Autoblog

Click on the images to view in high-speed and high-resolution

Remember the Maybach Exelero? The ultra-premium marque from Merceceds-Benz built it almost two years ago as a high-speed test vehicle based on its Maybach 57 luxury sedan, but unfortunately never offered production versions to the public. To the rescue comes Brabus, those whacky German tuners who give the go-fast treatment to everything produced by the three-pointed star, from the Smart ForTwo all the way up to this 730-hp limousine.

Like the Exelero, Brabus' monster is based on the Maybach 57 and was built in order to achieve the highest speeds attainable. To get there, Brabus tuned the Maybach's twin-turbo V12 to the same standard as the CLS-based Brabus Rocket speed record car: that means boosting power from 550 hp to 730, thanks to an increase in displacement from 5.5 liters to 6.3, coupled with a new crankshaft, pistons, cylinder heads... the works. The turbos were beefed up, and along with the intercoolers, a custom exhaust was installed and the ECU was reprogrammed.

The result is a top speed of 330.2 km/h (205.2 mph in American speak) achieved at the same Nardo test track in Italy where the Exelero was put through its places. A far cry from the 218.4 mph achieved by the Exelero, but not to shabby in its own right. And here you thought the S versions of the Maybach 57 and 62 were obscene enough....

Check out the images in the gallery below, and the press release after the jump.

[Source: Brabus]

Click on the image above to jump to our 52-image high-resolution gallery

Can't get enough of Ferrari's latest hotness? Neither can we, and the first batch of eight official images to come out of Maranello just weren't enough. So we flew out to Germany and got some more from the 430 Scuderia's unveiling at the Frankfurt auto show. But that still wasn't enough. So we got in touch with Ferrari North America to ask for more, but unfortunately our requests went unheeded.

Thankfully our Italian friends over at Automobilismo.it came to the rescue with a whole F1-calibre convoy full of new press images of the new Scuderia, that stripped-out supercar that laps Ferrari's private Fiorano test track faster than any Ferrari road car in the company's sixty-year history – including the Enzo.

Without confirmation from Ferrari, we can't be 100% sure these are all factory-issued, but until we hear otherwise, we give you this gallery of 52 high-resolution images. Enjoy them, because it can't have been easy for the photographer to get the 430 Scuderia to stay still for long.

[Source: Ferrari via Automobilismo.it]

Click on above image for wallpaper-sized images of the gorgeous GranTurismo

This writer fell in love in Switzerland this past March. It happened at the launch of the new Maserati GranTurismo. The thing is, I wasn't sure if my newfound affection was for the car or for the sassy model standing in front of it. What's more is that I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Thankfully, Maserati has put an end to my sleepless nights, at least, with the release of a new batch of images showing its breathtaking new coupe away from the glitz and glamour of the Geneva auto show floor.

It was tempting to keep the pictures all to myself, but that just wouldn't be fair. Not to you, and not to the car. She does love the spotlight ever so much. So we've added the new batch of images, in all their high-resolution glory, to our gallery below, together with the original stock images, concept sketches and shots from Geneva. Enjoy.

[Source: Maserati]

Fresh from the paparazzi comes a batch of spy shots showing what appears to be a tuned-up BMW X5 test mule wearing bigger exhaust pipes and a revised front bumper with bigger air intakes that extends farther down to the tarmac.

Could this be an M version of the X5? Anything's possible, but don't count on it. According to M Division chief Gerhard Richter, the X5 is too big and heavy to be turned into a genuine M product. The first-generation X5 had a high-performance version called the 4.7iS, which was, for all intents and purposes, the M-tuned X5, but it wasn't labeled as such. The current top-end engine in the X5 is already larger than that at 4.8 liters, but a BMW sport-ute with the M5's V10 would prove devastatingly fast and pose quite a challenge to the likes of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG.

Whatever BMW decides to call it, you can bet it'll be fast.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

Continental has entered the Guinness Book of World Records with a top speed of 242 mph (388 km/h). We're definitely not talking about the behemoth Bentley, as powerful as it is. The record now officially belongs to Continental Tires for its ContiSportContact Vmax, which has been officially certified by those stout-chugging judges as the world's fastest production road tire.

The rubber was tested on the 9ff-modified Porsche 911 that took the world record for the fastest street-legal road car. A custom 9ff cabrio also took the record for the world's fastest convertible with a high end of 237.8 mph (380.5 km/h). Both cars are owned by 9ff chief Jan Fatthauer, and the top speed runs were certified by Guinness.

If you're thinking that the Bugatti Veyron (and the purpose-made Michelin rubber on its wheels) can hit a higher speed, you may be right, but the Veyron has yet to try for the official record, and its tires were specially made for the Bugatti, while the Continentals are offered to the public as standard production road tires. As much as the car's own capabilities, how it makes contact with the road (i.e., its tires) often dictates a car's limits. Just keeping the tires from melting (as they do on the Veyron after just 12 minutes at its 253-mph top speed) is a feat in and of itself.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Our mates across the pond at PistonHeads say they've got it on good authority that Lamborghini is indeed producing a Superleggera version of the too-hot-to-handle Murcielago.

