Latest news with #Nürburgring
Motor 1
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The VW Golf GTI Edition 50 Is The Most Powerful GTI Ever
Already the fastest Volkswagen around the Nürburgring, the Golf GTI Edition 50 is now also the most potent car from Wolfsburg to wear the G rand T ouring I njection badge. It remains front-wheel drive, but now packs nearly as much power as the all-wheel-drive Golf R. This special version takes the GTI formula beyond 300 horsepower for the first time, surpassing the 296-hp Clubsport. Speaking of forbidden fruits, VW tells us its new hardcore version isn't coming stateside either. So, what is America missing out on? Well, VW is leveling up its already feisty FWD hatch yet again. The GTI Edition 50 boosts its turbocharged 2.0-liter engine to 320 horsepower, just eight shy of the Golf R, while matching its 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque. As with all recent performance versions of the compact hatchback, there is, unfortunately, no six-speed manual gearbox. The most powerful GTI to carry a license plate is only offered with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Photo by: Volkswagen The stronger EA888 evo4 engine, paired with the DSG, enables a sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.5 seconds, making it 0.1 seconds quicker than the Clubsport . It takes 16.8 seconds to reach 124 mph (200 km/h), cutting 1.6 seconds off the time set by the previously most track-focused GTI. Top speed remains unchanged at an electronically limited 168 mph (270 km/h). There's more to the GTI Edition 50 than its upgraded engine. If customers opt for the GTI Performance Package, VW lowers the ride height by 0.8 inches (20 millimeters) compared to a standard Golf . The pack includes "high-performance" pivot bearings on the front axle, along with stiffer transverse links and strut mountings for sharper steering. At the rear, it features double-shear hub carriers and revised suspension mounts. To sweeten the deal, the package sheds nearly 66 pounds (30 kilograms) thanks to 19-inch forged wheels and an Akrapovič titanium exhaust. Part of the diet also includes the bespoke Bridgestone Potenza Race semi-slick tires, the same ones used to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 41.27 seconds. Other upgrades include revised software for the progressive steering and standard adaptive chassis control (DCC). 2026 Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 57 Source: Volkswagen Visually, the Golf GTI Edition 50 doesn't stray far from the formula. Besides the new wheels with red accents, it features a special logo on the edges of the rear spoiler. VW paints the roof and side mirrors black and adds dark trim around the exhaust tips. There's also a side stripe that fades from black to Tornado Red. Other available body colors include Moonstone Grey, Pure White, Grenadilla Black, and the exclusive Dark Moss Green. Interior changes are minimal, featuring red seatbelts, dark anodized aluminum door handles, and additional GTI 50 logos, including one on the key fob. The seats come wrapped in the familiar checkered pattern and have fake velour accents along with a green stripe. Despite being a top-tier GTI , extras like the head-up display and navigation still come at a higher cost. VW hasn't announced pricing, but it's sure to cost more than a GTI Clubsport with the Performance Package and semi-slick tires, which starts at an already eye-watering €54,330 at home in Germany. 8 While the Golf GTI Edition 50 is the most powerful production GTI ever, it's still overshadowed by the outrageous Golf GTI W12-650 concept. Unveiled at the Wörthersee show in 2007, it featured a twin-turbo 6.0-liter engine from the Bentley Continental GT . The mid-mounted monster produced 641 hp, paired with a gearbox from the Phaeton. An excellent example of a parts bin special from the VW Group, the bonkers W12 concept took the rear axle and brakes from a Lamborghini Gallardo, while the front brakes came from an Audi RS4. Despite the GTI name, the widebody beast, which could hit 202 mph (325 km/h), was actually rear-wheel drive. Discover Special Golf Versions: Volkswagen Secretly Made a VR-6 Golf with 463 HP Bugatti's Boss Owns and Drives a Volkswagen Golf R32 Source: Volkswagen Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Top Gear
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Here are a pro driver's tips for surviving the Nürburgring 24 Hours
