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This ain’t your average tree hugger hybrid!!! Take a look at Porsche’s 918 RSR, which just rolled onto the company’s stage at the 2011 North American International Auto Show. It has a 563hp traditional gasoline engine mounted amidships, with a pair of electric motors powering the front wheels that bring the total power up to a whopping 767. The electric motors are not powered by a set of batteries, as in a traditional hybrid, rather they take their power from an inertial flywheel mounted where the passenger seat would be on a road car and spinning at up to 36,000rpm. That’s spun up by momentum when the car brakes and, when the driver hits a button, that momentum is converted to give an acceleratory boost.
That’s the same setup as the 911 GT3 RSR Hybrid, which ran reasonably successful last year. Its styling is obviously an extension of the 918 Spyder, with a number of cues taken from the incredibly successful Porsche 917 racer of the early ’70’s. At this point Porsche hasn’t indicated when this car will make its debut on the track, nor in which classes it will run, but one thing’s for clear: this isn’t for the road. So, we’re a bit disappointed we still haven’t any firm details on a production, street 918 — not that we could afford it anyway.
UFC 126 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 5, 2011 will headline two dynamic strikers in the middleweight division.
Current champion, Anderson “The Spider” Silva, will put his 12 consecutive victories in the UFC on the line against fellow Brazilian, “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort. This explosive match up has been destined for fruition since Belfort’s return to the UFC in 2009.
On February 5th, either the current champion Anderson Silva will remain the No. 1 middleweight in the world. Or, a new champion will reign supreme and history will be rewritten in Las Vegas as Vitor Belfort dethrones “The Spider” and becomes the UFC middleweight champion.
It’s back, the C-Class Coupe!!!
Set to launch next year, the 2012 C-Class Coupe has shed some of its camo, and has even given up its interior secrets. The C-Class Coupe will feature a revised interior that will also surface in the updated version of the C-Class sedan.
The C-Class Coupe will be developed and produced at the Bremen plant, on the same assembly line as three existing models.
Mercedes stopped short of releasing specifics on the C-Class Coupe, stopping simply at confirming a 2011 introduction and the whereabouts of its origin. The current C-Class offering price from $33,600 in the U.S., and start with a base 3.0-liter 228 horsepower V6 with a rear-wheel drive platform. The C-Class also offers a 268 horsepower 3.5-liter V6, but commands a $6,000 premium for its 40 horsepower improvement.
We expect the same aforementioned drivetrains to be offered on the C-Class Coupe at its introduction, with a future AMG model like that of the existing C63 AMG Sedan – starting at $57,350 and powered by a 451 horsepower 6.3-liter V8 – a possibility. Although an AMG variant is almost certainly in the cards for the C-Class Coupe, everybody anticipates a switch to a smaller 5.5-liter V8, coupled with twin-turbochargers as Mercedes moves towards smaller, more fuel efficient engines.
Mercedes’ Bremen plant, where the C-Class Coupe will be produced in 2011, is a massive facility that operates a flexible assembly line, which currently produces the C-Class Saloon, C-Class Estate and GLK. Starting with the 2011, Mercedes will add the C-Class Coupe to the same assembly line.
“The decision by the Board of Management to produce the Coupé version of the current C-Class here in Bremen as well represents another important milestone on our way to becoming Mercedes’ competence centre for the C-Class and is a clear sign of the trust in the Bremen team’s capabilities and standards,” says Peter Schabert, head of Mercedes-Benz’ Bremen plant.
For five minutes, Gray Maynard looked like the best 155-pound fighter in the world, but he could not extinguish the considerable fire housed within UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
Some say there was little “Resolution” in UFC 125 as Edgar retained his title in a hotly contested draw with Maynard on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, weathering a first round in which he was brutalized by nearly 100 power punches from the challenger. Two judges scored it 48-46, one for Maynard and another for Edgar. A third saw it a 47-47 deadlock.
“It was a great fight,” Edgar said. “Gray came in hard. S—, I don’t know.”
