Just a few of the cool cars and machines you can see when ‘Rise Of The Beasts’ charity roadtrip starts tomorrow morning
THE wait is over and Bumblebee 1000’s ‘Rise Of The Beasts’ charity road trip blasts off tomorrow at Barberstown Castle, Kildare from 8:45am.
There will be 100 supercars taking part, and to whet your appetite ahead of the road trip launch I’ve chosen my Top 10 Bumblebee Beasts (see below).
You will be able to see all these crazy machines, as well as 90 more of the finest supercars in Ireland, as they complete their three-day adventure.
There will be something for all car enthusiasts to see including rare machines like a very special RS200 Group B rally car, complete with Shell Oil livery and front light pod.
And the new Lotus Emira will be joining in on the action.
Plus supercars from Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, McLaren Mercedes, Nissan, Porsche — and American muscle cars, too.
After leaving Barberstown Castle in Kildare tomorrow morning the convoy will head west, travelling to Westmeath, Athlone, Mayo and Galway before journeying south to Cork.
See the flyers (above) for all the routes and pit-stops that Bumblebee 1000 will be making on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
All proceeds from the Rise Of The Beasts event will go to the Little Blue Heroes charity.
At any one time, there are 1,400 critically ill children in Ireland with an additional 400 seriously ill kids diagnosed each year.
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Little Blue Heroes helps those families in need who have children undergoing medical treatment for illness.
Little Blue Heroes Honorary Garda from all over the country will be joining us at various stops, plus all the participants will be in fancy dress.
So I’ll be going as the Stig . . . AKA The Sun’s tamed motoring editor — The Ligg.
Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm
ALFA ROMEO’S Giulia Quadrifoglio is a four-door super saloon that is powered by a Ferrari sourced 2.9- litre, twin turbo V6.
But Alfa decided the 510bhp Quadrifoglio, or QV for short, wasn’t hardcore enough so it set about making the GTA version that would also help the Italian brand celebrate its 110th anniversary.
And that’s only half the story as Alfa created two versions, the GTA and an even crazier lightweight model called the GTAm, with 250 examples of each being sold.
Power comes from the same 2.9- litre V6 as the QV but it has been boosted to 532bhp with the help of a loud titanium Akrapovic centre exit exhaust.
The GTAm has a thinner windscreen, a polycarbonate rear, no back seats plus Sabelt bucket seats up front and a half roll cage.
The track is 50mm wider, there’s 390mm carbon ceramic brakes, a carbon prop shaft and 20-inch forged alloys with centre-locks.
Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm
KEY FACTS:
Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm
Engine: 2.9-litre, twin turbo V6
Power: 532bhp
Torque: 600Nm
0-100kph: 3.6secs
Top Speed: 307kph
Audi R8 V10+
AS ever there will be an awesome display of Audi R8’s joining Bumblebee 1000 this weekend.
Audi’s first mid-engined car, this two-seater supercar was first introduced back in 2007 and the R8 featured Audi’s iconic quattro all-wheel drive system, giving it superior grip in any weather.
Power came from a naturally aspirated 4.2-litre FSI petrol engine that produced 430bhp and 430Nm of torque.
But the blue R8, pictured above, is the newer model that comes with a larger 5.2-litre V10 engine.
The R8 V10+ now produces 600bhp and 560Nm of torque, and with no turbos to spool, the throttle response is instant, giving it a 0-100kph time of 3.4secs with a top speed of 320kph.
And for a hair-rasing experience there’s the convertible R8 called the Spyder.
Audi R8 V10+
KEY FACTS
Engine: 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10
Power: 600bhp
Torque: 560Nm
0-100kph: 3.4secs
Top Speed: 320kph
Weight: 1,640kg
BMW M6 Gran Coupe
DON’T let this BMW M6 Gran Cabrio fool you into thinking it’s a mild mannered sports car — this crazy machine is a real wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The M6 Gran Cabrio with Competition Package came from the factory with 600bhp and 700Nm of torque.
But this beast of a Beemer has had an Eventuri full carbon air intake system fitted plus a Frequency intelligence exhaust system, as well as a stage 1 performance upgrade.
So it now produces 720bhp and an insane 860Nm of torque.
This means the 0-100kph time of 3.9secs has dropped to 3.5secs and it now has a top speed of 325kph.
BMW M6 Gran Coupe
KEY FACTS:
Engine: 4.4-litre, twin turbo V8
Power: 720bhp
Torque: 860Nm
0-100kph: 3.5secs
Top Speed: 325kph
Ferrari 488 GTB
A supercar road trip wouldn’t be complete without a herd of prancing horses and this stunning Ferrari here is the 488 GTB.
It was the first Ferrari to use a turbocharged V8 since the iconic F40 and is powered by a mid-mounted 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 670bhp at 8,000 rpm and 760Nm of torque at just 3,000 rpm.
The 488 GTB produces 169.4bhp per litre and has a specific torque output of 194.8Nm per litre, both records for a Ferrari.
It’s very fast, with 0-100kph taking just 3secs and it has a top speed of 330kph.
Ferrari 488 GTB
KEY FACTS:
Engine: 3.9-litre,
twin turbo V6 petrol
Power: 670bhp
Torque: 760Nm
0-100kph: 3secs
Top Speed: 330kph
Ford Ranger Raptor
I’LL be taking part in Bumblebee 1000’s Rise Of The Beast adventure this weekend in this potent pick-up — the new Ford Ranger Raptor.
