In the latest episode of MotorTrend’s "Head 2 Head,” Carlos Lago put face to face two of our favorite sports cars: a 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Pack and a 2014 Audi R8 V-10 Plus. Before telling you about the test, let us explain why the two models are our favorite.
First, let’s take any other all-wheel-drive sports car out there, like the Lamborghini Aventador. It is priced at about $400k, while a GT-R equipped with the Track Pack starts at $116,710 and the R8 V10 Plus starts at $170,545. So, you see, instead of buying an Aventador, you can have both the GT-R and the R*, plus you will be left with plenty of cash for the gasoline. We’re not saying the R8 and GTR are on the same level as the Aventador; we’re simply pointing out that they are more car for the money.
The Audi R8 is powered by a V-10 engine that delivers a total of 550 horsepower and can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The GT-R gets a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine with an output of 545 horsepower and a peak torque of 463 pound-feet of torque.
So, which of the two cars do you think handles the Streets of Willow racetrack better: Godzilla or the four-ringed supercar? Check the video to find out!
You would think that the cast of Fast and Furious would know a little thing about cars and their prices. But as the Strait Times’ RazorTV showed during a recent interview with the cast in Manila, car prices in Singapore tend to throw a lot of people for a loop.
See, Singapore wants to dissuade its citizens from buying cars to keep traffic clean and clear on their roads. That’s why taxes for cars in the country are beyond insane, and that goes for every car, not just the high-powered exotics.
So when afforded the opportunity to sit down with Michelle Rodriguez, Gina Carano, Luke Evans, and Vin Diesel, Razor TV’s John Lui quizzed the four stars of the movie to guess the prices of certain vehicles in Singapore.
Needless to say, all four were completely off on their guesses, eliciting some pretty hilarious reactions from Rodriguez and Diesel.
Let’s put it this way: if you didn’t know, a Toyota Prius in Singapore will buy you a top-of-the-line Audi R8 in other countries.
Click past the jump to watch the final trailer of Fast and Furious 6 after the jump. The movie hits cinemas tomorrow, May 24.
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We’re usually not prone to overt praises on these pages, but when it comes to Canadian tuner SR Auto Group, you can’t help but appreciate the level of work it does on its programs.
SR Auto Group has, on multiple occasions, taken a Lamborghini Aventador for a custom spin. And when presented with another of its kind to work on, it didn’t hesitate to put its hardhat on and get to work - again. That’s why we respect SR; no car is too difficult to give some aftermarket lovin’.
This time, the subject is a 2013 Nero Pegaso Aventador, a supercar that not only speaks the language of speed and power, but does so while wearing a menacing look on its face.
At the end of the day, SR Auto Group is all about bringing out the full potential of any super car it comes across. That includes the Aventador and to its credit, SR Auto Group never seems tire of giving the exotic Italian bull the respect it so richly deserves.
Click past the jump to read more about what SR Auto Group did to the Lamborghini Aventador
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Let’s face it; there’s absolutely no chance in this world that we can even get a sniff of the Lamborghini Aventador J. Lamborghini only made one model and who knows where it is now.
But even without actually touching or looking at the one-off supercar, that doesn’t mean we can’t own one. The only caveat is if we were to own one, it would be in the size of a 1:18 scale model of the Aventador J.
That’s where AUTOart Models enter the picture.
You might recall that this company was already featured here last December with its own 1:18 scale model of the Aventador. Now, it’s taking things up a notch with a remarkable scale model of the one-off Aventador J.
We say “remarkable” because the actual Aventador J was an Italian engineering marvel complete with significant carbon-fiber elements. Being able to replicate the design in a scale that small is a testament to the skill of AUTOart Models.
Pretty slick work, fellas.
Click past the jump to read about the Lamborghini Aventador J
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The Lamborghini Aventador Roadster. Really, what is there to say about this supercar that hasn’t been said before? We’ve run out of superlatives to describe what we feel about this bad-boy.
But somehow, aftermarket extraordinaire, Wheelsandmore, managed to make it even better.
Are we surprised? With this tuner, not the least bit.
This has always been the M.O. for Wheelsandmore. Get a stock sports/supercar and then make it better. Far often than not, it succeeds with its programs. And on the rare times that it doesn’t, well, the projects still look pretty spectacular.
In the case of the Aventador Roadster, Wheelsandmore spared no expense, giving the Italian exotic a program fit for a king. There are wraps. There are wheels. And there are engine upgrades.
All in a day’s work, really, for one of the best aftermarket companies in the world.
