2013 Porsche Boxster

Porsche has introduced its all new 2013 Boxster, which has undergone significant changes and is looking pretty fresh.

The open-top entry level Boxster has been given a whole new platform and body work, which has helped the car shed some weight resulting in better fuel efficiency and power to weight ratio.

The car is scheduled to be unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March, but Porsche has given out some preliminary details before unveiling the car'

 

Design Upgrade

Changes in design are more evolutionary than revolutionary. Still Porsche has managed to dish out a handsome design. The new square shaped headlamps, the wider stance and shorter overhangs, add to the character of the car. The new design seamlessly masks the increased length and width of the platform.

The new Boxster would be equipped with larger 20-inch alloys. The interior of the 2013 Boxster is inspired from the 2012 911. A fully electric top would close the cabin space and the company suggests that the cabin space for driver and passenger has increased in the new design.

Performance

Boxsters are known for their performance and the new model certainly won't disappoint. The standard Boxster will be powered by a 2.7 liter flat-six engine with direct fuel injection that churns out 265 horsepower, 10 hp higher than previous model.

The more powerful Boxster S would be powered by a 3.4 liter six cylinder engine generating 315 hp, which is a marginal increase over the previous model (by 5hp). The engine is available with a 7 speed dual-clutch automatic transmission or a 6 speed manual transmission.

The performance of the Boxster has always been top notch. The new standard Boxster does the 0-60mph dash in 5.4 seconds while the Boxster S takes 4.7 seconds for the same run, both with the automatic transmission.

The lighter chassis and body work of the new Boxster translates in better fuel economy as well and customers can expect an increase of 15%.

The 2013 Porsche Boxster is expected to hit the showrooms by summer. Expect the starting price tag to be around $49,500 for the standard model and $60,900 for the sportier Boxster S.

2012 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

The new 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL has been formed almost entirely with aluminum and, as a result, weighs nearly 125kg less than the SL predecessor.

The aluminum bodyshell and lower weight means the car is a lot more agile and easier to handle than previous Mercedes-Benz SL cars. The aluminum shell isn't the only outstanding new feature of the 2012 SL, either!

Engine

The BlueDIRECT engines in the new SL are far more powerful and yet up to 29% more economical than other SL engines. The fact that the car is carrying a lot less weight also aids less fuel consumption and increases the dynamism of the car.

In comparison to other SL versions, the 2012 edition offers a lot more comfort to drivers, thanks to the lengthening the body and the slight increase in width of the car. While the car has slightly larger dimensions that what you'd normally expect, it means there's a lot more space for you to enjoy inside the car (both shoulder room and elbow room have increased).

New Features

Several new features have been incorporated into the new SL including the unique and highly efficient Magic Vision Control system and the Front bass system. The Magic Vision Control system allows your windscreen to be wiped clean without obscuring your vision since it doesn't splash water across the whole windscreen. Fully heated wipers are also available for the first time, so you can stop ice forming on your wiper blades during cold weather.

The other unique feature, the Front bass system, uses free space near the footwells to increase bass resonance. Even when you have the top down, you'll still get crisp audio.

Existing features including the retractably vario-roof (now available as painted, glass or a panoramic roof that uses Magic Sky control) and the operating mechanisms have been modified. The roof now takes under 20 seconds to open/close completely!

As usual, the new SL follows the long-standing Mercedes-Benz tradition and has provided us with another aesthetically honed and luxurious new car that has been finished with the fine materials, style and character that you'd expect from Mercedes-Benz.

2012 Shelby GT 50th Anniversary Edition

Shelby America is celebrating 50 years of style by producing 100 cars of 3 famous Mustang variants: the GTS, the GT350 and the GT500 (the Super Snake). Fifty models of each car will be decked in white and feature gold stripes, the other fifty will be black and feature gold stripes.

Since only 300 are being manufactured, the 50th Anniversary editions have become an instant collector's item and each represent a piece of automotive history.

Exterior & Interior

In addition to the gold stripes on the exterior, several other nods to the 50th anniversary are present in the interior of the cars. The color gold naturally represents the 50th anniversary and is used in the premium black leather stitching on the seats plus there is an embroidered anniversary logo present on the seat backs.

