Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss

As Limited Editions go the Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss is pretty spactacular! 200 kilos lighter than the SLR it is a special version of the Stirling Moss harks back to the era of the 300SLR and Sir Stirlings Mille Miglia victory. Whilst its appearance harks back to the golden age of road racing the technology is ery cutting edge. With the current SLR as a starting point there is now doubt that the owners of the 75 Sitrling Moss editions are going to benefit from breath taking performance:~ 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of over 210mph all with the wind rushing round and through the driver's hair.
The SLR Stirling Moss will start production once the current run of standrad SLRs is concluded in the second third of 2009, strictly limited to a production run of 75 it reamins to be seen whether the worldwide economic crisis will leave enough people with the finances avialble to pucrhcase this £600,000 plus supercar.

New (old) Porsche Estate.....

A mere 18 years after the original 10 DP Motorsport {link} dp44 cargos were produced the final 5 are entering production. Based on a Porsche 944 with some Volkswagen derived parts added the dp44 Cargo retained the handling of the 944 whilst becoming a reasonably practical estate car, all finished to the excellent quality standards associated with DP (the same company who made the road legal version of Porsche's ubiquitous 956/962 race car).
Suitable for any (roofed) 944 the conversion uses various VW Passat derived parts that result in a very smart, almost manufacturer appearance and (more importantly) a proper 4 seater 944 with boot space too. The latest production models will be fitted with coilover suspension, 993 turbo brakes and 18" wheels as standard thereby improving their road performance over the original production models.
The dp44 is still a great drive, the majority of extra bodywork being high quality glassfibre. The 944 (and follow on 968) was an acclaimed performance coupé and when the dp44 rear conversion is fitted to a 944 S2 its sprigthly performance is still enjoyable nearly 20 years after its orginal conception.
Cost (excluding donor car) for the conversion are around £16,000 but with the production run planned to stop at 5 demand is expected to outstrip supply considerably!

Volkswagen Scirocco Studie R

Volkswagen used this month's Bologna Motor Show to give a very serious glimpse of what the R20 Scirocco will look like. Based on the, very successful, Scirocco GT24 racing car (pictured below) the Studie R benefits from an impressive power hike over the range topping GT, offering an impressive 266PS.
To cope with the extra power the Studie R has 4-pot front brake calipers protected from the tarmac by 5 spoke, heavily detailed 19" wheels. The suspension has also been adapted to handle the extra performance of the Studie R.
Styling is more aggressive in a definite nod to the GT24 as well as practical performance requirements. A deep front bumper/spoiler combination provides extra cooling air as well as combating lift whilst the rear roof spoiler also combats lift but less subtly!
The interior's acres of carbon fibre was more for the Bologna show, than any production model, as were the red and green details on the show car's white exterior (including the Italian tricolore and Bologna 08 for those who weren't sure where they saw the car.....)

4WD for the VW Golf 6

Volkswagen {link} are offering a 4Motion version of the Golf 6 (hatchback and Estate) right from the outset. normally VW have launched four-wheel-drive models much later into the model life, many times waiting until high performance models require a 4WD system to cope with the extra power on offer. This time VW have decided that a 2 litre TDI 4Motion model will be available as of now in Germany and a few other European countries - whether this model appears in other markets depends largely on importer decisions which may not bode too well for the UK
Whether the new Golf Plus Cross (pictured below) will get a 4Motion model remains to be seen.

BMW M3 GT2

As Audi withdraw from the ALMS and Porsche take a sabbatical BMW increase their involvement! Having formed a partnership with Rahal Letterman Racing {link} in America BMW are preparing for their first full season of ALMS competition with the latest M3.
The project was launched at the Chicago Motorshow in February this year and has now completed over 1000 miles of testing at various circuits in America. The new M3s will face stiff opposition from European manufacturers Ferrari and Porsche plus various American manufacturers like Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Panoz.
The 2009 ALMS GT2 championship looks likely to be the most interesting and hotly contested for a while with BMW and Rahal Letterman Racing aiming to be in the mix right from the start.

