German Car Scene

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  • 2012 Bentley Continental GTC surfaces


    Bentley has released details and images of the 2012 Continental GTC ahead of its debut at next months motor show in Frankfurt. Powered by a more powerful twin-turbocharged 6.0L W12 engine – with FlexFuel capability – which means it can run on E85 biofuel, petrol or a combination of the two. With 60 mph appearing in just 4.8 seconds, 100 mph in 10.9 s and a top speed of 195 mph, the 2495 kg GTC has rocket-like performance – with fuel consumption to match.

    Visually, the GTC has aluminium front wings, which feature more sculptured and muscular lines than its predecessor. The new ‘jewelled’ headlamps house LED daytime running lights. Those new lights and a more upright grille give the GTC a face reminiscent of the company’s flagship Mulsanne model.

    Inside the cabin, the Continental a mixture of soft-touch leather upholstery – with the owner having a palette of 17 standard colours to choose from – and a range of wood veneers and metal trim to complement your choice of hide. Deep-pile carpets are a necessity, obviously.

    It’s available to order now, with customer deliveries beginning towards the end of the year. Depending on which part of the world you’re in it will set you back £149,350, $212,800, €170,060, or ¥26,400,000.

    [Source: Bentley]

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  • Porsche officially unveils the new 911


    After countless teaser videos and leaked images, Porsche has finally revealed its next-generation 911 model. Undercutting the outgoing 997 by 45 kg, the 991’s lightweight body also delivers greater rigidity, and aerodynamic optimisation – notably a wider, variably extending rear spoiler – which reduces the lift while retaining an impressive overall drag factor.

    The 911’s rear-mounted flat six engines come in two forms – the Carrera gets a new 3.4L unit, developing 350 hp. With PDK the 0-62 mph time is 4.6 seconds – 0.1 quicker than its predecessor. If you specify the optional Sport Chrono Pack, a press of the Sport Plus button reduces that time to 4.4 s.

    The Carrera S features a 3.8L powerplant, good for 400 hp. This translates to a 0-62 mph time of 4.3 seconds and 4.1 s with Sport Plus engaged. An improvement of 0.2 s over the old car.

    Thanks to systems such a auto start/stop, electrical system recuperation, thermal management, the 991’s fuel consumption and emission levels are up to 16 per cent lower than the 997. Another beneficial feature is the (world’s first) seven-speed manual transmission – in conjunction with PDK (Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe) which features a ‘coasting’ function that decouples connection to the engine while the throttle is closed – further enhancing fuel efficiency. For example, the PDK-equipped 911 Carrera can return 34.4mpg – a 6 mpg improvement over its predecessor – and is the first sports car from Porsche to dip under the 200 g/km mark. And, although the new Carrera S produces 15 hp more than the old one, it also enjoys a 14 percent improvement drop in consumption – capable of 3.4 mpg.

    The new Porsche 911 will début next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show and will be in UK Porsche Centres from December 17 2011 priced at £ 71,449 (€ 81,792) for the Carrera and £ 81,242 (€ 93,022) for the Carrera S. Standard equipment on all models includes leather trim, climate control, Bi-Xenon headlights, colour touch-screen Porsche Communication Management, PSM(Porsche Stability Management). In addition, the Carrera S gets 20-inch alloys, PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management)and PTV (Porsche Torque Vectoring) with limited slip differential.

    [Source: Porsche]

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  • Volkswagen’s up! gets all shirty


    Following on from Volkswagen releasing details of its new baby, the up!, Bundesliga football club VfL Wolfsburg has announced that it will promote the car’s logo on its player’s shirts.

    VfL Wolfsburg is based in Lower Saxony, and it has won the Bundesliga once in its history, in the 2008–09 season. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group. Golf GTI and Polo logos have featured on player’s shirts in the past.

    [Source: Volkswagen Germany]

  • Skoda Octavia vRS hits 227 mph at Bonneville!


    Not satisfied with cracking the 200 mph barrier, evo journalist Richard Meaden has taken Škoda UK’s 600 bhp ‘salt spec’ Octavia vRS faster than any other 2.0L forced induction production car, after reaching an incredible 227 mph at the Bonneville Speed Week.

    The Octavia’s record breaking runs spanned two days at the legendary five-mile course with a 225.513 mph run last Thursday followed by a 228.647 mph run the day after.

    “Our goal was to break 200 mph as a celebration of 10 years of vRS, and we have achieved that, and significantly more. The success is a tribute to everyone who has worked so tirelessly and with such passion to make ŠKODA a world beater,” said Robert Hazelwood, ŠKODA UK Director.

    [Source: Skoda]

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  • 2012 Porsche 911 – cold weather testing


    Following on from the leaked images we shared with you last week, Porsche has just released this video featuring the next generation 991 model during winter testing. Not long to wait until its official début at next month’s Frankfurt Auto Show. (more…)

  • MINI WRC Team grabs first podium


    The MINI John Cooper Works WRC has enjoyed its first podium position on the Rally Germany this weekend after Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio finished third in the number 37 car.

    Sordo capitalised as the works Fords suffered various issues and then had enough pace to stay clear of Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen who took fourth. Sordo’s team-mate Kris Meeke had been battling for fifth with Citroen driver Petter Solberg for most of the rally, before retiring with a loss of power – due to electrical problems – just two stages from the end.

    “I am really, really happy for me and the team. For the first rally of the car on tarmac this is very good. This is a surprise and the times were so close to Ford and Citroen that we have a lot of confidence for the next rally. The car is really good on tarmac,” said Sordo.

    [Source: MINI Motorsport]

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