To our hearts and minds the Wagon needs nothing. That hasn’t stopped GWA Tuning from adding to the monstrous estate, and we’ll leave it to you to give thanks, or not, that they feel differently than us. The package includes a new grille and front bumper with fierce set of LED-adorned intakes beneath the ‘knees,’ new side sills and rear diffuser, plus some ducting here and there for good measure.
That’s the standard kit. If you need more, grab the entire swine and request the lowered stance on staggered wheels – 19s in front, 20s in back – body-colored GWA wheels, and the remote-controlled exhaust butterflies. And beyond that remote you wouldn’t know anything had been done, since GWA’s only modifications are aluminum pedals and illuminated door sills. The base package needs €15,000 ($18,500 U.S.) of your attention, the top flight kit needing about €22,000 ($27,200 U.S.).
Have a look at it in the gallery of high-res photos below while you think it over.
You know the old conundrum, “Fast car slow or slow car fast?” If you’ve never heard it before, it’s a bit of automotive philosophy that asks on a given road, would you rather drive a Lamborghini Murcielago at five-tenths, or a 1982 Honda Prelude until the wheel-bearings shatter? And really, like the sound of one hand clapping, there is no answer. That said, the new is one slow car all of us would love to drive fast.
Check the stats: The wheelbase is nearly two-inches longer while the length has grown by almost 4 inches. The front and rear tracks are wider by a smidge — seriously, a smidge — 10mm front, 5mm rear. A 1.2-liter gas engine replaces the 1.3-liter from the previous Swift, but the new mill includes variable-valve technology, so while displacement is down, power is up — 92 horsepower and 87 pound-feet of torque. True, that’s barely enough oomph to get make it up the AMG staircase, but consider the Swift weighs half as much as most cars (the current car is just under one ton) and comes standard with a manual (automatic’s an option). Sounds better now, no?
While the exterior hasn’t changed much, the Swift’s suit appears a bit more tailored. The big news is the interior which has borrowed some dressy, ritzed-up cues from its big brother . Will the Swift come to our big-car loving shores? The answer is probably not, even though the Swift should get about 45 mpg and sticker under $10,000. However, does need products, and there will be a 1.6-liter Swift Sport coming soon, so who knows?
2010 Nissan GT-R – Click above for high-res image gallery
Rumors of a next-generation Nissan GT-R have been floating around since . And given CEO Carlos Ghosn’s wholesale commitment to electric vehicles, it should come as no surprise that the automaker is seriously considering adding some form of battery power to the next iteration of its sports car. Speaking at an event in Australia, chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno confirmed that an alternative powertrain will be a necessity to keep the GT-R relevant and meet future emissions and fuel economy standards.
Both and have already announced plans to build electric versions of the and respectively. According to Mizuno, Nissan is considering a straight battery variant, a hybrid or even a diesel version, although the latter is unlikely. A battery version is certainly possible, but Mizuno also says a hybrid would be easy to do thanks to the GT-R’s front engine/rear transaxle layout. The and other EVs will give Nissan some breathing room on regulations, so a new GT-R is still a ways off. At this point work has yet to start on the new model and no decision has been made on the powertrain.
We got our at the E-Cell prototype yesterday and now we can see it in motion. The German magazine Bild has a video of their first drive in the electric supercar. Unfortunately, our conversational German isn’t up to snuff, so it’s hard to decipher the commentary and driving impressions. However, we do get a good look under the hood, where the 6.2-liter V8 has been replaced by a several cubic feet of electronics, motors and high-voltage cabling. Inside, we get a glimpse of the new instrument cluster, including a display that can toggle between the battery’s state of charge and power flow or the navigation information.
If and when Mercedes-Benz let’s us have a crack at the prototype, sunglasses will be a necessity. Check out the retina-searing .
Shortly after introducing the last year, announced that it was also developing a of the gull-wing supercar. The first prototype is now ready to be shown to the world, resplendent in bright yellow paint (AMG Lumilectric Mango to be exact – the Mopar Boys would be proud). The SLS E-Cell is propelled by a quartet of electric motors with the pair at each axle integrated with reduction gears to drive all four wheels.