The first round of the ALMS {link} is the Mobil Twelve Hours of Sebring {link} on March 21 2009.

Insignia by Steinmetz

Steinmetz {link} have debuted their tuning package for the new Opel (Vauxhall) Insignia and it looks stunning! Whilst offering nothing revolutionary the Steinmetz package certainly adds more style to the standard car.
By lowering the Insignia and fitting some highly attractive 20" wheels (available in either white or anthracite with polished spokes and rim) Steinmetz have made the Opel (or Vauxhall) look more purposeful and dramatic immediately. Add on the deep front spoiler and large black badgeless grille and the end result is most impressive.
Along the side of the Insignia Steinmetz have opted for subtle but effective styling touches, using pinstripes to great effect.
The rear of the Steimetz Insignia benefits from a new twin pipe (left and right) exhaust back box which offers better sound quality, a little extra performance and a far sportier appearance.
With the insignia being such a new car tuners have had little time to develop a complete package for the car and Steinmetz are exactly the same. Expect them to add new products for the Insignia for many months to come.

2008 DTM final standings

Driver Championship

1. Scheider 75

2. Di Resta 71

3. Ekström 56

4. Green 52

5. Spengler 38

6. Schneider 34

7. Tomczyk 32

8. Kristensen 27

9. Paffett 13

10. Prémat 10

Team Championship

1. Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG Mercedes 109

2. Audi Sport Team Abt 102

3. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline 88

4. Salzgitter/Original-Teile AMG Mercedes 86

5. Audi Sport Team Phoenix 15

Mini Crossman - a Mini for a proper mini adventure!

The Mini Crossman model is now undergoing road evaluation and testing. Having been displayed at a few recent motorshows the SUV version of the Mini Clubman is now entering the final stages of preproduction with its debut in dealerships due in 2010.
Offering extra ground clearance (somewhere between 6 and 8cm) the Mini Crossman will be a genuine four-weel-drive unlike many of the other small SUVs available in the current market.
It will also differentiate itself from every other mini {link} by having 4 passenger doors, an improvement on the 3 fitted to the current Clubman range, it will keep the twin opening rear doors that have proven to be so popular with Clubman buyers. In anither break from (new) Mini tradition this model range will not be produced in Oxfordshire, England rather it will have a production line at reknown off-road and four-wheel-drive builders Steyr in Austria.
There will be no new engines for the Crossman, it will use a selection of those already fitted to the current Mini range.

Porsche 911 & Boxster

The iconic Porsche 911 receives yet another makeover in 2011 with subtle modifications and refinements prevailing. For example the rear arches are slightly re-profiled, the door mirrors move from the window onto the actual doors themselves and the headlamps are slightly more sloped. As with every manufacturer Porsche {link} have improved emissions and reduced fuel consumption on the new 6 cylinder engines although there is nothing radically new to them nor to the PDK seven speed auto gearbox or manual six speed unit.
The turbo and GT versions of the new 911 will follow much later, as they always do _ more than likely late in 2012 for the Turbo with GT2/3 versions 8-10 months apart.

Once the Porsche showrooms have filled with the new 911 in 2012 the familiar (and recently updated) Boxster platform (Boxster and Cayman) receives an update. This time the update is more radical than that of the 911, although only in a mechanical sense as bodywork restyling remains subtle and minor. The new Boxster platform will see a small, turbocharged 4 cylinder engine make an appearance for the first time. Producing around 200-225PS the new engine will be fitted to entry level Boxsters in an attempt to improve their environmental status and impact. To aide the 4 cylinder Boxsters with performance weight saving measures are being developed, whether these will transfer over to the larger engined versions has yet to be seen.

Due before the 2012 update are two versions on the current platform; an RS performance orientated model and a 'top-chopped' Spyder model.

The new 4 cylinder entry level model on the Boxster platform could be seen as a move back towards the co-operation with Volkswagen on the 914 of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Wheter a cheaper version could be restyled to fit the Volkswagen brand a la Touareg/Cayenne remains to be seen.

