BMW Concept CS

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BMW is signalling that soon, the fight of the giants from the premium category will be much tuffer also in the Gran Turismo sport segment. In other words, Maserati Gran Turismo and especially Mercedes Benz CLS will have from the part of the constructor vabaver a great competitor.BMW has presented at the end of last week the prototype of a four-door luxury car, as result of the BMW experience in what concern the production of models capable of offering exceptional performances and excellent comfort for more than two passengers.BMW Concept CS is (for now) a study for a Gran Turismo car from the luxury segment, with modern and sophisticated design, in a modern interpretation of the premium model, with great attention to detail, refined material choice and an exceptional execution. The body is according to the European style standards, with accent on the fluid aspect, with lowered pavilion and weight centre and increased axle base, while the interior is dominated with an innovative design, where a great attention has been given to functionality. The sport chairs best illustrate Ergonomy and comfort for the four passengers.The exterior design is expressive, dynamic with a reinterpretation of the classical BMW line. The sporty characters accentuated by the aerodynamic profile, the curved wings and the rims made of light alloy on 21 inches. The elegance and the innovation are completed by the LED technology used at headlights and by the elongate posterior optical groups covered in clear glass.At the interior, the attention is drawn by the “stratified” surfaces and by the important controls ergonomically placed the comfort in driving being offered by the optimal placement of controls and displays. The interior superior quality finishing is underlined by the contrasting colours, the leather surfaces and the introduction of ceramic materials on controls. The engine is a 6.0 liter V12, which is actually the M5 5.0 liter V10 with 2 extra cylinders.If this concept will become reality in the series production and how hard it will be for BMW to fight a market segment that is now at full development, it remains to be seen.

April 23, 2007 at 4:50 am | 1 comment

Ruf CTR3

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RUF has announced the release of the brand new CTR3 during the grand opening of a new RUF facility in Bahrain. Twenty years ago the first CTR called the Yellow bird entered the market, followed by the second one ten years later. Both generations had the engines in the rear which makes the difference between them and the new RIF CTR3 which brings the mid engine design, but all three of them keep the feel of a pure driving machine.The new super car’ s development brings great driving stability, very good balance and agile handling through the mid engine design. The aerodynamic body-great for high speed is made of steel combined with aluminium and kevlar-carbon.Safety is very important for supercars and the new CTR 3 makes no exception from the rule and uses the latest version of the RUF Integrated Roll Cage, which protects the passenger compartment. Also, front hood and doors are made of aluminium and they have integrated side impact protection beams.With a very long experience in turbo charged boxer engines, RUF has chosen as propeller for the new supercar the 3.8 litter flat six cylinder engine which has an output of 700 bhp at 7,000 rpm and torque is 657 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm. The new CTR3 can go from 0 to 62 miles/h in 3.2 sec and can reach a top speed of 235 mph.New design has been also used in construction of the sequential shift six speed transmission which can handle a maximum of 885lb-ft.High performance, written all over the new supercar couldn’t have missed from the brake system: the two front axles use 6 piston fixed light alloy callipers and ventilated, cross drilled ceramic composite discs and each one of them has a diameter of 380 mm.The front wheels have central locking and are forged aluminium with 255/35 ZR19 tires and at the rear 335/30 ZR20 tires are mounted on 12.5 X 20 wheels. The customers can order the car with personal interior design and they can choose from lightweight finish to sporty luxury finish with special leather and alcantera.

April 23, 2007 at 3:33 am | No comment

Audi Abt R8 Supercar

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Abt Sportsline’s R8 is one of those amazing supercars which is able to bring the magic to the experienced exclusive driver. The new supercar can easily compete with dream cars like Lamborghini’s Gallardo, Ferrari’s F430 or Porsche’s 911 Turbo.
The pure sang racing genes are recognised by the first press reviews which agree that the Kempten based tuner managers have done a great job in developing a great serial model like R8.Roadholding is a special feature of the R8 and is achieved through, unique design of the rear with four inclined exhaust end pipes, rear diffuser and extravagant rear wing.The sideblades and side skirts developed especially for the new ABT R8 enhance aerodynamics. Downforce is improved with add-on parts from super sports cars in the Allg’u-region. This way perfect balance of the front and rear axis is provided and this is a characteristic found only in a few exclusive sports cars.The body is constructed using carbon-fibre parts with high precision and attention to detail and this way it provides great weight reduction and weight distribution, very important feature for high speed range cars.
High tech design touches from Kempten competing with from Maranello or Sant-Agata-Bolognese- will make this car a dream come true for the passionate top class drivers.The engine is a 4.2 litre V8 supercharger, which will bring ecstasy with its 530 Bavarian horsepower, which means 110 HP difference from the serial model. 3.9 seconds is how much it takes the Abt to get from 0 to 100 km/h, being able to reach a top speed of 317 Km/h.As mandatory as the expectations of the driver are, they can certainly be fulfilled by the adjustable in height, pressure and rebound means of suspension.

