Audi S6 Avant

Athletic character, quiet understatement and richly appointed - Audi is remaking the Audi S6 and S6 Avant. Both models are sports cars for everyday use, offering uncompromising practicality. Their new engine, a four-liter, twin-turbo V8, combines ample power with low fuel consumption in keeping with the times.
Drive
The Audi S6 and S6 Avant use the 309 kW (420 hp) version of the new 4.0 TFSI. The twin-turbo V8 provides a constant 550 Nm (405.66 lb-ft) of torque from 1,400 to 5,300 rpm. It accelerates the S6 from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 4.8 seconds and the S6 Avant in 4.9 seconds. With both models, the electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h (155.34 mph) is just a formality.

The 4.0 TFSI brings Audi's downsizing strategy to the high-performance class. Compared to the engine in the previous model, the free-breathing, 5.2-liter V10, it offers even sportier performance while reducing fuel consumption by as much as 25 percent. Average fuel consumption is just 9.7 liters per 100 km (24.25 US mpg) in the Audi S6 and 9.8 liters (24.0 US mpg) in the Audi S6 Avant, well below that of the competition.
A number of technologies contribute to this top result, including the recuperation and start-stop systems as well as the new "cylinder on demand" cylinder management system. When the V8 deactivates four cylinders under part load, the Active Noise Cancellation system (ANC) is activated. Four microphones integrated into the headlining record the noise in the cabin, which is then analyzed by a computer. If the computer detects intrusive sound elements, it broadcasts an antiphase sound through the speakers of the sound system. This sound combines with the intrusive sound and largely cancels it out.

Bentley Continental GTC

The second generation of the Bentley Continental GTC convertible will debut at 2011 International Automobile Exhibition (IAA) in Frankfurt.
Taking cues from its GT coupe sibling launched in 2010, the new Bentley Continental GTC builds on the highly successful foundation of the previous cabriolet, which premiered in 2006. Bentley's design and engineering teams have improved virtually every aspect of the iconic convertible with an uncompromising focus on quality.
While the first Bentley Continental GTC was elegant and understated, the sharper radii and assertive stance of the new model delivers a more contemporary and muscular presence. Advanced manufacturing techniques produce aluminium front wings without the need for seams or welds creating the look and feel of a coach-built car. Twenty-inch wheels are now standard with three styles of 21-inch wheel, a first for GTC, available as an option, reinforcing the distinctive, sporting stance of the new Bentley.

The four-seater luxury convertible features a new, even more spacious and sumptuous hand-crafted cabin, with soft-touch leather hides, an extensive range of wood veneers, cool-touch metals and deep-pile carpets. There are 17 standard soft-touch leather hide colours with six colour split combinations, complemented by a range of seven veneers, all produced by Bentley's talented craftsmen and women.
The GTC's renowned coupe-like refinement is also enhanced. The tailored, multi-layered fabric hood is complemented by acoustic glass and under-body panels, for optimum noise isolation.
Superb everyday practicality for a luxury convertible was a hallmark of the original GTC and much valued by its customers. The cabin of the new GTC is now even more practical, with additional rear legroom, new storage solutions and innovative features such as touch-screen infotainment, automatic seat-belt presenters and a Bentley-designed Neck Warmer for comfortable roof-down motoring whatever the temperature.
A wider track, front and rear, sharper steering and retuned suspension provides a more exhilarating and class-leading drive. Bentley's advanced all-wheel drive system features a new 40:60 rear torque bias (compared with 50:50 of the original GTC) minimising understeer during hard cornering and allowing the spirited driver to manage the car's line and balance via precise throttle control.
This compelling dynamic package is combined with a more powerful 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 engine as well as a new QuickShift transmission enabling faster gear changes than ever before. Power output is raised from 560PS to 575PS (567bhp/423kW) and the famed Bentley 'wave of torque' has been increased by a further 50Nm to 700Nm (516lb ft).
"The GTC has always been the most emotional model in the Continental range and a showcase for Bentley design. With its tailored soft top, the GTC is a pure British convertible true to those classic Bentleys of the past. However, the technology, performance and overall design excellence invested in this model means that we are now writing a new chapter for the Bentley convertible driver." - Wolfgang Dürheimer, Chairman and Chief Executive, Bentley Motors.
The Bentley Continental GTC is now available to order and first customer deliveries will begin in late 2011. The price is €170,060 / £149,350 / ¥26,400,000 / US$212,800 MSRP.

