The phone calls are starting in earnest now. ‘Do you have a Porsche Panamera for sale?’ they ask. And the answer is usually ‘Sorry, no cars until September’. But there will be cars then, and they look extraordinarily good.

The thing with Porsches is you usually love them or hate them. Those that fall in to the ‘Hate’ camp cannot usually be persuaded that the drawbacks of the Porsche are minuscule in comparison to the benefits. We know of no other car with this sort of performance you can use as an everyday car, perhaps with the exception of the Audi R8. But they can be a bit Soul-less, so if you want passion and an ‘Event’ car then opt for the Ferrari or Lamborghini. But if you want extreme performance coupled with ultra reliability then opt for the Porsche.

Porsche has got a head start with the Panamera over what will probably be its biggest rival – the Aston Martin Rapide. But the beauty of the Panamera is that its entry-level model – currently the Porsche Panamera S – is its price. It comes in at a bit over £70k. Admittedly you will have to throw another £15k at bit to get some toys, but that is still a great deal cheaper than the Rapide is likely to be.

Even at the top of the Porsche Panamera tree with the 4wd Porsche Panamnera Turbo you come in well under £100k. Add in another £15k for some extras and you will still probably be a big-ish 5 figure sum in pocket from where you would be if you’d bought the Rapide. And the Porsche won’t break down.

If you choose to wait until next year there is every chance you will be able to add two more model options to the Panamera choice. There will undoubtedly be a diesel, but perhaps the most interesting will be the Panamera Hybrid. This, assuming it is based on the Cayenne Hybrid’s drivetrain, will probably give you a 0-60 time under 6 seconds, but cost you around the same as a V6 to run.

We are in no doubt the Porsche Panamera will be a big seller. If the number of calls we’ve had is anything to go by, the Panamera will be as big a success for Porsche as the Cayenne has been.

As you know if you read here regularly, we do deal with a fair number of Veyrons. Despite the current economic malaise there is still a thriving market. We were lucky enough to have a Veyron Pur Sang for sale last year (in fact we have another one at the moment, but it looks like that is about to go), and we did a piece last year as well about a whole shed full of Veyrons that were available.

But the Veyron Pegaso is a very rare beast indeed. Veyron limited editions are common as muck these days (if that’s not an oxymoron) what with the Sang Noir, the Hermes, the Pur Sang and the Pegaso. And now we can add to that list the Centenaire, which will be on show in Italy this week. But all of these limited editions are multiples. The Veyron Pegaso is a one-off.

The Pegaso has done only 2000kms from new and is, as you would expect, absolutely as new. What’s the price. Well, if you know your Veyrons you will know the list price of a new limited edition. And that’s the price of the Pegaso.

So go on. Raid your piggy-bank and have a completely unique Bugatti Veyron to play with. You know it makes sense!

The M versions of BMW’s SUVs (or SAVs, as BMW insist on calling them) have been coming for some time. And, considering the current state of the economy, many thought they may be binned altogether. But no, BMW, who had intended revealing the cars at the end of this week at the New York Motor Show, had their hand forced by leaked images, and have decided to let us have all the information ahead of the official reveal.

So what do these big, powerful 4×4s offer? Quite a bit it would seem. Utilising the BMW 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8, these monsters manage to produce 550bhp and a whopping great lump of torque – 500lb/ft. But that torque, although not massively up on the standard car, is delivered in a wave from around 1500rpm, meaning incredible on-road performance and shove.

Top speed is limited to 155mph (but 171mph if you opt for the M Drivers package) and 0-60mph will take around 4.5 seconds. And with a sophisticated air suspension system, together with a very dexterous 4 wheel drive system, it is pretty clear that the hugely powerful BMW (well, both BMWs actually, but they are the same under the skin) will not only be great in a straight line, but also on the twisty stuff.

BMW has lost a lot of the plastic-panel look of the standard offering, and the new M versions look very chunky and purposeful. These are cars aimed straight in the face of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and they seem to come very close, and in some areas better. They certainly won’t compete with the Cayenne off-road, but in truth very few cars of this type ever get close to the real muddy stuff, so the point is almost academic.

There won’t be a huge market for these big M BMW 4×4s in the current market, but they will find a place. A great ‘compromise’ car (with this much space and this much power they can double up as the weekend fun car and the daily drive), and at around £75,000 when they arrive in the UK in the Autumn they do offer a lot of bang for your money.

