Years ago Cadillac was strictly geared towards an “older” generation and market. Nowadays though, the American luxury car manufacturer has set their sights on capturing a market mostly dominated by European sport sedans. The Cadillac CTS-V has been GM’s entry into the luxury sport-sedan market competing against BMW’s M5 and Mercedes-Benz’s E63 AMG. From the factory it pumps out 556-hp and 551 ft-lbs of torque from its 6.2L LSA CTS-V supercharged engine. But given that it’s a supercharged power plant, it’s no surprise that the aftermarket has embraced it with open arms. Lingenfelter Performance Engineering is a name that has become world-renowned and legendary in the world of domestic tuning. It would be a disappointment if Lingenfelter didn’t get their hands dirty with the new Cadillac CTS-V.

And dirty they have gotten, with hours and hours of research and design into a new Supercharger Pulley Upgrade Package for the new Cadillac CTS-V. More power means more fun, and this pulley upgrade offers an impressive increase. Lingenfelter’s CTS-V has tested to 630 brake horsepower and 630 ft-lbs of torque. An increase any performance enthusiast would be crazy over. Boost level is increased to 12-13 psi, still relatively safe numbers for the 6.2L. Best of all, the price tag on Lingenfelter’s pulley upgrade is attractive too, especially considering the Cadillac CTS-V tips in at over $60,000. One can be hand for as low as $589.95 retail, labor excluded. For those that just want to drop it off along with a check book, Lingenfelter will do a complete in-house installation, taking possession of the vehicle, testing and a full dyno report before and after the install.

The full press release is available after the jump.

In 2008, Iron Man came out with Robert Downey Jr. playing the fitting role of Tony Stark. Previews and trailers have been swarming all over the Internet for Iron Man 2 where Downey will once again assume the role of Iron Man with new friends and villains at his side. One of the trailers show Stark passing time racing in an open-wheel car and taking a hot lap before Whiplash spoilers his fun on the track. It seems as if this scene has sparked some interest with Royal Purple, manufacturer of synthetic oils, to team up with Marvel Studios and cross promote on the new movie. The result is The Stark Motor Racing Team, a brilliant marketing program that now ties a comic book to a movie to reality.

The team is comprised of five different racers from five different demographics, all campaigning Royal Purple, Stark Motor Racing and Iron Man 2 sponsorship decals on their weapons of choice while on the track. Chris Prey will be leading the way in Grand AM Road Racing in his Porsche Boxster 986, while Stephen Verdier will be campaigning his 2008 Subaru STI sideways in the Formula DRIFT series. Speed isn’t reserved for just things with four wheels however, as David Hope and Melissa Paris will be campaigning their motorcycles in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycles and AMA Road Racing, respectively. Last but not least, Joey Stathas Jr. will have his hands full in Monster Trucks in his 2009 Chevy. All of these racers will be seen nationwide for 2010 all racing under the Stark Motor Racing Team program. We’ve also spotted Iron Man 2 branding on Royal Purple products.

Hopefully these type of sponsorships will lead to bigger and better things for all forms of motorsports. We feel that this was a real cool opportunity with the movie-makers taking a comic book to the big screen and now marketing gurus taking the movie into reality. Who would have ever thought Stark Motor Racing Team would be a reality?

[Source: Stark Motor Racing Team]

Gallery: Stark Motor Racing Team

When the Nissan GT-R finally made its way over to the Stateside, people rejoiced that we’d finally be able to get our hands on one of Japan’s finest creations. Over the past couple of decades, the Nissan Skyline GT-R moniker has become infamous and synonymous with performance and excellence. The initial exclusivity and price tag of the GT-R has still made it a rarity to see on the streets. That price has just gone up a little for 2011, with the GT-R now set at $85,060.

Only available in Premium trim, the 2011 GT-R now offers more standard features in the tech department: Bluetooth, USB iPod interface, XM NavWeather and NavTraffic, auto on/off headlamps and speed-sensitive windshield wipers. Changes from 2010 are minimal, with slight tweaks to the suspension, additional clear coat on the front and rear bumpers, new rear cooling ducts and slightly darker wheel center caps.

As we always love saying, why mess with a good thing? And the Nissan GT-R is more than just a good thing. And even at the increased cost, it’s still a bargain.

The official Nissan press release available after the jump.

