Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series: Twin Turbo Aggression

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mercedes_benz_sl65_amg_black_series_30-568-426Boasting a 493kW (670hp) twin turbo V12 engine, the all-new Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series has returned to the battle front, fresh from the AMG Performance Studio.

Based on the recently updated Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, this ultra-powerful 2-seater sports car benefits from a touring car style wide body kit giving it more width and hence handling stability.

Delivering a shocking 1000Nm to the rear wheels, this is the kind of car that makes Lamborghini owners nervous, and as Mercedes explains, this super powerful sports coupe “represents the continuation of the highly successful Black Series strategy pursued by AMG, the Mercedes-Benz Cars Performance brand”.

Labelling it a “motorsport engineering thoroughbred” that opens up “new drive dynamic vistas to sports car enthusiasts”, the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series is powered by a hand-built 6.0-litre V12 biturbo engine.

Peak power of 493kW hits the crankshaft @ 5400rpm, while peak torque of 1000Nm arrives @ 2200rpm and is sustained until 4200rpm.

AMG says that without a ‘limiter’ the engine easily produces 1200Nm of torque, which would put it in exclusive company. Think Bugatti Veyron.

Everything about the car has been tuned, modified and upgraded to provide it with a level of performance that will destroy most other cars on the road, if not the race track.

With almost 500 kilowatts of power the vehicle’s top speed is limited to 320km/h – but could go much faster without the electronic governance.

The zero to 100km/h sprint takes 3.9 seconds, which is extremely fast, and to counter the huge acceleration the brakes have also been upgraded to deliver immense and repeated stopping power.

Increasing V12’s engine power from the ‘standard’ 450kW to 493kW involved a number of changes to the motor’s componentry.

Hand built using AMG’s “one man – one engine” philosophy, the 5980cc powerplant gets a pair of new turbochargers that are 12% larger and have special sprial cross-sections to develop more power.

The turbo wastegate ducts have been modified to increase air throughput, and Mercedes-Benz has also added “modified intake air ducting” which results “in an even more spontaneous response”.

There’s also a new “charge air cooler” that is 30% more powerful according to the German company. It combines with a modified water cooling system that is guaranteed to work under “extreme dynamic driving conditions” and even at high outside temperatures which will be of interest to the select few Australians who can afford one.

New rear silencers help to reduce exhaust gas back pressure which also increases power development, and there’s also a side effect of this – improved engine acoustics through the twin trapezoid exhaust outlets pipes.

All this new power is contained with a wider, lower, sleeker body shell. Even the engine hood is new, featuring Evolution-inspired vents to allow hot air to be channeled out of the engine bay.

The Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series gains a larger front apron with wider air dams that allow higher volumes of air to reach the engine intake systems, and is also more aerodynamic.

The entire body has been modified to make it more stable and controllable at high speeds by increasing downforce. This is helped by the wider front apron, extended side skirts, a modified rear apron with a deep central diffuser channeland even a pop-up rear spoiler.

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Bugatti Stratos Concept

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Bugatti-Stratos-by-Bruno-Delusso-thumb-550x384-19946The Bugatti Stratos is a slick design by France’s Bruno Delussu, who was inspired by classic cars such as the Bugatti Type 57, Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Mille Miglia and locomotive designs by Raymond Loewy. Delussu wasn’t so interested in the technical aspects of those vehicles, however. He designed the Stratos to be a purely fantastical car that leans on its looks.

And lean on its looks it can. The end result, as you can see, is pretty impressive, affecting a retro air that’s still undoubtedly futuristic.

French graphic designer Bruno Delusso didn’t want to be bothered with the engineering and mechanical issues that plague the average concept car – he just wanted to create something stunning. So by throwing production feasibility, drivetrain components and caution to the wind, he succeeded.

Inspired by the Bugatti Type 57, Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Mille Miglia and Raymond Loewy’s locomotive designs, Delusso rendered up this: the Bugatti Stratos. Aside from the rear window and grille, it’s difficult to peg the Stratos as anything more than futuristic, Photoshop-enhanced navel-gazing, but the design speaks for itself

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2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

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bugatti-veyron-grand-sport-picturesLast year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance in California was the setting for the very beginning world demonstration of the freshly Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. The reaction was super positive and today production of this roadster – restricted to 150 units – is to begin at Molsheim. Concurrently, the media and clients are calling for their first test drives.

The new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport confronted the marque renowned for impeccable automotive solutions, aesthetics and driving dynamics with a entirely fresh set of challenges. In reaction to client demand, important adjustments have followed arrived to the vehicle’s complex structure to enable open-top driving, thereby adding a fresh attribute to this superior sport car. Containing a host of new and advanced safety and equipment features, it’s the world’s fastest and most stimulating roadster. It’s instantly identifiable because of its slightly higher windscreen, stylized daytime running lights, and lightweight, transparent polycarbonate roof.

The primary challenge in development the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with its removable roof resulted from the incomparable structure of the fixed-roof Bugatti Veyron. An optimal combination of rigidity and lightweight engineering secures the monocoque passenger cell of the original model is highly strong, while considering an absolute minimal. As the roof is an built-in part of the vehicle’s body structure, removing it meant the load paths had to be completely redesigned to maintain the vehicle’s rigidity and crash safety, and to extend extra security from side impacts and rolling.

As a final result, the monocoque structure back-number reinforced round the side skirts and the transmission tunnel. The B-pillars have been cross-stiffened using a carbon fibre support, and a central carbon plate has been positioned below the transmission tunnel to guarantee the vehicle suffers from lower torsional flexing than any other roadster.

