The 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S was unveiled with a series of updates that made it even better than the previous generation. Even so, when a tuner comes with some updates we can be nothing but happy.
German suspension expert, Eibach, is offering its Pro-Kit Performance Springs that lower the new 911 Carrera’s center of gravity, offers improved handling and gives it a more balanced appearance. With the new springs, the car’s ride was lower by 40 mm (1.57 inches), giving the Porsche a more aggressive stance.
The tuner is also offering a pro-spacer kit made from high-tensile-strength aluminum alloy that widens the car’s stance for added stability and a more aggressive appearance. These new wheel spacers also weigh significantly less than steel wheel spacers.
Eibach’s offerings for the 911 end there, but the new suspension kit may just be the perfect addition for the Carrera 4.
Click past the jump to read more about the standard Porsche 911 Carrera 4S.
A lot of folks expected Pagani to introduce a new model at the Geneva Motor Show. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the Italian automaker showcased a new and extremely expensive option that customers can add to the Pagani Huayra.
Collaborating with Sonus Faber, Pagani introduced the custom Huayra sound system that was designed by the two companies to fit perfectly in line with the lightweight philosophy of the Italian supercar.
The overall setup is pretty remarkable for a sound system. It comes with carbon-fiber speaker cones, which is no small feat for those who designed and developed it.
In addition, the sound system also comes with neodymium magnets and an advanced amplifier system that results in a staggering 1,200 watts of power - three times as much as the "regular" sound system already installed in the Huayra.
That’s a lot of audio power to complement a car that already boasts of a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12 engine that produces 700 horsepower and 730 pound-feet of tire smoking torque.
Click past the jump to read about the Pagani Huayra
If you have no plans for the weekend, we might have an idea for you; the "BMW - The Ultimate Driving Machine"exhibition will open this weekend and will feature some of the coolest BMW models out there. Andy Warhol’s 1979 BMW M1 Art Car will be the center piece of the exhibition and next to it you will also see the BMW 3.0 CSL that won the Daytona 24 Hour race in 1976, plus tons of other road cars, motorcycles and race cars.
Andy Warhol was the first to paint the entire car himself, as previous BMW Art Car artists prepared a draft version on a scaled-down model and then moved that on the real car by assistants to the painter.
"This exhibition at the Saratoga Automotive Museum will provide visitors a great look at BMW’s long heritage and provide a sense of how the company has evolved to become the leading premium automobile and motorcycle manufacturer in the world," said Ludwig Willisch – President and CEO of BMW of North America. "It will also show just how integral motorsports has been throughout the company’s history."
Don’t worry, if you don’t have the time to go this weekend, the exhibition, will run until November 3, 2013.
Click past the jump to read more about Andy Warhol’s 1979 BMW M1 Art Car.
We’re pretty sure that if you want to buy an American sports car this year, you may opt for the SRT Viper, and not the new Corvette Stingray. While Chevrolet failed to capture the usual Corvette allure, SRT did an amazing job in developing an awesome sports car - no slight to the Corvette, of course.
The SRT Viper is powered by a new 8.4-liter, all-aluminum V-10 overhead-valve engine that will deliver a total of 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. The new engine will be mated to an improved Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission.
According to Hennessey Performance, which was the latest one to dyno test the 2013 Viper, the new Viper develops a total of 558 rear wheel horsepower and 515 pound-feet of torque. So, how do we get from here to the numbers announced by SRT? Well, simply add forced induction; In fact, you will obtain almost double than SRT announced with some pressurized air flowing through the intake.
When it comes to updating Toyota or Lexus models, the best work comes from in-house tuner: Toyota Racing Developments (TRD). In the past, TRD has rolled out some awesome work and the upgrades offered for the new-generation Lexus IS are no exception.
As usual, TRD is offering nothing big, but just enough aerodynamic and chassis improvements to set itself apart from standard models. For ¥437,700 (about $4,300) customers get new side skirts, front spoiler, rear bumper with integrated diffuser, trunk-mounted spoiler and twin tailpipes for the sport exhaust system.
TRD also offers an updated suspension system with performance dampers and braces for an additional ¥288,750 ($2,900). For another ¥527,625 ($5,200), you can also get a set of 19-inch forged-aluminum wheels.
Up to this point, these updates are only available in Japan, but they might make their way to the U.S.
Click past the jump to read more about the Lexus IS.
The British market just received another special edition in the form of the Peugeot RCZ Magnetic Limited Edition, which is offered in either black or white with leather, color-themed interior. The model is priced from £25,350 ($38,500) and will be limited to only 170 units. The model will arrive in UK showrooms soon.
The new RCZ Magnetic Limited Edition will be based on the RCZ Sport and will add a series of new features that will further distinguish it from the rest of the lineup.
The model received a pearlescent Pearl white or Metallic Nera black exterior paint combined with matte-black paint on the roof arches, and brilliant black front grille, door mirror covers and brake calipers.
