German Car Scene

Month: December 2013

  • Encouraging race debut for the Bentley Continental GT3

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    Bentley’s all-new Continental GT3 racecar performed brilliantly at this weekend’s Gulf 12 Hours of Abu Dhabi narrowly missing out on a podium position.

    Piloted by the British trio of Guy Smith, Steven Kane and Andy Meyrick, the Continental ran strong throughout the marathon event, maintaining third place until the last two hours, when a fight with the Ferrari 458 GT3 of Kessel Racing saw the established car come out on top. Damage to the Bentley’s underfloor affected the performance, but not enough to stop it from cruising across the finish line for fourth.

    “In running an all-new car for the first time, our main goal today was to finish the race and be consistent. We’ve achieved this, and then to finish fourth in a race with such established competition is extremely encouraging,” said Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush.

    M-Sport will continue to test and develop the car ahead of its first full season of racing in the Blancpain Endurance Series, beginning on the 12th April at Monza.
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  • Car and Driver looks at two landmark Porsche racecars

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    This new video from Car and Driver looks at two very special landmarks in Porsche’s competition history, now owned by a pair of true fanatics.

    Christian Zugel’s 1964 model was the first 911 to ever win a street race, taking what would be today’s GT2 category at the 24 Hours of Daytona, while Bruce Canepa’s 1979 Porsche 935 is the last werks 935 to be built. Still competing in classic races, Bruce doubts that the car will never leave his family as his daughter already has her eye on it after he shuffles off to the big circuit in the sky.
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  • Audi R8 e-tron to see production

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    According to reports, Audi’s R8 e-tron could see production after all.

    Previously citing the car’s 200 kilometre (124m) range as a stumbling block, insiders at Ingolstadt are now claiming that advances in lithium-ion battery technology featuring an alternative chemical process has increased that figure to almost 400 kilometres. Audi’s new head, Ulrich Hackenberg, who was responsible for such Volkswagen vehicles as the XL1, e-Up and e-Golf sees the r8 e-tron as a halo model for the brand.

    In its current incarnation the R8 e-tron utilizes a A 49 KWh lithium-ion battery to feed electric motors generating a total output of 230 kW (308 hp) and 820 Nm of torque. At 1,780 kg it’s 220 kg heavier than the R8 V8, but performance is still impressive, with 100 km/h (62 mph) happening in just 4.6 seconds, while top speed is governed to 200 km/h (124 mph). It also lapped the fabled Nurburgring in just 8:09.099 minutes, securing the record for a electric production car.

    The e-tron is expected to be added to the next-generation R8 range towards the end of next year along with its more conventional petrol-powered counterparts.
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  • AC Schnitzer’s BMW M6 Gran Coupe shines at Nardo

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    AC Schnitzer was recently invited to Nardo to take part in a high speed competition organised by Continental AG and Auto Bild Sportscars magazine where its M6 Gran Coupe recorded the fastest time for a BMW.

    Each of the sixteen vehicles present at the Beyond 300 km/h event was fitted with GPS speed measurement equipment before hitting the 13 kilometre long high speed test track. Those interested in the results will have to buy the latest issue of Auto Bild Sportscars, but AC Schnitzer has already spilled the beans on its own success, recording a maximum of 328.9 km/h (204 mph).

    Turning to the M6’s powerplant, AC Schnitzer’s performance upgrade, which includes remapped ECU software and a rear silencer with adjustable flap control, sees output from the turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 jump from 418 kW (560 hp) and 680 Nm of torque to 456 kW (620 hp) and 790 Nm, good enough for a 305 km/h (190) top speed.

    Visually the company’s aero package comprises of a carbon front spoiler, chromed front grille, hood vents, carbon rear diffuser section and rear spoiler (for the Coupe models only). The sport spring kit provides a drop of 15 mm at the front and 25 mm at the rear, while the 20 and 21-inch wheel and tyre packages on offer include the company’s Type VIII (one-piece/multi-piece/forged), Type V (forged) and Type IV rims in Silver or BiColour.
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  • Volkswagen testing ahead of Monte Carlo

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    Volkswagen has spent a week of testing its Polo R WRC car ahead of next season’s Monte Carlo Rally (January 14 – 19).

    The new World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier was in attendance along with his factory team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen to work on asphalt and snow set-ups.

    Earlier this year, Volkswagen Motorsport agreed to freeze WRC car development in order to keep Citroen and Ford in the championship, but with those two manufacturers, along with Skoda, developing lower budget R5 category cars for 2015, the face of world rallying could be about to change.
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  • 2014 Audi R18 e-tron quattro revealed

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    Audi has released details of its 2014 R18 e-tron quattro developed to comply with new regulations coming into effect next year.

    Rules on vehicle dimensions have resulted in the width of the R18 e-tron quattro being reduced by 10 cm, while the height of the vehicle is raised by 20 mm to 1,050 mm. The larger cockpit area leads to less favorable aerodynamics than the slimmer body and wheels, but teams can now use a genuine front wing with flaps rather than a diffuser, which means the car can be modified more easily to suit specific circuits rather than producing a variety of separate bodywork assemblies. The underfloor section has also been revised to complement the front wheel area.

    The new R18 has to consume up to 30 percent less fuel than its predecessor; the V6 TDI engine driving the rear wheels has been retained, but this time it is supported by two hybrid systems. As previously seen, a Motor-Generator-Unit (MGU) harvests kinetic energy at the front axle during braking, which flows into a flywheel energy storage system, while an additional unit linked to the turbocharger converts the thermal energy created by the exhaust gases into electricity.

    Other new features include a CFRP structure behind the transmission – the so-called ‘crasher’ – which absorbs energy in a collision, while new wheel tethers, which connect the front suspension units to the monocoque and the rears to the chassis, must withstand forces of 90 KN – the equivalent of a weight force of nine metric tons.

    Audi also stated that the new minimum weight limit of 870 kilograms meant that its engineers had to take ultra-lightweight design technology to a new dimension as last year’s car tipped the scales at 915 kg – and that’s before the introduction of a second hybrid system.

    Fans can see the new R18 e-tron quattro making its racing debut in the 6-hour race at Silverstone on April 20.
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