Those motors, which top out at a screaming 12,000 rpm, combine to apply 526 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque to the wheels – sufficient to push the coupe to 60 miles per hour in just four seconds. The installation of the front motors necessitated the replacement of the double-wishbone suspension with a multi-link setup with push-rod dampers.
The lithium polymer batteries are split between the center tunnel and a box mounted behind the cockpit, and can provide a combined output of 480 kilowatts (643 horsepower). Two separate cooling circuits can manage the temperature of the battery packs and related power electronics by either heating or cooling the units as needed.
An extendable front splitter works with the reshaped rear diffuser to increase available downforce beyond what’s possible with the standard 6.2-liter-V8-powered SLS. Inside, the electric SLS gets a 10-inch touch screen in the center console. According to reports, this is a drivable prototype, so expect driving impressions to arrive before the production model goes on sale in 2013.
2011 Horex is “Das Neue Motorrad” - for high-res image gallery
Recently, we reported the scheduled release of an , known to us only as Das Neue Motorrad, the news came with much anticipation, the excitement being twofold. First, the prospect of finally seeing a new motorcycle from the land of Bavaria, a place with such a rich two-wheeled history but very few modern offerings, and second the secrecy leading up to the release, coupled with the companies claims to offer “revolutionary designs” and an engine concept “currently seen nowhere in the industry” which peaked the interest of moto-junkies around the globe.
As the smoke has cleared and rumors ceased, lifting of the veil has exposed Horex as the new motorcycle brand from Germany. So just how do they define revolution? That would be with a supercharged 15-degree monoblock V6, of course. Horex is said to have patented the for two-wheeled vehicles. The compact design allows for fitment of six rounds in a space traditionally fit with four. For additional ‘whee-factor,’ a radial supercharger feeds the 1200cc beast,producing a tractable delivery of the claimed output of 198hp and 110 lb-ft of torque, which is routed to the tarmac via belt drive.
The chassis and suspension wrapping that powerplant compete a package that not only looks legit, but should also live up to performance expectations. 50mm forks sort out the bumps and the attached dual-radial-mounted brakes should have no trouble halting the Horex from substantial velocities. From the looks of things, the frame and swing-arm components appear to exhibit top-notch fit and finish. The styling is definitely of a classic nature, minus the ram-air type intake ports on the front of the fuel tank.
The price of admission will be €20,000 ($24,600 USD), and that’s only if you are in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, but at least it probably includes taxes. We’ll have to wait and see what exchange rates are when the Horex finally makes it to the rest of Europe and the U.S.
The irony in all of this is that Horex is not new at all – it’s a reincarnation of the classic brand founded in 1923 which produced motorcycles up until purchased the company and ceased bike production in 1960. So make that Germany’s newest-old motorcycle company, for the record. Revolutionary?…well, probably not, we just can’t wait to hear the exhaust note!
The R-Class hasn’t taken the States by storm, but a few exterior and drivetrain upgrades make it more competitive in its class.
Reports out Japan say the next MX-5 could be packing a rotary engine and a hybrid motor. And if you believe that one, we’ve got a bridge you might be interested in…
It might be a movie prop or an ambitious kit car, but either way, this roofless Corvetteconcept looks good in Hollywood.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery
There’s a lot to like about the . After all, we’re talking about a sleek, 563-horsepower super-Benz with functional gullwing doors and a soundtrack to melt your heart. It’s the embodiment of German engineering… or is it? Inside Line cites unnamed sources who say that the SLS AMG actually began life as the next-generation .
The story apparently goes like this. engineers were already hard at work on the next-gen Viper, with an aluminum chassis already completed and a new suspension on the way. caught wind of the project and decided that the chassis would be the perfect starting point for the upcoming SLS. The two teams reportedly worked side-by-side on the project until cash crunch caused the Dodge team to focus its resources elsewhere. The end result was a brand-new SLS for Mercedes and a hole in Dodge’s Viper lineup. IL bolsters its account of the Viper-turned-SLS with the fact that early SLS test mules caught by spy photogs were fitted with ill-assembled Viper sheetmetal.
