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German Car Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 07-23-2012 11:52 PM
The luxury performance SUV segment was really started by Porsche with the Cayenne Turbo which has been the cream of the crop since its introduction. When BMW saw how well Porsche was doing with the Cayenne as well as Mercedes with its AMG ML variants, they finally caved in and decided to get in the mix creating the X5M. We will readily admit the X5M is a spectacular performance SUV worthy of its first place finish in this comparison. ...Published on 07-23-2012 11:10 PM
Congratulations to Porsche whose sales continue to improve at record pace. At this point last year, Porsche sold 60,659 cars. At the same point this year, 69,171 for a difference of 14%. Sales are up 20.8% in Germany alone and 24.5% in China. The biggest market for Porsche, the United States, is up 5.8%. Porsche 911 sales are up 27.9% alone due in large part to the launch of the new 991 model generation. ...Published on 07-23-2012 11:01 PM
It seems like Boba Motoring is breaking their own record every week. We just saw this car hit 200 miles per hour as well as break into the 8's with an 8.89@165 mph run. Well, they have managed to lower their elapsed time to 8.65. This is a MKII Golf running E85 fuel on a 1.8 liter 16 valve motor. A Garrett GTX4202R compresses enough air for 900+ horsepower on this run. That power is sent through a 4 speed sequential to all four wheels. How much quicker can this thing possibly get? ...Published on 07-23-2012 02:49 AM
This is the second class action suit to be brought against Mercedes/Daimler reported by BenzBoost. The previous reported suit to yet be resolved (parties waiting on the judge as Daimler requested dismissal) is awaiting a ruling before proceeding further. The suit posted below in its entirety details alleged defects to the W211 E-Class fuel tank, fuel sending unit, and evaporation which can cause liquid fuel leaking outside gas as well as vapors entering the inside of the vehicle. ...Published on 07-19-2012 08:31 AM
Here are dyno resutls for the Fabspeed R8 5.2 FSI exhaust. The exhaust itself provides 10 wheel horsepower at peak and 16 wheel horsepower in the mid range. The baseline was 464 wheel horsepower and after the exhaust the car hit 473 to the wheels at peak. The exhaust retails for $3,195 and saves 41.8 pounds from the back of the car. Combined with an ECU tune the car hits 505 wheel horsepower for a respectable gain of 41 all wheel horsepower. A tune an exhaust are definitely worthy upgrades for any R8 5.2 owner to look into. ...Published on 07-19-2012 06:22 AM
The new 981 Boxster is an absolutely gorgeous car inside and out and a large improvement on the previous generation model getting lighter and faster. Insideline got their hands on the manual version which posted some impressive numbers with only 315 horses. 60 miles per hour came in 4.9 seconds and the 1/4 mile came in 13 seconds flat at 108.7 miles per hour. This car is quicker/faster than an E46 M3 with less power. ...Published on 07-19-2012 04:42 AM
Now the 550i is at a bit of a disadvantage here on paper. With only 400 horsepower compared to the Jaguar's 470 acceleration is clearly appears to be in the Jaguar's favor. Well, the test numbers support that statement as the Jaguar runs 12.6@112.8 to the 13.2@108.3 of the 550i. Fortunately, the 550i will not be outgunned for long receiving a 45 horsepower boost courtesy of revised software to match the output of the new 6 GranCoupe. We would like to see this comparison again once the 550i is updated. ...Published on 07-19-2012 04:10 AM
The name AMS should be familiar to many of you due to their work on the Nissan GTR and their well known "Alpha" packages for that vehicle. AMS is tackling the new M157 twin turbo 5.5 liter V8 platform for the Mercedes 63 AMG vehicles and below we have two dynojet dyno graphs of their custom tune which they refer to as Archetype. The first graph is the E63 AMG which shows a huge torque increase of over 225 pound-feet at the wheels. ...Published on 07-19-2012 02:57 AM
There has been talk of a premium model about the A8 that would be sort of Audi's super coupe to rival the Mercedes CL. Whether that car will be built or not we do not know but a Russian student Moscow State Technical University came up with this interesting R9 design study. The concept is very well executed and clearly the student is gifted. The design incorporates elements from the Quattro concept. Who knows, maybe Audi designers will pick something up from this. ...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. ...
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