BMW reveals E90 M3 Carbon Racing Technology

BMW has been toying with carbon fiber as a mass production material option for some time now and this is where we get to see some actual results.

Meet the BMW E90 M3 CRT, a much cooler Bavarian creation than you might imagine from the name.

2011 E90 BMW M3 CRT

The whole Carbon Racing Technology badge is key to representing what road BMW wants to take materials used in car construction down but there’s a simpler way of describing this new E90 M3.

What the E90 BMW M3 should be treated as is the GTS version, the hottest possible version of an M3, only it comes with the added commodity of having four doors.

If the new 2011 BMW M3 Frozen Black is the sort of car that’s for showing off, the E90 CRT version is the sort that’s made for connoseurs, the sort that means business.

2011 E90 BMW M3 CRT

Thanks to a carbon fiber hood, seats, roof and a titanium exhaust, the scales stop about 100 lbs short of the point where the stock four door E90 M3 stands.

However, weighing in at just 3483 lbs doesn’t tell the whole store of the E90 BMW M3 CRT because there’s also a bit more punch under the bonnet.

That’s where there’s a high revving V8 engine much like the one in the normal M3, only it was bored out to 4.4 liters and it now develops 450 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque.

2011 E90 BMW M3 CRT

Mated to a slightly tweaked but similar M-DCT seven speed dual clutch automatic transmission, it makes the E90 BMW M3 CRT can get from 0 to 62 in just 4.4 seconds.

As a token appreciation for those who are true speed freaks, BMW’s M division lifted the top speed limiter to a much more desirable 180 mph.

Helping you handle the speed and stopping from it is the same set of 19 inch aluminum wheels found on the GTS Coupe with a similar brake and tire setup included.

2011 E90 BMW M3 CRT

So far, we’ve seen the better aspects of the BMW M3 CRT, but we might as well take a look at some of the downsides this great Bavarian sedan has.

For starters, it’s only going to be offered in the Frozen Polar Silver metallic exterior paint shade which is kind of boring despite the red and black details and, also, rather difficult to maintain.

And for an encore, BMW is only going to make 67 units of the M3 CRT with each of them sporting a price (in Germany) that’s the equivalent of 214.000 dollars.

Lupica G. 24 Jun, 2011

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Source: http://www.automotorblog.com/bmw-reveals-e90-m3-carbon-racing-technology/
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Magnat tuning house reveals Porsche 911 GT3 Snowmobile

The current Porsche 911 GT3 receives a new tuning kit, this time from the German specialists from Magnat, a tuning house which prepared a package for the Stuttgart-based supercar offering some aesthetic tweaks and engine upgrades as well. Since we already talk about $112,000 model, the improvements brought by the German tuners, mainly referring to the power upgrades, are not that significant but this is not a good reason to ignore this tuning program.

Porsche 911 GT3 Snowmobile by Magnat

Under the bonnet, the standard Porsche 911 GT3 packs a 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine able to deliver 435 horsepower and 430 Nm of torque. This means that we get a 114,6 hp/liter output, good enough for a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 4,1 seconds and a top speed of 312 km/h.

However, Magnat decided to improve these figures a little bit by providing a remapped ECU unit and a new high-performance sport exhaust system from Wimmer RS. With this been said, the Magnat Porsche 911 GT3 delivers 462 horsepower and 451 Nm of torque, the top speed being increased to 317 km/h. We got no official details on the acceleration time but expect to see minor improvements in this regard thanks to the additional 27 horses available after tuning.

Porsche 911 GT3 Snowmobile by Magnat

The new creation of Magnat is called Snowmobile and you’ll better understand why after discussing the aesthetic improvements. At the exterior, the 911 GT3 Snowmobile benefits from a white paint job with matte black stripes, a set of 19-inch alloy Ultraleggera HLT CT by OZ fitted with 235/35-19 (front), 305/30-19 (rear) Yokohama Advan Sport tires. Inside, Magnat provides a new leather upholstery with Alcantara trim and white stitching but also a new sound system able to provide no less than 2,100 watts.

Porsche 911 GT3 Snowmobile by Magnat

“Especially for the GT3, Magnat has developed a down-fire subwoofer casing with 10″ woofer. Normally, this woofer principle is being used only for high quality home cinema installations, but it matches fine with the impressionating sound acoustics,” says the German tuner. No pricing or availability details were released but if you really want to get this package you can contact the aftermarket specialists as they have all the details you need.

