German auto tuner MTM’s new tuned up Audi R8, the V10 Bi-Turbo Prototype, made a cameo appearance in front of the company’s headquarters in Germany recently, giving us a look at the car that’s rumored to pack 888 horsepower underneath its hood. Yes, folks. 888 horsepower.
According to a spokesperson for the tuning house, the monstrous R8 has finally reached the conclusion of its developmental stage and is already in the first stages of being unleashed out on track. From what we’ve gathered, this car has performed extraordinarily well for MTM’s obscenely high standards. Should this car be as good as advertised, then you might be looking at one of the fastest, if not the fastest, Audi R8 on the planet.
The car is expected to make its debut to coincide with the tuning firm’s 20th birthday in November so we’ll be sure to keep you updated when MTM finally decides to pull the covers off of the Audi R8 V10 Bi-Turbo Prototype.
You don’t even have to say it because we already know; the wait for the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 has been long enough.
And now, finally, after the immeasurable wait, we have finally feasted our sights on the new Camaro taking a few laps around the Nurburgring. Sure, it’s probably just a prototype and it’s decked from front to rear with camouflage, but who cares? The car is finally here!
Thanks to the resourcefulness of our buddies over at Camaro5, this video gives us a look at the high-powered Camaro rampaging around the Nurburgring with a sound that can only be described as mouth-watering. As expected, the styling changes are evident on the Camaro Z28, including the lower fascia, larger intakes, and a quad-exhaust system.
If you haven’t heard the sound of a roaring 6.2-liter V8 powerhouse doing runs around the ‘Ring, consider this spy video of the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 as your introduction to the world of pure and unadulterated awesomeness.
Germany is supposed to be one of the few places in the world where supercars can stretch their legs and just go all-out without the worry of being flagged. That’s why it bums us out after hearing that two separate accidents occurred in Germany over the weekend involving two of the most popular – and expensive – exotics out on the planet.
The first accident occurred in a town called Vaterstetten where a Lamborghini Murcielago LP-640 that was being driven by a 32-year old spun out of control after – what else? – the driver decided to run it faster than he should have. If that wasn’t bad enough, a separate crash occurred near Geiselwind involving a Bugatti Veyron who, just like the Murcielago, had a pretty overeager driver determined to show off his car’s power only to end up losing control of it and crashing it in the process.
Both drivers escaped the crashes without any major injuries although with the current state of their prized exotics, it’s a safe bet that they’re bank accounts won’t be healthy in the foreseeable future.
What a waste of a perfectly awesome tuned up sports car. For the record, we’re glad that the driver – a 40-year old man – and his passenger walked away from the crash without any major injuries. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for that tuned-up beast that was once a G-Power Hurricane.
The BMW M5-tuned beast was totaled beyond recognition after the driver, who appeared to have been driving under the influence during the time of the accident, lost control of the car as a result of some high-speed – and obscenely reckless – driving before crashing head-on into a tree while it was on its way to Autenzell, a small town in northern Germany.
We can’t determine whether this tuned-up BMW M5 comes with the RS or RR tuning kit, but either way, the damage on the car is about as bad as it gets. It’s highly unlikely that the car can be pieced back together, a pity considering that the G-Power Hurricane – whether it’s an RS or RR version – is one of the most desirable BMW tuning kits out on the market.
Pagani’s new beast on wheels, codenamed the ‘C9’, was recently spotted by Autogespot doing some air brake testing at a German highway, giving us yet another glimpse of the superduper car that is widely expected to succeed the brand’s omniscient beast, the Zonda.
We’ve come to learn that Pagani has been testing the air brake system on the C9 and if the company decides to use the technology on the supercar, it would make the C9 the third supercar to do so after the Bugatti Veyron and the Mercedes-Benz SLR. Given the insane speeds the C9 is bound to pack, employing an air brake system on this rocket ought to be a good idea.
The new Pagani supercar will be powered by an AMG sourced 6.0-liter V12 engine that will produce a total of 690 horsepower and 737 lb/ft of torque. The company’s founder, Horacio Pagani, has also announced that the C9 will carry a completely new look in terms of its design, weight, distribution, materials, and dynamics.
There’s no denying the popularity of the Mazda MX-5 Miata. It’s so popular that a meeting of 459 Miata owners from all corners of the world at a meet in Essen, Germany doesn’t look impressive enough. Except that it is; impressive enough that it landed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest MX-5 meet in, like, ever.
