We’ve been watching the Bugatti versus SSC battle closely with their back and forth efforts of one-upmanship fueling our need for speed. The record for the fastest vehicle on Earth is a hefty goal to attain, but soybean farmer, Brent Hajek, is working on a different kind of record. You see, Hajek also has a passion for speed and his company, Hajek Motorsports, has taken on the challenge of breaking the land speed record for diesel and biodiesel trucks. Not only did they take on the challenge, but they succeeded wholeheartedly with two land speed records.
Hajek Motorsports has joined the record breakers of the world by achieving these land speed records with a Ford F-250 SuperDuty. First, the F-250 SuperDuty got up to 171.123mph, hitting the new record for B Production Diesel Trucks. Then the F-250, running on bio-diesel fuel, smashed the existing 130.614 unlimited bio-diesel land speed record by getting up to 182mph.
The 2011 Ford F-250 SuperDuty is powered by a 6.7L Powerstroke V8 turbo diesel engine delivering 400 HP and 800 lb-ft of torque. The truck used for the record was mostly stock, but it did get some changes to the high pressure fuel pump, fuel injectors, and turbochargers for more fuel flow. The compression ratio was also modified.
BMW has just expanded the 5-Series line-up with the addition of a new model called the 520d EfficientDynamics. This new model sets a new benchmark for efficiency and driving pleasure in its class. On the British market, the 520d will be priced at £30,435 - or about $49,000 at the current exchange rates.
The BMW 520d EfficientDynamics is powered by a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine that develops a total of 184 HP and a peak torque of 280 lbs-ft. It has a fuel economy of 62.8 mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 119g/km, but can still get up and go to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds.
The engine will be combined with standard Auto Start-Stop, Optimum Gearshift Indicator, Brake Energy Regeneration, and Active Aerodynamics. Another impressive feature is BMW’s new ECO-PRO Mode. A driver-activated switch promotes economical and comfortable driving at low speeds by adjusting the engine mapping, throttle sensitivity, automatic gearshift points, where applicable, and the amount of power consumed by electrical ancillaries including climate control and heated seats.
The words ’diesel’ and ’convertible’ aren’t uttered in the same sentence in the States. The original diesel engines were loud, stinky, and more often than not, resembled a smoke-billowing cigarette. Automakers would have had to be crazy to turn out a diesel convertible during that time. Nowadays, however, clean diesel engines are getting churned out like anti-smoking commercials and a source close to Volkswagen has confirmed that the company is bringing the first diesel convertible to the US in the form of the new Beetle Cabrio TDI.
The 2.0 TDI engine delivers a total of 138 HP and has a fuel economy of 40 mpg fuel economy in the Highway cycle, 29 mpg in City driving, and 33 mpg combined. It will be offered with either a standard 6-speed manual gearbox or an optional 6-speed dual clutch transmission.
The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Cabrio will feature the same new design line as found in the coupe model. That new design can be seen from the front bumper and front air inlet, the straight lines of the bonnet edges, the precisely drawn line between the A-pillar and C-pillar, and the styling of the rear lights. The car also gets a lower profile, is substantially wider, the front bonnet is longer, and the front windscreen is shifted further back and has a much steeper incline.
Porsche is offering up proof that even the most luxurious cars can be fuel efficient with the debut of a V6 diesel engine on the Porsche Panamera.
The new Panamera Diesel is now equipped with a 3.0 liter V6 diesel engine that delivers a total of 250 HP and will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, while top speed is limited to 150 mph. What’s even more impressive is that the sports sedan was tested and received an impressive 745 miles on an 80 liter tank with an average fuel consumption of only 6.3 liters per 100 kilometers, or about 37 mpg.
In Germany, the new Panamera Diesel will be priced at about 80,183 euro, or about $119,500 at the current exchange rates, and will go on sale in August 2011. There hasn’t been any mention as to if the Panamera Diesel will be available on the US market.
UPDATE 08/31/11: We’ve updated our photo gallery of the Porsche Panamera Diesel with more pictures. Check out the gallery to see the new snapshots of the diesel Panamera!
Hit the jump to read more about the 2012 Porsche Panamera Diesel.
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Shortly after its official launch, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta has become quite a successful model. And as customers always ask for more the company is offering a new engine in the line-up: a new 2.0 JTDM-2 equipped with the latest generation JTDM-2 MultiJet Common Rail system.
This technology, combined with an electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger delivers a total of 140 HP and a peak torque of 350 NM at just 1750 rpm (with the D.N.A. selector in Dynamic position) and 320 NM at 1500 rpm (in Normal) - giving it the highest torque in its class compared to similarly efficient and powerful engines.
Equipped with this engine, the new Giulietta will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 9 seconds and will be capable of a top speed of 127 mph. The model comes equipped with DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) and Start&Stop as standard, a close coupled diesel particulate filter and a built-in EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system that improves control of temperature and gas flow.
