German Car Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News

Mercedes seems intent on upping their game across the board. The facelifted E63 is supposed to get a dual clutch transmission with 4Matic and it seems the W205 C-Class will be launching with a dual clutch transmission and have 4Matic models as well. It is unknown if all models will get the all wheel drive but Mercedes seems to be leaning toward embracing 4Matic with their new cars. ...

The VR6 motor is a tuners dream in the VW/Audi world. It can make big power especially in turobcharged form thanks to its very stout block thanks to the cylinder arrangement. The largest displacement version offered by the VW Group is the direct injected 3.6 24 valve but there is not too much power to squeeze out of it in stock form it appears even when a tuner as good as APR tackles it. ...

It is still difficult to believe BMW was able to pull out the 2012 DTM Championship victory in come from behind fashion going into the final race in last place and fielding 2 less cars than the other manufacturers. Simply incredible and BMW is honoring their 2012 season and DTM victory with the video below titled A Dream Comeback. And that it most certainly is with BMW driver Bruno Spengler securing the driver title, Team Schnitzer winning the team title, and BMW taking home the manufacturer title. ...

Downpipes are an area turbocharged motor owners especially in the German car world definitely need to look at if they want maximum power out of their motors. Various German manufacturers tend to stick cats right off the downpipe and this is a major restriction. You want your turbos to breathe and the answer to that is the AR Design downpipes which they have just finished developing for the 955 and 957 generation Cayenne turbo. ...

Hard to believe it has been over two decades since the Lamborghini Diablo was introduced. Mind blowing design at the time that was pictured on a lot of posters that hung on an untold number of kids walls. The Diablo truly was a raging bull with the VT adding all wheel drive (derived from the LM002 SUV) to put the 493 horses of the 5.7 liter V12 engine to the ground. The car was quick for the time but only trapped around 113 running the 1/4 mile in high 12's to low 13's. It was not until the facelifted 6.0 V12 models in 1999 that the Diablo got fairly quick in the modern sense. ...

Obviously the Porsche Macan will be based on the Audi Q5 but that is about where the similarities end says Porsche. Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Hatz states, "Everything has been modified. Engines, transmissions, suspension — it’s all new. Audi can’t believe what we’ve done. Audi should have no fears as the customers are so different." Yet, he also states the car will get a four cylinder motor meaning likely the same VW Group 2.0 turbocharged four-cylinder. ...

Here it is, the Evolve Automotive supercharger kit for the BMW E39 M5 S62 V8. The kit has been under development for some time now getting tested and perfected. They use a Rotrex C38-91 blower which is capable of 1100 CFM and tends to offer excellent mid-range power and throttle response preserving important naturally aspirated M motor characteristics. They include a blow off valve, air to air intercooler, and Evolve Alpha-N ECU tuning. Stage I and Stage II are available. ...

The Audi S8 with its 520 horsepower 4.0 TFSI direct injected twin turbo V8 is proving to be quite a beast. The car is not a lightweight by any means with a curb weight of 4619 pounds yet it manages 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. The 1/4 mile sprint is accomplished in 11.8 seconds with a trap speed of 118.3 miles per hour. Very impressive and done with an 8-speed automatic transmission. ...

Nobody expected BMW to win the DTM Manufacturer Championship in their very first season since returning to DTM racing after a lengthy absence. BMW had the odds stacked against them racing with only 6 cars versus the 8 that Audi and Mercedes had on the field. BMW trailed all season, never leading in the manufacturer championship standings. ...

Volkswagen teased the idea of a small coupe SUV at the Sao Paulo auto show in Brazil. The compact SUV is called the Taigan and features a 1.0 liter three-cylinder turbocharged motor with 110 horsepower and 129 pound-feet of torque mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Not a lot of power but the Taigun only weighs 985 kg or 2171 pounds. ...

Excellent results from BenzBoost member xtyper who got his 2012 E63 AMG with the M157 Twin Turbo V8 motor dyno'd after getting a Renntech ECU tune. The results are a whopping 607 wheel horsepower tune only in SAE. This was done on 91 octane California pump fuel mixed with 100 octane race gas for an estimated 95 octane average. ...

Introducing the Milltek Panamera Turbo and turbo S exhaust system. The exhaust features 70mm piping and CNC mandrel bends for the best flow. The system is valved so cruising off the throttle has the valves shut keeping noise down. When getting on the throttle the valves will open giving a nice throaty V8 sound. ...

APR does amazing work in the VW and Audi world. They are showcasing it with an absolutely awesome build for the newly released VW Beetle which they will be adding all wheel drive to, a 6-speed manual transmission, and an APR Stage IV build to the 2.0 turbo four-cylinder for over 500 horsepower. The goal is to build a high performance Beetle much in the same way VW would using VW parts from the Golf R. ...

Modded C63 versus modded M3 is always an entertaining battle. Here we see two modified examples running each other at the dragstrip. The C63 is the camera car with an OE Tuning tune, MHP headers and full exhaust, carbon fiber hood/trunk, race seat, slicks, and no seats. The M3 is a DCT with the VT2-650 kit claiming over 600 wheel horsepower on R-compound tires. ...

The 2012 American Le Mans season is over. Unfortunately, BMW was not able to win their third straight championship which would be an amazing feat. BMW did well in the final race finishing in 3rd and 4th place with the two M3 GT's but Corvette Racing was simply too strong of a team to beat in 2012. ...

Here is a race video of a W211 E55 with a Eurocharged tune and exhaust (stock pulley) versus a DCT E92 M3 with the ESS VT1-535 kit. The M3 has meth and a smaller pulley than standard in the supercharger kit for more boost. The E55 AMG is running the stock pulley which really holds it back. The E55 owner definitely needs a pulley upgrade to see the potential his car has to offer. ...

The Audi TT is a very nice design but it tends to have the dreaded reputation for performance enthusiasts of a chick car. Now, nothing could be further from the truth as cars like the TT-RS prove not the only can the TT look good but it can back those looks up with some serious performance. Especially when the car can put out 600 horsepower. ...

All good things end. Another major driver announces their retirement from racing this year (Michael Schumacher making the same announcement this month) with former Formula 1 driver and current Mercedes DTM driver David Coulthard calling it a career. Coulthard did not enjoy the same success as Michael but did finish second in Formula 1 for Mercedes in 2001 unfortunately never securing a championship in F1 or DTM. ...

This is incredibly impressive. Keep in mind this is not the new 958 Cayenne (although the motors are very similar) but the previous generation 957 facelift. It has a 4.8 liter direct injected twin turbo V8 that is rated at 493 horsepower which puts down in the upper 300 wheel range to all four wheels in stock form. ...