All About Car's: September 2008

Porsche Accuses Nissan of Cheating the GT-R Ring Record

Various sources are reporting that Porsche is accusing Nissan of cheating the Nissan GT-R Nurburgring record of 7:29. To test the claim made by Nissan, Porsche engineers say they bought a GT-R and put it against the Porsche 911 Turbo and the GT2. What they have discovered is that the GT-R was constantly getting lap times of 25 seconds slower than the claimed record.

Porsche believes that the GT-R used for the Ring record was not a series production car and that maybe, it was equipped with different tires that offered better grip.

The company also said the 911 Turbo and the GT2 used for comparison achieved better times than the Japanese sportscar. Porsche initiated this test of Nissan's claim because the 911 is heavier than the GT-R and has similar power, but did not get such a good lap time of the Nurburgring.

VW Golf IV by JMS

Now that the Volkswagen Golf is on it's VI generation, that means that it's prices go down on all previous generations, leaving more room in the budget for performance parts. This may be why JMS revealed today it's new tuning parts for the Golf IV. The new kit includes a front bumper with 3 big cutouts, the customer can choose black or silver vents, new side skirts, a new roof spoiler and a new rear bumper featuring 3 big cutouts with integrated exhaust cutters.

Also, a new coilover system from H&R was installed as well as a new set of Eta Beta 19 inch alloy wheels fitted with 225/35R19 tires. At the customer’s request, the tuner can install 18 inch ASA wheels fitted with 225/40R18 tires. Price of the kit: $6,600.

Lamborghini Paris Show Teaser No. 4

Here we go again… Lamborghini has just released the fourth consecutive teaser photo of its surprise Paris Show debut. The new photo reveals the mystery vehicle’s front headlamp and well, that’s about it. Makes you wonder how many other pictures will the Italian sports carmaker release before it actually shows us the whole car, because to be totally honest, we're getting a bit tired of the constant teasing. Which kind of spoils the whole surprise.

First Official Pictures of BMW X1

The Bavarian automaker’s X1 Concept will make its formal world premier at the Paris Motor Show in a few days time, but as often is the case the first official photos hit the web a bit earlier. Strip away those aluminum inserts on the X1 Concept and you can easily tell that what you see here is what you’ll get in late 2009 when BMW releases the production version of its baby SUV –slash- Crossover that will sit right under the X3 competing against the likes of the Toyota RAV-4 and VW Tiguan.

Citroen GT Concept in Gran Turismo Prologue

Citroen is really dragging its feet with the reveal of its GT concept.

Here's the latest photos that we've got our hands on, and it's still all looking pretty damn good.
The front wing we already know is going to be very aggressive, but what the hell is going on with that rear end?

The drawn out wing/table thing looks nuts. As does the lower carbon fibre splitter.
It's all for PS3's Gran Turismo Prologue game, which you'll be able to drive the GT concept in (hence the name).

But as that's it, we've no idea about the power train. Honestly though, with these looks and no chance of it ever really being made, who actually cares?

All we do care about is getting to the Paris motor show on Thursday so we can head straight do Citroen's stand.

Not Lambo or Ferrari, but Citroen! Who'd have thought?

A Ferrari That Won't Hit the Streets

Ever wondered how Ferrari may do a competitor for the Rapide and Panamera? Well, that’s a question very few have asked, but its still fun to see what Russian designer Krasnov Igor thinks how a Ferrari sedan may look.

Although an official four-door Ferrari has never existed, the supercar firm has come close. Both today’s Maserati Quattroporte and the Lancia Thema 8.32 of the 80s and 90s have their engines and other components sourced from Ferrari. Pininfarina made a few speciality sedans for wealthy customers (like the 456 for the Sultan of Brunei.) There have also been a few official design studies of prancing horse sedans, but Ferrari has been smart enough to stay out of the family car market, so far.

Mercedes-Benz Reveals SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S

As the era of the Mercedes McLaren SLR winds down to its conclusion sometime in 2009, Mercedes-Benz is releasing what may be the ultimate example of the breed. The SLR 722 S Roadster picks up where the 722 coupe left off dropping the 650-hp supercharged 5.5L V8 into the open top body shell. With a top speed of 220.6 mph, this may be the fastest open top production car ever built. And unlike the first generation Dodge Viper, Mercedes has devised a soft top that can withstand sustained 200 mph+ top speeds. Mercedes has tapped into McLaren's F1 experience to create the fully carbon-fiber body that can provide the structural integrity needed at those speeds. The semi-automatic top just needs to be unlatched from the windshield header manually before the rest of the process is handled by the electrical actuators. The vehicle dynamics are also aided by dropping the suspension by 10 mm at each end of the car and recalibrating the spring and damper rates. Only 150 examples of the 722 S Roadster will be made available starting Jan. 1 2009.