Every March for the last few years, drifting fans nationwide stay glued to the Internet for news and videos of their favorite drifters and teams. With the Formula DRIFT season opening up in April on the Streets of Long Beach, teams all over the nation are out testing their off-season changes, new cars and even new drivers. The Bergenholtz Brothers, Ron and Ed, are no strangers to high-horsepower motorsports. They made groundbreaking changes to the world of FWD drag racing, capturing two NHRA Pro FWD championships while campaigning their Mazda 6 race car. But recently they’ve been searching for a new challenge and with drifting gaining speed, momentum and more importantly, sponsors, the Bergenholtz Brothers turned to a new automotive passion.

Recently they announced the signing of Joon Maeng to their team in order to pilot the RX-8 that they built last season. Joon Maeng had been a privateer with his Nissan 240SX for the past couple of years, making some noise amongst all the high-profile competitors that all carry heavy sponsors. It seemed like a great fit when it was announced that Joon Maeng would be piloting the Bergenholtz Racing Mazda RX-8. It was even cooler when they announced their title sponsor would be Full Tilt Poker along with Nitto Tires.

While drifting started out being coveted with Japanese rides from Toyota and Nissan, when it made its splash stateside, domestic muscle has taken center stage. The rumble of the V8 against the screaming turbocharged four-cylinder made the crowd go wild and was something that no one else could witness anywhere. Not even Japan. So it’s great to see the Bergenholtz Brothers throwing a rotary into the mix, pushing over 600whp and 480 ft-lbs of torque to the rear wheels of this sideways machine. So let’s satisfy what the fans all want, check out the first testing video of the season after the break with Joon Maeng behind the wheels of the Bergenholtz Racing Full Tilt Poker Nitto Mazda RX-8. What a mouthful!

As the world and its technology continues to progress at an exponential rate, it’s no surprise that many are finding themselves glued in front of their computer or laptop monitor more often than their television screen. Most major television networks has already grasped on to the concept, many of them allowing the streaming of their popular shows online a day or two after it’s been shown on television. Needless to say we were more than excited to hear the announcement from the SCCA that the World Challenge Races will be available over the Internet at www.speedcasttv.com. And much like most of our favorite television shows, the races will be available a day after they are broadcast on TV, rather than live. We’ll finally have something to complement our endless nights of watching Top Gear on the ‘Web. More importantly though, this helps keep our love of motorsports alive and well, satisfying every sponsor’s urge for additional impressions on their ad dollars. The full release from SCCA is available after the jump.

[Source: World Challenge]

The sub-$20,000.00 2010 Kia Forte Koup has made quite the splash amongst the younger demographics with its attractive price tag and 2.4L 173-hp engine. Its attractive, stylish yet aggressive lines clearly make a statement that Kia has stepped up to the plate to play ball, capturing a market that used to be almost exclusive to Honda, Acura and Scion. But much like their Japanese counterparts, Kia has looked towards marketing with customization and personalization, especially with the hip Forte Koup. The result? The Kia Forte Koup SX-R with a fine collection of accessories that have Forte Koup SX owners going wild for. The major disappointment for those in the US? It’s currently only available in Canada.

The buzz was started with the official debut at the Toronto Auto Show and a little less than a month later the orders are coming in. The Forte Koup SX-R will be made available to Canadian Kia dealers by mid-May with pre-orders starting now. The aesthetics of the Forte Koup has been further complemented with a front chin spoilers, new side skirts, and a rear lip spoiler. Minor details on the outside come in the form of chrome “R” badges while the interior receives “R” branded door sills. Engine performance has been enhanced thanks to an AEM Performance drop-in air filter and performance axle-back exhaust system. The car rides lower and stiffer thanks to a set of Eibach Pro lowering springs (1.3-inch drop) and a front upper strut brace. No custom car is complete without a fine set of wheels and tires and Kia delivers in a big way with a set of 18-inch Europa wheels wrapped with, surprisingly, Yokohama S-Drive performance tires. The Kia Forte Koup SX-R is available in three attractive colors: Titanium Silver, Racing Red and Black.

Now all these accessories will be available for order through Canadian Kia dealerships only for those already cruising around in  Forte Koup SX. American enthusiasts will probably have to open up their wallet a little bit for freight across the border, but we anticipate many of them to be willing to do so. If you’re interested, contact any Canadian Kia dealership and reference accessory bulletin AY10 007. It’s exciting times for Kia owners and we can’t wait to see what’s next from the Korean manufacturer.

