Autoblog

Click above for our high-res gallery of the Hamann Stallion

You wouldn't be mistaken for thinking that the Porsche 911 Turbo was already one of the fastest, best-performing sportscars on the road today. But that's where uber-tuners like Hamann – who've tuned everything from the MINI Cooper to the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti – come in to confound expectations and shatter assumptions.

Not satisfied with "only" 480 horsepower, the Hamann Stallion packs a whopping 630 of its namesakes. To achieve that 150hp boost in output, Hamann swapped out the variable nozzle turbochargers and replaced them with... bigger variable nozzle turbochargers. They've also fitted a new stainless steel exhaust, a new air filter and, of course, tinkered with the ECU. But they didn't stop at the engine. Hamann also chopped the roof down by 8 cm (about two and a half inches), bolted on a new aero kit and fitted huge 20-inch three-piece modular rims. They've also done up the interior in ostrich skin, applied some racing stripes and, oh yeah, also Lambo'd out the doors. The result? Well, the suddenly ordinary Turbo hits sixty in 3.9 seconds, but the Stallion cuts that down to 3.3. Not too bad for a day's work, but we dare not ask how much all these mods would cost over the price of a stock Turbo.

Check out the images in the gallery below for all the angles.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Car & Driver is a common choice as bathroom reader around Autoblog HQ, though thumbing through the latest issue had us contemplating using the glossy pages for TP. C&D got its hands on Nissan's new GT-R and its development benchmark, the Porsche 911 Turbo. That's great so far, as everyone wants to know how the Nissan stacks up against its bogey. The trouble comes when a BMW M3 gets tossed into the mix. What? The M3 is a hell of a car and it clearly earns its perennial 10-Best status, but it's outgunned and mismatched in this company. Somehow it managed to win a three-way comparo with two supercars anyway.

Growing up as a child in the '80s had its ups and its downs. Sure, every generation looks back at its past-self and wonders-out-loud, "What were you thinking," from time to time. Still, our generation sure did have plenty of cool cars, and many of those were featured on television. A rare day went by when we didn't lust for Magnum P.I.'s Ferrari 308; sitting in the movie theater being mesmerized by Doc's De Lorean (not that it's that great of a car, but it's iconic nonetheless) from Back to the Future; or salivating over the Ferrari Daytona and Testarossa from Miami Vice?

British television viewers have also had their fair share of hit shows with vehicular co-stars. According to a survey by HPI Limited, Porsche's peerless 911 has earned the top spot as the ultimate '80s car, followed only one percentage point in the rears by the original Audi Quattro -- a car featured on current U.K. television in the show Ashes to Ashes. British TV fans also have fond memories of the Ford Capri SLE 71R driven by Terry McCann in Minder, a long-running comedy-drama in the U.K.

With many of our readers residing in our own age bracket, we'd love to get your input on the ultimate '80s car in the comments, and feel free to mention more of your favorite cars made famous on TV.

[Source: HPI International]

The beating heart of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (and Turbo) is the company's own proprietary wet-clutch all-wheel-drive system. Its traction dynamics are what Porsche owners and enthusiasts have come to know and trust for generations. Reports are now circulating, however, that Stuttgart is preparing to dump its own tried-and-tested in-house four-wheel-drive system for an outsourced Haldex transmission, reportedly equipped with the latest electronic limited slip differential. The rumors come at an interesting time for Porsche, considering that a wide range of vehicles from the Volkswagen Group into which Porsche just acquired majority interest – including VWs, SEATs, Skodas, Audis and even the Bugatti Veyron – use the Haldex. If the reports are accurate, the system could be out on the next iteration of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 as well as the 911 Turbo spied while undergoing cold weather testing in Scandinavia just last month.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Photo by Bruce Benedict

The arrival of the Nissan GT-R has not only clogged up the automotive news headlines, it has sparked the creative juices of many journalists. Every publication is scrambling to concoct a unique comparison test for the new Godzilla. In the past, typical comparisons consisted of nonsensical number ratings calculated through a formula that only had meaning to folks offering their opinion based off their butt cheeks. Now the objective seems to have shifted towards streamlining variables and logging repeatable data for direct overlay between vehicles. First Inside Line brought us unbiased measurements of power output, now Road and Track gives us measurements of time. They did not quite eliminate the use of their own point scale to add up the results of various tests, but at least they provided the actual time results, as well.

The crew from R&T recently transported a U.S. market version of the 2009 Nissan GT-R, a 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo and a 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to Buttonwillow Raceway in California for a little fun. Don't worry about inconsistent journalist drivers either, as they also brought veteran 12 Hours of Sebring race winner Steve Millen along to be the pilot. Their plan saw each car take a few laps of race configuration 13, which has quickly become the circuit of choice for various media outlets. The typical 0-60 mph, 1/4 mile, skidpad, slalom and braking tests were also performed, but proved to be ill-equipped in distinguishing the competitors. The lap times really told the story with the Porsche clocking in at 2:02.1, the Z06 right on its tail at 2:02.2 and the GT-R well ahead at 1:56.9. Thanks for the tip Chuck!