April 20, 2007 at 9:03 am | No comment

Subaru Impreza WRX 2008

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New York International Auto Show hosts the unveiling of the new Subaru Impreza, which will be out on the market starting from this summer.Comfort is the perfect word to describe the brand new Subaru concept, along with utility and safety (offered by Subaru Symmetrical AWD -All-Wheel drive with the Horizontally Opposed engine) and completed by very sophisticated interior and exterior design lines.The Chassis is completely redesigned along with the bodyconstruction and drivertrain. All performances are improved which gives the driver the pleasure of a very nice ride with pretty easy, agile handling and advanced safety and environmental friendly conditions. Stability has been improved by mounting the engine a little bit lower in the chassis.Modifications have been made to the 2.5 litre SHOC normally aspirated engine which make improved low-end torque and fuel efficiency possible. The output characteristics of the 2.5 Boxer engine comes with a very practical range of driving speeds. The car comes also with enhanced emissions achieved by using a new catalyst system.The exterior styling shines through very good body proportions and quality details which transmits both the sense of speed and individuality. The 2008 Subaru Impreza will be available for orders in 4-door and 5-door versions.More comfort you can find on the inside, where the aluminium look insets in the centre panel, the navigation screen, the audio displays, the vehicle information and the double stitched seat fabrics all inspire a high-level of quality.

Bellow, you can see the main technical specifications:

* Engine Type: Turbocharged Flat-4
* Displacement cu in (cc): 150 (2457)
* Power bhp (kW) at RPM: 224(167) / 5200
* Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM: 226(306) / 2800
* Redline at RPM: n.a.
* Brakes & Tires Brakes F/R: ABS, vented disc/vented disc
* Tires F-R: 205/50 R17
* Driveline: All Wheel Drive
* Exterior Dimensions & Weight
* Length – Width – Height in: 180.3 – 68.5 – 58.1
* Weight lb (kg): 3142 (1425)
* Performance Acceleration 0-62 mph s: n.a.
* Top Speed mph (km/h): n.a.
* Fuel Economy EPA city/highway mpg (l/100 km): n.a.

April 20, 2007 at 8:58 am | 3 comments

BMW Z9

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The Z9 Gran Turismo concept car has been revealed in 1999, at the Frankfurt Auto Show. It will be making now an entrance on North American Market, with the presentation debut at the New York International Auto Show.
The interior has all the new technology and a very ergonomic design.
The Z9 BMW will be a 2 seated roadster, having a textile roof and probably with an option for hardtop.
There are many control functions that can be controlled very easily from the multifunction Knob located between the front seats.
The doors can be opened by 2 ways: conventionally and in gull wing style.Also, in the centre of the dashboard there is placed an 8.8 inch monitor which gives the driver all the information needed while driving.
Gears (Steptronic transmission) can be shifted buy accessing the buttons mounted on the steering wheel or with the dash-mounted lever.The doors can be opened by 2 ways: conventionally and in gull wing style.
The car is propelled by the V-8 turbo diesel, which has been produced for the first time for the BMW 7 Series 740d model. It produces 413 lbs./ft (560 Nm) of torque, maintained constantly at 1750 and 2500 rpm and it has a maximum power of 245 hp.
The engineers from BMW have designed the supersports car with the engine mounted in the front side and the traction transmitted to the back wheels.
Sources from BMW declared that they expect sales of approximately 15000 pcs per year, which means almost 3 times more than its pre-decessor Z8 (a little over 5700 units per year)
The Z9 will be certainly able to compete with cars like Mercedes SL or Audi R8.
As price horizon, a future series Z9 can reach approximately 100 000 Euro.

April 16, 2007 at 5:18 am | No comment

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