Hennessey Performance Promises to Turn McLaren MP4-12C into an 800HP Beast

If there's one thing the stock McLaren MP4-12C has in abundance it's power from the mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine which is rated at 600PS (592HP) and 600Nm (442.5 lb-ft). However, Texas-based tuning firm Hennessey Performance begs to differ as it believes the MP4-12C could do with some additional horses under the hood – 200 of them, to be precise.
The company's new HPE800 Twin Turbo package makes several changes to the eight-cylinder engine including, but not limited to, a titanium exhaust system and upgraded intercooler and air-intake systems that lift output to 800-horsepower.
The transmission also receives some engineering love while the MP4-12C HPE800 will ride on new alloys wrapped in Michelin rubber.
Hennessey pointed out that it won't touch the suspension and the brakes. "HPE does not plan to offer any kind of a suspension or brake system upgrade as the factory systems will be difficult to improve upon," the company said in a statement.
Finally, the package will include a CarbonAero ground effects kit that incorporates a new, center-positioned frontal air inlet with hood extractor, and available custom parts for the interior.

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New Stratos Project Dead

The automotive history is full of people who tried to make their dreams come true but failed, some due to their limited ability or resources, some because of bad timing and others because the big fish swimming in their pond were, well, too big to handle. Automotive industry entrepreneur, collector and historic car driver Michael Stoschek has just joined their ranks after attempting to build a 21st century version of one of rallying’s iconic cars: the Lancia Stratos.
Earlier this week, Stoschek announced that he will not be able to fulfill the 50 orders he had already received: “The reason lies in the attitude of Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa, who opposes the production of other vehicles by companies that work with Ferrari," he wrote on his website.
His “mistake” was that he chose to use Pininfarina for the design of the chassis and bodywork, and a Ferrari 360 or F430 as a donor car for the powertrain of the New Stratos.
Although Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo himself drove it and made very positive remarks about the car, Maranello had a change of heart and announced that it would not allow Pininfarina or any other of its suppliers to be connected with the New Stratos project.
Stoschek said that, despite having the chassis and bodywork data in CAD, the search for another company to take over from Pininfarina and continue the project failed since “many of the details are only in the minds of some highly skilled people employed by Pininfarina”.
Nevertheless, he said that the New Stratos will not be confined in a garage but will instead be presented at various public events – and he added that he is already building a black Lancia Stratos Stradale, "so that the many similarities between the old and the new Stratos are more obvious".

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2013 Cadillac ATS Sports Sedan Photos Hit the Web

The cracks on the wall surrounding the Detroit Auto Show are getting wider as following the premature release of the 2013 Dodge Dart and 2013 Ford Fusion (Mondeo), we now have the first pictures of the 2013 Cadillac ATS. The ATS sedan is perhaps one of the most important projects in the last decade for Cadillac as it offers the wreath and crest brand its first true rival against the almighty BMW 3-Series as well as the successful Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class models.
On the outside, the ATS looks exactly like what we expected: an offspring of the new XTS and the CTS in a mid-size sedan package. It's also surprisingly close to the rendering sent to Carscoop by one of our readers, Josh Byrnes.
As for the interior, we can't but help note the similarities in the design of the center console and steering wheel with the…Chevrolet Cruze. However, the Cadillac does get its own set of gauges if that's of any consolation.
GM has said that it has honed the ATS's chassis on the Nürburgring and that it will offer the l rear-wheel drive model with a choice of three gasoline engines including a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four cylinder unit, a 2.0-liter Turbo with 270 ponies and a 3.6-liter V6 (probably with 318HP).
Photo Source: GM/Cadillac via Jalopnik

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