It’s been a long time, but SLP Performance Parts is following up on the success of its Firebird Firehawk with a Firehawk version of the new Pontiac G8 GT – the Firehawk Supercharged.

The heart of this package is the SLP TVS 1900 positive-displacement supercharger that will give the G8 GT 500hp. Also included in the package is an SLP PowerFlo stainless steel exhaust system and an SLP Blackwing cold air intake system.

The SLP Firehawk package includes a full array of modifications including a sport suspension and an aero kit that includes flat black painted hood and grille surrounds, color-matched lower front fascia grille inserts and an SLP flat black rear spoiler.

SLP Firehwak G8 GTs will roll on gun metal 5-spoke wheels that measure 19-inches at all four corners with 245/40/19 Bridestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position tires.

Other trim items in the package include Firehawk center caps, Firehawk badges, a Firehawk car cover, Firehawk embroidered headrests, Firehawk floor mats, two Firehawk key fobs, a Firehawk numbered dash plaque and birth certificate.

The Pontiac G8 GT Firehawk package costs $18,995 and is available through SLP or any one of its authorized dealerships.

A competition brake package is also offered for $4,995.

While some might argue that launching a project like this in the middle of a worldwide recession is foolish, we have to say that with the demise of GM’s high performance vehicle operations unit, those who love horsepower have no choice but to go to the aftermarket, as manufacturers are turning their backs on enthusiasts.

Source: GMInsideNews]

Audi has just released some more images of its upcoming TT RS and apparently both a Coupe and a Convertible will be offered. And while the images look great, the rumors about the power output of these cars sounds even better.

Carscoop is reporting that they have obtained the official specs on the cars and that Audi’s claim of “far more” than 300hp from the TT RS isn’t far off. The high-performance version of the TT is expected to make 340hp and 333 ft-lbs of torque thanks to a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine.

The TT RS will make use of Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system and will use a six-speed manual gearbox (YES!). There is no word on if a DSG system will be offered.

Audi says the TT RS will be capable of hitting 62 mph in less than 5.0-seconds.

Unfortunately Audi has still not confirmed the car for launch in the U.S.

Audi TT RS Coupe & Roadster:

[Source: Carscoop]

For a sound clip of the 2.5-liter turbo-5-cyl in the TT RS, follow the jump:

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Caption/Credit: Larry Miller Leans on a Ford Mustang at the Miller Motorsports Park (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News)

While Larry H. Miller might be better known as the owner of the Utah Jazz Basketball organization, auto aficionados know him for creating the Miller Motorsports Park. Miller died on Friday due to complications due to diabetes.

Miller was more than just a business owner, however; he was an active member of his community. He donated millions of dollars to build a 20 acre Salt Lake Community College campus, he taught several masters of business administration classes at Brigham Young University, and gave money to establish a police officer training center. Some estimates put his donations at well over $100 million.

Miller was a self-made man, who created the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies from his auto-parts business and one Toyota dealership which he opened in the late 1970s. Miller expanded his auto empire to include more than 40 dealerships. From there he ownered and operated several movie theaters as well as local radio and TV stations and even the Jordan Commons, a retail, entertainment and office complex.

As mentioned, he is best known for owning the Utah Jazz, although he also owned the Salt Lake Bees, a minor league baseball team.

The Miller Motorsport Park, located in Tooele, Utah, is a 23-turn 4.5-mile road course. Originally a $5 million project to be used as a playground by Miller, the project quickly became an enormous undertaking with a cost of $85 million. The track opened in 2005 and now plays host to the American Le  Mans Series, Grand Am Series, SPEED World Challenge Series and the AMA Superbike series. It also hosts certain NASCAR series races and is home to the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School. In 2006 it was named Motorsports Facility of the Year by the Professional Motorsport World Expo in Cologne, Germany.

The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies is one of the 150 largest privately held corporations in the United States with more than 7,000 employees in six states with an annual revenue of $3 billion.

“Larry was not only one of the finest auto dealers in the country, he was also one of the finest humanitarians,” said Iowan John McEleney, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association. “In fact, it would be hard to find a finer human being. When it came to helping others, Larry set the standard.”

[Source: Salt Lake Tribute]

See a tour of the Miller Motorsprots Park Museum by our friends at Garage419 after the jump:

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Lamborghini has just announced dates for its 2009 Lamborghini Academy driving schools – sort of. The actual dates have not been made public (presumably to avoid flocks of car-horny young men from descending on the tracks).

