Autoblog

The BRABUS edition of smart's diminutive little fortwo is, as we like to say, officially official as of yesterday when the brand pulled the wraps off the new-for-USA model. Unlike the Europeans who have had access to BRABUS smarts for the last few years, we won't be getting the force-fed 112-horsepower three-cylinder engine here in the States, but that means we get to keep the 41 miles per gallon efficiency of the standard smart fortwo. You win some, you lose some, right? It's a nice package that definitely stands apart from other fortwo models thanks to its unique alloy wheels, monochromatic paint in either black or silver and numerous BRABUS emblems inside and out. Want one? It'll cost you $17,990 for the coupe or $20,990 for the cabriolet, which initially strikes us as a fairly steep sum considering it comes with the same 70 horsepower engine of the standard smart. As of right now, only those with fortwo reservations are eligible for the new BRABUS, but that seems likely to change in the near future if the model continues to prove as popular as smart claims it has.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sebastian Blanco and Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the edo competition Ferrari FXX

It seems that edo competition is determined that no supercar be left untouched. They've developed upgrades for the Porsche Carrera GT, Maserati MC12 Corsa, Ferrari Enzo, and now they've got their hands on a Ferrari FXX racecar. They claim to have made the car road legal by installing a new windshield, hand brake and all necessary lighting. A new suspension system with adjustable compression and damping and a modified exhaust system have also been fitted. We thought more would have been required to make the switch from race car to road car, but judging from the photos they obviously have no qualms about driving this car on the street.

[Source: edo competition]

Before Karl Abarth was putting his sporting touches on Fiats for competition, he was a successful motorcycle racer, winning five European Championships. When Fiat realized how successful Abarth was with its cars, the Italian automaker purchased the tuning division and made it an integral part of its operations. The relationship has continued to this day and the tuning company is now an official division. The motorcycling connection finally comes full circle, as Fiat is the main sponsor for Yamaha's MotoGP race team and star rider (not to mention current MotoGP champion) Valentino Rossi. To celebrate Abarth's centenary, Fiat and Yamaha have teamed up on a tuned version of the 150 horsepower FZ1, a naked version of the previous-gen R1 literbike. The FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corse gets extra-special goodies like a complete Öhlins suspension, Marchesini wheels, Brembo monobloc front brake calipers, and an Akrapovic exhaust system. We're smitten with the red and white paint job, which looks resplendent against its attendant Abarth scorpion logos.


[Source: Italiaspeed]

Click above for more pics of the Callaway Cyclone V16

Perhaps best known for his customized Corvettes, Reeves Callaway is also the brains behind a technical and engineering consulting company. A few years ago, he showed the world a V16 motor he built using four Yamaha 1,000 cc motorcycle engines mounted on a unique block. Dubbed the Cyclone, this 4.0L mill was good for 550 hp @ 10,000 rpm. While it is undeniably long at just over 36 inches, the aluminum block helps keep its dry weight down at just 334 lbs. Callaway used the Yamaha motors because his company helped develop their 5-valve heads and Reeves believes they are still among the best-built engines he has ever seen.

While the Cyclone project was started for little more than kicks and giggles, Reeves and his son Peter dragged it out to Cars & Coffee in Irvine, CA yesterday morning and hinted that we might be seeing this engine again soon, in the engine bay of a new Callaway show car. Alluding to such great automotive designs as the legendary Auto Union Type D, Callaway said we shouldn't be surprised to see this engine in something that marries that type of design ethos with a modern sensibility. No date was given for the car's debut, but Reeves said it will be completed eventually. Whatever it ends up looking like, we think we might like a ride in it. In current tune, the redline has been lifted to 11,500 rpm, allowing horsepower to swell to 640. it will certainly be entertaining.


Photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

As Fiat's in-house tuning arm, Abarth stands for high performance and unique design. The firm hopes to have hit on both of these qualities with its latest adventure in the art of co-branding, the new Powerplay Extreme gaming desktop. The crew definitely got the unique design part down, with a soaring, bridge-like truss holding a giant fan at the very top of the inner workings of the computer, which is powered by Intel's latest and most powerful chip ever, the Core i7 Extreme.

This new pint-sized desktop machine will be launched to kick off Intel's new "Friday Night Game", which is an Electronic Sports League sanctioned event that pits elite gamers from 30 different countries against each other. As far as the actual hardware goes, we see the expected firewire and USB ports along with an external serial port for terabytes of fun. The exposed motherboard sports a slew of heatsinks and LED-colored fans to keep things cool. Plus, it controls a Blue-ray/HD DVD player and, of course, a couple of CD\DVD burners. We're sure it all runs on an Intel chipset, but there aren't any details yet on the RAM or hard disk space. The best part? How 'bout that big red Start Engine power button?


