Porsche enthusiasts will undoubtedly count the 997-generation 911 GT2 as one of the most extreme supercars ever to roll out of Stuttgart – right up there with the 959 and the Carrera GT. But where there's speed, there's always room for more speed, and the Swiss aren't about to stay neutral on this matter. Switzerland-based Sportec has just released its latest offering: the SP750. The tuning firm is known for producing seriously fast Porsches – including the 997 Turbo-based SP580 and the record-chasing SPR1 and SP600M Cayenne – and has put some serious effort into carrying on this legacy with the new SP750. Modifications to the GT2 – already very blitzschnell in its own right – are available in four increments, starting with the 600-hp Stage 1 and topping out with the full-on 750-hp Stage 4 kit, which includes new turbos, a revised ECU, titanium con-rods, a free-flowing exhaust and new camshafts, air filter and clutch. To control all that extra power, Sportec is also offering an upgraded brake kit with six-pot calipers and 350-380mm discs, plus a retuned suspension complemented by a revised aero kit and 20-inch rims. We'd hope the huge Swiss flag on the roof, which has become a hallmark of Sportec's creations, is optional. While it may protect the car from aerial bombardment, the planes would actually have to catch the car in the first place.
Cobb Tuning has re-engineered its AccessPort control unit for the new R35 Nissan GT-R. For those of you lucky enough to own a GT-R and not content with its performance out of the box, the $995 AccessPort will reflash the ECU to any one of six different tuning levels. There are three levels each for Stage 1 and Stage 2. Stage 1 can get you up to 63 additional ponies and 70 lb.-ft. of additional twist, while Stage 2 can boost the numbers by 70 and 90 respectively. The AccessPort can also save your stock ECU data and reflash it when you decide you're finished with all that extra gumption. According to a GT-R owner who tried it out, you can be blowing past all those regular GT-Rs in less than an hour. And that's not all: you can store multiple engine mapping programs, remove trouble codes, install reduced-power valet and economy modes, and update maps over the Internet. It seems like a ridiculously easy proposition for making your supercar that much more super. So if you got one of those GT-Rs that are a little low on horses, this could be just the ticket.
It's got the preposterously huge wing, and race-burlesque stripe job; could this Viper spotted at the Nurburgring possibly be a Viper ACR? The red and black Viper was nabbed on one of the 'Ring's cameras, and there's also reports of a black Viper with graphite stripes tearing around the German racing venue. While the pictures showed up on the Viperclub forums, nobody's got any lap times, unfortunately. Could the ACR turn laps as fast as the scorching GT-R or ZR1? Who knows, but there's no doubt that it'll be fast. That big, silly wing is acceptable in this instance, as it will actually work to enhance downforce on the drive wheels. It'd be the first thing removed for street duty, were we the owners of a Viper GTS. Alas, we're not Viper ACR owners, though the idea of an astoundingly fast car that can kill you if you don't know what you're doing just seems right in these days of electronic safety nets. Cowboy attitude aside, we hope that this Viper owner managed to not stuff it into any hazards, and that his lap times eventually bubble to the surface.
The RM sports and classic car auction is one of our favorite events during the Monterey weekend. The laid back atmosphere and incredible selection of cars makes the event a perennial occurrence on our schedule. This year's event was particularly impressive, especially the selection of classic Ferraris. No less than eight surpassed the million dollar mark (seven actually sold), capped by the $4.51 million dollar sale of a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB. Others breaking $1 million were a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 ($1,925,000), 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamica, and a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder ($1,485,000). A beautiful 1956 Ferrari 250 GT TDF Berlinetta had a top bid of $3.9 million but didn't meet the reserve.
Taking a hint from Ferrari and its California GT Countdown, and not wanting the Camaro and Challenger to get all the attention, Ford has launched its own 2010 Mustang countdown. While the new 'Stang won't hit the streets until next spring, 96 days separate us from its official unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show.In the run-up to the launch, Ford has invited fans of the original Pony Car to recount related stories on its new website, the2010mustang.com. Starting August 27, the site will give visitors the opportunity to share their tales, with the most compelling story winning the writer his very own 2010 Mustang, along with a trip to LA to see the wraps come off. In the meantime, you can sign up for email updates as Ford continues to tease us for the next three months.
