So what if the holiday season has come and gone? For some folks, the season extends longer than just the turning of the calendar year and in the spirit of this ’extended’ season, German tuning firm Carlsson has decided to give their CK63 RS some Christmas-themed enhancements.
Their name for it? The CK63 RS Santa Edition. If only Santa used this car instead of his usual sleigh...
The whole idea behind Carlsson building a specially-themed program was to build a concept to present something for the season and, boy, did they ever. The engine specs of the car remain the same as that of the CK63 RS, which means that the car’s 5.5-liter bi-turbo V8 engine saw a noticeable bump in output, from the standard 557 horsepower and 590 lb/ft of torque all the way up to 652 horsepower and 663 lb/ft of torque, with the improvements giving the CLS63 AMG a faster 0-62 mph time of just 4.1 seconds.
Likewise, you’ll also see the same aerodynamic package, one that features a new carbon fiber front spoiler, a new spoiler lip, a new trunk lid spoiler, a rear skirt insert and diffuser, and a new set of 20" Carlsson 1/10 Brilliant Edition lightweight alloy wheels. What makes this special CK63 RS so unique is that it’s been dressed with a Diamond White Metallic paint finish that matches the Nappa Exclusive leather interior trim that comes with a "Santa Red" color.
According to Carlsson, a similar specially-themed CK63 RS will be headed to the 2012 Geneva Motor Show this March, which means that we might have more than just one of these unique bad boys on tap.
Of all the cars that are being penciled in for the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, one of the most interesting has to be the Invader N40.
Unlike a lot of the tuning programs that are usually unveiled at a major show like Geneva, the Invader N40 isn’t based on a sports car or a luxury car. What it is is a Nissan Patrol, which, last we checked, isn’t exactly considered a tuning favorite.
Having said that, the Invader N40 is a different beast altogether. Built and designed by Invader Technologies, the N40 is considered the ultimate customization program for the Patrol, with about as many aerodynamic modifications as any other tuning program we’ve seen in quite some time.
The wide body kit is only the beginning of it. There’s also a restyled front end that features Invader signature LED lights to go with blackened headlights, and plenty of carbon fiber detailing added into the body panels of the SUV. On top of that, Invader also fitted the N40 with a brand-spankin’ new set of 22" forged multi-piece alloy wheels to give the SUV a far more aggressive stance and overall look.
Inside, the N40 sports plenty of other modifications, particularly the prevalent use of carbon fiber, high-grade leather, and Alcantara, three materials that you usually won’t find in a Patrol.
Invader has yet to reveal what they did under the hood of the N40, but one thing they did say was that it won’t come with the same 600-horsepower Invader supercharger that it’s previous creation, the L60, carried. It’s going to be interesting, to say the least, to see what kind of performance modifications they added to the N40 because if there’s one thing we know about these guys, it’s that they don’t hold anything back.
It’s easy to get caught up in the hoopla surrounding the 2012 North American International Auto Show, but that doesn’t mean that we’re closing our eyes and ears to everything else going on in the automotive world. Especially when it comes to the Geneva Motor Show this March.
One automaker that’s looking to kick-start some buzz is Infiniti. Nissan’s luxury brand has officially released the first teaser image of a new electric sports car concept that’s going to break cover in Geneva.
Details are limited at this point, although we’ve been told that the car will carry a mid-mounted powertrain that will provide weight distribution and handling for the extended range vehicle. According to Infiniti, the still-to-be-named concept car will be an electrically-propelled vehicle that will make for a "vivid, engaging and sophisticated driving experience" for drivers everywhere.
It’s been no secret that Nissan is looking into bringing a new electric car in the US for some time now. This concept car could very well be the precursor to that car, and if we do say so ourselves, we’re looking forward to seeing what Infiniti has up its sleeve when the covers are pulled on this concept car at the Geneva Motor Show.
Now this is how you create an excellent - and mysterious - teaser photo. The scene is dark and there’s only that sight of the shadow of an unmistakable supercar growling in the darkness, waiting to bust out its fangs and unleash holy hell on the entire auto industry.
This, dear friends, is a teaser photo released by Gumpert announcing the arrival of an all-new supercar that’s scheduled to be unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show. Details behind this mysterious machine are still being kept under wraps and the only thing we really have going for us are these foreboding photos.
What the car will look like, what it’s going to be called, and what’s it going to be like are all questions that nobody has an answer to just yet.
But if there’s one thing that we can take away from this mysterious teaser photo, it’s the ever-growing realization from some of the world’s fastest cars that their worst nightmare is out there lurking in the shadows.
And it’s coming soon. Very, very soon.
UPDATE 01/04/12: The countdown towards the 2012 Geneva Motor Show has begun. One car that’s shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated is the new supercar to come from Gumpert. The car is being pegged as the successor to the mighty Apollo and though we don’t have any details on it, the automaker has satiated our appetites by dropping the second teaser photo of the car. It doesn’t show much, but it’s still something that has raised a lot of eyebrows.
Not that we needed one at this point, but Bentley has finally "confirmed" their future SUV, said to be "the world’s most luxurious 4x4." Their future model will follow the Mulsanne and Continental cycles, debuting sometime in 2014 with a powerful 12-cylinder engine. This announcement comes after the impressive results posted by the company in 2011: sales were up 37% to 7003 for the calendar year with sales accelerating as the year progressed.
"If we bring this (SUV) to the market it will be positioned significantly above the vehicles that are currently available in this segment," Bentley brand chief Wolfgang Durheimer said Tuesday. This means that the new Bentley SUV will be placed above any other SUV on the market and will be priced at more than $140,000.
This confirmation will undoubtedly force Lamborghini to make a final decision on their third model, which will more than likely be an SUV since the strong demand for sporty soft-roaders coming from emerging markets such as China, Russia and India has risen. That being said, Lamborghini’s final decision will be announced in March at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
