A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing: New Corvette GT2 racer takes cues from ZR1

For 2009, the Corvette C6.R GT2 will take its cues from the new king of the roadgoing Corvette castle, the all-conquering ZR1. Don't expect a window into the race-engine compartment, but the design promises to look unmistakably like a track-bound version of the supercharged 'Vette flagship. Under the hood in 2009 will be a downsized 6.0-liter LS7 to meet the new ALMS regulations, to be replaced by a 5.5-liter race-tuned LS3 with 500 horsepower for 2010. The rendering above gives us a good idea of what the C6.R GT2 will look like, so F430 and 911 pilots had better get used to it.


Victory can get boring after a while. The first couple of times Corvette Racing took the GT1 title in the American Le Mans Series, it must have been exciting. But after dominating the class every year since 2001, they're starting to look for a new fight, and the Porsches and Ferraris duking it out in GT2 must have started to look mighty tasty. Aching for a fight, Chevrolet's racing partner Pratt & Miller have started teasing what their latest challenger will look like, and it's pretty badass.
via:autoblog.com




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OFFICIAL: Here's the version number of Dacia Duster!

Dacia has presented the first images and technical details of the first SUV in the series history: Duster. The model will be presented at the Auto Salon in Geneva in 2010.

Automarket presents the first official details of its new SUV, inspired by the concept Duster. It keeps the name and Duster will be presented at the Auto Salon in Geneva. The new model, look first to the land of the Dacia range, will be released in the summer of 2010.


DESIGN

In terms of design, the Duster has taken many elements of the concept with the same name, introduced a month ago in Geneva. These can include the shape of the front, grid, line windows and front wings. Stylistic differences begin to emerge when the notice shields located at the bottom of the bars and protection thresholds and safety margins of the wings or plastic mirrors and door handles, taken directly from the Logan range.

Home dierenta against the concept in Geneva but will be represented by the number of car doors. If the prototype with the same name had a futuristic sense, antagonistic with doors on one side and a large door on the other hand, the SUV will be launched Duster, normal version with five doors classics. The present design both in profile and in the posterior of this model were kept, in an attempt to keep alive the spirit of the concept that delighted the audience. However, some lines and some items were simplified to make the new Duster practical and economical.

ENGINE

Built on the platform of Nissan X-Trail, Dacia Duster is equipped with a propeller 1.5 dCi which delivers 106 HP at 4000 rpm and an engine torque of 240 Nm at 2000 rpm. Propulsorul will comply with Euro 5, the issuing only 137 grams CO2/km. Unit 1.5-liter dCi is coupled to a manual transmission with six gears, and the Dacia introduce automatic transmission and a five-tier, if demand on foreign markets will dictate this.

Propulsorul is placed transversely, and traction is made on front deck. Integral traction equipment will be optional, and the traction control will send 100% of the available engine torque motors which are able adherence via electronic differential lock. Rims will be the size of 16 inches, and used tires will be 215/50 R16.

Despite the mass of 1791 kilograms, Duster will accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in 12.1 seconds. Speed that can reach 1.5 dCi Duster is 178 km / h in the version equipped with manual transmission and 173 km / h in the version equipped with automatic transmission. The average of this model is 5.4 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers reading mixed cycle.

The model benefits from a fitru particles with periodic regeneration, which does not require a functional additives. Propulsorul 1.5 dCi Duster's own piezo injectors, an injector common rail operating at 1600 bar and a variable turbine geometry. Dacia Duster constructed after vast experience of the Renault-Nissan alliance in 4x4. Certain elements of the running train will be taken from models like the Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail.

Range of motor Dacia Duster will include propulsoarele MPI of 1.6 liters for Logan. Thus, Duster will have both a version of CP 90, and one of 105 HP. The two propellant gas will be available with a manual transmission with six gears. Equipped with 90 HP propulsorul, Duster will accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in 13.8 seconds, while with 105 HP propulsorul time will be reduced to 11.9 seconds.

Maximum speed of Duster propeller equipped with a MPI of 90 HP would be 169 km / h, while the model equipped with a 105 HP engine can reach 175 km / h. Average fuel economy of Duster 1.6 MPI 90 CP 10 liters per 100 kilometers traveled the mixed MPI 16V version 1.6 will consume with 0.5 liters less per 100 km. CO2 emissions recorded by the two propeller will be less than 180 grams / km.

DIMENSIONS

The Dacia SUV will be the item or in any conditions and will be able to cope with whatever land you will traverses. Wheelbase 2630 mm for the model makes the Duster to his room for passengers and also a capable off-road routes difficulty reduced. Practical elements of this model have not been forgotten by the designers Dacia Duster tank with 60 liters and a trunk with a volume of 400 liters.