Eyebrows were raised when spy photogs snapped a Murcielago test mule running test laps around the Nurburgring's venerable Nordschleiff in Germany, sporting a big ol' wing on the back and what looks like carbon fiber body panels. If the reports are correct – and we hope they are – the Murcielago Superleggera will get the same treatment as its little brother, the Gallardo Superleggera, which was unveiled at the Geneva show. That means carbon fiber and composite components will help bring the weight down, while some tweaks to the engine will bring power up, resulting in a delicious increase to the supercar's power-to-weight ratio. It's too early to tell how much extra juice the stripped-down Lambo will get, but it should be a daunting task considering that the engine's output was already augmented for the LP640. Could we be seeing a 700 horsepower figure?

The report suggests an official unveiling of the Murcielago Superleggera in March 2008, but with Lamborghini's pledge to have a new attraction at every major auto show, we wouldn't be surprised – delighted, mind you, but not surprised – to see it take its first bow earlier than that.

[Source: PistonHeads]

"The Exelero show car did more for us than all the tweaks to the 57/62 series combined." That's what a source inside Maybach had to say about the gargantuan showcar when speaking of future Maybach models. The Exelero, more than any other, looked like it was built to transport Darth Vader. But it wasn't. Nor was it built just to garner attention, although that factored big in the formula, as well. The purpose of the Exelero was to serve as a high-speed – and high-profile – test vehicle for German tire manufacturer Fulda, who decades prior had embarked on a similar venture with the original Maybach. In short, the Exelero has the go to back up all that show.

In the video after the jump, witness the time-warping power and speed of the two-door performance coupe built on the platform of the Maybach 57, which itself is second only to its big-brother 62 in the rankings of the largest and most obscenely powerful cars on the market.

In so many ways, and in so many words, this is huge.

Related posts:

• VIDEO: Maybach Exelero
• Wow! Maybach Exelero

[Source: Automobiles Deluxe via Motor Authority]

Reports are beginning to circulate the web that Lexus is working on a high-performance version of the mid-level GS sedan to go up against German rivals in competing for the glory and the cash.

The performance GS would be the next candidate to receive the F treatment, after Lexus took the wraps off the V8-powered IS-F sports sedan at the Detroit show in January. Presumably named the GS-F, Lexus would shoehorn in a version of the V10 engine, detuned to around 450 horsepower, from the LF-A supercar the company is currently working on.

With the GS-F, Toyota would be aiming straight for the BMW M5. That's a mighty ambitious task, especially considering the view that Lexus missed the mark with the IS-F. Could they get it right in the big leagues?

[Source: The Hollywood Extra]

Click image for a gallery of desktop-sized photos

Yesterday we brought you a sneak preview of the much-anticipated Fiat 500. This marks the revival of one of the most iconic small-car designs in automotive history, a milestone in the Italian automaker's recuperation, and for buyers, an enticing new little runabout to add to the shopping list. Today, Fiat has officially released details and images of the sprightly Cinquecento. The car will be properly launched on the 4th of July, a date that marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the original 500.

In the meantime, Fiat has provided us with the following: they've confirmed the car will launch with a choice of three engines. A 69hp 1.2-liter 8-valve four, a 100hp 1.4-liter 16-valve four, or a 75hp 1.3-liter 16-valve Multijet turbodiesel will be available and can be mated to a choice of five- or six-speed transmissions. That's before any performance-oriented Abarth versions enter the mix. The tiny car measures just 355 cm long, 165 cm wide and 149 cm tall, riding on a 230 cm wheelbase.

The Nuova 500, which will be built in Tychy, Poland, alongside the upcoming Ford Ka, promises to take the market by storm when it goes on sale, first in Italy, on September 15, with production targeted at 50,000 for 2007 and 120,000 for 2008.

Follow the jump for the preview video and the press release, or click below to view the images in high-resolution.

[Source: Fiat]

click the image above view our high-resolution gallery of the Lexus IS-F

The boys over at Lexus were dialing F for Fast as they took the wraps off their new performance division with the presentation of two high-performance show cars. The LF-A supercar was a revised and updated version of the one they showed here two years ago – more on that later – but center stage belonged to the highly anticipated IS-F super-sedan.

Just a few hours before the press conference, a few factory images were leaked (which followed an internet ad that went online a tad early), and we're happy to report that the car is as impressive and aggressive in the flesh as it is in the photos – despite the poor lighting on stage that would make even the cast of Sesame Street look shady. The gaping air intakes up front, the side skirts cutting out from the side vents behind the front wheels and the rear bumper with trick quad tailpipes would look at home on the DTM circuit. Inside are special sports buckets in either black or contrasti-licious white and black leather, plus silver fiber-weave trim, drilled aluminum pedals and shift indicator lights on the dash that let you know this is a place of business as much as other Lexus models are luxury enclaves.

Follow the jump for more of our thoughts on the LF-A, the official press release, and our own high-resolution gallery here.

For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.