All posts by Francis Mitterrand

Auctions

Four rare Aston Martin Zagato cars are up for auction

The historic home of Aston Martin with a heritage stretching back almost 60 years, Aston Martin Works, has announced the sale of a rare car built by Italian coachbuilder Zagato. We are talking about the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato in Volante, Shooting Brake and Speedster variants, and the even rarer Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato.

All cars are part of a private collection and the Vanquish Zagato Volante and Shooting Brake were each produced in 99 examples, while the Speedster was produced in only 28 examples.

However, the most valuable car in this small collection is the DBS GT Zagato, which was produced in just 19 examples. All cars are powered by a naturally-aspirated V12 engine with 592 hp, mated to the Touchtronic III transmission.

Also, it should be noted that the owner separated the DBS GT Zagato from the DBZ Container Collection, which also included the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation. When the owner bought them, these two cars cost £6 million, excluding tax.

Source: Aston Martin Works

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Four rare Aston Martin Zagato cars are up for auction
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Xiaomi SU7 Ultra debuts on October 29

In March 2024, Xiaomi revealed its first all-electric car, the SU7. A few months later, the Chinese tech company announced the arrival of a more extreme version, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, which was supposed to hit the market in mid-2025. However, the production version of the SU7 Ultra will debut on October 29.

The SU7 Ultra is a track-focused version of the SU7 model. It is equipped with a CATL Qilin 2.0 battery with a maximum discharge rate of 1,330 kWh and AP Racing high-performance brakes assisted by a regenerative braking system, which allows the car to stop from 300 km/h in just 15 seconds. It will have touring-style bumpers, wide fenders, a large spoiler and a rear wing that creates huge downforce (up to 2,145 kilograms).

Xiaomi director Lei Jun confirmed that it will have the same chassis structure, three electric motors with a total output of 1,548 hp (1,154 kW), which is enough to push the 1,900 kg car from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 1.97 seconds , 200 km/h in 5.97 seconds and 300 km/h in 15 seconds, with a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph).

Source: Reuters

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CEO of Ford Motor Company drives Xiaomi SU7

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi unveiled its first car, the SU7, in early 2024, and the company recently boasted that one car leaves the assembly line every 76 seconds. This is such a good car that even Ford CEO Jim Farley bought one.

“I don’t like to think about the competition so much, but I drive an XIaomi. It’s fantastic. We shipped one from Shanghai to Chicago, I’ve been driving it for six months and I don’t want to give it up,” Farley said.

Xiaomi SU7 comes in three versions: SU7, SU7 Pro and SU7 Max. The standard version is powered by an electric motor with 299 hp (220 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque, and will have RWD. It accelerates from 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.28 seconds with a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph). It is equipped with a BYD Blade 73.6 kWh battery that provides a range of 700 kilometers. The SU7 Pro version is equipped with an 800V architecture and a 94.3 kWh battery that provides a range of 830 km.

The most powerful version of the Xiaomi SU7 Max, is really impressive. It is powered by two electric motors with a total output of 673 hp (495 kW) and 618 lb-ft (838 Nm) of torque, and has AWD. It reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.78 seconds with a top speed of 265 km/h (165 mph). It is equipped with the Xiami Pilot Max ADAS system, 800V architecture, and a CATI Qilin 101 kWh battery that enables a range of 800 km, or 510 km with a 15-minute charge.

Source: Reuters