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German Car Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 09-20-2012 10:50 AM
Hot on the heels of the leaked Porsche 918 Spyder brochure (which seems to have been intentional) Porsche has now revealed the Nurburgring laptime for the hybrid supercar. Porsche posted on their Facebook page that the laptime is 7 minutes and 14 seconds with the Weissach package (which cuts weight and offers lightweight magnesium wheels) on street legal tires. If anyone was doubting the potential of hybrid performance, this should change their minds as it is the real deal. ...Published on 09-20-2012 10:44 AM
BMW's return to DTM has gone fairly well with BMW winning three races this season with two more races to go. BMW has been racing at a disadvantage compared to Mercedes and Audi however as each of them field four teams of two cars so the number of participants puts BMW at a disadvantage. For next year BMW will also have four teams competing in 2013 with the introduction of team MTEK. ...Published on 09-19-2012 10:31 AM
Somehow the Porsche 918 Spyder brochure has leaked onto the internet and we are not complaining. Pages are missing but these were all that were e-mailed along with a few tidbits from an anonymous source. Curb weight is 1660 kilograms or 3659 pounds. Not a lightweight but certainly impressive for a hybrid sports car packing what is now said to be around 800 horsepower with 580 coming from the gasoline 4.6 liter gasoline motor. The brochure also reveals a host of customization options. ...Published on 09-19-2012 09:35 AM
Just a couple days ago an article was posted showing a video of a supercharged M3 pulling a tuned Nissan GT-R. Fair is fair and here is a video of a tuned GT-R beating a BMW. Now, the F13 M6 (yes F13 is the coupe F12 is the convertible, BMW ignored precedent for some reason) here is stock but even in stock form the M6 has shown what a beast it is. Even with over 500 horsepower at the wheels it simply is not enough versus this GTR. ...Published on 09-19-2012 05:42 AM
Here is the Brabus program for the new R231 Mercedes SL550. Most noticeable is the body kit which is not their best work. A rear spoiler, diffuser, fender air vent covers, side skirts, and front fascia. The fender air vent covers just seem a little tacky for someone like Brabus. The rear diffuser is also a bit awkward with a part sticking out. Just not clean or sophisticated like what we all usually expect from Brabus. ...Published on 09-19-2012 04:33 AM
BMW continues to take a bite out of the aftermarket tune market with their own mild factory tunes. Case and point, here is the new BMW M Performance Power Kit for the new 2.0 liter diesel motor which develops 180 horses in stock form. The kit raises this output number to 197 horses for a gain of 17 horsepower and torque goes from 280 lb-ft to 310 lb-ft. This motor will be available in the USA soon in various entry level models and the power kit will no doubt be available as well. ...Published on 09-19-2012 03:50 AM
Here is a new report from Autobild which states the new 991 Turbo model will feature four wheel steering to improving handling performance. This should be treated as a rumor as it has not been confirmed by Porsche yet but is a very interesting development. Four wheel steering systems are often used on large vehicles at low speeds to help turn in but some vehicles such as the Mitsubishi 3000GT used the system at high speeds to assist with handling. ...Published on 09-19-2012 02:48 AM
This is simply one badass turbo Audi wagon which represents the kind of car AudiBoost is all about. This is a 2000 Audi B5 A4 with an S4 drivetrain and body pieces. It features a turbocharged VR6 motor that at 32 psi on E85 ran an impressive 10.9@137 which is hauling for a 3700 pound wagon. The Precision billey 6766 turbo is good for 794 horsepower to all four wheels at only 32 psi and can be pushed into the low 40 psi range if necessary. ...Published on 09-19-2012 12:32 AM
Congratulations to BMW for their third win of the 2012 DTM season as well as Bruno Spengler who took the win for BMW. Spengler is in second place in the driver standings with 116 points closing the gap between him and Gary Paffett of Mercedes who has 127 points. BMW also took 3 out of the top 5 spots which increased their manufacturer point total significantly although it is unlikely they will catch Mercedes with only two races left. They do have a good chance to pass Audi now though. ...Published on 09-18-2012 10:42 PM
The Mercedes-Benz CLA is an exciting new model for several reasons. The first of which is that it is coming to the United States. Secondly, it's price point opens the car to a large number of people and with turbocharged motors being a staple for this model it will become a very popular tuner platform. The base cars will feature 2.0 liter M271 turbo four cylinder derivatives and the CLA45 AMG version will features about 340 horsepower out of the 2.0 cylinder sent to all four wheels. ...Published on 09-18-2012 02:11 AM