The Lamborghini Academy is an on-track driving school, which teaches Lamborghini owners, as well as anyone with the funds and the testosterone, how to really drive a raging bull. The Track Academy course is an entry level experience aimed at improving driving skill while “exploring the full potential” of a Lamborghini. This course uses Lambo’s new LP560-4 and includes a ride-along instructor.

An Advanced Academy is also offered which pushes the driver and the car further, focusing on vehicle control and race track driving. This course also includes a professional in-vehicle telemetry system. The Advanced school makes use of the LP560 as well as its big brother, the LP640.

Both courses include classes on vehicle dynamics and track safety, as well as handling and performance exercises. Participants will learn to manage understeer and oversteer, practice maneuvers with and without ABS and stability control, and master “controlled drifting.” Special attention will also be paid to finding the correct racing line on a track.

All participants will receive an in-car video of the experience as well as a photo CD of the day.

The events will take place starting in the Spring and while we might normally bemoan the fact that the Academy is only held in Europe, we’re sure those able to afford it won’t mind the extra expense of getting over there. As for the cost, it is 3,900 Euro, or roughly $4,900 and includes accommodation.

For more info visit:

www.lamborghiniacademy.com

Official release after the jump:

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Built to celebrate the tremendous success Corvette has had in racing over the past decade, General Motors has announced the launch of the GT1 Championship Edition.

The GT1 Championship Edition Corvette will come with racing inspired graphics, including driver flags and the series championships. The car is available in either black or Velocity Yellow, with black headlamps.

The body of the car will be painted in the ZR1 style with a spoiler and chrome wheels (yuck… really?).

Inside the interior will be swathes in ebony leather with yellow stitching and will feature GT1 embroidery on the seats, instrument panel and center console armrest..

Under the hood, the engine cover will have a special carbon look with yellow Corvette lettering.

The GT1 Championship Edition will be offered as either a coupe, convertible or Z06, with just 100 of each model being made in each color for a total of 600 units.

All models will receive a navigation system and both coupe and convertible will include the Z51 Performance Package and performance exhaust with an optional automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

Pricing is listed as $65,310 for the coupe, $71,815 for the convertible and $86,385 for the Z06. The GT1 Championship Edition Corvette will go on sale in the Spring.

The GT1 Championship Edition Corvette was create in homage to the successes of the C6.R racing Corvettes which took the ALMS GT1 Manufacturers Championship for 8 years, claimed over 70 victories in the series and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans 5 times.

2009 will make the last year for the C6.R in racing.

Corvette GT1 Championship Edition:

Official release after the jump:

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Set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the long-awaited Audi TT RS is powered by an all-new 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that features both direct-injection and turbocharging.

Audi has only released these teaser images and hasn’t released any specifics as of yet, but the company does say the new powerplant will make “far more” than 300hp.

Audi claims that “a legend is reborn” referring to the five-cylinder engine, a powerplant that has a long history with the four-rings.

As for performance statistics, Audi once again teases us, stating that it takes “nowhere near” 5 seconds to hit 100km/h (62 mph). Top speed is said to be 155 mph.

The only other item known about the car is that it will apparently have impressive brakes. One can assume this means that carbon ceramic rotors will be a part of the package.

Official release after the jump:

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Just yesterday Porsche brought us news of its new Cayenne Diesel and now the company has released further details of the upcoming Cayenne S Hybrid SUV.

Using the direct-injection supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine found in the new Audi S4 and A6, in the Cayenne S Hybrid that motor will be mated to a 52-hp electric motor that also makes an impressive 221 ft-lbs of torque. A 38 kw nickel metal hydride battery pack, which is small enough to fit in the Cayenne’s spare tire well, will store that energy. The electric motor will also act as an alternator.

Power will be put to the ground through a new 8-speed automatic transmission, with a Hybrid Manager to determine what mode the full–hybrid powertrain should be in. Top speed will occurring sixth-gear with the top two gears reserved for low rpm fuel-efficient highway driving.

The Hybrid Manager can select from: power from the combustion engine only, power from the electric motor only, and power from both sources. And it can change from mode to mode in just 300 milliseconds.

The Hybrid Manager has several other features as well, including allowing the vehicle to operate on pure electric power for up to 1.2 miles. It will also switch the electric motor to an alternator mode when only the combustion engine is being used, and then feed that power to the battery.
The Cayenne S Hybrid features several other innovations including electronically driven air conditioning, power steering and an electric drive pump that has been added to the transmission oil pump.