The doors of the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport are constituted of carbon fibre, and house an integrated longitudinal beam. In the event of an accident, this transfers the load from the A to the B-pillar, thereby dispelling impact energy. Moreover, the 2 redesigned air intakes for the 16-cylinder mid-engine now feature 10-centimetre wide carbon-fibre elements to provide security in the consequence of a roll.

Along with moisture-resistant, backstitched leather, a range of new equipment features has been expanded the interior, including a reversing camera with 2.7-inch monitor integrated in the rear-view-mirror, and the “Puccini” sound system with digital signal processor.

When the roof is closed, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport can reach 407 km/h, while speeds of up to 360 km/h are possible with the roof off. Should it rain, an innovative soft-top roof, like an umbrella, stored in the luggage compartment, can be opened up at any time. With this soft top in place, the car can travel at up to 160 km/h.
More than just an open Veyron

“When I had the chance to test-drive the new Grand Sport for the first time myself, I was filled with excitement”, said Pierre Henri Raphanel, Bugatti’s Pilot official, “as soon I shifted into second gear, I cognized this was a entirely another car. I could immediately feel the difference. Even with the roof still on, in the tips of my fingers and at the base of my spine everything was more present, more intimate. More precise with less understeer, almost as if you had taken away some filters from the suspension and the steering.” The former Le Mans winner has probably driven more kilometres in a Veyron than anyone else, presenting the car to a lot clients and the press. Taking off the roof “the excitement comes directly from the engine – giving you the feeling that you had a horsepower factory just thirty centimetres behind your head, trying to suck you up and swallow you,” he raves.

Assembled by hand at the company’s headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace, the Grand Sport will be delivered from July 2009 onwards at a price of 1.4 million euros (excluding taxes and transportation). Just 150 units will be made, with the first 50 of these going exclusively to registered Bugatti customers. So far 30 Grand Sports have been ordered. The Chassis Number one auctioned at the Pebble Beach Auction by Gooding and Company last summer and sold for 3.19 million Dollar. The additional revenues of 900.000 Dollar were donated by Bugatti to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation Charity.

Toyota to launch sedan from small car platform

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toyota-iq-small-car-photo-black436Toyota Kirloskar Motors, the Indian subsidiary of the Japanese giant, Toyota Motor Corporation, will make multiple use of the new compact platform its parent company is developing for the launch of a small car in India later next year.

Since the company is developing a completely new platform from scratch, it will use it to build a sedan, in addition to other models, which perhaps could be compact cars.

Toyota is launching a compact car by the end of next year from its new production facility close to its existing plant in Bangalore, a senior company official said today on the sidelines of the launch of the new Land Cruiser, a luxury sports utility vehicle.

Sandeep Singh, deputy managing director (marketing), Toyota Kirloskar Motors, said” “We can make more than just the small car from that new platform. We will bring out a sedan based on that platform, apart from other options.”

Experts say the use of a common platform amongst cars brings down the cost of development of a new vehicle substantially. Toyota will be able to position the new sedan at an attractive price, lower than its current model, the Corolla Altis (priced at Rs 9.65 lakh, ex-showroom Mumbai, for base variant), experts said.

The company wants localisation content of at least 70 per cent for the small car, which will be ramped up later. It also said today that the decision of having an engine manufacturing plant in India is pending.

“Earlier there was a plan of sourcing the engines from outside India, but after putting up the second car plant with such a huge capacity, it does not make sense to not make the engines for the small car here. However, we are yet to take a final call on that,” added Singh.

The company has an installed capacity of about 100,000 units at the new plant, where Toyota has invested Rs 3,000 crore. However, the company recently informed that it has reduced its targeted capacity to 70,000 units, following the slump in the auto sector, without any reduction in capital expenditure.

Hiroshi Nakagawa, managing director of TKM, said: “All our global (new) projects were frozen due to the meltdown, except the Indian project. The Indian market is showing signs of recovery and we are expecting great potential from India.”

TKM was also forced to bring down its production levels by 20 per cent last year, to little more than 50,000 units from the 65,000 units at its current plant, to adjust to falling demand. The company sells four models in India – Innova, Corolla Altis, Camry and Prado.

However, with demand slightly better than in earlier months, Toyota is raising monthly production from about 4,000 to 5,500 units. It has set itself a target of selling at least 50,000 units this year. Last year, the company sold 51,800 units.

The Land Cruiser, launched today in two versions, is the most expensive vehicle from the company, priced at Rs 81.64 lakh and Rs 83.10 lakh. The model will be brought to India in a completely built unit (CBU) and initially sold through only select outlets in the metros.

Mercedes-Benz sedan tries to keep you awake

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2010_mercedes_benz_e_class_coupeAttention Assist sounds like something to keep kids focused on homework instead of Game Boy, but it’s Mercedes-Benz’s name for a system intended to keep drivers from falling asleep behind the wheel of the 2010 E-class luxury sedan.
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The system watches for frequent sudden small steering corrections to keep the car in its lane, which Mercedes says is one of the primary indicators of drowsy driving.

When the steering corrections and 70 other parameters Mercedes monitors indicate the driver is in danger of falling asleep, the system beeps and the image of an espresso cup lights up in instrument cluster.

Attention Assist is standard equipment on the E-class, which just went on sale at a base price of $48,600.

Mercedes says sleepy drivers are responsible for 100,000 crashes, 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries a year in the United States. Drowsy driving is classified as reckless driving in New Jersey, where it can be charged as a criminal offense.