purists, rejoice. According to F30Post.com, BMW’s North American boss, Ludwig Willisch, has confirmed that the next-generation M3 will be powered by an inline six-cylinder engine. That’s right, the V8 is dead and the have officially been squashed.
To wit, Willisch told F30Post.com that a V6 was under consideration for quite some time, and the original thought was to use a chopped version of the S65 4.0-liter V8 found in the current car. But plans for a V-configuration have indeed been ruled out, and all that’s left to speculate on is exactly how much help the new inline-six will get from forced induction.
In order to be more powerful than the current M3, no less than two turbochargers will likely be bolted to the new six-cylinder powerplant. In fact, we’ve even heard rumors of a being engineered for use in the M3. In any case, expect about 450 horsepower to be on tap.
has officially put the finishing touches on the first prototypes of the company’s 918 Spyder, complete with a black-and-white livery scheme that pays homage to the 917 racers of old. Production is set to commence in a little over a year, and the German sportscar manufacturer says buyers can look forward to taking possession of the first examples by the end of 2013. The plug-inhybrid will command a heady price tag, though. Porsche the company will ask a whopping $845,000 per model, each with a 500 horsepower 4.0-liter V8 engine and two electric motors.
Altogether, the gas-electric drivetrain should be good for a 3.1-second 0-60 sprint and a top speed of 199 mph. Perhaps even more impressive is the news that the 918 will be able to propel itself with electric power at speeds of up to 94 mph. That little fact helps account for the news that the vehicle should be able to return around 78 miles per gallon on the EU cycle. Scroll down for the brief press release, but not before checking out the high-res gallery.
You might say the same for any number of automakers, but in this case it rings particularly true: wouldn’t be Lotus without racing. It’s what forged the company at its outset, and that hasn’t eluded the management team lead by Dany Behar. Say what you will about his overly ambitious plans to expand the company’s product portfolio – he’s also lead the company (or at least the brand) into a variety of racing series, and this is its latest product.
A further evolution of the GT4 Enduro, the new Evora GTC packs carbon-fiber body panels in place of fiberglass and plexi windows to help trim 30 kilograms (66 pounds) off its the GT4’s curb weight that’s now down to 1,130 kilograms (less than 2,500 pounds, depending on customer specification).
The 4.0-liter V6 carries over with 450 horsepower and an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox, both of which are further enhanced by new traction control and Bosch ABS, with eighteen-inch competition alloys packed into flared fenders.
Having already undergone exhausting testing at the company’s Hethel test track, the Evora GTC has already found its first customers that will be fielding theirs in the Grand-Am series and Britcar MSA Endurance Championship. for the full press release.
Until the Chinese began producing the rather attractive MG6, the initials “MG” had been ill omens for at least ten years to all who approached them. The era of the Phoenix Four – former MG execs John Towers, Nick Stephenson, Peter Beale and John Edwards, who bought the company from its previous owners, the badly burned and hastily retreating , for £10 – was just an especially nasty capstone. Their collective £10 investment turned into millions of pounds for each of them but nary a car made before they declared bankruptcy and closed up shop. According to that cost £16.3 million to produce, however, the Phoenix Four .
After all that, there’s one more unsavory epilogue. There were 6,500 workers at MG’s Longbridge factory who left with nothing when Phoenix went bust. After everyone else took their share of the heavy amounts of cash that passed between boardrooms, there is £22,000 ($35,523 U.S.) for final payouts for the workers. That means they’ll each get a check for £2.50 ($4.04 U.S.) – it would have been £3, but according to the report at AOL UK the cost of the stamp needed to send the check comes out of the check.
Before the politics begin, yes we know this is how business works; the Phoenix Four only did what the laws of the land allowed, and that’s as far as you need to look for ruthless reason and rationale. Or you could paraphrase Hunter S. Thompson and say that some get rich and fat, others, well, don’t. Regardless, the MG trustees are appealing to the four directors to personally contribute to the worker payouts, but the odds on that are quite long.
When announced the 2013 with , it didn’t mention fuel economy numbers but did tout the 333-horsepower engine’s “great efficiency.” According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the V6 efficiency exactly matches that of the more powerful 372-horsepower, 4.2-liter V8 – the 3.0T was rated the same 18 city, 28 highway as the naturally aspirated 4.2.
