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German Car Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 07-30-2011 04:14 AM
The i3 does not exactly get us excited as enthusiasts. The i8 on the other hand is supposed to be the exciting and fun to drive BMW 'i' car. Power to the front wheels will be from a modified i3 electric motor. The rear wheels will get power from a direct injected 1.5 liter likely turbocharged motor. The electric and internal combustion motors combined should be good for 350 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque in AWD mode which should provide sub 5 second 0-60 times.
...Published on 07-30-2011 02:35 AM
This is the Stage III APR B8 S4 supercharger system. On 100 octane it is capable of hitting 428 horsepower at all four wheels. On 91 octane it is capable of an impressive 412 AWHP. Very nice compared to the stock 275 AWHP. The best performance numbers hit so far are 11.9@116.9 mph in the 1/4 mile. Definitely a large improvement and likely the best option available for those who want more out of their S5.
...Published on 07-30-2011 01:44 AM
Well here it is, the BMW i3. Say hello to the electric era of BMW. The i3 seats 4 passengers. Its 170 horsepower and 184 foot-pound electric motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery. Power is sent to the rear wheels thankfully. With 170 horsepower it is not the most powerful car in the lineup and is said to hit 60 in under 8 seconds and hit a top speed of 93 miles per hour. Ultimate Driving Machine? Not exactly.
...Published on 07-30-2011 12:32 AM
CAR reports that a long wheelbase version of the Panamera is coming. The wheelbase will be extended by 150 millimeters. Demand for long wheelbase models is apparently very high in China which seems to be the driving force for this Panamera model. It seems kind of weird to us though as the Panamera is supposed to be a sporty sedan and already is quite heavy to begin with. Regardless, the longer wheelbase model is coming as is a face-lift.
...Published on 07-29-2011 04:16 PM
Trucks for the German makes continue to be popular with graphic artists and enthusiasts alike. Just two weeks ago we brought you the Audi Q7 truck which was real, not a rendering. Also, who can forget the BMW M3 pickup truck? The artist who did these Mercedes renderings here said that since his X5 truck rendering people have been clamoring to see what a Mercedes based version would look like. Well, here it is and do not worry as Mercedes-Benz will not be producing anything like this.
...Published on 07-29-2011 03:54 PM
The first performance suspension upgrades for the X6 and X5 M are available now from Dinan for $1199. The suspension kit lowers the car 3/4 of an inch in front and in back. Front and rear shock mounts relocate the mounting point to keep the stock travel. Also included are the rear ride height sensor mods. It is also designed to work with the factory electronic shocks and load-leveling suspension without issue.
...Published on 07-28-2011 07:00 AM
The HPF Stage 1 Twin Turbo systems provide the "ULTIMATE" powerband for your BMW M3 (RHD) making it a brutal daily driver and track monster with full boost hitting before you can press the gas pedal to the floor. Enjoy the amazingly quick spool of twin GT22 turbos in your M3 that come on-line in just a fraction of a second. No more waiting until red-line for full boost as you do with many supercharger systems. All this power is produced while still retaining all the factory controls and air-conditioning and works on both SMG and non-SMG equiped vehicles. ...Published on 07-28-2011 02:48 AM
Most of you had seen that we were working hard on PorscheBoost. Well, PorscheBoost is now officially launched. PorscheBoost will be bringing you Porsche performance news the same way it does on AudiBoost, BenzBoost, and BimmerBoost. This means a Porsche Blog, Porsche Forums, performance, tuning, motorsport, and modification news all concerning Porsche. With 6speedonline and Rennlist being swallowed up by Internet Brands there simply is no good Porsche forum that is not under the control of a large company which means it was time for some competition and an alternative. This marks the 4th site in the Boost Network and you can expect VWBoost.com next which will complete our focus on German Performance Automobile Forums. Enjoy!
...Another Maybach tuned by OE Tuning, huge torque gains - +108.6 pound-feet and +53.8 wheel horsepower
Published on 07-28-2011 02:38 AM
This is yet another Maybach tuned by OE Tuning. Where are all these Maybach owners wanting more power for their 6000 pound super-expensive sedans coming from? Regardless, just take a look at the graph to see the HUGE low end torque gains. At around 3600 RPM the gain is just about 200 pound-feet of torque. You will definitely feel that and you will definitely want that in this heavy German tank. The power drops off up top and peak horsepower gains are only 53.8 wheel, but all one needs to do is take a look at the curve and see the impressive change on 91 octane pump.
...Published on 07-28-2011 02:31 AM
The first Audi TT-RS has been officially delivered in the USA. Fort Worth Audi had the honor of delivering the first car and it went to a veteran race car driver named Don Istook. It's nice to see that Audi did not overlook the United States with yet another RS model. They also announced that the RS5 will be coming the United States as well. That is all fine and dandy, but we were still short changed on the last RS6 and it looks like the same might happen with the B8 RS4. This is a step in the right direction but until Audi can roll out all of their models worldwide we still can not take them as seriously from an enthusiast's standpoint as we do Porsche and to a lesser extent Mercedes who manage to come through on almost all of their performance models.
