All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Alpina B4 Gran Coupé on the Nürburgring Nordschleife

Last year, Alpina unveiled the B4 Gran Coupé, and now the automotive magazine Sport Auto has tested its performance on the most famous race track, the Nürburgring Nordschleife. With this car, Alpina tries to respond to competitors such as the current generation BMW M4.

The Alpina B4 Gran Coupé is powered by a 3.0L inline 6-cylinder biturbo engine with 495 hp (364 kW) and 538 lb-ft (730 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to all wheels via a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. It reaches 62 mph in 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 187 mph (301 km/h).

What differentiates Alpina cars from BMW cars, in addition to the recalibrated adaptive suspension and limited locking rear differential, are the 20″ alloy wheels (Alpina Classic) wrapped in 255/35 (front) and 285/30 (rear) Pirelli P Zero tires .

The car was driven by Sport Auto racer and test driver Christian Gebhardt, who set a lap time of seven minutes and 52.11 seconds. This time puts the B4 Gran Coupé in the company of the Toyota GR Supra (7:52.17) and the BMW M2 Competition (7:52.36).

Gallery:

Alpina B4 Gran Coupé on the Nürburgring Nordschleife

Source: Sport Auto

News

2023 WEC – World Endurance Championship more exciting than ever

The new season of the 2023 WEC – World Endurance Championship starts on March 17 and is expected to be more exciting than the previous ones. This season (which also marks the centenary of the first 24 Hours of Le Mans), as many as 13 superfast hybrid prototypes from nine teams will participate in the battle for glory in the most powerful class (Hypercar). This is what endurance racing fans have been waiting for for years.

This year, Ferrari returns to the strongest class in which the Italian team has not participated in decades, and the two red 499P prototypes will face the Hypercar prototypes of Toyota (GR-010), Cadillac (V-LMDh), Porsche (963), Peugeot ( 9X8), Glickenhaus (007) and Vanwall Vandervell (680).

Porsche will have four cars in the most powerful class, two from the team Porsche Penske Motorsport and one each from the private teams Hertz Team Jota and Proton Competition. In the fight for the very top, the Penske Porsche 963 with number 6 with drivers Frenchman Kévin Estre, German André Lotterer and Belgian Laurens Vanthoor have the best chances. Cadillac, Glickenhaus and Vanwall Vandervell will each have one car in the game, and Ferrari, Toyota and Peugeot will each have two cars.

The LMGTE Pro class in which teams from Porsche, Ferrari, Ford, Aston Martin, Corvette… no longer exists. GT cars will be present this season only in the LMGTE Am class, in which 12 teams will have six Porsche 911 RSR-19s, four Ferrari 488 GTE Evos, three Aston Martin Vantage AMRs and one Corvette C8.R.

11 cars from seven teams will participate in the LMP2 class. This year’s calendar has seven races, among which, definitely, the most important jubilee race is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which starts on June 10, and the season will start with the 1,000 miles of Sebring (USA).

Endurance racing is returning to its roots, and this is confirmed by the previously published information that Lamborghini and BMW will be in the Hypercar company starting next year.

Gallery:

Source: WEC

News, Tuning

Mansory Venatus Coupé Evo C based on the Lamborghini Urus

Last year Lamborghini achieved exceptional results when it comes to sales, and the Italian brand’s best-selling car was the Urus. It was this car that was used as the basis for the new Mansory project Venatus Coupé Evo C.

It took 18 months to realize the project, and in addition to moving the B-support and significantly longer doors, the Coupé Urus also received additional extended rear fenders and a set of 24-inch wheels. Also, Mansory decided on two doors instead of four, which will certainly make it difficult for passengers to access the rear seats.

The cabin, which in this case is covered in turquoise leather, still offers enough space for five people, but this time the front seats have to be folded down to allow passengers to get into the rear seats.

The Venatus Coupé Evo C is powered by a 4-liter biturbo V8 engine with 900 hp (662 kW) and 811 lb-ft (1,100 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to all wheels via a recalibrated 8-speed automatic transmission. It reaches 62 mph in 2.9 seconds with a top speed of (323 km/h).

The car will be produced in only 8 copies, and each one will be unique. The upgrade costs EUR 280,000.

Gallery:

Mansory Venatus Coupé Evo C based on the Lamborghini Urus

Source: Mansory