It’s figured that the stop/start system fitted to the V6 will provide a slight bump, which, since the EPA doesn’t factory such tech into its testing, doesn’t register in the official numbers. It’s difficult to make fuel economy comparisons with the same engines in other countries since they have different power ratings; in Germany, for instance, the V6 is rated at 286 hp, the 4.2 isn’t offered and the 4.0 TSFI V8 makes 414 hp – but in that case, the V6 does get better gas mileage, if you’re wondering.
Speaking of wondering, that’s what many including our own commenters are doing about the space between the 333-hp V6 and 520-hp V8 in the . The report in Car and Driver posits a detuned version of the S8’s motor. No matter what, the V6 A8 will be less expensive than all of them, which was the real point all along.
We are currently barreling toward the end of the week, which means there’s a good chance you’re looking for ways to chip away at the time card. Allow us to lend you a hand. Chris Harris recently took it up on himself to line up a three very expensive, very powerful German track-bred machines for a little showdown. With names like the Porsche GT3 RS 4.0, BMW M3 GTS and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series, the half-hour clip all but guarantees some giggles. Since these are all coupes that are supposed to be able to pull double duty on the street and on track, Harris puts one and all through a two-day drive.
Day One features plenty of time on the street, where things like how quickly the dual-clutch transmission in the M3 GTS don’t matter nearly as much as a functional Bluetooth phone pairing system. Of course, Day Two is the fun stuff. That’s when all three sports cars are pressed around a track to see which can return the best lap time. How does it turn out? We won’t spoil it for you. You’ve got time to waste. to check out the clip for yourself.
It’s been fascinating to sample Audi’s new EA824 V8 in all of its various incarnations. Our first crack at the new TFSI powerplant was in Audi’s own 513-horsepower , and we then went on to try it out in the new . Most recently, we dipped into the 4.0-liter biturbo in the new before getting behind the wheel of the closely related S6 seen here.
Versus the previous S6 with its muy macho -derived 5.2-liter V10, everything is quicker, more efficient and lighter in weight. The new fourth-generation S6 Quattro with S-tronic seven-speed dual clutch comes in at a European curb weight of 4,178 pounds – about 30 pounds lighter than the previous V10-stuffed car with its automated six-speed. Yes, power is slightly lower now at 414 horses, but peak torque of 406 pound-feet is slightly higher and happens over a vastly wider range of 1,400 to 5,200 rpm. Audi’s 0-62 miles per hour sprint time is now listed at 4.6 seconds, a figure that compares favorably with the outgoing car’s official 5.2-second time.
For my test drive, Audi thoughtfully provided a couple of S6 four-door setups for me to sample: those with Dynamic Steering and the torque vectoring sport Quattro rear differential, and those without. You know which trim I went for already. So equipped, these S6 sedans were all painted Misano Red… an exterior color that Americans cannot get this time around. So, just visualize me thundering around Bavaria in a car painted shades of white, black, silver, gray, or blue, since those are the paint chips you’ll find on the order sheet at your local dealer.
If you want a top-of-the-line SUV with serious performance capabilities, look no further than the Group. Its unit has had tremendous success with the , a vehicle that has doubled its sales all on its own – and that’s not even accounting for the or that share some of its underpinnings. Keen to capitalize on that success, the German auto giant is overseeing the application of the same formula to two of its other divisions: , which just unveiled its new Urus concept, and , which is working on an SUV of its own.
The British marque has been showcasing the EXP 9 F concept to preview what it has in store. It only hinted at powertrain possibilities upon its unveiling at the , but at the , it got ever so slightly more specific. Like the range, the production version of the Bentley sport-ute would pack a 600-horsepower, 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12, but offer the (relatively) more sensible 500hp, 4.0L twin-turbo V8 as well. The bigger news, however, is the V6 plug-in hybrid option which Bentley is planning for its SUV, enabling it to travel up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) on electric-only mode, while rocketing to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than five seconds.
