modification drag racing, drag racing concept, new modifications

As the Opel transaction takes on Biblical intrigue, the Hummer exchange goes on in another dark corner, laboriously, like the gestation of an elephant. The latest report from a Chinese news website states that General Motors and Tengzhong "might sign an agreement" this week, but that strikes us as exceedingly optimistic seeing that there's been no word on the government approving the deal yet.

Slightly more believable are the supposed deal points that would guide Tengzhong's initial ownership of Hummer: Tengzhong will own all of Hummer's intellectual property rights and sales network, but would not build Hummers in China and would operate the company as an off-shore entity based out of Detroit or Nashville. General Motors would continue to build Hummers until 2012 and provide "technical services," and Tengzhong would continue to fund research and development, while the "off-shore" Hummer team (read: probably the folks doing the job now) would be responsible for launching the new H3 and H4. As for that H4, though, the article lists them as "CUV models." If the H4 is a CUV, we hope they manage to make it look like the 2008 Hummer HX concept shown above.

Tengzhong reps are headed to Detroit to continue discussions. The General's response, according to the CEO of Hummer is that "Negotiations continue to progress and the transaction will be announced upon the signing of the definitive agreement as soon as appropriate." Hat tip to Emilio!

Mhmm… Crisis in Russian? Do you know as it looks? Do you know what is it?

That’s a photo of some airport near St. Petersburg in Russia. A few years ago it was looking like this. Today its looking like this.

Now it’s stiffly stuffed with unsold PSA Peugeot Citroen cars.

Russian PSA’s dealers say that they got too much overstocked with this inventory and now they simply use all free territories available to cheap pack them with thousands of cars.
As we know it’s not too good for cars to stand at open air under the Russian weather which is far not stable.

Rumors have been swirling for months about what BMW would do on August 26, 2009 for its Mini brand. After all, that is the fiftieth anniversary of the public debut of Alec Issigonis' original Mini. With most of the speculation revolving around either a coupe or some kind of cropped windshield speedster, it turns out the reality was somewhere in between. Unlike the original coupe of the Sixties that simply had a fastback replacement for the standard square-back roof, the new MINI Coupé Concept completely replaces everything from the beltline up. The upright windshield that has been part of the Mini look from day one is finally swept back and a truncated roof covers the remaining two seats.

All pretenses of being a four seater has finally been dispensed with for the new coupe. The shape of the roof indicates that should Mini move ahead with production, and it could easily be replaced by a folding fabric unit to create the anticipated speedster model. What's more, dumping the rear seats means Mini could theoretically add a hefty brace back there restoring some of the structural integrity lost in the standard convertible, or perhaps restore some cargo room as compared to the Cabrio. At this point, it's unknown if those B-pillars are are tinted glass or just big solid blind spots, but visually, the lower half of the car remains pretty standard R56 John Cooper Works.

Although we don't have images of the interior yet, it sounds like it's largely standard Mini, although there are two clocks hanging off the sides of the steering column mounted tachometer much like the so-called Openometer in the convertible. One tells time while the other is a stopwatch for recording laps. The MINI Coupé Concept will be shown publicly at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month alongside the production version of the new Crossover.

Porsche upgrader TECHART presents its new individualization options for the newest Boxster and Cayman models. Features include two Aerokits, daytime running lights, a set of sport springs, as well as carbon interior packages. "Our upgrade options enhance both the exterior and the interior, fulfilling our clients' desire for more individual exclusivity," explains Tobias Beyer, spokesperson for TECHART Automobil GmbH.

After spending a couple of days with the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor in California's Anza Borrego desert, we came to the conclusion that Ford's SVT wondertruck is at least 15 different kinds of awesome. After all, how many SVT-badged, factory fresh rides come equipped with three stage Fox shocks, 12-inches of clearance and 35-inch BF Goodrich rubber? We can only think of one, and we drove it in orange.

