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German Car Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 09-21-2011 12:01 AM
Prior Design has released their Porsche Panamera body kit. It basically consists of carbon fiber add on pieces and is fairly restrained, not being over the top like many Panamera kits. There is a carbon front spoiler, carbon rear spoiler, front light covers, and a piece for the front intakes. Overall nicely executed adding a degree of aggression while not taking away from the car or ruining it like some of the other kits (Hamann).
...Published on 09-20-2011 11:36 PM
Always great to see members with cars like this as after all, that is what this site is all about. This vehicle is a B5 Audi S4 with the 2.7 liter 30 valve V6 we all know and love. The car has a stock block, IE rods, built 2.8 head, stock heads, a Precision 6265 turbo, and EV14 750 lb injectors. On the 93 octane the car put down an impressive 425 to all four wheels. There is much more in it on high boost and we would love to see it turned up on race gas. Enjoy the pictures and videos below.
...Published on 09-20-2011 11:06 PM
The document posted below is the full BMW N20 technical training document and it is incredibly in depth. If anyone wanted any and all information on the new N20 direct injected turbo 4 cylinder, here you go. It is a long but interesting read as BMW provides the history as well stating this is the first 4 cylinder sold in the United States since the M44 4 cylinder which was last seen in 1999. Another interesting tidbit is that BMW began producing 4 cylinders in 1927 with the 3/15. Hey, may be useful for trivia one day.
...Published on 09-20-2011 09:31 PM
A class action suit is being brought against Mercedes / Daimler AG due to alleged defects in the M156 V8 motor. The suit states that these defects are due to premature wear. The premature wear taking place as a result of the material used in the camshafts. The camshafts used are made of cast nodular iron. The valve lifters used however are made of 9310 grade steel. In the official complaint it is stated that the combination of these metals as designed is contributing to premature wear of the M156 motors. This can be due to improper heat treating of the metals or improper offset. The main sticking point is that Mercedes and AMG have known about this since 2007 when service bulletin S-B 05.20/20b was released. We will keep you updated on the details as this goes forward.
...Published on 09-20-2011 01:02 AM
We like to see different things. We like different approaches. We do not look cars that are overdone and do not flow right however like this one. Is it different? Yes. Is it good? No. The owner of this E46 M3 took an F430 Scuderia diffuser and adapted it to his E46 M3. Interesting idea but the execution just does not work. The quad exhaust tips on the M3 just seem tacky and basically ricer. Maybe with a cleaner exhaust setup this would work.
...Published on 09-19-2011 07:52 PM
We already reported that an SLS Black Series was in the works. Nice to see the mainstream sites confirm it as Motortrend reports AMG confirmed the production and development of the car. “We absolutely have to do a Black Series” Tobias Moers, head of AMG vehicle development, stated to Motor Trend. What changes will the SLS Black Series bring? Well, expect more power and less weight hopefully. It will be at home on the track and likely have many of the same changes the C63 AMG Black Series will be seeing versus its standard counterpart.
...Published on 09-19-2011 02:57 PM
The Porshce 911 GT3 RS 4.0 is a ridiculously awesome machine. It's light, fast, and features the best naturally aspirated 6 cylinder Porsche has ever produced. The video below shows just how stunning the acceleration of the 4.0 liter car is. In addition to the amazing acceleration the sounds coming from the motor provide aural satisfaction which rivals the best symphonies. Check out the video below.
...Published on 09-18-2011 07:22 PM
Well, it looks like Audi is beginning to take a commanding lead and pull away from Mercedes in DTM. Hot on the heels of their last 1-2-3 victory, Audi managed to repeat the feat again back to back. The race again was in the rain and the Audi's dominated the Mercedes' in the wet conditions. Martin Tomczyk was able to push to second place after starting in 14th to extend his lead in the driver standings. Winner Mattias Ekstrom was able to climb within 10 points of second place driver for Mercedes Bruno Spengler. Only two races remain and the pressure is now on Mercedes to make up ground.
...Published on 09-18-2011 06:22 AM
Congratulations to BMW drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller who clinched the drivers championship before the end of the season. However, BMW was not able to hold off Porsche who won the race moving them closer to BMW in the manufacturer standings. The number 56 M3 GT was passed by the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and 458 Italia with 2 laps remaining but the Ferrari ran out of gas at the very end allowing Porsche to get the victory and for BMW to get the second place finish. The final race is the Petit Le Mans and unless BMW completely blows it and Porsche wins chances for a second straight BMW championship are looking good.
...Published on 09-17-2011 07:16 AM
As reported, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher unveilved the new Mercedes DTM car at the Frankfurt auto show. The car looks stunning and like a worthy rival to the recently revealed 2012 Audi A5 DTM car. The 2011 season is still winding down (with Audi taking the lead from Mercedes) but with BMW in the mix and the new cars for 2012 the next season is shaping up very, very nicely.
...ALMS Qualifying Report: BMW takes pole for Laguna Seca race on Saturday 9/17, will start 1st and 3rd
Published on 09-17-2011 02:02 AM
BMW is on the pole yet again. This marks the 7th consecutive race that BMW will be starting from the pole position. Dominating? We would say so. This is the second to last race of the season. Want to watch? Of course you do. Check it out tomorrow (9/17/11) at 1:15 Pacific Time on espn3.com. The race will also be broadcast on ESPN 2 Sunday but who can wait that long? If BMW finishes strong they will all but secure the championship for the second straight year.