Bentley projects the variety of powertrain options will help it sell 3,000 units of the vehicle once it enters production in 2015 – the same figures sister-company Lamborghini is projecting for the Urus. To put that into context, consider that Bentley sold just over 7,000 vehicles (from its current and lines) around the world last year. That’s still a far cry from the number of Cayennes that Porsche churns out – it delivered nearly 13,000 of them in the United States alone last year – but then the EXP 9 F is expected to carry a price tag north of $200,000 (double the price of even the most expensive Cayenne Turbo) while sharing common components to make its first entrance into SUV market a lucrative one for the Flying B brand.
Scope out the fresh high-resolution images we’ve added to the gallery above for another look at the EXP 9 F (which is still expected to look different by the time it comes to production), and for the press release containing powertrain information.
When a company like debuts a new model line, enthusiasts know it brings with it the promise of a high-performance muscle-beast to follow. And so is the case with the leading to the RS6.
The first RS6 packed a twin-turbo V8 good for 444 horsepower, and the second-generation model had a 571-horse V10. As is the general trend with German muscle, the new model pictured in these spy shots – snapped at the Nürburgring with telltale RS4-style intakes and widened fender flares – will likely downsize back to a twin-turbo eight. The smart money’s on Quattro GmbH taking the 4.0 TFSI from the and the , but tweaking it to its own specifications. Output is likely to hover around that of its predecessor, trading two cylinders for as many turbo spools.
As with past models, the new RS6 is likely to come first in Avant wagon form before the sedan comes along soon thereafter. Whether any RS6 models makes it Stateside, however, remains to be seen, but we can certainly hope.
We’ve never been falsely accused of a traffic violation, having earned every last second of our time before a judge, but when it does happen to us, we’ll certainly want to brush up on our physics. Dmitiri Krioukov, a physicist with the University of California, recently pleaded his way out of a fine for rolling through a stop sign using the power of mathematics. Krioukov worked up a four-page physics paper underscoring the differences between linear and angular motion to prove that he could have theoretically come to a complete stop and resumed traveling in the time it took another vehicle to pass between him and the citing officer.
The idea is that perception of speed can be altered depending on one’s viewpoint. Since the officer viewed Krioukov from the side and the physicist supposedly came to a complete stop very quickly before accelerating again just as fast, it appeared as if he never stopped at all. Or at least that was the notion. Whether or not the judge believed the professor didn’t matter so much as the fact that Krioukov managed to shed some doubt on the accusation. He was declared innocent and spared the $400 fine.
But the story doesn’t end there. The physicist left a flaw in his proof, and has invited everyone to see if they can figure it out. From our layman’s point of view, it appears Krioukov’s managed to fall from 22 mph to 0 and vault back up to 22 in the span of three seconds. Must be quite the machine. You can check out the full paper .
We’ve never been falsely accused of a traffic violation, having earned every last second of our time before a judge, but when it does happen to us, we’ll certainly want to brush up on our physics. Dmitiri Krioukov, a physicist with the University of California, recently pleaded his way out of a fine for rolling through a stop sign using the power of mathematics. Krioukov worked up a four-page physics paper underscoring the differences between linear and angular motion to prove that he could have theoretically come to a complete stop and resumed traveling in the time it took another vehicle to pass between him and the citing officer.
The idea is that perception of speed can be altered depending on one’s viewpoint. Since the officer viewed Krioukov from the side and the physicist supposedly came to a complete stop very quickly before accelerating again just as fast, it appeared as if he never stopped at all. Or at least that was the notion. Whether or not the judge believed the professor didn’t matter so much as the fact that Krioukov managed to shed some doubt on the accusation. He was declared innocent and spared the $400 fine.
But the story doesn’t end there. The physicist left a flaw in his proof, and has invited everyone to see if they can figure it out. From our layman’s point of view, it appears Krioukov’s managed to fall from 22 mph to 0 and vault back up to 22 in the span of three seconds. Must be quite the machine. You can check out the full paper .
High gas prices burning through your checking account faster than a through premium? At least one analyst the pressure might drop soon. , senior analyst for thinks fuel prices have peaked for the year, with the national average sitting at $3.92 for the last week. According to USA Today, DeHaan expects average national gas price to fall to $3.70 before May.