So it was a little sad for us to know that what we consider in many ways to be the last of the ‘Real’ Lamborghinis – the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 – was soon going to be no more. Of course, it will be replaced by the Lamborghini Jota in due course, but the Jota will probably be infused with a little more Audi ‘Sensibleness’ than the LP640 has. After all, the Murcielago was conceived before Audi took control of Lamborghini, and as such the old ‘We’ll make what we want to, and if it’s a bit mad or breaks – so what’ motto of Sant’Agata was still much in evidence.

But Audi has made Lamborghini profitable and successful, in part due to the more mainstream Gallardo, but also because Lamborghinis are now built properly – including the LP640.

But Lamborghini has revealed that the Murcielago is to get a last outing in coupe form, by putting  Lamborghini Murcielago LP67-4 Super Veloce SV for sale signs up at the Geneva Motor Show this week. And we couldn’t be more pleased!

The Super Veloce (SV) label is really the equivalent of Superleggera – in other words a stripped-down, out and out performance car. And this LP67-4 SV is a real performance car. It gets a boosted output (670bhp) and manages the 0-60mph sprint in a whisker over 3 seconds. Unlike the Reventon, the LP670-4 SV doesn’t have bulges and angles where it shouldn’t. Instead it has a much more cohesive shape – all smooth curves and aggression. And it come with a big fixed wing on the back (you even get a choice of two specifications) which should make this car the bedroom poster for this generation of teenage boys, just as the Countach, and even the Diablo, were for past generations.

Despite expectations that this may be another limited run (it is) Lamborghini being offered at ridiculous money (the Reventon was €1,000,000 + tax) we were pleasently surprsed to find the the LP670-4 will be, relatively speaking, a very reasonable £275,000 in the UK. In other words, less than 30% the cost of the Reventon. But that means they won’t last long. There are enough clued-up people out there who know that the LP670-4 is the last of its kind. The swansong for the mad Lambo. And it looks like virtually all the UK allocation has been sold out. But we do have two available – one for September and one for October. But it won’t be for long!

So hurry up and get your order in. The majority of these will go out in Orange (Arancio Atlas), but if it was my money I’d plump for the new Matte Black (Nero Nemesis). Now that would look mean.

So what’s special about the MiTo GTA? It’s not exactly our main customer fodder, I’d be the first to admit, but if you look closely, and especially if you’ve had the chance to drive the ordinary MiTo (particularly the 1.4 Turbo) you’d know that the GTA is a car to be taken seriously.

We’ve seen no real change in interest in our normal high-end car enquiries (and if your credit is squeaky clean finance is still very achievable) but what we have noticed is an increase in enquiries for small but powerful cars. It would seem that many who can afford high-end stuff are still buying, but are looking for something less visible, but still fun, to use as a daily drive. Where once an Audi RS6 would have fulfilled this need (and still does) we are finding that cars like the MINI JCW are yielding some real interest.

But why settle for a common as muck MINI when you can have a proper Alfa? And make no mistake, the Alfa Romeo MiTo is a real Alfa, and the GTA is a really, really real Alfa! From its glorious lines, hugely reminiscent of the achingly beautiful Alfa 8C Competitzione, to its frankly astonishing output of 240bhp from a tiny 1.7 engine, the MiTo GTA is the perfect choice for an everyday drive.

The GTA also gets some serious suspension sorting and underbody aerodynamic tweaks which should make it much more fun to drive than the already fun MiTo. Lots of use of aluminium and carbon fibre (although it’s debatable how much of that will carry over to the production car) keep the weight down and the fun factor up.

Times are changing, and we need to change with them. But if the only sacrifice to be made is to use a MiTo GTA as an everyday drive, instead of an RS6 Avant, and save well over £50,000 in to the bargain, then I think it’s a sacrifice I can live with. I bet you could too.

Although I’m a huge Aston fan (as you’ll know if you come here regularly) I just couldn’t quite fall in love with the original V8 Vantage. It certainly talked the talk, but when  push came to shove, it couldn’t quite walk the walk. It looked stunning, sounded wonderful and made me smile whenever I had one around, but it never set the heart racing when driving. It was more than competent, but I’d expected more.

Things improved with the ‘09MY cars; a few tweaks and a power boost and the V8 Vantage seemed more alive. It was certainly a better drive, but still not exactly class leading in the performance stakes.