While it’s hard to blame Mercedes for utilizing existing engineering work (it did, after all own Chrysler at the time) to bring the SLS to market faster and cheaper, we’re thinking it would have been nice to have a new aluminum chassis Viper on the streets. Here’s hoping that the makes us forget about our loss.
Audi Q7 with Wave Field sound system – Click above for high-res image gallery
Right now, if you happen to find yourself in a honkin’ German SUV and you want a great sound system, you’re in luck. will be happy to supply you with a that boasts a sound system with a dizzying 14 speakers, but that’s child’s play compared to what the Four-Rings are up to with the Institute for Digital Media Technology. The two have partnered to create a special Q7 prototype with 62 speakers, including five woofers and five tweeters. This isn’t some Pimp My Ride exercise, though. Each one of those speakers is individually driven by an advanced computer to create a universal audio sweet spot in the cabin.
IDMT calls the technology wave field synthesis, and the system can individually delay speaker impulses to keep the sound in check. It’s less of a cacophony and more of personalized stereo experience no matter where the listener is sitting inside the vehicle.
The wave field tech has been applied to the Linden Lichtspiele Cinema with an epic 192-speaker system. The only downside is that neither movie companies nor the recording industry are creating material with wave field encoding.
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG – Click above for image gallery
Thanks to the folks at of 4WheelsNews, we may have an idea of what the facelifted Mercedes-Benz CL63 and CL65 AMG will look like. The site managed to get its paws on what looks to be some leaked images of the cars ahead of the range’s official announcement. From what we can tell, it looks like the two heavy-breathing coupes will receive the Silver Arrow’s new front-fascia treatment, which means a more upright grille, along with redesigned headlights and fenders. It looks like the hood will get a mild touch-up as well, and a more aggressive lower fascia with LED daytime running lights seems to have made its way into the mix.
Overall, the design is pretty sharp, and looks more at home on the CL than the big . We still don’t know exactly what Mercedes-Benz will do when it comes to powertrain options. Our guess is that things will stay fairly similar to what’s currently available, but some sources have pointed to the arrival of the same 5.5-liter V8 engine from the in the CL line as all but inevitable. If true, that would put the CL63 at 544 horsepower. Sounds good to us.
After putting some miles on the new Heavy Duty trucks from GM, we found they offer superior ride quality, engine refinement and features like smart exhaust braking over its rivals.
If there’s one thing the auto world loves, it’s a good tease. BMW has been happy to oblige this afternoon by dropping three photos of a new model fit just for U.S. consumption.
Thanks to a leak from the boys at Auto Express in the UK, we can show you these few shots of the 2011Volkswagen Jetta, along with a couple of salient details.
The kids from Motor Trend are at it again. The crew has turned out some pretty tasty videos over the past few months, but nothing like the clip after the jump. Editor-At-Large Arthur St. Antoine and two of his cohorts wrangle three icons of the modern supercar era through the desert outside of Las vegas. The contenders are three German heavyweights – the , the 5.2 FSI and the new kid on the block, the . The guys even managed to convince the California Highway Patrol to close down a section of road for their very own playground. Jealous yet? Yeah, us too.
That’s alright, though, because St. Antoine and the rest of the MT posse were kind enough to bring along a few HD cameras so they could share a hard day at the office with the rest of the world. Surprisingly enough, you get plenty of raw driving footage with nothing but the sound of three German engines as your soundtrack. Sure, there are a few auto journo clichés floating around in the voiceover, but hey, it’s a video about supercars. What more do you want? to enjoy for yourself.
Once upon a time, the crate engines of choice for independent sportscar-makers came from Detroit. But just as the German manufacturers have raised the mantle of the muscle car with such super-sedans as the , and , so to have the Germans become the new source for niche automakers. But don’t take our word for it: just look to examples like the -powered Pagani Zonda, -driven , not to mention the Veritas RSIII and the -engined .
The latest to join their ranks? Developments Limited, creators of the eponymous Australian supercar. According to reports from Down Under, Joss has inked a deal with Mercedes-Benz to supply AMG power to the mid-engined exotic. Local off-road specialist Albins will be providing the transaxle. The news of the Mercedes contract apparently replaces the in-house 6.8-liter V8 that was originally part of the plans, and follows that Mercedes itself was considering plans to enter the Australian V8 Supercars touring car series.
