Autoblog

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Subaru WRX STI spec C

It looks like a regular STI, right? Well, according to the spies at KGP, it's not. This is actually the forthcoming Impreza WRX STI spec C out for a cruise in some approipriately sloppy weather. Note the white wheels and reworked rear diffuser, which are the visual giveaways in this case. When the spec C arrives, it should tip the scales at around 150 to 200 pounds less than the regular STI and be further augmented with engine upgrades and improved braking. That'll make for a nice neighborhood rally car, indeed. All you'll need is a little snow, some studded rubber, and someone yelling directions at you in Finnish from the passenger seat to really bring that WRC experience home. For the rest of you, just ask your wives to ride shotgun. They'll be shouting directions at you (though probably not in Finnish) in no time. Check out the attached gallery for more shots, both on the street and on the Nordschleife (on a nicer day).


[Source: KGP Photography]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Cadillac CTS-V at the 'Ring.

GM is pretty pleased with the Cadillac CTS-V's 7:59.32 run around the Nurburgring, and the crew on the ground had the foresight to strap a few video cameras to the supercharged sedan to capture every second of John Heinricy's sub-eight-minute lap. The General is quick to point out that no modifications were made to the CTS-V to aid in its domination of the Green Hell. The tires were stock and the only bits not available on the options list through Caddy are the fire-suppression system, harness bar and six-point seatbelt . While the additional equipment added a few more pounds, it's obvious that it didn't hinder performance. Hit the jump for proof.

Click above for more shots of the CTS-V on the 'Ring

The badassery going in inside the supercharged LSA V8 stuffed under the domed hood of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V appears to translate well on the Nordschleife's graffiti-marked tarmac. GM announced today that John Heinricy exercised his right to life, liberty and the pursuit of a record time by wheeling a CTS-V with production-spec performance mods around the Nürburgring's north loop in 7:59.32, which is believed to be the "fastest documented lap time" for a production sedan. Even if that turns out not to be the case, it's pretty freakin' fast. GM shot video of the whole thing, which should be released in the coming days. Somewhere, Nissan engineers with furrowed brows are shoving the GT-R's 3.8L V6 into a G35 sedan...


[Source: GM]

Remember last year when Aston Martin completed the Nürburgring 24 Hours with pretty much a showroom stock V8 Vantage driven by the company's CEO, Ulrich Bez, and three other professional drivers? They finished 24th overall out of a field of 220 entrants, most of which were pure race cars. Well, Bez decided at that time to let customers in on the fun. He greenlighted a similar package for customer Vantages soon after and, true to his word, released the N24 spec V8 Vantage. The N24 is 550 lbs. lighter than the standard Vantage and packs an extra 30 hp, as well. We surmised that the V8 Vantage N24 would make an excellent track day car for club racers, as well as being a capable racer for various series. Well, the lucky souls who have taken AM up on the offer and plunked down the $152,350 entry fee were recently given a special treat.

On April 24, they were taken to the Nordschleife to see what the cars can do. Besides having a lot of fun, they were also made privy to a bit of motorsports news from Aston Martin. Aston Martin will enter two N24 cars at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, where they'll be joined by a customer N24 team and a specially developed DBRS9, run by Phoenix Racing and Aston Martin Austria. Bez will again be one of the drivers for AM and will be joined by Chris Porritt (Aston Martin Vehicle Dynamics Manager), Wolfgang Schuhbauer (Aston Martin Development Engineer) and Horst von Saurma (Editor of Sport Auto). One big change this year is that the N24 will feature Aston Martin's new Sportshift transmission. That should make lapping the Green Hell a little easier with some 60 gearshifts per lap.

Follow the jump for the full release.

[Source: Aston Martin]

As we told you back in January, there's a new Opel/Vauxhall Corsa OPC overseas that's attractive, fun and athletic to boot. For now it remains the exclusive property of our friends in Europe, but with GM stating that Opel will essentially equal Saturn by 2014, and Bob Lutz telling us we should see the Corsa here within 5 years, there is reason to hope. This is a car we would buy today if it were slotted into the Saturn lineup. Replacing inferior product like the Aveo, a Saturn (or Chevy) Corsa would cause quite a stir at the lower end of the market. And better yet is the fact that Opel offers an OPC (the Vauxhall goes by VXR) pocket rocket edition that would look very nice with a Red Line badge on its rump.

