Scion FR-S and Lexus LF-A to make runs at the Nurburgring
Every manufacture wants to dominate the Nurburgring, and Toyota is no different. This weekend, the Nurburgring 24 hours endurance race, it's 40th annual, is going to be the proving grounds for Toyota and their Scion FR-S along with a Lexus LF-A thrown in for good measure.
The cars will be fully race prepped and ready for battle against some of the best manufactures in the world. The great news is that Toyota says everything they learn during the 24 hours endurance race is going to translate directly into future Scion FR-S projects and tuning.
We look forward to seeing how the cars perform in the endurance race, and wish the team luck.
Prius who? VW Passat TDI Sets MPG Fuel Economy Record
Step aside Prius, there is a new fuel economy leader in town... the VW Passat TDI Diesel! This 2012 VW Passat TDI traveled an incredible 1626.1 miles on a single tank of fuel!
John and Helen Taylor are the proud owners of this VW Passat TDI SE that is equipped with a 6 speed manual transmission. They drove across 9 US states and beat the previous Passat 1.6 BlueMotion diesel record of 1526 miles.
Volkswagen is set to prove that their TDI diesel technology is superior and less expensive to maintain and repair than hybrids such as the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic. With records like this, the hybrid folks will have their work cut out of them to prove their technology is superior to save fuel.
John and Helen decided to try and break the record on May 3rd, and drove from Houston, TX to Sterling, VA in 3 days, driving 14 hours a day.
Their 2012 Passat TDI Diesel is powered by a 2.0L diesel engine that makes 140 horsepower and 236 ft lbs of torque. The EPA estimates this car to have a MPG fuel economy rating of 43 mpg. The Taylors proved they were able to have 84.1 miles per gallon. This would give the car a 19.3 gallon tank. I wonder if they drove it until it stopped.
We look forward to the fuel economy records to be broken with existing technology that just keeps getting better.
Nissan Juke-R release with 545 horsepower!
Not too long ago, Nissan released a concept, called the Nissan Juke R. This was based on a standard Nissan Juke, but had the engine and all wheel drive driveline of the Nissan GT-R. While we thought the concept was absolutely awesome, we never expected this to actually come to fruition - until today! Nissan announced on 5/3 that they will make a very limited run available of this car on a build-to-order basis.
If you thought the concept was awesome, the production Juke-R will blow your mind. How does 545 horsepower, and the improved driveline and chassis of the new 2012 Nissan GT-R sound? We think it sounds pretty sweet! The original concept drew so much attention, that people in Dubai were offering Nissan money on the spot to buy the Juke R... and that one only had 485 horsepower. Nissan already has 3 offers from high profile Dubai citizens and decided it's time to release these to more people.
545 horsepower from a "bone stock" Nissan Juke is pretty awesome. Image the possibilities when you add some performance modifications... even something as simple as a Hallman Boost Controller can add 50 horsepower. Add to that an intake and exhaust, and you'll have a 650 hp Nissan Juke, easily!
The Nissan Juke-R is living proof that when people speak up, good things happen. Enthusiasts need to let the manufactures know when there is a concept or a model that they want to see. The manufactures listen!
Interested in buying one? You can email juke-r@nissan.co.uk We don't have a price, but expect it to be over $100K.
Supercharged Nissan 350Z with 405 horsepower
The Nissan 350Z is a great platform. Out of the box it's a good road car with excellent characteristics and prime for the aftermarket. But this Nissan 350Z is a bit different. Under the hood lies a performance punch by way of a supercharger. Output of the 3.5L V6 rises to 405 horsepower to give the 350Z a solid performance upgrade. This car includes a full tuning package by German tuner, Senner Tuning and fits both the coupe and convertible 350Z.
This 350Z has plenty of aftermarket goodies such as an Invidia Gemini 350Z exhaust and custom ecu programming to safely push this car to 405hp. A fully adjustable coilover kit and 20" wheels give it a strong stance. The car has 20 inch wheels and sits low.
2012 Camaro ZL1 Drag Time is 11.93 stock in the 1/4 Mile
The all new 2012 Camaro ZL1 runs an 11.93 in the 1/4 mile bone stock. While this is pretty impressive, I believe that with a 116mph trap, for a car with 580 hp and 556 ft lbs from a supercharged 6.2 is a bit low. This was achieved with a stock 6 speed automatic and factory Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2 tires. The 6 speed was pretty close, with a 11.96, but a slightly higher 117mph.
The weight of this car holds it back. Compare these numbers with the 505 horsepower Z06, and you will see the Z06 has run quicker and faster times. Check out the video here:
Don't get me wrong. I love this car, and would love to have one. But GM can produce even better numbers with a lower weight chassis. Then again, this car isn't designed for just drag racing. The suspension and chassis on this car is very capable and supports the power nicely. In fact, the chassis is so good, it resists twist from the incredible torque even when pushing power past 750whp. The car is designed to be an all around winner, with awesome brakes as well. Bone stock the car is very capable around a track and would do even better with a good set of race tires.