KTM Prepare New Models to 2014

Image of KTM new model for the next three years uncovered after an American dealers from taking pictures with camera phones in the middle of the presentation.

The photographs showed the model from 2012 until 2014, of which R 690 Enduro and motocross latest for the 2012 model Duke 350, Adventure Super Duke R 1090 and R 1290 as a 2013 model and Moto3 Enduro 350 and 350 for model 2014.
 

Moto3 350 which is designed fullfairing touted as a modern model that is able to replace older models such as the class 250 cc Suzuki RGV250, Aprilia RS250 and Honda NSR250.

Talk to 350cc engines, KTM seems to want to create your own category after one successful model in the market ie SX-F350.

Adventure R 1090 is prepared to take off the market saturation with a 990cc model, with reinforced Super Duke R 1290 engine which uses all-new V-Twin.

Besides the models mentioned above, there is also an electric motor like a freeride model. KTM wants to try to step far into the future where will be the future, this Austrian manufacturer plans to use off-road engine power.

2011 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport L’Or Blanc

The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport L’Or Blanc is the world’s first automobile to be equipped with porcelain, and the development team invested a lot of effort to guarantee that each item is capable of performing in every driving situation in the most powerful car on the market. Before their application to the car, the porcelain elements were extensively examined in regard to automotive safety and quality to optimally protect the passengers in case of an accident.
As part of the exterior design, porcelain is used for the inlays of the centre wheel badges, the fuel filler cap and the oil filler cap as well as the signature “EB” badge at the rear. Their shiny white surface blends in with the brilliant bright finish of the paint suggesting that the car would be coated with a thin layer of porcelain, too.
Besides the signed porcelain inlays on the sides of the centre console, an intarsia made of finest porcelain is fixed to the rear panel between the seats. Similar to the exterior porcelain elements this item carries the relief of the famous elephant in an upright standing position that has been created by sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti. His brother Ettore had used the original draft to cast the radiator mascot for the Bugatti Royale. This elephant is a synonym for the brand still today. Embedded in the top of the centre console, there is a fine porcelain dish with edges finished in an exclusive diamond polishing – a technique that has been applied by the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin for the very first time.

The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport L’Or Blanc presented in Berlin, is a one-of-a-kind creation. Nevertheless, the partnership is supposed to be continued, and Bugatti’s designers received a lot of inspiration from porcelain painting offering a variety of new opportunities for the design. The price of the
Bugatti L’Or Blanc is 1.65 m EUR.

BMW M3 CRT

The BMW M3 CRT (Carbon Racing Technology) embodies a concentrated blend of state-of-the-art development expertise - inspired directly by motor sport - in the areas of drive system and chassis technology and intelligent lightweight design. It also represents the worldwide debut of a new production process for carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) components in the automotive industry. This process allows CFRP to be introduced widely in the construction of the high-performance BMW M3 Saloon-based sports car

created by the BMW M GmbH factory. And that helps it achieve a weight-to-power ratio of 3.5 kilograms per horsepower. A V8 engine with customary M high-revving characteristics and maximum output of 331 kW/450 hp accelerates the BMW M3 CRT from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds.
The BMW M3 CRT will be produced by the BMW M GmbH factory in a limited run of 67 units. Following in the tyre tracks of the BMW M3 GTS - of which 135 examples were produced - this is the second small-series, high-performance M3 off-shoot to be bred for the race track but registered for the road. The exclusive character of the Saloon is emphasised by bespoke lightweight design components manufactured as part of an innovative production process. The bonnet of the BMW M3 CRT and the bucket seats for the driver and front passenger are made from a cellular carbon honeycomb, which is produced in a globally unique process pioneered for the manufacture of body components for the BMW i3 and BMW i8 models.