Motor Trend also spent time with the Raptor at Anza Borrego, and they had cameras rolling on the ground and in the air. The 6:27 video is chock full of information about the Raptor, but perhaps more importantly, it's also filled with rolling footage of Ford's off-road super truck doing what it does best: tackle tough terrain. MT hits speeds of 75-100 mph while behind the wheel, sliding effortlessly across some pretty inhospitable environs. In the video, the publication's Ed Loh also tests out the Raptor's hill descent mode, which crawls down steep grades without the need to touch the gas or brake pedal. Hit the jump to watch the Raptor tackle hill and sand at Anza Borrego, and if you're anything like us, you'll be looking for the nearest dune and any excuse to get behind the wheel of Ford's new desert rat rod.

Bentley Motors unveiled the Mulsanne, the company’s all-new flagship grand tourer, at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in Monterey, California. The Mulsanne is inspired by the company founder W.O. Bentley’s crowning achievement in 1930, the 8-litre. And it was W.O.’s own sensitively conserved company car hat shared the podium with the new Mulsanne in Pebble Beach. This early motoring masterpiece represented the last big Bentley that was designed, engineered and built from the ground up by Bentley engineers - until now.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss, the final hurrah for the fabled SLR line, has a production date of June 2009 and is the culmination of everything SLR. The SLR Stirling Moss has a radical design, with no roof or even proper windshield. It is as if Mercedes-Benz is flaunting the fact that all SLR drivers own a couple more cars, and the retro race-roadster design is the only thing they could respectfully apply legendary British race car driver Stirling Moss's name to.

Stirling Moss--the car--is styled unlike anything else on the market, even from boutique car builders. It looks every bit the modern interpretation of the classic race speedster Mercedes is going for, and while the modern SLR McLaren heritage is clear, this new edition is wholly different. While the new open supercar Mercedes was again developed in conjunction with McLaren, this one drops the McClaren name in favor of honoring the most famous of Benz pilots.

HYUNDAI TO SELL ITS FLAGSHIP SEDAN IN U.S. CRAFTED TO RIVAL MERCEDES, BMW, LEXUS AND THE WORLD'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS LUXURY AUTOMOBILES, MARKING ANOTHER STEP IN HYUNDAI'S GROWTH AS A LEADING BRAND

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif., 08/12/2009

Hyundai is shaking things up at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance by announcing its intention to launch its most premium luxury sedan in the U.S. next year.

Hyundai’s flagship, badged as the Equus in the Korean market, will be on display and on the roads surrounding the annual gathering of collectible classic luxury automobiles throughout the week, giving attendees a glimpse of the company’s most prestigious model.

“We showed the car at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, and the response was fantastic,” says John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and CEO. “Since then, we’ve had a fleet traveling around the country, capturing input from our dealers and consumers. Here, too, the response was extraordinarily positive, and similar to the market reaction to the award-winning Genesis, so we’ve decided to bring it to the U.S.”


Hyundai’s flagship sedan, developed under the codename “VI,” launched this year in Korea. The Equus nameplate used there has adorned the company’s flagship model for 10 years, where it enjoys a reputation for quality and luxury in a place where Japanese and European luxury marques such as Lexus, BMW and Mercedes are coveted.

Here in the U.S., the runaway success of the 2009 Hyundai Genesis, which has garnered worldwide critical acclaim and remarkable sales success, gave Hyundai reason to consider expanding its brand further into the upper echelon of automotive luxury. But it was dealer and consumer response to a summer-long tour that saw Equus sedansvisiting Hyundai showrooms across the country that solidified the decision.

DETAILS OF U.S. PLANS TO COME

Hyundai’s new flagship sedan is built on Hyundai’s all-new, innovative, premium rear-wheel-drive architecture, shared with the North American Car of the Year Genesis sedan and the performance-focused Genesis Coupe.

The new sedan will be sold in the U.S. beginning in late 2010. Pricing, packaging, specifications, and the final name of the car for the U.S. market will be announced closer to launch.

Mayor of Kiev, Leonid Chernovetsky is a connoisseur of fine automobiles and apparently just being related to the man has its benefits. Between the two sons and one daughter their garage includes a Maybach, Rolls Royce Phantom and the Mercedes Benz Mclaren SLR,Porsche 911, Spyder and a trio of Rolls Royce Drophead Coupes amongst a few other high end machines.

