by a lazy drive in the surrounding countryside.

Our lapping session consisted of two stints of five laps each, including warmup and cooldown laps -- essentially six hot laps in which to learn the ins and outs of the track and car behind an SLS AMG pace car driven by an AMG Performance Driving instructor.

In the sportiest setting (Sport Plus) with stability control turned on, our AMG performance pack-equipped E63 proves to be an amply endowed and willing dance partner. The AMG performance package increases turbo boost pressure from 14.5 psi to 18.8 psi, which sends output up to 550 horsepower and 590-pound feet of torque. The latter is available at a paltry 2000 rpm, which means the E63 will boogie out of turns with spine-crushing acceleration, provided you lead her correctly. Come in too fast, or step in too early, and electronic stability control kicks in, retarding throttle and forward thrust and displaying a flashing yellow triangle in the instrument cluster that subsides when once the chassis has stabilized.

Get it right and the E63 is a greedy girl who flits out of corners to gobble up straightaways with gusto. The latter are particularly satisfying, from the first bite of the gas pedal and muffled roar it induces, to the rapid-fire WHAAAmmmWHAAA upshifts. Switch to the brake pedal and the reward is equally impressive deceleration punctuated by throttle-blipped downshifts. In addition to the $7300 AMG performance package, our track-ready sedans came with optional carbon ceramic brakes that replace the burly standard issue brake setup: six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers that bite on 14.2-inch discs of vented and perforated steel. The ceramics proved fade-free at the track, but more than a little unnerving. Their initial bite is shockingly strong, and pitches unsuspecting drivers forward into the firm embrace of the seatbelt pretensioners. Also frightening: The carbon ceramics are a special order option that costs $12,625.

The new-to-E63 electrohydraulic steering system provides enough feedback to repeatedly brush the front bumper against apex cones, but subtle reminders filter back through the steering wheel and seat cushion that, despite the impressive velocity, the E63 is not a lithe, effortless sports car. She changes direction impressively well for a 4100-pound luxury sedan (and 4300-pound wagon), but as warning lights flicker and the rear tires scramble for grip in the transitions, it often is clear that many processors and lines of code are being employed to keep this girl pointed forward.

She is better on the street, when free to amble along with traffic or pull out to pass with a 6400-rpm wail. Feel free to engage the steering wheel paddles if you like, but for most city driving, simply hammering the gas pedal is all that is required.

Arrival: 2011 Kia Optima SX

If Kia's all-new Optima is any indication of where the company is headed, everyone else had better take note. I got my first in-person look at the all-new 2011 Kia Optima SX at our 2010 Car of the Year program.

"Is that really the Kia? I thought it was one of the Germans," I said to associate road test editor Carlos Lago. Just a few years ago no one in their right mind could possibly confuse anything produced by the Korean manufacturer with something from Germany. Which is why we had to get an Optima in for an extended stay to see if it works as well as it looks.

We added two options to our top-spec Optima SX, which started at $26,690. The $2150 SX Premium package adds a panoramic sunroof, power front-passenger seat, driver-seat memory, heated and cooled front seats, and heated outboard rear seats. We also added the $2000 Technology package, which includes a navigation system with back-up camera, Sirius traffic, and an Infinity eight-speaker audio system. When all was said and done, our Platinum Graphite Optima SX totaled $30,840.

Normally, our arriving long-term cars get a good break-in before being released to the hounds, but with just 350 miles on the clock, our new Optima headed north to San Francisco with online production manager Kirill Ougarov. As soon as the Optima got back, I immediately signed into it for about a week to get familiar with it.

The first thing I noticed was the styling, which is like nothing Kia has ever done. The exterior flows evenly and nicely incorporates angular bits. I don't really care for the wheels, but, other than that, the lines are fantastic. The Optima has the most handsomely appointed interior Kia has created. The black-on-flat-black paint scheme looks great, but replacing some of the plasti-chrome with a brushed plasti-metal to complement the shift paddles would make a big difference.

So far the Optima has made a positive impression on the staff, and we're looking forward to seeing how it performs as a family-hauler. As we rack up the miles and adventures, we will report all our findings-good, bad, or indifferent.

First Drive: 2012 Audi Q3

Audi got into the crossover business late, and it's been scrambling to catch up. The Q7 arrived in 2005, some three years after its VW Touareg relative. The smaller Q5 followed three years later and the passage of yet another three is marked by the arrival of the even smaller Q3. Audi's top brass apparently believes the Q3 is too small for America. During our recent drive, the project chief told us it wasn't built to meet U.S. regulations, and there are no plans for export.

But when pushed, he conceded the all-new Q3 could be altered for U.S. sale without too much effort. If the similarly sized BMW X1 makes it here, we bet Audi will be watching its reception very closely.

