5/20/2012

TopSpeed Daily Update

Genius! Fiat pranks Volkswagen on Google Street View for the world to see
Bentley reportedly working on custom EXP 9 F to compete at 2013 Dakar Rally
Chevrolet Camaro SS/RC1
BMW M5 Hurricane RRS by G-Power
Land Rover Range Rover Sport GT Limited Edition
P4/5 Competizione becomes the fastest Ferrari ever to lap Nurburgring

Genius! Fiat pranks Volkswagen on Google Street View for the world to see

Posted: 19 May 2012 05:00 AM PDT

We have seen many automotive pranks in our time, but the following one definitely tops the list for ingenuity, skill, and creativity. It is unlikely to be topped in the near future, just because it is so impressive.

Volkswagen is unquestionably one of the world's biggest companies with it owning a fairly large selection of other brands including Bugatti, Bentley, Seat, and even Lamborghini, so it obviously takes some creativity to get an upper hand over the competition. Fiat definitely did just that the other day, when they took the opportunity to take advantage of one of the numerous Google Street View vans driving across the globe, and capture something completely unique.

Both Volkswagen and Fiat have headquarters in Sweden and when workers at the Fiat HQ noticed the Google Street View car driving past, they rushed over to their competitor’s major branch in a brand new Fiat 500, 45 minutes away to capture the perfectly executed images you see in the gallery below.

The bright red Fiat 500 can be seen following the Street View car from a distance just seconds away from Volkswagen headquarters before speeding up Volkswagen's driveway, pulling up in directly below the Volkswagen sign just in time for the images to be captured and then uploaded to Google Street View for the world to see.

And all of this happened in just a matter a seconds without VW having any idea about the stunt, meaning the German marque will have to accept having one of its competitors cars parked outside its showroom for at least a year.

Don't however, expect VW to take this lightly. We suspect they're already planning an ingenious way to get back at Fiat.

Genius! Fiat pranks Volkswagen on Google Street View for the world to see originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 19 May 2012 12:00 EST.

Bentley reportedly working on custom EXP 9 F to compete at 2013 Dakar Rally

Posted: 18 May 2012 11:00 PM PDT

It goes without saying that in its very short life, the Bentley EXP 9 F has already faced its fair share of criticism, largely revolving around its controversial styling. However, Bentley is not going to let the haters get in the way of its ambitious plans for the new SUV and if a report by CAR turns out to be correct, the British marque may enter next year's Dakar Rally to help drum up support for the SUV and preview its off-road capabilities.

Rather than developing a handful of custom racers from scratch, Bentley is said to be considering purchasing VW Touareg's from the various private teams which race the cars in the Dakar Rally and converting them into off-road machines which will resemble the concept version of the EXP 9 F, even if they only share minimal components.

Despite a company spokeswoman quickly confirming that no decisions have been made in regards to this possible entry into the world's most grueling rally event, we won't let that stop us from reporting on what could be an extraordinary racer if Bentley borrows enough components from the VW Touareg racers. VW's entry actually won the event in its category in 2009, 2010, and 2011, before the factory team pulled out to instead focus on its upcoming World Rally Championship entry next WRC season.

If Bentley does decide to do what is being reported, they would strip the interior bare and simply fit it with a couple of bucket seats, while also installing the necessary fuel and water storage for the long and hot stages of the Dakar. Next, they would likely ditch the large 6.0-liter W12 engine which the top of the range EXP 9 F SUV is expected to feature and replace it with a lighter, more efficient and less powerful engine similar to 296HP units fitted to the Touareg's.

gallery: 2012 Bentley EXP 9 F

Bentley reportedly working on custom EXP 9 F to compete at 2013 Dakar Rally originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 19 May 2012 06:00 EST.

Chevrolet Camaro SS/RC1

Posted: 18 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT

Richard Childress Racing Street Performance partnered with General Motors to create RC1 Camaros to pay homage to legendary racer, Dale Earnhardt. The latest rendition of the RC1 series came just one model year after the Camaro beat all odds and made a successful comeback following its deletion in 2002.

