Fast and Furious 6 is officially on the big screen, so chances are you’ve seen the stars and cars of the newest flick.
Auto News
AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
Brembo, the little Italian company known for its performance brakes, can officially claim more than 100,000 fans on Facebook.
To see the latest in car technology, be sure to check out the advancements in Formula 1 cars. They have engines with incredible amounts of power, superb aerodynamics that keep these little things on the ground and safety features that keep their drivers safe in the case of a high-speed crash.
There’s still an untold story in Formula 1 cars however; the brakes. Luckily the folks over at Brembo brakes have released a video explaining the design and function of its brake technology in Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars.
Videos like this are like candy to car-geeks like us, and its our pleasure to share them with you.
Check out the video below
Opel, General Motors’ German wing is boasting big changes to their Insignia sedan, including a new biturbo diesel.The engine makes 195 horsepower and about 295 foot-pounds of torque, but the real eye-catcher on the new engine is fuel consumption and emissions. The new Insignia is only supposed to emit 129g/km of CO2 and achieves 48 miles-per-gallon.
Diesels typically get better mileage than gasoline engines, but that improved economy usually came hand-in-hand with performance compromises. While that is still true, the gap is shrinking somewhat. The biturbo system takes advantage of differently-sized turbochargers to reduce turbo lag, spooling up the smaller piece first and diverting exhaust to the larger turbo as RPMs increase. The system is seamless according to GM.
The biturbo diesel Insignia can get to 62 mph in 8.7 seconds and tops out at 143 mph, which is a significant improvement considering many small displacement turbo diesels aren’t happy past about 80 mph.
According to Opel, the new Insignia will sell for 33,000 euros and will come with a slew of other improvements including optional all-wheel drive. AWD models will also come with their SuperSport suspension, featuring adaptive damping, Brembo brakes and the HiPerStrut system to improve handling.
The new model also gets adaptive cruise control and some radar-based safety features including forward collision alert.
[Source: Left Lane News]
The Blue Angels-themed Mustang GT, built specifically to be sold at a charity auction, fetched a total of $400,000, making up a good chunk of the total $2.2 million raised at the annual EAA AirVenture benefiting the Young Eagles program. The winner didn’t just get himself a wickedly-built blue chrome Mustang GT either. He (or she) also got a Blue Angels flight helmet autographed by all the members of the current team.
The completed Mustang GT features a blue chrome paint job done by Creations ‘n Chrome with hand painted stripes and graphics. The front end comes from a Boss 302 while the custom rear wing does a fantastic job paying homage to the aviation team. The set of HRE 590RS wheels looks right at home on the custom Ford, and gives the car a very classy touch.
On the inside, custom Recaro seats can be found sporting Alcantara fabric, yellow stripes and stitching. The steering wheel gets a similar theme while a trio of gauges can be spotted from the dash. The yellow stripes and stitching theme also continues on the door panels and floor mats, while a Boss 302 Laguna Seca rear seat delete is painted a custom painted yellow.
And to prove that Ford isn’t in the business of just building flashy vehicles with no go, the Blue Angels-themed Mustang would make even those fast-flying pilots proud. Under the hood is Ford Racing’s supercharger system with all the fumes being expelled out of a Ford Mustang exhaust. Ford Racing’s handling package was thrown on to enhance the suspension while braking is now perfect with a set of Brembo front brakes and Ford Racing’s brake ducts.
GALLERY: Blue Angels Ford Mustang GT
[Source: Mustangs Daily]
Building off of their success in NASCAR, Toyota has announced the RK Collection Camry NASCAR Edition show car, which will make its debut at SEMA next week. The special edition Camry is actually a two-door coupe and was developed by RK Collection, assisting Toyota Racing Development (TRD) realize the full potential of the Camry into a NASCAR counterpart.
The Camry Coupe features an exterior shell custom-made by RKC and includes a full body kit, Toyota grill, carbon fiber brake ducts with fog lights and of course, TRD emblems throughout. On all four corners are stylish 20-inch TSW Jarama wheels. They are staggered with a 8.5-inch wide fitment in the front and a 10-inch wide fitment in the rear. They’ll come wrapped with Michelin Pilot rubber.
Powering the NASCAR Edition Camry is a massive 358 ci TRD NASCAR V8 power plant. The motor puts out 680-hp @ 8500 RPM. Gliding it through the gears is a Tremic T-56 Magnum 6-speed manual transmission equipped with Ram’s dual-disc street clutch. Enhancing the V8 is a custom 3-inch exhaust, Thrush mufflers and custom side exhaust tips.
