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).
The German tuners at Lumma Design have recently revealed their own customization program for the all new four door sports car, the Porsche Panamera. Tuning their attention to an all new design for 2010, the craftsmen at Lumma have moved their attention onto another high end German sedan, the all new Mercedes Benz E Class.
Starting off their new E Class offerings, Lumma Design has casted a new split ten spoke wheel that is available measuring from 21 inches to 22 inches in diameter with either a highly polished aluminum finish for the ultimate bling factor, or a matte black anodized coating that would be just perfect for the ultimate murdered out Mercedes Benz all depending on your automotive aftermarket styling preferences. No matter which size or finish you choose, the new wheels from Lumma give the E Class a very powerful presence thanks to their machined multi spoke design.
The fuel efficient Japanese automaker Toyota has just launch the Sai luxury hybrid sedan, a model based on the Lexus HS 250h, into its home market. The new four door Hybrid Synergy Drive sedan is both bigger and more luxurious than the automobile manufacturer’s current flagship hybrid, the Toyota Prius. With the Sai’s scheduled launch only a few days away at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota is taking a step forward to shake up the gas/electric car market.
Compared to the Lexus HS 250h, the new Toyota Sai features a distinct front end design with new head lamps, a unique hood, grill and bumper as we;; as a set of different taillights. On the inside, the new Sai gets its own instrument panel and center console design as well as a different steering wheel than the entry level Lexus hybrid.
However this where the differences end, under the hood the Sai features the same hybrid drive train as the Lexus HS 250h which includes a 2.4 Liter four cylinder engine running on an Atkinson cycle combined with an electric motor and a reduction gear to take over power train responsibilities when the gas burning engine isn’t required, when combined, the pair of conventional and electric motors can delver up to 190 HP. The Sai successfully bridges the gap between the entry level Prius hatchback and the more expensive Lexus HS 250h as far as the Japanese automaker Toyota’s lineup of hybrids is concerned.
The Japanese automaker Toyota has just launched an all new rear wheel drive luxury sedan for its home market called the Mark X. Built on the same platform as the Lexus GS, the new four door is powered by a choice of two engines, the first being a 2.5 Liter V6 that delivers a maximum output of 203 HP and is 15% more efficient than government regulations require as well as a powerful 3.5 Liter V6 that puts down a total of 318 HP. No matter which power plant you choose, both engines can be mated to Toyota’s gas sipping ECT six speed automatic transmission complete with sporty paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel. The Mark X is good for a 0 to 60 MPH sprint of about 8.3 seconds and will return an average of 49.2 MPG.
For 2010, the Toyota Mark X features a widened front bumper opening, a sporty mesh grill, wraparound taillights and very thick C pillar giving the car a very muscular appearance. Keeping with the Mark X’s luxurious theme, the upscale sedan offers a spacious interior for up to five passengers and driver amenities like an ergonomic leather wrapped steering wheel and motorized lumbar support that combine quality and precision evoking a feeling of pure driving pleasure.
The Mark X is also loaded with high tech gadgets like an adaptive radar based cruise control system, equipped with a brake-control function that can maintain a fixed distance from the car in front, adaptive front lighting system, hill start assist control, HDD navigation system with map on demand and a digital T.V. tuner as well as the automaker’s intelligent parking assist system.
The South Korean automaker Kia has just revealed the first images of the all new 2010 Cadenza, a mid size four door sedan that is slated to replace the Amanti here in the U.S. The Cadenza will make its world debut towards the end of this year at the Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai international motor shows in the middle east. On the exterior the new Cadenza looks almost identical to the identical to the KND-5 concept that Kia brought to the Seoul Motor Show earlier this year and features the same design language as the new compact Forte and second generation Kia Sorento.
After three distinct concept that came before, the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi made its world debut today. The Kizashi is the Japanese car company’s first premium midsize sedan and will go on sale in North America this winter, where it will compete with other import models like the Mazda6.
As expeced the Suzuki’s design is inspired by the three concept vehicles with its bold and aggressive appearance that is accentuated by the 18 inch alloy wheels and integrated dual sport exhaust. For the interior, Suzuki fitted a set of sport seats as standard equipment, an elegantly illuminated instrument panel, leather wrapped surfaces as well as iPod connectivity and optional streaming audio via Bluetooth.
Under the hood, Suzuki placed a 2.4 Liter DOHC inline four cylinder engine as standard equipment that is mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission or optional continuously variable transmission. The fun to drive Korean automaker is also working on a few other possible power train combinations that will be offered sometime in the future.
One of the things that makes the new BMW M3 coupe such an irresistible buy is that aside from the high revving 420 HP V8 under the hood, the two door sports car from Bavaria has an appealing panel of carbon fiber stretched across the top to replace the would be metal roof. This not only lowers the coupe’s center of gravity, but it also makes the M3 one of the sexiest sports cars on the road today. Unfortunately one of the biggest drawbacks of the more practical four door BMW M3 is that the oversized sheet of lightweight carbon fiber is not an option. So in the spirit of Günter Manhart who wanted an M3 style wagon but couldn’t buy one, so instead he created the Manhart Racing BMW M3 TV10 the tuners at IND have taken this four door V8 powered sedan and transformed it into the Individual Atlantis E90 M3 you see before you. The Atlantis Blue color comes from the car’s paint scheme that can vary from Estoril blue to Avus Green dependning on the angle that the light hits the car.
The goal of the tuners was not an over the top wild ride, but instead a tasteful creation that when completed would look as if it came off the assembly line in Regensburg. So aside from the hand crafted carbon fiber roof, the E90 received a subtle RD Sport front bumper, Challenge rear diffuser, a Dinan carbon fiber air intake, Rogue Engineering power pulleys, Active Autowerke engine software to make it all work together and an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system to finish off the almost factory looking power upgrades. The Neez Model 15 wheels are the only touch that could give this car away to the untrained eye, however as radical as the design may be they work extremely well with the car’s color scheme. Hidden behind the new rollers are a set of beefy Brembo brakes and a full KW coil over suspension to ensure that this M3 has no problem running circles around the one time sportier coupe.
Recently Bob Lutz, General Motors Vice Chairman, issued a challenge to the world in which he hopes to prove that the Cadillac CTS-V is hands down the fastest four door sports car on the market today. Mr. Lutz is inviting all comers with a stock production sedan to challenge the chairman’s best lap time around the Monticello Motor Club’s race track on October 29. If you are intersted in taking on the 556 HP CTS-V in your own fast four door then follow the link below.
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