With the 2012 DTM season ripping its inaugural race, the time was ripe for the series to introduce the vehicle that would serve as its official safety car. This year, the German Touring Car Masters Championship has tapped the 2013 Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series to serve that role.
Following in the reins of the the C63 AMG, the BMW M3, and a host of several Audis, the C63 AMG Black Series has been fitted with a number of modifications in order to serve its role as the DTM’s official safety car.
Among them include an aerodynamically optimized light bar on the roof and energy-efficient, fast-response LEDs in green and orange. The car also has a modified AMG sports exhaust system and a special rear silencer that allows the car’s 6.3-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine to produce 517 horsepower and 457 lb/ft of torque. This makes it capable of hitting 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds with an electronically-limited top speed of 186mph.
For the exterior, the car carries a slew of packages, including an AMG Aerodynamics Package that carries a genuine carbon fiber front splitter on the front apron and a fixed carbon-fiber rear aerofoil with an adjustable blade. It also has the AMG Track package that includes rear axle gear cooling and a set of 19" forged AMG wheels wrapped in Dunlop Sport Maxx Race tires. Lastly, there’s the AMG Exterior Carbon Fiber package that includes exterior mirror housings, inserts in the side sill panels, and a diffuser insert, all made from carbon fiber.
For the interior, the C63 AMG Black Series Safety Car was given a pair of AMG Sport bucket seats, each coming with four-point seat belts, and an AMG Performance steering wheel wrapped in Nappa leather and Dinamica.
When we start digging into racing, drifting in particular, the fans really don’t garner much of our attention. That is until we meet the Santa Claus of drift fans that has both an awesome white beard and a brass set of ball bearings.
This bearded fellow, named Bil Baldwin, has made quite a name for himself at Long Beach Formula DRIFT events. He is not famous for running onto the track in just his Fruit of the Looms or anything like that. He’s famous for not fearing these speeding drifters, regardless of the fact that they are sliding just inches from his legs.
Yup, this long-bearded fellow stands at the edge of the wall coming out of a turn and allows the cars to get within six inches of his legs. Sometimes, as you can see in the above video, the cars even smash into the wall just before they reach him, sending debris flying toward this brave man. Like a well-trained boxer, Bil bobs and weaves out of the way of the soaring debris, then quickly looks back to the track so he doesn’t miss a second of the action.
He clearly is a brave soul and Formula D seems to be accommodating to his fame, allowing him to continue standing in this dangerous position, regardless of the safety issue. We all love racing and we are particularly enthusiastic about drifting, but none of us would put ourselves there.
So here’s to Mr. Baldwin and his white beard and overall jeans flowing in the draft from passing drifters. It’s only a matter of time before Formula D decides that it’s a little too dangerous for him to be there. Until then, enjoy the hell out of it, Bil.
When Chrysler first unveiled the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart, it was met by a lot of industry and enthusiast grumbling, as it paid zero homage to its original rendition. As more details come out on the 2013 Dart, we are all starting to come around to this little Italian Dodge. The latest release is that the 2013 Dart will be the first vehicle ever to feature a cell phone charging pad as a factory option.
This 8.27-inch by 9.5-inch by 3.25-inch charging compartment is below the center stack and directly in front of the center console, which puts it in a place that most people would set their cell phone anyways. Basically, you place almost any smartphone in the special case, which comes with the optional charger, and set the case and phone in the charging compartment. Voila, no wires, no plugging things in and your phone starts charging.
This is especially convenient with those Darts with a manual transmission, as nothing puts a kink in your speed shifting like a cell phone charger wire wrapped around the shifter. The question is how much someone would pay for this option. Well, Chrysler has determined that this convenience is worth $199.99, plus dealer installation. The price may seem a little bit steep upon first glance, but think about how many times you have forgotten your car charger at home and desperately needed it or about how many of those universal charges you have bought that broke just a few weeks later. You have likely spent more than the fee for this component replacing broken chargers and buying chargers in desperation.
Let’s just add another positive to the 2013 Dart and Dodge’s 2013 lineup altogether, which is becoming more and more advanced seemingly every day.
It always pains us to bring forth news of any car burning to a crisp, especially a supercar, but this one was just too ‘good’ to pass up. The Lamborghini Aventador has only been on the market for a couple of months, and in that time, the Murcielago’s successor seems to be a raging success. That is, however, until the black example pictured above went up in flames in southern California recently.
We all remember the horrible run of fires which plagued the Ferrari 458 Italia in 2010, and we sincerely hope that this doesn’t hint at a possible problem in the latest supercar from Sant’Agata, Italy. Initial reports suggest that the fire began in the engine bay, before the unfortunate owner pulled over to watch their brand new hypercar send a plume of black smoke into the atmosphere.
Whoever owns this car, no matter how wealthy there are, will definitely feel it in their bank account as it’s worth in excess of $350,000 and is a complete write off.
Just as a quick reminder, the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 features an all-new 6.5-liter V12 engine producing 692BHP (700PS) and 509 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. As a result of this immense power, and the appropriately named ‘Thrust mode,’ the Aventador can sprint from 0-62 mph in just 2.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 217 mph.
However, this unfortunate example will never reach those speeds again, as it’ll be sent straight to the scrap yard. We just have to wonder if it was one of the examples that was rumored to be recalled back in December 2011 with "software issues."
Problem solved! Just one week after the production of the new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was put on hold, Chevrolet has announced that the hold has been lifted and the problem has been solved.