Unlike Duster concept, the production version will host five passengers. Dacia Although not formally announced in the price of this model, our sources say that the first Dacia SUV could have a starting price of around 11,500 euros. This price is valid for the version of the Duster, which will be equipped with a manual transmission with six gears and traction girl.
Source: automarket



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BMW will not build the Z2

According to Imotormag, a BMW source says that the car is not on the product plan for the next 10 years. The Z2 was to have been a 4-cylinder, compact roadster that came in below the Z4 in the BMW lineup. The source says that there hasn't even been any "inside gossip" about a possible Z2-type vehicle.


A lot of speculators have been rationalising that BMW desperately needs a cheaper four-cylinder-powered sports car to fill the gap left by the fact the Z4 now starts at around £5,000 more than its predecessor.

However, this is not the case. Our insider explained: “We have the 1-Series convertible. It’s a drop top, has rear wheel drive, is sporty and comes in at less than £20,000. Why would we need to invest a lot of cash in building a niche car like the Z2? It doesn’t make sense in these uncertain times.”
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KTM X-BOW by MTM

KTM's X-Bow doesn't really need any help to be extreme. It is born that way. But MTM wasn't satisfied, so they took their tuning ways to the car's engine and brakes to make it even more of a trackday star.


Up from the standard 240hp (177kW) the KTM X Bow by MTM produces 318 hp and 420 Nm of torque coupled to a 6-speed manual H circuit transmission helping ferry energy to the rear-wheel drive system.


Adding to the MTM X-Bow's performance ability is a set of four-piston Brembo calipers, 305mm rotors and 18in alloy wheels. Nokian Hakkapelliita-4 tires in 245/40 provide the sticky. Top speed rises just a tick to 156mph (251km/h) - plenty fast in an open-cockpit car unless you've got GP-driver neck muscles.


Top speed on this thing is 251 km/h (156mph), apparently made especially for those of you who think 250 km/h is just too slow. By the way, what kind of car is this, really? Does it drive well on sand?

The vehicle and tuning package will cost you 64,263 euros inclduing the base price of 56,953 euros for the KTM X Bow.
via:motorauthority




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Ford X-Road Debuts at AutoRAI in The Netherlands

Ford's new Focus comes with a 1.8-liter 16v engine, that produces 125 hp. The car can run on both petrol and bio-ethanol. Emissions are low enough to fit the vehicle in energy band B.


Ford has introduced a new wagon for the Dutch market this week. The new Ford Focus X-Road made its debut at AutoRAI in Amsterdam as a 300 unit limited edition.


The vehicle comes with a black bodykit to differentiate it from the Ford Focus Wagon Titanium. Front and rear bumpers are in black, as are the lower portions of the doors and side panels. This black finish is meant to make the vehicle look "sturdy and robust" by giving the car an "off-road look." The car comes with black roof rails, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a metallic Moondust Silver paint job. Dual-zone climate control, heated rain-sensing windshield, power windows, cruise control, CD audio system with auxiliary jack, and sport seats are included. For €500 more, customers can purchase the Business Pack, which includes a five-inch color display, navigation system, USB connector, Bluetooth, and voice control.


Available from mid-July, the new Ford Focus X-Road will be available in the Netherlands from €25,175, including VAT and BPM.
via:World Car Fans




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Made in China: Nissan 300ZX - Lamborghini Murcielago Hybrid

It appears that the popularity of automotive crossbreeding in China has spread out to domestic tuning companies like Max Power Sports (MPS) which has created the above Frankensteinian hybrid of a Nissan 300ZX and a Lamborghini Murcielago. The four-wheel abomination is based on the early-mid 90s 300ZX 2+2 with MPS adding a Murcielago inspired rear-end compartment and front bumper complemented with side air-vents and Lamborghini-style scissor doors. Something tells us that we've yet to see the worst from China...

Via: thetycho

Bertone, Zagato and Morgan to Reveal New Concepts at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

This year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este's to be held at the end of April near the Lake Como in northern Italy will see the world debut of three brand new concept cars by Stile Bertone, Morgan and Zagato. A further five design studies including BMW's Gina, Infiniti's Essence GT, Aston Martin's One-77, Fisker's Karma S and Rinspeed's i-Change will also make their way to the show.

While no details were released for Andrea Zagato's concept, it was revealed that Stilo Bertone's study will be a lightweight sports car powered by a V8 engine while Morgan's prototype model will be a two seater built on the Morgan Aeromax platform.