Gallery: 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

Continue reading Hyundai releases Genesis Coupe performance numbers

Hyundai releases Genesis Coupe performance numbers originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

[Source: Honda]

Continue reading Honda discovers 3.5L V6 more powerful than first thought

Honda discovers 3.5L V6 more powerful than first thought originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For car buffs it's baffling (and pretty cool, too) to see a $70,000 Nissan weighing nearly 4,000 lbs whoop up on lighter, more powerful cars. The GT-R lapped more than five seconds quicker than a Corvette Z06 and 911 Turbo at Buttonwillow Raceway during Road and Track's test, and Car and Driver pulled off some pretty incredible numbers during theirs, running 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds and the quarter mile in just 11.5 seconds. However, some have questioned the numbers. How does the GT-R, which has a weight-to-horsepower ratio 25% higher than the Turbo and Z06, beat both around the racetrack?

Motor Trend questioned the numbers too, and decided to check for themselves when they received a GT-R to review. They took the GT-R over to K&N Engineering in San Bernardino, CA, who strapped it to their in-house chassis dyno to see just how much horsepower the car was making. Three separate runs in fourth gear netted an average of about 430 horsepower at the wheels. Assuming a conservative 15% drivetrain loss, the GT-R is actually producing more than 500 horsepower and 500 lb-ft torque at the flywheel. That helps explain the numbers, but it won't give 911 Turbo and Corvette Z06 owners any comfort. Thanks for the tip, Jake!

Gallery: Nissan GT-R (US-spec)

Motor Trend claims Nissan GT-R making at least 507 HP originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

click above to view more high-res pics of the 2008 Callaway Corvette

Callaway, the Connecticut-based Corvette tuner par excellence, has just announced that its 2008 Callaway Corvette will come with a new supercharger package that bumps power in the C6 Corvette to 580 horsepower. Buyers need only hand over $18,500 for the additional 150 horsepower over a stock 430-hp 6.2L LS3 V8, but will also get a host of engine improvements, a 3-year/36,000 mile warranty and still be able to meet California's strict emissions standards.

Callaway has also announced a new, more powerful supercharger for its super-Vette, the C16. The new spool increases output of the hand-built LS3 engine from 616 to 650 hp. It's also fitted with new cylinder heads and valvetrain, a custom cold-air intake, special free-flowing exhaust system and remapped ECU, in addition to the carbon-ceramic brakes, suspension and wheels. Callaway offers the C16 with its custom bodywork and leather interior in coupe and convertible forms for about $150k, or double that for the stunning Speedster. The extra 34 harnessed horses should help the updated C16 break its already-impressive 3.3-second 0-60 time, 11-second ¼ mile and 210 mph top end.

[Source: Callaway]

Gallery: 2008 Callaway Corvette

Gallery: Callaway C16 Cabrio

Gallery: Callaway C16 Speedster

Continue reading 2008 Callaway Corvette introduced with 580 HP, C16 bumped to 650 HP

2008 Callaway Corvette introduced with 580 HP, C16 bumped to 650 HP originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While Ford keeps on cranking out newer, faster versions of the Mustang for American customers, Ford of Europe is preparing new packages for the Fiesta ST and Focus ST hot-hatches to do the same thing.

The £950 package for the diminutive Fiesta ST pushes power up to 185 hp from its 2-liter four, which is expected to come from upgraded engine management, cylinder heads, a new camshaft and exhaust. All that adds an extra 37 hp to the standard Fiesta ST's 148, dropping a sprint to 60 down half a second to eight flat.

Meanwhile, the larger, more powerful Focus ST gets treated to a similar upgrade, worth about £1,500. This package is tipped to include a new air filter, ECU and exhaust, amounting to a similar 38-horsepower increase in power for a total of 260 that drops the 0-60 blitz down to 5.5 seconds. Thank heavens Ford sells a version of the Focus here that's just as fast. Oh, wait...

Gallery: 2008 Ford Focus ST

Ford Fiesta and Focus ST get more power originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

FiveAxis Lexus IS-F at the 2007 LA Auto Show

When Lexus set out to target the likes of the BMW M3, Audi RS4 and Mercedes C63 AMG with its spankin' new IS-F, they weren't kidding. The V8 super-sedan turned out to be an astonishing departure for the Japanese luxury brand that cut its teeth on rock-solid reliability and luxurious comfort. Not content resting on its laurels, rumors are surfacing that Toyota is hard at work preparing an even more extreme variant, being dubbed in the motoring press as the IS-F/R.

