The Marussia B-Series was a series of sports cars built by Russian automaker Marussia Motors (pronounced ma-rus-ya). The series consists of the B1 and the B2; the cars are technically similar but are very different in design. The two vehicles had the same engines, layout, features, suspension, and brakes. Priced at over 4,000,000 ruble (from 120,000 € to 185,000 €), they were the first Russian supercars ever built. [1] It featured a full carbon fiber car with aluminium chassis. About 3,500 units were planned to be built. [2]
Marussia B1 | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Marussia Motors |
Production | 2009–2014 |
Assembly | Moscow, Russia |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Sports car (S) |
Body style | 2-door coupé |
Layout | RMR |
Doors | Butterfly |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 3.5L V6 or 2.8L Turbocharged V6 |
Transmission | 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual (in development) |
Dimensions | |
Length | 4,635 mm (182.5 in) |
Width | 2,000 mm (78.7 in) |
Height | 1,100 mm (43.3 in) |
Curb weight | 1,100 kg (2,425 lb) |
Chronology | |
Successor | Marussia B2 |
The B1 was the first car of the series and the first car produced by Marussia Motors. The chassis was built on an aluminum semi-monocoque design, and the engines were produced by a British engineering company Cosworth. Marussia had planned to only produce 2999 B1s. [3] Engine power is 360 or 420 hp (268 or 313 kW), top speed is 305 km/h (190 mph) and it accelerates from 0–100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.2 seconds. [1]
Marussia B2 | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Marussia Motors |
Production | 2009–2014 |
Assembly | Moscow, Russia Uusikaupunki, Finland (Valmet) |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Sports car (S) |
Body style | 2-door coupé |
Layout | RMR |
Doors | Swan |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 3.5L V6 or 2.8L Turbocharged V6 |
Transmission | 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual (in development) |
Dimensions | |
Length | 4,635 mm (182.5 in) |
Width | 2,000 mm (78.7 in) |
Height | 1,100 mm (43.3 in) |
Curb weight | 1,100 kg (2,425 lb) |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Marussia B1 |
The B2 is the B1's successor, first shown to the public at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The differences between the B1 and the B2 are only cosmetic; the B2 offers a new, edgier design and a new, almost space-age interior. The plan was meant to give the car a more aggressive look. Some design features include highlighting the grille and intakes in black to contrast them to the car's body colour and emphasize some of the car's geometric elements, as well as styling the car's face to the shape of the "M" in the Marussia Motors logo. It used primarily parts from the cheapest European cars that are small and ultra-small, except the engine from Opel. The company hoped to get good power from it, as follows: [4] Engine power is 420 hp (313 kW), top speed is 310 km/h (193 mph) and acceleration from 0–100 km/h is in 3.8 seconds.
The B2 was featured in Need for Speed: Most Wanted in 2012, Need for Speed Rivals and Asphalt 8: Airborne in 2013. In 2014 the car was also featured in Driveclub as a playable vehicle and in the official cover art for the PlayStation 4 exclusive. [5]
In March 2012, a Finnish contract manufacturer of specialty automobiles, Valmet Automotive, and Marussia Motors entered into an agreement on the production of Marussia B2 sports cars at the Valmet car factory in Uusikaupunki, Finland. [6] Marussia only created 500 units of this model, as were planned from the start and less than 12 months after hitting the market, all units have already been ordered. [1]
The Porsche Cayenne is a series of automobiles manufactured by the German company Porsche since 2002. It is a luxury crossover SUV and has been described as both a full-sized and a mid-sized vehicle. The first generation was known internally within Porsche as the Type 9PA (955/957) or E1. It was the first V8-engined vehicle built by Porsche since 1995, when the Porsche 928 was discontinued. It is also Porsche's first off-road variant vehicle since its Super and Junior tractors of the 1950s, and the first Porsche with four doors. Since 2014, the Cayenne has been sold alongside a smaller Porsche SUV, the Macan.
The Saab 99 is a car which was produced by Saab from 1968 to 1984; their first foray into a larger class than the 96. While considered a large family car in Scandinavia, it was marketed as a niche compact executive car in most other markets. It was manufactured both in Sweden and Finland and was succeeded by the Saab 900, although the 99 continued to be produced alongside its successor. The Saab 90, an updated, less complex version using many 900 parts took over from the 99 in late 1984.
The Lotus Europa name is used on two distinct mid-engine GT cars built by British automobile manufacturer Lotus Cars. The original Europa and its variants comprise the Lotus Types 46, 47, 54, 65 and 74, and were produced between 1966 and 1975.
The Bentley Arnage is a full-size luxury car manufactured by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England, from 1998 to 2010. The Arnage and its Rolls-Royce-branded sibling, the Silver Seraph, were introduced in the spring of 1998. They were the first entirely new designs for the two marques since 1980.
