German Car Scene

Month: January 2013

  • BMW 1 Series PDM1 by Prior Design

    Prior Design BMW 1 Series PDM1
    Kamp-Lintfort styling company Prior Design has released further images and pricing for its PDM1 program which replicates the appearance of BMW’s 250 kW (335 hp) 1 Series M Coupé.

    The aero package includes a replacement front bumper, wider front fenders, side skirts, a rear bumper with integrated diffuser. These components are constructed from PU-RIM, while the rear arch extensions are DURA-FLEX.

    The kit is priced at €2,999, with the optional trunk spoiler available for an additional €299.
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  • Evolution Motorsport’s ‘Mayhem’ Porsche 911 Turbo in action

    EVOMS 'Mayhem' Porsche 911 Turbo
    Whilst attending Shift S3ctor’s Airstrip Attack, The Smoking Tire’s Matt Farah was handed the keys to Evolution Motorsport’s ‘Mayhem’ 911 Turbo to sample a expeditious rolling half-mile journey down the runway. Developing a road-bending 1,119 kW (1,500 hp), it was built specifically to race in standing mile events, which is very big in the States. And in terms of a standing mile, this is the fastest recorded 997 at 378 km/h (235 mph).
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  • Porsche Museum Treasures looks at the 917 Pink Pig

    Porsche 917 Pink Pig
    This latest video in the Porsche Museum Treasures series sees Porsche Chief Driving Instructor Gordon Robertson take us for a look around the iconic 917 Pink Pig.

    Following the FIA’s announcement of a class of “homologated sports cars” with up to five litres cubic capacity and a minimum weight of 800 kilograms, Ferdinand Piëch supervised the construction of the stipulated 25 units which were completed by April 1969. Technical problems forced the car out of its first three races, but the success story began in august of the same year, following a victorious 1,000-kilometre race at the Österreichring with Jo Siffert and Kurt Ahrens at the wheel.

    The 917/20’s nickname came about thanks to its pink paintwork for the 24 hours race, with names of meat cuts written across it in a similar fashion to a butcher’s carcass diagram, earning it the nickname The Truffelhunter of Zuffenhausen or simply the Pink Pig.
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  • CUT48 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

    CUT48 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
    Known for coating anything that moves – if it stands still for long enough, Münster-based CUT48 Carwrapping has just completed its latest project based on a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

    Originally silver, CUT48 wrapped the ‘shell in blue foil with the mirrors, vents and side gills in contrasting black foil. The wheels were also painted in high-gloss black. Pricing for the body conversion starts at €4,350.

    Beneath that long hood, CUT48 called upon EDO competition to perform a power upgrade on the 5.4-litre supercharged V8 engine. Changes include optimised ECU software, modifications to the air intake and compressor, sport air filters, new exhaust manifolds and sport catalytic converters, which sees output rise to 538 kW (722 hp) and 890 Nm of torque, up from 460 kW (617 hp) and 780 Nm. On the road, the SLR flies to 200 km/h in under ten seconds and reaches a new electronically limited top speed of 345 km/h (214 mph).
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  • Audi RS 7 Sportback revealed

    Audi RS 7 Sportback
    Audi has released details and images of its stunning new RS 7 Sportback model to coincide with the car’s début in Detroit.

    Sharing the same twin-turbocharged 4.0 TFSI V8 engine as the current RS 6 Avant, the RS 7 has 412 kW (560 hp) and 700 Nm of torque at its disposal, which is delivered to all four wheels via a specially tuned eight-speed tiptronic transmission, allowing an impressive 0-100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds and a limited 250 km/h top speed, which can be raised to 280 km/h (174 mph) with the optional dynamic package and 305 km/h (190 mph) with the dynamic package plus. The thermal management and eco start-stop system help to achieve an average fuel consumption of 9.8 l/100 km (24 US mpg), with Audi claiming that its innovative cylinder on demand (COD) system can reduce consumption by as much as 20 percent, depending on how heavy your right foot is.

    The RS 7 rides on adaptive air suspension with controlled damping, which lowers the body by 20 mm and constantly adjusts to suit the condition of the road, but if you require something a little sharper there’s the sport suspension plus option with Dynamic Ride Control which uses springs and adjustable shock absorbers. Helping to slow the Sportback down is a quartet of vented discs, with 390 mm front discs gripped by six-piston calipers, but if you’re thinking about hitting the track we’d go for the 420 mm carbon ceramic option.

    Sitting on 20-inch five twin-spoke forged wheels, the RS 7 wears xenon plus headlights, an aggressive front fascia with matt aluminium air intakes and high-gloss black honeycomb grilles, while the rear gains an extending spoiler, diffuser section and a pair of large, elliptical tailpipe. Inside the cabin, there’s a pair of black Alcantara and leather-upholstered RS sport seats with integrated head restraints and RS 7 logos, three-zone automatic air conditioning, MMI navigation plus, parking system plus and cruise control.

    carbon styling package, the front splitter and the diffuser are somewhat more boldly shaped. Other options include the exterior mirrors with exposed carbon housings and the all-LED headlights

    Notable options include all-LED headlights, carbon fibre mirror casings, splitter and diffuser, honeycomb-quilted Valcona leather trim, a head-up display, Bang & Olufsen’s Advanced Sound System and the Bluetooth online car phone – delivering web-based information.
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  • Volkswagen CrossBlue Concept

    Volkswagen CrossBlue Concept
    Volkswagen has chosen to debut its new CrossBlue Concept model at this year’s Detroit Motor Show.

    The midsize diesel plug-in hybrid SUV measures 4,987 mm in length, 2,015 mm in width and stands 1,733 mm tall, meaning it will slot between the company’s Tiguan and Touareg vehicles in a segment that will see it compete against the likes of the Ford Explorer and Toyota’s Highlander in the American market. Sitting on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, propulsion comes from the new 142 kW (190 hp) 2.0-litre EA288 diesel engine mated to a six-speed DSG along with a pair of electric motors. A tunnel-mounted 9.8 kWh lithium-ion module feeds the 40 kW (54 hp) unit on the front axle and one rated at 85 kW 114 hp) on the rear. On the road, 100 km/h appears in 7.5 seconds, while the top speed of 204 km/h (127 mph) is reduced to 120 km/h (75 mph) when running purely on electricity.

    In electric mode – using the rear motor only, a range of 33 kilometres and 89 MPGe is achievable; when running on diesel alone the combined consumption is 6.7 l/100 km (35 US mpg), but running in hybrid mode, Volkswagen estimates that you will get through just 2.1 litres of fuel every 100 km (112 US mpg).

    Seemingly nearer to a production model than the previously seen Cross Coupé Concept, the CrossBlue looks like an Americanized Touareg with its bold aluminium radiator grille and flared wheel arches that appear to have been borrowed from the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Rumoured to hit dealerships by 2015, those three rows of two seats will morph into seven, meaning the eleven families that bought a Routan will be able to replace it with one of these.
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