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BMW M3 GTS
What is it?
At 1530kg, it is 75kg lighter than the standard M3 for a start. The weight loss is achieved, in part, by the adoption of titanium rear silencers and 19-inch light alloy wheels. In true racecar practice, the glass rear side windows and rear screen make way for lightweight polycarbonate replacements.
Further reductions come by way of a pared down interior. It has been liberated of just about all of its comfort orientated features, including the front seats which are replaced by one piece carbonfibre jobs with three-point belts.
The M3 GTS’s added performance stems from its engine. It’s no mildly tweaked version of the fifth-generation M3’s naturally aspirated 90-degree 4.0-litre V8. Rather BMW’s M division has developed what amounts to a whole new powerplant.
The bore remains at 92mm but the stroke has been extended by 6.8mm to 82mm, resulting in an overall capacity of 4.4-litres. Power tops out at 444bhp – 30bhp more than the standard M3, while torque jumps from 295lb ft to 325lb ft and is developed 150rpm earlier at 3750rpm.
Channeling the new car’s added reserves is a beefed up version of the M3’s optional Getrag-engineered seven-speed M DCT (dual clutch transmission). As is now a feature on all of BMW’s M models, there’s a power button and toggle switch to alter the characteristics of the engine’s power delivery in five distinct steps.
The SLS AMG
The SLS AMG marks the end of the collaboration between Mercedes and McLaren in road car production. Although, at £157,500, the SLS costs considerably less than the earlier joint-venture SLR, it is unquestionably that model’s replacement.
Unlike the McLaren-built SLR, the SLS has been developed entirely in house. And by ‘in house’, Mercedes actually means the tuning firm AMG, which became an official Mercedes department in 1990. This is the first time that AMG has been given a clean sheet to build a road car from the ground up, and one with the billing that it will be something altogether more serious than the familiar ‘big-engine-and-comfortable-Mercedes’ AMG recipe. The talk this time is of an all-out supercar.
10 new cars that are ready to hit the track or tuning garage
The World Class Car Pack features 10 new cars that are ready to hit the track or tuning garage:
- 2011 McLaren MP4-12C
- 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
- 2010 Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG
- 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
- 2010 Fiat Punto Evo SPORT
- 2010 Acura TSX V6
- 2010 Kia Forte Koup SX
- 2011 Mazda 2
- 2011 Citroën DS3
- 2010 Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart
Porsche Plans Hybrid Supercar Production
Porsche is planning a limited-production run of the groundbreaking 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, shown as a concept at the Geneva Auto Show, according to a Bloomberg news report.
The price tag for the fuel-efficient beast that rips to 62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds would be about $630,000, inside sources told Bloomberg, the highest priced Porsche ever, eclipsing even the 12-cylinder Carrera GT.
A Porsche spokesman said the company will decide whether to produce the 918 Spyder later this year, Bloomberg reported, and has not yet figured pricing. Porsche has 2,000 potential customers who expressed interest in the car, twice the number that Porsche says it would need to start a production run, the news service was told by its sources.
The 918 Spyder concept was one of the stars of this year’s Geneva show, dazzling spectators with its aggressive styling, its performance potential, and its clean and efficient drivetrain. Powered by a 500-horsepower V8 coupled with an electric-motor system that delivers more than 200 horsepower, the supercar would have a top speed of 198 mph.
The Porsche uses plug-in hybrid technology that provides ultra-low-emissions driving while delivering about 78 miles per gallon in normal use, according to the Stuttgart, Germany, automaker. Porsche introduced three gas/electric hybrid models at the Geneva show, including the Cayenne S Hybrid SUV and the 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car.
Porsche is preparing for its upcoming merger with Volkswagen, which last week named VW executive Matthias Mueller as Porsche’s chief executive officer, replacing Michael Macht, who
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