Click past the jump to read more about Wheelsandmore’s program for the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster.
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Earlier this year SpeedART dropped the first teaser images on a SP81-CR package based on the new-generation Porsche Cayman S. Now, the tuner decided to finally release the kit on the market. Its official debut will be made at the Tuner Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring racetrack in Germany and ales will begin next week.
Before talking about the SP81-CR let’s see what the Tuner Grand Prix is. The race is organized each year by Sport Auto magazine and brings together the best tuning kits out there. The cars are separated into classes and the drivers from Sport Auto decided which vehicle is the best in its class by making an average of the best times of the class.
Now, back to the SpeedART tuning kit; it includes exterior and interior upgrades, and customers can choose between three different engine upgrades.
Click past the jump to read more about the Porsche Cayman SP81-CR by SpeedART.
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The famed Halda Watch Company of Sweden is introducing a new convertible into the market for high-dollar racing watches. There’s a twist to this beauty’s black titanium frame: it accepts both a gorgeous mechanical movement as well as a high-tech digital chronometer for racing lap times and three-axis g-force readings.
The concept of two watches serving different purposes enhances the authenticity of the product for a realistic racing tie-in. The digital portion, or the Racing Module, is pre-loaded with full maps of the world’s 150 top racetracks, like Suzuka in Japan and Silverstone in England. The digital face is also perfectly useful in real life via reconfigurable display settings to deliver all the critical watch functions plus a few extra, like a super-loud alarm amplifier to be heard over racing engines.
Offered as a single watch or the pair of faces, the new Race Module also clips into Halda’s existing flagship watch, the Space Discovery.
Please click past the jump for the full gadget review of the Halda Race Pilot.
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After taking care of the standard seventh-gen Golf and the GTI version, German tuner, ABT Sportsline, decided to do the same with the GTD version.
It’s no surprise that the updates offered for the GTD version are nearly identical to the ones offered in the standard version and include updates to the exterior and some extra horses under the hood.
Most of the work was made under the hood where the tuner installed its ABT Power kit that increases the four-cylinder’s output up to a total of 210 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque - up from the standard 184 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.
To give the Golf the look to match the added power, ABT Sportsline also offers an aerodynamic kit and a set of aftermarket wheels. Also, for a better engine sound, the rear pipes were replaced with new ones.
Click past the jump to read more about the Volkswagen Golf GTD by ABT Sportsline.
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BMW is preparing to recreate its entire X family and the new-generation X5 is only part of the job. The BMW X5 was first launched in 1999, and 13 years later, it’s getting ready to enter its third generation to help keep up with the changing times. The redesigned SUV is rumored to make its world debut in 2014 at the Detroit Auto Show.
BMW will mostly focus on reducing the X5’s total weight and improving the final performance figures for its new generation. It is rumored that BMW plans to reduce the SUV’s total weight by about 330 pounds, but it will still be offered with the latest technologies, like a lane-departure warning and compensation system, night vision, park assist, traffic-sign recognition, surround-view cameras, and active cruise control.
The new X5 will be offered with two new four-cylinder engines and the most powerful version will still get a 4.4-liter V-8 engine with improved power figures and a increased fuel economy. It is also rumored that BMW is planning a plug-in hybrid version.
As for the exterior design, it will be more an evolution of the current car as opposed to a revolution.
Updated 04/25/2013: Another image of the new X5 (above) has surfaced online and this time it looks like more than just a simple rendering. So, if this is really a leaked image of the next X5 it can mean only one thing: the official debut is getting closer. (bp.blogspot)
Updated 5/24/2013: A slick person with an HD camera phone managed to catch the X5 with very little camo to hide its goodies. Thanks to a tip from a reader, we now have this HD video and a few screen shots of all the good stuff after the jump. Things are looking good for the new X5, really good...
Hit the jump to read more about the new BMW X5.
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In the last episode of Drive’s "Chris Harris on cars," Chris Harris had the opportunity to test-drive the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder. In the newest episode, he decided to go for something a little more timid and got behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta ST.
Ever since the Fiesta ST was announced, there was a great dispute on which one was the better subcompact pocket rocket: the ST or the Renault Clio RS? So, Harris tries to help you find an answer to this question, as he tested the car on the road and track, and ended up being quite impressed by the petite ST. Of course, the car could use some improvements here and there, but overall, he thinks the ST performs quite well.
The Fiesta ST is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with an output of 197 Horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque; all rather impressive stats for a subcompact hatch that tips the scales at only 2,720 pounds and sets you back only about 21k.