Porsche 911 GT3 Snowmobile by Magnat

Rikk 24 Jun, 2011

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Source: http://www.automotorblog.com/magnat-tuning-house-reveals-porsche-911-gt3-snowmobile/
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Aston Martin releases Cygnet & colette special edition

The British people from Aston Martin released a special version of the current Cygnet, a model which will be manufactured in a limited edition of 14 units and it’s crafted together with the French fashion house, colette. From the beginning, we have to advise you that small British model built on the same platform with Toyota iQ comes with a staggering price of €48,995 ($70,550).

Aston Martin Cygnet & colette

This is about $25,000 more than the standard Aston Martin Cygnet, a price which does not justify the minor aesthetic improvements brought by the Parisian fashion house. However, maybe the Cygnet & colette special edition is more than what we see from these photos.

Aston Martin Cygnet & colette

"The colette car is the first of the exclusive 'Cygnet &' collaborations. These cars will give Aston Martin a relevant platform to reach out to new customers in urban areas," said Aston Martin Director of Design, Marek Reichman. According to these statements, Aston Martin is looking forward to develop more special edition of the current Cygnet in partnership with different companies.

Aston Martin Cygnet & colette

It remains to be seen if there will be enough customers willing to pay more than $70,000 for a Toyota iQ with Aston Martin badges and some fancy exterior and interior touches. Leaving the rudeness aside, we can take a quick tour of the limited Cygnet, a model which brings no engine upgrades but only few aesthetic tweaks.

Aston Martin Cygnet & colette

At the exterior, the British city car features a revised hood and front bumper, new alloy wheels, Lightning Silver paint job and some blue accents for the side mirrors, wheels, front grille and bonnet. At the interior you benefit from Bitter Chocolate themed interior which is inspired from colette’s mascot Oscar, Alcantara trim and quilted blue leather cushions for the rear seats, a unique key ring made of aluminum and also engraved stainless steel door handles.

Aston Martin Cygnet & colette

"Elegant and distinctive, individual and practical, the Aston Martin Cygnet is the ultimate Tailor-Fit solution for city living. Launched in May 2011 with first customer orders arriving at European dealers now, Cygnet is hand-crafted for the city and like every Aston Martin it can be uniquely personalised to suit individual taste and style, bringing a new level of luxury and bespoke capability to city cars", concluded Aston Martin.

Rikk 24 Jun, 2011

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Source: http://www.automotorblog.com/aston-martin-releases-cygnet-colette-special-edition/
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Honda CR-Z Mugen fully revealed, debuts at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Honda released all the important details of the exclusive one-off CR-Z Mugen hybrid, a model scheduled to be revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Unfortunately, Honda has no plans to introduce this hybrid supercar into the series production but they are glad to receive such positive feedback.

Honda CR-Z Mugen

The Japanese manufacturer claims that the one-off hybrid is able to deliver the same performance as the Civic Type R, a statement which is not that far from the reality as Mugen managed to increase the total power delivered by the hybrid model with 50%.

Honda CR-Z Mugen

"We wanted a car that has genuine performance available at the touch of a button, but can perform just like a standard CR-Z and offer good fuel economy when the driver wishes. For that reason, we've kept the three driving modes, so the driver can select "eco" or "normal" to switch to economy and low emissions for daily driving, but press the Mugen button for the full-blown weekend-warrior settings,” says Colin Whittamore.

Honda CR-Z Mugen

With an IMA electric motor and a revised version of the 1.5-liter gasoline engine, the CR-Z Mugen is able to produce 200 horsepower and 215 Nm of torque. This is possible due to Mugen’s iCF system (Integrated Centrifugal Forced) and also thanks to the revised gasoline engine which received upgraded components. Other features of the model include 17-inch forged alloy Mugen GP wheels, a limited slip differential, wider front and rear axles and new adjustable dampers.

Honda CR-Z Mugen

The 200-horsepower Honda CR-Z Mugen hybrid is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in around 6,6 seconds but there are many chances to obtain even a better time as the official details on this are not currently available. Another noteworthy feature of the Japanese hybrid model is the total mass, Mugen claiming that the model weighs 50 kilograms less. The fuel consumption chapter is also important considering that we talk about a hybrid model, Honda announcing an average consumption of 5,6 liters/100 km in normal mode while driving more sportier will raise the figures to 8 liters/100 km.

Honda CR-Z Mugen

Rikk 24 Jun, 2011

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Source: http://www.automotorblog.com/honda-cr-z-mugen-fully-revealed-debuts-at-the-goodwood-festival-of-speed/
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Aston Martin V12 Zagato doubles up on Nurburgring 24 Hour race

After the British at Mini surprised us with their contender for this years 24 Hours of Nurburgring, in the shape of the 2012 Mini Coupe racer, the ones at Aston Martin also have something to say.

Their award winning Aston Martin V12 Zagato is going to be participating in the 24 hour German race and they are doing it fittingly, in massive style.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Zig Zag racers

Aston Martin is going to use gorgeous looking cars, V12 power, and they’re even using a special trick for their team in the form of two racing cars with “twin” names.

