BMW Performance Centre Instructor Johan Schwartz has broken the Guinness World Record for longest sustained drift at the Centre near Greenville, South Carolina on Saturday. Johan covered an astonishing 322.5 laps – or 51.278 miles (82.5 km) – behind the wheel of a BMW M5 riding on Continental ContiSport tyres.
The successful attempt, which eclipses the previous record by 47.71 miles (76.8 km), generated over $20,000 in charitable donations benefitting The BMW Charity Pro-Am.
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On this episode of Ignition, Motor Trend’s Associate Road Test Editor Carlos Lago heads to the track to sample all four generations of his favorite German sports car, the BMW M3.
Through 28 years of evolution, from E30 to E36 to E46 to E92, has the M3 lost its edge over that time? As much as we like to get gooey-eyed with nostalgia about the E30, we’d always opt for the limited edition E46 M3.
Which is your favourite model?
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Mercedes-Benz has revealed further details and pricing of its hotter S version of the E 63 AMG.
Thanks to a 21 kW (28 hp) and 80 Nm boost in output from its 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 unit, the E 63 AMG S has 430 kW (585 hp) and 800 Nm at its disposal. With a limited-slip differential lock as standard 100 km/h appears in 4.1 seconds for the Saloon and 4.2 seconds for the Estate, with top speed now limited to a healthy 300 km/h (186 mph). Combined fuel consumption for the Saloon is marginally up at 9.9l/100 km, with emissions of 232 g/km of CO2, while the Estate achieves identical figures to its regular counterpart with 10l/100 km and 234 g/km.
Visually the S wears a high-gloss black front apron, and side skirts and rear trim strip with silver-shadow inserts. There’s also an AMG boot lid spoiler, 19-inch AMG alloy wheels in matte titanium grey, red brake calipers and special ‘S’ badging.
Moving inside, the interior receives black nappa leather upholstery with grey stitching, silver seat belts, an electric rear blind, illuminated AMG door sill plates, and an AMG instrument cluster with red detailing.
Production begins next month, with OTR pricing in the UK starting at £83,740 for the Saloon and £85,530 for the Estate.
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Rottweil-based Mercedes-Benz tuning specialist Piecha Design has released details of its program for the new CLA-Class.
Based on the 155 kW (211 hp) CLA 250 model, the package, which will be unveiled at this year’s Tuning World Bodensee, includes a front lip spoiler, matte silver splitters for the front air intakes and a diffuser section for the rear bumper.
Other components include a new exhaust system with quadruple 90 mm tailpipes and a set of double-five-spoke alloy wheels.
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Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has taken the wraps off its Amarok Power-Pickup concept in Austria.
Looking more muscular thanks to an aggressive front fascia with large air intakes, 60 mm-wider bodywork comprising of widened fenders and side skirts, a larger rear bumper with carbon fibre diffuser and twin tailpipes, the Concept has been lowered by 80 mm and rides on 22-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 295/35 tyres. Other features include a restyled grille, bi-xenon headlights with chrome surrounds, tinted taillights and red, white and black side decals
Moving inside, this sport-themed SUV gains a black, red and silver GTI-style cabin including a sports steering wheel, exclusive Nubuck leather sports seats and carbon fibre coating on the dashboard and central tunnel. An infotainment system with eight-inch touchscreen and 500 watt subwoofer provides the in-car entertainment.
Beneath the hood there’s a 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine, which is good for 203 kW (272 hp) and 600 Nm of torque, with an eight-speed automatic gearbox feeding power to the permanent 4MOTION transmission. Out on the road the Amarok hits 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.
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Miami-based Wheels Boutique has revealed its latest project based on the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
Darth Vader has been fitted with an MEC Design body package, which includes replacement bumpers along with a front spoiler, trunk spoiler and diffuser constructed from clear-coated carbon fibre. The new tailpipes are a clue to an Akrapovic exhaust system that improves output from the 6.2-litre V8 by 9 kW (12 hp) and 13 Nm of torque.
The car also wears a set of ADV.1’s ADV15TSSL alloy wheels in 20 and 21-inch diameters with 375 section Pirelli P Zero Neros out back.
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