Lamborghini Urus SUV Unveiling

Lamborghini officially unveils the anticipated “Urus” SUV. Although not the automotive manufacturer’s first foray into the sport utility realm, the Urus SUV is certainly a deviation from the company’s more recent sports car leanings. Initially previewed a few days ago, the official unveiling arrives in conjunction with the Beijing Motor Show in China. Autoblog reports that Lamborghini’s move to enter the SUV market was prompted by an anticipation to see a “steady decline” in revenue on what is currently the auto maker’s bread and butter – two-door sports cars.

2013 Ferrari California

Probably one of the less wanted vehicles in its line-up, Ferrari’s California isn’t giving up just yet. After a tweak of the car’s ECU, upgraded suspension components, and undergoing various aluminum manufacturing improvements, the two-seat cabriolet returns with 30 more horsepower and 30 less kilograms to help propel itself from 0-60 in a staggering 3.8 seconds. While already notorious for being the first GT car in Ferrari’s history to have an engine mounted in the front of the chassis, the now all-new California, debuting at the Geneva International Motor Show later this month, will certainly not be forgotten.

Via Autoblog

Audi S5 Sportback

First, Audi debuts the A5 Sportback and says that it won’t be coming to America. Then the automaker goes and gives it the S5 treatment and reminds us that, no, it isn’t coming to America. Fine. But now the onslaught of aftermarket S5 Sportback tunings have started, and this first one from Senner Tuning AG is pretty darn hot. We surrender.<!–more–>

Senner starts by upping the output from the S5’s 3.0-liter supercharged V6 to 375 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque – gains of 42 and 41, respectively. A new sport exhaust system was also created specifically for this S5, and it now uses quad-exhaust tips out back. We’d love to hear what this thing sounds like at full throttle, especially since we’ve noted on many occasions that the current supercharged S5 could stand to be a bit more vocal out on the street.

From there, the car is painted in a special diamond black finish, and new 20-inch wheels have been added, wrapped in 245/30-series rubber up front and 295/25 low-profile treads out back. Senner has also fitted different springs and lowered the S5 by about 35 millimeters. The interior gets the standard carbon fiber trim upgrades, and the whole package is super stealth. 

This, friends, is what jealousy feels like. Be sure to see the Senner S5 for yourself in the gallery below, and hit the jump to read the official press release (translated from German). Spotted over on AutoBlogs.

For the full Press Release Click HERE.

2011 Bentley Mulsanne [Photos]

Bentley just issued a press release, finally detailing all of the specs on their new Mulsanne sedan…and it’s a big one. That applies to both the release itself and to the car, which will topple the scales at nearly three tons. The Bentley Mulsanne’s curb weight is listed at 5,700 pounds, or roughly three Lotus Elises.

Pulling all of that luxury will be a twin-turbo 6.75-liter V8 producing 505 horsepower at 4200 rpm and a stump-pulling 752 pound-feet of torque at a very low 1750 rpm. There’s an 8-speed ZF automatic doing delivery work, helping the Mulsanne glide from 0 to 60 in 5.1 seconds, to 100 in 11.6, and on to a top end of 184 miles per hour. Fuel economy is seldom a concern for owners of such vehicles, but the big Bentley has been rated at 16.7 mpg on the combined EU cycle.

No doubt about it, this is one big sedan. For a similar curb weight the Mulsanne ends up being about seven inches longer than the outgoing Arnage, an inch wider, a tenth of an inch taller, and a half foot more expansive between the axles. That’s pushing it almost into Maybach levels, easily distancing it from top sedans from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Audi. Only the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe bests it, with the Phantom Sedan in a whole ‘nother league. For those who buy their luxury by the pound, those kind of things matter.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

BMW 5 Series Hybrid Concept

The dispersion of BMW's ActiveHybrid – and conjoined word – initiative continues with the 5 SeriesActiveHybrid Concept. Billed as a "future-oriented full-hybrid model in the upper midrange segment" it boils down to the turbocharged inline-six you love and along with a 53-horsepower electric motor you will learn to love working through an eight-speed auto 'box for the middle-management set. They'll get 10-percent more distance for the gallon, and a squirt of instant boost thanks to those hard working electrons. Look below for the goss on the ActiveHybrid evolution, and have a look at it in the gallery of high-res photos below.

Porsche Techart GTStreet R [Photos]

The 2010 Geneva Motor Show is just days away, and the list of vehicle debuts is seemingly never ending. Last week Techart announced that they would be bringing their modified 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo, and today the German tuner previewed two more new cars that will debut at the show. 

The all-new version of the GTStreet R model. Based on the 2010 911 Turbo, the GTStreet R is about serious performance. The 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six produces 660 horsepower and 635 pound-feet of torque, and Techart claims a 0-100 km/h time of 3.5 seconds as well as a top speed of 214 mph. Providing the looks to go with the power is an aggressive aerodynamic kit that includes an adjustable rear spoiler and carbon fiber rear diffuser and front splitter.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Audi RS5 [Photos]

Over the weekend, we got our first look at official images of the new Audi RS5 when a brochure leaked outonto the interwebs, but it didn’t contain any technical details of the latest product from Quattro GmbH. Thankfully, our friends in Ingolstadt have seen fit to drop that information on us this morning, and as we suspected, they have opted to go with an upgraded version of the engine that served so well in the late RS4. 

