The 2012 version of the most successful race car ever, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, has been revealed today, featuring many new things.

First off, they’ve put a 100-liter FT3 safety fuel tank in it, which is filled via an opening in the front hood. That makes it more efficient in an endurance race and also improves its safety.

In terms of the powertrain, the car is almost identical to the standard GT3 RS and has 450 bhp and the same maximum engine speed of 8,500 rpm. A race exhaust system with a controlled catalytic converter keeps emissions to a minimum. The car uses 9.5Jx18 with 25/64-18 Michelin race tires at front, and 12Jx18 with 30/68-18 tires at the back.

To make setting up the car easy for each track, the new Cup’s anti-roll bars at the front and rear are adjustable in seven positions. Other advantage of this car is the PCCB Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake, which is 20 kg lighter than conventional units.

The new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will be run in this specification for the 2012 and 2013 race seasons in selected one-make cup series. The car has a price tag of 161,750 Euro. So far, over 2,200 units of this racing Porsche have been sold to private teams.





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Audi, winner of 10 of the last 12 24 Hours of Le Mans races, added another prize to its racing portfolio with victory Sunday in the Total 24 Hours of Spa.

Mattias Ekstrom, Greg Franchi and Timo Scheider shared driving duties in the R8 LMS coupe and won by two laps over a Schubert Motorsport BMW Z4 GT3 driven by Dirk Werner, Claudia Hurtgen and Edward Sandstrom.

Unlike the Le Mans classic, the Spa race is for production-based GT cars only and does not include the purpose-built sports prototype machines. The 64th edition of the race was staged, as it has been each year since 1979, on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, site of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.

Two Audis were entered in the race, both with factory support. The winning car was one of two fielded by Audi Sport Team WRT. The second WRT car, with Bert Longin, Filipe Albuquerque and Stéphane Ortelli driving, finished 4th.

Third place went to a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 driven by Kenneth Heyer, Thomas Jäger and Stéphane Lémeret.

An Audi Sport Phoenix entry led in the early going, but crashed out of the race before the midway point. The winning car led the final 13 hours.

Porsche was the winner of last year's race, but no Porsche entry was a contender this year. The highest finisher for the iconic marque was 17th.

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Now it's German tuner MTM's turn to take a shot at the Audi 3.0 TDI.

For the 3.0 liter diesel unit, MTM offers two power options. The first is a 40 PS boost up to 285 PS (210 kW / 281 bhp) and 580 Nm (428 lb-ft) of torque (an increase of 80 Nm). The second takes output up to 300 PS (221 kW / 296 bhp) and 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) of torque.

Both come with a new top speed of 263 km/h (163 mph) and a price tag of €1,392.

A €2,600 performance exhaust system is also available with 89 mm quad-piped ends.

MTM also aims to offer a sport suspension system on the A7 3.0 TDI which it has just finished testing. 20-inch Bimoto rims are also available for the ride.



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German tuner B&B is offering 3 stages of tuning on the anniversary edition Golf GTI that can dial output up all the way to 362 PS (266 kW / 357 bhp) and 510 Nm (376 lb-ft) of torque.

That Stage 3 tuning job will set you back €8,950 but will make the VW Golf GTI Edition 35 good for a 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of just 4.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 278 km/h (173 mph). All that is done by means of some serious engine work which includes adding B&B's own turbocharger.

The tuner also offers bigger brakes, a suspension lowering of 30 mm and 19- or 20-inch wheels.

But there are cheaper options on hand here too for what is still a decent boost in power. Stage 1 actually comes in two guises - taking the VW Golf GTI Edition 35 from 235 PS (173 kW / 232 bhp) and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque to either 280 PS (206 kW / 277 bhp) and 375 Nm (277 lb-ft) or 310 PS (228 kW / 306 bhp) and 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) of torque.

Stage 2 comes in at 326 PS (240 kW / 321 bhp) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque.



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Redesigned for 2012, Audi’s A6 lineup is halfway back to full strength with the introduction of the Avant station wagon. The high-powered S6 and RS6 versions still are waiting in the wings—as is a hybrid model

Audi just made the executive-wagon segment a lot more interesting, with a twin-turbocharged variation of its 3.0-liter TDI turning out 313 hp and an even more impressive 479 lb-ft of torque. Not only is it a powerful mill, but this diesel also has attitude. Many oil burners are impressive in their power delivery and massive torque but lack soul. The 3.0-liter TDI, on the other hand, fires up with an impressive growl, and the sound gets better as you push it through the gears. Its voice is reminiscent of an old-fashioned V-8’s, a sound that is clearly audible inside and out.

Driving the A6 Avant is even better than listening to it. The all-wheel-drive chassis copes well with the TDI’s grunt. The rear differential distributes power for maximum agility, and it takes a heavy misstep to throw the Avant off course. The car should need just 5.5 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. Top speed is a governed 155 mph, a speed the Avant reaches with ease. On unlimited stretches of autobahn, the twin-turbo TDI’s sheer grunt at velocities of 130 mph and above is remarkable.

Its torque is so massive that it surpassed the capacity of Audi’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the company had to install an eight-speed torque-converter automatic from ZF. There are three other diesel options in this car—a 177-hp, 2.0-liter four and two single-turbo versions of the 3.0-liter V-6 making 204 and 245 hp—but the twin-turbo V-6 is clearly the bad boy of the lineup. Even the most powerful gasoline engine Audi offers, the familiar supercharged 3.0-liter V-6, lacks the brute force of the top TDI. Better yet, the beastly diesel returns 37 mpg on the European combined cycle.



Stylistically, the Avant conversion works well on the A6, but it doesn’t transform a conservative sedan design into a head turner. Although the previous-generation A6 Avant sported a markedly different rear end, this Avant looks almost identical to the sedan except for the elongated roofline. Even the overbite of the taillights remains. Additionally, the A6 Avant offers virtually all the sedan’s technological features, including an almost ridiculous roster of assistance systems, Wi-Fi and Google-based telematics, and countless options for personalization.

Of course, the biggest difference between the sedan and Avant is cargo capacity. There are a lot of practical options, such as a power cargo cover and a power hatch that opens when you wave your foot below the rear bumper—the latter particularly convenient when you have your hands full of groceries and don’t want to reach for the trunk latch.

The A6 Avant’s success continues to reach new heights with this higly fuel efficient multi-cargo Audi.



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