[Source: ForteForums.com]

Gallery: Kia Forte Koup SX-R

2010 will mark the beginning of a new era of racing. GT racing goes global with 20 races spanning nine countries across four continents on ten of the world’s leading circuits. Only six manufacturers will compete in the inaugural season of the FIA GT1 World Championship with Nissan being the sole representative from the Land of the Rising Sun. They will be campaigning a quartet of similarly-built GT-Rs, a pair from Sumo Power GT (#22, #23) and the other two from Swiss Racing Team (#3, #4). Drivers Peter Dumbreck and Michael Krumm, for the Sumo Power GT GT-R, and Karl Wendlinger, multiple FIA GT race-winner and driver for Swiss Racing Team were present at the press conference held at the Automobile Club de France in Paris. “I have been racing in the FIA GT Championship for many years, but now I’m very excited about the new world championship – and very happy to be driving the Nissan GT-R,” said Wendlinger.

We’re not surprised that Nissan would be the only bold manufacturer from Japan to campaign in the FIA GT1 World Championship. With all the accolades and accomplishments the GT-R has already received worldwide, a FIA GT1 World Championship would immortalize the GT-R moniker and cement it as one of the world’s finest piece of machinery. Stiff competition will be coming with entries from Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini and Maserati.

Specs for the vehicles according to the FIA GT1 World Championship website declares a minimum weight of 1250kg and a maximum horsepower of 600. With a maximum horsepower imposed as FIA GT1 regulations, Nissan opted for a 5.6L V8 engine that hits the mark of 600 hp with 480 ft-lbs of torque. The GT-Rs will be equipped with extra wide 18×13-inch wheels all around with 6-piston calipers and carbon ceramic brakes peeking behind each one. Stay glued to Autoguide.com as we’ll be keeping a close eye on these GT-Rs on April 16-17th, 2010 where they will debut at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi for the season-opener.

GALLERY: FIA GT1 Nissan GT-R Race Cars

[Source: Nissan News]

While most of the popular aftermarket manufacturers in Japan are welcoming the hybrid craze with open arms, Spoon Sports has been quiet as of late. This can mostly be attributed to the fact that Spoon focuses and specializes with the Honda platform, and quite honestly, Honda hasn’t had an attractive enough hybrid platform in the recent years.  But this is all about to change, with the CR-Z gaining a lot of momentum as the new “hot-hatch” appealing to passionate Honda aficionados worldwide.  Needless to say it’s a perfect fit for Spoon Sports and their tuning prowess.

We’ve seen the entry from Mugen and in typical Spoon Sports fashion, they’ve thrown down the gauntlet as well. Going back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mugen and Spoon Sports were the most respective pair of brands for JDM Honda fanatics stateside. In fact it’s easy to argue that Mugen and Spoon Sports delivered a rivalry on its own with their prestigious and rare parts, many of them carrying a hefty price tag once they were on American soil. There’s no mistaken that this CR-Z has been Spoon-inspired.

There’s none of the traditional yellow and pastel blue to be seen, yet, but the CR93 wheels have been refinished in a stylish dark blue in true Spoon fashion.  As with almost all of Spoon Sports’ projects, the focus is on excellent tuning and track-ability.  They paid close attention with suspension and brake upgrades lowering the vehicle with coilovers in the front and a traditional shock/spring combination in the rear.  15-inch slotted rotors along with upgraded calipers are probably overkill for the hatch, but we believe Spoon has much more in terms of performance up their sleeve.

Specializing in naturally aspirated performance over the years, Spoon is currently tuning their staple N1 exhaust system along with ECU upgrades for the CR-Z. No concrete numbers have been released yet, which is understandable given how new the technology is. We have faith though and it will be an exciting time to see two of Honda’s most notorious brands battling it out on the track again, this time with CR-Z hatchbacks hopefully flying the colors we’ve grown and love over the past decade.

GALLERY: Spoon Sports CR-Z

[Source: Spoon Sports]

After covering all the major tuner and manufacturer booths located inside the Makuhari Messe’s Convention Center, we decided to wander the Tokyo Auto Salon’s floor to see if we could spot anything that interested us. It didn’t take long before this Abflug “Pink Spider” FD3S Mazda RX-7 really caught our eye.

Easily considered extreme by some, this RX-7 is an example of quality workmanship. The paint job is magnificent and we really love the wheels. More respect has to be given to the owner for the immaculate engine bay. North America may not have seen much of Mazda’s FD3S chassis over the recent years, but in Japan they are still one of the most respected tuner vehicles around.

GALLERY: Abflug FD3S RX-7

Popularly known for tuning Audis, Sportechnic was present at Tokyo Auto Salon this year with an equal number of Audi and Porsche products. Alongside a Q5 and more highly modified A4 model, sat a Cayenne and a brand new Panamera. The Panamera was mostly stock except for a set of Sportech wheels. We’ll be interested to see where Sortechnic and other tuners (Japanese, German and even American) do with this incredible new platform.

GALLERY: Sportechnic Porsche and Audis