modification drag racing, drag racing concept, new modifications

Various sources are reporting that Porsche is accusing Nissan of cheating the Nissan GT-R Nurburgring record of 7:29. To test the claim made by Nissan, Porsche engineers say they bought a GT-R and put it against the Porsche 911 Turbo and the GT2. What they have discovered is that the GT-R was constantly getting lap times of 25 seconds slower than the claimed record.

Porsche believes that the GT-R used for the Ring record was not a series production car and that maybe, it was equipped with different tires that offered better grip.

The company also said the 911 Turbo and the GT2 used for comparison achieved better times than the Japanese sportscar. Porsche initiated this test of Nissan's claim because the 911 is heavier than the GT-R and has similar power, but did not get such a good lap time of the Nurburgring.

Ever wondered how Ferrari may do a competitor for the Rapide and Panamera? Well, that’s a question very few have asked, but its still fun to see what Russian designer Krasnov Igor thinks how a Ferrari sedan may look.

Although an official four-door Ferrari has never existed, the supercar firm has come close. Both today’s Maserati Quattroporte and the Lancia Thema 8.32 of the 80s and 90s have their engines and other components sourced from Ferrari. Pininfarina made a few speciality sedans for wealthy customers (like the 456 for the Sultan of Brunei.) There have also been a few official design studies of prancing horse sedans, but Ferrari has been smart enough to stay out of the family car market, so far.

As the era of the Mercedes McLaren SLR winds down to its conclusion sometime in 2009, Mercedes-Benz is releasing what may be the ultimate example of the breed. The SLR 722 S Roadster picks up where the 722 coupe left off dropping the 650-hp supercharged 5.5L V8 into the open top body shell. With a top speed of 220.6 mph, this may be the fastest open top production car ever built. And unlike the first generation Dodge Viper, Mercedes has devised a soft top that can withstand sustained 200 mph+ top speeds. Mercedes has tapped into McLaren's F1 experience to create the fully carbon-fiber body that can provide the structural integrity needed at those speeds. The semi-automatic top just needs to be unlatched from the windshield header manually before the rest of the process is handled by the electrical actuators. The vehicle dynamics are also aided by dropping the suspension by 10 mm at each end of the car and recalibrating the spring and damper rates. Only 150 examples of the 722 S Roadster will be made available starting Jan. 1 2009.

Source: Auto Blog

What would you do with $2 million? Most people would not answer, "go on a speed rampage through Brazil". But it seems a guy from Sao Paulo found himself in this situation. The man went on a seven-year run (pun intended) where he didn’t even stop for red lights. Because the car was not registered in his name, he was able to rack up a combined $1.8 million in tickets and fines. Even worse is that he’s only got 90 days to pay off his almost decade-long string of infractions.

But don’t think this is some rich kid who will just write the police a quick check and be on his way. Authorities reported his vehicle as a 12-year-old car worth about $6,500.

Source: Top Speed

Less than a week before the new Lancer Sportback and its 240HP Ralliart sibling make their world debut at the Mondial De L’Automobile in Paris, Mitsubishi released a full set of images of both versions of the 5door Lancer hatchback or as we prefer to call it for apparent aesthetic reasons, hunchback. 

It looks as though Acura’s trying to reach out to those that actually enjoy driving a car. Starting from next fall, the Japanese automaker will offer a new 6-speed manual gearbox on the 2010 TL SH-AWD model. Aside from the fact that it’s the first time that Acura has ever paired its all-wheel-drive system with a stick-shift, the new close-ratio 6-speed manual is approximately 110 lbs lighter than the Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission currently offered in the top-spec TL.

Furthermore, the 2010 TL SH-AWD 6MT models also benefit from suspension upgrades that include special coil spring and shock absorber rates tuned for flatter cornering with reduced pitching motions under acceleration and braking. The manual models also employ firmer engine and transmission bushings along with a sportier tuning for the steering wheel system.

According to Acura, the addition of a manual transmission, an all-new clutch system and suspension changes yield an 88 lb. reduction in overall vehicle weight and at the same time, improves weight distribution by 1-percent compared to the automatic model generating a 58/42 ratio versus the 5AT's 59/41 ratio.

Source: Car Scoop

Just like Ford is constantly teasing us with cryptic pictures of its new Mustang, Lamborghini is revealing piece by piece its mysterious Paris Show car that is rumored to be a 4-door sports sedan concept. This time, the third teaser image gives us glimps of the vehicle's taillight. According to a credible source of ours that works over at Tony’s cappuccino shop behind Lamborghini’s head offices in Sant’Agata Bolognese, the next teaser shots will depict the yet to be named vehicle’s roof lining and license plate holders.

After numerous spy shots and leaked details, Aprilia has finally pulled the wraps off its upcoming RSV4 superbike. This is the machine that the Italian company will use to contest the Superbike World Championship in 2009 against the Ducati 1098 and the Japanese literbikes. To properly do battle, the RSV4 will make some 210-horsepower -- fully competitive with the best the series currently has to offer. While the race-going RSV4 is an amazing piece of kit, it's the street-bred RSV4, which will come in both normal and factory guises, that's of the most interest... since you'll actually be able to purchase one sometime next year.

With the arrival of the new Mercedes-Benz SL, the usual suspects will update their body and tuning packages accordingly. Observers familiar with Lorinser's stuff know what to expect here, and in typical fashion, there's enough mesh grillework to allow for every conceivable cooling need, real or imagined. A large vertical vent replaces the "gills" that are standard on the current SL's front fender. There's also an opening in the side skirts ahead of the rear wheel, and a wide grille spanning the area between the exhausts, too. The whole affair sits on a lowered suspension, and big Lorinser alloys fill up the wheel wells. Power upgrades aren't ready yet, so for the time being, the kit's an all-show, same-go proposition. Image-conscious buyers will want to keep their original tri-star grille emblem handy, as that much plainer Lorinder badge isn't going to impress the neighbors nearly as much. 

