German Car Scene

Month: May 2013

  • Porsche and Martini revive partnership

    Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
    Like grilled cheese sandwiches and hardening of the arteries, or Justin Bieber and dribbling morons, Martini and Porsche Motorsport will forever be entwined. So it’s nice to see that, as the drinks maker’s 150th anniversary falls in the same year as Porsche’s 50th, the drinks company will be once again associate itself with the Stuttgart giant.

    The distinctive dark blue, light blue and red stripes of Martini Racing will adorn the Porsche AG-run VIP Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup car, which will make its debut on 12 May in Barcelona – with none other than WRC legend Sébastien Loeb behind the wheel. This will also be the first competitive outing for Porsche’s 991 GT3 Cup car.

    “Competing in the world’s best makes cup is a very special challenge for me. It certainly won’t be easy to compete against such fast and experienced Supercup pilots, but I love such challenges,” said the nine-time world champion who was spotted testing at Monza last month.

    In the last twelve months the 39-year-old has competed in the French GT Championship, the French Carrera Cup and also launched Sebastien Loeb Racing which competes in FFSA GT and the European Le Mans Series. He will also be climbing Pikes Peak in June.
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  • Mercedes-Benz A 220 CDI by Brabus

    Mercedes-Benz A 220 CDI by Brabus
    Bottrop tuning specialist Brabus has followed up its CLA program with this take on the Mercedes A-Class, focusing on the 220 CDI diesel model.

    Once fitted, the company’s ECO PowerXtra D3 kit sees output from the 2.2-litre oil burner rise from 125 kW (170 hp) and 350 Nm of torque to 155 kW (210 hp) and 410 Nm. On the road that translates to a new 0-100 km/h time of 7.9 seconds and a 230 km/h (143 mph) top speed.

    As well as a wide range of 18 and 19-inch alloy wheels, suspension springs and a sports exhaust system with quadruple tailpipes, owners can specify newly developed aero pieces, including a lower front spoiler, raised rear wing and finned diffuser section.

    Brabus can also satisfy any customer requirements when it comes to reupholstering the interior of the car, along with such items as sill plates, aluminium pedal kits and those all-important door pins…
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  • SEAT Leon Cup Racer revealed

    SEAT Leon Cup Racer
    SEAT has chosen this year’s Worthersee event in Austria to unveil the stunning new Leon Cup Racer for its customer racing teams to snap up.

    Based on the five-door Leon model, the Cup Racer is propelled by a two-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which sends 243 kW (330 hp) and 350 Nm of torque to the front wheels via a 6-speed DSG transmission and electronic differential lock. An endurance racing version, equipped with a lever-operated sequential racing transmission and mechanical differential lock, will also be offered, with SEAT also confirming that it is developing a WTCC variant with 1.6-litre engine.

    Visually, the metallic matte grey Cup car sits on 18-inch racing wheels and features full-LED lighting, a 40 cm wider track than its road-going counterpart, and an extensive aero package including a smooth underbody, an aggressive front fascia with large intakes and lower spoiler. There is also a set of monster wheel arches with air outlets to cool the four-piston brakes, flared sill extensions, a raised rear wing and colossal diffuser with centrally-mounted exhaust.

    Moving to the minimalist interior, there’s a full roll-cage, leather-trimmed bucket seat with HANS head-protection system, multi-function steering wheel and high-resolution TFT display.

    “We expect to be able to offer the Leon Cup Racer to our customer teams as early as the 2014 season. With the two versions for sprint and endurance racing, the Cup Racer is ideal for an extremely broad palette of racing series – from the ETTC to the VLN Endurance Cup on the Nurburgring,” says Jaime Puig, Head of SEAT Sport.

    Preliminary pre-VAT pricing has been set at €70,000, while the endurance version will set you back €95,000.
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  • DRIVE gets Nasty

    BBi Autosport Porsche 911
    Today’s DRIVE episode sees The Smoking Tire’s Matt Farah visit BBi Autosport in Huntington Beach to sample Project Nasty.

    The feisty stripped-out Porsche 911 has been tweaked to pump out an impressive 205 kW (275 hp) at the wheels, which when you take into account that it tips the scales at just under 1000 kilograms, it’s easy to see why Matt comments: “If there were a GT3 RS in 1985, this would have been it.”
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  • DTM: one-two for BMW at Hockenheim

    Augusto Farfus
    BMW has picked up where it left off last season, by securing a one-two at Hockenheim in the DTM season opener today.

    Starting from second on the grid, behind the Audi of Timo Scheider, Farfus used his DRS on lap six to take the lead at the hairpin on lap six. A brilliant tyre strategy saw the Brazilian come in on lap seven before coming out and passing Danie Juncadella for fifth spot, which eventually turned to first place when each of the cars in front had to pit.

    Fellow BMW M3 driver Dirk Werner claimed the second step of the podium after starting way back in 20th place. A long stint on option tyres during the middle section of the race saw the German driver make his way through the field to come home ahead of Mercedes pilot Christian Vietoris, who began the day from the same position.

    Vietoris’ team-mate Gary Paffett managed to hold on to fourth place while fighting off challenges from reigning champion Bruno Spengler, with whom he was banging wheels at one point.

    “That was a really awesome start to the season. I must pay a huge compliment to everyone in the team – particularly to Augusto Farfus and Dirk Werner, of course, who presented us with our first one-two since we returned to the DTM. Augusto did not make a single mistake, and BMW Team RBM got its strategy spot on,” said the BMW Motorsport Director, Jens Marquardt.
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  • Manhart MH5 S Biturbo promo

    Manhart MH5 S Biturbo
    Geilenkirchen tuning specialist Manhart Racing has released this new promo video featuring its MH5 S Biturbo, which looks like it was shot by a soft porn director from the nineties.

    Based on the current BMW M5, the program is available in various stages, with the final option releasing 529 kW (710 hp) thanks to remapped ECU software, a carbon fibre air intake, uprated turbochargers, downpipes and a new exhaust system with sports catalytic converters.
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