Interview Overtake quickly, avoid eating a currywurst beforehand and hope for luck. Lots of luck Skip 15 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Sven Mueller is a 33-year-old, Mainz-born racing driver who was competing in karts from the age when most of us were still in nappies. He then traded paint in both Formula 4 and 3, before signing as a Porsche works driver and racking up a string of trophies - including the 2016 Porsche Supercup and Carrera Cup. He's also done a fair bit of racing in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), which comprises various four, six and 12-hour races at the Green Hell. He's won multiple events over the last three years, priming him to take on the infamous Nürburgring 24 Hours this weekend. Advertisement - Page continues below Mueller will be representing Falken Motorsports - you know, the team Irish drift sensation James Deane burns rubber for - and he'll be seated in a Porsche 911 992 GT3 R. Its water-cooled flat-six gains carbon manifolds, butterfly intakes and a tweaked central exhaust, sending its output up to 558bhp. It's also supported by a bespoke traction control system and a motorsport-grade carbon fibre clutch. It all sounds very dandy. But behind the no-doubt brilliant engineering, just how daunting is the N24 for the person in the seat? Over to you, Mueller. You might like SM: Yes. The track itself is difficult, but you also need to manage traffic and keep the level of risk as low as possible to survive. As for the car, there's so much elevation change and kerb riding. To complete 24 hours without stopping or having a technical issue, it's why we do so much preparation with the NLS races. And that's before we even mention the weather: it's 25 degrees and sunshine at one end, and it could be a hailstorm at the other. Finishing is such a huge achievement in itself. You aren't just combating tiredness and avoiding costly errors, but you need luck. Without luck, you won't win the N24. Back in 2019, I was leading the race with three hours to go, and then I had a differential issue, caused by some debris puncturing a tyre. A tiny bit of debris on the track. It goes to show the fine margins in winning or losing at the Nürburgring. Advertisement - Page continues below It's one of the biggest talking points at the 'Ring, because you can gain or lose as much as 20 seconds sometimes, depending on holdups. You have to get past as quickly as possible. You cannot wait one or two kilometres until there's a long straight, because there are far too many cars on the track, of different classes and strengths, so you're never far from traffic. At the end of every corner, you have to choose if you're going to go right or left and stick to your decision. It also helps that when your teammates come in, they give you some idea about which cars on the field are willing to let you go past and which aren't. Some drivers are on their own without any guidance, and therefore cannot look into their mirrors regularly. You sort of just have to go for it and hope the approaching car doesn't close the door. But the issue here is that if you're too pushy, you've got a high risk of damaging the car. You need to be strong enough to survive, but not aggressive enough to crash. Because if you're quick for four or five hours straight, and then you lose five minutes in the pits because of an issue, your position is gone. Just how bad is visibility at night? Really poor, as you can imagine. We're lucky with the 911, because Porsche lights tend to be good. Other drivers in the paddock sometimes say that, if they've got a Porsche behind, it blinds them. To get around this, some manufacturers tape up the back screen of the car so that lights and flashes from obstacles behind don't affect them as much. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. There are so many elevation changes and blind corners, and light obviously cannot go past the apex and the exit of a corner, so that's why having good vision and a comfortable line of sight is so important. Another issue a lot of people don't realise is the smoke. When we go past BBQ sections such as Brunnchen, it's very thick and you think it might be a patch of fog. How do you prepare yourself for a stint? I don't have any weird rituals, if that's what you mean. I look at the onboard video of whichever teammate is currently racing, and assess all the circumstances: how are the conditions? How is the field spread out? Where could we gain time? Are there any particular wet spots to be aware of? Doing this makes me feel ready and helps me understand how I can just head right out and be as quick as I can be. If I can assess these things before getting in the car, then it's just a matter of acclimatising to the tyres and level of grip. OK, no weird rituals. Any weird foods then? You can't have a currywurst two minutes before a stint, that's for sure. Jokes aside, nutrition is important. We have plain water supplies in the car, a litre's worth to last us for a stint, and that's more than enough. You can't just drink when you want either; it's only when you get up to certain sections that aren't as technical or corner-heavy. Put us in your shoes: how does a flat-out lap feel? Your heart rate goes up like crazy as soon as you set off. Within two or three kilometres, you're reminded why the 'Ring is the best track in the world. The corners come at you thick and fast, the forest is right up against you, and you're constantly trying to calculate how to overtake people and push the car to go faster. Eventually, you settle into a rhythm and start to flow. Your pace is consistent, and each corner comes together beautifully, one after another. There's no feeling quite like it in this world when that happens. Images: Falken Motorsport
Top Gear
a day ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