The women in Chernovetsky’s life are no strangers to controlling incredible amounts of power. It is said that his wife drives the MercedesMcLaren SLR super car with its 5.4 liter supercharged V8 that pumps out 626 HP and will accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 207 MPH. The daughter enjoys her time behind the wheel of this Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder daughter with its 5.0 Liter V10 that makes a screaming 520 HP and will go to 0 to 60 MPH in only 4.3 seconds on its way to hitting a top speed of 195 MPH.

Chernovetsky’s male offspring are no strangers to the finer things in life. Like this Porsche 911 gt by techart covered in a stunning matte gold finish. The 3.6 Liter flat 6 engine has been tuned to produce 630 HP, go from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.2 seconds and hit a top speed of 215 MPH. Of the three Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe’s the youngest son is most often found in the white version with a 6.75 Liter V12 that makes 453 HP and goes from 0 to 60 MPH in 5.9 seconds.

The Korean automaker Hyundai waited until the perfect moment to announce that the Equus flagship sedan will in fact be making its way into dealerships right here in the U.S. The announcement came from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance after much anticipation and speculation as to whether the American market was ready for an ultra premium sedan from Hyundai, and judging by the Genesis sedan’s warm reception, it looks like we are.

Hyundai Motor America president and CEO John Krafcik said that "We showed the car at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, and the response was fantastic,... Since then, we’ve had a fleet travelling around the country, capturing input from our dealers and consumers. Here, too, the response was extraordinarily positive, and similar to the market reaction to the award-winning Genesis, so we’ve decided to bring it to the U.S.” In the states Hyunudai hopes to steal a few luxury buyers from the likes of Mercedes, BMW and Lexus.

Congratulations are in order for the Korean automaker making a bold move and not being afraid to ruffle a few feathers at the world’s greatest car show. So while the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will be featuring names like Buggatti and Bentley and celebrating a century of Morgan, Audi and the designs of Zagato; Hyundai has given everyone something else to think about.

The elephantine rear airfoil bolted to the rear deck of the Dodge Viper ACR is not only highly functional, but it gets credit as being the first mass-produced carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) wing on a production vehicle. Rear wings on high performance vehicles are designed to counter lift. Without aerodynamic aids, most vehicles become less stable and have reduced gri, as velocities increase (worst case, the vehicle actually flies as did the Mercedes CLR at Le Mans in 1999).

Chrysler's SRT Performance Group was tasked with building a faster variant of the Dodge Viper with the ACR, yet cutting weight at the same time. The team did extensive studies of wing profiles before settling on a 72-inch wide wing manufactured out of CFRP. While most wings have a structural core or ribbing, the ACR's hollow wing is comprised of just four layers of epoxy/carbon fiber weave with an outer UV-resistant clearcoat.

The wing is amazingly strong (as evidenced by the picture at right), yet it weighs just 7.5 lbs, 50 to 80 percent less than an aluminum or thermoplastic counterpart. Working in conjunction with a variable-geometry front splitter and dive planes, the oversized rear wing helps the Viper ACR achieve its targeted 1,000 lbs of downforce at 150 mph. That's enough to help Dodge's supercar sustain a cornering load of 1.5 Gs at speed – superior to many GT racing cars.

Experiencing this exceptional vehicle on the road even surpasses what it promises on paper. The latest generation of the AMG C-Class offers a perfect blend of unrivalled performance and expressive styling.

Remarkable comfort, sporty manners and long distance capability are not mutually exclusive qualities for this car.

Power in abundance and unbridled V8 goodness are provided by edo competition.

The verdict was unanimous: 457 horsepower and 600 Nm (442 ft-lb) are not enough. A newly developed high-performance exhaust system, exhaust headers, high-flow catalytic converters, new air filters and a recalibrated ECU (including top speed governor removal) boost these numbers to an impressive 555 horsepower and 680 Nm (501 ft-lb). As a matter of principle, all recalibrations done by edo competition are verified on the dynamometer to document the true power output.