No race-inspired machine would be complete with a wicked suspension setup. The Camry receives modified Macpherson struts in the front, while the rear sports Venza’s modified multi-link independent suspension.
Inside the panels have been covered in leather while the headliner has been finished in suede. SPEK gauges by Proparts are seen in the dashboard while Vintage Air provides air conditioning. A four-point roll cage was also installed not to only stiffen the chassis, but to reinforce for safety.
Last but not least, the Camry also has a wicked stereo system for those wanting to replace the exhaust note with more memorable tunes. Pioneer’s AVIC-2110BT stands as the head unit while Boston Acoustics equips the Camry with six amplifiers, two pairs of component speakers and a 12-inch subwoofer.
After it debuts at SEMA, the car can be seen on November 12th at Phoenix International Raceway during the NASCAR race weekend.
AutoGuide will bring you plenty of live shots of the NASCAR Edition Camry from the SEMA Show with coverage starting November 2nd. Until then, check out our SEMA Preview here.
GALLERY: RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition
Official press release available after the break.
Ready to give the Lingenfelter Camaro a run for its money, the team at SpeedFactory will unveil a 440 cubic-inch Dodge Challenger SRT8 with as much as 700-hp. The power increase comes thanks to a supercharger, but that’s not all. The 440 cu.-in. (7.2-liter) engine is a big step up from the already huge 6.1-liter V8. And to make the package even better, it uses a Mopar block made of lighter aluminum – rather than the heavy factory iron block. The heads are also aluminum and the all-new internals are forged.
Getting all that power down is made possible thanks to a Mopar transmission and a new rear end that can handle up to 1,000-hp.
Other highlights on the car include a Corsa stainless steel exhaust, new 20-inch wheels with Bridgestone R Compound tires, 15-inch Brembo rotors, stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, as well as a chassis brace.
AutoGuide’s live coverage of the 2009 SEMA Show starts November 3rd and we’ll be sure to track down this monster machine for a few extra pics – especially some under the hood!
See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!
[Source: Car & Driver]
After building up a reputation as a top level Corvette tuner, Lingenfelter engineering is taking what they know about the Chevy sports car and adapting it to the bowtie brand’s newest performance machine, the Camaro. Set to be unveiled at the 2009 SEMA Show in just a few weeks, Lingenfelter has taken a Camaro SS and tossed the car’s factory 426-hp 6.2-liter V8 in favor of the Corvette Z06′s 505-hp 7.0-liter LS7 engine. And that’s not all. Known for their expertise in forced induction, the boys at Lingenfelter have then gone and strapped a supercharger to the big 427 to make no less than 750-hp.
The engine has even been built up to take all the extra boost with JE Pistons, titanium intake valves and Iconel exhaust valves – the same material used for making Formula One exhaust systems.
For the build Lingenfelter teamed up wit the suspension experts at Hotchkis for what they call a, “Total Vehicle System,” complete with springs, sway bars and a subframe brace – which is sure to be needed with 750-hp and (we imagine) an equal amount of torque. The shocks are a Lingenfelter/Sachs combo. On to of these addition, there’s a big set of Brembo bakes, big 20-inch Pirelli tires on LPE wheels and a pretty wild aero kit complete wit carbon fiber additions.
“Over the years we have been involved in dozens of OEM and racing development programs, but this one is special,” said Hotchkis Performance president John Hotchkis. “Lingenfelter builds some of the fastest, coolest and most refined domestic supercars in the world, and the fact that they asked us to help develop the suspension for a 200 mph Camaro and then offered to debut the car in our booth is very exciting. Everyone in attendance will certainly be impressed with this stunning piece of high-performance engineering.”
We’ll be sure to bring you plenty of photos of the Lingenfelter Camaro with live coverage of the 2009 SEMA Show starting November 3rd.
See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!
GALLERY: Lingenfelter/Hotchkis Camaro
See the full list of vehicle specs after the jump:
Just a week after GM announced the return of the Buick Regal nameplate, reports suggest the General may be preparing to launch a high-powered GS trim level. All versions of the car would be based on the European Opel Insignia platform (shown above) but the GS trim model would get the LaCrosse’s 280-hp 3.6-liter V6, as well as Brembo brakes and 19-inch wheels. It will be offered in both front-drive and all-wheel drive and there is a strong possibility it will be offered with a six-speed manual transmission.
Two other trim levels will also be offered, with the base model using GM’s 180-hp direct-injection 2.4-liter EcoTec engine, while a more powerful turbocharged direct-injection 2.0-liter EcoTec engine will be offered.
Buick is expected to deliver the Regal as a 2011 model with production starting soon.