A 190E Evo II will race in the 2026 Nürburgring 24hrs, and Senna would be pleased
A 190E Evo II will race in the 2026 Nürburgring 24hrs, and Senna would be pleased HWA's stunning EVO will race in the 2026 Nürburgring 24hr race. Woohoo! Skip 13 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. 1 / 13 Ayrton would be happy. HWA – builders of the stunning Mercedes-based EVO – has revealed its intention to race in next year's Nürburgring 24hr race, sending a 190E back in time. For it was Senna's heroics in the 1984 one-make race at the 'Ring that helped cement his legend. Now, HWA is making its street-legal EVO resto very much track-legal, and intends to absolutely send it. Advertisement - Page continues below 'Motorsport is in our DNA, and consequently in that of the HWA EVO,' said HWA boss Martin Marx. HWA hasn't specified what's in the 'Ring-bound EVO's DNA, mind, saying only that a pair of them will contest the special vehicles 'SP-X' class, 'with appropriate modifications in performance, weight and safety systems'. Probably an opportune moment to pick over the street-car's spec. There's a dry-sumped Mercedes 3.0-litre V6 positioned just behind the front axle (likely the 24v M276), here turbocharged to over 450bhp. In a car that weighs 1,350kg – what the Evo II weighed in its 90s heyday. There are big six-piston brakes, DTM-spec suspension (the original Evo II finally won a DTM title in 1992 after years of being trounced by that pesky E30), and – literally – the two biggest and most important 190 Things: fat arches and a monster rear wing. Advertisement - Page continues below Now the road car's pretty much done, hotshoes Roland Asch and Klaus Ludwig will help develop the race car ahead of next year's entry. There'll be demonstration runs of roadgoing prototypes at this weekend's N24, and we'll get further details in due course. Reckon HWA should organise another Nürburgring GP with a fleet of these EVOs? It'd make Ayrton happy… 13 minutes 34 seconds Top Gear Newsletter Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Success Your Email*
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
1,250-HP Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X Hybrid Runs The Quarter-Mile In Under 9 Seconds
The new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is only just now reaching dealerships in the U.S., but that twin-turbo monster is already being usurped by a new even-higher-performance version of the C8 Corvette. Long rumored to be called Zora, this new variant is actually dubbed ZR1X, and it takes the ZR1's powertrain and adds on a similar hybrid system to the one in the E-Ray for a truly ridiculous amount of power and speed. General Motors senior vice president Ken Morris says the C8's platform was designed from the start with the ZR1X's powertrain in mind — that's probably why we started hearing rumors about it before the C8 even debuted. With 1,250 horsepower and all-wheel drive, the hybrid ZR1X is quicker to 60 mph and in the quarter-mile than any roadgoing Corvette before it, and its on-track performance is sure to be just as impressive. The standard ZR1 will soon be setting an official Nürburgring lap time, and ZR1X prototypes have already been spotted at the 'Ring as well, with the Ford Mustang GTD directly in its sights. Read more: These Cars Are Police Magnets At the heart of the ZR1X is the same 5.5-liter LT7 V8 that's in the standard ZR1, which is essentially the Z06's flat-plane-crank motor with a pair of turbochargers attached. All of the LT7's 1,064 horsepower and 828 pound-feet of torque are sent to the ZR1X's rear wheels through an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Mounted at the front axle is an electric motor with 186 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 26 hp and 20 lb-ft over the E-Ray, with Chevy saying the ZR1X's motor has strengthened components but the same size and shape as the E-Ray's unit. The 1.9-kWh battery pack located in a central spine in the floor of the chassis has more usable energy and a higher peak operative voltage than the E-Ray's for better on-track capability. There's no physical connection between the V8 and the electric motor — the former only powers the rear wheels, while the latter only powers the fronts. The electric motor also automatically disconnects once you reach 160 mph, having done its main job of nearly knocking you out with acceleration force. Chevy says the ZR1X will hit 60 mph from launch in under 2 seconds where the ZR1 and E-Ray need 2.3 and 2.5 seconds, respectively, and it'll run the quarter-mile in under 9 seconds at over 150 mph, versus 9.6 seconds in the ZR1 and 10.5 seconds in the E-Ray. That will make the ZR1X easily one of the quickest-accelerating cars you can buy, even among the most powerful EVs. A Lucid Air Sapphire will cover a quarter of a mile in just over 9 seconds, while a Dodge Demon will do it in just under 9 seconds. The standard ZR1 will hit 233 mph, and the ZR1X matches that. Chevy says the ZR1X's eAWD system has "undergone a significant upgrade" compared to the E-Ray, both when it comes to on-road and on-track driving, and that it's constantly monitoring driver inputs to perfectly