Now under control of the Swedish super car manufacturerKoenigsegg, SAAB is currently enjoying a bit of a revitalization and in doing so took the wraps off of their latest generation 9-5 sedan at the 2009 Miami Auto Show. Although the new car made it’s international debut in Frankfurt, this 9-5 is still new to North America and the South Florida Show marks the car’s first appearance here in the U.S. The nose of the new 9-5 sedan is inspired by the Aero-X Concept featuring a deep grille flanked with curving, ice-block headlamp units. The entire greenhouse is presented as a ‘wraparound’ mono graphic, the disguised windshield and side pillars giving the cabin Saab’s signature cockpit look. Squint slightly, and the proportions of the windshield and roof become reminiscent of the classic 900 model. The new car comes with a variety of engine options, however here in the U.S. SAAB expects the 2.8 Liter turbocharged V6 engine that puts out approximately 300 HP to be the big seller.
Aside from fast Ferrari’s, the high performance retailer, the Collection also handles sales duty for the German sports car maker Porsche. They did have a low slung Cayenne Transsyberia and a few Boxsters on display, but all eyes were on the new four door sports car that made its world debut back in Frankfurt, the Panamera. Starting at just under $90,000 for a 400 HP direct injected V8 powered Panamera S complete with Porsche’s new PDK gearbox, these cars will be on sale sometime soon next year, but the best part of all is that the 520 HP turbocharged super sedan will also show up in showrooms at the same time, we can’t wait.
Mitsubishi brought their wingless wonder, the Lancer Evolution MR Touring to the Miami Auto show. This more discreet EVO X is a more upscale trend then we are used to from the Japanese budget super car maker, traditionally they would offer stripped down lightweight versions, where the large box shaped aerofoil is ditched for weight reduction reasons along with a radio and sound deadening. However as the Playstation generation grows up and gets jobs, heavily bolstered leather wrapped Recaro racing buckets await the driver as well as Mitsubishi’s new SST six speed sequential manual gearbox to go along with a more reserved EVO that can now hopefully fly under the radar, that is the blingtastic mirror covers don’t set off any alarms.
Kicherer has revealed a new tuning package for the new E-Class with the AMG bodywork. The exterior package includes a carbon front spoiler for a plus in downforce on the front axle, a side skirt kit with integrated carbon tubes for better channeling of air stream on the flanks and a rear spoiler which is optionally available in carbon or also in matching car color.
The Kicherer E-Class sits on 20 inches RS-1 lightweight wheels and on the interior it gets self-developed ergonomic leather sports steering wheel on offer, as well as a foot mat set with exclusive leather border.
With the future Audi A7, the Ingolstadt company is preparing to fill the gap between the A6 and the A8, but also between sedan and Avant. A five-seter model, featuring Audi’s language design previewed by the Sportback Concept back in January, the A7 Sportback will be sold in three different version: the standard A7, a more powerful S7, and the top of the line RS7.
Under the hood of the future A7, Audi will use three different direct gasoline injection engines including a 2.8 Liter FSI and 3.0 Liter TFSI V6s as well as a 4.0 Liter TFSI V8. The alternatively fueled diesel options include a 2.7 Liter V6 and both turbocharged and twin-turbocharged versions of the existing 3.0 Liter TDI V6.
The S7 version will use the same naturally aspirated 5.2L V10 engine from the S6 that delivers 435 hp at 6,800 rpm and 398 lb.-ft of torque. The S7 will be capable of an estimated top speed of 185 mph (but most likely will be electronically limited to 155 mph).
The German car builders at Mercedes Benz are going that extra step to make the very popular and powerful C63 AMG a much more potent performance machine. By concentrating on a few specific parts, the engineers at AMG have raised the output of the Baby AMG up to nearly 500 HP while adding in a very exotic braking setup as well as a few aesthetic touches.
