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German Car Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 07-19-2012 02:53 AM
Autobild is a German magazine that is well respected in Europe. We have to scratch our heads at their conclusion here though picking the M6 in first place and putting the Jaguar XKR-S in a tie for second with the new SL63 AMG. The SL beats the M6 by over a second on the roadcourse and demolishes the XKR-S by more than two seconds. The Mercedes is also the quickest accelerating car of the three. All the performance numbers are in the favor of the SL including braking. ...Published on 07-18-2012 11:11 PM
Sales of the new Panamera Turbo and Cayenne Turbo which share the same motor are stopped by order of Porsche. Porsche issued a recall as well for 2011-2012 models. The reason for the stoppage and recall is due to a defect in the turbo compressor wheel which may cause it to break and force oil to be drawn into the exhaust causing risk of a fire. This does not affect all turbo models just those produced with an alloy wheel by an outside supplier in a limited run. ...Published on 07-18-2012 09:55 PM
It makes no sense to us to abandon the M3 coupe when the car originated as a coupe but the M4 appears to be here to stay. The F32/F82 M4 spotted testing here in Europe with its turbocharged motor which chances are will be based on the current N55 direct injected inline-6. The M3 will be launched first and the M4 will follow. It is going to take a long time to come to terms with the idea of the new M3 being an M4. ...Published on 07-17-2012 07:59 PM
This is a tragedy. And no, we are not using that term loosely as the Nurburgring is arguably the most famous roadcourse in the world. A quick Nurburgring laptime gets respect from the everyone in the automotive world and is a source of pride as well as competition. The problem is a 524 million Euro injection by the state for amusement parks and hotels to develop the ring as a tourist destination has not paid off. ...Published on 07-17-2012 12:04 PM
The next generation W222 S-class is right around the corner. Here is a video of the vehicle testing in Spain. The car will have as expected the new twin turbo V8 powerplants with an M157 5.5 liter V8 in the S63 and the M278 4.6 liter V8 in the S550. Chances are we will see a V12 variant as well considering the twin turbo V12 was updated for the new S-Class. Until the official reveal, check out the BenzBoost renderings of what the finished product will likely look like here. ...Published on 07-17-2012 10:51 AM
This is not really much of a surprise with the standard Gran Coupe already being sold and the F12/F13 M6 available in the US market as well. It is only natural that the M6 Gran Coupe should follow. The car will mimic the drivetrain offering of the new F10 M5 and F12 M6 (dual clutch transmission and twin turbo S63tu V8) and also may be available with the optional manual transmission for the USA although we doubt it will be a very popular option if offered. Expect it to arrive in 2013 carrying an absurdly high price tag. ...Published on 07-16-2012 11:05 PM
The C63 Black Series is an absolutely amazing performance vehicle. The thing is, that performance does not come cheap and therefore the vast majority of enthusiasts simply will not be able to experience it. Fans of the Black Series can still give the car a try however thanks to the Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series Coupe driving experience. 250 pounds sterling or about $400 buys one an hour on the track with the C63 Black Series. ...Published on 07-16-2012 06:03 AM
DTM has a very a interesting concept going with the stadium racing toward the mid-point to break up the season and change things up for fans. Basically what DTM does is put two parallel tracks in a stadium and has a knock out competition where the faster driver advances and the slower one is knocked out until only one is left standing. This year Audi's Mattias Ekstrom took the individual victory but a team relay competition was also added. ...Published on 07-16-2012 05:40 AM
Congratulations to Audi driver Mattias Ekstrom for beating the entire DTM field and taking the victory in the individual DTM stadium event. The stadium event is a unique aspect of DTM racing taking place inside a stadium instead of on a typical road course. This allows fans to see more of the action although the speeds are much lower. Basically, two parallel tracks are set up and the faster driver advances and the slower one is knocked out until only one is left. Mattias Ekstrom ended up being the last man standing beating out Mercedes driver Jamie Green in the final. ...Published on 07-16-2012 02:53 AM
The GTR and 911 turbo are cars frequently compared due to their similarities. All wheel drive, twin turbo six cylinders, and dual clutch (optional in the Porsche) transmissions. They also are frequently modified for huge horsepower. Two of the premier companies for tuning these cars are Protomotive for the Porsche and AMS for the GTR. The Alpha 12 Package by AMS for the GTR is said to be capable of 1500 horsepower and is their highest horsepower offering. ...Published on 07-16-2012 12:01 AM