It doesn’t get much further up the pecking order than the . Before the came along, at least, it served as a rolling example of what the power-hungry speed freaks at AMG were capable of achieving. And in the process, they replaced the SL’s folding hard top with a fixed roof in an effort to trim some extra pounds off the roadster’s considerable heft. Thing is, not everybody is necessarily ready to sacrifice the flexibility of the collapsible roof in an effort to gain that performance edge.
Enter TC-Concepts, a German tuning garage that has given the…um, “stock” SL65 AMG the Black Series treatment, and kept the origami roof in place. The TC 65 is fitted with a custom body kit, complete with new grille, bumpers and more, plus 20-inch rims and custom interior to give it the Black Series look. But they didn’t stop there. By tuning the twin-turbo V12 from 612 horsepower “stock” (there we go again) to 700 even, TC-Concepts has actually surpassed the factory Black by some 30 horses. That may just be enough to compensate for the extra weight of the folding roof, but with the wind wafting through your hair, we doubt you’d even notice.
With all of the hype surrounding the ’s M-badged and , as well as the renewed range, it’s easy to forget that has its own super-fast sport-ute, the . As its name suggests, this top-rung ML is fitted with the same 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 that we’ve come to love in the rest of the automaker’s AMG lineup, good for 503 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque in this application.
We expect to see an in the next couple of years, but for now, Mercedes-Benz has updated the ML63 with very subtle exterior tweaks, including darkened headlamps and taillamps, a refreshed hood and tweaked front and rear underguards (in chrome, of course). From there, not much else changes – the seven-speed AMG Speedshift transmission is still in place, routing all of that forward thrust to all four wheels, measuring 20 inches in diameter (21s can be had as an option).
In the ML AMG’s next generation, expect to see the automaker’s brand new under the hood, good for around 544 horsepower and a pavement-churning 590 pound-feet of torque. High-powered SUVs and crossovers aren’t the most practical of automotive choices these days, but we’re happy to still see them moving forward. After all, sometimes you just need to get the kids to soccer practice in extremely short order.
Legendary AMG roten Sau meets an even bigger, faster “Red Pig” – Click above for high-res image gallery
Fans of endurance racing need no introduction to the first ever racing luxury sedan, the . You non-fans, however, do. Known affectionately as the roten Sau (i.e. Red Pig, though for some reason Daimler left this little factoid out of their otherwise way-more-than-comprehensive press release), the beyond-blueprinted engine (increased from 6.3 to 6.8 liters) kicked out 428 horsepower and allowed the pre-Hammer to smash its way to a startling second place finish at the 1971 24 Hours of Spa.
Let’s rephrase that: the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG bullied its way to an uttlery astonishing second place finish, and became the crowd favorite while doing so. Why so unbelievable? The Red Pig weighed a porcine 3,600 pounds, partly because AMG left the heavy air suspension and exotic wood trim in place. Luckily, Spa’s long straights allowed the hard-working brakes plenty of time to cool down, and the heaviest car on the track finished the day way ahead of everyone save the winning Ford Capri and AMG’s expectations.
Fast forward thirty nine years and look what we’ve got here: the . Why Thirty-Five? That’s the same number the roten Sau wore back at Spa. But this is not your rich banker neighbor’s . Long gone is the magnificent 6.2-liter V8, having been replaced by the . In “stock” form, this motor produces 544 hp and 590 pound-feet of torque. Though the S63 Thirty-Five’s motivator has been BAMMED! up a notch to produce 571 horses (the same amount as the ) and 664 lb-ft of twist. Yowza! The big sedan also gets AMG’s frankly awesome wet clutch Speedshift MCT 7-speed transmissions that in full manual mode will embarrass all but the most exotic dual-clutches.
The run to 60 happens in about 4.3 seconds, which is impressive as even though Daimler left the S63 Thirty-Five’s weight out of the press release, it porks clocks in right around 2.5 tons. Once again: Yowza! Also, the big AMG has a roll cage, and those ain’t light. Both identically liveried cars got driven around Spa by none other than Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz, the men behind the wheel for the 1971 race. You can read all about it in the press release .
