BMW 3- serie cabrio - Hamann

Hamann has released its latest performance and styling kit for the BMW 3-series convertible, which includes power mods for the entire range and individual styling accessories for both the body and interior.

To achieve its power upgrades, engineers have recalibrated the standard ECU, which leads to a 10hp boost for the 320i and an additional 10Nm of torque. The most powerful model in the range, the 335i, gets a power boost of 37hp that lifts the cabrio’s top speed to 279km/h. Hamann also offers customers a sports air filter for the engine to help provide better power delivery throughout the rev range.

For the 330d, owners can expect a final output of 272hp and 600Nm of torque from as low as 2,000rpm, which enables a top speed of 256km/h. The car’s body has been enhanced with new bumpers, side skirts and four-pipe mufflers plus carbon-Kevlar mirror caps to add that performance touch.

Other accessories include three different sized forged wheels, upgraded brakes, and a lowered suspension kit.

Source: www.motorauthority.com

Audi A5 Sportback

It appears the new Audi A5 Coupe may not be a single model line for long as rumors of a new A5 Sportback begin to mount. Though the vehicle shares some obvious similarities with the A4 Avant, the roomier cabin, taller profile and sloping hatchback style rear-door means the A5 Sportback could form its own niche.

These renderings reveal that the new A5 variant could pick up two rear doors. Base models will feature common rail diesel engines ranging from 140 to 200hp, with the rest of the lineup featuring petrol powered TFSI engines and a range topping 4.2L FSI V8 for the RS5.

The base model will remain FWD but AWD variants will feature the latest quattro torque vectoring systems, which distribute drive individually between each axle and between the rear wheels for improved traction and stability.

Though it seems odd that Audi would build the A5 Sportback with five doors considering part of the A5’s appeal is its coupe bodystyle, Audi exec Rupert Stadler’s boast that up to 18 new models will be launched in coming years leads us to believe that there may be some merit in the possibility of the five-door A5 Sportback making it to production.

Source: www.motorauthority.com

Ferrari 430 Scuderia

Michael Schumacher will officially unveil the car at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The new Ferrari 430 Scuderia will join the road-going V8 line-up alongside the F430 coupe and the F430 Spider. The 430 Scuderia is a truly high-performance 2-seater berlinetta which demonstrates how Ferrari's Formula 1 know-how is carried across to its production cars.

The new model is a special series based on the F430 and is aimed specifically at Ferrari's most passionate and sports-driving oriented clients. Development focused on light weight, minimum trimmings and innovative technology. All this to exalt the car's extremely high-performance and ability to thrill the driver.

The new car can count on an extremely low weight-to-power ratio of just 2.45 kg per hp thanks to a low dry weight of just 1250 kg - 100 kg less than the standard F430 – and to the naturally-aspirated 4308cc V8's 510 hp at 8500 rpm.

Superb performance both on and off the track is assured by a series of cutting-edge solutions. There is the latest F1 software - Superfast – which reduces gearchange times to just 60 milliseconds, and new traction control which, for the first time, combines the E-Diff electronic differential and the F1-Trac traction and stability control in a single integrated system.

Vehicle dynamics, control and performance thus represent the zenith of Ferrari's achievements in terms of developing road-certified sports cars.

The 430 Scuderia will be officially unveiled by Michael Schumacher on September 11 2007 at the IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt.

Source: www.tuningnews.net

The new Porsche 911 GT2

Presenting the new 911 GT2 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is proudly launching the most powerful 911 so far homologated for road use. Through its striking design with large air intakes at the front and the rear wing so characteristic of this very special model, the new 911 GT2 expresses the power and performance potential of the fastest-ever 911 right from the start even at a standstill.

Available exclusively with rear-wheel drive and a manual six-speed gearbox, this high-performance athlete accelerates to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 329 km/h (204 mph) on average fuel consumption of just 12.5 litres/100 km (equal to 22.6 mpg imp) in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), thus offering a level of fuel economy regarded as quite impossible in this performance class just a few years ago.

The power unit of the new 911 GT2 is based on the six-cylinder boxer engine of the 911 Turbo, with air supply by two exhaust gas turbochargers featuring variable turbine geometry (VTG). The 3.6-litre boxer engine achieves its maximum output of 530 bhp (390 kW) at 6500 rpm, with maximum torque of 680 Newton-metres maintained consistently between 2,200 and 4,500 rpm. With its unladen weight of 1,440 kg or 3,175 lb, finally, the 911 GT2 offers a power-to-weight ratio of just 2.72 kg/6.00 lb per horsepower.

The increase in engine power by 50 bhp over the ”regular“ power unit is provided in the new 911 GT2 by two turbochargers with a larger compressor wheel and a flow-optimised turbine housing raising turbocharger pressure to an even higher level. And for the first time Porsche’s engineers have combined the turbocharged engine with an expansion-type intake manifold – a genuine revolution on turbocharged power units.

The expansion intake manifold uses the principle of oscillating air in the intake manifold during the cooler expansion phase, keeping the temperature of the fuel/air mixture lower than in the 911 Turbo. This, in turn, means a significant increase in all-round efficiency, with fuel consumption down by up to 15 per cent under full load despite the increase in engine output.

The 911 GT2 offers new achievements also in terms of emission management and control: This is the first Porsche homologated for the road to feature a rear silencer and tailpipes made of titanium as standard equipment. This expensive material reduces weight by approximately 50 per cent versus a comparable component made of stainless steel to just 9 kg.

The new 911 GT2 comes as standard with PCCB brakes featuring brake discs made of a composite carbon fibre/ceramic compound ensuring maximum stopping power maintained with an extremely high level of consistency. A further advantage is that PCCB brakes reduce the weight of the unsprung masses versus comparable grey cast-iron discs by approximately 20 kg or 44 lb.

Yet another feature fitted as standard is the electronically controlled PASM Porsche Active Suspension Management. (PASM). The GT2 comes on 19-inch light-alloy wheels running at the front on 235/35 ZR 19, at the rear on 325/30 ZR 19 sports tyres.

The new 911 GT2 will be at the dealership in November 2007. The base price of the car in Germany is Euro 159,100.-, the market price including 19 per cent value-added tax Euro 189,496.-.