The facts about the exceptional edo C 63: 6.3 liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine, 408 kW (555 hp), 680 Nm (501 ft-lb) of torque, 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.3 seconds, top speed: 199 mph – there’s no better way to sum up the capabilities of the edo C 63!

The high-performance exhaust featuring butterfly valves is as aurally impressive as it is advanced, monitoring the exhaust backpressure in real-time. The accompanying controller is programmable and the integrated 70 mm exhaust flaps open at a predetermined level of backpressure. The advantage of this system is that it provides a good amount of at low revs without restricting the maximum power at the top end. The high-flow exhaust system is made from 100% stainless steel and the stock-like dual exhaust tips underscore the expressive styling.

To provide superior levels of grip, edo competition offers exclusive wheel/tire combinations. Using a new wheel design the C 63 was equipped with a set of ultra-lightweight 19 in. sport wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires. Front: 235/35 19, Rear: 265/30 19

As with all edo competition models, we set no limit to our customers’ imaginations. Special interiors or lavish leather upholstery, individual requests are accommodated and executed with quality.

French automobile and motorcycle builder Lazareth has managed to shoehorn an entire BMW V12 engine into one of its crazy Wazuma quads. While there isn't much that's environmentally friendly about a 500-horsepower supercharged V12 from BMW that's powering a rather large and impractical quad platform, Lazareth has decided to attempt to give the machine a bit of eco-cred by running the engine on E85.

Why use ethanol in a decidedly performance-minded machine? We'd guess Lazareth's decision to run E85 as a fuel is due to its superior octane rating, which allows the engine to run a higher compression ratio than with gasoline. If you're interested in adding an ethanol-burning, V12-powered road rocket to your own personal stable of vehicles, all you need to do is write Lazareth a check for €200,000 ($283,000) and await your delivery.

For years the Corvette has been representative of the very embodiment of the quintessential sports car amongst true motorsport fans. Thanks to Corvettes newest models and their successful racing prototypes performing world wide - most notably in the legendary 24 hour race at Le Mans - the Corvette has evolved to rightfully inspire fear in the eyes of supporters of Porsche and Co.

The Corvette C6 ’s acquisition price of almost 75,000 Euro is one trait that is not to be underestimated. Relative to its features and talents it’s a good value for the money. Although it takes a little more than 10,000 Euro on top to attain the status of the fierce Z06, when compared to the Porsche 911 or the Audi R8 the Vette is a true bargain.

GeigerCars, the American car specialists situated in the Bavarian metropolis of Munich present their own Black Edition of the Corvette Z06. Its modification is not flashy nevertheless it embodies very striking customizations. The Z06 is powered by the familiar V8 block engine possessing a phenomenal 7 liters of capacity, 505 horsepower and an impressive torque of max 5638 lb-in (469.8 lb-ft) at 4,800 revolutions per minute. Thanks to Geiger’s own exclusive Tuning Kit the addition of an extra 78 horsepower is mustered up – increasing maximum performance up to an impressive 583 horsepower. The modifications include an exhaust header with high-performance catalytic converters, a stainless steel exhaust system with four 100mm size tailpipes, an airbox incorporating a 100mm size airflow meter. The v8 motor gains considerable fierceness due to the customized throttle valves, a modified intake system, new valve springs, valve heads made of titanium steel and not to mention the installation of a specially designed camshaft.

An overhauled engine management system ensures that the 8 cylinders generate its 583 horsepower performance smoothly. The total price for this impressive Tuning Kit lies at 13.999 Euro. Untypical for an American vehicle, the Geiger Corvette is outfitted with a 6 gear manual transmission, adding only more fun to the overall package. Thanks to a curb weight of only 1.48 tons a level of road performance is attained that would make any Porsche fan go pale in the face.

Driving pleasure is increased significantly by GeigerCars own low rider design with adjustable high performance shock absorbers. In the front, 10x18 black varnish alloy wheels with 275/35 ZR18 tires mediate contact to the road. In the back 12x19 black varnish alloy wheels with 325/30 ZR19 tires perform their task with pride. With so much torque to tame, it isn’t a problem in the least that the back tires won’t always have everything perfectly under control. Quite the contrary, the brake away tail end only prompts a little smile on your face if you’re one of the more trained drivers- besides; the Corvette Black Edition from Geiger also has a front spoiler as well as a modified rear end diffuser.

