On September 18th, The product engineering team from Porsche have been testing the upcoming 918 Spyder on the “Nürburgring-Nordschleife”, Even though the Porsche 918 Spyder prototype is far from final form it turned in a remarkable best time of just 07:14 minutes for the 20.6 km long circuit.
Continue reading Porsche 918 Spyder – 7:14 Laptime Nürburgring
Hot on the heels of the recently launched GTC, these are the first official pics of the new Astra VXR, which goes on sale next year and is set to become one of the most powerful hot hatch in its class and the fastest production Astra in Vauxhall’s / Opel history.
Based on the GTC’s platform and powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged direct injection engine, the Astra VXR produces 280hp of power and a mighty 400Nm of torque, enough for it to achieve a top speed of a Limited 155mph.
The damping is electronically modified via a “VXR” button which tightens up the suspension and firms up the damping settings for a more precision road handling.
We expect the car to be priced around the 25k Sterling to be competitive with the Megane 250 and the Focus ST.
This car has had some serious testing across at the Nürburgring so expect a video of a laptime to be released Soon! (Thanks Tom)
The Frikadelli Racing Team is a privately held German Motorsports Team.
Started in 2005 by Klaus Abbelen a succesfull butcher where the nickname “Meatball” AKA Frikadelli if you Sprechende deutsch.
The car proudly displays one of the infamous meatballs on its detailing, along with one of my favorite German Beers Früh Kölsch.
The team consists of the driver and 2 times winner of the ADAC 24h Race Sabine Schmitz along with Team Owner Klaus Abbelen and numerous mechanics and support staff.
In 2010 they went from the amateur interest to a professionel motor sport team. At Barweiler, located directly at the Nuerburgring they built a 1800 square meter garage complex which is now the headquarter for “Meatball” and his team.
In the season 2011 Frikadelli Raced two Porsche racing cars for the VLN Long Distance Championship and the Nordschleife 24h race. Sabine Schmitz, Klaus Abbelen and Niclas Kentenich came in 6th place in the SP9 GT3 Class.
Enjoy The Videos from Frikadelli
At the proving grounds, the engineers push the new BMW M5 to its physical limits. Engine, suspension and transmission settings are checked under the most extreme conditions in order to fulfill the highest requirements in the series vehicle.
Precise steering, adaptive suspension control, the M Double Clutch Transmission that shifts without interruption of traction and the Active M Differential are tested on the handling course to ensure optimal interaction.
For maximal acceleration from a standing start, the BMW M5 has an improved launch control function. The torque of the high-revving V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology is made tractable in the best possible way, delivering unrivaled acceleration.
A smokey burnout like this might not play a role in everyday driving, but it has to be part of the testing. This spectacular start leaves behind a trail of black rubber on the pavement and a smile on the face of the driver.
On the wet handling course, the engineers optimize the car’s controllability on its performance threshold. Thanks to the spontaneous, finely tuned response of the new M Twin-power Turbo V8 engine, the BMW M5 can be perfectly balanced with the gas pedal – whether in M Dynamic Mode of with deactivated DSC.
The BMW M5 isn’t just a high-performance sports car; on the proving grounds in Miramas it also proves its suitability for daily driving. On extreme downhill sections and winding roads, the sequential and automatic transmissions are tested for flawless function.
So the Wolf of the Nurburgring is looking impressive BMW hint at the VMAX of around 308 kph (191mph) and also hint at the lack of rollback on the E60 M5.
It’s Jaguar’s 75th birthday, and a few lucky owners 75 to be exact will recieve a limited-edition XKR complete with more potent power and chassis modification increasing rigidity and handling characteristics.
The XKR 75 made its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and a few weeks later it turns up to take some Nordschleife regulars round in the press vehicles of both types of the special edition XF-R and the XK-R.
The 75 sits lower on track honed suspension where it attained a respectable Nurburgring time Laptime of 7:58.
The fettled supercharged 5.0-litre V8 now supplies 523bhp an increase of 20bhp enough to light up the rear tyres on a demand from the forced induction torque.
The V8 delivers tremendous torque from low revs and all the way to the rev limit thanks to the Supercharger characteristic lagless power.
Traction is aided by Jaguar’s fantastic electronically controlled limited slip differential, and the 4.4-second 0-60 time is faster than the stock cars.
VMAX is limited to 174mph, and the traction control is reportedly when switched off leaves you to leave smoke on every corner see the attached pictures.