These new models - due to enter volume production in 2013 and equipped with innovative electric and BMW ActiveHybrid drive system technology - will feature a body consisting entirely of CFRP in the passenger cell area. In a new development, the production process introduced for this purpose enables the cuttings left behind in the construction of the body to be reprocessed. The basic material (made up of carbon fibre thread) can now be woven into CFRP mats of any size before being impregnated with synthetic resin and hardened in a similar way to the material used in the body of the BMW i3 and BMW i8. For the BMW M3 CRT this allows the creation of a bonnet made from two CFRP mouldings encasing an aramid honeycomb structure. This construction imbues the bonnet with the strength of a conventional steel equivalent, but at roughly a quarter of its weight. The weight saving over the aluminium bonnet of the standard BMW M3 Saloon is around 50 per cent.
The material produced through this innovative manufacturing technology is also used for the car's bucket seats. Here, the CFRP layers are wrapped around a recycled-paper honeycomb, with a carbon layer made using conventional production technology added to visible areas. CFRP is also used to make both the rear spoiler of the BMW M3 CRT and an air-channelling element integrated into its front apron.
This innovative manufacturing process opens up considerable potential for increased use of CFRP in series-produced cars as a means of lowering weight. The BMW Group is leading the way in this area of automotive construction, while BMW M GmbH can call on extensive racing expertise when it comes to intelligent lightweight design. The BMW M3 CRT is the latest in a fine tradition of highly exclusive high-performance sports cars optimised with the help of lightweight design. This lineage stretches back to the BMW 3.0 CSL of the 1970s and reached another high point in 2002 with the BMW M3 CSL. BMW M GmbH also broke new ground with the use of CFRP in series-produced vehicles; like the BMW M6 produced up to 2010, the current BMW M3 Coupé comes as standard with a roof made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic.
Significant weight reduction despite generous standard equipment.
The low-weight construction of the BMW M3 CRT is enhanced by sound-proofing configured specially for the new variant and a sports exhaust system with an extremely lightweight titanium muffler. Also unique to the CRT are the two individual rear seats, which take their cues from the lateral support-enhancing contours of the front seats.
Included in the standard specification of the BMW M3 CRT are the M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic, Navigation system Professional, BMW Individual High End audio system, a light, exterior mirror and luggage area package, an alarm system and Park Distance Control with sensors at the front and rear of the car. Despite this extremely generous selection of standard kit, its DIN unladen weight of 1,580 kg undercuts that of the standard BMW M3 Saloon by around 45 kg. When you take into account the equipment on board the weight saving is more like 70 kg. Added to which, cleverly reducing the load at the front of the car raises the proportion of the car's weight over the rear axle to 48.4 per cent, which has an extremely positive effect on agility.
High-revving V8 engine with extra power; M DCT Drivelogic.
Under the CFRP bonnet of the BMW M3 CRT lies a variant of the V8 engine developed exclusively for the BMW M3 with further increased displacement, output and maximum torque. The high-revving unit provides the linear power delivery you expect from an M car and a highly responsive performance profile honed by the demands of the race track. Tuned for the BMW M3 GTS, the eight-cylinder engine develops 331 kW/450 hp from its 4,360 cc displacement. Maximum output is reached at 8,300 rpm, and the driver will find peak torque of 440 Newton metres on tap at 3,750 rpm. Helping to give the engine its intoxicating performance is wizardry derived directly from motor sport, including a bedplate crankcase construction in a special aluminium-silicon alloy, individual throttle butterflies, a knock control system with ion current technology and a dynamically-optimised wet sump oil supply.
Transferring the engine's power to the rear wheels is the M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic developed for the BMW M3. The seven-speed M DCT Drivelogic unit also works according to a principle developed in motor sport, allowing an uninterrupted flow of power through gear changes to deliver extremely dynamic acceleration. Its shift characteristics have been tuned specially for the engine powering the BMW M3 CRT. Shift paddles on the steering wheel allow the driver to change gear manually with optimum ergonomics. And a Launch Control function is on hand to generate maximum acceleration off the start line.
Special chassis construction with race-bred technology.
Expertise from race competition also makes its presence felt in the chassis technology of the BMW M3 CRT. The BMW M3 Saloon's front and rear axle construction has been enhanced by a rigid rear axle subframe and coilover suspension whose dampers are individually adjustable in their compression and rebound. The six-piston, fixed-calliper high-performance brakes of the BMW M3 CRT boast a low-weight compound construction. The vented brake discs measure 378 x 32 millimetres at the front axle and 380 x 28 millimetres at the rear. The new M3 variant also uses Stahlflex brake lines and model-specific comfort brake pads.
The specially tuned DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) system - including ABS and M Dynamic Mode (MDM) - responds to both the greater dynamic potential of the BMW M3 CRT and its optimised axle load distribution. Meanwhile, the 245/35 R 19 front tyres and 265/35 R 19 rears (fitted on 19-inch M light-alloy wheels in Y-spoke design) ensure the engine's acceleration and braking power is transferred to the road with maximum impact. The electronic engine management of the BMW M3 CRT caps its top speed at 290 km/h.
The exclusive Frozen Polar Silver metallic exterior paint shade in combination with Melbourne Red metallic applications and special treatment for the BMW kidney grille also help to set the BMW M3 CRT apart from the standard M3. Inside, the Saloon comes with likewise exclusive door sill strips, door panels and trim strips in aluminium grain structure. Completing the distinctive ambience inside the high-performance Saloon are the Alcantara-covered M steering wheel, which has an M Drive button allowing the driver to call up his preferred set-up instantly, and special Sakhir Orange and Black bi-colour covers for the front and individual rear seats.