That Edgar reached Round 2 was a monumental feat in itself. Clocked by a ringing left hook a little more than a minute into the match, he was on his heels for the remainder of the first round. Maynard appeared close to finishing it on a number of occasions, as he waylaid the champion with a relentless volley of punches, highlighted by a pair of wicked right uppercuts. Miraculously, Edgar stayed alive, even as he teetered on the brink. When asked what he remembered about the first five minutes, he replied, “Not much.”
Maynard’s pace slowed noticeably in the second round, and Edgar crept back into the fight. His speed, footwork and quick combinations returned, along with a powerful slam that wowed the Sin City crowd. The back-and-forth encounter spilled into round three, as Maynard answered with power punches and a pair of takedowns of his own.
Edgar secured two takedowns in the fourth and threatened his challenger with a standing guillotine choke against the cage. Maynard escaped and pushed the fight into the final round. There, Edgar utilized a variety of strikes — combinations, jabs and knees to the head and body — to keep Maynard guessing and the 155-pound belt around his waist. They traded blows at the end of it, providing a fitting finish to a memorable rematch.
“Felt good,” Edgar said. “Felt like the first round didn’t happen. It was a close fight. What are you going to do?”
Maynard, still unbeaten as a professional, did not feel the draw did his performance justice.
“I kind of punched myself out in the first [round], so [in] round two, I couldn’t really go that hard,” he said. “But I thought I won one, three and five. Five was a close one, but I think I pushed the pace, and I thought I won. That’s what I thought. I thought it was a 10-8 [first round] and then me in the third and me in the fifth.”
2012 Mercedes Benz C-Class sedan
Mercedes-Benz will unveil its face-lifted 2012 C-Class sedan next month at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show and will begin shipping cars to U.S. dealers next summer. The updated C-Class gets restyled front and rear ends. The cockpit features a new instrument panel with a high-resolution color display.
For the U.S. market, the 2012 C-Class sedan will be offered initially in three variants. The C250 is powered by a new twin-turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder engine delivering 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque. The C300 4Matic features a 228-hp V6 with 221 lb-ft of torque and all-wheel drive. The C350 gets a new direct-injection V6 with 302 hp and 273 lb-ft.
Among the new optional driver-assistance systems for the 2012 C-Class are adaptive high-beam assist, Park Assist with Parktronic, lane-keeping assist and blind spot assist. The Attention Assist drowsiness detection system will come standard.
Sometime after introduction, look for a C-Class AMG Black Series with twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 as a potential M3 killer.
The Lotus Exos T125 is an F1 race car in all but a few ways. The company’s building twenty five of ’em, selling each for a cool $1 million and forming a private racing league for the owners. Totally. Awesome. Think of the Lotus Exos program as the most brilliant F1 development strategy in history. Lotus is returning to F1, having announced their new F1-car and begun development testing already. The competition is fierce though, and development costs for the series are phenomenal, so what if there was a way to offset the cost and get some additional development while not breaking F1’s testing ban? That’s basically the Exos. Of course, that’s not the “official” story, but a wink’s as good as a nod.
The 1,433 lb Exos is an all carbon fiber F1-style race car fitted with a 650 HP Cosworth V8 with a blistering 10,300 RPM red line, an on-board starter, and a (get this!) 2,800-mile tear down schedule. That’s like sending the space shuttle up a half-dozen times before servicing it. As awesome as the machine is, the really slick part is the program surrounding it. Lotus will be forming the “Exos Club,” something that might be considered the greatest owner’s experience ever conceived.
The Exos Club’s perks read like every racing fantasy you’ve ever had. The owners will go through rigorous drivers training managed by a collection of engineers, race drivers, mechanics and physical trainers and physicians. The owner will be honed into a legitimate racing driver in not just the mental but the physical. Then, beginning in 2011, Lotus will put on five races for the owners across Europe.
