German Car Scene

Month: October 2013

  • Audi Q3 by Kahn Design

    Audi Q3 by Kahn Design
    Straight from Afzal Kahn’s headquarters in Yorkshire, here’s the company’s restrained S-Pack program to suit Audi’s Q3 SUV.

    Complementing the Amalfi White paintwork is a set of Kahn’s RS-XF alloy wheels in Silver Platinum, which measure 10 × 20-inches and wear 255/45 tyres along with enamel badges on the wings and tailgate. Moving inside the cabin, past the aluminium sill plates and foot pedals, the seats have been re-upholstered in quilted and perforated black leather with red sections and quilted detailing, while the speedometer and rev counter are now finished in red.

    This actual Q3 2.0 TDI quattro SE example can be purchased from Kahn for £31,875.
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  • Developing the Porsche LMP1’s hybrid drivetrain

    Porsche LMP1 hybrid drivetrain
    Porsche has released this video explaining the process involved when it comes to developing the all-new hybrid engine for the company’s forthcoming LMP1 sports prototype.

    As with Audi’s R18 e-tron quattro, Porsche’s vehicle will use a combustion engine to drive the rear wheels along with an electric motor powering the front axle. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid also utilized a similar set-up that harnessed kinetic energy via an electric flywheel accumulator.

    Prepared at the Weissach Motorsport Centre outside of Stuttgart in new workshops and premises housing around 200 employees, the closed-cockpit machine turned its first laps on the circuit back in June and will be ready to compete in next year’s FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    Porsche works driver Romain Dumas will be joined on the grid in 2014 by Timo Bernhard, Neel Jani and Red Bull’s Mark Webber, who retires from F1 following the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 24.

    Porsche has also launched a dedicated microsite documenting the car’s development.
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  • evo searches for this year’s ultimate track car

    Porsche Cayman S
    This new video from evo features the magazine’s Jethro Bovingdon and eight machines at Blyton Park all contending for the accolade of 2013’s Track Car of the Year.

    Up against such track-focused weapons as the McLaren 12C GT Can-Am, BAC Mono, Caterhan Seven 620R, Radical RXC, supercharged Ariel Atom 3.5 it was always going to be a big ask of the Cayman S to take the title, but it does receive major praise for its all-round ability with Jethro actually putting it ahead of the 911.

    Impressively, it’s just a couple of seconds behind the bonkers 283 kW (380 hp) Radical RXC, which tips the scales at an anorectic 900 kg.
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  • 850 hp Mercedes C 63 AMG Black Series by GAD Motors

    Mercedes C 63 AMG Black Series by GAD Motors
    Following on from its tuned Brabus Bullit, Fellbach tuning house GAD Motors has really gone to town on the Mercedes C 63 AMG Black Series.

    Rather than tune the series naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 engine, GAD implanted the twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre M157 V8 unit usually seen in the likes of the E 63 AMG, but things didn’t stop there.

    A pair of upgraded turbochargers were fitted, along with remapped ECU software and an uprated cooling system, resulting in a monumental 625 kW (850 hp) and 1,350 Nm of torque. A revised 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system and MCT 7-speed transmission allows that power to be fully exploited, meaning 100 km/h arrives in just 3.1 seconds, 200 km/h in 8.7s and 300 km/h in 22.7s.

    Chassis enhancements consist of a fully adjustable KW Suspension coilover kit and carbon ceramic brakes which bring this Coupe to a halt from 100 km/h in 33 metres and from 200 km/h in 132 metres.

    Interested parties will need to check their bank account for €180,250 if they’d like the same conversion.
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  • Mercedes-Benz S-Class Estate rendered

    Mercedes-Benz S-Class Estate
    With his latest work, Singapore-based car fanatic and digital artist Theophilus Chin has asked a valid question: should Mercedes build an Estate version of its flagship S-Class model.

    As Theophilus points out, the roofline of the CLS Shooting Brake appears to flow pretty seamlessly into the bodywork of the S-Class, so it really makes you wonder why the company don’t already manufacture one.

    Offered with the usual S 400 HYBRID, S 500, S 350 BlueTEC and S 300 BlueTEC HYBRID powerplants, we think that an S 63 AMG version propelled by that epic 430 kW (585 hp) AMG 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine would make for pretty spectacular family transport.
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  • BMW M235i images surface

    BMW M235i Coupe
    Ahead of tomorrow’s unveiling, images of the new BMW 2 Series have hit the internet super highway, namely the flagship M235i.

    A spiritual successor to the outmoded 1 Series Coupe, the 2 Series measures 4,432 millimetres in length, making it 72 mm longer than the model it replaces and is 26 mm wider (at 1,774 mm) with a 30 mm longer wheelbase (2,690 millimetres). These dimensions help to boost interior cabin space and add 20 litres of boot capacity (now 390 litres).

    There’s a choice of three diesel and two petrol powerplants on offer: a 107 kW (143 hp) 218d, 137 kW (184 hp) 220d and 163 kW (218 hp) 225d, along with the 137 kW (184 hp) 220i and M235i pictured here. Packing that delicious 3.0-litre straight six-cylinder fed by a twin-scroll turbo, which churns out 235 kW (320 hp) and 450 Nm, cars with the six-speed manual transmission will crack 100 km/h in 5 seconds, while the optional eight-speed automatic version takes 4.8s. That’s fractionally quicker than the brilliant 1M Coupe, yet it averages just 7.6 litres every 100 kilometres (manual 8.1l/100 km) compared to the 1M’s 9.6l/100 km.

    The 2 Series itself features much sleeker styling than its predecessor yielding a Cd of 0.29, with the M235i adopting a more aggressive appearance thanks to its sculpted M Sport bumpers, contoured side skirts, 18-inch M alloy wheels and Ferric Grey mirror casings. It has perfect 50/50 weight distribution and variable sports steering and BMW’s option of a limited-slip differential is a no-brainer.

    Due to make its public debut in LA next month, the 2 Series follows the 4 Series as part of BMW’s range realignment, with Coupe and Cabriolet models bearing even-numbered nomenclature and Saloons and Estates receiving the odd numbers.
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