...Published on 09-17-2011 12:02 AM
Mercedes has put up a web special and site for the upcoming C63 Black Series Coupe. The site contains an overview of the car, styling, drivetrain, performance, specs, etc. Mercedes also confirms that the motor uses all forged internals from the SLS just as we reported. A very nice high resolution gallery (pictures posted below) as well as the official press release for the car are also on the site. Definitely worth checking out even if only to drool and dream about this car: http://www.mercedes-amg.com/#/c63blackseries
...Published on 09-16-2011 12:12 AM
This is a very nicely executed modification package from Carlsson for the new W218 Mercedes CLS. The styling is not overdone like others (Hamann anyone?) and sophisticated adding aggression without going overboard. They add a carbon fiber front lip, carbon fiber spoiler, and a new rear bumper with an integrated diffuser. Engine output is boosted to 649 horses which we do not doubt considering the gains on the M157 twin turbo tuners are getting. A Carlsson C-tronic suspension module which lowers the car rounds out the package.
...Published on 09-15-2011 11:52 PM
Here is yet another car from Hamann that was revealed at the Frankfurt show. As has been the case with the latest Hamann kits across a wide variety of platforms (Porsche Panamera for example) the body kit just seems a bit overdone. This is much, much better than the Hamann Panamera but it just does not flow cleanly. They put LED's in the front bumper as everyone is doing and obviously revised the front bumper with a much more aggressive piece. The rear diffuser and side skirts are not bad but it just seems like the car is trying too hard and loses a bit of its sophistication with this setup.
...Published on 09-15-2011 11:31 PM
DTM sure is going to be awesome next year. Mercedes moving to the C-coupe, BMW is coming back, and Audi will be racing their new A5. The mechanicals will basically carry from the A4 DTM car. That means a 460 or so horsepower 4.0 liter V8 and a 6 speed manual transmission. The 2012 cars will have a larger rear wing and other aerodynamic changes. A larger fuel tank also allows for an entire race to take place without any fueling stops. 2012 is going to be a great year for DTM.
...Published on 09-13-2011 08:01 AM
Well, here it is. We knew it was coming and the final result is stunning. The revised headlights and taillights make for what looks like a far more modern and aggressive car. Inside, the interior is slightly revised and the two tone color scheme and seats are simply gorgeous. The seats will likely not make their way to the USA due to crash test standards. Under the hood is the same old 4.2 liter V8 which has been tweaked a bit more to 450 horsepower. That makes for 108 horsepower per liter and it revs to 8,250 rpm. And yes, it has a dual clutch transmission. Well done Audi!
...Published on 09-13-2011 08:00 AM
Hamann has a lot of love it or hate it body kits. They seem to be really going overboard as of late though for whatever reason. The Panamera is already a car that styling wise has people in the same love it hate it camp and we do not think this body kit is going to help bring those on one side to the other. Hamann modifies the Panamera fenders, adds LED's (enough with the LED's already!), a huge wing, new front bumper, and simply overdone hood to make the Panamera Paragon. How much is this thing? Who knows, we wouldn't buy it anyway.
...Published on 09-13-2011 07:19 AM
This is simply great to see. Renntech tuned an S63 AMG V8 with the performance package and managed to gain another 20 horsepower at the wheels and 40 pound-feet of torque on top of the performance package on an S63 AMG. The performance package is simply a factory tune offering from Mercedes adding more boost to the M157 V8. The stock motor has 1.0 bar or 14.5 psi of boost. The performance package ups the boost to 18.8 psi. This Renntech tune maintains just about the same maximum boost pressure so the gains seem to be coming from more boost down low as well as adjusting the timing. This is just the prototype tune that was sent to BenzBoost, expect pricing and final results soon.
...Published on 09-13-2011 06:10 AM
Renntech seems to be spreading to all platforms and that is a good thing. Increased tuner competition should bring out the best. We received this graph showing dyno results for the Renntech S63B44 ECU tune. The car puts down an eye popping 518 to the wheels on an all wheel drive Mustang dyno along with 497 all wheel torque. There is no baseline unfortunately for which to compare the gains from. The car did run 12.7@109 stock and with the tune managed 12.2 and almost 112 miles per hour in 87 degree conditions on just 91 octane pump gas.
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Published on 09-12-2011 07:34 AM
Hamann revealed their new Hawk SLS package at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Hamann has tuned the engine to 636 horsepower with the help of a revised intake, new exhaust, and a custom ECU tune. No dynograph or performance numbers to prove it of course as is customary with Hamann. In addition to the engine work we get a gaudy body kit typical of Hamann. New front spoiler, side skirts, wide fenders, hood, wing, and roof spoiler all compliment (or detract from) the SLS. 21 inch wheels round it out. We doubt this will be a popular package in the United States where one can get much more performance for far less money but this will likely be popular in the Middle East and Asia where name brands like Hamann seem to make their money.
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