Reports have Lexus tweaking an extra 12 horsepower and 4 lb-ft of torque out of the Yamaha-sourced 417-hp/372 lb-ft, 5.0-liter V8 for an increased output of 429 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. A modest increase, it would seem, until you look at the targeted 220-lb weight reduction. And as we all know, a little more power unburdened by significantly less weight is a winning formula. Just ask the likes of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, Lamborghini Gallardo SUperleggera, Porsche 911 GT2 et al.

The rumored price of admission? A whopping 11 million yen in Japan, compared to the 7.7 million yen for what suddenly looks by comparison like a rather ordinary "standard" IS-F. Pursuit of Perfection, indeed.

[Source: Winding Road]

Enter the Rumormill: Lexus developing lightweight, 429-hp IS-F/R originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pull my dyno - Automobile puts the IS-F on the rollers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shhhh! Audi RS6 may produce more than 600 HP originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Audi RS6 making 571 HP originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nobody defines the terms "wretched excess" and "gilding the lily" quite like Novitec. Whereas countless other aftermarket tuners make their mark by transforming ordinary road cars into fire-breathing monsters, Novitec starts with the already-hottest-performing cars to grace black asphalt and then endeavors to improve upon them. In this case, the German tuning house is improving upon its own improvements with the Novitec Rosso Ferrari F430 Bi-Compressor Evoluzione.

"Evoluzione" is the magic word in both the Ferrari and Novitec houses, denoting the ludicrous taken to the extreme. (Think of insane examples like the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione and you're on the right track.) In this case, the latest release from Novitec Rosso starts with their previous twin-supercharged 636-horsepower F430 and raises the stakes by an additional 20 horses, bringing total output up to an Enzo-rivaling 656hp.

In addition to the power spike - resulting from the twin Rotrex superchargers, intercoolers and remapped ECU - Novitec arms its monstrous creation with a full aerodynamic package, wheel and tire upgrade, bigger brakes, beefed-up suspension and the works. If you're the kind of customer who'd be interested in improving upon a Ferrari in the first place, chances are you'd likely be up for re-doing the interior, and Novitec offers a full range of custom leather retrofits that will turn the rare into the positively unique.

Want more? We've got the technical specs after the jump, and a batch of images in the gallery below.

[Source: Novitec via Carscoop]

Gallery: Novitec F430 Evo

Continue reading White Fang: Novitec's 656-hp F430 Evoluzione

White Fang: Novitec's 656-hp F430 Evoluzione originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coming up on nearly twenty years old now, some would be mistaken to consider the legendary Ferrari F40 a bit of a dino - not because it was part of the series named after Enzo's dear departed son, rather because, as far as supercars go, the F40 seems is a bit of a relic, dating back to an age before modern developments like electronic stability control and paddle-shifted transmissions roamed the earth. And yet the F40 can still thoroughly devour almost anything and everything on the road today. What better way, then, to take in the brutal monstrosity of the dinosaur that is the Ferrari F40 than spooling up its turbos on a dyno. Better not let it loose....

This video, which has been floating around the internet, was shot after an F40 was fitted with a custom Tubi exhaust. Check it out after the jump.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Continue reading VIDEO: Ferrari F40, the dyno-saur of supercars

VIDEO: Ferrari F40, the dyno-saur of supercars originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

click the image above for the gallery

Gallery: Kenne Bell Shelby GT500

Screw You, Top Gear! - Kenne Bell pumps up the GT500 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading HP 101: Top Gear provides false info on GT500 horsepower rating

HP 101: Top Gear provides false info on GT500 horsepower rating originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We just love it when cars and models collide (figuratively, not literally... that'd be tragic). It's convergence at its finest. Like Jodie Kidd who races Maseratis, supermodel Elle Macpherson also loves Italian cars, albeit slightly smaller ones. Elle became the first owner of the new Fiat Panda 100HP when the new suped-up ultra-teeny-tiny-supermini made its British debut at the MPH '06 show this past Thursday.

While 100 horsepower may not sound like much, considering the Panda's Lilliputian dimensions, it's nothing to sneeze at (especially among the car's asthmatic competition). The Panda is a little over three-and-a-half meters long, one-and-a-half meters each wide and tall, and weights less than one ton, so 100 horses are all it takes to get it to sixty in 9.5 seconds. It tops out at 115 mph while returning 43.4 mpg on the combined cycle. Fiat's Abarth performance division also gave the Panda 100HP disc brakes all around (vented up front) , as well as an upgraded suspension, with some visual enhancements to go with the extra performance kit.

