Autoblog

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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]

0-60 time is the gold standard in automotive performance. It's the first thing an enthusiast looks at when presented with a car's stats, and typically trumps all others. Top speed is all but completely irrelevant in most cases, while the quarter mile is only valued in drag-racing circles. Attempts have been made to substitute something more all-encompassing, like the 0-100-0 acceleration/braking test, but it hasn't replaced the old 0-60. Lap times around a given course might be more useful for comparison, but unless every manufacturer tested on the same track, that falls to pieces. At the end of the day, 0-60 is where it's at, but as Forbes points out, it's not the most reliable or useful performance indicator.

In most cases, it takes ideal conditions – including a professional driver – to hit sixty in the time specified. As a result, some manufacturers quote conservative figures so as not to disappoint customers who can't manage the quoted time. Further confusing the situation, some automakers prefer to quote acceleration time in kilometers, but while the 0-100 km/h (62mph) standard might be very close to the mark, in acceleration times every millisecond counts.

It may be the gold standard, but even gold has its imperfections.

[Source: Forbes Autos]

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]

Last December, Ascari announced it was producing a new track-ready model more hard-core than its already quick KZ1. Now the British sportscar manufacturer of the KZ1 is ready to take the wraps off its new supercar in just a few days at the 2006 MPH show in England, and is giving us a sneak peek at its new crown jewel.

Unlike the FXX, which, technically at least, is a track-only car and not certified for road use (the Ferrari doesn't even have side-view mirrors), the A10 is road legal, though we suspect the ground-scraping ultra-low ride height and the race-spec suspension will mean it's more suitable for the track. The new Ascari is also a great deal less expensive than the FXX – about a third the price, actually: the FXX costs about €1.5 million, and the A10 costs "just" €522k. (Though, to be fair, the FXX price incorporates participation in a development program and includes storage, transportation, and upgrades to the equipment as they're developed.) Only ten of the super-quick Ascaris will be built to order for fortunate customers, who can also specify electronic "luxuries" like power windows, locks and mirrors, climate control and alarm system.

Now for the good stuff: the new Ascari ups the power from its 5-liter V8 from about 500 in the KZ1 to 625 horsepower in the A10. With carbon fiber body panels, the car weighs just 1200kg and is said to be capable of hitting 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and 100 in under 6. Those are some impressive claims, but with that much power and such low weight...well, let's just say we're dying to see it in action.

[Source: Ascari via AutoMotorPortal]

Boom shalaka-laka, the 28th Autoblog Podcast is here. On today's episode, the intrepid Christopher Paukert and myself go over Audi's ostentatious debut of its new TT coupe, observe a moment of silence for the industry's loss of MPH Magazine and finally, we get all green up in this thing talking about my experience with a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta TDi that runs on grease from a dumpster. Good times... hope you enjoy.

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Hosts
John Neff and Chris Paukert

Producer
John Neff

Length
34:08