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Branew to unveil tuner kit for new Nissan 370Z

Nissan sportscars – the Z included – are a popular base for tuners, so it should come as no surprise that, with the newly revised 370Z just revealed, the JDM aftermarket is already lining up with their range of extras. Next up to bat is Branew, the Japanese tuner whose GT-R we spotted at SEMA wearing giant 23-inch rims. The Branew 370Z offers a remapped ECU, tightened suspension and upgraded brakes, as well as an aero package complete with front spoiler, side skirts, rear diffuser and wing. A variety of wheel options in various unreasonable sizes are also expected to be offered when Branew unveils the full package in January at the Tokyo Auto Salon.
posted : 1/1/2009 @9:14:55 PM

SLR Stirling Moss won't be offered in North America (w/VIDEO)

With the exhibitors' roster for the upcoming 2009 Detroit Auto Show dwindling, you'd think that any cars being unveiled there might actually, you know, be available in North America. But according to reports, you'd be wrong. Mercedes-Benz is anticipated to unveil the million-dollar Stirling Moss edition SLR McLaren, but sources indicate that the limited-production topless supercar won't even be offered in the market in which it's being unveiled. No worries for Mercedes, which will likely have sold the full run of 75 SLR speedsters being offered exclusively to current SLR owners before the show concludes. Bad news for supercar owners in the U.S,, who'll just have to blow their extra million on another Veyron, Reventon or Koenigsegg instead.
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posted : 12/30/2008 @7:11:14 PM
Officially Official: McLaren SLR Stirling Moss to bow in Detroit

Things got just a bit brighter for the Detroit Auto Show. Mercedes-Benz will officially unveil what will surely be one of the most attention-grabbing cars in Cobo Hall, the 2009 McLaren SLR Stirling Moss. The boldly styled Merc will be the last vehicle built under the partnership with McLaren, and even at a cost of €750,000 Mercedes should have no trouble finding buyers for the 75-car allotment. Each will feature full carbon fiber bodywork wrapped over the standard version, a 650-hp supercharged 5.5-liter V8 and the five-speed automatic transplanted from the SLR 722. Despite lacking any sort of roof or proper windscreen, the Stirling Moss can still achieve a top speed of 217 mph and can reach 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds. Other unique features include "swing-wing" doors, a retractable air brake that can be operated manually and a two-piece tonneau cover (stored in the trunk) that can cover the entire cockpit or just the passenger seat.
posted : 12/22/2008 @8:41:33 PM
Rumormill: Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss roadster

We've seen quite a few spy photos of a lightweight speedster variant of the McLaren SLR supercar, but up until now we didn't know exactly what Mercedes-Benz had in store for us. Thanks to Dutch magazine AutoVisie and a scanner-wielding member of GermanCarZone.com, we now have a few more rendering and a possible name: Stirling Moss. The legendary British racecar driver won his first F1 Grand Prix in a Mercedes-Benz, and famously won the 1955 Mille Miglia in record time piloting a 300 SLR. The car to bear his name features a nearly identical version of the supercharged V8 in the standard SLR, although output is nearly on par with the SL65 AMG Black Series at 650 horsepower. That should allow the Stirling Moss SLR to hit 62 mph in under 3.5 seconds and on to a face-contorting top-speed of 205 mph. Beginning in June of 2009, 75 examples will be produced, with current SLR customers being the only people deemed worthy of piloting the McLaren SLR Stirling Moss.
posted : 12/22/2008 @8:33:44 PM
Honda commits to remaining motorsport programs after F1 pull out

The current economic climate has only just started to wreak havoc in the motorsports world, with last week's announcements that Honda is pulling out of F1 and Audi is leaving the American LeMans Series. Things are likely to get worse before they get better as other automakers, including those based in Detroit, will almost certainly cut racing programs and budgets. What won't be affected – at least for now – are Honda's non-F1 endeavors, including its motorcycle programs, the Indy Racing League and the American Le Mans Series. The ALMS and IRL programs are both operated by Honda Performance Development out of Torrance, CA. Unlike the F1 program, the IRL engine program generates revenue from the teams that lease these engines. The Acura ALMS program will definitely continue in 2009 as the team moves up from the LMP2 to the LMP1 class. The big bummer is that Acura won't have any competition from the Audi R10, which is leaving the ALMS next year.
posted : 12/22/2008 @2:24:20 PM

Megatron hides from humans in Nissan 370Z form

To go along with the recent addition of Alternity Convoy, a version of Optimus Prime in Japan that transforms into a Nissan GT-R, comes another new toy in the same series by TakaraTOMY. What bot would be a better followup to Prime than Megatron? Instead of the classic weapon shape that we've grown accustomed to for the ultimate Transformer baddie, Alternity Megatron's alt-mode is a Nissan 370Z. Here we have a problem, as Megatron's car mode takes a decided back seat to Prime's GT-R. Still, the GT-R and Fairlady Z (what they call the 370Z in Japan) are both made by Nissan and the two leaders are actually brothers in the Transformers universe.

No matter, as diehard Transformer fans are sure to overlook the obvious Decepticon snub. What they may not forgive, however, is Megatron dropping his cannon for a pair of swords.