Along with the gold stripes, gold stitching and commemorative anniversary badge, each Shelby anniversary car comes with special wheels, car cover, unique VIN number, a special delivery ceremony, exclusive merchandise and a number of upgrades including 6-piston front brakes.

The interior isn't the only thing to get a style revamp, the base GTS and GT350 models both feature matte black wheels (for the black vehicles) and chrome wheels (for the white vehicles).

The classic 'deep draw' hood, unique rear and front fascias and Shelby badge all make the anniversary editions a classic beauty to behold. The GT500 (a.k.a. Super Snake) gets another set of upgrades too: leather shifter, perforated seat insets and painted rear quarter window plates amongst others.

Engines

One thing that Shelby didn't upgrade for the special anniversary edition are the engines. The GTS and GT350s already generate up to 624 HP depending on the chosen version and the Super Snake can deliver 720 HP through its V8 engine.

2012 PP Exclusive Mercedes-Benz SL R230

German tuner PP Exclusive decided to start a new project based on the Mercedes-Benz SL R230, and in 2012 it has come up with a majestic looking vehicle.

PP Exclusive has incorporated a number of new features and designs to give the vehicle a whole new look and feel.

Modifications

The Mercedes-Benz SL R230 has been fitted with an electronic module, which has lowered the suspension by around 100 mm, that gives the car a truly ruthless wedge-like form. The steering wheel is adjusted to lower the height. The wheel arches have been stretched with extra sheet metal embedded onto the existing arches to expand them by 25 mm in the front and 55 mm in the rear.

Exhaust

In order to achieve a loud, rich and nice sound from back end of the vehicle, the exhaust system is entirely built with stainless steel staring from the catalytic converter, to four oval shaped exhaust pipes.

Fitted with the stainless steel exhaust system, the Mercedes-Benz SL R230, is wrapped in 255/30 and 305/25 Dunlop tires. It sports 11 x 20 inch front wheels and gigantic 13 x 20 inch rear wheels have been used. But one can easily select the tire up to 23 inches in size.

Interior

PP Exclusive did not stop here instead they have done a lot of work with the interior design. It has been restyled with the help of white Nappa leather with dark embroidery for the seats, wood inserts with matching color on the dashboard, and black Alcantara for the roof.

The steering wheel now has a compact rim and formed straight unlike the earlier curved bottom shape. This has given the vehicle a new look and feel from the inside.

In a nutshell, with the Mercedes-Benz SL R230, PP Exclusive has presented the seamless illustration of excellent deep and wide car tuning work, retaining the classic standards and qualities of tuning at the same time.

2012 WheelsandMore Ferrari 599 GTO

The Ferrari 599 GTO is soon to be retired. But before a final send off, Wheelsandmore (the German tuning company) will get a chance to work its make-over magic on this exotic Italian sports car.

The result is a souped-up 2012 Wheelsandmore Ferrari 599 GTO, and Wheelsandmore has hit a home run with its efforts.

Mechanical Upgrades

Wearing a magnificent yellow and black powder paint job reminiscent of a giant bumble bee (the Transformer movie comes to mind), the new Ferrari 599 GTO showcases a set of 21" three-piece handcrafted 6Sporz ultralight forged wheels encased by S1Evo Hankook tires.

The ultralight forged alloys also show off the yellow and black theme with dimensions of 9J x 21-inch for the front axle and 12.5J x 21-inch for the rear axle.

Wheelsandmore also incorporated into the supercar's suspension an additional hydraulic lift-able suspension triggered by a remote button.

This action will lift the front axle up 1.18 inches to permit the Ferrari 599 GTO to clear any type of road obstructions or debris that could pose a danger to the car's leading edge or undercarriage.

Tuned Performance

To top off the 599 GTO tune-up transition, Wheelsandmore gives it an overall improvement in performance which is the core of this upgrade program. Adding newly remapped ECU and hand-crafted stainless steel exhaust with remote-capable valve flaps, Wheelsandmore was successful in squeezing out more power from the already powerful supercar's massive V12 engine.

The result is an incredible potential leap from the standard of 670 horsepower and 457 lbs/ft of torque, to an ultra powerful 715 horsepower and 490 lbs/ft of torque.