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German Car Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 01-24-2012 06:02 PM
GIAC finally has shown their ecu software for the B8 S4 with the 3.0 TFSI supercharged V6. The car was dyno'd on 91 octane with nothing else but an AWE intake. The gains are amazingly almost 100 wheel horsepower. We can not explain how GIAC was able to do this on 91 pump gas considering APR is getting about 64 all wheel horsepower with their software. APR hit a peak of 361 wheel horsepower on 93 octane with an exhaust on a Mustang dyno. GIAC hits 404 wheel horsepower with their software and an intake on 91 octane. Hard to believe but if independent results verify this, wow. ...Published on 01-24-2012 06:42 AM
Hybrid versus diesel. We tend to stand on the side of diesel when these two are brought up and we wish there were more diesel options from German manufacturers in the USA. One would expect a turbo diesel motor making a bunch of torque to have no problem with a hybrid. Well, that was not the case here. Insideline tested the two different approaches against once another which made for a very interesting comparison. ...Published on 01-24-2012 05:28 AM
Porsche and VW have been vying for control of one another for years now but it seems the battle is finally coming to an end. AutoNews Europe reports the takeover may finally be over this year. Volksagen already owns 49.9% of Porsche automotive and intends to buy up the rest of the shares and create a holding company in charge of Porsche to make for a smooth transition/acquisition. Why is VW making this move even with Porsche being sued by investors? The taxes from VW buying up so much stock would amount to over 1 billion Euros if they did not complete the deal before 2014. ...Published on 01-24-2012 04:02 AM
Here are spyphotos of the upcoming Audi RS6 which will be competing with the BMW M5, Mercedes E63 AMG, and Panamera Turbo. The vehicle looks great with its aggressive widebody work and reworked front/rear bumpers. The RS6 will be the only other all wheel drive entry in the luxury super sedan category. It will also be sporting the same 4.0 liter twin turbo V8 used in the Audi S8. We wonder if it will be in a higher state of tune though as in the S8 it only puts out 512 horsepower which is not going to cut it against the competition this generation. ...Published on 01-24-2012 02:50 AM
The first generation 955/957 Cayenne was a controversial move for Porsche. The success of it can not be denied however. That success led to Porsche developing the second generation 958 Cayenne which was released in 2010. The second generation has already surpassed the 100,000 unit mark in record time with not even a full two years of production under its belt. The Cayenne is here to stay and a huge success allowing Porsche to continue to build some of the greatest sports cars in the world. Well done Porsche, here is to another 100,000! ...Published on 01-23-2012 11:51 PM
Volkswagen feels the Golf is getting away from its roots and becoming too big and expensive. As the Golf gets more sophisticated it leaves room for an entry level hatchback. Well, here it is, the VW Up! Not exactly an exciting car for enthusiasts but it is economical with a price of $13,295. Engine choices are a 60 horsepower 1.0 liter 3 cylinder or a 75 horsepower version of the same thing. We doubt this will come to the USA and that does not bother us in the least. ...Published on 01-23-2012 11:15 PM
This should come as a surprise to nobody that the N52 6 cylinder in the BMW X3 is being replaced by the BMW N20 turbo direct injected 4 cylinder. The switch will happen for the 2013 model year which will launch in April of this year. For those of you about to buy an X3 xDrive28i it is probably best to hold off and get the better motor. Additionally, those who really want the car now can use this information as a bargaining chip as the newer motor is going to be much more popular. ...Published on 01-23-2012 04:51 PM
Mercedes has set the lofty goal of raising sales by 20%. How are they going to get that increase? Well, in a variety of ways but they intend for plug-in hybrids to be a part of it. The plug-in hybrid B-Class variant will be a USA only car. With BMW barely outselling Mercedes 247,907 to 245,192 in the USA Mercedes seems to want to push to the top by offering more efficient and entry level models. Should enthusiasts start to panic? Not while Mercedes is still able to deliver awesome Black Series cars to us. ...Published on 01-22-2012 08:25 AM
We love these time lapse videos. Whether it be a race car build, supercharger install, exhaust install, whatever, they are great to watch. It really is awesome to see everything that goes into a supercharger install compressed into a short time span. This is a VF-Engineering supercharger for the E46 M3 and the install is done by VS Motorsports. A very well done video by that BMW performance geeks of all shapes and sized should enjoy, check it out below. ...Published on 01-22-2012 07:06 AM
AMS, known very well for their Nissan GTR work, intends to get into the Mercedes tuning scene with the new twin turbo M157 powerplant. They recently picked up a 2012 E63 AMG that was not equipped with the performance package. They got a baseline for the car on a dynojet dyno and it put down 463 wheel horsepower. This is 20 wheel horsepower less than the baseline Renntech got for their CLS 63 AMG. One possible explanation is that the Renntech dyno is in STD and the AMS dyno is in SAE. Regardless, we look forward to more dyno runs to help put these numbers into context.
