Ultimatecarpage.com update (03-02-08)

[Wouter Melissen]

Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

Today the European sports car racing season kicked off with the first of days of testing at Paul Ricard. This 'official test' of the Le Mans Series welcomed back seasoned competitors and more interestingly hosted the public debut of many new racing cars. Two of the most anticipated newcomers are powered by Aston Martin engines. Still under development is the Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2, which sees the British manufacturer branch out into the smaller of the two GT classes. The car at Paul Ricard was still the test mule and the customers will have to wait just a little longer to take delivery of their Porsche and Ferrari challenger. The big surprise of the winter season was the announcement of an Aston Martin engined Lola coupe. At Paul Ricard the highly anticipated V12 engined B08/60 proved quick straight out of the box. In addition to these two brand new GT2 and LMP1 racing cars, the newly independent manufacturer will race in GT1, GT3 and GT4 in 2008. Our full report will be published in due and will serve as a preview for what promises to be a very exciting Le Mans Series season.
Immediately after Paul Ricard we will head off to Geneva for the Motor Show to capture cars of a slightly different kind. At the Swiss show, the Giugiaro / Italdesign styling center will celebrate their 40th anniversary in great style with the Quaranta Concept. Although a thoroughly modern design, it shares several cues with the Bizzarrini Manta, which was Italdesign's very first concept car. Our report from the show will be published from the show floor on Wednesday.
This past Friday, the Melbourne International Motor Show opened its doors for press and public. One of the biggest stars was the Holden Coupe 60 Concept, built to commemorate the company's 60th anniversary.

Enjoy the links:

Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2 - Ultimatecarpage.com - Images, Specifications and Information

Lola B08/60 Aston Martin - Ultimatecarpage.com - Images, Specifications and Information

Holden Coupe 60 Concept - Ultimatecarpage.com - Images, Specifications and Information

Italdesign Quaranta Concept - Ultimatecarpage.com - Images, Specifications and Information

Regards,
Wouter Melissen

[Kitdy]

UCP on Jalopnik.