CarZi » Guest Writers

Maserati GranTurismo S MC Sport Line Pictures

Adrian Prisca — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:09:18 +0000

Italian automaker Maserati recently revealed their own tuning package called MC Sport Line at the 2009 Bologna Auto Show. The new customization program has new aerodynamic and mechanical solutions that were developed by the Maserati’s motor racing department.

This package was made only for the Maserati GranTurismo S and from 2009 anyone who owns a Maserati GranTurismo S could buy different parts from this tuning kit. Don’t forget to checkout the Elite Carbon Maserati GranTurismo.

Maserati offers front and rear bumpers made from carbon fiber, black side skirts with a carbon look, new door handles, carbon fiber mirrors and 20″ black rims. The car’s interior has a lot of carbon fiber insertions for almost anything, from the steering wheel to it’s doors. But this is not all: The MC Sport Line also received a stiffer suspension and has been lowered by 10 cm to increase it’s stability and handling.

Under the hood this car has a 4.7L V8 engine that has 440 HP fitted with an electro-actuated transmission with MC-Shift and i’m pretty sure this is enough for anyone. All the features listed are available either as a full customization package or individually, meeting the needs of each customer. This luxurious and powerful design is surely worth every penny.

[Source: FancyTuning.com, MotorAuthority.com]

Audi Leaves ALMS – American Le Mans Series

Harish Kumar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:17:12 +0000

Audi will cease to compete in the 2009 American Le Mans Series (Audi R8 LMS GT3 Pictures) despite winning every LMP1 championship since 2000 with their R8 racer and R10 TDI racers. The company claims they’ll instead focus on European racing. This announcement came shortly after Honda F1 Racing Comes To An End announcement!

The obvious issue could be that the Carpocalypse has claimed another victim and the company (Shareholders) doesn’t find the racing series financially justifiable during these economic times. Since Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen AG by Porsche, is doing well we find a purely financial motive to be somewhat unlikely unless sponsorship concerns are an issue but, given they’re the reigning champs and Shell is a main sponsor, we’re dubious!

This may be an exciting development for any of the other racing teams that actually want to win the LMP1 championship, but it’s a blow to the racing series and a seemingly backward step for a company that has used its victories to sell cars, as it acknowledges in the press release they sent out announcing this:

Since the 2000 season Audi has won the LMP1 title nine-times in succession in this high-calibre sportscar championship. Our brand dominated proceedings last season by taking seven wins in eleven races. TDI in racing supported the market launch of Audi TDI technology in the USA perfectly

It’s also possible the ALMS’ attempts to saddle the Audi team with restrictions, an effort to make the series more competitive, has scared off the team. Audi is going to debut the new Audi R15 TDI racer at the ALMS Twelve Hours Of Sebring, the first and last event for the new vehicle in America. Perhaps they want to quit while they’re ahead.

[Source: IndianAutosBlog.com]

BMW M Power Loosing It’s Charm?

Harish Kumar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:52:17 +0000

The screaming V8 from the new BMW e92 M3 and the high revving V10 from the BMW e60 M5 might just need to leave their next generations. The BMW M Series cars have been powered for nearly twenty-years by normally-aspirated modified engines giving the buyers higher-revs and more horsepower. For the past few years, BMW has been focusing on their turbo and twin-turbo technology building engines that have won them several awards. The proof is in their brilliant ultra-smooth 3.0L Twin Turbo in the 135i which delivers 305 bhp!

In a recent interview with BMW’s Director of European Delivery, Keri-Lynne Shaw, it was confirmed that the amazing 3.0 liter twin-turbo engine found across BMW’s series, had a huge impact in the recent sales. There were also several reports of BMW moving away from its V8/V10 engines due to emission standards and manufacturing costs and replace them with smaller, more efficient ones.

The Twin Turbo V6 or V8 of equivalent or more power could potentially replace normally aspirated engines. So, it was no surprise when Autoweek and Autoblog reported BMW’s decision to steer away from the large naturally-aspirated engines and replace them across their M Series cars with Twin Turbo engines. It is well known that many BMW tuners managed to tweak the 3.0 L Twin Turbo and achieve the power output of a 4.0L V8 found on BMW’s latest M3!

The first model to take advantage of the turbocharged engines is the controversial BMW X6M, a car that will be powered by a 4.4-liter V8 twin-turbo outputting 500 ponies and 516 lb-ft of torque.

As a BMW enthusiast, I’ve grown with the M engines and always loved them, so it will be interesting to see how the new engines will be received by the picky and loyal BMW fans.

[Source: IndianAutosBlog.com, BMWBlog.com]