AMG recently answered some interesting questions regarding their motor development. You may remember a recent post where a person not working at AMG assembled one of the motors but it was not revealed how long it took. So how long does this process take? Well, for the M156 naturally aspirated V8 one of the AMG techs can do it in just 2.5 hours. The M279 Twin Turbo V12 takes just about 4 hours for assembly. ...Published on 09-18-2012 01:21 AM
Congratulations to USP Motorsports who set a new personal quickest time with their run of 9.547@152.43 in the 1/4 mile with their VR6 swapped B5 S4. This was done at the NDIMA Imports versus Domestics drag racing event. The car is likely capable of more but is limited by certain class rules such as a minimum weight of 3200 pounds. Regardless, running mid 9's is incredibly impressive and there is something very awesome about a B5 with parachute. ...Published on 09-17-2012 08:51 PM
The Nissan GT-R is a very tough opponent and currently one of the most popular tuner platforms out there. The M3 has the disadvantage of not having turbos but makes up for it with a larger displacement motor having a wider powerband. What many people forget is the M3 is lighter than the GT-R, rear wheel drive, and also features a dual clutch transmission with tight gearing. With equal power the M3 actually will have the advantage from a roll but obviously the GT-R is a monster from a stop thanks to the traction afforded by its all wheel drive. ...Published on 09-17-2012 12:01 AM
The new Mercedes twin turbo motors generate quite a bit of heat. Heat soak will adversely affect performance and an intercooler upgrade will help reduce this aspect. The Renntech pump upgrade flows twice as much coolant as the stock pump specifically 8.7 G.P.M @ 11.6 PSI versus the OEM 3.00 G.P.M. This increase in flow will dramatically increase intercooler performance as well as reduce heat soak. ...Published on 09-16-2012 09:52 PM
This turbo 3-cylinder motor will be featured in various models in the BMW lineup for some time to come. Most recently it was featured in the BMW Concept Active Tourer and will be a staple of the "i" model lineup. The motor features a turbocharger, direct injection, and Valvetronic. Each cylinder has a displacement of 500cc's. It can be viewed as basically half an N55 turbo motor which is currently powering the 335, 535, etc. ...Published on 09-16-2012 09:02 PM
Gemballa continues to move forward after the loss of its founder. Introducing the Gemballa GT aerodynamics package for the 991 Carrera Convertible. It does not come cheap at $26,070 with the wheels pictures costing an additional $12,989. That is a very hefty price for a set of wheels 21 inch forged and lighter than the stock 20 inchers or not. The body kits consists of a front spoiler, side skirts, rear bumper, and rear diffuser designed around the absurd looking Gemballa exhaust tips. ...Published on 09-15-2012 04:54 AM
The question on the minds of a lot of Mercedes and BMW enthusiasts will be if the M157 Twin Turbo V8 63 AMG models are faster of if the new M5/M6 S63tu Twin Turbo V8 models are faster. Well, we may have our answer. We know the new M5/M6 are underrated putting out around the 530 wheel horsepower range. This exceeds the standard M157's comfortably and even the performance package models. ...Published on 09-15-2012 12:20 AM
Here is a peak into the engine bay of the upcoming 2014 F80 M3. And yes, that engine bay definitely looks to be tight so working on it is not going to be a ton of fun. With the cramped bay and turbo (or multiple turbos) heat management will be an issue. That is why you see an aluminum water to air intercooler sitting on top of the motor. As far as power, with the new M5 sporting around 520-530 wheel horsepower stock, the new M3 should be within 100 wheel of that based on precedent. ...Published on 09-14-2012 11:20 PM
This may be good news for everyone and a welcome wake up call to BMW. Audi has cut BMW's lead in auto sales considerably in 2012 with sales up 13% globally compared to the BMW's 7.8%. Audi's goal was to take the lead from BMW by 2020 but it seems they may be well ahead of schedule. The new A3 is helping Audi tremendously in Germany as well as China. BMW simply is not capitalizing in China the way Audi is at the moment. ...Published on 09-14-2012 11:03 PM
The new F10 M5 is a very powerful vehicle and really simply in another performance league compared to the awesome yet comparatively under-powered Panamera GTS. Sure, the Panamera GTS is closer in price to the F10 M5 but really Porsche's best, the Turbo S, should be used here and the F10 M5 should remain proud it can compete against the best Porsche has to offer even at a much, much cheaper price point. ...
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