The upcoming Lamborghini LP700
New details on the upcoming Lamborghini LP700-4, pictured here thanks to a rendering by Graphicar.it, have emerged from a leaked dealer ordering guide. Oddly enough, the document still just refers to the model as the LP 700-4, as Lamborghini is still putting off an announcement as to the name of the car, which reports have as the Aventador.
The document confirms the impressive power and performance specs on the LP 700-4. Powering the supercar is a 6.5 liter V12 producing 690 bhp and 509 lb-ft of torque. The engine is coupled to a 7-speed independent shift rod transmission with shift times of just 50 milliseconds. The model also features a Haldex all-wheel drive system.
With a curb weight of just 3,472 pounds, that’s all good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint time of 2.8 seconds and top speed is 217 mph. Options such as a transparent bonnet and yellow or orange-colored brake calipers are on offer. Finish options include the new Arancio Argos (orange color) paint in a pearl effect, as well as a selection of matte finishes, and bi-color interiors such as the Sportivo with Alcantara.
Audi has proven itself to be the dominant force in Le Mans prototype racing over the course of the past decade, but to stay on top, any team — regardless of past successes — needs to have some of the best equipment available. Audi hopes its new R18 LMP car, unveiled late last week, proves to be precisely that.
Audi’s new LMP car is still diesel-powered, but in order to comply with new FIA regulations, engineers had to dial back the displacement from the outgoing R15+. As a result, the R18 now uses a 3.7-liter turbo-diesel V-6, a far cry from the 5.5-liter TDI V-10s found in the R10, R15, and R15 Plus. Other driveline modifications include the gearbox; the R18 uses a six-speed sequential gearbox in lieu of last year’s five-cog unit.
A smaller engine does trigger a loss in power, but Audi’s team focused on ways on using every last ounce of energy packed within the R18. As a result, attention was focused on the car’s aerodynamics in order to help reduce drag and increase efficiency. Wind tunnel testing forced a number of changes, notably the enclosed cockpit — a feature we haven’t seen on Audi LMP cars since the 1999 R8C.
Overall, the R18 looks drastically different than the company’s previous LMP cars. Regulations required the new car to utilize equally-sized wheels in front and back, which in turn forced designers to add some very pronounced wheel arches. The FIA also forced Audi to adopt a large dorsal fin running along the top of the engine compartment, but the headlamps — which incorporate LED lighting and accent pipes — are certainly Audi-designed accoutrements.
The new R18 will make its competitive debut at the Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on May 8th. Audi plans to enter no less than three R18 s for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race on June 11th and 12th. In total, the new R18 will contend in six races for the 2011 season, including the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta on October 1st.
The new 1 M Coupe: The spirt of an e30 M in a new body.
Widened fenders and track. M3 Brakes – 14.2 inch front, 13.8 inch rear. M3 GTS competition wheels – 19×9” with 245/35/19 tires front and 19×10” w/ 265/35/19 tires rear. Weight balance of 51.7% front 48.3% rear.
Twin-turbocharged, all aluminum, 3.0L inline 6 cylinder engine, with direct injection. 335hp @ 5900rpm, 332lb-ft torque from 1500-4500rpm (with +37lb-ft overboost), 7,000 rpm redline. 4.7 second 0-60mph / 4.9 second 0-100kmh, 13.2 second quarter mile.
Audi Quattro, will it be a reality?
Loosely based on the Audi RS5, the Audi Quattro concept sits on a wheelbase that has been shorted by almost 6 inches. The rear overhang was shortened by 7.9 inches, and the roofline was lowered by 1.6 inches. Together, these reductions add up to a much tighter package and very aggressive look. To help bring the weight down to 2,900 pounds, roughly the same weight as the 1984 Sport Quattro, Audi replaced the steel body of the production RS5 with a custom aluminum spaceframe, covered with carbon fiber panels. The RS5’s V-8 and dual-clutch transmission was also swapped out for a turbocharged five-cylinder and a manual six-speed gearbox (another nod to the original car), further reducing weight.
