Autoblog

VIDEO: Ford Focus RS falls short of record with 8:26 Nürburgring lap time

Noah Joseph — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Ford

Click above to watch the video after the jump

Point to point, the Ford Focus RS is touted as the fastest vehicle the company has ever made. It reportedly lapped Ford's Lommel test track in Belgium, where we had the chance to sample the second-fiddle Focus ST, faster than the Ford GT supercar. But it's still wasn't fast enough to set a new Nurburgring lap record for its class.

As promised, Ford took its latest hot hatch around the 'Ring in pursuit of the front-drive record currently held by the track-focused Renaultsport Megane R26.R, which set a blistering time of 8 minutes, 17 seconds. Ford's time? 8 minutes, 26 seconds. The session, which you can watch in the pair of videos after the jump, was held in conjunction with German car mag Sport-Auto, whose editor-in-chief Horst von Saurma-Jeltsch, a noted master of the Nordschleife, performed the driving duties. And while the Focus RS may have come up some nine seconds slower than the Renault, you can bet Ford will give it another shot or two before claiming defeat.

Gallery: 2009 Ford Focus RS (green)

[Source: CarScoop]

Continue reading VIDEO: Ford Focus RS falls short of record with 8:26 Nürburgring lap time

VIDEO: Ford Focus RS falls short of record with 8:26 Nürburgring lap time originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nürburgring Rapid Response Nissan GT-R: World's fastest fire engine

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:59:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Europe, Japan, Nissan, Police/Emergency

Nürburgring Rapid Response Nissan GT-R - click above for high-res gallery

If there's one performance metric that's pure marketing hype, it has to be a vehicle's Nürburgring time. Our good pal Jack Baruth brilliantly debunked this ever-growing myth. In case you missed Jack's article, here's the gist:

"Sorry. There's no "Nürburgring lap time record" for a simple reason: Real lap time records are set by real race cars, using real timing and scoring equipment, during actual competition or sanctioned practice sessions. They aren't "self-reported" for the same reason the World's Strongest Man Contest isn't held by having everyone mail in their "results" because people can, and do, lie and cheat."

All that truth spoken to power, it's still accurate to say that certain cars generally tend to get around Green Hell faster than others. The big players lately have been the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Dodge Viper ACR, Porsche GT2 and Godzilla, better known as the Nissan GT-R. All four of these cars can scoot around the Nürburgring in 7:30, maybe a squidge faster. Again - it really doesn't matter. But one of the reasons why automakers play up these 'Ring times so much is that the Nürburgring is regarded as one of the most difficult and challenging strips of macadam anywhere - for both car and driver. To rephrase that, there are lots of accidents.

Meet the Nürburgring Rapid Response GT-R. The back seat has been removed to make way for a tank full of fire-retarding foam. The firehose itself is in the trunk, along with other flame-fightin' gear. And because the Rapid Response GT-R will be hustling round the 'Ring nearly as fast as Toshio Suzuki would flog it, there's a roll cage and carbon fiber Recaro race seats. Almost makes us wish we were German firemen. Almost.

Gallery: Nurburgring Rapid Response GT-R

[Source: Nissan Sportz via GT-R Blog]

Nürburgring Rapid Response Nissan GT-R: World's fastest fire engine originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan reportedly preparing Nürburgring edition 370Z for the European market

Noah Joseph — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:56:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Nissan, Specialty

Nissan 370Z - Click above for a high-res image gallery

While Nissan has been trying to master the Nürburgring in its flagship GT-R supercar, it was the one-rung-down 370Z which the Japanese automaker fielded at the track's 24-hour race last month. To commemorate the occasion, Nissan is reportedly preparing to drop a special commemorative edition of its 370Z on the European market.

Although photos are still unavailable at this time, the Nissan 370Z Nürburgring edition is apparently set to be differentiated by a set of 19-inch OZ Racing alloys wrapped in Dunlop rubber, a sport exhaust system and the requisite batch of special badges. Only 80 examples will be made, each individually numbered, and the model will apparently only be available in yellow. And just to sweeten the deal, Nissan is throwing in a gift card good for over $200 of track time on the Nordschleife.

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Nissan 370Z

[Source: CarScoop ]

Nissan reportedly preparing Nürburgring edition 370Z for the European market originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus LF-A to race in 24 Hours of Nürburgring, but is it still on track for production?

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:20:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Tokyo Motor Show, Supercars, Lexus, Toyota, Rumormill

Well, it looks like Toyota is committed enough to the Lexus LF-A to at least race it again in this year's 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Just like last year, the rumored on-again, off-again for production luxury supercar is set to tackle the Green Hell in another 24 hour endurance run. That certainly lends some credence to rumors that the company is still considering it for production. The last we heard they were planning on showing a production version of the LF-A in Frankfurt Tokyo.

While we have grown somewhat tired of all of the speculation, the car remains formidable, at least on paper and in the flesh. Driving it will prove or disprove our feelings, but what's not to like about a sexy 600 horsepower, V-10-powered supercar that should offer some of the same driving thrills as a Ferrari Enzo for one third the price? Racing it for 48 hours at the 'Ring can only improve the durability and aid in finetuning. GAZOO Racing is prepping the car for competition this year with just a few minor tweaks to the basically stock platform.

Lexus is also using this as an opportunity to give some young employees a bit of experience developing product under pressure. That will likely help with future product development as well. Hopefully, we will see a production vehicle in October, but until then, we look forward to seeing it under the whip in May. There's a press release from Lexus after the jump.

Gallery: Lexus LF-A Concept

Gallery: Lexus LF-A Racecar at the Nurburgring

[Source: Lexus]

Continue reading Lexus LF-A to race in 24 Hours of Nürburgring, but is it still on track for production?