But now we’ve got the real deal – the V12 Vantage. And this should blow your socks off. Aston have taken the V8 Vantage and shoe-horned in their best engine – the V12. Producing 510bhp and offering a 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds, it certainly promises to be a show stopper. No pretensions here to be a run-around, this is a manual only performance car with near perfect weight distribution. A 6-speed manual box (at the back) driven through a carbon fibre shaft delivers the power to the back wheels. The weight penalty of the V12 has been mitigated by liberal use of carbon fibre to keep the weight increase to just 110lbs.

The suspension has been stiffened and lowered, the V12 Vantage gets big ceramic brakes and even bigger rubber, and the bonnet gets an array of vents to dissipate all the heat from the big V12. Inside the car is trimmed in Alcantara with moulded leather bucket seats. Lots of carbon fibre and, of course, a proper aluminium gear lever.

I really can’t wait to get hold of the V12 Vantage, It promises to be exceptional. I doubt it will be cheap (Aston aren’t saying at the moment), but best guess is £135-145k.

Let’s hope it’s worth the wait.

But car makers of this type are seeing the world change in a way that will possibly affect them more than most. It’s not just that car buyers are looking for more economical cars (frankly, there are always going to be a lot of people whose main concern is performance, not economy) but the problem lies with the perception of their cars. They are perceived as planet killing and ostentatious. There is a distinct possibility, if opinions continue to harden as the economy degenerates, that even those who can afford and justify a supercar will decide that the hostility to their purchase will outweigh the joy. So SSC has been looking hard, and have come up with a solution, which on the face of it is hard to believe.

At first glance the concept of a high performance electric supercar is enticing. All that performance and green credentials to keep Joe-Public happy. And it makes a lot of sense, even if the arguments for electric cars are fundamentally flawed (but car makers have to deal with perceptions, not what the reality is). But SSC  have issued a press release that seems to encompass the wish list of the supercar buyer, but which seems to be so far away from what is possible with current technology as to be unbelievable.

The SSC PR says they have developed a new EV platform, known as All Electric Scalable Platform (AESP), which promises the earth. They say it will produce 1000bhp through twin electric motors (which, as electric motors are linear, means it will probably have enough torque to move the planet!), which translates in to a 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds and a top speed of over 200mph. They claim a range of up to 200 miles, from a 10 minute charge from a wall socket using their ‘Charge-on-the-Run’ onboard technology. The whole onboard power plant and motors are liquid cooled, allowing the motors to perform at maximum for extended periods of time.

SSC intends to roll out the first prototype of the SSC Ultimate Aero EV in the second quarter of this year, and apparantly we can expect to see the SSC Ultimate Aero EV for sale by the end of 2009.

I do hope that SSC have got their technology sums right. On the face of it what they are offering seems technically impossible. A ten minute charge from a wall socket? Yes, maybe, but surely not if its charging a battery pack powerful enough to produce the sort of performance SSC is claiming. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see!

Ever since Pagani released details of the Zonda R back in 2007, we’ve had a steady stream of enquiries. To be fair, most of those were from rubber-neckers looking for brochures or pictures; not serious buyers. But we have had a few very serious enquiries (although they may have had a change of heart if they were in banking, manufacturing, construction…!) and we’ve had to tell them the same thing; it’s going to happen, but we don’t know when.

But this week Pagani has finally got round to launching the Pagani Zonda R in Vienna.

The Zonda R is the final iteration of the Zonda before an all new model arrives sometime next year. But it’s not a road car. This is a Zonda built for the track, and there are only going to be 10 units built. And its not trying to homologate itself in to any racing series. This is just a pure and simple project to create the ultimate Zonda for the track, for a handful of very wealthy clients with access to private tracks.

The starting point for the Zonda R is a very powerful version of the 7.3 litre AMG engine from Mercedes. This high-revving engine has an output of 750bhp and a healthy dose of 525lb/ft of torque. New carbon fibre intakes, a racing clutch and an F1 style exhaust system add to the potent mix.

Although visually very similar to the Zonda F, the Zonda R uses only 10% of the same components. It gets an all new carbon fibre monocoque, the suspension is forged aluminium, it gets a new 6 speed sequential box and a four-pump fuel tank (which it’s going to need!). It grows a bit as well, with the wheelbase 47mm longer and the track by 50mm. The whole car is actually 394mm longer than the Zonda F.

