German Car Scene

Month: July 2013

  • DTM: Ekstrom wins at the Norisring

    Mattias Ekstrom
    Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom gave himself a great 35th birthday present today, while handing Audi its first DTM victory in Nuremberg since 2002.

    Starting from ninth on the grid, Ekstrom worked his way up to fourth when the safety car came out on lap 16 following a collision between Martin Tomczyk and Daniel Juncadella which saw Tomczyk and his BMW taking an early bath.

    Ekstrom went on to pass the BMW and Mercedes of Bruno Spengler and polesitter Robert Wickens to take second behind Audi driver Mortara. Running on the faster option tyres, the pair began to pull away from the pack, with Ekstrom taking the lead on lap 64. Ten laps from the end Mortara stopped for tyres, but lost his place to the Mercedes of Gary Paffett as he exited the pits. Trying to regain his spot, Mortara hit Paffett up the rear a lap later, leaving Mercedes duo Robert Wickens and Christian Vietoris to inherit their positions as they slipped back, eventually clashing again on the last lap, both retiring.

    Daniel Juncadella benefited greatly from the incident, finishing fourth, with Mike Rockenfeller bringing his Audi home in fifth ahead of 2012 champion Bruno Spengler. Rockenfeller now stands just 2 points above Spengler in the standings.

    “This is a very special moment for me. The home victory at the Norisring for Audi was something I still had on my list in the DTM. Iā€™d like to thank everyone at Audi Sport, Team Abt, my engineer Florian (Modlinger), my guys and the mechanics. My RS 5 was perfect,” said a jubilant Ekstrom.
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  • Bentley Continental GT3 in action at Goodwood

    Bentley Continental GT3
    Following its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last week, Bentley has released this video of the company’s Continental GT3 taking a trip up the hill including some on-board footage.

    Built jointly with M-Sport, the GT3 is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 using Cosworth management and a dry-sump system. Producing 447 kW (600 hp) in unrestricted guise, power is sent to the rear wheels via a carbon fibre propshaft connected to an Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission.

    Turn your speakers up.
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  • Seth Meyers samples Jerry Seinfeld’s Porsche 911 Carrera RS

    Porsche 911 Carrera RS
    The latest episode of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee sees Jerry Seinfeld pluck a real gem from his collection – the 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7 – before heading off to meet Saturday Night Live funnyman Seth Meyers for a tasty beverage.

    Compared with a standard 911S, the hardcore Carrera RS 2.7 had a larger flat-six unit developing 150 kW (210 hp) with Bosch MFI, stiffened suspension, larger brakes, wider rear fenders housing wider wheels, and that iconic a ‘ducktail’ rear spoiler. Thanks to the utilization of thinner glass and thin-gauge steel on parts of the bodyshell, the Lightweight variant undercut its Touring counterpart by 115 kg at 960 kg.
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  • Behind the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car

    Martini Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car
    Following the announcement that Martini Racing livery will adorn the VIP Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup car, here’s race engineer Andrea Mercatelli explaining some of the technical highlights of the company’s new GT3 Cup car.

    Based on the 991 model, the 2013 car is powered by a naturally aspirated 3.8-litre flat-six engine, developing 338 kW (460 hp), a 7 kW (10 hp) improvement over its predecessor. A first for a Porsche brand trophy race car is the addition of a flappy paddle-controlled six-speed dog-type transmission.

    Notable features include front dive planes, a splitter, adjustable rear wing, polycarbonate rear and side windows, and carbon fibre doors.
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  • Bentley Continental GT3 unveiled

    Bentley Continental GT3
    Following on from last’s year’s Concept, Bentley has chosen this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed to debut its libidinous Continental GT3 racecar.

    Built in partnership with Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport outfit, the Continental GT3 is powered by a race-spec version of the road car’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 using Cosworth management and a dry-sump system. Producing 447 kW (600 hp) in unrestricted guise, power is sent to the rear wheels via a carbon fibre propshaft connected to an Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission with a limited slip differential, while flappy paddles on the steering wheel actuate the pneumatic shift system.

    Chassis upgrades include double wishbone suspension with four-way adjustable racing dampers all-round, ventilated iron discs gripped by Brembo six-piston and four-piston calipers, and 13 x 18-inch O.Z. Racing wheels wrapped in 310/710 Pirelli tyres.

    Externally there’s an aggressive carbon fibre aero package, which comprises of a front splitter, colossal rear wing and widened body panels. Add in lightweight bumpers, hood, sills and fenders, and remove the decadent wood and leather trim and it’s easy to see how the Continental GT3 dips below its target of 1300 kg.

    Following its appearance this weekend, the Bentley will start full competition in the FIA Blancpain Series in 2014.
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  • Audi R8 V10 plus review

    Audi R8 V10 plus
    With Matt Farah in Sweden driving Volvos, Smoking Tire Editor Zack Klapman steps in to review Audi’s hotter R8 V10 plus and asks if it has what it takes to lure motorists out of their Porsches and Ferraris.

    Differences on the plus include CFRP mirrors, side blades, splitter, larger diffuser and adjustable bucket seats. Carbon ceramic brakes come as standard, while the improved output of 404 kW (550 hp) and 540 Nm of torque allows a 3.5 second 0-100 km/h time and a 317 km/h (197 mph) top speed.
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