567 bhp Sportec Panamera

The Porsche Panamera Turbo seems to be getting a lot of attention from tuners. Swiss firm Sportec is one of those, and the good news for UK customers is that its products are available through APS of Brackley, the UK importer.

There are two packages on offer for the Panamera Turbo. Stage 1 basically consists of an engine ECU remap, which lifts power from the standard car’s 493 bhp (368 kW / 500 PS) up to 552 bhp (412 kW / 560 PS). Maximum torque is similarly increased from 700 Nm to 790 Nm.



Although there isn’t a huge effect on the 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time, which reduces from 4.2 to 3.9 seconds, Sportec claims that the mid-range is where the impact is really felt. Top speed is also improved, rising to an electronically limited 195 mph (315 km/h).



The price of the Stage 1 package is £2,900 fitted, which equates to about £50 per extra horsepower.



Stage 2 meanwhile also gets the revised ECU, but adds Sportec’s stainless exhaust system. This comes with four 90mm diameter tail pipes, plus a pair of ‘sound throttles’ which allow the driver to change the exhaust note via remote control.



Although that particular feature is a bit of a gimmick, the new exhaust does release a little more power, taking it up to 567 bhp (423 kW / 575 PS). That’s not quite as much as the Techart Panamera conversion, which boasts 572 bhp (426 kW / 580 PS), but according to Sportec their car will do the 0-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in a marginally faster time of 3.8 seconds. That is properly quick, but doesn’t seem very different from what Stage 1 achieves. Maximum speed remains limited to 195 mph (315 km/h).



The Stage 2 modification is also a lot more expensive, costing £7,990 fitted. That’s around £110 for each additional horsepower, which doesn’t look like particularly good value when compared to Stage 1.

€310,000 HMC Hidalgo

Little-known Swiss firm Helvetic Motor Company has unveiled its latest creation. Called the Hidalgo (and possibly named after the 2004 film about a horse that featured Omar Sharif?) it uses the running gear from the Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG.

The SLK’s 355 bhp (265 kW / 360 PS) 5,439 cc V8 is reckoned to accelerate the Hidalgo from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.4 seconds. That’s 1.5 seconds quicker than the AMG, so that obviously Bugatti-inspired body must be quite a bit lighter.

Planned production is only six units per year but, with a price tag of around €310,000 (about £257,000 at today’s rates), even that may be optimistic.

Alpina B5 UK sales start

Following its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last month, Alpina’s UK concessionaires have confirmed that the first deliveries of the B5 Bi-Turbo will take place later this year.

The 5 Series-based B5 uses the same 4.4 litre V8 as the mainstream BMW 550i, but retuned turbochargers and a revised inlet set-up mean power is increased by 98 bhp (73 kW / 100 PS) to 500 bhp (372 kW / 507 PS), while maximum torque jumps by 100 Nm to a substantial 700 Nm.



Also like the 550i, and typically Alpina, the B5 has an eight-speed automatic transmission. 0-62 mph (100 km/h) acceleration takes 4.7 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds quicker than the BMW. Unlike the 550i though, the Alpina dispenses with an electronic speed limiter, allowing it to go up to 191 mph (307 km/h).



Combined fuel consumption for the B5 is 26.2 mpg (10.7 l/100km), while CO2 emissions are 252 g/km. By comparison, that’s not too different to the BMW 550i, which manages 27.2 mpg (10.4 l/100km) and 243 g/km.



Another Alpina trait is that ride comfort isn’t totally sacrificed in pursuit of better handling. To help achieve this, the B5’s 20” alloy wheels do without the standard car’s run-flat tyres, and the adjustable electronic dampers have also been specially reconfigured.



Whereas the previous generation BMW M5 had a bespoke V10 engine, it’s said that the next M5 will also use an adapted version of the 4.4 litre V8. That’s going to lead to some very direct comparisons between the BMW and Alpina. It can be assumed that the M5 will be more hardcore in terms of chassis set-up and choice of transmission but, until that car arrives, the B5 is the quickest 5 Series available which retains a full BMW warranty.