That OPC is the subject of today's post. With the car having debuted in Geneva a couple of weeks ago, we filled a gallery with photos of this sexy little beast. Today we have a video clip of the hot pocket zipping along the coast before launching an attack on the Green Hell in Germany. The Corsa OPC uses a 192-hp, turbocharged 1.6-liter 4. That is good enough for a 6.8-second 0-60 time and a top end of 140 mph, while still managing to return around 30 US miles per gallon in combined use (35.8 imperial mpg). Those numbers sound pretty good to us. Follow the jump to see this future Saturn (fingers crossed) in all its tire-squealing glory.

[Source: GM]

Porsche and Nürburgring seem to go hand-in-hand. The ultimate customer race cars and the ultimate test of man and machine. Where many companies have proving grounds to help develop their sports cars and sport sedans, the Germans are blessed with the Nordschleife. Porsche has always said that it races to improve its street cars, and it shows. And taking a new Porsche to the Ring is like a right of passage. Increasingly, though, the Green Hell is being used by many non-German companies to see how their product stands up against the competition. It's actually turned into something of a fad, with companies like GM insisting on letting the world know that everything from Saturns to Cadillacs have had their handling tuned at the famous track. That in no way takes away from the reputation of the track itself, which continues on as a great testbed for new vehicles of a sporting bent.

And when a new Porsche takes to the Ring, it gets some attention. How does it stack up against other Porsches? Other sports cars? Past special Porsches? Race cars even. As our favorite current Porsche, it's nice to see the new 997-based GT3 gets its crack at the track. Piloted by DMAX's D Motor presenter Tim Schrick, you can really get a feel for how well this car has been tuned. The YouTube video of the ride follows the jump. In German with no subtitles, the message still comes through loud and clear. This is one impressive Porsche, and therefore one great sports car.

[Source: YouTube]

It's claimed numerous lives and Niki Lauda's ears. It snakes through 22 kilometers of German countryside. It's been updated, modernized, even replaced. But the Nordschleife course of the formidable Nürburgring circuit in Germany is still the most famous – and infamous – track in the world. F1 have abandoned it years ago for a more modern track nearby, but the old Nordschleife is still used by enthusiasts driving anything with two wheels or four, and by manufacturers who aim to put their test mules through the paces.

This 22-minute wild ride covers the track's history while blitzing through each of its loops, bends, dips and straights. Along the way we get to visit with our old friend Sabine Schmitz, Queen on the Ring, and get an inside glimpse at a few options available for visitors looking to get the most out of the experience, including driving schools and the Ring Taxi.

We owe our thanks to BMW for producing this video, the first manufacturer to begin testing its road cars on the Ring and the only one that still tests every new model there.

[Source: BMW]

BMW has just reopened one of its most important technical workshops after finishing a three-year remodel. The reason this facility is so important is that for some 40 years, it has been BMW's base of operations at the Nürburgring. The center has been expanded and reconfigured to allow Nordschleife testing well into the future.

The test facility at the Nürburgring Nordschleife has served as HQ for BMW Motorsports' efforts as well as production vehicle testing for four decades, but it was getting a bit cramped in there. The workshop area specifically needed to be enlarged, and so it has grown from four work bays to eleven. In the renovation, several areas of the complex were upgraded, but new areas also needed to be constructed. A new wash center, a wheel alignment facility, as well as a new leisure wing to keep employees comfortable has been added.

A computer center was also built to allow technicians to share data with Munich and Garching more quickly. Finally, exhibit and conference spaces have been created. No word on whether or not this will be open to the public, but we do know that the site serves as home of the popular BMW Ring Taxi program. And as we all know, that includes the one driven by Sabine Schmitz (formerly Sabine Reck). Some day, hopefully soon, we'll get the pleasure of the Ultimate Cab Ride.

[Source: MWerks]

Lapping the Nurburgring's infamous Nordschleife circuit in less than nine minutes is downright impressive, no matter what way you look at it. But in a wagon? Unbelievable. Okay, so this isn't some soccer mom's family-hauler; it's a 450-hp Audi RS6 Avant, capable of hitting sixty in 4.2 seconds flat. But still.

For the first couple of minutes of this video, you'll find yourself impressed that the Audi estate is keeping up with a Porsche 911. Until the Audi passes it.

Not only does this video serve as an impressive display of the Audi's abilities (not to mention the driver's), but it also gives you a good fixed-camera view of the best angles and approaches to each of the 14-mile Nordschleife's 174 corners.

(Just bear in mind for the end that, while this driver did set the 8:29 lap time with two people in the car, the video is not of that specific lap.)