It's hard to think of a Camaro and not think of a straight line Mustang killer, but now the Camaro is more. Forget the Mustang Boss... is the Camaro ZL1 now America's M3?
First Scion FR-S Body Kit Release by Five Axis
The Scion FR-S is generating a lot of buzz, and everyone is eager to get their hands on this rear wheel drive platform to start exploring the tuning potential. The Scion FR-S will come out later this year as a 2013 model, and there are aftermarket companies already making parts for it such as Five Axis and this body kit.
Five Axis (Five:AD) is going to release this FR-S body kit through Scion dealerships, so people can order it as an add on when buying their car. This allows them to add in the price of the body kit into the price of the vehicle so they can finance it all together. The full body kit offered at the dealerships will include a front spoiler, side skirts, wider rear valance and an optional boot lip spoiler.
If you want to get even more aggressive, Five Axis will offer 19 inch wheels and lowering springs to lower the car and fill the wheel gaps on the body kit.
Fixe Axis released a video showcasing their body kit to give you a 360 view of what it will look like in production. Check it out:
I think this looks awesome, and can't wait to see some on the road!
1968 Camaro with Supercharged LSA CTS-V Engine
If you like old school cars, but love modern technology, what do you do? If you're like this guy from SoCal, you combine the two. Bob Hall bought a 1968 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible and decided the stock power plant wasn't for him. In his quest to build a Pro Touring Camaro, he found a 2009 Cadillac CTS-V with a Supercharged LSA motor, and thought "why not" and swapped that engine into his 68. Awesome!
His desire to have a Pro Touring Camaro wasn't always his dream. He bought the car to restore it initially, and after getting bit by the mod bug after visiting a bunch of car shows, he was hooked. 648 wheel horsepower and 650 torque later, this thing rips! The engine only has light mods to produce it's 648 wheel horsepower (800 at the crank!), and is as streetable and driveable as your stock Civic.
Check out a video produce by Drive:
This style Camaro has always been one that people admire and can't wait to get their hands on to modify. You'd think you've seen it all with these, but then there's Bob Hall who does things a little differently, and everyone remembers why this platform is so flexible and attractive to enthusiasts.
Minus the roll cage, racing seats, and the beautiful exhaust note, the car looks relatively tame. You'll notice the small Cadillac V badge on the hood which gives away what's lurking. A well placed carbon fiber rear trunk spoiler fits in nicely. Understated, classy and hauls ass. The car has no squeaks or rattles and drives incredibly smooth.
What more can you ask for?
Negative Camber – This Celica takes it to the extreme!
I have seen some negative camber in my life, but never anything this extreme. The owner of this Toyota Celica takes negative camber to new heights. In the video above, you can see just how extreme this camber is. I don't know what size wheels those are, but they are literally surrounded by incredibly thin tires that look like they don't serve much purpose.
In some parts of the video, the rear wheels look like they are touching the fenders. I wonder what kind of suspension he's running to achieve this type of negative camber. I think suggesting a camber kit is out of the question 
Tuned BMW 1M with over 500 turbo horsepower
The BMW 1M coupe (not to be mistaken for a BMW M1), is powered by a twin turbo inline 6 engine that delivers 335hp and gives the BMW M3 a run for it's money. It's pretty much the same engine as in the BMW 335i, but modified a bit to deliver 35 more horsepower. Very capable engine. BMW has been on the cutting edge of delivering a car that tuners love to modify while enthusiasts love to drive stock. They cover the best of both worlds, which leaves the BMW prime for the aftermarket.
This particular BMW 1M is tuned by a company called Tuningwerk located in Germany and has been beefed up with more power and better handling than stock. They call it the BMW 1M RS, and it's their entry level car that is considered street legal for the streets of Germany. With a top speed of 186mph, 521 horsepower and 453 torque at only 2800 rpm, this car is a blast to drive.
In addition to creating more power, Tuningwerk also added BMW 1M Coilovers, a new clutch and carbon fiber brake rotors. On the inside, they had Recaro seats and some carbon fiber treatment.
This BMW 1M rides on ATS superlight 19 inch wheels on Dunlop Sport Maxx tires which are 245/35R19 front and 285/30R19 rear. Pretty beefy for a car of this size.
Fun car!
Nissan GT-R with ADV1 ADV6.0TS 21 with Pirelli 355/25/21
This Nissan GT-R with ADV1 ADV6.0TS 21x10.5" front and 21x12.5" rear is absolutely gorgeous! 21 inch wheels on a Nissan GT-R look to fit it just perfectly, and these wheels give the car a great look while not being too flashy.
Above is a rear side shot. The Nissan GT-R gets these wheels wrapped in Pirelli 285/30/21 front and 355/25/21 rear. Huge!
The GT-R looks like it's lowered on coilovers and the stance is absolutely awesome!