Bugatti Galibier

As the climax of its centenary celebration ceremonies, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. presented customers and opinion-makers with the Bugatti Galibier Concept, intended to be the most exclusive, elegant, and powerful four door automobile in the world last weekend in Molsheim. At the historic site where Ettore Bugatti once laid the cornerstone of his company, Bugatti's current president, Dr. Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen emphasised that the Bugatti Galibier 16C is one of several concept studies with which the company is considering for the future of the Bugatti marque.

Art - Forme - Technique: those are the brand values to which Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean oriented themselves in order to develop even more powerful engines and even more noble body designs for each new model, which were without equal in quality, handling, speed and elegance. In the process, they experimented again and again without compromise with new materials; thus was Bugatti one of the first manufacturers to use aluminium parts for bodies, engine blocks and wheels.
Art - Forme - Technique are also the brand values to which the design and engineering team of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. oriented themselves in the development of the Bugatti Galibier. With this new four-door concept car, Bugatti assumes anew a leading role in the use of new material combinations. Thus the body is constructed of handmade carbon fibre parts coloured dark blue so that, when illuminated, the woven structure shimmers through strikingly. Carbon fibre not only possesses unusually great rigidity but is also especially light. The wings and doors are out of polished aluminium.

The Bugatti Galibier's design masters the challenge of uniting sportiness with the comfort and elegance of a modern four-door saloon. The basic architecture picks up on the torpedo-like character of the Type 35, which was already revived in the Bugatti Veyron, and reinterprets it. With the typical Bugatti radiator grille, big round LED headlights and the clamshell running the length of the vehicle which became synonymous with the brand identity under Jean Bugatti in the Type 57, this car transports the Bugatti genes into the modern world.
Beneath the bonnet, which folds back from both sides, there resides a 16-cylinder, 8-litre engine with twostage supercharging. What makes this engine special is that it was developed as a flex-fuel engine and can optional be run on ethanol. Four-wheel drive, specially developed ceramic brakes and a new suspension design enable the agile, always-sure handling of a saloon of this size.
The interior reflects the elemental design of the exterior. The dash panel has been reduced to the essential; two centrally located main instruments keep even the rear passengers constantly informed of the actual speed and previous performance. Parmigiani, the Swiss maker of fine watches, created the removable Reverso Tourbillon clock for the Bugatti Galibier, which may be worn on the wrist thanks to a cleverly designed leather strap.
"Galibier" is not just the name of one of the most difficult alpine passes along the Tour de France but, in its time, was a version of the four door Type 57 unequalled in sportiness and elegance.

