Road and Driver

ALSA Automotive Engineering, a state of the art tuning facility located in Abu Dhabi, UAE has created what it believes to be is the worlds first tuned X6 M with modified turbo’s (works for X5 M). This modification consists of modifying the stock turbo’s compressor wheels allowing boost pressure to increase to 1.8 bar, installing high flow catalytic converters or straight pipes and modifying the ECU.

ALSA Automotive Engineering has been able to boost the cars power from 555 PS (408 kW / 547 bhp) up to 700+PS. During initial testing, ALSA found out that the car has a tremendous amount of drive train loss, which they calculated to be more than 30%. Power has increased from stock 555 PS to 724 PS. ALSA arrive at this number by adding the 30% drive train loss to the 557 whp and torque is increased to 945 Nm (697 ft. lb.). That is an increase of 169 horsepower to the wheels and next is stage II with modified headers! Looking at the pictures provided, the upgraded compressor wheels are on the inducer and exducer, each side around 2mm larger in diameter then stock wheels, along with a completely different blade design. In the picture from the side, you can see how different the blade angles are. All our improvements on the upgraded turbochargers will develop around 35% more airflow than the originals and are good for up to 2 bar of boost.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Performance wise, the car has become a rocket, launching from 0-100 km/h in around 3.8 seconds, 0-200 in 14.6 seconds and achieving a top speed in excess of 325 km/h rivaling sports cars such as Lamborghini’s and Ferrari’s. Pricing starts at 68,000 Dhs or 18,840 dollars installed at ALSA’s facility for stage 1.

For inquires into this or other products, please contact ALSA Automotive Engineering at +9712-5544166 or e-mail requests to mohammed(at)alsa.cc or daniel(at)alsa.cc

The Flying B adds lightness—oh, and horsepower—to its Continental GT convertible.

Everybody knows that sports are contests of skill in which a winner emerges, but what are supersports? Judging from the Bentley Supersports, which pairs the automaker’s expected refinement and elegance with supercollider acceleration and centrifugal corner stickiness, Supersports are something altogether more strange, like a mixture of various sports. Think WhirlyBall, which mixes bumper cars with elements of jai alai and basketball; or paintball, which mixes participants shooting each other with not dying.

Keep Reading: 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible – First Drive Review

Related posts:

1. 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible – Official Photos and Info
2. 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports – First Drive Review
3. Bentley Considering Ragtop Version of its Superfast Continental Supersports

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Stuffing a giant engine into a tiny car is one of cardom’s oldest ways of going faster. Diesel-engine manufacturer Cummins took things to the extreme by grafting a QSK78 engine onto an original Austin Mini. There wasn’t really much stuffing involved, since the big, red mill just hangs out in the new engine “bay” in back. But we admire the effort and the mid-enginedness.

The QSK78 is typically destined for use in mining equipment. It weighs nearly 25,000 pounds and is the largest diesel engine built in the U.K. The V-18 displaces 77.6 liters and has 12 turbochargers, producing 3500 hp at 1900 rpm and 10,157 lb-ft of torque at 1500 rpm. We have serious doubts the Mini actually moves under diesel locomotion—notice the supports underneath the car—but we don’t really care. It certainly has our long-term Ram beat.

The car and engine will be on display at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K.

Related posts:

1. 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty 2500 / 3500 – Auto Shows
2. 2009 Mini One / Mini One Clubman – Car News
3. Mini May Extend Leases on All-Electric Mini E

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Illustration by Christian Schulte

While it doesn’t exist—yet—this rendering shows us just how super-duper hot an RS4 Avant would look. Such a vehicle would conceivably be powered by the RS5’s 450-hp V-8. Drool.

We don’t even get the S4 wagon here, so it’s highly unlikely that, should an RS4 Avant ever become reality, we’d be left out of that fun too. Still, wagon lovers can dream, can’t they?

Related posts:

1. 2010 Audi RS6 Avant – First Drive Review
2. 2010 Audi A4 2.0T Avant S-line – Short Take Road Test
3. 2012 Audi A6 Rendered – Car News

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General Motors Co. is expanding the launch of the Chevrolet Volt hybrid car to markets in the New York region and Austin, Texas, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
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COPY/PRODUCTION CHIEF WENDY WARREN KEEBLER: Iand#8217;ve driven our long-term Kizashi recently, and Iand#8217;m quite surprised at how much nicer this one is (for less money?).
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The McLaren MP4-12C will make its much-anticipated public debut at Goodwood, and yet another advanced prototype will charge up the famous hill in the supercar portion of the event–driven by none other than McLaren Formula One stars Jenson Button…
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Nicolas Hayek, the engineer and industrialist who founded the Swiss watch company Swatch and brought the world the Smart car, died on June 28 of heart failure at his office in Switzerland. He was 82.
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Chevrolet plans to launch a family van soon in several global regions, GM Vice Chairman Tom Stephens said Tuesday in showing analysts GM’s future product plans.
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The muscle-bound favorite of enthusiasts and boulevard cruisers everywhere, the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, returned in force at the Barrett-Jackson Orange County Collector Car Auction, June 25-27.
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