No word on price yet, but expect the Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo to cost around £70,000 in the UK. To put that into perspective BMW’s current 5 Series range-topper, the 550i M Sport, is £53,615.

Ford has shown a new off-road car

New generation of Ford Explorer has been shown in the USA to a narrow circle of the elite. The VIP-representatives of the American car dealers of mark Ford have been invited to model demonstration.

New Ford Explorer 2011

From the middle of the eightieth and up to crisis of 2008 Ford Expplorer was one of the basic models of the company in the car market of the North America.

Ford Motor Co. has presented to car dealers new Explorer as model 2012. Earlier, Ford planned to start new model in the end of this year, but decided to begin manufacture at least since January, 2011.

Off-road Explorer

New Ford Explorer will receive absolutely new platform. The motor-car manufacturer will offer four-cylinder two-litre motor EcoBoost. Predictably, the six-cylinder motor will be offered also.

The dealers seeing the new car, notice: "The car became more roundish, than present model Explorer, with smooth lines and reminds the increased version of crossover Ford Edge."

Related Posts: Ford

• Ford Ka For Beggars
• Ford Presented Sports Focus
• Ford Presented the Police Version of New Explorer
• One more Mustang will be in NASCAR
• Ford has presented the new car for the American police
• The Impact of the Utility Truck on Commercial Vehicles

2010 Mercedes-Benz Sports Cars SLS AMG E-Cell Concept

After stunning Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercar was revealed, electric version in the future. The all-electric Mercedes-Benz AMG E-Cell SLS prototype has slightly less power than its gas-powered siblings. The E-Cell has a capacity of probably the coolest name for a painting to date – AMG Lumilectric mango.

Mercedes-AMG is accepting the challenges of motoring of the future: the SLS AMG E-CELL is evidence of the state-of-the-art development of an exciting super sports car featuring a zero-emission high-tech drive. Boasting a power output of 392 kW and 880 Nm of torque, the technology vehicle from AMG is able to offer exceptional performance.

The E-Cell features a lithium-ion polymer battery pack and electric motors which produce 392 kW (526 bhp / 533 PS) and 880 Nm (649 lb-ft) of torque. That is enough to propel the SLS AMG E-Cell from 0-62 mph in 4.0 seconds, compared to 3.8 seconds in the standard SLS.

The gullwing model accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 4 seconds – which almost puts it on the same high level as the SLS AMG with 6.3-litre V8 engine developing 420 kW (571 hp), which can accelerate to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.

The SLS AMG E-CELL drive incorporates a liquid-cooled high-voltage lithium-ion battery featuring a modular design with an energy content of 48 kWh and a capacity of 40 Ah. The maximum electric load potential of the battery, which consists of 324 lithium-ion polymer cells, is 480 kW, which is an absolute best value in the automotive sector.

A revised center console has a ten-inch touch-screen infotainment system, which runs audio, climate and navigation functions. The ten-spoke wheels are staggered 19-inch front and 20 inch rear tire wearing 265/35 and 295/30. The Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS E-Cell will make his debut in a production model in 2013, a value of $ 300,000.

2010 Mercedes-Benz Sports Cars SLS AMG E-Cell Concept 

With the SLS AMG E-CELL, the performance brand of Mercedes-Benz is launching a totally innovative drive solution for super sports cars and as such is among the pioneers in this market segment.

2WD Freelander revealed

Land Rover has updated the Freelander 2, giving it more efficient engines and some minor styling tweaks.

However, the big news is that for the first time a two-wheel drive version is also going to be offered. Now that may get some Land Rover purists a bit worked up, and others may say it’ll damage the brand. But, as Land Rover points out, two-wheel drive SUVs account for 23 percent of the segment in Europe. If it was being less tactful, the company could have also said that a lot of Freelander drivers won’t come even close to using the off-road capabilities of their cars, so it’s unlikely they are going to miss four-wheel drive.



