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

Now this is obviously a mismatch but still cool to see. The Panamera Turbo S has a 550 horsepower 4.8 liter Twin Turbo V8 routed through a dual clutch transmission to all four wheels. The Panamera GTS has a 430 horsepower 4.8 liter naturally aspirated V8 that also is routed through a dual clutch transmission to all four wheels. Obviously the Turbo S model is going to be much faster but it is interesting to see just by how much. ...

BMW decided to introduce the 550GT thinking it would somehow bridge the gap between people who liked wagons and people who liked SUV's as if there is a large group sitting in the middle. The problem is people who like SUV's did not like the 550GT and the exact same could be said for people who like wagons. So, 550GT's linger to this day on lots and BMW themselves admitted the 550GT was a disappointment as wagon buyers went to Mercedes instead of buying the 5GT as anticipated. ...

The Golf is on of the most important models in the Volkswagen portfolio. When a new generation hits, it is a big deal. The MKVI is an excellent car but VW aims to surpass it in every way. The dimensions have grown as the car is 56mm longer, 13mm wider, yet 28mm lower which should make a for a much sleeker looking car. The wheelsbase is also 59mm longer with the track width increasing by 8mm in the front and 6mm in the back. This is going to be a much better handling car. ...

The current generation W204 C-Class is near the end of its production line. With the special edition C63 Black Series AMG being the last model launched on the W204 platform the AMG model is a very nice way to send off the W204. Well, on the the W205 which will debut next year. Expect the powertrain options to be similar to what we have now although we are hoping for a dual clutch transmission to find its way in. ...

The Yin and Yang concept of Chinese philosophy represents a balance found everywhere in life and nature. In its most simple form, it is the idea that opposite and seemingly opposing concepts cannot exist without one another. You can’t have a concept of light without knowledge of darkness; it is not possible to have a definition of hot without understanding cold. In this same way, whatever appeal either of these M3s have individually is magnified by the presence of their counterpart. We were fortunate enough to have both cars at our facility this past week, and were able to see how these radically different approaches to modification have created two great cars. ...

The idea of comparing a sports car like the 997 GT to the Nissan Juke is almost insane. That is until you consider this is a Juke-R which was created using the Nissan GT-R drivetrain and chassis pieces. The Juke-R weighs slightly more than the Nissan GTR but with it's shorter wheelbase it actually has quicker turn in. The center of gravity being higher no doubt hurts it but still the Juke-R is a very impressive little piece of machinery (and maybe even more fun than the GTR). ...

Here is another comparison with Audi coming out on top over BMW but it is from Car and Driver yet again. Previously, Car and Driver picked the Audi S6 over the new F10 M5 and even the E55 AMG despite a huge gap in horsepower. Well, this time the cars are more evenly matched but Audi still triumphs. Why? Well, there are several good reasons including the fact that the Gran Coupe is simply silly expensive even when equipped with the 6 cylinder. ...

Suspension upgrades from KW are already available for the new F30 3 Series as well as the new F20 1 Series which is not sold in the USA. There are two versions of these coil-over one for vehicles that have EDC (electronic dampening control) and for those that do not have the option. Obviously handling will be improved and the suspension system is capable of lowering the car up to 65mm for a large drop. ...

Hennessey released their HPE700 upgrade package for the 63 AMG M157 Twin Turbo motors. They installed the package on a W212 E63 AMG and it put down a respectable 549 wheel horsepower on a dynojet in SAE correction (torque numbers were not included for some reason). The package consists of an ECU dyno tune and intake modification which we figure is simply an air filter change. ...

Fabspeed as usual has quickly released exhaust pieces for a new Porsche model in this case the new 981 Boxster. Fabspeed points out restrictions in the factory Porsche exhaust for the 981 Boxster in the video below which was not designed for maximum performance. The 991 has the exact same 3.4 liter motor but with a more aggressive tune and less restrictive exhaust making the exhaust system a great place to pick up power for the 981. ...

In May of this year Volkswagen Motorsport director Jost Capito stated Volkswagen would not be entering Formula 1 in 2014 and would opt to focus on WRC Rally Racing instead. Well, it seems that will hold true but they may be entering in 2015. Volkswagen is apparently in talks with the Sauber Formula 1 team to start a partnership. Volkswagen apparently intends to create their own chassis. ...

This video comparison comes to us from Brazil courtesy of Full Power Magazine. These two cars grace the cover of their August issue. The M3 has a VF650 supercharger kit and we have seen the weaker VF620 put down 521 wheel horsepower on 91 octane. The exact modifications on the CTS-V are not given but it is stated to have around 650 horsepower as well with Hennessey upgrades so likely just a tune, pulley, and exhaust upgrade. ...

This is just the beginning of this project but it got our attention. MRC Tuning is swapping the B7 RS4 4.2 direct injected V8 into a B5 shell. The engine will fit but it sure will be tight in the bay. A K24 turbo was posted in the engine bay next to the motor although they plan to go to something much larger. How they intend to handle the tuning, fueling, as well as hardware is beyond us but we are watching closely and wish them luck. ...

Last week we posted that Wesitec set the M156 horsepower record at 789 wheel horsepower. We received an updated graph from the owner of the CLK63 Black Series BenzBoost member ecampbell showing the car put down 837 wheel horsepower which is the setup that was used to set the 1/4 mile record for the fastest Mercedes. The boost in power comes from a different pulley producing more boost and VPMS109 fuel. The car runs a 3.0 liter supercharger system at approximately 17 psi of boost. ...

Here is an interesting video courtesy of Horsepower Freaks put out to announce the launch of their blog. The shop service manager Jon bet the owner of Horsepower Freaks Chris that he could pull an S54 motor out of an E46 M3 faster than Chris would be able to remove HPF's N54 exhaust manifold. Jon opted to eat his slice of pizza before beginning giving Chris a decent head start. In defense of Chris, Jon pulls these motors pretty regularly while Chris is usually sitting in front of a computer screen. No shame in that. ...

Agency Power released their new titanium exhaust system for 997.1 Turbo models which are those produced form 2007-2009. The entire exhaust system is only 16 pounds which saves a total of almost 40 pounds from the rear of the car. 200 cell cats are included but we are disappointed to see there is no option without cats. The exhaust also comes with a lifetime warranty which is a nice touch especially considering how important welds are on titanium systems. ...

Audi for some reason decided to replace its A4 Avant with the Audi Allroad which is also based on the A4. The Allroad was previously based on the A6. The A4 Avant was lower to the ground and more of a street car. The Allroad is supposed to have some offroad capability which sort of bridges the gap between wagon and SUV. Basically, this is a raised A4 Wagon with plates under the body to protect it when offroading and softer suspension. ...

Our members and readers have been clamoring for a forum dedicated to suspension and brake components. We are officially launching our network wide Suspension and Brakes forum with the review of the KW DDC Coilovers for the E92 M3 by Turner Motorsport. Dedicating a section to suspensions and brakes will make for more well rounded discussions as well as introduce more members to the community who do not just focus on power upgrades but all around benefits that help on the track/street. One could say we are maturing in our coverage. ...

Many Mercedes and AMG owners in general forget that the motors in their vehicles have been tested to strict standards before the motor is ever put in their car. Kind of makes old thinking regarding break in go out the window. Every single motor is run to redline and tested to make sure it was assembled correctly and that the motor is doing exactly what it should be. Just look at the glowing manifolds and exhaust form the high temps due to the motor being run hard for an extended period. ...