Having recently tested BMW’s new M3 Coupe and M3 Sedan, we were excited to get some more time in BMW’s M-series of cars. This time around, we were provided with a M6 Coupe, boasting a 500-horsepower V-10 engine and looks that stopped many people dead in their tracks. With an as-tested price of just over $111,000, however, we can think of some better alternatives on how to spend a budget that big.
Click through the jump to read our full impressions and click the images below to launch a gallery.
Spring mornings don’t start out much better than this. Nevermind the persistent April drizzle and the mist rising from Michigan’s Huron River. We’ve just been handed the keys to a mint 1990 Porsche 928 S4 with marching orders from a very understanding classic car owner.
A technological masterpiece, the 2008 Audi A5 impressed us during its week-long stay in our test fleet. We have praise for the LED headlamps, well-appointed interior, and even Audi’s MMI interface. Our A5 was equipped with the 3.2-liter V-6 matched with Quattro all-wheel-drive. It’s a sweet setup, but would we have it over a 3-series? We’re still trying to decide.
Click through the jump for our full impressions and click the images below to open a gallery.
When this red devil arrived in our test fleet, we knew we’d be in for a good week. Having recently tested an M3 Sedan, we were eager to spend more time with BMW’s 414-horsepower V-8 bomber, and boy, did we enjoy it.
Click through the jump to read our impressions and click the images below to open a gallery.
Former leading mind at Britain’s TVR, engine designer Al Melling, is planning to release a back-to-basics sports car this year that sounds like it would be right up our alley.
Focusing on simplicity and light weight, the Markham 450 is a rear-driven two-seat roadster, powered by a Chevy-sourced 5.7-liter V-8, and built around a steel spaceframe chassis. The big Chevy motor will be tuned to produce around 450 horsepower (hence the name), and should offer old-school thrills in a sexy convertible package.
Melling wants the 450 to be a relatively accessible package and one that’s easy for future owners to modify as they see fit. Autocar reports in the April 16 issue of its print magazine that the car will have a target price of around 40,000 pounds and could be on sale by the end of 2008.
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To the uninitiated, it can be a little hard to understand the fierceness of the products that come form BMW’s M division. We think this recent commercial does a pretty good job of making the point. Good Dog.
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While Audi is still planning to bring forth a hotted-up version of its TT coupe by around 2010, the car’s name has been the subject of a little wrestling within the larger Volkswagen Group family.
While the new TT was originally slated to be called the TT RS, Autocar is reporting in its April 9 magazine that newly powerful VW Group voices at Porsche put the kibosh on that title. The Porsche boys have made it clear that RS belongs to them…when it comes at the end of a name.
“Porsche has the monopoly on the ‘RS’ suffix in the VW Group,” said the VW source. “Audi can only use it as a prefix, as in ‘RS6’.”
RS or no, we’re just excited that Audi is still steaming forward with its designs on a 340 horsepower TT.
(Here’s an Audi that follows the rules, an RS6 Avant, in our gallery below.)
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While American muscle cars may not seem like the most obvious destination for all-electric powertrains, the allure of the green movement seems to be pulling in new representatives by the day. Two cases of this, set to appear at the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend, are the Tjaarda EVX Mustang and the HST Shelby Cobra EVX.
The pair of EVs will take part in the GP’s “Green Power Prix-View,” and hope to show that electric need not mean slow. Each car packs a 300 horsepower electric motor with lithium ion phosphate battery packs by K2 Energy Solutions. The motors are said to create 1,000 pound-feet of torque at zero rpm, race from 0 to 60 in less than four seconds, and have an effective range of 100 miles between charges. The nouveau Shelby Cobra will top out at a stirring 150 mph, while the Mustang will make it to 120 mph.
While the environmental and performance cases may be compelling, the price of the EV muscle cars is decidedly less so. Asking price for the Tjaarda Mustang is around $80,000 and you’ll spend $125,000 on the Shelby.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Honda has been toying with us for a while now about the release date for the next version of the NSX. Originally the car was slated to be revealed at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, but the bad rap on the Acura Advanced Sports Car concept put the kibosh on that thinking.
New reports are pinning the launch of the new car to the next Tokyo show in 2009, and claiming that the styling of the car has been revised. The new car allegedly sports a new front section with “Chevrolet Corvette undertones,” could go into production by 2010.
Honda’s plans for rear-wheel-drive vehicles don’t end with the new NSX however, the car is said to be the first in a line of new RWD rides that will be pitted against the Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW’s of the world. There are said to be plans for an S2000 type Acura sports car, a RWD sedan, and eventually a luxury offering that will be roughly 7-series size.
(Care to remember the originator of the species? Check out the 1994 Acura NSX below.)
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It would be easy to dismiss this version of the fourth-generation M3 as just and M3 with two extra doors allowing humans to use the rear seats, but that would be a slight injustice. Not huge, but slight.
Caterham has released the glorious and mind-boggling details with regards to its new R500.
Weighing only 1,115 pounds and offering a 263 horsepower 2.0-liter Ford Duratec, the R500 boasts a world-class power to weight ration of 520 horsepower per ton. That startling ratio will allow the car to jolt from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.88 seconds, or just shorter than the time it takes to have a heart attack from pure joy.
The hard core Caterham isn’t without its niceties though, it’s equipped with an all-electric dash, keyless ignition, and an optional six-speed sequential gearbox.
(Click on the thumbnails to look at a gallery of R500 images or through the jump to read the official press release.)
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Nissan’s Peter Bedrosian of GT-R development recently spoke with G4 about the development of the new sports car’s unique navigation and information interface, which was developed with the help of the minds behind Gran Turismo 5. A nice chance to compare Godzilla in real life versus the GT5 version as well. Oh, don’t forget GT5 Prologue hits stores in a scant four days.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
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