The Dutch super car builder Zenvo has developed an automobile as strange and powerful as the company’s name. Limited to only 15 units, the Zenvo ST1 combines a radical drag reducing shape with a tremendous power plant that will make Bugatti engineers put down their slide rulers and take notice.
Thanks to our friends at BilMagasinetTV in Denmark, we can bring you this up close look at the mid engine turbo charged and supercharged 7.0 Liter V8 that delivers 1,104 HP and 1055 lb-ft. of torque. This combination of compressed air is good for a manufacturer claimed 0 to 60 MPH time in about three second range and a very super car like top speed of 233 MPH.
According to the man behind the wheel, even though this is just the preproduction prototype, the ST1 handles as good as it goes. However with over 1,100 HP on tap it would be hard not to be adream come true for any speed junkie.
The German suspension manufacturer Eibach has teamed up with Volkswagen Zubehör, the automotive conglomerate’s aftermarket division in order to create one outstanding package for the Volkswagen Scirocco. While the lowering springs are available directly from the factory, Eibach has also developed a set of high performance sway bars and spacers to improve the hot hatch’s handling in order to guarantee that the Scirocco goes exactly where the driver demands it to.
The beauty of this kind of suspension package is that the spring and shock combination have already been tuned to work in harmony with one another and provide the vehicle with the right amount of chassis lowering, a common problem with infinitely adjustable coilovers is that most owners tend to slam their vehicles to the ground in an attempt to make it look cool, but what they don’t know is that they are wreaking havoc on the suspension geometry and in some instances might even be quicker around a turn with the stock setup.
Volkswagen Zubehör steps in with their own appearance package for the Scirocco that consists of an aggressive front lip spoiler, a set of lower side sills and a blacked out rear apron made with an integrated diffuser while above the Scirocco wears a stylish roof spoiler and a set of stunning 19 inch 10 spoke motor sport wheels, although that 2010 Scirocco R is looking pretty fine just like it comes from the factory.
The Formula 1 season is about to get back underway this Sunday August 23rd when the lights go off at the start of the Grand Prix of Europe from the streets of Valencia on the east coast of Spain. While most of the drivers have been jet setting around the globe, Panasonic Toyota Racing’s driver, Timo Glock has been keeping focused on the rest of the 2009 F1 championship season. In this candid question and answer session with the racing team’s Chief Engineer Race, Dieter Gass, Glock gives his thoughts on the upcoming race, shares his thoughts on Michael Schumacher’s testing and responds to questions from fans directly from the circuit in Valencia. The one thing that both Timo and Dieter can agree on is that it’s going to be hot inside and out of the TF109 on Sunday afternoon.
In standard trim the Audi A3 Convertible is a very attractive looking open air compact, but the German tuning firm Hofele Design figured that they would put their creative skills to the test and do it one better. Hofele has developed an all new appearance package for the A3 that gives the little car a racing inspired GTS look up front with a redesigned front bumper that incorporates two large air intakes on either side that can be left alone or filled in with the optional fog light kit. Another upgrade that owners can consider at the time of installation is to replace the factory grill with a piece from an S3, if not the original unit can be utilized.
Out back the Audi A3 convertible receives Hofele’s new rear apron that is attached directly to the stock bumper and includes a very sporty looking rear diffuser. Hofele allows A3 owners to add a little performance and style at the same time with their quad sport exhaust system that fits perfectly inside of the new rear fascia. However just like up front Hofele allows owners to reuse the stock components, in this case the exhaust with another diffuser that offers the same sport style with one less cutout for a very clean look.
The American tuning firm Hennessey Performance Engineering is more commonly known for turning potent production cars into powerful performance machines, like a boosted Viper that can beat a Bugatti from 0 to 200 MPH, back in 2007 they got the ball rolling to change all that. Just like Steve Saleen went from hot rodding Mustangs to producing the S7 super car, HPE announced that they would build the Hennessey Venom GT, named after their lineup of V10 powered dodge sports cars that they built their reputation with.
More recently the soon to be automaker announced that the Venom GT will be making its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show, except that compared to the car that HPE announced back in 2007, the model set to be unveiled in 2010 will be a bit different. Instead of the Hennessey Venom 1000 Twin Turbo Viper’s V10 power plant, a Hennessey tuned V8 will go into the mid ship position and instead of the optional sequential gear box, the new super car will only be offered with a 6 speed manual.
Weight should remain somewhere under the original 2,700 lb. limit allowing the 1200 HP 2010 Venom GT to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in only 2.4 seconds and can hit an out of this world top speed of 272 MPH. In order to handle that much acceleration the Venom will be equipped with a set of 14 inch carbon ceramic rotors with a pair of 6 piston calipers up front and equally sized rear rotors being squeezed by 4 piston calipers in the back.