The Ferrari 458 Italia is a completely new car from every point of view: engine, design, aerodynamics, handling, instrumentation and ergonomics, just to name a few.

A two-seater berlinetta, the Ferrari 458 Italia, as is now traditional for all Ferrari’s road-going cars, benefits hugely from the company’s Formula 1 experience. This is particularly evident in the speed and precision with which the car responds to driver inputs and in the attention focused on reducing internal friction in the engine for lower fuel consumption than the F430, despite the fact that both overall displacement and power have increased. However, Ferrari’s track experience makes its presence felt in the 458 Italia not only in terms of pure technological transfer but also on a more emotional level, because of the strong emphasis on creating an almost symbiotic relationship between driver and car. The 458 Italia features an innovative driving environment with a new kind of steering wheel and dashboard that is the direct result of racing practice. Once again input from Michael Schumacher - who was involved from the very start of the 458 Italia project - played an invaluable part.

Why fit another exhaust to my vehicle? There are several reasons, style, performance, sound and "the old one needs replacing". Style cannot be argued against as most standard system's exit through a boring small, often rusty tail pipe. Performance is a harder one to equate, as putting a performance big bore kit exhaust system on a standard engine is unlikely to produce much benefit. Sound is hard to give an opinion on, and one person's noise is another's music.

Changing to a performance exhaust system because the old one is worn out is arguably the best reason, as many performance exhaust system are not that much dearer than the manufacturers replacement and on some models even cheaper. Do not compare a non genuine replacement exhaust from your local free fit garage prices with manufacturers own or performance exhaust systems, as not only are the majority made out of thinner or lower grade material but from our experience reduce performance. Most performance exhausts, including Scorpion, Piper, Magnex and Musketier are made out of stainless steel, which is superior in every respect, especially against corrosion, which is the main killer of exhausts, so when comparing prices and value for money make sure you are comparing like with like.

To give you an example of a non genuine exhaust system, we fitted the rear silencer to a customer's car, he insisted on none genuine to save money. At the same time we carried out a full service and a day after he was back complaining we had done a bad service, as the car was sluggish at high throttle openings. We rechecked everything and every thing was OK, so in desperation we fitted a genuine rear box, performance restored.

A few more words are needed regarding the Piper and BTB exhaust systems. We like the Piper units as they are equal to all the others as regards performance but the big benefit is that you can get about 6 different tail pipe designs, round, oval, twin, slashed etc etc.

The ATB UNIT

As said above the majority of so called performance exhausts will not increase performance, especially on a standard or near standard car, sure they look good and maybe make a lot of noise, that makes you think performance exhausts are more powerful but on the dyno the results say the standard exhaust unit is very good. It is only when you start to make a lot more power that the exhaust system needs to be changed for a true freeflow unit, due to fact you are burning more fuel and so have a lot more exhaust gas to get rid of. We found this a particular problem on our supercharged cars, the power would go up and then level off as the exhaust just could not pass the gas, causing exhaust back pressure, which builds up and pressurizes the exhaust ports and so stops the gas coming out of the cylinder, this in turn means the cylinder does not get rid of all the burnt gas and so contaminates the new charge stopping it burning as it should and so reducing power. We found that for every 1 lb of boost there was 1 lb of exhaust back pressure. The solution was to make an exhaust system with a much bigger bore exhaust pipe all the way from the front to the exit, the size being 63 mm. (Photo: BTB Pipe Diameter In Comparison To A Standard VTS System)

A case that proves this point is we had a supercharged Saxo VTR in our workshops, it was a car that had had our kit fitted by another garage. After correcting numerous other faults we dyno tested it and it went to 130 bhp at the wheels and just stayed there from 5000 rpm to the rev limiter. We took off the "performance" system and fitted the BTB unit, 150 bhp without any other alterations. I know many of you may say, "Well I don't need one of these my car is not supercharged". Yes, I would agree up to a certain point. This problem is not because it is supercharged but because the engine is producing a lot of power and hence a lot of exhaust gas, this same problem will come about with a normally aspirated engine if the power level is increased a lot. We have done no tests, so have no figures to say at what level of BHP this back pressure problem will start but I would guess at anything over 30 BHP increase, and the bigger the BHP the more of a problem. It is something worth considering when you have just bought your car, as many start off by fitting a new exhaust as the first job. What you should do is think where your tuning mods are going to stop, as many have plans to fit an air filter, ex manifold, cams, head job etc. If you think your tuning is going down this road get the BTB don't get any other as if you go for big power later it will mean you need to change your exhaust system again.