With the exception of wheels, tailpipes, and a signature set of Audi LED light banks, the exterior is pretty straightforward. As a world first, the LED headlights boast dynamic components that vary from horizontal to vertical, and from slit-eyed to wide open. Instead of conventional turn signals, the new light units integrate amber streaks out front and moving yellow brackets at the rear.
Top Gear USA has been buzzing around the Interwebz for a while now. It has been a rocky start for the show to say the lesat. It started in 2005 when Discovery Channel made a pilot of the show featuring actor and IHRA driver Bruno Massel as one of the hosts, but it was not picked up by the network. NBC announced, in January 2008, that it had ordered a pilot for an American version of the show, retitled Sixth Gear. BBC Worldwide has been contracted to produce the pilot for NBC.
On June 16, 2008, NBC and BBC officially announced an American version of Top Gear, to be hosted by Adam Carolla, Tanner Foust and Eric Stromer. The studio segments for the pilot were taped on July 26, 2008 to generally favorable reviews citing close following of the UK version’s format. NBC was expected to have Top Gear premiere as a mid-season replacement in 2009.
On December 11, 2008, NBC reversed its decision to place the show as a mid-season replacement, citing concerns about the potential success of a car-themed show in light of the failure of Knight Rider. NBC allowed the BBC to shop it around to cable networks to possibly pick it up. In February 2009 Jeremy Clarkson stated that the American version had been “canned”, claiming that focus groups “… just don’t understand a single word we’re on about. They just don’t get it really.”
Jay Leno, who originally turned down offers to host the show, expressed concern over whether or not a show like Top Gear could be successful in America. In a column published by The Sunday Times, Leno expresses concern that an American version could lack the critical reviews the British version is known for. The British show is produced for the BBC with public funds while the American show will air on commercial television. Leno believes that the show may have to worry about offending current and potential sponsors by giving their products poor reviews, leading to a compromise in the journalistic integrity and freedom of the original show.
On August 6, 2010, the first Top Gear trailer was published on the web, giving fans a preview on what to expect on the upcoming episodes to be broadcast on the History Channel. In this trailer, new hosts Adam Ferrara, Tanner Foust, and Rutledge Wood are seen participating in a Moonshine Challenge and Tanner Foust also takes a Dodge Viper for a test drive.
Well finally the first episode aired Sunday evening on the history channel. The Show has had mixed reviews from Top Gear U.K. fans. Although it is not as good as the U.K. version and might never be, it shows promise. The show is enjoyable but still very new. A key factor for the show is the relationship between the host. While Clarkson, Hammond, & May have had years to work on their relatinship our new host have had none and it shows. The First episode felt a little fake and forced. Over all it needs more polish that time will bring. Our source told us that what he saw of upcoming episodes will be much better. We will stand watch with anticipation and delight. We have faith boys do us well.
2011 Porsche Cayman R
Porsche announced a few days ago it would bring their newest car to LA? Here it is! It’s called the Cayman R, with R standing for responsive and refined, and of course racing. The name pays tribute to the first Porsche with the “R” designation, the 911 R of 1967. It will go on sale in February 2011, at a price of $66,300.
What makes the difference between a standard Cayman and the R version? First the engine. The Cayman R is powered by a tuned-up 3.4-liter six-cylinder engine that develops 330 HP. The the sprint from 0 to 60 mph, now made in 4.9 seconds (or 4.7 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono packages) and the top speed of 175 mph with the manual gear box , or 174 mph with the PDK.
But that’s not all. With the new Cayman R, Porsche also focused on reducing the car’s weight. For that the company used only lightweight components and renounced any convenience equipment. There’s also a new set 19 inch light wheels. The result is a total weight of 2855 lbs and a power-to-weight ratio of 8.6 lb per horsepower.
For the exterior, the Cayman R gets a distinctive fixed rear spoiler, high-quality silver-painted wheels and numerous sporting highlights. Those highlights also consist of black-framed headlights , black exterior mirrors and the “PORSCHE” lettering on the side in contrasting black or silver, depending on the body color.