These two cars from Aston Martin are getting a full reveal today after some teasing along the way and we also get to find out their names.

Naming is important, mostly because Aston Martin isn’t going to refer to their cars by their number and stuff like that. According to Dr. Ulrich Bez, their chairman, the British will be naming the cars Zig and Zag.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Zig Zag racers

It’s quite the captivating idea but as far as the race marshals are concerned, the Aston Martin V12 Zagatos are labeled cars number 3 and number 5.

The number 5 Aston Martin V12 Zagato is going to be the Zig that wears a green (not really what we know as the British Racing sort) paint whereas the number 3 version we’ll be wearing the red shade with a white go faster stripes.

As if this sort of presence isn’t enough the drivers of these two V12 Zagato racers at the Nurburgring are going to be something we don’t get to see often these days in motorsport.

Aston Martin’s V12 Zagato racing cars will be driven by what’s known as Gentlemen racers. Forget the overpaid racing drivers that have been fed speed since they were five.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Zig Zag racers

The 24 Hours of Nurburgring will see some “decently paid” managers and CEO drive for Aston Martin. The Zig V12 Zagato will be driven by Chris Porritt, Oliver Mathai and Peter Cate.

Chris Porritt was the infamous Aston Martin’s One-77 Chief Engineer, experienced sports car driver Oliver Mathai, Richard Meaden is a seasoned automotive journalist and Peter Cate is an amateur.

The second Aston Martin V12 Zagato gets Aston Martin CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez, the company's Nürburgring Test Centre Director, Wolfgang Schuhbauer and automotive journalists Horst von Saurma and Matthew Marsh.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Zig Zag racers

You have to hand it to Aston Martin, they sure know how to make a presence even on the race track and on top of these special V12′s a less blue blooded V8 will be present.

An Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 racer that’s also running under the company name will be nicknamed the Smurf and it’s driven by company customers.

Lupica G. 23 Jun, 2011

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Source: http://www.automotorblog.com/aston-martin-v12-zagato-doubles-up-on-nurburgring-24-hour-race/
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JCW takes Mini Coupe Endurance Racing at the Nurburgring

Well, now this is what I’d call it when a company means business with it’s new coupe sports model they launched just days ago.

The 2012 Mini Coupe’s pictures are still so fresh the paint may run on the fingers of those who hold them to admire the British fun machine.

2012 Mini Coupe JCW Endurance racer

Despite that, there’s no time being wasted, Mini already announced that they plan to take a John Cooper Works (JCW) version of the 2012 Coupe racing.

Focusing on the endurance side and with the 24 Hours of Le Mans being over and dealt with for this year, the JCW Mini Coupe will hit up the Nurburgring.

No endurance race is easy, but the 24 Hours of Nurburgring demand that more of a special attention as the track itself is known for being one of the toughest around.

2012 Mini Coupe JCW Endurance racer

In order to prep for the immense job at hand, there’s been some tweaking done by Mini to the aerodynamics of the Coupe shifting focus from things like fuel economy and looks towards downforce.

This is why we see a new body kit that now includes a front splitter and a rear diffuser. Also looking for that little bit more downforce is the rear spoiler JCW placed on the back of the 2012 Mini Coupe.

Last but not least, the lower part of the front bumper was opened up further to improve the cooling of the powerplant and all its auxiliaries under the bonnet.

2012 Mini Coupe JCW Endurance racer

The new cooling possibilities were laid out in order to preserve the life of the 1.6 liter turbocharged engine throughout the 24 hours of pain it’s going to get.

Pain is only part of the equation, performance is the other. While the 1.6 liter turbocharged engine didn’t apparently change, there’s 250 horsepower coming out of it thanks to all the racing tech added.

Some fancy re-tuning of the direct injection system, turning up of the turbocharger pressure helps JCW develop the 50 extra ponies on top of the standard powerplant and provide the driver with an overboost facility.

2012 Mini Coupe JCW Endurance racer

The interior of the 2012 Mini Coupe also got a lot of changes only the extreme stripping of the luxuries and sound deadening means there’s a lot less on the table.

The final weight of the 2012 Mini Coupe Endurance Racer is said to stop at just under 2.200 pounds sitting still so we can see the downforce necessity we spoke of earlier.

All this stuff was set up so that when the Nurburgring 24 hour endurance race starts up the Mini John Cooper Works Coupe Endurance will be competing in the “SP 3T” class.

Lupica G. 23 Jun, 2011

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Source: http://www.automotorblog.com/jcw-takes-mini-coupe-endurance-racing-at-the-nurburgring/
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