manage power delivery and traction. There are three different energy "strategies" for when on track, activated by a button on the steering wheel: Push-to-Pass for maximum power on demand, Qualifying for optimal lap times, and Endurance for longer lap sessions and consistent eAWD output. All 2026 Corvettes have a new PTM Pro setting for the traction management, which disables the traction and stability control systems, but in the ZR1X the regenerative braking torque vectoring remains on, as does the front axle pre-control that "actively manages inside front brake pressure to enable maximum corner-exit traction." Optional on the normal ZR1 but standard on the ZR1X is the J59 carbon-ceramic brake package, which has Chevy's largest rotors ever at 16.5 inches front and rear paired with 10-piston front calipers and 6-piston rear calipers. Chevy says it's the most resilient braking system ever tested by GM, and engineers saw 1.9G of deceleration from 180 to 120 mph. The standard touring-focused chassis setup uses magnetic ride control and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, but you can option a ZTK Performance package that has firmer springs and grippier Pilot Cup 2R tires. You'll be able to get the ZR1X in both coupe and convertible body styles, and it'll have the same updated interior design as other 2026 Corvettes, but sadly its exterior doesn't look any different from a normal ZR1, badges aside. Real nerds will be able to spot an extra intercooler in the front bumper. The ZR1X will be available with the same Carbon Aero package as other ZR1s, which adds a gigantic rear wing, dive planes on the front bumper, a gurney lip in front of the hood vent and underbody strakes that all combine to give you 1,200 pounds of downforce at top speed. Chevy isn't ready to talk money yet, but the ZR1X will surely command a hefty premium over the standard 2026 ZR1's $189,195 starting price. We don't know when it will go into production yet either, but it'll be built at the same Bowling Green, Kentucky, assembly plant as all other Corvettes, with the LT7 being hand-assembled there. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Auto Blog
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Bentley Continental GT Prototype Heralds The Return of the Supersports
Bentley Continental GT Speed Is About To Get A Lot More Of It When one thinks of the Flying B's contemporary wares, there's never any shortage of horsepower, but the racing pedigree that made the brand so successful at the start of the 20th century is a second thought to supreme serenity. Indeed, a Bentley is an ultra-luxurious machine first and foremost, but even among buyers who can tell what forest their wood trim came from just by the grain, there is always a small group of individuals who are bored by opulence alone, seeking to push the limits of performance beyond what their peers think is reasonable. In the 1920s, the Bentley Boys personified this attitude of extremism. In the 2020s, those who choose to get behind the wheel of the monster Bentley is now testing at the Nürburgring will be stealing stares and grabbing glances. Based on the Continental GT Speed, this prototype captured by our spies is preparing to become the most hardcore Bentley yet. The Return Of The Supersports Moniker? Unlike the regular GT Speed, this prototype has a large spoiler on the trunk and aggressive canards on the front end, and such aggressive bodywork has previously characterized the Supersports. Until the 2017 Supersports, the aesthetic changes were always subtle, but Bentley went hardcore with a vented hood, more aggressive front and rear ends, and a sizable wing on the trunk. It's unclear if this prototype will swap its spoiler for a wing at a later stage, but then again, this may not even be the most aggressive Continental in the Bentley pipeline; previous Supersports variants have arrived at the end of the life cycle, not near the start, so this may well be a hotter Continental, but not necessarily the hottest. That said, the sinister taillights and quad tailpipes are signature styling characteristics of the Supersports. Our spies have also floated the idea of this being named the Continental GT Speed RS. More Changes Are Coming To Bentley's Hottest Coupe The wheels on this prototype appear to be fairly vanilla, but other sightings of this hardcore Bentley have shown a more intricate, aggressive dual-five-spoke design. Nevertheless, the Pirelli P Zero tires and large brakes suggest this won't just be an appearance package; we expect more power. The current Continental GT Speed's twin-turbo V8 hybrid delivers a combined 771 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque, so a figure close to or just beyond 800 hp seems reasonable. After all, the last GT Supersports had 79 more horsepower than the car upon which it was based. As we touched on earlier, the current Continental GT Speed has only been around a little more than a year (and this is our first sighting of the sportier special edition), so we doubt this hardcore version, whatever name it bears, will be revealed before the end of the year. About the Author Sebastian Cenizo View Profile