We just wish this cute model were available and in the US. (The Panda too, for that matter.)

[Source: Fiat UK]

Macpherson struts her stuff: Elle gets a Fiat Panda originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Nov 2006 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BMW 335i dyno numbers - round two originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Sep 2006 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

UPDATED

click on image to enlarge

More details are surfacing from Mercedes-Benz on the latest car in its fleet to get AMG's new purpose-built 6.3-liter V8, following the first image we featured in July. Based on the recently updated CL-Class - the grand touring coupe itself based on the S-Class sedan - the CL63 AMG sweetens the deal with 525 hp, capable of propelling this leather-lined cruise missile to sixty in 4.6 seconds on its way to an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph (a Mercedes standard).

In addition to the fire-snorting engine upgrade, the CL63 gets a full aero package (even more aggressive than the AMG Sport Package offered on the "standard" CL) and suspension upgrades, as well as the full host of Mercedes' electronic systems. A close-up shot of the wheels shows a monstrous brake package, while a shot of the rear seems to show an aerodynamic diffuser to minimize lift without the need for an ostentatious rear wing (there's a reason they call it a "spoiler").

No word yet on pricing, but the old axiom applies: if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

(Full high-resolution gallery and press release after the jump)

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

UPDATE: Added full high resolution gallery and press release

Continue reading Bahn-stormer Special: Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG unveiled

Bahn-stormer Special: Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG unveiled originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BMW's turbocharged 335i is rated by the manufacturer at 300 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque at the crankshaft, which seemed a bit low to us considering the 255 HP rating of its naturally-aspirated brethren. Sure, the turbo system was designed to maximize the usable powerband instead of creating moonshot-like peak power, but a mere 17% bump in the power ratings just didn't compute.

Investigating the matter further, Automobile Magazine strapped down a 335i to a Dynojet chassis dyno. Such a device measures power at the rear wheels, and translation into crankshaft numbers requires that one account for drivetrain losses. Taking into account the loss of 15% or thereabouts that we'd expect to see from a Dynojet run (don't get hung up trying to determine a precise "loss" number, because there is much more to it than just an estimation of friction), something in the neighborhood of 255 HP would be expected at the rear wheels from 300 HP at the crank - but that wasn't the case. The 335i instead laid down 276 HP, as well as spinning the rollers with 300 lb-ft of torque as measured at the rear wheels. That's about 37% healthier than the 330i.

So, what's up? Yes, the new SAE J1349 dyno standard is supposed to eliminate this sort of rating tomfoolery, but it's only accurate under one specified set of conditions. Dynometers, such as the Dynojet, attempt to correct the results back to a set of conditions, but they're slightly different than those used for J1349. That likely accounts for only a few percentage points of difference, though. More likely is that the Bimmer's engine management system, rather than simply establishing a limit for boost, is constantly attempting to maximize airflow while controlling detonation. Such a system cannot easily be corrected, and putting such a vehicle on a dyno under optimum conditions (usually with particularly cool ambient air temps) can yield results well in excess of the manufacturer's ratings, and this likely explains why the measured torque peak is disproportionate to the horsepower peak.

All this power - accessible at nearly any engine speed, judging by the broad torque curve - gives the 335i performance that nearly rivals that of the previous-gen M3, with the quarter-mile disappearing in 13.6 seconds and with a trap speed of 104 MPH. That sort of performance puts it in the running as Sleeper of the Year.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

BMW 335i lays down fat dyno numbers originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Aug 2006 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Weber Automotive, a leader in the manufacture of engine blocks and crankshafts (many of the magnesium VW Beetle engine blocks were cast by Weber), has designed a small V4 engine in an attempt to provide an alternative to inline fours in emerging markets such as China.

The V4 configuration has had its fair share of success in the realm of high-performance motorcycles, and Weber claims that its cube-like shape makes it well-suited to compact cars as well. Not only is the 70-degree bank angle said to offer a packaging advantage, but it's supposedly up to 75 lbs lighter than a typical 2.0L I4 of similar power.

Fans of the Yamaha VMax and Honda VFR may also be glad to hear that a 90-degree crank is used. This gives the engine a firing order that effectively is like two 90-degree V-twins which run 180 degrees out of phase, and thus leads to an exhaust noise that can best be described as that of a miniature V8.

The company has posted some specifications on its site, and if they are to be trusted, this engine might be rather interesting, indeed. If someone wants to toss this into a decent sport compact, we'd be more than happy to thrash it around for a while.

[Source: Automotive Design and Production]

Weber looks to bring V4 engine to the masses originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 Jul 2006 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.