BMW M Performance Parts continue to expand the brand

 

By Damon LavrincRSS feed

Posted Mar 14th 2012 12:19AM

 

The relentless expansion of M-engineered and branded wares doesn't just stop at the M diesel quadruplets and the M135i. Here in Geneva, BMW announced the latest line of M performance parts that spans the spectrum from appearance bits to powertrain upgrades.

M Performance exhausts will be available for the new 1 Series (in Europe), along with the 3 Series and 5 Series. Carbon fiber front splitters join black kidney grilles in the catalog, as does a new version of the M Performance steering wheel. BMW also claims to have some suspension components are in the works, and all this kit will be on sale and ready for installation at BMW dealers in the United States this summer

Porsche driver busted for using toothpaste to alter license plate

By Jonathon RamseyRSS feed

Posted Mar 13 2012 12:03PM

A Chinese Porsche Boxster driver is in trouble for using toothpaste to avoid the law. The owner used the cavity-preventing goo to change the 1s on his license plates to 7s. This ended up attracting the attention of Qingdao police, who thought the 7s didn't look right.

The owner will be able to reflect on his mistake over some long walks: he was fined 2,200 yuan ($349 USD) and got six points taken off his licence. Since he only had six points left to give, he won't be driving for a while.

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Nissan backs DeltaWing racecar, headed for Le Mans

Related GalleryNissan DeltaWing

By Jonathon RamseyRSS feed

Posted Mar 13th 2012 11:01AM

 

The DeltaWing project now has two major corporate backers and, more importantly, an engine. Nissan and Michelin have signed on with the innovative project of designer Ben Bowlby, Dan Gurney's All-American Racers and Don Panoz. Now called the Nissan DeltaWing, the Japanese firm will provide a turbocharged, direct-injected 1.6-liter, four-cylinder with an output of around 300 horsepower. Known as DIG-T, the powerplant shares the same roots as the engine in the Nissan Juke.

That's about 200 hp down on the 510 horsepower developed by the diesel V6 in the Audi R18 e-tron Quattro and about half the horsepower developed by other LMP1 racers. However, Nissan says the engine is half the weight of a typical LMP1 motor, and paired with the DeltaWing's minimal aerodynamic drag, the lap times are said to be somewhere between those of the LMP1 and LMP2 classes. Why does this matter? Because Nissan and Co. are taking this needle-nosed baby to Le Mans.

Of call cars and classes, Nissan says this strangest looking effort is one that will "showcase the pioneering technology that will show one potential direction for the future of motorsport and will feed into the research and development of future technologies, that filter down to Nissan's road car product range."

The Nissan DeltaWing will be allowed to run in the 24 Hours of Le Mans following a special dispensation for an experimental car that doesn't follow any technical guidelines offered by ACO, the organizer of Le Mans. It will use Garage 56, it will wear Number 0, and won't be classified in the results. Even so, we'll be watching closely. Follow the jump for a video of the racecar's development and a press release detailing Nissan's involvement.

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Nissan Backs Ground-Breaking Deltawing Project for Le Mans

Nissan DeltaWing experimental racecar to be powered by Nissan 1.6-litre DIG-T engine technology in this generation's most revolutionary and exciting motorsport project

- Nissan leads efficiency charge as founding partner of project
- Innovative new racing car to run at Le Mans with Nissan technology
- Nissan DeltaWing will act as test bed for new road car technologies
- Drive for efficiency will see car use half the fuel of its conventional counterparts, bringing Nissan "PureDrive" principles to the track
- Initial backers include racing legends Dan Gurney and Don Panoz, concept designer Ben Bowlby and Michelin
- Special invitation from ACO to occupy 'Garage 56'
- Car to wear number '0' and run outside race classification


(LONDON, March 13, 2012/PRNewswire-FirstCall) -- Nissan is aiming to change the face of endurance racing forever by becoming a founding partner in the most radical motorsport project of its time - Nissan DeltaWing.

A highly-advanced and hugely-efficient Nissan engine will power the remarkable DeltaWing car as it races in anger for the first time at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours (16-17 June).

While Nissan DeltaWing will not be classified in the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours, the Company is looking to showcase the pioneering technology that will show one potential direction for the future of motorsport and will feed into the research and development of future technologies, that filter down to Nissan's road car product range.

A race-prepared 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, featuring direct petrol injection and a turbocharger, will power Nissan DeltaWing, which is half the weight and has half the aerodynamic drag of a conventional racer.

With innovation at its core, Nissan was a natural partner to be invited into the DeltaWing family by the existing group of core partners - US-domiciled British designer Ben Bowlby, American motorsport entrepreneur Don Panoz, the All-American Racers organization of former US Formula 1 driver Dan Gurney, Duncan Dayton's two-time championship-winning Highcroft Racing team and Michelin Tyres North America.

