All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Rimac Nevera set a new Guinness World Record in reverse

After setting the fastest speed in the category of electric production cars a year ago, Rimac Nevera has now set the Guinness World Record in reverse. It reached a top speed of 275.74 km/h (171.34 mph).

A video of the new Guinness World Record was published on the official RimacAutomobili YouTube channel, and was verified by Dewesoft – at the ATP proving ground in Papenburg, Germany. This was possible thanks to the fact that Nevera’s drivetrain has no gears and its four individual motors generate immense acceleration whether traveling forwards or backwards. Behind the steering wheel was test driver Goran Drndak.

The Rimac Nevera is powered by four electric motors with a total power of 1,914 hp (1,408 kW) and 1,741 lb-ft (2,360 Nm) of torque. It reaches 62 mph in just 1.97 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 219 mph (352 km/h). It is equipped with a lithium-manganese-nickel battery with 6,960 cells and a capacity of 120kWh.

This record is only one of over 20 that Nevera broke this year. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Nevera set a new record on the 1.86 kilometer track with a time of 49.32 seconds.

Source: Rimac Automobili via YouTube

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News

New Porsche Panamera comes with Porsche Driver Experience

The premiere of the new Porsche Panamera is approaching, and the Stuttgart-based company announced that the car comes with a new control concept, the Porsche Driver Experience. It’s a new technology first introduced in the Taycan, with the focus on the driver.

The new Panamera will be equipped with a semi-active chassis with new two-valve shock absorbers that can regulate compression and rebound independently of each other. In this way, the range between comfortable and sporty settings is significantly expanded even with the new serial chassis. “With the active chassis we are setting new standards. We could feel this on every meter of our test drives – very comfortable on the cobblestones in Barcelona harbor, and highly dynamic and agile on the winding country roads outside the city,” said Thomas Friemuth .

The interior of the car features a quality sporty ambience with a fully digital screen that offers a multitude of customization options, while driving controls are positioned closer to the steering wheel allowing the driver to react faster in certain situations. There is continuous ambient lighting along the entire panel for the first time. An optional head-up display is available, which can be operated directly from the sports steering wheel. The mode switch for selecting driving programs and the navigation switch have been moved from the center console to the steering wheel, opening up space for physical switches and a control panel for the climate, as well as newly designed electrically adjustable air vents. The newly designed rear seat system and seat foam materials provide greater passenger comfort, and for the first time Porsche offers a car with Race-Tex and Pepita fabric instead of leather.

When it comes to the powertrain, the car will be offered with four e-hybrid options, based on a more powerful electric motor. It is lighter than its predecessor and is equipped with a larger 25.9 kWh battery and an 11 kW charger that shortens the charging time despite the higher energy content.

“After already offering three E-Hybrids for the second Panamera generation, we will be adding a fourth plug-in hybrid in the new Panamera. This is our response to the enormous demand from our customers. In some countries, the proportion of E – Hybrids in the Panamera is almost 100 per cent. The new derivative is a high-performance model that fits perfectly into the versatile line-up. We are increasing the electrical performance of the Panamera in all E-Hybrid models with regard to driving dynamics and the important disciplines of electric range and charging speed. During our tests, we’re driving up to 70 per cent further purely on electric power than we did in its predecessor,” said Dr. Thomas Friemuth, head of the Panamera series.

The new Panamera will be premiered on November 24 at the Icons of Porsche festival in Dubai.

Source: Porsche

Auctions

1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe is up for auction

On November 17, RM Sotheby’s will hold an auction in Las Vegas where some of the extraordinary cars will be offered. Among them will be one of the most sought-after cars and a road-legal homologated version of the CLK-GTR, the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe (#07). Only 20 examples were produced by HWA AG and AMG’s Special Vehicle Construction Office between 1998 and 1999.

This CLK GTR Coupe is powered by a 6.9-liter naturally-aspirated M297 V-12 with 623 hp (464 kW) @ 6,500 rpm and 539 lb-ft (731 Nm) of torque @ 5,250 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed sequential manual transmission with a four-plate carbon fiber clutch. It reaches 62 mph in 3.8 seconds with a maximum speed of 320 km/h (199 mph).

The car was designed in parallel with the racecar and using many of the same components. The monocoque chassis is made from a central carbon-fiber composite tube mounted with carbon-fiber body panels. It is finished in Iridium Silver Metallic, while the cockpit is trimmed in blue-gray tartan gabardine fabric. It is in excellent condition and was serviced by SPS Automotive, a specialized motorsports firm based in Willsbach, Germany. It is equipped with air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, fire extinguisher, leather upholstery, an integrated rear wing, cabin insulation, and a pair of luggage pockets.

This Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe was bought new by the first owner in 1999, and from 2010 to 2017 it was part of a private collection. In the same year, it was imported to the United States, where it was subsequently federalized for road use by JK Technologies. It remained in a private collection until 2021 when it was bought by the current owner, who did several minor revisions which included modifications of the driver’s seat, headliner, and the fabrication of a custom sports exhaust system.

The car comes with original wheels, factory exhaust system and a folio of service invoices from DK Engineering, JK Technologies, and SPS Automotive. At the time of cataloging, the odometer shows less than 7,015 kilometers (4,358 miles).

The auction will take place on November 17 and the estimated value of the car is $8,000,000 – $9,000,000 USD.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

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1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe is up for auction