Like Alternity Convoy, Megatron is officially licensed from Nissan and die cast in metal. Those wanting to get their hands on the latest Alternity bot can choose from silver or blue.

posted : 12/4/2008 @4:40:04 PM
IndyCars to go Italian? IRL in talks with Alfa Romeo

IndyCar teams and fans have grown accustomed to the proliferation of Italian racing car chassis as Dallara has been supplying them for the past eleven seasons, now all but exclusively. But with Honda's engine supply contract coming to a close, series organizers have been discussing new powertrain options with a number of manufacturers. Among them is Alfa Romeo, the Italian automaker widely anticipated to make a return to the North American market in the near future. This wouldn't be the first time Alfa Romeo has provided motivation for the largely American racing series, having participated in the late 80's and early 90's with a project adopted from Ferrari. However, despite the company's deep racing heritage, Alfa Romeo does not currently compete in any major form of motorsport since the N.Technology team stopped campaigning race-prepped 156 Super Turismos in the World Touring Car Championship. The responsibility for developing the IndyCar engines – 3.5-liter V8s under the current regulations, tipped to be replaced by turbocharged fours – would presumably fall to Fiat Powertrain Technologies, headed by Paolo Martinelli, formerly head of Scuderia Ferrari's engine program. Nothing's certain, however, since IRL organizers are also rumored to be discussing a renewal with Honda as well as with Audi, Porsche and an undisclosed fifth automaker.
posted : 10/21/2008 @7:39:19 PM
Indy to go turbo by 2011

Officials have confirmed that the newly reunified IndyCar series is contemplating a move to turbocharged engines by 2011. The move could entice more automakers – aside from Honda, which is the only engine manufacturer currently participating in the series – to join on as well. In a meeting held this past June, IRL officials spoke with a dozen automakers about joining the series, and several sounded enthusiastic at the prospect of switching from the current naturally-aspirated V8s to smaller turbocharged engines. The new formula would call for either four or six cylinders and either one or two spools, producing as much as 750 horsepower instead of the current 650. Officials expect three or four manufacturers to sign on to the new formula, which could be announced as early as December to give the manufacturers enough time to develop the new engines. Turbochargers had been common in American open-wheel racing, but after the IRL and Champ Cars split, the former switched to non-boosted V8s while the latter continued with turbos. The bulk of the formula for the reunited series, however, was based on the IRL regulations. Many of the drivers competing in the series have been pushing for the switch, and responded enthusiastically to the news.
posted : 9/13/2008 @3:18:08 AM
Penske Racing transporter goes up in flames en route to Infineon

Penske's Indy racing team suffered disaster early this morning when their transporter truck – en route from the team's headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina, to Sonoma, California – caught fire at 4 a.m. on Interstate 80 outside Cheyenne, Wyoming. The two Penske personnel on board managed to escape unharmed, but could not extinguish the fire, believed to have been caused by a faulty bearing in one of the trailer's wheels. They detached the truck cab from the burning trailer and could do nothing more but watch as an estimated $2 million worth of equipment – including two Dallara-Honda race cars – went up in flames. The truck was bringing the cars and other necessary equipment to the Infineon Raceway at Sears Point for this weekend's race, where Penske's Helio Castroneves hopes to close the 78-point gap on rival Scott Dixon in the third to last race of the season. However Castroneves' car was completely destroyed by the fire, along with that of team-mate Ryan Briscoe. Fortunately the team already has two test cars at the track where they were practicing earlier this week, which will now be converted to race duty. The team has also dispatched another transporter truck from North Carolina carrying two additional cars – useable only for spare parts as they're already set up for the oval-track race in Chicago – along with additional personnel and equipment, which will pick up the two stranded staffers in Wyoming and drop off four more to sift through the wreckage. Penske has a history of turning adverse circumstances into victory, having won at Kansas Speedway in 2006 shortly after the team's headquarters were decimated in a flood. At the 1987 Indianapolis 500, the team had to replace injured driver Danny Ongais with Al Unser Sr, and ditched its own car in favor of a retired March chassis that was sitting on display in a hotel lobby, which Unser drove to victory at the Brickyard. By the end of the weekend we'll know if Penske's penchant for overcoming disaster will carry through at Sears Point.
posted : 9/2/2008 @1:52:07 PM
tags : 240z , fairlady , iacoski , nissan
Design Study: Nissan 240/Fairlady Z successor

Nissan's plans for an affordable, rear-wheel-drive coupe to slot in below the current Z have been rumored for years and we've been informed that internal politics have killed off at least one revival of an iconic Datsun. If work ever gets underway on another budget coupe, Nissan should seriously pursue Polish designer Iacoski and his interpretation of a 240Z/Fairlady revival. Aft of the a-pillar, Iacoski's inspiration is clearly apparent, blending the old 240's slopping roofline and short rear overhangs with the muscular haunches and angled fender flares of the current 350Z. Up front, the Photoshop wizard retained the old Fairlady's elongated hood and power bulge, and matched them with a front air dam, bumper and headlamp arrangement influenced by the second GTR Proto concept.
posted : 9/2/2008 @1:31:04 PM
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