Catalytic Converter (Exhaust Cat)

Another reason to fit the BTB unit is a bit more technical, most people want to take the catalytic converter off as they sap so much power, the problem is taking the catalytic converter out and substituting a straight pipe is not really correct. OK, this will certainly give you the power back the exhaust cat takes away through restriction but this causes another problem. When exhaust gas comes out of the cylinder it produces sound/pressure waves that travel up and down the exhaust system, if these S/P waves can be controlled correctly they can be harnessed to draw extra gas from the cylinder and so make the engine more efficient. These S/P waves are controlled by the cam timing and the pulses go down the exhaust until they meet the first expansion chamber, silencer, catalytic converter (anything that causes the size of the exhaust bore to rise significantly). As soon as the gas reaches this expanded section, the S/P wave stops and goes back to the cylinder head, as this wave hits the back of the valve it bounces back and causes a suction pulse that helps pull more gas out the next time the valve opens. The problem is the distance from the first expanded section to the cylinder head is critical, to get this pulse action working correctly, if this distance is not correct the wave goes back at the wrong time and hits the gas coming out of the valve and so stops the gas coming out rather than helping it. This is what happens when you take the exhaust cat out, you no longer have an expanded section in the correct place and the S/P wave will go down the system until it reaches the first silencer box before returning. Before catalytic converters were fitted, this was the reason all cars had an expansion boxes in a similar position to where they now fit catalytic converters. I know some one will say, what about the VTR with the catalytic converter on the down pipe, or the old mini with only one silencer at the rear. The complications of how these S/P waves travel isn't quite as simple as above. Lets assume the correct distance from the valve head to the first silencer should be 80 inches, providing you double or treble the distance or half it, quarter it, the S/P waves will still work their effect, so having the catalytic converter on the down pipe or just one silencer at the back can still be right, what is practically certain is that taking the exhaust cat out and substituting a straight pipe will not be correct and so you will loose some power.

The BTB system we make is from the manifold back, with a box put in the place the catalytic converter would normally be (It also looks like you have a catalytic converter fitted if anyone has a casual look) and so keeps the S/P waves correct.
The BTB unit is a more expensive exhaust unit than the others on the market as they are much bigger, with a lot more stainless steel needed to make them, one benefit is however you do not need to buy a de cat pipe.

Having said all of the above about taking the exhaust cat out is not a perfect solution, it is still better to remove it, than leave it on. The reason the exhaust cat causes the back pressure problem is it does, is it's construction. As said before a good condition car does not need an exhaust cat, the reasons for the manufacturers fitting them is that if the car was out of tune and running rich, the gas would be very polluting and so the cat then comes into play. So for most of it's life it is doing nothing, except under cold start conditions. The way the exhaust cat works is that the gasses are forced through a honeycomb of small holes that are coated with special metals which form a chemical reaction to purify the gasses. It this forcing the gas through the small holes that creates the back pressure.

BTB System Shown In Comparison To Standard VTS System
Many people ask about the legality of removing exhaust cat, especially in regards to passing the M.O.T., all the law says is that the exhaust gas exiting the tail pipe must conform to a certain standard, any car that's in good condition and regularly serviced will pass the exhaust cat test, without one fitted, even cars that have been modified quite a lot usually still pass. For those that don't we can provide management to overcome these problems.

