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German Car Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 06-16-2011 10:30 AM
Let's not kid ourselves, the Porsche Cajun will basically be a re-skinned Audi Q5. That is ok though, it worked out well for the Cayenne and Touareg. There will be two diesel powerplants but these likely won't carry over to the USA. The 2.0 TFSI turbo charged 4.0 cylinder likely will though. A turbo model is rumored but unconfirmed at this point. The Cajun will enter production in late 2013. ...Published on 06-16-2011 10:03 AM
The SLS GT3 officially started racing this year and has done fairly well so far. The car is currently racing in the FIA GT3 European Championship where its best result so far is a 3rd place finish. It competes against cars such as the Ferrari 458, Aston Martin DBRS 9, BMW Z4 GT3, Lamborghini Gallardo LP600, Ford GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 R, and the Audi R8 LMS. Check out the video for a glimpse into what the car is like on the track. ...Published on 06-16-2011 10:03 AM
The SLS GT3 officially started racing this year and has done fairly well so far. The car is currently racing in the FIA GT3 European Championship where its best result so far is a 3rd place finish. It competes against cars such as the Ferrari 458, Aston Martin DBRS 9, BMW Z4 GT3, Lamborghini Gallardo LP600, Ford GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 R, and the Audi R8 LMS. Check out the video for a glimpse into what the car is like on the track. ...Published on 06-16-2011 07:33 AM
Here is one way to make your A5 fast at the drag strip. This car was built by crazy people in Sweden who seem to do this type of thing with German machinery routinely. Eklund Racing is responsible for the build which is nothing less than impressive. The motor is a 2.5 liter 5 cylinder putting out approximately 1000 horsepower. Some tweaking is still being done and we are not sure what ET they are aiming for. Not much remains from the original car and the curb weight has been dropped considerably so this car should definitely open some some eyes at the strip. ...Published on 06-16-2011 06:53 AM
As many, probably all of you know, I've been having a slipping transmission since the record setting track day. After a vast search of capable transmission specialists, I decided to go with Level 10 Transmissions, located right here in my own NJ. I have heard their name thrown around in high HP/TQ domestic crowd before, but never knew they were in NJ. From the moment I talked to Pat on the phone, my spider senses kicked in and told me this is the place I need to go to get what I want done, when I want it done, and done right the first time. ...Published on 06-16-2011 04:00 AM
The new SLK is a great looking car and over the next year we will see most Mercedes tuners tackle it. Carlsson is one of the first offering a body kit consisting of a front spoiler, lip, side skirts, trunk spoiler, and rear diffuser. LED's which everyone seems to be obsessed with are included for the front bumper. They also offer a lowering kit which reduces ride height by 30 millimeters. 20 inch Carlsson wheels round it out. ...Published on 06-16-2011 02:52 AM
Car and Driver did a very interesting comparison recently where they compared launch control to humans. In the comparison, they listed the hardest launching production cars and it was no surprise to see the Bugatti Veyron atop the list with 1.09g's pulled at launch. What was surprising was that the Panamera Turbo was in second with 1.02g's. This put it ahead of the 997 Turbo S PDK tied for fourth with the Nissan GTR at .96. There were three Porsches in the top 10 with the Cayenne Turbo tied with the X5 and X6 M at .88g's. ...Published on 06-16-2011 02:51 AM
The new Audi A7 is the competitor to the Mercedes CLS. The 4 door coupe segment is popular and Audi, desiring to be the largest luxury automaker, is trying to fit in every niche. Insideline found it surprisingly sporty and we agree it is for a 4,207 pound car. It pulled .88g on the skidpad and ran the 1/4 mile in 13.6@101 in 80 degree weather at the notoriously slow Fontana Drag Strip. Sharing the motor with the B8 S4, there will be some nice gains to be had with tuning for a pretty quick ride despite the 8 speed auto instead of a DSG. ...Published on 06-16-2011 02:50 AM
AR Design is close to wrapping up their top mount turbo manifold for M50 based motors. We first reported on this manifold three months ago and AR Design has made significant progress in that time. The only other quality top mount we know of on the market is the 666 fabrication manifold which retails for $1400. It will be interesting to see what AR Design prices the manifold at and also if it will be part of a turbo kit that they will offer. ...Published on 06-15-2011 09:21 AM
Mercedes AMG vehicles lend themselves well to drifting. Although we are not huge fans of drifting, since it isn't the fastest way around the track, we do understand there is considerable skill required to position the car and sustain a controlled slide. Mercedes driving instructor and race car driver Mauro Calo will attempt this feat in either a C63 AMG or E63 AMG at Mercedes Benz World in Surrey, UK. The current record is 2,000 feet. He is aiming for 10,000 feet or 1.9 miles. Will he do it? He thinks so, "I'm 100 per cent confident that I can do it." ...Published on 06-15-2011 12:32 AM
