Automotive Academy

The Porsche 959 is a sports car manufactured by Porsche from 1986 to 1989, first as a Group B rally car and later as a legal production car designed to produce a minimum number of 200 street legal units be built.

When the Porsche 959 was going through its production run, it was hailed as being the most technologically advanced road-going sports car ever built and a preview of future of sports cars: it was one of the first high-performance vehicles to use an all-wheel drive system and provided the basis for Porsche’s first all-wheel drive Carrera 4 model; and it convinced Porsche executives of the system’s viability so well that they chose to make all-wheel drive standard on all versions of the 911 Turbo starting with the 993 variant.

During its lifetime, the vehicle had only one other street legal peer with comparable performance, the Ferrari F40. The 959’s short production run and performance have kept values high. In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number one on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

In its day, this was the most technologically advanced road-going sportscar ever built. But just 337 were made, each with a 2.8-litre turbocharged flat-six out back.

The production of the SLR McLaren is due to end in May and Mercedes have come up with a spectacular farewell edition. The last SLR leaves the Woking production line this year, and work will then start on a strictly limited run of the SLR Stirling Moss.

Stripped of roof, windows and doors this is the most extreme SLR yet  and harks back to the 300SLR racing car in which Stirling Moss famously  won the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and other sportscar races back in 1955.

The car will have 650BHP and a top speed of 217mph, just 75 will be  made and only what Mercedes describes as ‘the most loyal SLR  customers’ will be given the opportunity to buy one, at a cost of £600,000. A totally revised interior including a numbered plaque with an engraved signature by Moss himself underlines the car’s exclusivity, this special edition being Mercedes’ farewell to the SLR.

The Nissan GT-R has had such an impact over the last 12 months it would be impossible to ignore and the scale of Nissan’s achievement deserves to be recognised.

Even the most hardened roadtesters have struggled to get to grips with just how fast the GT-R actually is. Put simply the mighty Nissan offers 911 Turbo pace for M3 money and deploys an incredible array of technology in its single-minded pursuit of redefining what a modern performance car is all about. 

It’s one of the most talked about cars of recent times and it’s easy to see why there is such a fuss about Nissan’s new GT-R. It’s certainly one of the most dramatic looking cars of recent years. And while carrying various classic GT-R styling cues it’s resolutely futuristic, the origami-style creases and detail distinctively Japanese in flavour. The super aggressive styling certainly shouts loud about the car’s potential. 

At every step of its development the GT-R has been benchmarked against the 911 Turbo. But while the 911 is devoted to the past, the GT-R looks only to the future, ripping up the supercar rule book.

The Nissan has already lapped the Nurburgring in 7min 29sec, three seconds faster than the 911 GT2. And while the Porsche retails at £131,000 Nissan is asking just £55,900 for the GT-R.

Watch the video below of the GT-R reaching a top speed of 190 MPH

Another day of economic crisis, another supercar emerges. This time it is from perhaps Russia’s first supercar manufacturer, Marussia.

Is there such thing as a sensible supercar? Yes, there is, the Marussia is a hybrid with the engine stated to be a 240bhp, 3.5-litre six-cylinder engine, most likely from Renault/Nissan.

It is too early to tell where the electrical components will come from but the company says it will use established companies, with around 35% of parts sourced from Russia. The Marussia is the branchild of Nikolay Fomenko, who also happens to be a popular singer, television news anchor, actor, and FIA N-GT champion.

It will be packed with gadgets, including a 10 Mbps internet connection that works at speeds of up to 120kph. 0-60mph is pencilled in to take around five seconds and the car will have a price tag of around $100,000.

Regardless of the fact the drivetrain hasn’t yet been finalised the company is predicting deliveries next Autumn and wants race versions to take part in the 2010 edition of FIA GT championship.