Because it is built around a transverse AWD drivetrain, the Q3 doesn't suffer too much in cabin accommodation compared to the larger Q5 with its longitudinally mounted engine. The Q3's European prices are about 15 percent cheaper than the Q5, with matched spec and engine.

Just to make things a little more interesting, in addition to the very fine 211 horsepower 2.0 TFSi quattro dual-clutch model, we also sampled a couple of other engines that might do nicely in the U.S. and as of now have no direct competition.

The first short but intriguing squirt was on some mountain roads in a prototype Q3 powered by a mildly detuned, 300-hp version of the five-cylinder turbo out of the TT RS. What a hoot that turned out to be, with heaps of readily accessible power and an engine note to make you smirk.

We also sampled a front-drive Q3 with Audi's 140-hp diesel, which was no slug and went about its business in relative quiet. In the U.S. it could be the new green SUV poster child. Audi has been careful to keep its weight under control, using aluminum for the hood and tailgate, for example, which should help boost fuel economy across the range.

While it may be too small for the U.S., the Q3 certainly doesn't look small. Its up-front confidence and full-on body detailing to the body commands your field of vision more than adequately for a shrimp of a crossover.

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Lamborghini to Drop Manual Transmissions

Maurizio Reggiani shakes his head with regret. Without a word, Lamborghini's R&D director indicates that manual transmissions have no future in his company's cars. Only a tiny fraction of customers choose a stick shift for their Gallardo, and Lamborghini's new Aventador comes with a fully automated seven-speed single-clutch transmission, and no manual transmission. Just 1 to 2 percent of the cars rolling out of the company's small Sant'Agata Bolognese factory are equipped with three pedals, Reggiani says.

A manual transmission, explains the R&D director, is a break in the electronic chain of command that harmonizes absolutely everything that happens between engine combustion chamber and tire contact patch. The only way Lamborghini can guarantee soothing smoothness in city driving or back-thumpingly explosive acceleration on a winding road is for every system in the car to be interconnected. You can't rely on a driver to always shift gears without glitches, Reggiano says. But you can count on next year's replacement for the now-8-year-old Gallardo to come only with an automated transmission.

The Gallardo replacement, currently under development and rumored to be named Cabrera, may not be the next new Lamborghini. Reggiani says within the next few months, the company will make public its decision whether or not to produce the Sesto Elemento show car. Lamborghini is expected to commit to the construction of a tiny number of replicas of its 2010 Paris show concept, and the car will be strictly a track-day special.

According to Reggiani, some of the advanced carbon-fiber construction techniques showcased in the Sesto Elemento are nearing production feasibility. The car's central tub, for example, is made from a forged composite. Short strands of carbon-fiber randomly distributed through a blob of resin are squeezed and then briefly cooked in a heated die. Reggiani thinks this method of carbon-fiber construction is ready for application in the automotive field.

"The material costs more or less the same (as conventional carbon fiber)," he says. "The real difference is in manufacturing time." A complex part can be made in just five minutes, slower than stamping steel or aluminium, but much faster than current carbon-fiber construction methods. Aside from lightness, Reggiani says forged composites have other advantages. For example, the material can be drilled without developing the stress concentrations that always occur in a bored metal part.

But Lamborghini isn't concentrating only on the development of high-tech supercars of tomorrow. There's also a newfound focus on building today's models better.

Currently turning out just 1200 cars a year, the assembly line doesn't move at anywhere near Detroit pace. In fact, the workers at each station on the Gallardo and Aventador lines have one to two hours to complete their complex set of tasks. To make sure they get it right, Lamborghini has introduced a near-foolproof component delivery system, plus large touch screens at every station providing ready access to the appropriate chapter of the "How to Build A Lambo" manual.

A new system called cubing, recently introduced for the Aventador, improves body build accuracy. The name comes from the cubes of aluminum that are milled to create reference jigs that can hold complete sets of adjoining body parts, such as an entire nose, including hood, fenders, and headlights. Or an entire body side, including the door. Other quality-enhancing changes are small and simple, like the adoption of new leather-stitching needles in the trim shop. They have asymmetric points designed to pierce the leather in a way that compensates for the distorting effect of the twist in the stitching yarn. Is this starting to sound a little obsessive?

Maybe it's nothing more than coincidence, but Lamborghini's quality director, Holger Weichhaus, is German. So are the executives in charge of the purchasing and production readiness departments. Having masterminded ways to improve body build accuracy for the Aventador, Lamborghini's Germans are now bringing a more disciplined approach to the company's relationship with its suppliers. Today's Lamborghinis contain parts made by around 500 different companies that supply everything from body tooling to headlights. Some 70 to 80 percent of these suppliers already work for the Volkswagen Group, which, via Audi, is the ultimate owner of Lamborghini.

Making sure every single part is exactly as it should be before production begins takes time. A long time. "At the moment, we are working on cars for 2014," says purchasing boss Eike Poslednik. He can apparently scratch manual transmission parts off the list.