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More 'Ring running: Maserati MC12 beats world's best in super comparo

Despite the fact there is no real "Official 'Ring Record" for production cars, manufacturers never miss the chance to time their fastest cars as they lap the famous German race track. After all, there's a great bit of marketing to be had by claiming that your car is faster than everything else. Maserati realizes this just as much as the next company, and the Italian automaker's MC12 is still 'super' even though it's now three years old. Perhaps even more so, as it recently managed to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in just 7:24.29. Not only is this an extremely fast time, it betters the marks set by such enviable performers as the Ferrari Enzo, Koenigsegg CCX, Pagani Zonda F Clubsport and Porsche Carrera GT. All of these cars are owned by one (very lucky) man and were tested with the same driver (American Le Mans Series racer Marc Basseng) at the same time and under the same conditions, while lap timing duties went to Europe's evo magazine. All of this lends a dose of credibility to the Trident's accomplishment that's lacking from the incredible 'Ring times that automakers have been claiming lately. So, while not all 'Ring times are created equal, some bragging rights now belong to Maserati.*
posted : 10/15/2008 @7:48:06 PM
VIDEO: 2009 Volkswagen GTI VI on the move

The 2009 Volkwagen Golf GTI has made its official debut today at the 2008 Paris Motor Show today, but it will be a few weeks if not months before anyone, let alone us, gets time behind the wheel to sample this rapid rabbit. Fortunately we've found some video of the new GTI being driven somewhere in the world by people other than us, and it looks like they're having fun doing it. GTI-ophiles will get their choice of three- or five-door models when the car arrives, though both will be powered by the same 2.0L TFSI four-cylinder producing 210 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual or DSG is offered, and new for '09 is an XDS electronic limited-slip differential. Feel free to watch it all in action after the jump, and don't worry, this video has no janky hair-metal soundtrack from the '80s. All you hear is the engine revving and road passing beneath the tires.
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posted : 10/5/2008 @5:32:54 PM
Paris 2008: 2009 Volkswagen GTI

We're still sour that the Scirocco isn't making it to our shores, but Volkswagen is throwing us a bone with the restyled 2009 MK VI GTI. The new front end made a successful transition from the low-slung hatch that's beyond our reach, finally eschewing the gaping maw that's afflicted Audi designs of late. Both three- and five-door variants were on hand here at the Paris Motor Show, and overall, we're even more smitten with version six then we were with the outgoing model. As reported previously, the new GTI is packing a revised 2.0-liter TFSI four putting out 210 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque through either a six-speed manual or DSG gearbox and on to the front wheels through a new electronic limited-slip differential (XDS). After spending some time inside we were reminded that VW (and Audi) still make some of the best interiors in the biz, with suitably supportive seats, confident switchgear and a small diameter steering wheel that we want to put under our pillow at night.
posted : 10/5/2008 @5:13:47 PM
Rumormill: Volkswagen working on GTI 'Plus', GTD, and R42

VW is going to make the most of its new GTI, with three models joining what has already been a well received hot hatch. A 'GTD' variant using a 2.0-liter common rail diesel will go into production in April 2009, with 170 horses and nearly 260 lb.-ft. moving through either a six-speed manual or VW's DSG gearbox. The GTD will be sold at an €800 premium over its gasoline brother, and will get to 62 mph about a second slower in return for longer hauls between refills. After that, toward the end of 2009, comes the GTI 'Plus' that will push the car dangerously close to the Audi S3 and may spell the end of the current R32. A 60 hp bump over the standard GTI takes the Plus up to 270. The fun-to-drive factor should be raised with a seven-speed DSG transmission, and handling mastery will come courtesy of a Haldex all-wheel-drive system. The capstone: to help everyone get over the current and rather underwhelming R32, the hottest hotness is supposed to come in 2010 in the form of an R42. Swapping the current V6 for a 2.5-liter, turbocharged 5-cylinder that it will share with Audi's TT-RS and RS3, the raunchy R is rumored to get a chest-hair-growing 350 hp. If Auto Motor und Sport are to be believed, it will start rolling out of factories in November of 2009 at an undisclosed price.
posted : 10/3/2008 @7:57:38 PM
Officially Official: 2010 Volkswagen GTI MK VI

We already saw the first images of the new MK VI Volkswagen GTI and we now have them in all their high-res glory courtesy of VW's German media site. As with the standard version of the Golf and the Scirocco, VW is abandoning the huge Audi-like grille of recent models in favor of something more subdued. The new GTI also harkens back to the original GTI of the late 1970s with its red-bordered grille. Under the hood, the new GTI gets the latest edition of the corporate 2.0L TFSI four cylinder cranking out 210 hp and a reasonably healthy 207 lb-ft of torque at just 1,800 rpm. The electronically controlled limited-slip XDS differential will help guide that torque to the wheel with the most grip and hopefully manage torque steer as well. The GTI is expected to hit 62 mph from a standing start in 7.2 seconds with a combined fuel efficiency on the EU cycle of 31.4 mpg. VW will start adding to the GTI's cumulative tally of 1.7 million units sold next spring in Europe and in the U.S. during the summer of 2009, while the regular Golf VI will hit our shores as the new Rabbit in the fall of 2009.
posted : 10/3/2008 @6:38:37 PM
BREAKING: First images of 2009 Volkwagen GTI MkVI surface

