2011 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Turbo Safety Car

2011 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Turbo Safety Car

BMW announces 2011 BMW Sport Cars 1-Series M Coupe Safety Car for the Moto GP event Panamera announced that 2011 Porsche Panamera Turbo Safety Car will be used as the safety car, but this time in the 2011 American Le Mans Series. The 2011 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Turbo Safety Car is obviously based on the most powerful version Turbo model powered by 4.8-liter V8 twin-turbo engine, which offers a total of 500 hp. 2011 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Turbo Safety Car expect a number of changes to the specifications that define the racing series to watch.

2011 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Turbo Safety Car

2011 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Turbo Safety Car used safety car, which will be specifically used for the 2011 American Le Mans Series (ALMS). The car is based on the Porsche Cayenne Turbo has a base 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8 with 500 hp (368 kW) and 700 nm (516 lb-ft) between 2250 and 4500rpm. All that power is needed to keep pace on the track. 2011 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Turbo Safety Car from 0 to 60 km in 3.3 seconds and 100 mph in just 8.2 seconds. Quarter mile in 11.7 seconds back down to 192 km / h (119 mph). The top speed is 303 km / h (188 mph), which is very good for large four-door coupe.

2011 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Turbo Safety Car

The 500-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, all-wheel drive Panamera Turbo provides Porsche performance and quality, as well as a level of comfort absent among true high-performance cars. All U.S. Panamera models feature a seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) double-clutch gearbox delivering a dynamic driving experience, ultrafast gearshifts without the slightest interruption of engine power, a very high level of comfort for four, and outstanding fuel efficiency when compared to a conventional automatic transmission.

The Panamera is the first premium car with an automatically shifting double-clutch transmission to feature an engine start/stop system. It saves fuel and reduces emissions by turning the engine off when it is not needed, such as sitting at a stop light. All engines have advanced and fuel-efficient Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), as well.

2011 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Turbo Safety Car

"The Porsche Panamera gives us an official safety car unmatched in motorsports," Ed Triolo, ALMS VP of Marketing and Brand Development said. "This reinforces the commitment and partnership between the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and Porsche, one of the world’s greatest sports cars that has had extraordinary success in the ALMS and IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama. It is a perfect fit."

Then not only the Panamera is a safety car, second car would be used of the Porsche Cayenne. That will always be ready as the Emergency Response vehicle, and will always stand-by to deal with any difficulties that occurred in Le mans series racing this year. As was stated by the organizers of racing series, when choosing a car, they proceeded from the fact that the Porsche Panamera – is one of the best sports cars in the world. Also, two ALMS Porsche Cayenne Emergency Response Vehicles are on standby in case there are no problems on any of the games this season. No further details of the specific vehicles, but the company release more details soon.

MotorTrend Pits the Corvette Z06, Shelby GT500 and Nissan GT-R Against Each Other

What weights ten tonnes and costs more than US$240,000? If you said, “a gold plated bulldozer”, you’d be close but no cigar. The answer is three sub-100k supercars: the Chevy Corvette Z06, Ford Shelby GT500 and Nissan GT-R. These three industry titans, with nameplates stretching as far back as the 1960s, were the recent subjects of an epic comparison test by MotorTrend. Here are three would-be-supercars – over 500hp and 3 second 0 to 60 mph times – that don’t command the supercar price tag.

The US$55,330 GT500, US$90,950 GT-R and US$98,010 Z06 are all within the budgets of most mid-life crisis suffers (providing you sell the house, the kids and the dog) and offer the sort of performance that was once the sole reserve of great Italians like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati.

And they’re not stripped out racers either. The Z06, for instance, comes with such luxuries as heated leather seats, Bose audio, Bluetooth and sat nav. You can’t buy a second-hand Lamborghini with that sort of equipment for US$98,010.

If you want to find out who wins this legendary battle, you’ll just have to check out the video. Even if you don’t care who wins you should check out the video anyways for a sweet-as drag race between the Z06, GT500 and GT-R. Now that’s something you don’t see everyday...