If you’re the type to send Thank You cards, keep in mind all those owners who have sacrificed driving pleasure for greater fuel economy, and the leadership in who have kept things kind of quiet over there for a few days. Depending on your political bent, you can also thank either the and/or for fostering a slow economy. All those elements contributed to lower oil prices and, in turn, lower gas prices. In contrast, the Federal Energy Administration is still predicting a $4.01/gal peak next month.
Either way, don’t rush out and buy that gas-guzzling supercar just yet. Any number of factors could send fuel prices flaring. Meanwhile, enjoy your cheap, $3.92/gal regular while it lasts.
The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR currently holds the unofficial production car record for a Nürburgring lap with . The is the first four-door to show up on the list of lap times with a 7:52.00. The Audi RS6 Avant is the quickest wagon with a time of 8:09.00, and the first thing resembling a sport utility vehicle is the at 8:24.00. That right there would be the target for a were someone to bring one to Germany for a ‘Ring run. Last September, somebody did.
Piloted by the eminently qualified Sabine Schmitz, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 did the deed in 8:49.00. Ouch. That’s 25 seconds behind the X6 M and slower than even the front-wheel-drive Chevrolet HHR SS (8:43.52). Still, you can’t be taken seriously as a performance machine these days until you pay tribute at the Green Hell. And watching something attempt a high-speed ‘Ring run that was originally designed to rock crawl is always fun. to watch the official lap vid from SRT.
will slowly be expanding its commercial vehicle lineup here in the United States, and the next product to hit dealerships is this . Pricing has now officially been set, with the base 12-passenger NV3500 carrying an MSRP of $31,690 (*not including destination charges). Tick every option box on the NV configurator and a fully decked-out NV3500 SL V8 with leather and navigation will run you just shy of $40,000.
The NV passenger van is mechanically the same as its cargo van kin, meaning power comes from either a 4.0-liter V6 with 261 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque or a 5.6-liter V8 with 317 hp and 385 lb-ft of twist. Both engines are mated exclusively to a heavy-duty five-speed automatic transmission and only send power to the NV’s rear wheels. Inside, the NV3500 boasts all the creature comforts of any passenger vehicle, including a touch-screen infotainment system, lots of storage space and mobile office capability.
Following the launch of the NV3500 passenger van, Nissan will bring the smaller – the , for those of you keeping track – to market. All in, Nissan aims to have a full line of commercial vehicles on sale here in the U.S. within the next few years.
The Amelia Island Concours may not be as old or have quite the prestige of Pebble Beach, but it still marks an important place on the automotive calendar every spring. For 2012, an incredible selection of cars gathered in the northeast end of Florida for the 17th annual show, with the event celebrating 50 years of the , the legendary , custom coachwork Cadillacs, experimental Corvettes as well as cars that won the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.
As with Pebble Beach, the Amelia Island Concours gives out awards to the most outstanding vehicles, but unlike the West Coast show there are two main trophies up for grabs instead of just one. This year a 1938 Bugatti Type 57, one of just three like it in the world, was awarded the Concours d’Elegance award, while a 1962 330 LM, essentially a 4.0-liter version of the 250 GTO, claimed the Concours de Sport award.
You can read more about this year’s Amelia Island Concours and the two best of show winners in the press release .
If ever a car made us think of mullets, Cragars, racing suits and Natty Light, this is it. And we don’t mean that in a bad way. The COPO Camaroconcept that Chevrolet last year is officially becoming a production reality for everyone; however, only 69 people will be able to own it. In celebration of the built in 1969, is building just that many of its modern drag-strip-only racer.
Two engine choices have been mentioned previously: a 427-cubic-inch V8 for AA Stock racing and a 327-cubic-inch V8 with a 4.0-liter supercharger for A Stock racing. Now, a third engine choice has been added: another 327-cubic-inch engine but with a 2.9-liter supercharger for B Stock. If you want all three engines Chevy will install one and provide the other two, all with matching numbers. Shifting is handled with a Powerglide automatic, and color schemes include Metallic White, Semi-Gloss Black, Inferno Orange Metallic and Chevy Racing Blue.
