All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Porsche 959 Sport owned by Nick Heidfeld

The Porsche 911 is a legendary car from the Stuttgart company, but 40 years ago another model attracted more attention. It is a Porsche 959 that was produced in only a few hundred copies, of which only 29 were Sport models. In its time, it was the world’s fastest street-legal production car.

Porsche 959 Sport owned by Nick Heidfeld

The Porsche 959 Sport is an extremely rare collector’s car, and one such car is owned by former Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld. “I’ve had the privilege of driving many high-performance cars, but driving this legend is something special for me even today. It doesn’t drive like a 3-decade-old car, but like a much more modern vehicle,” said Heidfeld.

Nick decided to restore the car even though it only had 4,000 km on the odometer. The process was entrusted to one of the best, Uwe Makrutzki of Porsche Classic, who said: “If such a technologically innovative car is not driven regularly, damage is unfortunately inevitable. The drive and chassis must be rebuilt.” The renovation process itself lasted 4 years.

Porsche Classic took 4 years to restore the 959 Sport. The result? Well, see for yourself.

The Porsche 959 Sport is powered by a 2.9L twin-turbo flat 6 engine with 508 hp (373 kW) @ 6500 rpm and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque. Power is transmitted to all wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox. It reaches 62 mph in 3.7 seconds with a top speed of a remarkable 198 mph (319 km/h).

Source: Porsche

News

The RM UP-01 Ferrari is a 1.75mm thick watch

We all know that watches can come in all sizes and shapes, and some can cost a fortune. Well this is one of them. It is an ultra-thin watch RM UP-01 Ferrari, which is the thinnest watch in the world, and it was made by the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Richard Mille in cooperation with Ferrari.

The RM UP-01 Ferrari is a 1.75mm thick watch

The watch has a titanium balance wheel of variable inertia, which allowed the thickness to be reduced to only 1.75 mm without losing function and functionality. Mille assembled the entire mechanism, which is only 1.18 mm thick, into the case, unlike the usual process where the back of the case serves as the base plate.

A modern shape and a highly precise mechanism adorn this watch suitable to be worn on all occasions. The time indicator is located in the middle of the upper half, while the function selector is located on the left side. Ferrari’s Prancing Horse is located on the right side of the lower half of the case. Around both crowns are two black ceramic inserts that protect the frame from friction and help with water resistance.

The watch will be produced in a limited number (150) and will cost $1,888,000.

Source: Richard Mille

News, Tuning

ABT RS3-R based on the Audi RS3

The Audi RS3 is a top-of-the-line car that, after its introduction last year, demonstrated its capabilities on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. However, the German company ABT Sportsline believes that the car can and must be better, so it presented a limited edition ABT RS3-R.

The ABT RS3-R is equipped with a special equipment kit that brings a lot of carbon parts with a high-gloss finish, sports stabilizer bars, ABT intercooler, adjustable suspension and ABT suspension springs that enable a lowering range of 20-40 mm at the front and rear axle. There’s also a set of 20-inch ABT High Performance HR20 alloy wheels wrapped in 245/30 R20 Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport R tires.

The limited edition ABT RS3-R is powered by a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder turbo gasoline engine with 500 hp (368 kW) and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque. That’s a significant increase considering the RS3 has 400 hp (294 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque. It reaches 62 mph in 3.3 seconds with a top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h). Drivers will be able to choose between ECO, SPORT or RACE mode.

Source: ABT Sportsline