VW Sets Record First Half Year Car Sales with More than 2.5 Million Units

Volkswagen announced today that it set a first half-year record in passenger car sales, with more than 2.5 vehicles delivered globally. This represents an increase of 11.8% compared to the same period of 2010 (2.26 million). Read more »

SCOOP: 2012 BMW M6 Spied in Convertible Trim

The engineering teams over at the BMW Group have their hands full these days as they rush to complete testing of a number of future vehicles.

These include but are not limited to, MINI’s Roadster and BMW’s i3 hatch, i8 hybrid sports car, M6 Coupe, the next generation 3-Series sedan and GT liftback, the 7-Series facelift, the four-door 6-Series GT which we showed you earlier today, and case in point, the convertible version of the M6.

As with the 2012 M6 Coupe, BMW is slowly stripping away the disguise from the rag-top model which will feature the same M Division-tuned drivetrain found in the latest M5 sports sedan.

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It Came From eBay Hell: Triumph TR3 with an Italian Body and an American Heart

Much like Christine in the Stephen King novel of the same name, this 1957 Triumph TR3 Special began life as nothing more than a…car. Since then it’s mutated into this thing that sports a faux-Ferrari body and a Chevy 350 V8 under the hood. Read more »

Siemoneit Racing’s VW Golf R Black Pearl with up to 530HP

While VW’s 270-horsepower Golf R hatchback is hardly underpowered, the engineers over at the German tuning firm Siemoneit Racing felt like it could use some extra ponies.

Siemoneit Racing calls its tuned VW Golf R the ‘Black Pearl’for obvious reasons- and it offers customers a choice of two performance packages. The first boosts the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine’s output from 270HP and 320Nm to 355-horses and 485Nm (357.7 lb-ft) through thanks to the updated ECU software, custom exhaust and a new air intake system.

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Top Gear: McLaren MP4-12C Records Second Fastest Power Lap Time, Trumps Ferrari 458 [with Video]

We have already seen Fifth Gear’s Tiff Needell and Jason Plato pit the new McLaren MP4-12C against the Ferrari 458. Now, it’s time for BBC’s Top Gear TV hosts and in particular, Jeremy Clarkson and the Stig to get behind the wheel of McLaren’s finest and try it on the show's test track.

At Top Gear's famous power lap, the MP4 12C recorded an amazing time of just 1:16.2 minutes, which puts it in second place right behind the insane Ariel Atom V8 (1:15.1) and in front of some of the world’s fastest supercars such as the Bugatti Veyron S (1:16.8”), the Gumpert Apollo (1:17.1”) and most importantly, Ferrari’s rivaling 458 Italia (1:19.1”).

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Paging David Hasselhoff: Sebastian Toddenroth’s High-Tech VW Schwimmwagen

Remember in Baywatch, how the cast used to tool around in canary yellow cute utes with jet skis strapped to their trays? Did you ever wonder why they didn’t just eliminate the middleman and employ WWII-era Schwimmwagens?

German industrial designer Sebastian Toddenroth certainly toyed around with the idea and the result is the Volkswagen Rescue Rover concept you see pictured here.

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Kelleners Sport Tunes the BMW 1-Series M Coupe to 410HP

German aftermarket firm Kelleners Sport is one of the first official tuners to get its hands on the new BMW 1-Series M Coupe and offer a complete conversion. Named KS1-S, the modified 1 M Coupe’s turbocharged straight-six now delivers 410-horses, or a good 20% more than the standard car, and just 10HP short of the E92 M3, while torque is increased from 450 to 550 Nm or 405.7 lb-ft. Read more »