Available in 2010, Porsche says the Cayenne S Hybrid will emit 20 percent fewer emissions that a comparable engine and will achieve a combined fuel economy rating of 26 mpg. Impressively, it will also be able to hit 62 mph in just 6.8 seconds.

Official release after the jump:

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Hyundai has just increased the incentive for you to buy one of their cars by updating the Hyundai Assurance car return policy to include 90 days of free payments.

Adding to the existing offer that those who buy a Hyundai and lose their job within a year can return the car, the Korean automaker is now offering 90 days of lease or loan payments while the owner looks for work. If the owner does find work in that time and decides to keep the car, the payment does not need to be repaid.

The new Hyundai Assurance Plus program is being offered as a part of Hyundai’s  Spring Sales Event from February 23 to April 30th.

“We continue to look for ways to help consumers in this challenging economic environment, so we’re offering unprecedented financial protection when they finance or lease a Hyundai,” said Joel Ewanick, vice president, Marketing, Hyundai Motor America. “With our 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, Hyundai Assurance, and now Hyundai Assurance Plus, we’re telling consumers that we are all in this together, and we’ll get through this together.”

And the incentives seem to be working. In January Hyundai recorded a sales increase (yes, you read that right) over the same period a year before by a total of 14.3 percent. This, while industry sales averaged a decline of 37.1 percent.

Hyundai plans to promote this new program during the Academy Awards this Sunday, with seven 30-second spots and one 60-second spot highlighting the company’s commitment to the U.S. market. We can only hope they are as enjoyable as Hyundai’s SuperBowl Ads.

[Source: AutoNews]

Official release after the jump:

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After Saab’s request for “reorganization” was approved by a Swedish court today, the carmaker has announced that it will look to restructure itself as an independent entity.

This move is the first step in a process that would allow Saab to restructure itself and renegotiate terms with creditors. This, after Saab said it estimates a loss of $340 million last year and expects a similar loss for 2009.

“We explored and will continue to explore all available options for funding and/or selling Saab,” said Managing Director Jan-Ake Jonsson. “It was determined a formal reorganization would be the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment.”

The move comes after General Motors announced in its viability plan submitted to the U.S. Treasury that it would not cover further losses at Saab, but that it would assist financially in the reorganization process. A request to the Swedish government, asking it to take over Saab was also rejected.

General Motors has put forth a “substantial” amount of money to help Saab and has asked the Swedish government for loan guarantees of $600 million to keep Saab afloat. GM has also agreed to help with development and tooling costs of the new 9-5,94x and 9-3x which are scheduled for launch in the next 18 months.

Saab has also applied for 500 million euros from the European Investment Bank and is looking for private investors.

The independent Saab would be centralized in Sweden with design, engineering and manufacturing all taking place in that country.

Saab, which currently employs 4,000 people in Sweden, was sold, in part, to General Motors in 1990, with GM taking full control in 2000. Since the purchase the Swedish automaker has only turned a profit once.

[Source: AutoNews]

Official Saab Release After the jump:

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To help pump up sales of the all-new GLK-Class SUV, Mercedes-Benz Canada has launched a microsite to help potential owners interact with their new car, even before they purchase it.

The GLK 350 4MATIC, which went on sale in January, features a rugged yet urban look with a 268hp V6 and a 7-speed automatic transmission that will propel the mid-sized SUV to 100km/h (62mph) in just 6.7 seconds. The transmission features both Comfort and Sport shift modes, so owners can customize their driving style.

The site asks the question, “Where Do You See Yourself?” and lets visitors interact through a personality profiler that helps them build their own stylish GLK wallpaper and then download it. Other images and videos can also be viewed and downloaded.

As expected, the microsite features important technical information and all the important features of the new GLK.

Mark Forsyth, Manager of Interactive Marketing and CRM at Mercedes-Benz Canada, notes: “A key objective of the site was to provide prospective customers with an emotional connection to the GLK, as well as to celebrate the style and uniqueness that the vehicle clearly possesses. This is one of our youngest and edgiest vehicles to date and we wanted to offer an experience that echoes the values of this demographic.”

To find out more visit:

www.mercedes-benz.ca/GLK

2010 GLK350 4MATIC:

Full GLK info and specs after the jump:

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