This 2011 Camaro SS/RC1 is based on the 2011 Camaro SS, but features much more than any normal SS on the market. It not only features a stylish design, but it also packs a mean bite under the hood. This particular 2011 Camaro SS/RC1 was not offered to the public, but instead Richard Childress Racing (RCR) built several of the RC1 Camaros and shipped them straight to RK Motors Charlotte.

The RC1 is the first of the series and the least powerful of the three. Of course, being the least powerful of the RC-series is not saying much, as the top-end RC3 pumps out a concrete pummeling 750 horsepower. The best thing is that this special edition Chevy Camaro is in a price range that a working class Joe can actually afford. You may be wondering how much it actually is and what you get for your money.

Click past the jump to read our full review and answer all of your questions.

Chevrolet Camaro SS/RC1 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 18 May 2012 19:00 EST.

BMW M5 Hurricane RRS by G-Power

Posted: 18 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT

The current BMW M5 F10 already has a G-Power tuned program to its name, one where the German tuner squeezes 640 horsepower out of the German sports car.

But even if the M5 F10 is already out and about, G-Power still did something pretty sensational to the previous generation M5, calling their new program the M5 Hurricane RRS. To give the M5 some added shine, G-Power added a plethora of performance improvement components, including the company’s now famous BI-Kompressor "Sporty Drive" supercharging system. A new coil over suspension was also added, as were a new set of 20" Silverstone Diamond wheels and high-performance brakes. Ceramic brakes are also being offered as an option.

Thanks to its already stout Hurricane power kit, G-Power managed to increase and optimize the engine to a staggering 830 horsepower and 575 lb/ft of torque. Those numbers are good enough to allow this ridiculous M5 to hit 0-62 mph in just 4.3 seconds, 0-124 mph in 9.1 seconds, and 0-186 mph in 25.2 seconds.

And as for top speed? Try an eye-popping 231 mph.

BMW M5 Hurricane RRS by G-Power originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 18 May 2012 18:00 EST.

Land Rover Range Rover Sport GT Limited Edition

Posted: 18 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT

Already refreshed once back in 2011, the Range Rover Sport is entering the 2013 model year with fresh new colors and a greater choice of interior trim and alloy wheel designs. Land Rover is also offering two new special editions - the Sport Supercharged Limited Edition and the Sport GT Limited Edition - both of which will be built in limited numbers.

We’ve already provided details on the new 2013 Range Rover Sport Supercharged Limited Edition, so we’ll focus on the Sport GT Limited. It will be offered with an extended rear roof spoiler, unique rear chrome exhaust treatments, 20" black five spoke alloy wheels, steering wheel mounted shift paddles, and a premium LOGIC7 audio system with SAT and HD radio. The GT Sport will be offered in a limited run of 750 units for the U.S., 450 of which will be in Santorini Black and 300 units in Fuji White.

gallery: 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Land Rover Range Rover Sport GT Limited Edition originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 18 May 2012 17:00 EST.

P4/5 Competizione becomes the fastest Ferrari ever to lap Nurburgring

Posted: 18 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT

James Glickenhaus' Ferrari P4/5 Competizione just proved one more time has just proven yet again what a fantastic machine it is. According to Jalopnik, during the 24 Hours of Nürburgring qualifying round, the supercar lapped the famous Nurburgring in just 6:51. This makes it the fastest Ferrari ever around the Nurburgring, smashing the previous record of 6:58.16 held by the Ferrari 599XX. All Glickenhaus had to say about this impressive result was: "I think it’s pretty cool!" However, he did invite Ferrari to come and challenge their supercar.

As most people already know, the Ferrari P4/5 Competizione was built on a Ferrari 430 Scuderia and, for this year’s 24 hours of Nürburgring, combined a hybrid drive system with a 4.0L V8 engine. This new hybrid system is very similar to the KERS system used in Formula 1 cars and added an extra 80 HP to the car’s total output, leaving it with an impressive 563 HP.