For the interior, Peugeot is offering sport front seats in black leather on white models or red flame leather on black models and numerous other sports features, including: soft-touch leather steering wheel and short shifter. As standard equipment, the model offers front and rear parking aids, Peugeot Connect Navigation (RT6) audio, CD and satellite navigation system, and Peugeot Connect SOS and Assistance.
Click past the jump to read more about the standard Peugeot RCZ.
The Geneva Motor Show is obviously a place where automakers converge to present their latest offerings to the auto world. But the event also serves as a venue for these same automakers to announce future plans for their respective brands.
One automaker that dropped quite the news at Geneva was Aston Martin. As part of the company’s 100th anniversary, Aston Martin chief, Ulrich Bez, told Autocar that the brand will be debuting a pair of V12 Vantage-based two-seat, open-top sports cars at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in May.
One of these models has been dubbed the CC100. According to Bez, the CC100 will be part of Aston Martin’s 100th anniversary and will feature a Vantage-based styling that would also be heavily influenced by its own DBR1 race car.
Apparently, the CC100 will come with a dramatic look, too, particularly the absence of doors and a roof, thus exhibiting an entirely exposed cabin. Only two models of the limited edition supercar will be built, one of which will be used to celebrate Aston’s centenary with the other commemorating Stirling Moss’ iconic triumph during the 1959 Nürburgring 1000-kilometer race.
Technical details of the CC100 have yet to be revealed but Bez did say that the CC100 will be priced somewhere between the V12 Zagato and the brand’s crown jewel, the One-77., which gives it a wide range of £330,000 to £1.4 million (roughly $498,000 to $2.1 million at the current exchange rates) to play with.
Update 5/17/2013: Aston Martin has released a teaser video (above) for the CC100 - the CC100 is the yellow silhouette at the end of the video, Aston Martin even has an official web page that previews the official debut of the CC100 Concept, so be sure you check it on May 19th, 2013. Just click here: www.astonmartin.com/n24/reveal.
Stay tuned for more details.
click past the jump to read more about the car that inspired the CC100, the DBR1.
Back in March, Kahn Design unveiled a cool Chelsea Wide Track tuning kit based on the Land Rover Defender. This week, the tuner has further expanded the kit with a few more options and come with the Chelsea Wide Track Fuji White/ Matt Pearl Grey.
The updates offered for the new package are similar to the ones offered in the previous version, but this time the SUV is painted in a nice combination of Fuji White and Matt Pearl Grey, while for the interior, the tuner opted to combine red leather with black quilted leather and grey Alcantara with silver stitching.
Along with this cool color combination, Kahn also offers up an aerodynamic exterior kit, a new set of wheels, privacy glass and lots of updates for the interior.
Click past the jump to read more about the Land Rover Defender Chelsea Wide Track Fuji White by Kahn Design.
It’s no surprise to anyone that Fisker is on life support and is nearing its final breath, as it has had way too many issues over the years. Even with the company likely organizing its affairs for bankruptcy, no one could have ever anticipated seeing a Karma for sale at less than half of the sticker price.
Well, we can now see that the unexpected is a reality, as Karmas are starting to trickle onto Ebay at massive discounts. When we drove the Karma, we found that it drive like a far more expensive car than its $100K price tag and later found that it actually costs more to develop and advertise than Fisker was actually selling the model for.
As of May 17th, we found four Karmas for auction on Ebay with current bids that run from $50,000 to $79,995 with less than 10,000 miles on their odometers. In fact, the $50,000 model only has 550 miles and it is 1 of 100 Signature Editions. Business Insider actually managed to dig one up for $40,200, which adds up to 60 percent off of the MSRP.
From the looks of it, Karma owners are getting spooked by Fisker’s financial trouble and the fact that if the company goes under, there is no large backer to cover warranty and service issues. Unlike when Pontiac and Saturn closed up shop, Fisker doesn’t have GM behind it to provide post-mortem support.
Aston Martin has revealed today the first details on a Hybrid Hydrogen-powered Rapide S that will be raced at the 41st ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring next month.
The model will be based on the standard four-door sedan and will become the first zero CO2 emissions sports car to complete a race-pace lap at the Nürburgring 24-hour race.
The model is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 engine and can be run on pure gasoline, pure gaseous hydrogen or a combination of the two. In pure hydrogen mode, Aston Martin will race the Nordschleife while emitting just water.
The new Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S features a special Hybrid Hydrogen system that includes a hydrogen fuel rail, storage tanks and proprietary engine management system. The system includes four ultra-high-strength carbon-fiber tanks that can hold 7.7 pounds of hydrogen stored at a 350-bar pressure.
Its official race debut will be made in the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours race on May 19th and 20th where it will have to take on more than 150 other cars.
Update 5/16/2013: Aston Martin has revealed the official images of the new Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S in its full blue-and-white racing livery and with its carbon-fiber dash.