Since the GTI got its groove back with the MkV, fans of the original couple generations rejoiced. We're on the edge of our collective seats waiting for the official release of the MkVI version, and some images have found their way onto the internet tonight. Taking some inspiration from the awesome GTI W12 that attended Wörthersee, the front airdam echoes that car's wide maw. Foglamps are pushed out to the far corners to emphasize width, and out back the tailpipes follow suit. The look is fantastic in the refrigerator white the photo car is wearing; special but understated. Inside, the de rigeur plaid upholstery is in place, and things are spiffed up by metal accents and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. Underhood is a 207-hp TFSI engine, and the car comes with an electronic limited-slip differential called XDS and the Scirocco's adaptive chassis. Of course, DSG is available for snapping off quick gearchanges with no fuss. When you've got a good thing, why mess with success? We dig, and it'll be available in Spring, at which point we'll certainly bring you our driving impressions.
posted : 10/3/2008 @6:28:14 PM
Man avoids parking ticket by refusing to get out of carThis has got to be karmically bad, but you still have to admire the guy. Mr. Shah, a personal trainer living in West London, had illegally parked his E39 5-Series due to a misinterpretation of the parking signs near his home. The reason for the infraction was no matter to tow truck operators, who started winching the BMW up on a flatbed in order to cart the offending vehicle off to the pound. Thinking fast, Shah hopped on the truck and snuck into his vehicle's back seat, pretending to have been sleeping in the car the whole time. Rather than pay the £250 fine, Shah refused to leave the car, and instead listened to music and ordered a sandwich from a local cafe. After a couple of hours, the standoff eventually stymied both the owner of the tow company and the police, ultimately ending in the release of the vehicle. Shah may have dodged a bullet this time, even though he's on the hook for a £60 parking ticket, but the fickle finger of fate may yet to deal his payback.
posted : 10/2/2008 @4:40:46 PM
Next VW GTI puts out 210 hp, R version gets AWD and 270 hp

Volkswagen's high-performance plans for the new Golf will spawn three new models, beginning with the new 210 hp GTI set to debut in Paris and go on sale in the middle of 2009. According to Automotive News, the Mk. VI GTI will sprint to 60 in a tick above seven seconds and hit a top speed of around 150 mph. A performance-oriented diesel Golf, dubbed the GTD, will hit the market in April, putting out around 170 hp from its common-rail diesel, while a range-topping R model, available through Volkswagen Individual, will be churn out 270 hp, send power to all four wheels and will be equipped with an aero package that includes a "black gleaming diffuser." Sales of the R version will begin in November of 2009.
posted : 10/2/2008 @3:53:32 PM
Report: Volkswagen to unveil new GTI in Paris

Every time Porsche re-does its core product – the 911 – we anticipate a staggered roll-out of new derivatives. Now that Porsche has Volkswagen by the reins, we can expect VW to undertake the same as it unveils new versions of its core offering, known here as the Rabbit and elsewhere as the Golf, now out in the open in its sixth iteration. Short of a new R32, enthusiasts are undoubtedly looking forward most to the new GTI. And if the latest reports are any indication, Volkswagen won't be keeping its fans waiting any longer as the MkVI GTI is tipped to be unveiled next week at the Paris show. Of course we'll be on hand to see if that's the case, so stay tuned, sports(car) fans.
posted : 10/2/2008 @3:42:23 PM
Unofficial: Dodge Viper ACR laps 'Ring in record 7:22.1

We're not terribly surprised that the Dodge Viper ACR has apparently made it around the famed German racing circuit faster than pretty much anything else you'll find on a dealer's lot. After all, the ACR is a race car, as evidenced by the video that Motor Trend has posted. The most venomous Viper has done the deed in 7:22, fast enough to make grown men cry. To this blogger, the Viper is dead gorgeous, even with that yucky-but-functional rear wing on the ACR, and it definitely carries the spirit of hairy-chested cars of yore. The shifter wobbles around horrendously when the driver kisses the rev limiter a few times, and there even appears to be a flubbed shift near the end, so the ACR may have faster laps left in it. We're waiting on confirmation on whether or not this is an official lap, but it's certainly creating a stir, and the Viper wants to know, V-Spec who?
posted : 9/13/2008 @6:27:33 AM
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