The Ford Focus is a popular automobile around the world and the restyled ST hatchback is an even sportier model guaranteed to captivate a few more automotive enthusiasts. The German tuners from JMS Racelook have just developed a subtle appearance package made up of a few simple yet tasteful touches that only accentuate the new car’s good looks.
The kit starts off with a more aggressive front lip, a rear apron with integrated diffuser and a pair of lower hanging side skirts to round out the ground effects package and a pair of Focus RS style front fenders vents for that extra visual muscle. Perhaps if we can’t have the 300 HP fire breathing monster here in the states at least we might be able to look something like it with some pieces of carbon fiber fiber fender jewelry.
Complimenting the sports inspired body pieces, JMS lowers the Focus with a set of H&R lowering springs which bring the front end down by 40 mm and 35 mm at the rear virtually eliminating whatever wheel gap was in between the new 19 inch rims and the Ford’s fenders. JMS also upgraded to a dual exhaust that not only looks better underneath the rear diffuser, but add an extra 5 to 8 HP thanks to its free flowing stainless steel construction.
Now that the Swedish automaker Saab is under Koenigsegg’s ownership, their future looks very bright. Maybe by accident (or not!) a document revealing the future Saab’s line-up has surfaced on the internet. It shows all the models to be launched by 2017, and it looks very promising we might add (but we were still hopping to see a production version for the Aero-X).
In 2010 Saab will debut the next generation 9-5, followed by the 9-4X. In 2011 we will see the station wagon version for the 9-5 and a first for Saab, start/stop technology. In 2012 they will bring the new generation 9-3 and the new mini 9-1. In 2013 a crossover vehicle based on the 9-5 Sportcombi will come to life and a new 9-3 Convertible.
2015 looks to be a very promising year for the Swedish company: they plan to bring back the Sonett brand from the 1960s and 1970s, and also a new model placed above the retro comeback, by SAAB will bring out a new generation of the 9-5.
Even if the German automaker has just launched the new Mercedes Benz E-Class, and it is a big hit in the new car market. Since appearing in showrooms this past spring, the luxury automaker has moved 40,000 of the redesigned four door full size sedan. Starting this fall, Mercedes will be adding another variant of the popular new E-Class into the marketplace, and this time it will be an avant, meaning that we should see something at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.
Like the sedan, the new wagon will be offered with a range of four, six and eight cylinder power plants producing anywhere from an economical 136 HP to a very menacing 525 HP. When the leaves change colors the Mercedes lineup will include a few diesel powered versions like the E 250 CDI making 204 HP and 368 lb-ft of torque, the E 220 CDI pumping out 170 HP and the E 200 CDI that makes up the lower end of the power range. The most powerful of the alternatively fueled versions will be the E 350 CDI with a maximum output of 231 HP. The gas burning lineup consists of the E 200 CGI with 184 HP, the E 250 CGI cranking out 292 HP; both equipped with the newly developed 1.8 Liter four cylinder engine while the range topping E500 will send 388 to the ground.
Infiniti launched the 2008 EX37, the world’s first compact coupe crossover. Based on the Infiniti FM platform, EX37 shares much of its hardware with both the G37 and G37 Coupe. As a result, it enjoys the same high levels of handling precision and balance as well as similar levels of performance, refinement, build quality and equipment.
The EX37 is powered by a new 3.7-litre version of VQ engine family. Regularly honoured in independent awards the world over, the twin cam 24 valve V6 produces over 310PS and an impressive over 350Nm of torque.
EX37 is available with a new seven-speed automatic transmission while the suspension design - double wishbone set up at the front and multi-link arrangement at the rear - delivers the ideal blend between sporting handling and superior ride comfort.
As you might have expected, Abarth, the tuning arm of FIAT has announced plans to build a factory tuned version of the freshly launched Fiat 500C. Even if the 500 city car will be less expensive, it will compete head to head with compact sports cars like the John Cooper Works Mini.
The Abarth 500C will be with a choice of two engines. The first is a 1.4 Liter Turbo-Jet making 133 HP, 15 HP more than the Mini, as well as an Esseesse model cranking out with 157 HP. Either way it is more than enough grunt to give the 500C some much needed get up and go.
Like for the coupe version, Abarth version will wear a bodykit that consists of redesigned front and rear bumper, restyled hood, lower hanging side skirts, a roof spoiler and rear diffuser. The side mirrors are dressed up with red painted covers and a pair of polished exhaust pipes sticks out from underneath the new diffuser. The factory tuned Abarth 500C will also be offered with a set of larger 16 inch rims or the optional 17 in alloys. The way that the small car market is looking, it may not be too long before we can buy one of these striped little hot hatches from Abarth.
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