Performance is pretty spectacular too. 0-60 will be just over 3 seconds, and on to a top speed of almost 250mph.

With just 10 being made, even at a list price of €1.4 million, there are going to be more takers than cars (but we will help if you’re serious!). And there is no way that the Zonda R can be used on the road (unless of course you happen to own the country you’re driving in – which will happen!).

Rumour has it that one buyer has taken this ‘Not Road Legal’ to the extreme, and is arranging to have his car stuffed and mounted in his living room!

The GTC is the latest of the modern Bentleys to get the Speed treatment. The first, the Continental GT, was an enormous success. It immediately made the Continental GT the car it should always have been. Taught; responsive; sharper handling; noticeably more powerful and more aggressive visually, it turned a very good car in to a great car.

But Bentley decided that the Speed option should be rolled out across the range, and last year it added the Flying Spur Speed to the range. It did make it an incredible car, but for me it was a step too far. The Flying Spur is the VW answer to the veteran Arnage (which commendably is still in production) and a fine car it is. But I never really ‘got’ the Arnage T, and nor do I ‘get’ the Flying Spur Speed.

It feels as anomalous to me to have a big Bentley saloon with a harsh ride and jittery handling as it does to take a Ferrari F430 and give it softer springs and a higher ride height and call it the F430 Wallow. We don’t need it. Who needs that sort of aggression in a big saloon car. One that is designed to waft imperiously in comfort at that?

So a 50% hit rate in my book. And that just leaves the GTC Speed.

Bentley has done much the same with the GTC Speed as it did with the GT Speed. It has lowered the ride height and stiffened up the suspension, adding bigger wheels and tyres in the process. The nose gets the same, more aggressive, treatment as the GT, and the usual proliferation of ‘Speed’ badges. It also gets the Mulliner interior package (which I really like) and a choice of some pretty good new colours. But does it work?

Sadly, we’ve not got hold of one yet. I like the GTC, but in a different way to the GT. It was a real wafter of a car. And the huge plus was the great soundtrack from the big W12. It sounds like a wonderful V8, but more so, and its something you never get to hear in the coupe under normal circumstances.

But the worry is that all the ‘Speed’ tweaks to the suspension may highlight the normal soft-top deficiencies. It would be sad if the GTC Speed turned out to be like the DB9 Volante – great looking put rotten to drive. I do hope not.

Please, Bentley. Send me one soon!

Mercedes McLaren has now said that we can look for the Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss for sale in 2009. Specifically, the first cars will be ready for delivery in June, with just 75 cars being built for the world (none of which are going to the USA).

It seems pretty clear that the McLaren Stirling Moss will be a pretty exceptional, and unique, car. Using the underpinnings from the outgoing SLR, the car is hugely reminiscent of the SLR racers of the 1950s, which were driven by Sir Stirling Moss to victory in Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio. A completely bespoke body and interior, with no roof and no windscreen to speak of, make the ‘Stirling Moss’ just about the most wind-in-your-hair car you can find.

The McLaren SLR Stirling Moss will only be going to existing SLR customers, and all 75 have already been sold (but we can help!) at €750,000.

The Press Release on the car said:

Remaining totally true to the specifications of the 300 SLR, the new
Silver Arrow’s equipment is extremely sophisticated and yet at the same
time decidedly spartan, doing without both a roof and side windows.
There are just two wind deflectors a couple of centimetres in height to
protect the driver and passenger from the airflow. Two air scoops
integrated into the bodywork serve as roll-over bars. With this extreme
concept the new SLR Stirling Moss is visually very different from all
the other vehicles which belong to the elite sports car class.

Just like the legendary racing vehicles of yesteryear, the SLR
Stirling Moss dazzles with its superlative performance. Accelerating
from zero to 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and with a top speed of
350 km/h this puristic high-performance sports car denotes completely
new dimensions in open-top driving. And not just because of the
impressive performance figures; every time drivers take to the wheel of
the SLR Stirling Moss their senses are addressed with a previously
unheard of intensity, conveying a driving experience in its purest and
most sensual form. This automotive thoroughbred thus facilitates the
kind of open-air feeling that is utterly unique for a road-going
vehicle.

And they are right. There is nothing else like it. A real ‘Boy’s Toy’.