BMW's acquisition of Mini has unquestionably done great things for the Mini brand. Is it doing the same thing for the BMW brand? Before Mini the thought of a front wheel drive BMW was so absurd it was not even entertained and mocked in advertisements. Times have changed and it is about profit above all else. BMW will clearly be saving money putting Mini and BMW models on the same platform. They are stretching their dollars and many will defend this as simply business. ...Published on 07-15-2012 07:20 PM
Everyone knows of the G-Class. Difficult not to when the vehicle seems to have been in production for what feels like eternity. It is likely that production of the G-Wagon will be ending in the very near future so Mercedes put up a small tribute video that goes over the history of the model from its origins to present day. The video is well worth watching for anyone curious about the G-Class origins as well as its evolution. Who knows, maybe Mercedes will continue to let it evolve. ...Published on 07-15-2012 12:15 AM
The USA is finally getting more diesel options from BMW although our choices still pale in comparison to what is available overseas. A 2.0 liter four cylinder turbo diesel with 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque will make its way over by next year. This motor will likely go into the X1 as well as the 3 Series. A new six cylinder offering greater efficiency will be coming over likely replacing the current M57 in the models it is already available in. ...Published on 07-13-2012 04:54 AM
The current W204 C-Class is winding down. Having started production in 2007 the time has simply come for the W204 to be replaced especially with the new F30 BMW 3-Series on the market. We expect the US offering for the next gen to have a turbocharged direct injection four cylinder in the C250 and the C300 and C350 to share direct injected naturally aspirated six cylinder motors. The next gen C63 AMG is the wildcard as if the model shares the other 63 AMG motors as before and receives the M157 twin turbo V8, game over. ...Published on 07-13-2012 03:50 AM
Here is a very cool comparison of some of the various R8's available including even the Grand-Am race car. It should surprise nobody that the Grand-Am car is the fastest and best handling out of the group of R8's. What is surprising however is how close the R8 GT is. It only gives up 2/10's and 3 miles per hour through the 1/4 mile making the GT very close acceleration wise to the race car despite having a weight penalty of over 500 pounds. Impressive. ...Published on 07-13-2012 02:46 AM
We have seen a lot of rumors about the SLS Black Series but the details are slowly but surely starting to emergy. First and foremost, there has been debate on the motor. It seems the M159 will be retained but with more aggressive cams, a higher compression ratio, and revised intake manifold. Expect over 600 naturally aspirated horses. It should also be capable of over 200 miles per hour stock. Additionally, carbon ceramic brakes are likely to be standard. ...Published on 07-13-2012 12:57 AM
This is a great 1/4 mile comparison to see as it is real world with real owners. The Porsche 911 Turbo is a 997.1 model 6-speed manual that is completely stock. The Audi R8 V10 has an APR tune and Milltek exhaust. The R8 has the R-Tronic sequential manual transmission. The turbo runs an 11.88@119 with a 1.64 60 foot. Clearly the Porsche owner knows how to drive. The R-Tronic R8 surprisingly only manages a 11.97@119 with a 1.9X 60 foot. With a better launch the R8 should win but rather surprising a tuned R8 V10 was this close to a stock 997.1 turbo. ...Published on 07-12-2012 10:44 PM
There seems to be a bit of controversy surrounding cylinder sleeves and BMW engines. Oil consumption, excessive noise, sleeves dropping, Alusil blocks not liking sleeves – you name it. I took some time to talk to our machine shop foreman, (the man with 50 years experience) Tony (VAC owner) and our manufacturing partners (Darton and LA Sleeve) about the drawbacks of using sleeves in the S54, S62 and S65 engines. ...Published on 07-11-2012 07:53 PM
Here is a comparison all German car enthusiasts should watch. Before AMG was ever a part of Mercedes, before M got diluted, before the era of heavy sedans with turbo V8's, AMG and M squared off where it mattered, on the race track. And they did so by producing street cars that very close to their racing counterparts simply so that they could meet homologation requirements for racing. These two models highlight the best of M and AMG in that very respect. Keep in mind, the AMG team fielded a 190E but was not responsible for building the car in the same manner M was. ...Published on 07-11-2012 07:40 PM
1000 miles on a single tank seems almost far fetched but Volkswagen was able to approach exactly that covering 971 miles in one tank with their BlueMotion Polo. Now to put this into context the Polo averaged only 52 miles per hour. Drivers were rotated and the tank was sealed. The test lasted from Saturday until Sunday with the last drop of fuel being used. When all was said and done 971 miles were made for a final tally of 71 MPG. ...
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