In a year that has been full of uncertainty, recalls, and what-have-you, at least one brand is ending it on a really high note.
For better or for worse, Porsche has had a really good year and their fortunes haven’t gone unrecognized by a lot of their peers. The automaker from Stuttgart, Germany is being recognized by a variety of media outlets for a year where it has released a steady diet of high-performance and ultra-popular cars. While some people might think that the company was lucky to have the year it has had, the folks at Porsche would prefer to describe it as “business as usual”.
Over in their homeland of Germany, the Deutsche Automobil Treuhand (DAT) listed three of Porsche’s sports as having the best value retention with the Porsche 911 leading the pack, followed by both the Boxster and the Cayman. Thee cars in the top-three. Pretty impressive.
On the other side of the world in the Land Down Under, a jury comprising of eleven motor journalists from the “Sydney Morning Herald”, “The Age” and “drive.com.au" chose the Porsche Boxster as the best convertible of 2010 and more importantly, giving it the “Drive Car of the Year Award” for the second year in a row.
Showcasing the car that catapulted the team to the Mount Olympus of Formula One, the team treated those in attendance to an up close look at the workings of the team, as well as giving a show worthy of a championship racing team.
The event was attended by local hero Mark Webber – apparently, he’s an icon in that part of the world – and up-and-coming racer Danny Ricciardo, both of whom joined the team to meet and greet with the Australian folks.
In this video, Red Bull gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the 2010 Australian Festival of Speed, complete with interviews featuring 2010 second runner-up Mark Webber, who took the time to reflect on the recently-concluded season and how far the team has come from being middle of the pack to being up on the suites.
The second installment of the unique duo unveiled by Mercedes at the 2010 Australian International Motor Show is the very special Concept 358. Following along the same lines as the Mercedes SLS AMG Night Black, this C 63 AMG is painted in another one-of-a-kind exterior paint job: designo Pearl Orange. It also carries with it the AMG Performance Package Plus found in the Night Black.
This package will increase the engine’s output to a staggering 479 HP, which is where the name comes from. The concept also gets unique 19-inch multi spoke alloy wheels in black, KEYLESS-GO, and extended designo leather appointments in the interior.
"The unique C 63 AMG on display also unveils the AMG Performance Package Plus which Australian customers can now order from their local dealer in both Saloon and Estate," said Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Cars Australia, Mr Horst von Sanden. "Each Mercedes-Benz vehicle is special, but for this year’s motor show we wanted to go that next step and bring two world exclusives to show the Australian public."
Mercedes was prepared to take two unique vehicles to the 2010 Australian International Motor Show and they have delivered the first one in the form of a special SLS AMG. Among the added features of the vehicle, the most notable is the designo magno Night Black exterior paint job that makes this SLS AMG the first and only (so far) to carry it. Add the red highlights and this car is sure to attract some serious attention.
There aren’t tons of modifications made to the car, but what they have done is enough to show the Australian public what a fantastic car this is. Alongside the unique exterior paint, Mercedes has added its Performance Package Plus which will now be available to every mate down under for the first time since its debut. The package consists of the red AMG branded brake calipers adding to the color scheme of the vehicle and a subtle carbon fiber spoiler, as well as a little engine modification. Merc doesn’t say to what the power found in the car is boosted to, but we can imagine it to be about 30hp more than the standard 571hp.
"Australia is one of our favorite markets," said Mario Spitzner, Director Branding, Marketing & Sales Mercedes-AMG. "We were asked to create two unique AMG vehicles for the Australian International Motor Show. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did building them," said Spitzner.
Not everyone is turning to electric vehicles, and we are pretty psyched about it. Ford Performance Vehicles Australia is stepping it up a bit by putting together their very first supercharged V8-engined GT in their history. This sports car is being rocked by a new 5.0 liter V8 engine and a custom Eaton supercharger that will be offered in all GT, GT-P, and GT E models.
Fitted with an all-aluminum design with double overhead cams and 32 valves configuration, the new V8 engine can deliver 450 HP and 570Nm of torque. This translates into a pretty good slap in the face for the recently unveiled HSV E-Series 3 whose engine line tops out at 442hp. Looks like they are getting some competition now. And as an added bonus, FPV’s new V8 engine will be individually hand-built for each car and will be more powerful, more fuel efficient, and cleaner than the previous 5.4-liter engine.
Next to the new engine, the GT gets 19in five-spoke alloys with a machined face and Dark Argent accents. The GT-P gets 19in five-spoke alloys with a machined face and Sparkle Silver accents and the GT E gets 19in 10-spoke alloys finished in Alpine Silver. The GT and GT-P will be available in 11 colors matched with a three stripe combination and the GT E has eight exterior colors with two interior trim combinations.
For being the very first GT supplied by Australia’s Ford, the new GT is not half bad. We are curious to see what the next generation will bring.