With Ferrari's road and race cars taking advantage of the latest emerging technologies, someone inside the marketing department in Maranello has taken the bold initiative to bring the company's PR into the same realm by utilizing popular electronic media. For its latest supercar, the highly-anticipated Ferrari California, the company has been releasing bits and pieces on a dedicated, flash-enhanced website, and the latest installment has just hit cyberspace.For this episode, Ferrari has teamed up with the wiz-kids at Polyphony Digital who are the brains behind the Gran Turismo franchise. They offer up an adrenaline-pumping virtual reality video of the California racing through the virtual streets of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in the same style as the game's intro. And now that they have the car scanned, it shouldn't be long before you can download the California on your PS3 to drive in the game. We hope. Follow the Source link below, click "virtual test drive" and "play film" to watch the clip. Oh, and clear some time in your schedule, because the video will make you want to play video games all weekend.
Mainstream media has been quick to pile on Detroit automakers, which, along with some questionable Motown metal, has helped drive nationwide perception of the Big Three into the ground. Now that times are tough at traditional media outlets, well, that's Detroit's fault, too. Back in 2004, about $24 billion was doled out to television, print, and radio ads. Fast forward to 2008, and painfully slow sales coupled with cash-strapped automakers and dealerships have cut that number to about $15 billion. That's putting an Excursion-sized dent in the earnings of stalwart media companies like Viacom and Time Warner (Autoblog and Weblogs, Inc. are owned by Time Warner), as the media giants point directly towards Detroit and a soft auto market to explain their drop in revenue.
While times are tough on TV, print advertising is taking the brunt of the blow. Newspapers took a $131 million hit in the first quarter of 2008 as dealers have pulled back on full and half-page ads due to slow sales and limited cash flow. The proliferation of mainstream Internet advertising is also cutting into old media's profits, as automakers feel they're getting more bang for the buck with less expensive online ads. With the car market looking worse by the day and the unabated growth of Internet advertising, we don't expect this trend to reverse itself any time soon.
Are they really "one-of-a-kind," as stated by Kruse on its official auction page, if there are 25 of them going up for auction on the same day? That's not to say getting one of the 500 Hertz Shelby Mustang GT-H Convertibles (sheesh, that's a mouthful!) that were built in 2007 is a bad thing, but nobody really knows if these vehicles will ever really gain in value over more pedestrian versions of Ford's iconic pony car like their forebears have. Rest assured, though, you are not going to be bidding the same $250,000 that collector Ron Pratte paid for serial #001. For reference, the last batch of rent-a-racers that were auctioned off managed about $33K per unit.
The car itself is powered by a 319-horsepower version of Ford's ubiquitous 4.6-liter three-valve V8 engine mated to an automatic transmission -- perfect for the kind of top-down summer cruising that these vehicles are likely to see. If you want one of the 25 going up for auction, they'll be at the Kruse Select Auction in Monterey, CA next week.
In what may be the least shocking news you will read today, Volkswagen will indeed be launching a revised GTI model shortly after its recently revealed sixth-generation Golf (or, Rabbit, as it's known in the U.S.) hits the market. According to Autocar, the next GTI will steer even closer to its original hot hatch mission, with VW reportedly giving the new model a "harder edge" than the current GTI. Underhood, at least in Europe, will be the same 2.0L TFSI engine that powers the base Audi A5, featuring Audi's valvelift technology that helps it offer up 208 hp at 4300 RPM and 258 lb-ft at 1500 RPM. That ought to make for a very spirited, though still relatively frugal ride.
What may be even more interesting news, though, is the replacement for the R32 model. Volkswagen won't be keeping its narrow-angle V6 underhood any longer, instead opting for a high-boost 2.0L with 265 horses and an 'R' moniker. All-wheel drive is also on the menu. Sounds like a bargain Audi TT-S to us, to which we simply say, "yes, please."
Dozens of new vehicles are expected to appear in the forthcoming Transformers sequel, and we're excited by the possibility of seeing motorcycle transformers mix it up with an Audi R8 and a mystery Corvette. But after seeing these pics, it's obvious what the movie is really missing: a Nissan GT-R. Seriously, take a good look at the GT-R that we recently drove -- it's just begging for some sort of crazy robot-transforming goodness. At least toymaker Takara-Tomy sees in Godzilla what seems so obvious to us, as the Japanese company has worked up a new series of Transformer toys for a new series called "Alternity." Included in the series is the Nissan GT-R, of course.
Considering the off-screen battle that the Team Corvette has waged with the new hotness from Nissan, isn't the movie just begging for an epic, to-the-death fight scene?