[Source: GMInsideNews]
Ford Australia has just officially launched its high-performance 2010 FPV F6 E; a car with even more punch under the hood that the new 2010 SHO.
But how can that be? The SHO uses a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 to make 365hp.
Well, the Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) version of the Australian-market F6 E saloon out muscles the SHO with a 4.0-liter turbocharged straight-six making no less than 415hp and 417 ft-lbs of torque.
The conservatively styled sedan is aimed at attracting buyers of European luxury/performance sedans (a la Audi S4 and BMW M5). It’s main competitor, however, is the Holden Commodore SS, sold in the U.K. as the Vauxhall VXR8 and in North America as the Pontiac G8 GXP.
Along with a nicely styled interior the FPV F6 E gets a big set of wheels and tires and some massive Brembo brakes. Full details aren’t yet available but this four-door Australian muscle car is expected to hit 60 mph in less than 5 seconds.
GALLERY: Ford FPV FE 6
[Source: Top Gear]
According to a recent report in Japan’s Best Car magazine, Lexus is planning a sport version of its flagship LS sedan. The LS460 SZ, as it is to be called, will get a stylish new aero kit with a new front and rear bumper, new side skirts and a dark black chrome grille.
The SZ badge, rather than an “F” badge indicates that this is not a high performance model, so don’t look for any big power upgrades. Still, drivers are sure to appreciate an upgraded Brembo braking system and a new set of BBS wheels.
According to 4WheelsNews the price works out to $94,425, but Lexus hasn’t officially admitted the LS460 SZ is coming.
[Source: 4WheelsNews]
We recently reported that Honda tuner Mugen was planning a version of the Euro-spec Civic Type-R and now that story has essentially been confirmed as Mugen has released photos and a short video of its front-drive hot-hatch.
Mugen still hasn’t release any details on the model, but it is expected to follow the format set by the 4-door Honda Civic Mugen RR. That means output from the 2.0-liter four-cylinder will be massaged to 237hp at 8000 rpm and 160 ft-lbs of torque at a lofty 7000 rpm.
The photos confirm a aggressive body kit, a dual-exhaust setup and what appear to be 18-inch wheels. What we don’t know is if the rear seats will be deleted, as reported.
Also up in the air are the Brembo brakes. We would expect to see them on this car (like on the RR), but in a short video of the car that Mugen released they appear to be absent.
It does appear as though that the car will be only offered as a right-hand drive U.K.-spec model, and while that is unfortunate for the rest of Europe, it is expected as the Honda following in Briton is much higher than on the continent.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
GALLERY: Mugen U.K.-Spec Civic Type-R
[Source: 4WheelsNews]
Mugen Planning RR-Version of Euro-Spec Civic Type-R
Overhaul will include 237hp upgrade and the removal of the rear seats
Honda’s odd-looking Euro-spec Civic Type-R hatchback is about to get the Mugen treatment. With the success of the Honda Civic Mugen RR sedan, the Japanese Honda-tuner wants to take on the latest Type-R, adding power, dropping weight and making an already amazing package that much better.
Mugen isn’t releasing any hard and fast facts yet, but the car is expected to rely heavily on the Mugen RR sedan, so we should expect to see the 2.0-liter engine upped to 237hp at 8000 rpm and 160 ft-lbs of torque at a lofty 7000 rpm.
The light-weight 18-inch forged alloy wheels, Brembo brakes and amazing Recaro seats will also be a part of the package. And as for those rear seats, they’ll be tossed entirely for maximum weight savings.
The real trick will be if Mugen can design an aero kit that not only works (we have no doubt of that), but which can actually make the car look good.
EVO magazine estimates the price to be in the £35,000-range – which equates to roughly $58,000.
GALLERY: Civic Mugen RR Sedan
[Source: EVO]
No matter how cool a U.S.-spec car is, foreign automakers always seem to have an even more impressive and hard-core version for oversea’s markets. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is a stellar performer, but in the U.K. apparently there’s a demand foreven more power – 36 more horsepower to be precise.
Named the FQ-330, this new model generates 329hp and gets a bump of 22 ft-lbs of torque for a total of 322 ft-lbs. The added power is acheived through the use of a new high-flow exhaust, a new downpipe, as well as new intercooler piping and a new catalytic converter.
Standard equipment on the FQ-330 includes Eibach springs, Bilstein shocks, Brembo brakes, Recaro seats, 18-inch Enkei wheels and Mitsubishi’s amazing double-clutch TC-SST transmission..
Pricing for the new model is set at £35,999 (roughly $56,0000), a £3,000 premium over the standard Evo model. It will be offered in four different colors: Cool Silver, Orient Red, Lightning Blue and Phantom Black.
Official release after the jump: