German Car Scene

Month: May 2012

  • 2012 Life Ball MINI previewed


    Since the MINI’s launch in 2001, the company has unintermittedly donated a one-off vehicle to be auctioned for the Life Ball in Vienna, and this year is no exception.

    2012’s offering, which is based on the MINI Roadster, has been designed by Franca Sozzani, the chief editor of Italian Vogue. Finished in ‘Deepest Purple’ matt paintwork with sporting rally stripes, the exterior mirrors and alloy wheels feature steel-coloured accents, while the Roadster’s fabric roof displays a floral design.

    This unique model will go under the hammer as part of the AIDS Solidarity Gala on Saturday 19 in the Hall of Ceremonies. At present, the cars have generated over € 500,000 for the charity.

    [Source: MINI]

  • DRIVE: Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 v BMW M3 GTS v Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe Black Series


    This is the one we’ve been waiting for. DRIVE’s latest offering sees the soopoib Chris Harris take to the road and track in three of our favourite ever cars: the Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0, BMW’s M3 GTS and the Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe Black Series. That’s all you need to know, and you’re probably already viewing it by now anyway…

    (more…)

  • Volkswagen launches Passat R-Line


    Following on from the recently revealed Polo R-Line, Volkswagen has announced the arrival of a Passat R-Line model.

    Externally, the Passat wears a sportier front bumper with large grille area and integrated fog lamps, restyled side skirts, a gloss black diffuser insert for the rear bumper, roof spoiler and anodized silver roof rails. A sports suspension kit provide a 15 mm reduction in ride height, while the titanium silver ‘Mallory’ alloy wheels can be optionally upgraded from 17 to 18-inches.

    Moving inside the cabin, R-Line equipment consists of door sill plates, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, sports seats trimmed in ‘Kyalami’ cloth, ‘titanium silver’ decorative inserts in the dashboard, door panels and centre console and stainless steel pedals.

    Prices in Germany begin at € 30,225, or alternatively Volkswagen offers its ‘R line package’ option for the Comfortline and Highline models. The additional € 990 gets you a grille badge, front bumper, side skirts and rear spoiler.

    (more…)

  • Volkswagen showcases People’s Car Project concepts


    Since its launch 11 months ago, Volkswagen’s People’s Car Project website has had 33 million visitors and over 119,000 ideas submitted for evaluation. Three of those vehicle and technology concepts have been further developed by VW and are currently being showcased at Auto China.

    The Music Car has been designed as a means of self-expression; equipped with organic light emitting diodes, the vehicle’s exterior colour changes with the driver’s choice of music. A great idea, although – we think – an extra feature could see the car changing to a more calming hue when tense traffic situations arise. The next item is a Smart Key. Nine millimetres in thickness, it uses a high-resolution touchscreen to keep the driver informed of climate conditions, the fuel level and the car’s security via a 3G network. A bird’s eye view can also be kept on the vehicle thanks to a realtime satellite transmission.

    Finally, our favourite, is the Hover Car. An environmentally-friendly urban vehicle, this cute, zero-emission two-seater hovers just above the ground along electromagnetic roadworks around towns and cities. It’s nice to see something a little different being touted as a vision of the future.

    “The creative ideas from the ‘People’s Car Project’ give us a valuable insight into the wishes of Chinese drivers. The trend is towards safe cars that can easily navigate overcrowded roads and have a personal, emotional and exciting design,” said Simon Loasby, Head of Design at Volkswagen Group China.

    (more…)

  • Prindiville Lamborghini Aventador


    London-based specialist coachbuilder, Prindiville, has released details and a rendering of its new concept based on Lamborghini’s one-off Aventador J model.

    Visually, the car’s aggressive exterior styling program is constructed from carbon fibre and includes a replacement front bumper, hood, side skirts, rear diffuser and raised rear wing.

    Performance upgrades see the 6.5-litre twelve-cylinder engine receive an ECU remap and titanium exhaust system, which results in 600 kW (805 hp) – up from 522 kW (700 hp). That means the 0-100 km/h time is cut from 2.9 seconds to 2.5 s, while a top speed of over 350 km/h (220 mph) is also promised. Helping to reign in that extra power, Prindiville also adds an uprated carbon ceramic brake system and adjustable suspension kit.

    Just eight examples are slated for production, with interested parties asked to contact the company for details.

    [Source: Prindiville]

  • Forgeline GW3R CL wheels


    Jonathan Miller, the President of Pennsylvania-based MPG Motorsport, has shared these photos of a satisfied client’s Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The remit was relatively simple: he wanted something strong, light, and durable enough to handle all the track miles that the owner covers. A solution was found in MPG’s partners at Forgeline, with this set of GW3R CL wheels finished in matte black with titanium bolts.

    Constructed from forged 6061-T6 aluminium, the Forgeline GW3R CL is specifically designed for 2010+ Porsche centre-lock models and features hidden fasteners, generous brake clearance and heat-treated rim shells. These particular versions are sized 9 and 12 x 19-inches, and tip the scales at 22.5 lbs and 24.5 lbs respectively.

    (more…)