[Source: Carscoop]

Within 20 minutes of taking delivery of a Pontiac Solstice GXP last year, we were on our way to our local shop to see what mods could be done to the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-pot. With 260 hp and a claimed 260 lb-ft of torque (our dyno run showed around 250 lb-ft of twist at the wheels), the Solstice is hardly lacking for grunt, and when we finally got around to driving the Chevrolet Cobalt SS, we were sure that the new engine would be embraced by power-hungry tuners in short order.

Scotia, NY-based Synapse Turbo has taken up the task and created a bolt-on kit for the Cobalt SS that puts out 371 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. From what we can gather based on forum postings and the video after the jump, the Stage 3 kit consists of a Garrett GT2871R turbo, stainless steel 4-1 exhaust manifold, three-inch downpipe, three-inch intake, TurboXS BOV, a new intercooler and aluminum plumbing. ECU tweaks were provided by the HP Tuner system and redline has been raised to 6,700 rpm. We're itching to get some time behind the wheel, if for no other reason than to see if our wrists can cope with the torque steer, but until then, the video below the fold will have to do.


[Source: MotiveMag]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the edo competition Cayenne GTS

For Porsche Cayenne GTS owners who wish they would've opted for the forced induction 'ute, edo competition has come up with a performance and styling package that helps close the gap between the two models. The German tuner adds another 45 horsepower through the use of high-flow cats, a performance air filter, and a recalibration of the ECU. As a result, the Cayenne GTS is capable of reaching 60 mph in a mere 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph. Handling and braking is improved with massive 15-inch, six-piston front brakes and an adjustable sport suspension. Other upgrades include 22-inch forged wheels, power dome hood, a new front fascia, and a variety of interior options. Full details are in the press release after the jump, and plenty of high-res photographs can be found in the gallery below.

[Source: edo competition]

Another day, another Fiat 500 variant that we Americans can drool over knowing we can't get it here in the States. This one is special, though, as it was designed to commemorate Karl Abarth's 100th (born on November 15, 1908) birthday. Not just a styling exercise, the 500 Abarth "DA O A 100" tribute comes with an upgraded 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Acceleration to sixty takes just 7.3 seconds, helped along by shortened gear ratios while its top speed is now 131 miles per hour. Suspension bits are revised as well, with lowered springs and new 17-inch alloys fitted with low-profile Pirelli PZero Neros.

We're loving the looks of the '100, which is blessed with Nuvolari Grey paint along with special silver side stripes and chrome-plated badges and side mirrors. Inside, that color scheme is repeated in leather with contrasting stitching – proving once again that the Italians will always have that innate sense of style. If you want one, better get your name on the list now, as Fiat's only planning to build 101 of the unique 500s.


[Source: Carscoop]

The German uber-tuners at 9ff have come to the conclusion that 253 mph just isn't fast enough, so work is currently underway on a hotter version of its GT9 supercar.

The "standard" GT3-based 9ff GT9 puts out 973 hp and 711 lb-ft of torque, but with a few tweaks to the ECU and a slight increase in boost pressure, the 4.2-liter flat-six will be putting out 1,120 hp and 774 lb-ft of twist. The chopped roof, lengthened body and widened haunches will carry over to the GT9R, but a new front fascia, splitter, wheel well extractors, brake cooling ducts, roof-mounted air scoop and wing will be added to the package. There's no word on what 9ff plans to do with the GT9R, but don't be surprised if it hits the circuit next year.


[Source: 9ff via Supercars.net]

Click above for high-res gallery of the ProCharger Challenger SRT8 supercharger

As we found out at SEMA, performance parts are coming fast and furious for the Dodge Challenger. The Camaro may have been the official vehicle of the Las Vegas show, but the Challenger was the car of choice for many of the tuners in attendance. We were especially fond of the pair of Group 2 Widebody Challengers from Classic Design Concepts, one of which featured a ProCharger intercooled supercharger system. The blower wasn't unique to the car, however, and we found that ProCharger is offering two separate kits for Challenger owners, both of which boost horsepower by at least 150. Both feature ProCharger's P-1SC-1 centrifugal supercharger pushing 6 psi of boost, a 3-core air-to-air intercooler, upgraded fuel system and all necessary tubing and brackets. The Stage II kit pushes the bar further with a dedicated drive system for the supercharger and an upgrade air intake. You can check out full details on each system in the press release following the jump.

[Source: ProCharger]