For 2023, Ford decided to give the Raptor a bit more oomph and fitted it with a 3.0-litre, twin turbo V6 petrol that produces 292bhp and 491Nm of torque.
The diesel Raptor is still available but the petrol is faster with a 0-100kph time of 7.9secs, which is pretty good for a monster truck that weighs 2.5tonnes.
It’s also fitted with fancy Fox suspension for a super smooth ride, on or off road, and there is Baja mode that activates an antilag system just like the Ford GT hypercar.
This keeps the turbos spinning when you lift off throttle.
Plus an active exhaust so you can hear that V6 sing.
Ford Ranger Raptor
KEY FACTS:
Engine: 3.0-litre, twin turbo V6 petrol
Power: 292bhp
Torque: 491Nm
0-100kph: 7.9secs
Top Speed: 179kph
Ford GT
THIS incredibly rare and drop-dead gorgeous car is the new Ford GT.
The far from mellow yellow machine is more than just a fast Ford — it’s a hypercar.
And the Ford GT is powered by a 3.5-litre, twin turbocharged EcoBoost® petrol engine that produces 660bhp and 746Nm of torque that is sent to the rear wheels only, via a seven-speed auto gearbox.
From a standing start the Ford GT can launch from 0100kph in just 3secs and it will charge on to a top speed of 348kph.
It weighs only 1,385kg and that’s in part down to the Ford GT’s carbon-fibre body.
It’s even available with optional 20-inch carbon wheels that are nearly 1kg lighter and reduce inertia by 25 per cent.
Another cool thing is its aero and the fact you can see through the rear flying buttresses.
Ford GT
KEY FACTS:
Engine: 3.5-litre, twin turbo V6
Power: 660bhp
Torque: 746Nm
0-100kph: 3.2secs
Top Speed: 348kph
Drivetrain: 7-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Weight: 1,385kg
Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
THE Lamborghini Aventador is always a crowd-pleaser as the sound from its naturally-aspirated V12 is incredible.
But the SVJ model you see here is one of only 800 examples.
Its mid-mounted engine has been tuned to produce 770bhp and 720Nm of torque.
And if you are very lucky you might even see it shooting blue flames from its twin rear exhaust.
As you can imagine the SVJ, with its performance increase over the standard Aventador, is breathtakingly fast.
Thanks to its all-wheel drive system it can blitz from 0-100kph in just 2.8secs.
And its 350kph top speed is just as impressive — the SVJ lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in just 6min 44.97secs.
Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
KEY FACTS
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Power: 770bhp
Torque: 720Nm
0-100kph: 2.8secs
Top Speed: 350kph
Weight: 1,525kg
McLaren 720S
THE mighty McLaren 720S will be out in force at Bumblebee 1000’s Rise Of The Beasts road trip.
It takes its name from the power it produces as the 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 is a mid-mounted engine that gives out 720bhp and 770Nm of torque.
The 720S is made almost entirely from carbon fibre, featuring a carbon monocoque chassis, and the whole car weighs 1,419kg so it’s blisteringly fast.
Power is sent to the rear wheels only but clever launch control helps to catapult the 720S from 0-100kph in just 2.9secs and it has a top speed of 341kph — and one of the 720S’s taking part hits a crazy 1,000bhp.
McLaren 720S
KEY FACTS
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petro
Power: 720bhp
Torque: 770Nm
0-100kph: 2.9secs
Top Speed: 314kph
Weight: 1,419kg
Mercedes C63 AMG
IF you want to hear a V8 car with a proper-sounding exhaust, look no further than the Mercedes C63 AMG.
Produced from 2008-2014, the C63 was powered by a huge 6.2-litre, naturally aspirated V8, that produces 451bhp and 610Nm of torque, giving it a 0-100kph time of 4.4secs with an electronically limited 250kph top speed.
And owners could opt for a performance pack that raised the top speed up to 280kph.
Mercedes then launched a new C63 in 2015 that featured a smaller 4.0-litre, twin turbo V8 — but it was more powerful, creating 469bhp and 650Nm of torque.
However, the latest 2023 Mercedes-AMG C63 has gone a bit eco-friendly as it’s powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and hybrid system.
It does produce 670bhp . . . but it will never sound as good as the V8.
Mercedes C63 AMG
KEY FACTS
Engine: 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8
Power: 457bhp
Torque: 610Nm
0-100kph: 4.4secs
Top Speed: 250kph
Nissan R35 GT-R
A CAR that needs no introduction is the Nissan GT-R.
Affectionately know as Godzilla, this Japanese sportscar made a name for itself as a supercar killer as it is fitted with a clever ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system and launch control that made it a legend of the dragstrip.
Such is the popularity of the R35 GT-R that there will be 10 of them taking part in this weekend’s road trip.
All of them are fitted with a 3.8-litre, twin turbo V6 VR38DETT engine and when it was launched in 2007 it produced 486bhp.
But now the latest 2017 model sees an increase of power to 570bhp and 635Nm of torque.
Read more on the Irish Sun
It’s blisteringly fast with a 0-100kph time of 2.8secs, and some of the GT-R’s taking part are highly-tuned making over 700bhp and can spit huge exhaust flames.
Nissan R35 GT-R
KEY FACTS
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin turbo V6
Power: 570bhp
Torque: 635Nm
0-100kph: 2.8secs
Top Speed: 315kph
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