Bentley Defies Crisis with a 20% Increase in Sales

Crisis? What crisis? For you and me, perhaps, but not for Bentley buyers. The VW-owned British luxury carmaker announced today a 20% increase in global sales for the first half of 2011 with 2,978 cars delivered to customers, the best start for the company since 2008.
The luxury marque attributes this surge in sales to the high demand for the new Continental GTas well as the increasing popularity in (least we forget, communist…) China, where Bentley sales have risen by 57% compared to the same period last year, to 680 cars. Thus, it has become the manufacturer’s second best market, behind only the US (George Orwell's "Animal Farm", anyone?).
Not to be outdone by China, the capitalist West has contributed its fair, albeit smaller, share to Bentley’s rise. In Europe, sales have increased by 25% (494 cars) and in the USA by 23% (907 cars). Only in Japan, due to the recent catastrophic natural disasters, and the Middle East, where political unrest rules, have sales declined.
So, well done Bentley - and well done to all the fat cats out there, be they…capitalists or…communists, who are rapidly increasing in numbers each day.

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Bentley Launches Mulliner Styling Pack for The Continental GT

Bentley’s new Continental GT is, without question, a coupe with imposing road presence. But the British firm wishes to offer its customers the opportunity to make their cars even more unique by launching a range of styling options named Mulliner Styling Specification Classic Pack.
This styling package consists of a front splitter, strakes integrated in the front intake grilles, side extension blades and a rear diffuser, all made from glossy black carbon-fibre.
If you think these are not enough, Bentley also offers more options such as a carbon-fibre rear spoiler and mirror covers, as well as dark mesh front wing vents and black 21-inch 7-spoke alloy wheels.
According to Bentley’s head of exterior design, Raul Pires, the Mulliner Styling Specification Classic Pack “with its sharper lines and darker, lower appearance underlines the iconic form of Bentley’s new GT, underscores its extrovert, flamboyant nature and delivers a more personalized, sportive interpretation of a luxurious and refined GT”.
The Classic Pack is already available to order, while the optional features will be available from the following autumn.

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Investigators Uncover Multi-Million Pound Tax Scam in India; European Exotics And Foreign Diplomats

In what sounds more like the plot of a The Fast and the Furious movie than real life, investigators at India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence office (a.k.a. India’s IRS) have uncovered a massive exotic car smuggling operation in the nation’s capital of New Dehli. It all has to do with India’s notorious 100% import tax on new luxury vehicles.
It began with one New Dehli luxury car dealer, Sumit Walia, importing brand new luxury cars on forged invoices. These invoices listed the cars as second-hand, which saved Walia – and his customers – some 40% on import tax. Some of the cars – which included Porsches, Bentleys and Aston Martins – were found to have been stolen from the streets of Britain, France, Singapore and Japan.
A month later, another scam – involving a London-based British-Indian car dealer and diplomats from New Delhi’s North Korean and Vietnamese embassies was uncovered. The diplomats would act as middle-men for rich buyers; buying the exotics under their names and therefore getting them tax-free. An official Directorate of Revenue Intelligence office had this to say about the investigation:
“Our investigators suspect around 300 to 400 luxury cars have been imported on fake papers and sold in all major cities across India using the same modus-operandi. The cars have been sold to politicians, celebrities, cricketers, Bollywood actors and many businessmen in the last four to five years.”
Some 40 cars have been impounded, including several Porsche Panameras and Aston Martin Rapides valued at £250,000 and £290,000 per unit. A £350,000 Bentley Continental Supersport was also among those vehicles recovered. Other vehicles have simply been abandoned by their owners on the streets of New Dehli. Investigators found that most of these vehicles were either illegally registered or displayed temporary plates.

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CARS | Bentley Arnage

Bentley Arnage is available in three versions: standard Arnage R, Arnage RL-stretched wheelbase and superior performance Arnage T.
All are powered by two V8 Bentley's venerable 6.75-liter turbocharged to produce massive energy. This power is slightly heavier in Arnage T with 500 horsepower and earth shaking 738 pounds-feet of torque. With the power flowing to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission is the Arnage T capable of zero to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds. R and RL cope with 450 hp and 645 lb.-ft. of torque.

Bentley Arnage is the last of olde-school, Rolls-Royce Bentley era. Now replaced by Bentley Mulsanne, but we will remember her exquisite artistry and pure sense of the occasion. For more information about Bentley Arnage.