Wow, this is one the best tuned Mercedes-Benz CLK's I have ever seen, this guy should tune car's for a living, or sell his work to AMG or Brabus or something. He has a custom made Black-Series bodykit. 

 

There are some new  features in the new Chevy Volt. For instance, what seems to be a GPS system at first sight, actually can also tell the driver how far he is from home. This is especially helpful in an electric car that is, it usually charges at home. It is a plug-in electric computer which can calculate how much time the car can use the gas engine to charge the on-board battery pack, providing a real fuel economy.

MTM has been tuning  Audis for more than 20 years, and they have put that experience into developing a new twin-screw supercharger system that pairs up to the 4.2-liter V8 in the Audi R8. The addition of forced induction brings a total output of 552 hp, coincidentally matching the output of the R8's cousin, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. In addition to the supercharger kit, MTM also offers a complete line of products for the R8 including brake upgrades, 20" forged wheels, high-flow exhaust system, and a variety of exterior style upgrades.

Saab may have stagnated into GM-branded middle-of-the-roadness in recent years, but when the engineers from Trollhatten are left to their own devices, they can still come up with some pretty nifty technology.

Like this, the 9-X Air Concept. Forget the standard Saab concept face and eminently sensible 1.4-litre turbocharged engine (E85 powered, naturally) and take a look at that roof instead.

The Air Concept is, essentially, Saab's guess at what the next-gen 9-3 convertible will look like when it goes on sale around 2013, and it features a very cool folding soft-top roof.

There's a two-piece fabric cover with a solid glass rear screen, which descends when the roof is folded back and then raises back up to cut out turbulence in the cabin.

Shunning a fashionable folding hard top is good news for weight, while a glass screen eliminates the need for one of those huge cumbersome deflector-thingies that fit over the rear seat. Neat, eh?

Saab reckons the added lightness should allow the Air Concept to hit 60mph in just over eight seconds while returning a healthy 107g/km of CO2.

We'll get to fiddle with the Air Concept's clever roof at the Paris show early next month, if the Saab engineers let us near it...

A supercar from Lebanon? and it’s premiering in the U.S.?! Welcome to the global market. Of course you never heard about it. Unless you know David Frem, a Lebanese student at American University of Science and Technology, who is the proud designer.

Frem wants to compete with models from Ferrari, and he’s off to a slow start. The Frem F1 is built with a 2.0-liter 16v four-cylinder engine sourced from Volkswagen and a transmission from Audi. This combination should be good for a top speed around 125 mph. But it does come with some nice luxury options like xenon lights, reverse parking camera, navigation system and a glass roof. The fiberglass body is only 10 cm off the ground for better stability and traction.

The mystery surrounding Lamborghini’s Paris Show car has just become more deep as the Italian sports car maker released a second teaser photo, this time depicting part of the vehicle’s front end and the black alloy wheel that’s wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires. We also see the carbon-fiber front lip spoiler and the colors of the Italian flag on the car’s side vents. So, any idea what type of car this is?

First Porsche, and now it's Lambo's turn to reveal a frustrating teaser picture of a potential new star of the upcoming Paris show.

Unlike Porsche, though, this one has taken us a bit by surprise we genuinely have no idea what it is. And that tightly cropped carbon rear diffuser isnt giving anything away.

So, until Lamborghini spills the beans we're left to speculate. We've seen a 4x4 concept in the past with the LM and heard (very) unconfirmed rumours of a new entry-level model to slot in beneath Gallardo. Some have even said the words 'four' and 'door'.

One thing we do know is we'll get an answer at some point before October 2.

Source: Top Gear

Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off of its first hybrid passenger car, the S400 BlueHYBRID. Based on the S350, this mild hybrid pairs an electric motor/generator and the first lithium-ion battery in a production car with a specially tuned version of the company's 3.5L V6 driving the wheels through a 7-speed automatic transmission.

The V6 produces 279 horsepower and can be aided by the electric motor during acceleration with an additional 20 horsepower and 88 lb-ft of torque, giving the drivetrain a combined torque output of 285 lb-ft and what MB calls an electric "boost" effect. Like most hybrids, the S400 features a start-stop function and regenerative braking, but since Mercedes didn't want any interior or trunk space sacrificed for batteries, the S400's special li-ion battery was made small enough to be placed under the hood with the engine. The only evidence you're driving a hybrid while behind the wheel is a special display embedded in the gauge cluster that shows where the energy is flowing at any particular moment. The net result of all this technology is a very large car that sips fuel at the rate of 7.9 liters per 100 kilometers, or what would be around 29 mpg in the U.S. The M-B S400 BlueHYBRID will be available in Europe next summer, and we expect to see it offered elsewhere, including the U.S., not long after.

Source: Autoblog

While most vehicles leaving the Crewe factory in England are bound to spend their whole life without any sort of customizations, there are some owners who wouldn’t mind jazzing up their Bentley. One of the few tuners that specialize purely on Bentley cars is a Japanese firm called ASI which stands for “Accuracy Spirit Imagination”. ASI’s latest proposition concerns a full bodykit for the drop top Continental GTC.

The package is made up of a front bumper spoiler with a carbon fiber lip and LED daytime lights, side skirts, a rear bumper with a carbon fiber lip and exhaust cutter and finally a discreet boot spoiler made out of carbon fiber. The aero kit is complemented by a set of 22-inch alloy rims wrapped in 265/30 tires up front and 295/25 at the rear.
Source and more pictures ---> Carscoop