Porsche RS Spyder

After a tremendous season in 2008 there will be fewer Porsche RS Spyders competing in 2009. The works Penske {link} Spyders that won the Drivers, Manufacturers and Team LMP2 championships in the ALMS in 2008 will not be racing in 2009. Penske will instead be racing in the Grand-Am Rolex Series {link} using Porsche engines - continuing a relationship between the American team and German manufacturer that started in 1972!
Porsche has yet to decide whether to step up to the LMP1 class, to continue developing the ultra successful Spyder or whether it is best to support customer teams in LMP2 and GT classes - especially now that Audi have drastically reduced their involvement in both the ALMS and LMS series.
A Porsche/Penske challenge on LMP2 at Le Mans has not been totally discounted, neither have any firm commitments been made. The organisers of Le Mans have offered Penske two starting places but that is all that is certain at present.

Audi R15

Audi will defend its Le Mans{link} title with a new endurance LMP1 diesel competition car. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich commented "The step from R10 to R15 is significantly larger than it was from the R8 to the R10." Despite having a lighter, more compact TDI engine the R15 will, unfortunately, have a more limited campaign than either the R8 (petrol powered) or R10 (TDI).
Due to the global economic crisis/uncertainty Audi have withdrawn from both the ALMS {link} and LMS {link} series leaving the R15 to contest Sebring and Le Mans in 2009. Where that leaves the Champion team who ran the ALMS Audi effort is, at present, somewhat unclear.

The 2008 Formula 1 World Championship has been won by Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes powered McLaren. The tile was decided on the last corner of the last race in a season that has seen exciting racing and its fair share of controversy.

Mercedes weren't the only German manufacturer to taste the champagne this season, BMW managed their first F1 win as a manufacturer.

Final championship positions (top 10)

1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2 Felipe Massa Ferrari
3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber
5 Fernando Alonso Renault
6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber
7 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes
8 Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari
9 Jarno Trulli Toyota
10 Timo Glock Toyota

Audi S4

The latest 333PS incarnation of the Audi S4 is due into dealers from March 2009 onwards. Using a new forced induction 3 litre V6 petrol engine performance should be in the region of 0-62 in 5.2 seconds for the Estate and 5.1 seconds for the (lighter) Saloon. Consumption and emissions should be lower than the current model. Prices in the UK should be around £42,000.

Mercedes E Class

Geneva Motorshow 2009 will see the launch of the new Mercedes E Class (W212), the AMG saloon is due to follow closely on from the standard modle, the Estate will be another 10 or so months later.
As with every new Mercedes {link} model the new E Class will be larger, the wheel base is around 2cm longer, and better equipped. Knee airbags, traffic sign display and tiredness monitor are all available as are a range of new petrol and diesel engines. As Mercedes move away from superchargers back to turbochargers all the 4 cylinder engines petrol will be turbocharged whilst the range topping V6 & V8 engines will undergo minor enhancement ~ aimed at improving economy mainly. New to the E Class will be the 2.2 twin turbo diesel engine plus a V6 too.
With square front lamps and modified rear lamps the new E Class will immediately look different to the out going model, its styling is drawn from both the C and S Class.

DKR Porsche 997 TT

For those who want more from their 997 Turbo DKR are offering 2 stages of upgrade; 525PS and 540PS. Achieved through chip tuning, air filter and a 4 pipe exhaust system the DKR upgrades improve total performance, top speed and torque as well as power are all raised.
To compliment their power upgrades DKR {link} have also developed their own rear wing and front spoiler. They use H&R suspension and Cargraphic {link} wheels (8½x19” front & 11½x19” rear) to help control all the extra power.
Prices for the kits start at around £4600.