The 4.2-liter V8 remains naturally aspirated, but its breathing has been improved to bring the maximum output up to 450 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. The power peak comes up at 8,250 rpm, just shy of the 8,300 rpm redline, and maximum torque is delivered throughout the range between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm. The RS5 comes out the factory with the ability to accelerate to 62 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds on the way to a governed top speed of 155 mph. Owners that wish to exceed that speed can have the governor unlocked, enabling a terminal velocity of 174 mph. 

As usual with higher performance Audi models, Quattro all-wheel-drive is the order of the day for power distribution. However, unlike other recent applications that have used a Torsen center differential, the RS5 features the first use of a new crown gear differential with electronically controlled clutch pack. The torque split can be varied from the nominal 40:60 front-to-rear to as much as 70 percent front or 85 percent rear. An optional active torque vectoring rear differential is also available to further improve the RS5’s handling. The only available gearbox in the RS5 is a new seven-speed S-Tronic dual clutch transmission (DCT). Hopefully now that Audi has a high-output DCT, we’ll also see it replace the dreadful R-Tronic unit in the R8 soon. 

The RS5 will get its public debut in Geneva next week and goes on sale in Europe this spring for a base price of €77,000 (about $104,000). Sadly, U.S. Audi spokesman Christian Bokich tells Autoblog that there is nothing to announce right now about plans for the RS5 in this market.

Handheld replicator can copy car in seconds

We love technology, but there are times when the smart-pants science types help the bad guys even more than the good guys. The latest example is called the Electronic Key Impressioner (EKI), and it makes the job of a locksmith (or Memphis Raines) a lot easier than it has ever been before. The scanner is a small hand-held device (pictured, above) with a scanning tip that electronically maps the inside of car locks. The device can then be attached to a computer via a USB device where lock mapping software accesses a list of updated key codes.

While the EKI system sounds pretty easy to use, there are still some drawbacks. First of all, the device presently only works with Fords, though the creators hope to expand the amount of vehicles with which the EKI can work in the near future. The system also only works with traditional keys – the ever more ubiquitous transponder keys render the EKI useless. But there are still millions of vehicles with traditional keys on U.S. roads, and if the EKI can get other automaker key codes integrated into its software, the tool could be very handy for locksmiths if/when it becomes available by the end of the year.

Avus Performance BMW M3

The BMW M3 is already one of Germany’s best Autobahn burners, but Berlin-based tuner Avus Performance has taken BMW’s pride-and-joy M car to the next level.

No tweaks have been made to the engine, meaning that the M3’s high-revving V8 mill still makes due with 414 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. (Not that we’re complaining). What Avus has done, however, is supply a modified suspension, as well as a revised exhaust system, meaning the coupe should be a bit more lively than the stock car we’re used to.

Visually, Avus has added some extra carbon exterior parts, such as the revised rear diffuser and spoiler, as well as that more aggressive front lip. The wheels are made by ADV.1 and can be built to many different size specifications, as well as being offered in either matte bronze and matte gunmetal. We’ll take those hot 14-spokes, please.

2011 Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible

Bentley has dropped the details on its newest creation ahead of its unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show, and claims that it’s produced the world’s fastest four-seat convertible and the quickest drop-top Bentley in the automaker’s history.

The 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible is the soft-top sibling to the marque’s latest coupe, packing the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 as the hard-top and putting out 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Also like the fixed roof variant, the Supersports Convertible can run on either gasoline or E85, returning a 0-60 mph run of 3.9 seconds and a top speed on 202 mph no matter what fuel you choose to top up with.

Other carryovers include the all-wheel drive system and ZF-sourced six-speed automatic that sends power to four, 20-inch, 10-spoke wheels shod in high-performance Pirelli rubber (275/35Z R20). However, unlike the hard-top, the rear seats remain, along with carbon fiber buckets and matching trim, Alcantara and a host of interior amenities.

Bentley hasn’t released pricing on the Supersports Convertible yet, but considering the coupe starts around $270,000, you and three friends can share the $300k tab when it goes on sale this summer.

Bentley Continental GTC unveiled at Geneva Auto Show

If you were enticed by Zagato’s take on the Bentley Continental GT (pictured above), rumor has it Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera has a version of its own in the works.

Anticipated to be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in two months’ time, Touring’s coachbuilt Bentley is slated to be based on the convertible Continental GTC, and could borrow its underpinnings from the upcoming GTC SuperSports.

Like Zagato’s Continental GTZ, the second coachbuilt Continental reportedly received support from Crewe. Since its revival, the Carrozzeria gave us such Maserati-based creations as the A8 GCS and Quattroporte Bellagio Fastback, and was recently rumored to be working on a custom Ferrari design as well.

 

Check out the Full Gallery HERE: Geneva 2008: Bentley Continental GTZ Zagato