And it’s not as if Land Rover has never produced a two-wheel drive vehicle before. In the past it supplied some 4x2 Series models to the British and Belgian military, as this Land Rover Monthly editorial explains.



Probably the main reason for introducing the two-wheel drive model - dubbed eD4 - is to reduce the average emissions of the range. Going by the numbers, it should certainly help achieve that. Using a 147 bhp (110 kW / 150 PS) 2.2 litre diesel, six-speed manual gearbox and a stop/start system, it achieves 47.2 mpg (6.0 l/100km) on the combined cycle while producing 158 g/km of CO2.



The first of the 4WD variants is the TD4, which has the same engine as the eD4. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that its green credentials aren’t that much worse because, with the standard manual transmission, the TD4 now manages 45.6 mpg (6.2 l/100km) and 165 g/km. As expected, those figures go downhill if the optional automatic gearbox is specified, partly because it doesn’t get the stop/start system.



Heading the Freelander line-up is the 187 bhp (139 kW / 190 PS) SD4. It too features a 2.2 litre diesel, but oddly it comes as an automatic only. Performance is fairly respectable, with 0-60 mph (96 km/h) taking 8.7 seconds and a top speed of 118 mph (190 km/h), yet it’ll still do 40.4 mpg (7.0 l/100km). CO2 emissions do suffer, although with a figure of 185 g/km the SD4 just makes it into Band I for UK road tax purposes (which means an annual charge of £200).



Visually, the 2011 Freelander is primarily identified by a revised front bumper assembly. This incorporates new fog light bezels and a new finish for what stylistically remains the bane of most of the Land Rover range - an overly fussy front grille. There are also improved front and rear light designs, new alloy wheels and some new colours. On the inside, changes are restricted to redesigned instrument dials and new seat styles.



The 2WD eD4 goes on sale in January 2011, with prices to be confirmed later this year. Meanwhile, the 4WD TD4 and SD4 will be available from the end of September 2010. UK prices start at £21,695 for the TD4 S, rising to £35,510 for the SD4 HSE.

2011 Mustang GT: Prototype CAI & Dyno Tune — Huge Power Gains!

Our 2011 5.0L Mustang GT, a Prototype CAI, and the Bama Custom Tuning Team.

Within 24 hours of taking possession of our 2011, we turned our Bama Custom Tuning division loose on some exclusive prototypes for upgrades to see what performance gains they could squeeze out of the GT. With a custom tune developed on our dyno and an exclusive new CAI prototype from C&L Performance, we were able to feed our need for speed. Read more and watch the video at blog.americanmuscle.com/2011-mustang-gt-prototype-cai-dyno-tune-huge-power-gains.

Here’s a summary of our chassis dyno testing:

* Stock — no modifications: 363RWHP / 331RWTQ
* Factory tune, Prototype C&L cold air intake: 374RWHP / 338RWTQ
* Bama Custom Tune, stock Airbox: 379RWHP / 357RWTQ
* Bama Custom Tune, Prototype C&L cold air intake: 385RWHP / 362RWTQ

2011 Mustang GT 5.0L owners can expect a nice performance bump from just a tune alone. These numbers rival the high output of the SVT Performance group’s Supercharged 2003-2004 Cobra and various other high performance models from Ford’s Specialty Vehicles Team. Camaros and Challengers, watch out! With a Bama Tune installed, the new 5.0L has become the leader of the pack!

In addition to the rear wheel horsepower and torque gains, drivers will experience better throttle response, faster/firmer shifting, and an overall increase in driveability. These hot new calibrations are available immediately, exclusively from AmericanMuscle.com. Final production versions of the C&L cold air intake will be ready to purchase from AmericanMuscle before the end of summer, 2010. Stay tuned for more exclusive prototype test results and footage!