The engine, badged DIG-T (Direct Injection Gasoline - Turbocharged), is expected to produce around 300hp, sufficient to give Nissan DeltaWing lap times between LMP1 and LMP2 machines at Le Mans, despite having only half the power of those conventional prototypes. It features the same technology found in Nissan road cars, such as the range-topping Nissan Juke DIG-T.

"As motor racing rulebooks have become tighter over time, racing cars look more and more similar and the technology used has had less and less relevance to road car development. Nissan DeltaWing aims to change that and we were an obvious choice to become part of the project," said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

"But this is just the start of our involvement. Nissan DeltaWing embodies a vast number of highly-innovative ideas that we can learn from. At the same time, our engineering resources and commitment to fuel efficiency leadership via our PureDrive strategy will help develop DeltaWing into a testbed of innovation for Nissan".

"This announcement gives Nissan the opportunity to become part of a ground-breaking motorsport project and one which could shape the future of the sport," he added.

Nissan DeltaWing concept originator and designer, Briton Ben Bowlby, said: "Nissan has provided us with our first choice engine. It's a spectacular piece. We've got the engine of our dreams: it's the right weight, has the right power and it's phenomenally efficient."

Nissan DeltaWing is unlike any other racing car currently on track. The driver sits well back in the car, almost over the rear axle and looks ahead down a long, narrow fuselage to narrow twin front tyres, specially created for the car by tyre partner Michelin. With a rear-mounted engine, the car has a strong rearward weight bias, which makes it highly manoeuvrable, while its light weight and slippery shape make it far more efficient.

Its innovative design and forward-looking technology have encouraged the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the organisers of the famous Le Mans 24 Hours, to invite the car to run in this year's race from 'Garage 56', the spot in the pitlane reserved for experimental cars. As it doesn't conform to any existing championship regulations, Nissan DeltaWing will not be eligible to challenge for silverware and will carry the race number '0'.

Nissan's expertise has been applied to the development of the engine, in order to make it light and efficient enough to prove the philosophy behind the concept can work in 'real-world' motor racing. The Company, always among the first to embrace such radical ideas and surprising new performance innovations, has promised to apply key learnings from the experience to inform strategies for its PureDrive aerodynamics and efficiency package for road cars, as well as its overall research & development programmes.

Dan Gurney's legendary All American Racers organization has built the DeltaWing. The new car continues the California organisation's incredible legacy as a race car constructor which has included 157 different cars built - earning major victories in Formula 1, sportscars and the Indianapolis 500.

Paul Willcox, Senior Vice President, Nissan in Europe, said: "Nissan is a very innovative, forward-thinking company prepared to take a risk or two. And exactly the same applies to Nissan DeltaWing. Our involvement in the project shows the boldness of Nissan from an engineering and innovation mindset."

The first two Nissan DeltaWing drivers to be confirmed are British Sportscar racer Marino Franchitti and Nissan's reigning FIA GT1 World Champion Michael Krumm. The car will make its first public demo laps at Sebring, Florida, at 12.30pm local time on Thursday, March 15.

Lexus RX facelift – leaked images ahead of Geneva debut

    March 3, 2012 at 1:14 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Lexus

You’d figure that automakers might as well get it over and done with, release images the moment they’re ready to go, because with increasing alacrity does the inevitable happen more than not these days, in this case the leaky boat syndrome.
The next paddle steamer to take water is Lexus’ refreshened RX, which is set to debut in Geneva next week. First, images of the reinterpreted third-gen SUV broke via a brochure a little while back, and if that ha-ha moment wasn’t enough, further images of the vehicle have now surfaced on the Web.
The RX 450 h and the first F Sport interpretation of the full hybrid luxury SUV are the Swiss show premieres, and the vehicle wears a new front fascia, replete with a spindle-shaped grille, reminiscent of that seen on the striking LF-LC Concept. As for the entire lowdown on the new RX, Geneva will provide the necessary, unless another hole springs up before then, of course.

Geneva preview: Hyundai i-oniq range-extender concept

    March 5, 2012 at 11:45 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, International News

Click to enlarge.
More from the Geneva front. The Swiss show, which kicks off this week, will see Hyundai showcasing its new i-oniq concept, which is an electric sports hatchback with a range-extending petrol engine.
The i-oniq continues to evolve the company’s fluidic sculpture form language, with a design that combines gentle feature lines and muscular surface treatment to inject premium and sporty into the overall mix. Design cues include a ‘penthouse roof’ and LED headlights.
The 4.4 metre-long vehicle seats four in its driver-oriented cabin. Plenty of high-tech equipment to be found in the driver interface and controls, so it goes, while passengers benefit from a lounge-style space designed to optimise comfort, featuring sculpted surfaces inspired by musical instruments, no less.
It’s powered by a 1.0 litre, three-cylinder petrol engine mated, via a generator, to a lithium-ion electric motor, with 109 PS as the output figure. In electric-only mode, i-oniq has a range of 120 km, while with assistance from the petrol engine it can travel up to 700 km, producing just 45 g/km of CO2 in the process.