Volvo's 2011 S60 Slips into its Racing Uniform

If you're searching for a...really naughty version of the 2011 Volvo S60, then look no further than to this race-spec model that's being readied for track by K-PAX Racing to defend the team's 2010 World Challenge GT Manufacturers′ and Drivers′ champion titles. The K-PAX team is preparing two all-wheel drive S60s, which will make their debut at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, in late April, for the fourth round of the World Challenge schedule.

"For the first three races, we′ll run the body style that took us to last year′s championships," said Jim Haughey, Team Owner of K-PAX Racing. "Once fans see the new cars, I think they′ll be very impressed."

K-PAX Racing has not yet revealed any details on the S60's specifications.

Savage Rivale’s Roadyacht GTS gets a Racing Variant

Back in 2009 at the Top Marques Monaco Show, Dutch automaker Savage Rivale blew the lid off the Roadyacht GTS, an eccentric four-door, coupe-convertible supercar. While interesting enough to be worth a second look, one could’ve argued on the chances of the Corvette-based vehicle to become a hit. Still, it seems that it was successful enough to prompt the development of a racing version, aptly called the GTR.

The company says the competition model will have a limited run of 69 units and will make use of the same Corvette underpinnings as the civilian version. However, the road-going model's older LS7 V8 is ditched in favor of the more modern LS9 variant. It also loses 2 doors in the process of becoming a truly hardcore racecar.

The 6.2-liter powerplant is said to deliver around 700HP and is strapped to a steel tubular space frame chassis that tips the scales at just 115 kg or 254 lbs and is complemented by a flat underbody with “suction deck” for improved stability and car control.

Inside, the GTR offers only the bare essentials in the form of a seat, steering wheel and typical racing safety features, but customers can also ask for additional seating for a “multi-person experience”.

VIDEO: Remote Control Cars Drifting on Realistic Looking Miniature Road is Pure Ecstasy

If you enjoyed Phil's video of the RC drifters from the recent Tokyo Auto Salo, then you're in for a really special treat with this 4 minute-long clip shot at the 2010 Korea RC Street Drift Challenge. By far this is the most amazing RC drift setup that we have ever seen. Just follow the jump and you'll see what we mean.

500HP Hyundai Veloster Rally Car Makes its Way to the Chicago Auto Show

Hyundai and Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) go back a long way and their partnership has been further cemented at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show with the unveiling of the Veloster rally car which is powered by a specially tuned four-cylinder turbocharged engine capable of 500-horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque.

A production version 2012 Veloster provided the base for the competition model, which was built by twelve RMR employees. The hatchback was stripped to bare metal and had its chassis stitch welded, increasing structural rigidity. In order to keep the weight down, Millen’s crew replicated many standard body panels out of carbon/Kevlar, such as the hood, doors, quarter panels, front and rear fascia. The finished product tips the scales at just 2,656 pounds or 1,205 kg.

An additional rear wing increases downforce, while the custom suspension allows for a lot of travel, needed for the typical rallycross jumps. Stopping power is provided by 14-inch front and 12-inch rear Alcon rotors with six piston calipers, complemented by custom built 18-inch HRE alloys, wrapped around in 245/40 Hankook racing tires.

The interior has been stripped of all comfort features and fitted with eight-point safety cage, firewall and Sparco racing buckets.

A total of three cars will be built, the first of which will be raced by Rhys Millen himself in the 2011 U.S. Rallycross Championship. A second all-wheel drive model will be shared between rally champion Marcus Dodd and world record freestyle motorbike rider Robbie Maddison at the Summer X Games, while a third one will compete in the 2WD class of the U.S. Rallycross Championship, with celebrity drivers at the wheel.