Susie Stoddard and the Mercedes-Benz E63 Estate – Click above to view the video
The Estate gives its lucky owners both the neck-snapping thrill of a 518-horsepower, 465-pound-feet-of-torque V8 and the utility of a sizable wagon. Sounds just about perfect. Race car driver Susie Stoddart has the skill to kick your ass on the track and the looks to leave you speechless. Combine the heavenly wagon with the sexy race car driver, and you get the made-for TV video
You still haven’t ? Okay, here’s the crux of the flick. Stoddart walks up to the E63 Estate in a sensible outfit, but decides that the badass Benz wagon calls for something a bit more…. edgy. Soddart then puts the big, brawny wagon through its paces on a wide-open track while continuing to look very attractive the entire time. If you still haven’t hit the jump to watch the video, we don’t know what else we can tell you.
6th Annual “Vanishing Point” gathering of Pagani Zondas – Click above to watch the video
How much is too much? When it comes to Paganis, we doubt such a point exists – at least not in the company’s limited production run so far – but in any event, we’ve yet to find it.
Every year the company’s president, founder and namesake Horacio Pagani invites owners and friends to an annual gathering called “The Vanishing Point”, in apparent homage to the cult classic 1971 car flick. This year’s brought out an impressive array, including examples of the Zonda S, Zonda F and the ultra-exclusive edition, along with a handful of other supercars like a Enzo and 599 GTB Fiorano, the new and a Gulf-liveried GT… plus a of , a and, picking up the rear, a van with a Zonda exhaust decal slapped on the back.
Unfortunately, the day was mired by rainy weather, but that didn’t stop the convoy from rumbling through the sleepy medieval town of Cividale del Friuli, where a handy-cam from Italansupercar.net was on hand to take in the sights. to check it out.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class Edition30 – Click above for high-res image gallery
The – also known as the Geländewagen or G-Wagen for short – has had an interesting history, particularly in the U.S. market. The go-anywhere para-military SUV has been in production for over 30 years, but was only available in North America for much of its history as a gray-market import. Public demand eventually prompted to officially offer the G-Wagen on American shores, where it proved a popular niche vehicle. In fact, its popularity prompted Mercedes to produce the GL-Class, which was originally envisioned as a replacement for the aging Geländewagen. The G was slated to cease production in 2006, but true to its rugged style and nary-unstopable capabilities, it’s still here.
Over the past few years the G-Class has undergone a series of (largely cosmetic) updates, and reports now indicate that Mercedes has another one in store for the big dinosaur. While the boxy exterior is expected to carry over as the G’s calling card, a few minor tweaks are in those cards, likely centered around the lights, bumpers and such. The cabin is slated for a thorough update, while updates under the hood will see the entire range Euro 5 emissions certified… no mean feat for such a behemoth.
At the top of the range, the old supercharged 5.4-liter V8 will continue to carry the G55 moniker – the last AMG model to do so – until the new direct-injection, twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 comes along, oddly bearing the G63 AMG nameplate. Expect the new-but-still-recognizable G to bow at the Paris Motor Show this fall, with market roll-out to begin commensurately.
2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Alubeam silver – Click above for high-res image gallery
If you’re shopping for a finished in Alubeam silver here in the United States, you’re in luck, but you’ll have to be patient. A reader dropped us a note to let us know that a Dallas, Texas dealer apparently informed a friend of his that Alubeam had not been released for the American market yet.
We checked with spokesman Rob Moran, who tells us that the special finish is indeed available. Alubeam first appeared on the several years ago. If you haven’t seen it, Alubeam is a stunning metallic finish that looks like molten silver.
According to Moran, the Alubeam bodies are hand-painted at Mercedes-Benz’s Sindelfingen factory, while other colors are applied at a Magna Steyr body shop. The more labor intensive process means that only about 2-3 cars a week are available for U.S. market allocation. Hopefully the customer and dealer are just having a miscommunication about the longer wait time, because the special paint is definitely available. A tip of the hat to Ross!