Owners from 16 countries participated in the record-breaking meet, which was held at UNESCO’s Zollverein World Heritage site. What’s even more impressive is that the number of Miatas could have easily been more than 459 had the event organizers not turned down some of the applicants from participating.
All in all, the 459 Miatas eclipsed the previous record of 249 models that was previously set in New Zealand. Like we said, 459 isn’t that big a number considering the number of MX-5’s loitering around the streets of the world, but hey, a record’s a record, right?
That, in itself, is something all those attending owners should be very proud of.
Audi has teamed up with E.ON, the Munich municipal utility company Stadtwerke München (SWM), and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) - try saying that three times fast - to prepare an onslaught of Audi A1 E-trons as part of a testing program for the electric city car. The fleet of 20 Audis is set to roll out on the streets of Munich by mid-2011 with about 200 new charging stations available for "refueling" their vehicles.
The A1 E-tron features an internal combustion engine that charges the batteries and delivers a total of 102 hp in short bursts allowing the sprint from 0 to 60 mph to be made in just 10 seconds. However, the continuous output comes in at 61hp and 150Nm of torque with top speed being set at more than 80mph. The electric motor sends its power to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission that can be switched between "Drive," "Reverse," and "Neutral".
A little over two years ago, Cadillac brought the CTS-V Sedan to Germany to run a lap around the country’s most famous race track, the Nurburgring.
And while the CTS-V’s lap time of 7:59:32 doesn’t come close to what the supercars are capable of, Cadillac spared no expense in celebrating the feat, albeit two years too late.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Cadillac is making a commercial called “The Competition” to commemorate their supposed record-breaking run for a four-door vehicle two years ago. We don’t know how these guys handle timetables, but we’re quite sure that making a commercial – would’ve been better if they just made a documentary or something – out of an event, and a feat, that occurred back in 2008, doesn’t bode well for those who have trouble remembering what they ate a week ago.
But hey, if there’s a silver lining to this whole endeavor, it’s that Jeff Zwart is directing the commercial. Yeah, the very same Jeff Zwart that decimated Rhys Millen’s class record at Pikes Peak while driving a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup a few months ago.
We know Germany is the home to some of the most exclusive and luxurious auto brands in the world, so you would expect a country that counts Mercedes Benz, Porsche, BMW, and Audi as home grown brands to have a more-than-normal fixation with vehicles.
Apparently, that fixation has extended far beyond the world of the auto industry and into luxury housing for tourists. Yep, one hotel in Germany has decided to turn some of their rooms into auto-themed spaces that could help us revisit our inner childhoods.
Among the rooms that have been ‘themed-up’ include a drive-in movie theme with a Caddy bed called the ‘AutoKino’, a racing-inspired room ‘Racing’, a garage-type room called ‘Werkstatt’, a junkyard – yes, there’s inspiration in junkyards too – room called ‘Nostalgie’, an outdoors themed room called ‘V8 Camp’, a Shell gas station-type room that comes with its own Herbie Beetle called ‘Tankstelle’, a carwash-themed room with a Mercedes called ‘Carwash’, an ode to Route 66 room called ‘Motocycle’, and a turbine-inspired room called ‘Vision’, among others.
Despite the room themes ranging from the weird and wacky to the cool and classy, all these rooms have their own appeal and we won’t be the least bit surprised if each of them has attracted their fair share of tourists in the past.
Whatever your taste and preference is, each room definitely has its own appeal, and the next time you find yourself in Stuttgart, Germany, do your curiosity a favor and check in to the V8 Hotel.
If you’re a fan of controversial tuning house, Gemballa, this coming Monday should be an interesting day for you.
Reports are coming stating that this Monday, August 23, a press conference will be held to formally announce the return of the renowned tuning house under a new management that will be led by one, Andreas Schwarz.
The tuning house founded by Uwe Gemballa was shut down a couple of months ago after the German unceremoniously went off the grid for a couple of weeks only to be found spending some time in Africa. Gemballa’s mysterious exit out of Germany was rumored to be the result of running away from German authorities, which then led to reports that German officials raided and effectively closed down his tuning facility, resulting in all the cars in the plant getting impounded.
Now that it looks like the company’s under new management – in addition to Schwarz, rumor has it that another German tuning house is also working on getting Gemballa back on its feet – we’re expecting to found out more on what exactly happened to the company and the new direction it’s going to take in next Monday’s press conference.