Initially, the Camaro ZL1 had to be recalled due to some potential issues that were not provided to the public. The company stopped the production and deliveries of the muscle car and even asked the one person who had taken delivery of their ride to bring it back. Chevy’s thought on the matter was that it was better to prevent than to heal, so they decided that all of the vehicle should go back to the production plant to have the problem solved. They were even able to do it under their timeline of a few weeks by only taking one week to resolve the issue. Way to go, Chevrolet!
MotorAuthority says they received an email from Chevrolet that stated that the customers had been informed that "their cars will arrive at dealerships within two to three weeks. For customers whose cars are still being built, production has resumed and estimated delivery times are being developed."
The other customers who had already placed their orders but whose cars had not been sent to production yet will have to wait another two weeks before Chevrolet determines the remaining ZL1 models’ allocation and timing.
Have you ever been in the middle of an awesome dream when all of a sudden it turned into a nightmare? Some Porsche 911 owners are feeling just like that now that Porsche has recalled 1232 Carrera S models over a fuel line issue. Apparently, there is an interference between the coolant line and the fuel line that can cause the fuel line to be disconnected at the quick connector. If the disconnect occurs, a fuel leak may follow causing the sports car’s to stall or misfire. Even worse, a fuel leak combined with an ignition source can start a fire.
We all remember the upheaval caused by the number of Ferrari 458 Italia models that went up in flames due to a faulty adhesive. The last thing we want to see is the sultry and iconic Porsche 911 reach a fiery end. The 911 has been the diamond in Porsche’s lineup since 1963 and the current model is the epitome of getting better with time. The 911 Carrera S is powered by a 3.8-liter flat-six with direct injection engine that produces 400 HP. This will take the Carerra S from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds when matched up with the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmission.
As of right now, there is a voluntary recall on the Porsche 911 Carrera S, but a safety recall will take place in April 2012. Porsche will be replacing the fuel line with a brand new one free of charge. Owners of the Porsche 911 Carrera S can call Porsche at 1-800-767-7243 to schedule an appointment.
A couple of weeks ago, there was announcement made that the production and shipping of the new Camaro ZL1 was put on hold for unspecified reasons. Now, we have a few more details on this delay, and we can ensure you they are not good at all.
Autoblog tried talking to Chevrolet spokesman Monte Doran in order to obtain more details on the production delays and Doran was less than useful on what the "real" issue is, but he did confirm that GM will solve it in a matter of weeks, not months as originally thought.
He said that "a couple of hundred" 2012 ZL1 models were produced and only one had been delivered to the customer. However all models are now back at Chevrolet’s Oshawa, Ontario plant awaiting the fix. This means that the for the 2012 model year, GM will only deliver the models already built and that all the others will be offered as a 2013 model.
The company’s main focus at this point is to "get the car right" so that customers are satisfied with the end product.
The Mercedes SLS AMG was first used as a Safety Car back in 2010 shortly after its official debut. Now, for the 2012 racing season, the SLS is returning as the Official F1 Safety Car. The Safety Car is based on the standard SLS AMG, with absolutely no changes made to the standard 571 HP 6.3-liter V8 engine, or its suspension and braking system.
What Mercedes did do was add a newly developed exhaust – designed to provide an even more emotionally-charged sound experience - as a tribute to the Formula 1 fans. Next to this, the Safety Car also received a roof light bar that boasts an aerodynamically efficient profile. The bar’s light functions are handled by LEDs which offer a fast response time and low power consumption. The colors change to green when the Formula 1 drivers can overtake the Safety Car or orange when no overtaking whatsoever is allowed. The roof light bar also incorporates a TV camera and a second camera located next to the rear number plate that allows the driver and co-driver to keep an eye on the Formula 1 cars.
The interior of the Mercedes SLS AMG Safety Car is almost identical to the production car, except of course for the two central monitors placed in the cockpit, which are used to monitor the progress of the race.
While the development of charging stations and wireless charging continues on a productive path, some people choose to charge their vehicles in a much more practical - and dedicated - fashion. We received a tip on an owner of a Fisker Karma in Paris that goes to great lengths - literally - to charge his hybrid sedan.
In the 16th District of Paris in "Place d’iena," where homes sell for about $3 million, a reader was able to take a picture of this Fisker Karma with its extension cord snaked out of its window. The extension cord was then stretched up to the owner’s window and undoubtedly plugged in to charge. As if that’s not ballsy enough in a neighborhood where thieves probably salivate at the opportunity of someone slipping up in their defenses, the owner left the car there overnight! This guy must really want to make sure his car is charged before going to work in the morning.
As a refresher, the Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid that uses a lithium-ion battery pack to power two 200+ hp electric motors for about 50 miles. Once the juice runs out of the batteries, a GM-sourced 2.0-liter gas engine producing 260 hp generates the electricity needed to power the sedan. Fisker says the Karma makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in less than 6 seconds and can hit a top speed of more than 125 mph.
Shortly after being named America’s favorite performance brand, Chevrolet is getting its celebratory balloons popped. A letter from General Motors has made its way to dealers stating that the production and shipment of the Camaro ZL1 has been stopped due to quality assessment. No other details have been provided, but it looks as though one of America’s favorite muscle cars will be joining the long list of models being delayed for unnecessary problems in production.
The only explanation Chevrolet has offered in their letter is the following: "We may have found a potential issue that we want to resolve." That’s it, except for that they add that the problem may take a few weeks to solve. That doesn’t necessarily sound like a minor issue to us.
Supporting the Chevrolet letter that has been sent out is a notice from a customer in Texas that says he was asked to bring his Camaro ZL1 back to the dealer so that it can be sent back to the plant.
Stay tuned as we will uncover more details of this Chevrolet setback!
Hit the jump to read the entire Chevrolet letter addressed to its dealers.