...Published on 01-22-2012 05:53 AM
No, we are not making this up. I guess it should not be all that surprising considering this comes from the same people who did a stretch Ferrari 360 limousine. The R8 limo will retain the 5.2 liter V10 from the sports car and will be able to seat 8 people. It is expected to officially launch in the summer of this year and limobroker expects this to become their most popular model. Maybe the Mayans were right? ...Published on 01-22-2012 02:01 AM
We think BMW is taking these model variants a little too far but BMW is going to do what BMW is going to do. The new BMW 4 Series is going to have 3 different variants. The F32 4 Series coupe, F33 4 Series cabriolet/convertible, and the F35 4 Series Gran Coupe. It probably is not that bad of an idea considering that Mercedes is prepping a baby CLS, the CLC. Check out the rendering of the F35 below. ...Published on 01-22-2012 02:00 AM
Volkswagen isn't pulling any punches in its fight to become the world's top automaker. General Motors figures show that it has the greatest volume meaning it is once again the largest automaker in the world. Volkswagen intends to add commercial truck numbers to its total to combat GM's figures which apparently are inflated using sales number from Chinese subsidiaries which GM does not have a controlling interest in. We will let you know where the dust settles. ...Published on 01-22-2012 01:42 AM
What we have here is a wrecked W221 S65 AMG from Russia (surprise, surprise). The owner apparently took some passengers out to show them what the car could do even though road conditions were wet and icy. The driver lost control when going through an intersection at about 130 miles per hour flying into a metal fence belonging to a Lada dealership. Amazingly, the driver and passengers were able to all walk away under their own power. ...Published on 01-21-2012 09:01 PM
Wald International, a Japanese body kit maker, has turned their attention toward the Porsche Panamera. This is their Black Bison kit which is a widebody. It includes a new front bumper, fenders, sideskirts, and a new rear bumper as well. Wheels designed for the kit are available as well. We think the kit is a little bit too busy and takes away from the sophistication and elegance the Panamera should have. ...Published on 01-21-2012 12:01 AM
There are a lot of N54 guys that like to track their car who will likely be interested in this oil cooler upgrade from Turner Motorsport. Turner states this upgrade is just for 335i's with the N54 as it is listed as fitting the 2006-2010 E90, E92, and E93 335i including the Xi. Pricing is $899.00 for cars that have the factory oil cooler and a retrofit kit can be added for an additional $530 for cars without the factory oil cooler. Full details listed below. ...Published on 01-20-2012 10:53 PM
The recent reveal of the 981 Boxster naturally leads to questions about the upcoming 2013 981 Cayman that will be based on it. The motor and transmission offering will obviously mirror the Boxster so what everyone really wants to know is what the car will look like. Our graphic designer Wild-Speed did a rendering of the back and front and we must say the vehicle looks superb. The new Boxster has been received very well and the new Cayman will likely be no different if it looks like the images below. ...Published on 01-19-2012 10:10 PM
It seems like we just got used to the MKVI Golf and the MKVII is already on the way. The car will officially be unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in September but we expect an earlier leak of the official product as seems to happen often these days. The MKVII Gold will be riding on a modular platform known internally as MQB. Expect the familiar 2.0 turbo to return in the GTI and the entry level Golf to have a new 1.8 liter turbo to replace the inline-5. ...Published on 01-19-2012 09:08 PM
The A25 AMG is clearly on the way as seen here. The model testing comes very quickly on the heels of its production being announced and that the A-Class would be coming to the USA. As stated in the previous report, the car will get a 340 horsepower 2.0 liter direct injected turbo 4 cylinder. It will compete with the Volkswagen Golf R and Audi S3. With no 1 Series in the USA it would seem Mercedes will have an advantage over BMW in this segment. ...Published on 01-19-2012 07:04 AM
S63 twin turbo V8 owners now have another downpipe options courtesy of Akrapovic. The piece itself is made out of stainless steel and is catless. No additional details were supplied. We would like to at the very least know the cost and claimed power gains. A dyno would definitely be warranted as well. Akrapovic makes quality exhaust pieces but without further details it makes for a very weak product unveiling. Akrapovic pieces tend to be expensive so do not expect this to be a value in S63 tuning. ...
Today, 01:55 PM