While the wait for the Mercedes SLS AMG roadster version continues on, Mercedes is making the wait a little more bearable by surprising us with another SLS AMG: the GT3 version. The sports car will compete in the 2011 racing season.
The SLS AMG GT3 features a new new front apron with a splitter, the bonnet with central cooling air vent, wider front and rear wings, sideskirts with cooling ducts for the rear brakes, a rear diffuser and the adjustable rear aerofoil.
The race car will be powered by the same 6.3-liter V8 engine, but has been tuned to deliver an impressive +600 hp, a pretty significant spike from the road-going version of the SLS AMG which comes with a "standard" 571 hp.
Also on the interior, the SLS AMG GT3 version will drop all of its luxury amenities, including the air conditioning, navigation and upholstery. Instead, the car’s interior will be stripped down to only include a steel rollover cage, a racing bucket seat with a six-point seat belt and HANS system.
UPDATE 09/22/2011: Tobias Moers, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Vehicle Development for AMG has confirmed that the SLS GT3 would not be racing in the US market because the company did not want to go through the added expense of re-certifying it for use on US soil.
UPDATE 11/04/2011: After four years of absence, Formula One and DTM driver Mika Häkkinen will make a comeback to the racing world as a guest driver in the SLS AMG GT3. He will participate in the season finale of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup on 13th November in Zhuhai (China) next to DTM driver CongFu Cheng and Lance David Arnold of Germany. Hit the jump for the video.
UPDATE 01/27/12: Mercedes has unveiled a new video showing the first steps of the SLS AMG GT3’s production. Enjoy!
Full story and press release after the jump.
Full story
SSC North America, better known as the parent company of models like the record breaking Ultimate Aero and the recently unveiled Tuatara, announced it will be dropping the Shelby name from its title, opting to only use the SSC nomenclature. Apparently, there was way too much confusion when it came to whether or not Jerod Shelby (SSC’s founder) was in any way related to automotive legend, Carroll Shelby.
Jerod Shelby, Founder and Lead Designer, said in an official press release: "After several months of successfully launching our new corporate name and solidifying further International brand awareness for SSC at the Dubai International Motor Show and Top Marques in Macau, it was the right time to officially announce our name change."
"We have always wanted to focus on the pride associated with being an American built supercar and the timing is right," Shelby stated. "We have previously launched the Tuatara in both Shanghai and Pebble Beach and these two events in Dubai and Macau ensure the appropriate branding we are hoping to achieve for our company worldwide."
We don’t necessarily see how only using SSC will stop the annoying "relation" question from being asked, especially since SSC stands for Shelby Super Cars anyway, but with vehicles like the Aero and the Tuatara diving into the supercar market, Jerod Shelby will more than likely get his own following.
In its short life span, Audi’s R8 LMS race car has proved to be a major force in the racing scene, having already amassed over 100 victories despite being only a couple of years old.
The R8 LMS’ world domination includes wins in Europe, Australia, and Asia with America being the only notable region that it hasn’t conquered. You can blame that on the stricter Grand-Am regulations, but Audi is looking into adhering to these regulations by building a car that will conform to the standards of Grand-Am racing.
“We’re convinced that we’re making a very attractive offer to our customers in the USA that will meet with great response,” says Romolo Liebchen, Head of customer racing at quattro GmbH.
“The anniversary event of the Daytona 24 Hours is a perfect occasion for the debut of the U.S. version of the new Audi R8 LMS.”
Among the tweaks and modifications being done on the R8 LMS to make it Grand-Am ready include the use of thicker-walled tubing in the roll cage, a new front splitter, a rear diffuser, and a new Grand-Am-spec rear wing.
In terms of performance, the R8 LMS Grand-AM will also come with a modified engine and the addition of an air restrictor that will drop the output of the R8 LMS from 493 horspepower to around 450 to 470 horsepower. Certain elements of the R8 LMS will also be removed for the Grand Am version, including the anti-lock system and traction control. Incidentally, Grand Am rules view these technologies as driving aids in the US.
UPDATE 12/12/2011: Audi has announced that the R8 GRAND-AM is now ready for the North American market. The car successfully finished its testing at the Daytona race track (Florida) and the first deliveries will be made in January, 2012.
"We successfully tested all the modifications at Daytona," says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Customer Sport at quattro GmbH. "With Frank Stippler we developed a sound and solid set-up for our customers and also gathered valuable findings in the endurance tests. The durability of wearing parts and runs at high outside temperatures meet challenging demands. We can now provide our racing customers with concrete advice and reference values for fielding the car."
UPDATE 01/24/2012: The Audi R8 GRAND-AM will make its debut this weekend on the 50th running of the Daytona 24 Hours from January 26th to 29th. "Our team prepared for this step at previous runs in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. APR is known around the world as one of the leading tuners of Audi, Volkswagen, Seat and Škoda vehicles. We’re looking forward to the Audi R8 GRAND-AM with huge anticipation, our customers and fans are really excited and since the ‘Roar before the 24’ test we’ve just been dying for the 24-hour race to start."
UPDATE 01/27/2012: Audi has unveiled new images and a video of the R8 Grand-Am during its practice time at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The race will be aired on Speed T.V. on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 2:30 EST.
Five Axis was the first tuning company to come out with an upgrade package for the new generation Lexus GS, specifically the GS 350 F-Sport, but now Toyota Racing Developments (TRD) is getting in on the action with a full list of accessories for the GS. The package can be applied to both the GS 350 and GS 450h models, but buyers beware, it’s going to get expensive. For example, just a new set of wheels will run the customer $6,574.
Aside from the pricey wheels, TRD is offering a pretty impressive aero kit that includes a front under-spoiler, side skirts, a trunk spoiler, and a rear diffuser. Customers can also opt for a quad-exhaust sports muffler and a new set of 19" forged aluminum wheels that are lighter than the standard and help improve rigidity, contributing to the high dynamic performance and elegant comfort of the GS.
In addition to these features, the Lexus GS’ ride was superbly balanced with a new sport suspension that helps change the damping force of the spring and damper stiffness stabilizer from a revised rate.
Following the spy shots revealed yesterday of the upcoming Porsche 911 Turbo playing in the snow is a fantastic bit of news about what it will be carrying under that luscious hood. Turns out, the 911 Turbo will be powered by a 3.8 liter, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine, but not equipped with a twin-turbo system as one would expect. Instead, Porsche is following in BMW’s footsteps by offering a tri-turbo system.
This system is currently in the final phase of development and, according to the first details, will help raise the engine’s output from the current 495 HP to somewhere in the region of 525 HP — or the same as that of the current 911 Turbo S. It will include the usual twin turbochargers found in the current engine, but will get a smaller unit mounted close to the engine to boost low-end response. This system will also improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions.
Once this tri-turbo system is complete, not only will it fit in with the 911 Turbo, but will also get dropped in the next-generation 911 GT2 and GT2 RS.