...Published on 07-27-2011 07:11 AM
The last time we brought you news about BMWNA head Jim O'Donnell it was that he was being forced to apologize over comments he made over electric vehicles. We really liked that Jim O'Donnel told it like it was and did not hold back. It seemed he ruffled some feathers by not buying into BMW's 'i' electric vehicle cult and actually suggesting that, gasp, more diesels in North America may be a good idea. Is it just a coincidence that just over 2 months after these comments and the seemingly forced apology he is being replaced?
...Published on 07-27-2011 02:41 AM
The Australian International Design Awards are apparently a pretty big deal. Over 232 Australian and International products are assessed on their physical attributes. In the Automotive category, the Audi A7 was picked was the best design for 2011. The car is pretty hot, but the best design? The judges seemed to think so. Audi Australia Director Uwe Hagen stated, “Good design and aesthetic excellence is a core pillar of Audi’s brand ethos, and this award confirms the outstanding position of the A7 Sportback within the field of automotive design, and the excellent response from our customers confirms the appeal of this car.”
...Published on 07-26-2011 07:42 PM
Yes, a new Porsche 911 model is coming, the 991. Everyone has had that hammered into their heads by now. The car will be revealed in Frankfurt (PorscheBoost will be there!) fully but in the mean time Car and Driver got a hold of these great spy pics. The car is still a bit disguised but you can see more details here. Doesn't really seem all that different, does it? The main difference seems to be the roofline and the rear lights.
...Published on 07-26-2011 07:16 AM
We finally completed the nitrous install on my 335i. The power gains where phenomenal but as people know it is easy to get carried away. We found a medium result between boost and jet size and tuned the car to make 500whp at only 1 bar boost. We saw much higher numbers but at the moment until the gearbox is upgraded we will leave it at that. OB from Chip Logic work was meticulous both in terms of the wiring but also in terms of certain plumbing that was required to make the kit fit as best as possible. Below are some pictures with some explanations for those that are not familiar with nitrous. ...Published on 07-26-2011 07:00 AM
This is Part III of the BenzBoost visit to Weistec. Part I and Part II are available here and here respectively. This interview has been edited a bit from its original form to make it easier to understand in written form. We covered avariety of topics including the ever popular torque limiter questions, transmission limits, CARB certification, and pricing among others. Questions that forum members wrote they wanted answered were asked. Enjoy!
...Published on 07-26-2011 01:51 AM
The last time there was an avant only RS4 the USA was skipped over. That was back with the B5 RS4 and some people still hold a grudge until today (we certainly do). It would appear that Audi is going to release the B8 RS4 only as a wagon and that does not bode well for its chances of making it to the USA. Additionally, it seems it will be sharing the Audi RS5 V8. Kind of boring really, as it should get the new turbocharged 4.0 liter V8. How much longer is Audi going to keep cranking out that same old 4.2 liter V8 which is already over-matched?
...Published on 07-25-2011 07:37 AM
Remember that source we quoted who revealed to us that the C63 Black Series would get the M156 V8? You know, over a month before anyone else got this information? Well, this same source told us the car was a given for the United States. Additionally, the car will be debuting new super sticky Dunlop tires and the motor will share some SLS similarities namely it looks like the internals. Considering the track record of this inside source thus far we are not going to doubt them this time and any worries people had of the car only going to Canada or not coming at all should be dismissed. ...Published on 07-25-2011 07:18 AM
The Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 is ridiculously awesome. The Autobahn is ridiculously awesome. Seems these two things almost belong together. This is a cool little video of a GT3 RS 4.0 being topped out on the Autobahn and hitting 320 kilometers per hour (top speed is quoted as 310) or 198.8 miles per hour. The Porsche speedo may be a tad optimistic but not bad for a stock car right? Lucky Germans with Autbahn and no speed limits.
...Published on 07-25-2011 03:15 AM
This is a rendering from Theophiluschin who tends to do a lot of these interesting takes on cars. We have all heard rumors of a BMW X4 and it will likely come just not any time soon. Several recent reports have stated the car has either been cancelled for this generation or significantly delayed. It was supposed to arrive in 2012. BMW will be doing a different take on it and making it much more sporty. The car will share X3 similarities but the rear will look nothing like it so this is pretty much a rendering of a what a X6 style X3 would look like and not an X4.
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Published on 07-25-2011 01:55 AM
New models of bicycles that is, not cars. The "RS" stands for racing which we take it the bike will be good for. Especially considering that the frame will be a carbon fiber monocoque. The brakes are also hydraulic discs, very nice. The bike S is basically the same thing except the frame is aluminum instead of carbon fiber. It also has a Shimano shifting system with less gears. The bikes will be on sale in September for what we guess will be a ton of money.
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