The Lotus Esprit is a sports car built by Lotus Cars from 1976 to 2004 at their Hethel, England factory. It has a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Together with the Lotus Elise / Exige, it is one of Lotus' most long-lived models.
The Aston Martin DB7 is a car which was produced by British luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2004. It was designed by Ian Callum and Keith Helfet as a grand tourer in coupé and convertible bodystyles. The prototype was complete by November 1992 and debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1993. The six-cylinder DB7 was positioned as an "entry-level" model below the hand-built V8 Virage introduced a few years earlier. This model was the most-produced Aston Martin automobile up to that point in time, with more than 7,000 built before it was replaced by the DB9 in 2004.
The Ferrari 456 and 456M are front-engine grand tourers which were produced by Ferrari from 1992 to 2003. The 456 was a replacement for the front-engine 412 as the company's V12-powered four seater. The updated 456M, which was the last Ferrari model to use pop-up headlamps, was replaced in 2004 by the 612 Scaglietti.
The Esperante is a sports car made by Panoz, an American car manufacturer.
The Bugatti EB 110 is a mid-engine sports car produced by Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. from 1991 until 1995, when the company was liquidated. A small number of post-production cars were completed afterwards, with the last one built by Dauer in 2002 and another unfinished example completed in 2019. It was the only production model made by Romano Artioli's Italian incarnation of Bugatti.
The Lotus Exige is a sports car made by the British company Lotus Cars from 2000 until 2021. Originally a coupé version of the Lotus Elise roadster, since the Series 3 the Exige has been the larger-engined model of the family, featuring a V6 engine in place of the Elise's straight-four. Convertible versions of both models are available.
The Pagani Zonda is a mid-engine sports car produced by Italian sports car manufacturer Pagani. It debuted at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. Produced on commission in limited units, as of 2019 a total of 140 cars had been built, including development mules. Variants include a 2-door coupé and roadster variant, along with a third new variant being the barchetta. Construction is mainly of carbon fibre.
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. is a French luxury sports car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1998 as a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group and is based in Molsheim, Alsace, France. The original Bugatti automobile brand was established by Ettore Bugatti (1881–1947) in 1909 at Molsheim and built sports, racing and luxury cars.
The Aston Martin Virage is an automobile produced by British luxury automobile manufacturer Aston Martin as a replacement for its V8 models. Introduced at the Birmingham Motor Show in 1988, it was joined by the high-performance Vantage in 1993, after which the name of the base model was changed to V8 Coupe in 1996.
Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany that develops and sells high-performance versions of BMW cars. Alpina works closely with BMW and their processes are integrated into BMW's production lines, and is recognized by the German Ministry of Transport as an automobile manufacturer, in contrast to other performance specialists, which are aftermarket tuners. The Alpina B7 is produced at the same assembly line in Dingolfing, Germany, as BMW's own 7 Series. The B7's twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 is assembled by hand at Alpina's facility in Buchloe, Germany, before being shipped to BMW for installation, and the assembled vehicle is then sent back to Alpina for finishing touches.
The Ascari Ecosse is a mid-engined sports car produced by Ascari Cars from 1998 to 1999. It was the first production car released by the company and is essentially the production version of the Ascari FGT concept race car.
The Lotus Evora is a sports car produced by the British company Lotus. The car, which was developed under the project name Project Eagle, was launched on 22 July 2008 at the British International Motor Show. The Evora S was launched in 2010 with a supercharged 3.5-litre V6. A facelifted and more powerful Evora 400 model was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, followed by another more powerful variant, the Evora GT430, which was unveiled in 2017.
The Hennessey Venom GT is a limited-production high performance sports car manufactured by US manufacturer Hennessey Performance Engineering. The Venom GT is based on the Lotus Elise/Exige.
Marussia Motors was a Russian sports car company founded in 2007. It was the first Russian company to produce a supercar. It designed, and manufactured prototypes of both the B1 and the B2 sport cars. Marussia was led by former motor racer Nikolai Fomenko. The Marussia B1 was launched in December 2008 in the new Manege hall in Moscow.
The Porsche 911 is a two-door 2+2 high performance rear-engined sports car introduced in September 1964 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a rear-mounted flat-six engine and originally a torsion bar suspension. The car has been continuously enhanced through the years but the basic concept has remained unchanged. The engines were air-cooled until the introduction of the 996 series in 1998.
The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé is an executive car (E-segment) introduced in 2018 by Mercedes-AMG. It is marketed as a five-door variant of the AMG GT two-door sports car. Despite the name and style, the GT 4-Door Coupé is closely related to E63 wagon with its performance chassis, and is featured by the AMG-specific rear frame and a different front axle for better kinematics.