Source: Auto Blog

Lamborghini concept may be named Estoque, not Urus

While we've pretty much had it up to our Hans device with the speculation surrounding Lamborghini's Paris surprise, another salient detail has emerged about the rumored front-engined, four-door sedan due to be unveiled on Thursday at the Paris Motor Show.Previous reports about the Lamborghini concept wearing a Urus badge are thankfully bunk (who wants to drive a supercar named after a large bovine?) and World Car Fans has dropped the name Estoque (without citing any sources), which according to Encyclopedia Brittanica is a small blade that delivers the death blow to a bull at the end of a stadium fight. We're still more than a few days away from the official reveal, but in the meantime, enjoy the gallery of teasers below, along with the image above created by LamboPower member a007api.

Maserati GranTurismo MC Corse Concept: Photos & Video

Picture: Maserati GranTurismo MC Corse Concept.

Maserati has released the details of its new race car concept, the GranTurismo MC Corse. Developed by Maserati Racing Department engineers, the track-bound GranTurismo MC Concept is based on Maserati's flagship GranTurismo S. It comes with an upgraded engine along with a new intake system, catalytic converters and a center-exit exhaust enabling it to make 450 hp of power. Other modifications include an aero kit, 18-inch lightweight alloys, upgraded suspension and brake components and a FIA-approved rollcage.

GranTurismo MC Hi-Res Pics Pasted Below.

The Maserati Corse concept features two large air intakes along with new side air vents linked to the side skirts to improve air cooling for both the engine and the front brakes. The rear fenders are now wider to accommodate larger rear tires. Plus there are twin exit exhaust pipes integrated into the rear diffuser and the suspension has been upgraded to meet the track surface with new racing shocks and large racing slicks.

The MC Concept has been stripped of almost all the interior luxury that GranTurismo S possess. This weight saving exercise allowed it to gain a FIA-approved rollcage, a sole racing seat and a Sparco racing steering wheel while still weighing less than 1,400kg.

Maserati hasn't yet disclosed if the GranTurismo MC Corse concept is just a design exercise or an actual race car that we can soon hope to see in track events.

Source: carmagazine
Read More On: Maserati

Video: Testing the new Maserati Granturismo MC Concept at Monza circuit.

Photo Gallery: Maserati GranTurismo MC Corse Concept High-Res Pictures.

$2 Million In Speeding Tickets

What would you do with $2 million? Most people would not answer, "go on a speed rampage through Brazil". But it seems a guy from Sao Paulo found himself in this situation. The man went on a seven-year run (pun intended) where he didn’t even stop for red lights. Because the car was not registered in his name, he was able to rack up a combined $1.8 million in tickets and fines. Even worse is that he’s only got 90 days to pay off his almost decade-long string of infractions.

But don’t think this is some rich kid who will just write the police a quick check and be on his way. Authorities reported his vehicle as a 12-year-old car worth about $6,500.

Source: Top Speed

Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback and Ralliart

Less than a week before the new Lancer Sportback and its 240HP Ralliart sibling make their world debut at the Mondial De L’Automobile in Paris, Mitsubishi released a full set of images of both versions of the 5door Lancer hatchback or as we prefer to call it for apparent aesthetic reasons, hunchback.

More Pictures here ---> Car Scoop

2009 Acura TL AWD Get 6-Speed Manual Gearbox

It looks as though Acura’s trying to reach out to those that actually enjoy driving a car. Starting from next fall, the Japanese automaker will offer a new 6-speed manual gearbox on the 2010 TL SH-AWD model. Aside from the fact that it’s the first time that Acura has ever paired its all-wheel-drive system with a stick-shift, the new close-ratio 6-speed manual is approximately 110 lbs lighter than the Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission currently offered in the top-spec TL.

Furthermore, the 2010 TL SH-AWD 6MT models also benefit from suspension upgrades that include special coil spring and shock absorber rates tuned for flatter cornering with reduced pitching motions under acceleration and braking. The manual models also employ firmer engine and transmission bushings along with a sportier tuning for the steering wheel system.

According to Acura, the addition of a manual transmission, an all-new clutch system and suspension changes yield an 88 lb. reduction in overall vehicle weight and at the same time, improves weight distribution by 1-percent compared to the automatic model generating a 58/42 ratio versus the 5AT's 59/41 ratio.

Source: Car Scoop