VW briefly becomes the world's biggest firm

Astounding German stock market {link} activity on Tuesday the 28th of October 2008 briefly made Volkswagen {link} the world's biggest company (by share value).
Traders who had short-sold VW shares were desperately trying to buy them back so they could close their deals and this, in conjunction with Porsche having bought shares, made Volkswagen worth a staggering $370 billion (shares peaked at €1,005 each). The largest firm in the world is (in reality) Exxon Mobil with a value of $343 billion.
Porsche {link} announced that it owned, or has options to buy, more than 74% of Volkswagen's shares whilst Lower Saxony controls 20% of the VW shares which left just over 5% available on the market. This scarcity was the factor that fuelled the huge increase in VW’s (paper) value. Traders who had short sold, betting that VW shares were going to fall in value were forced to buy shares at any price resulting in the massive hike in VW’s share price (their shares rose a stunning 146.6% on the 27th October 2008).
Volkswagen shares and company value have seen a return to normal, less astounding levels with shares now trading at around €650 instead of over €1000 as they were at points on Volkswagen’s Super Tuesday.

Audi 1 & 2 in season finale.

Marco Werner and Lucas Luhr lead home their Audi team mates Emanuele Pirro and Christijan Albers as the Bavarian manufacturer took victory and second overall in the American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca.

Excellent strategy and the sheer power of the R10 TDI away from restarts helped the Audis move into the lead after qualifying down on the 5th row of the grid. Once in the read they did not relinquish it.
Marco Werner and Lucas Luhr dominated the ALMS {link} championship, finishing on a total of 219 points (each) with fellow Audi driver Emanuele Pirro finishing second with a mere 156 points.

Irmscher Opel / Vauxhall Insignia

The Opel / Vauxhall Insignia has yet to reach dealer’s showrooms and yet reknown GM tuners Irmscher {link} are already offering a range of styling products for it!
Ranging from the traditionally styled Irmscher cross hatch front grille (either in black or stainless steel) to side skirts, front spoiler and rear spoiler. Also available are a range of alloy wheels in a variety of sizes (up to a maximum diameter of 20”) finishes and designs plus a suspension kit that should lower the Insignia approximately 20mm.
Also in the pipeline but not available at the launch of the Insignia are a rear diffuser and twin exit exhaust system.

Carlsson Mercedes CK63S

Carlsson’s CK63S is a refinement and optimisation of the AMG C63. With some careful extra tuning the C63’s V8 produces a maximum torque of 685Nm and 565PS.
Having added 100PS to the AMG C63 through mechanical and electrical alterations Carlsson {link} have also uprated the suspension, which is now fully height adjustable as well as fitting an adjustable rear differential to cope with the new found performance. Keeping the car in contact with the road are bigger, wider wheels ~ 8½ x 19” on the front and 10 x 19” on the rear.
Externally Carlsson offer a new front spoiler and spoiler lip as well as a rear boot spoiler ~ all available in carbon or plastic.
The AMG C63 is no slouch but after the Carlsson CK63S treatment 0-62mph takes a mere 3.8 seconds and (thanks to removal of the limiter) top speed is around 185mph; figures that are impressive for such a large car.