Lexus LF-A to race in 24 Hours of Nürburgring, but is it still on track for production? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opel and Vauxhall reveal 325-horsepower Insignia OPC/VXR

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Europe, GM, Opel, Vauxhall

Vauxhall/Opel Insignia VXR/OPC - Click above for a high-resolution gallery

General Motors may be on life support, but the European operations at Opel and Vauxhall are still showing a 325-horsepower pulse. The latest signs of life come in the form of the hotted up Insignia variant shown above. In right-hand drive Vauxhall form, the super Insignia is badged as the VXR, while the left-hand steered continental version gets an OPC suffix. Regardless of the steering wheel position, all of the important Nürburgring-tuned bits are the same, and in this case, it appears to be another derivative of the technology that first appeared last year in the Saab 9-3 Turbo-X.

That means there is a turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 under hood, now with power boosted to 325 horsepower (from the 300 hp in the Saab and the Cadillac SRX). The 295 lb-ft of torque is fed through a six-speed manual gearbox, and out to all four wheels through a Haldex system with an electronic rear limited-slip differential. According to the automaker, acceleration to 62 mph comes up in 5.8 seconds, while an adaptive damping system and retuned suspension that sits 10 mm lower help the Insignia carry the speed through corners. Check out the high-res gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Gallery: Opel Insignia OPC/Vauxhall Insignia VXR

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Opel and Vauxhall reveal 325-horsepower Insignia OPC/VXR

Opel and Vauxhall reveal 325-horsepower Insignia OPC/VXR originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2012 Porsche Boxster already running the Nürburgring?

Noah Joseph — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:27:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, Performance, Porsche

Think Porsche designers are too busy drawing up cell phones and special-edition sport-utes to care about the roadster that put the brand back on the map and on the path to acquiring the Volkswagen auto empire? Think again. The Stuttgart-based automaker just took the veil off its new 2009 Boxster back in November, and already they're working on the next generation model. Or at least the engineers are, from the looks of things, because as these spy shots indicate, the third-generation Boxster will likely look very similar to the first and second-generation versions.

Subtle styling tweaks aside, the next Boxster is tipped to incorporate the latest features from the upcoming 998-generation 911 and the new Panamera. Just not in the powertrain department, where the current direct-injection crop of engines - including the 2.9-liter, 250-horsepower flat-six and the 3.4-liter 310-hp version, mated to the same manual and PDK dual-clutch transmissions - are expected to carry over with mild revision. A four-cylinder version has been rumored, but not confirmed. Follow the link to the source to see more of the 2012 Porsche Boxster test mule spy shots.

[Source: CarScoop]

Spy Shots: 2012 Porsche Boxster already running the Nürburgring? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drivers Republic attempts to answer which is faster on the 'Ring, GT2 or GT-R?

Chris Shunk — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Supercars, Nissan, Porsche

The Nissan GT-R set the 'Ring on fire back in April with a single lap of 7:29. That news didn't go over well in Germany, where team Porsche insinuated that Nissan cheated by using a non-standard GT-R to achieve the supersonic time. Porsche even took a bone-stock GT-R to the 'Ring and its chief test track driver could only manage a 7:54. Nissan defended its time as legit and has provided solid evidence to support its case, but Porsche established enough doubt for Drivers Republic to bring a GT2 and GT-R to the famed Nürburgring to see which vehicle was faster.

Drivers Republic put both cars in the hands of an accomplished Nürburgring veteran, Chris Harris, who is also the author of this excellent article. Both vehicles were stock, except the Japanese-spec GT-R had its limiter removed. The Nissan also had Bridgetone rubber at the corners, which are actually different than the stickier Dunlops that Tochio Suzuki utilized during his 7:29 run. Nissan claims the soon-to-be-standard Dunlops are five seconds faster, but that's when in the hands of Mr. Suzuki who is one this planet's preeminent 'Ring racers. The track was wet during the run, which you would think favors the AWD GT-R, though Harris claims the GT2 felt faster in a straight line. You're probably dying to know which vehicle came out on top, and while we will tell you that one car was nine seconds faster than the other, you'll have to follow the read link below to find out for yourself.

Gallery: 2008 Porsche 911 GT2

Gallery: Review: 2009 Nissan GT-R

[Source: Drivers Republic]

Drivers Republic attempts to answer which is faster on the 'Ring, GT2 or GT-R? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari sets up shop at the N�rburgring

Noah Joseph — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:31:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Ferrari

The Nürburgring has become an absolute Mecca for automotive enthusiasts and racing fans across Europe and around the world. Setting new 'Ring records has become a vaunted pursuit, and any automaker worth its bolts brings its latest sportscar prototypes to test there. Among those marques is Ferrari, which in addition to three racing circuits that the company owns and operates in Italy, comes to the Nürburgring for proper shakedowns. (Witness Schumacher's reported crash there in a 430 Scuderia prototype just last month as an example.)

Reports now indicate that the Prancing Horse marque has set up shop at the Nürburgring. The information comes directly from Germany, which named the 'Ring as one of the 10 most important sites in the country. Since our German isn't up to snuff and online translators seem to make less sense of the text than we can on our own, it remains a bit unclear as to the nature of the new facility. However, it seems to combine a showroom and merchandising store among its attractions. The Ferrari installation at the Nürburgring is apparently one of many that circuit managers hope will set up shop at the side of the track, which is undergoing a vast renovation to its facilities for next summer. We hope to bring you more information on the Nürburgring renovation plan in the near future, so stay tuned.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport]

Ferrari sets up shop at the N�rburgring originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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