All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News, Tuning

MHX4 600 based on the BMW X4 M Competition

Another upgraded BMW model comes from one of the most famous German and world tuners, Manhart. It is the MHX4 600 which is based on the luxury BMW X4 M Competition.

The luxury SUV is painted black with a gray stripe that runs the entire length of the car from the hood over the roof to the rear. Manhart equipped the car with an eight-piece carbon exterior kit that includes a front spoiler, two-piece front skirt add-ons, two-piece front skirt inlets, mirror caps and a rear diffuser. The suspension has been optimized while H&R springs bring the car closer to the ground by an additional 30 mm. There is also a stainless steel exhaust system, four 100 mm tailpipes with ceramic or carbon coating, MANHART race downpipes without catalytic converters or MANHART sport downpipes with 300-cell catalytic converters, while the brakes are retained from the standard X4 M.

Inside, Manhart didn’t change a thing. The design from the BMW X4 M Competition has been retained.

Under the hood is a 3.0L S58 biturbo straight-six engine with 635 hp (467 kW) and 559 lb-ft (785 Nm) of torque. As a reminder, the standard X4 M has 510 HP (375 kW) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque. A power increase of 125 hp (92 kW) and 99 lb-ft (135 Nm) was achieved thanks to the MHtronik powerbox or by ECU remapping. Power is sent to all wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. It is mounted on multi-spoke ALPINA 22 inch wheels wrapped in 255/35 (front) and 295/30 (rear) tires. Optionally, there are Concave One 21 inch wheels wrapped in 265/35 (front) and 305/30 (rear) tires.

Source: Manhart

News

2023 Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Ford has recently presented the seventh generation of its legendary car, the Mustang Dark Horse, and its engineers have done everything to ensure that the new generation brings what this model has been known for for more than five decades.

Mustang Dark Horse will be offered in two body styles (Coupé and Cabrio). Both versions come with a lot of additional equipment (optional) and a lot of personalization options as well as a significantly changed interior design. This includes higher quality materials and fewer analogies. The old instrument panel has been replaced by an adaptive 12.4-inch display in combination with a high-resolution 13.2-inch display of the multimedia system.

When it comes to the powertrain, the new Mustang Dark Horse will be powered by a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine with 500 hp (368 kW). Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual or ten-speed automatic transmission. Ford has not yet announced technical data and performance.

“For decades, Mustang has competed against the most premium brands on the biggest world stages and won. We surprised everyone, and we’re going to surprise them again with a track-capable Mustang that puts a new level of performance, styling and American engineering in the hands of everyday customers who still want the thrill and excitement of a V8 sports car, ” said Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Company.

The Mustang Dark Horse should hit the market in mid-2023. Also, the company announced that after 27 years, Ford is returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024 with a new GT3 model.

Source: Ford

Motorcycles

Honda will produce 10 electric motorcycles in the next 3 years

The world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, Honda, has unveiled a plan to become carbon neutral by mid-century. The first of the goals includes the production of 10 new electric motorcycles in the next 3 years intended for the European and Asian markets.

All future Honda motorcycles will use a new platform that Honda is developing under the name FUN, and for the Japanese, European and American markets, the development of three large electric models is underway, which will arrive on the market in the next two years. Honda will also continue to produce motorcycles with internal combustion engines, but has promised to be more environmentally friendly thanks to the use of ethanol-based E20 and E100 fuel.

Given that the current demand for electric motorcycles is not that great, we should not expect many high-performance models. This can be concluded from the slide published by Honda, where we can see 11 silhouettes of potential electric models, only four of which do not look like mopeds.

Source: Honda