[Source: Road and Track]

Porsche can't be too happy about its 911 Turbo getting trounced so thoroughly by something as plebian as the new Nissan GT-R, so its engineers have focused their frustration into... new taillights.

Auto Express has several spy shots of an all but completely undisguised test mule undergoing cold-weather trials in the frozen north. The photos of the updated twin-turbo prototype don't reveal much beyond some mild cosmetic changes, but there are also rumored to be some mild mechanical changes in the works, as well. Sources suggest the revised 911 Turbo will bow in Paris this coming October.

[Source: Auto Express]

Performance on par with a Porsche 911 Turbo was a well publicized benchmark for Nissan engineers when designing the new GT-R. Nissan even flaunted its achievement of a faster lap time for the Nürburgring circuit as proof positive. While the information coming out of the manufacturer's camp was impressive, it also came with a grain of salt. Nissan's own marketing fluff was biased, of course. What then would be the result of the same comparison without the obviously one-sided view? Being the curious automotive enthusiasts that they are, the Inside Line gang decided to pool their resources and get the new Nissan GT-R together with a Porsche 911 Turbo for a little playtime.

The playground consisted of German public roads -- the autobahn in particular. The game was chase; Porsche versus GT-R, with the GT-R as lead. The Nissan's confidence through corners helped it to frequently diminish the 911 Turbo's visage in its rearview mirrors. The Porsche created unsettling stomach-in-mouth moments on turns navigated gracefully by the GT-R. The smoothness of the GT-R was due to its more settled suspension and ATTESA all-wheel-drive system, thus allowing the driver to step on the throttle in an earlier phase of corner exit compared to the 911. In conclusion, it was determined that all the Nissan marketing hype had some merit after all.

While the Inside Line article greatly explores the everyday characteristics and feel of the GT-R versus the 911 Turbo, there's another IL piece that gets the two together on a racetrack. The resulting driver impression is much the same: the GT-R can go head to head with the best of the world.

Thanks everyone for the tip!

[Source: Inside Line]

TechArt's performance modifications to Porsche's already-impressive sports cars might seem akin to adding a third warp nacelle to the starship Enterprise for the pure fun of it, but who are we to argue with the results? The supertuner/niche manufacturer has readied its latest creation for debut at the upcoming Essen Motor Show (think SEMA for European manufacturers). The TechArt Turbo Cabriolet follows the usual formula, offering incremental power upgrades culminating with a ridiculous 630 hp/604 lb-ft. This, while retaining the Turbo's AWD system and offering the added benefit of topless motoring. 911 GT2? What's that?

The added juice comes from new turbos, extensively upgraded intake and exhaust plumbing, and new engine management programming that ties it all together. TechArt also doctors the chassis, allowing the car to be lowered an additional 25mm via the factory PASM setup. Buyers can choose between two aero packages and the usual assortment of wheel/tire/interior upgrades, resulting in a bespoke convertible sports car with a top speed of 214 mph. Montgomery Scott not included.

PR pasted after the jump.

[Source: TechArt]

The shooters at KGP were back at the Nurburgring shooting everyone's favorite Godzilla-mobile, and in addition to finally seeing some badging on the grille and bumper of Nissan's GT-R revival, we finally get a clear view of the front fascia and rear end. While the back still remains somewhat obscured, the front leaves about as much to the imagination as a Dita Von Teese spread in Maxim.

The talk of late was that Nissan's boffins hoped to beat the GT-R's main rival, the Porsche 911 Turbo, around the North Loop during testing. But according to the folks at KGP, they've set their sights higher and are looking to match the time of the Porsche Carrera GT. That's a loft goal considering that the Turbo does the deed in 7:40, while the Carrera GT (with Walter Roehl behind the wheel) can complete a lap of the 'Ring a full 12 seconds faster. We wish both Nissan and their hired hot-shoes the best of luck.

[Source: Straightline]

click above image to see more shots of the Nissan GT-R p0wn the Porsche

We'll start by saying that it's not exactly hearsay, but it's not anywhere near official, either. Take one 997 Porsche Turbo that has lapped the 'Ring in 7:40, practically fast enough to form one of those Stargate SG-1 vortexes behind it. Then take one Nissan GT-R, benchmarked against that Porsche Turbo, and flog that baby around the 'Ring as fast as possible. Add a few reporters on hand with stopwatches. And when the GT-R flies past the finish line, the reporters discover those stopwatches have come to rest after just 7:38.

So the story is that the GT-R is two seconds faster than the 911 Turbo on the Nurburgring. And the Skyline in the photos doesn't even look to be the mad-gunner EVO-spec version. If that's the case -- and yes, that's a big if -- and say you allow for the inaccuracy of handheld stopwatches and add two seconds, so the GT-R did the same time as the Porsche Turbo... Well, we're not crowning a victor, or speculating about the whats and whys, or what will happen when the real timed laps in production versions are done... we're just saying that's pretty good. That's all.

[Source: KGP Photography]