The price of entry is $89,000. How can you be one of the lucky? Chevrolet isn’t saying. An “independent third party” chose the initial buyers, but it isn’t clear how many slots are left or how they’ll be distributed. for a press release with more info.
is keen to get as much impact from its as possible, and to that end, has decided to showcase its German touring car in full factory racing livery for at the .
Underneath its high-tech composite skin lurks a 480-horsepower 4.0-liter V8 engine that sends power to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. It’ll hit 60 in about three seconds on its way to a top speed of somewhere around 186 miles per hour.
Judging from all the splitters, intakes and wings, we’d say the Bavarian team is more concerned with making the M3 DTM racer stick to the road like glue than hit ludicrous speed on the straights, and if nothing else, make the machine look awfully menacing to its rivals. Check out the full gallery of live images above.
If the Geneva Motor Show is good for anything, it’s getting a closer look at some of the world’s more lust-worthy vehicles, including the . Like its hardtop twin, the GTC gets its power from a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine good for 500 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque. Coupled to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the engine can push the big convertible to 60 mph in a scant 4.7 seconds. Top speed is a suitably ludicrous 187 mph, though Bentley says the GTC V8 produces better fuel economy than ever before.
How much better? The forced-induction V8 delivers up to 40 percent better fuel economy than models equipped with the heavy-breathing W12 engine, thanks in part to a cylinder deactivation system that allows the engine to run part-time on just four cylinders.
While the GTC V8 comes with 20-inch wheels as standard equipment, buyers may also opt for 21-inch rollers if they so desire. for the full press release.
Chrysler Wins Again, Small Car Battle Brewing and Mustang Beats Camaro
Automakers love Leap Year. And why wouldn’t they? Who doesn’t love an extra day for selling? Actually, it turns out the extra day that Leap Year provides didn’t make that much of a difference, as there were 25 selling days in February of this year versus 24 last year. A variance of one day is not out of the norm for any month. Still, sales were so good last month that you’d think each automaker had an extra week.
Like last month, the best performer was again , both the brand and company, which saw sales rise 113.87 and 40.39 percent, respectively. The in particular, which just won our versus the , saw sales rise 480% to 7,670 units versus the same time last year.
Indeed, nearly every major automaker had positive news to report, except for General Motors and . While posted a positive 5.78-percent increase in sales and a narrow 0.14-percent rise, GM as a whole was dragged down by and especially , which reported drops of -11.29 and -27.04, respectively. In aggregate, GM reported a sales gain of just 1.10 percent, though its daily average sales rate was 2.94 percent below February of last year. In other words, GM sold about 254 vehicles less per day on average in February of this year than last.
If we go one level deeper and look at the sales of some individual models, the most interesting numbers were in the small car segment. Both the and have been leading the segment lately, but February saw the resurgence of both the and . Focus sales were up 115 percent to 23,350 units while Civic sales rose 36 percent to 27,086 units. Both vehicles sold more than the Corolla at 22,148 units and Cruze at 20,427 units. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the finally posted a better month of sales than the : 7,351 to 6,923.
*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in February 2012 versus 24 selling days in February 2011, so there will be a difference between monthly sales volume and the average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company. Also, brands are combined and reported as companies only if their sales figures are released jointly.
The Huet Brothers original , released three years ago, was based on the aging mechanicals of a Triumph TR6. The new should have stronger bones: it starts its life as a .
Buyers can opt for the daily-driver model announced a couple of weeks ago, or one of the two more hardcore iterations shown here. The HB Coupe RR modifies the BMW underpinnings with a full carbon monocoque, gives it a more spartan interior, and offers a buffet of engine options, including a 220-horsepower diesel four, a 3.0-liter inline six with 306 hp, or the full M-spec 330 hp six for a 0-60 run in 5.3, 4.0 or 3.8 seconds, respectively.
Not shabby, but for the truly performance-obsessed there’s also a track-ready Race model. Tino and Paul Huet are taking orders, but in order to complete development and begin construction, they’re generating capital by .
Automakers love Leap Year. And why wouldn’t they? Who doesn’t love an extra day for selling? Actually, it turns out the extra day that Leap Year provides didn’t make that much of a difference, as there were 25 selling days in February of this year versus 24 last year. A variance of one day is not out of the norm for any month. Still, sales were so good last month that you’d think each automaker had an extra week.