The C63 AMG Performance Package Plus is easily identifiable by its subtle carbon fiber spoiler perched atop the rear deck lid and red AMG branded brake calipers all around. With the performance upgrades that AMG had in store for the C63 Plus, a very sophisticated set of front brakes were in order. The result is a specially designed carbon composite rotor that connects to a unique aluminum hat that is designed to not only stop the car more efficiently but transfer heat more effectively as well. On the inside, the Mercedes Benz design team decided to set this C63 apart from the rest by incorporating a nappa leather/Alcantara steering wheel and some of their signature black Designo leather for the upholstery.
Under the hood, AMG’s engine builders swapped out a few of the 6.2 Liter V8’s moving parts in favor of lightweight forged units like the pistons from the SLS super car, new connecting rods and a new crankshaft that together drop about 6 pounds off the internal assembly’s reciprocating mass. This means that the engine not only makes an additional 30 HP, bringing maximum output up to 487 HP, but the V8 will rev a little easier as well. This means that the C63 AMG Performance Package Plus is able to sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 4.4 seconds, however the compact super sedan’s top speed is still limited to 155 MPH.
The German tuning house speedART has just revealed a new performance package for Porsche’s newest four door sports car, the Panamera Turbo. The speedART kit consists of a series of slight aerodynamic modifications to the Panamera’s exterior and a free flowing exhaust system underneath that takes the new Porsche’s tone and turns it up a notch transforming the Porsche four seater sport sedan into a true screaming super car. The body kit is made up of a more aggressive chin spoiler and a set of lower hanging side skirts that make the turbocharged Porsche look as if it were scraping along the pavement. Although the new stainless steel exhaust only adds an additional 20 HP and 15 lb-ft of torque thanks to an increased diameter and a pair of high flow sport catalysts, the high performance pluming goes a long way towards making the Panamera into a beast of a different nature.
Considering Bob Lutz’s recent challenge to take on any and all four door sports car competitors with a Cadillac CTS-V, it got us thinking about what four wheeled machine would be the perfect choice to bring to the Monticello Motor Club on October 29. At first we figured that a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution with its Audi R8 super car like handling might be able to keep up with the supercharged Cadillac sedan, but whereas the EVO X is only packing about 300 HP, the CTS-V is putting down a total of 556 HP. The next obvious choice would be a twin turbocharged V8 powered Porsche Panamera, however those aren’t scheduled to arrive until next year.
That is when it hit us, what would be better than a 1000 HP all wheel drive Bugatti super car to take on the bad boy from Cadillac. While this rendering displays a GT spec Galiber ready for the grid at Le Mans with its oversized rear wing and quad turbocharged 16 cylinder engine poking through the openings in the hood, the standard Bugatti super sedan will make use of the same 8.0 Liter W16 that powers its big brother the Veyron. Although it might be harder to get your hands on a Galiber than Naomi Campbell’s backside, it just might be the perfect street legal four door to take on GM’s Vice Chairman, that is as long as the straightaways are long enough.
New sedans usually aren’t that exciting, but Subaru was able to take the Legacy from a concept version at the Geneva Motor Show in March to a production to be shown next week in New York.
We like the Legacy because of the distinction it provides. For those who choose the family sedan, it can sometimes be hard to stick out from the crowd without taking styling to the extreme. The Legacy has always been relatively attractive and is distinctively a Japanese sedan. It’s also sold in numbers in the U.S. that ensure it won’t get lost in the mall parking lot.
When the new Legacy arrives for the 2010 model year, the engine lineup will be improved. The base 2.5-liter boxer four cylinder makes the same 170 hp as in the previous model, but Subaru claims the fuel economy is improved. The turbocharged version of this engine available in the 2.5GT has been raised from 243 hp to 265 hp. The line is now topped by a 3.6-liter six cylinder boxer engine (its the one from the WRX). It offers 11 more hp than the 3.0-liter unit it replaces, and this one runs on regular gas (the 3.0 required premium fuel).
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