HYUNDAI VELOSTER RALLY CAR

Curb weight: 2,656 pounds
Engine: Hyundai 500-horspower four-cylinder turbocharged
Transmission: Xtrac six-speed sequential
Transfer case: Xtrac four wheel drive
Front and rear differentials: Xtrac
Suspension: Proflex jumbo coil over
Front Brakes: 14-inch Alcon rotors with 6-piston Alcon calipers
Rear Brakes: 12-inch Alcon rotors with 6-piston Alcon calipers
Wheels: 18 x 8.5-inch HRE Tires: 245/40-18 Hankook racing tire
Seats and harnesses: Sparco

Volkswagen Unwraps Monster Golf24 with 440HP Five-Cylinder Turbo for 2011 Nürburgring 24-hour Race

Volkswagen has announced that it will compete at this year's 24-hour endurance race at the Nürburgring with an all-new challenger, the freshly developed Golf24. The dramatic racing version of the Golf borrows the 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine from sister company Audi's TT RS and RS3 models, modified to deliver 440-ponies and a maximum torque of 540Nm or 398 lb-ft. Power is transmitted to the permanent four-wheel drive by a sequential six-speed gearbox with paddle shift operation.

The last time Volkswagen fielded a factory Golf for the famous Nürburgring endurance race was in 2007, at which time, the 300HP, front-wheel drive Golf that delivered about 300 hp finished in eighth place overall. For the past three years, the Germans have been competing in the race with the Scirocco GT24.

"With the new Golf24 we are continuing our successful commitment at the Nürburgring 24-hour race," said VW Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "The event enjoys huge popularity, is one of the true classics in motorsport and, due to its extreme distance and unique race track, also represents a very big technical challenge, With our spectacular Golf we want to provide an additional highlight in front of a large audience – right in time for the 35th anniversary of the GTI this year."

The new Golf24 has already reeled off its first circuit miles in Portugal and Italy, but VW will continue the testing and development programme until the Nürburgring racing event that takes place from June 23 to 26.

Ford Sues Ferrari Over F150 Formula 1 Car Moniker, the Italians Hastily Change it to the F150th Italia

In order to celebrate the 150 years that have passed since the unification of Italy, Ferrari recently chose to name its newest Formula 1 car the “F150”. It seems that Ford wasn’t too impressed with the patriotic gesture and sued the Italian maker over the race car's moniker. The Blue Oval claimed that it closely resembled its own F-150 nameplate, thus causing “irreparable harm” to the trademark.

According to the paperwork filed in Detroit, the lawsuit also referred to Ferrari’s www.ferrarif150.com website and accused the Italian company of cyber theft and trademark infringement.

Ford aimed to prevent the use of the F150 name in the United States, and expected Ferrari to give up any revenue and profits earned through the disputed nameplate in the States.

Furthermore, under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which protects against trademark infringement due to the use of confusing Internet domain names, Ford wanted $100,000 in damages.

However, Ferrari reacted quickly and today changed the F1 car's name to the “F150th Italia”, which was first used in a routine Formula 1 test report posted on the Ferrari website.

The report stated that “the first day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro got off on the right foot at the Cheste circuit, near Valencia. Before the lunch break, Fernando Alonso completed just over 200 kilometers at the wheel of the Ferrari F150th Italia”.

Later on, Ferrari released an official statement as well, available below.

By Csaba Daradics

[Ferrari Press Release] The name of the new Ferrari Formula 1 car

Maranello, 10th February - On the subject of the name of the new Ferrari Formula 1 car, the Maranello company wishes to point out that it has sent a letter of reply to Ford, underlining the fact that the F150 designation (used as the abbreviated version of the complete name, which is Ferrari F150th Italia) never has, nor ever will be used as the name of a commercially available product – indeed there will definitely not be a production run of single-seaters. In fact, it has always been the case in the history of Scuderia names, that they represent the nomenclature of a racing car project and are linked to a chronological order with a technical basis, or in exceptional cases, to special occasions. This year, the decision was taken to dedicate the car name to a particularly significant event, the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, an event of such great importance that the Italian government has declared, for this year only, a national holiday.

For these reasons, Ferrari believes that its own contender in the forthcoming F1 championship cannot be confused with other types of commercially available vehicle of any sort whatsoever, nor can it give the impression that there is a link to another brand of road-going vehicle. Therefore it is very difficult to understand Ford’s viewpoint on the matter.

Despite this and to further prove it is acting in good faith and that it operates in a completely correct manner, Ferrari has decided to ensure that in all areas of operation, the abbreviated version will be replaced at all times with the full version, Ferrari F150th Italia.

Sources: Ferrari, Detnews & Autoweek