Nothing shocking here folks but this is the official F10 BMW M5. It looks pretty much just like the concept. 20 inch wheels appear to be standard with Z rated tires. What we are hoping for with the photos out there now is that we can get the details on the good stuff. Such as the changes made to the motor, the new redline, the torque capacity of the new DCT transmission, etc. ...Published on 06-14-2011 02:55 PM
We all know the next generation 911, the 991, is coming. From spyphotos is appears the 991 won't differ drastically from the 997. 911 design is usually evolution, not revolution, and that should hold true. You can see the renderings AutoBild did below. There really is not much difference from the 997 other than the taillights which are more aggressive LED's. The new 911 will be revealed at the Frankfurt Auto Show this year. ...Published on 06-14-2011 02:51 PM
We have all seen various novelty limousines. From Ferraris, to Monster Trucks, to Hummers, some crazy limousines have been produced. This is the first strech Audi Q7 we have seen and it actually looks pretty cool. We prefer the black one to the silver but both look good and the Q7 transitions to a limo surprisingly well. Prices aren't listed on the royal luxury website that has a Q7 limo in their fleet, but we're guessing the 16 passenger ride doesn't come cheap. ...Published on 06-14-2011 02:50 PM
This video comes from our Russian friends at dragtimes.info. They took a few nice cars out to play on the highway including a McLaren SLR, Aston Martin DBS, Nissan GTR, Ferrari 458 Italia, and a PDK Porsche Turbo. The majority of the runs are the SLR and the Aston which is unfortunate as the Aston looks like it is standing still. What is surprising is the 458 manages to take the SLR. Would have been nice to see the SLR and PDK turbo go at it as well but hey, enjoy the video. ...Published on 06-14-2011 07:40 AM
What you are looking at is one of the baddest BMW's in the United States. Last year it ran 9.5@148 in the 1/4 mile and also was the first BMW to break into the 4 second 60-130 mph range. The car has since gotten a new tune along with some body/wheel work and is set to improve on the already highly impressive record setting 1/4 mile and 60-130 times. You know a BMW means business when it is making 808 horsepower at the wheels and has a parachute. ...Published on 06-13-2011 10:41 PM
Mazda is really the only company that uses the rotary motor. It seems Mazda is preparing a rotary for the RX7 or RX8 successor. The difficulty is in getting the rotary to pass emissions. Audi developed a clean rotary in the Audi A1 E-tron concept and Mazda is having informal talks with Audi about the motor. The difference is, Audi made a small rotary used as a generator to power an electric motor. Is Mazda going down the same route? We hope not, as we want the wankel to be powering the rear wheels, not a battery. ...Published on 06-13-2011 07:57 PM
So, your typical day in Southern California. Sun shining, go out for Sushi, and spot the F10 M5 doing some testing. This is apparently the manual test car, there were no shift paddles. The test driver seemed to be agitated we were taking so many photos. We kept snapping away until we both got a red light. The test drivers window was down so we tried to ask some questions, he just ignored us. BMW, it wouldn't hurt to get some test drivers with a personality or to interact with your fans. The guy is out on public roads, he shouldn't get upset people are snapping photos of a highly anticipated car. You guys aren't that upset about the 1M critcism, are you? ...Published on 06-13-2011 02:50 PM
Lumma Design does not do subtle kits. The companies stuff is usually pretty bold and that holds true with their "White Pepper" design. The kit consists of wide wheel arches, sideskirts, front bumper, rear bumper, vented hood, and optional LED lights and fog-lights for the front bumper. The most controversial element most will likely agree is the exhaust. Lumma mimicks the 458 Italia exhaust setup with three pipes that are not uniform in size but does not pull it off as well. It's an SUV, not a Ferrari, not matter how hard you try. ...Published on 06-13-2011 04:00 AM
This is the first before and after tune dynograph we have seen for the M278 4.7 liter twin turbo direct injected V8. The results are impressive, as expected. The car tuned is a 2012 W218 Mercedes CLS550 completely stock on 91 octane. Baseline was a respectable 342 wheel horsepower. After the custom dyno tune, 389.9 whp. Torque went from 382.8 to 444.4. Looks like the M278 is going to be a formidable platform and have some people second guessing whether a 63 AMG model with the M157 is worth the extra cash. ...Published on 06-12-2011 09:06 PM
Well, finally a race that Redbull didn't win although they did finish in 2nd and 3rd. Vettel had the race but went wide on the last lap allowing Jenson Button for Mclaren-Mercedes to win. It was also nice to finally see something out of Michael Schumacher this season with a 4th place finish. Nico Rosberg finished in 11th place for Mercedes-Petronas and Lewis Hamilston wrecked so only one McLaren-Mercedes car finished the race. ...
Today, 02:52 PM