ABT Sportsline has achieved plenty of success with the AS5, which is based on Audi’s A5 - as the coupe has a dynamic and elegant design, is full of technical power and also quick. All this makes it a "real” ABT. Now the company from Kempten has brought out the jewel in this range - the AS5-R. This vehicle is an ab(t)solute super sports car, nothing more and nothing less. Thanks to ABT POWER R, i.e. the change to the engine management and the insertion of an ABT Compressor, the performance is increased by an impressive 156 HP (115kW) to a powerful 510 HP (375kW). The AS5-R reaches 0-62 mpg in 4.5 seconds and continues on powerfully up to its maximum speed of 181 mph. In spite of this enormous increase in performance, consumption and thereby emissions still remain at the level of the series-produced vehicle.

As is normal with ABT, all the components are perfectly adjusted to the enormous power of a top sports car. The ABT braking system with 15 inch disc diameter this provides maximum braking power even in extreme circumstances, and the ABT Coil-over suspension system also helps to bring the potential power onto the road. Motor sport professional Christian ABT has made this perfectinteraction of power with his know-how. The result is a top-class driving machine, which is also enjoyable in everyday use and is pleasant to drive on long journeys. The ABT AS5-R is therefore a maximum of a car – and a statement which shows the high level at which the engineers from Allgaeu work.

Its "suit” fits, of course, like a glove: The front spoiler accentuates the ABT grill and the striking section around the fog lights, inner fender skirt and the gill-shaped air inlets provide contours to the side of the ABT AS5-R. They have also succeeded on the side which most drivers only rarely get to see: The rear with the ABT rear skirt and 4-pipe rear muffler shows that this model athlete on wheels is more than “just” a car. The designers of ABT recommend the 20 inch BR alloys as the perfect accessory. Wheel-tyre combinations with height performance tires are, of course, also available. Only with these accessories can the fast AS5-R safely unleash its power. And it has lots of it.

By 1975 the USA had long mothballed its moon vehicles, as with the Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9, W116 series the Germans unveiled a road rocket, whose thrust felt like it could easily rival a Saturn V. The constructors borrowed the engine from the basis of the powerful State limousine 600(the classic Maybach), which was equal to a Rolls-Royce in fame and luxury. From a gigantic 6,834 cubic centimetre capacity it wrung out 550Nm. At its time this was an absolute record for a car and in comparison still has enough, to achieve the decisive trump against a current S500. These are sports values which many people would hardly expect behind the baroque" facade, even though the price of 70,000 Marks for the vehicle at that time represented the value of a commonhold flat. For everyone who didnt really want to restrain the concentrated power, Sportservice Lorinser even then offered an extra-portion of overtaking prestige. The Swabian tuner currently has a corresponding vehicle with modern tuning on show in t he Classic Center at its car dealership in Waiblingen.

While the factory version of the W116 was a typical 70s car, thanks to the optical package from Lorinser it was able to make the jump to the modern era. The slim chrome bumpers, making the bodywork seem slim and flat, have been replaced by the technicians with wide, square plastic aprons at the front and rear. It almost seems as if the front spoiler with the racing grill insert and the integrated fog lights served as a prototype for Mercedes in the design of the next S-Class with the factory code W126. On the sides massive side sills form an arch to the rear, which has also gained in volume due to a new rear apron and on its left side boasts a massive double exhaust pipe from Lorinser. With a firm step on the accelerator you can hear the snorting of 286 horses (210kw), which manage the gallop from 0-100 km/h(0-62 mph_ in 7.4 seconds in a three gear automatic. Pretty impressive for an old gal like this. Unfortunately the tires, which are thin for modern dimensions in 205/55 VR 16 format, limit the traction a little. On the other hand the multi-spoke alloys are a real sight for sore eyes: They come from BBS, as in the 70s Lorinser did not offer its own wheels. The eight-cylinder, which like a real sports car has dry sump lubrication, permits a maximum of 225km/h. Even then the hydro-pneumatic suspension system of the S-Class, which is based on a French patent, offers a harmonic ride. For its age the Mercedes takes fast corners extremely fast and can be controlled with the maximum-grip Lorinser steering wheel surprisingly nimbly. It is therefore a car which doesn't just invite cautious cruising.

Anyone who has now acquired a taste, cannot just wonder at the 450 SEL 6.9 on display, but can also purchase it.