Fantastic Four Summer Rides

Summer will come roaring back thanks to these eye-popping new rides…

The cancellation of this year’s Geneva International Motor Show in March did little to dampen the spirits of auto enthusiasts, nor has it dissuaded the world’s most soughtafter sports and luxury marques from making impressive debuts. Instead of pulling the sheets off their latest creations before horsepower-hungry crowds, the likes of Bentley, Aston Martin, Bugatti and McLaren hosted virtual unveillings and found other unconventional ways to announce their feats of engineering, design and bespoke craftsmanship.
With 88 examples being built at about US$950,000 apiece, the Aston Martin V12 Speedster is perhaps more accessible than some of the new rides, but no less awe-inspiring than the competition. A product of the marque’s Q by Aston Martin custom division, the dashing design draws inspiration from both Aston’s rich racing history and aeronautical engineering. The two-seater has a bespoke body constructed almost entirely from carbon fibre, and also lacks a roof in what seems to be a growing trend. Its 5.2-litre, twin-turbo V12 is good for 700 mph.

At about US$3.2 million, Bugatti’s ultra-exclusive new Chiron Pur Sport, limited to just 60 units, is the most expensive of the new debuts. Its 1,480 horsepower 8.0- litre W16 engine is also the most powerful of the bunch, rocketing it to 217 mph. If all the exposed carbon fibre doesn’t tip you off that this is the ultimate version of Bugatti’s already-iconic Chiron, the massive front splitter and six-foot wide rear wing give the game away. Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann calls it “an unadulterated, uncompromising driving machine.”
That’s the kind of language one also often hears applied to McLarens, and the new 765LT, the latest, lightest and most powerful of the marque’s Longtail series, is no exception. At US$358,000 it’s a relative bargain compared to the others on this list, but its roaring 765 horsepower V8 brooks no invidious comparisons. Limited to 765 examples, it employs advanced carbon fibre technologies to max out the powerto- weight ratio, to devastating effect.

McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt says that the car’s “incredible performance and astonishing levels of driver engagement [are] the result of hundreds of detailed engineering actions undertaken to ensure the purest possible connection between driver and car.” Along with its razor-sharp looks, you may have a hard time convincing anyone you paid less than US$400,000 for the privilege.

Meanwhile Bentley wins top marks for luxury with the US$1.9 millionplus Bacalar, an ultimate version of its Continental GT Convertible, built by the brand’s Mulliner division. The Continental’s potent 6.0-litre W-12 turbocharged engine has been boosted to deliver 650 horsepower, enough to make the Bacalar the fastest open-topped Bentley ever built. Only 12 examples will be created by the master craftsmen in Crewe, and all have been spoken for.
The two-seater Bacalar features carbon fiber doors and front fenders, and also has no roof at all, just a windscreen and side glazing. The concept car is bristling with ultra-luxe finishes that also happen to be sustainable, including natural British wool carpets, panelling made from 5,000-year-old petrified wood (no trees were felled), and paint that contains ash from rice husks. That doesn’t make it edible, but its impression is definitely indelible. ■

By JARED PAUL STERN

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