Volkswagen Routan

Volkswagen’s latest Minivan (formerly known as a People carrier), the Routan, is designed to fit perfectly into the European car market in terms of quality, design and technology. It will, however, only be available in the Americas and will be made in a Chrysler factory in Windsor Canada.
Volkswagen are determined to keep the Routan as a real, European VW even if it will never cross the Atlantic (officially anyway).
A quick glance at the specification of the Routan and it becomes clear that Volkswagen have worked very hard at making their Minivan totally different from anything similar that will be leaving the Chrysler factory. Features include:~ 12V power outlets, ABS, air conditioning, auto-dip interior rear view mirror, Bluetooth connectivity, ESP, heated seats, hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA), keyless entry with remote start, multi-function steering wheel, power lift tailgate, rear park assist, rear seat entertainment system (which includes a hard-drive based music centre, MP3 and USB connectivity, SIRIUS® Satellite Radio, a DVD player and up to two nine inch roof mounted flat screen monitors capable of independent operation!), touch screen Sat Nav, under floor storage and xenon headlamps.
The Routan is no shrinking violet; it is 5.14m long, 1.95m wide and 1.75m tall and comes with a choice of 2 V6 petrol motors ~ either 3.8 or 4 litre. Neither of these engines nor the 6 speed automatic transmission are Volkswagen units and this seems very strange indeed. For a company that produces excellent TDI engines and DSG transmissions it seems a little strange to be trusting reliability and economy to Chrysler.
Internally there is no doubt that the Routan is a European creation (well a creation of a European company at least), externally it is a similar story, mechanically it is different and this may make-or-break Volkswagen’s first minivan in America and Canada foray for years.
With pricing expected to start at under US$25,000 there is good scope for typical Volkswagen sales figures but one does wonder how well received the T5 would be ~ especially with the wide selection of engines and transmissions it offers. The Routan may be a tow-in-the-water before a truly European Minivan appears in Volkswagen dealerships on the other side of the Atlantic.

AC Schnitzer ACS5 Sport Touring

German BMW tuning specialist AC Schnitzer are held in high regard worldwide for their impressive ability to improve and uprate standard BMWs. Their latest 5 series creation, the ACS5 is a perfect example of their craft; offering those who demand more from their standard M5 Estate exactly that: a lot more!
The impressive BMW V10 engine in the ACS5 is tuned and tweaked to produce and exemplary 552PS instead of the standard 507PS. The increase in power is found by fitting an improved exhaust system (including new manifolds) as well as some clever alterations to the engine mapping ~ which also includes removal of the top speed limiter too. Top speed is approximately 198mph which is quick for a sports car, stunning for a practical Estate car!
As a tyre company once mentioned, power is nothing without control and the ACS5 benefits from testing at the local racetrack, not just any racetrack though! Schnitzer undertake all their suspension testing at the Nürburgring.
AC Schnitzer have improved and upgraded the ACS5 to cope with not only the extra power but extra speed too. Forged 20 inch wheels cover 8 pot front callipers that give truly remarkable braking capabilities. The suspension benefits from new springs and an aluminium strut brace, keep all things handling firm and business like.
An appealing and subtle styling package compliments the extra power supplied by the monstrous V10, small carbon lower front spoilers help guide extra air into the intercoolers and radiator. The rear diffuser helps keep airflow smooth from the rear of the car, as does an unobtrusive roof spoiler lip.

Just when we said "we're back".....

.... we weren't.

Medical issues laid the blogging staff low, very low indeed but now we're nearly all up and about again and searching for interesting stories and sitting in interesting cars.
We'll try and catch up with articles that never quite made it through cyberspace for the rest of this week then German Cars Blog will be back on track publishing posts about everything car related that's German, or nearly German at least!

We hope to have this blog back to its fast and informative best by the end of the week. Thanks for visiting, we hope you found it informative and quick to read.

Max Moseley/FIA/F1 scandal.

The scandal that has engulfed the FIA President Max Mosley has drawn unfavourable responses from BMW and Mercedes and has resulted in both Porsche and Volkswagen reaffirming their commitment NOT to enter Formula 1.
BMW and Mercedes has stated that they feel the scandal requires Max Moslely to resign his presidency whilst the boards of Porsche and Volkswagen cited the scandal as a perfect reason why they feel F1 is unsuitable for their relevant companies.
Volkswagen also added that the sheer size of financial investment required to run a successful F1 team also made their entry impossible.

Audi dominate DTM.

Audi drivers finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd overall (top 10 results below) at the first round of this year’s DTM series. The podium lockout was a surprise for everyone, not least Audi who didn’t expect such a dramatic showing of speed from their new-for-2008 A4 race car. Mercedes had a disappointing event with 2008 title hopeful Paul di Resta challenging the lead Audi brace before slipping down the field when a clutch problem cost him over 30 seconds at his second scheduled pit stop. New boy and ex-Formula driver Ralf Schumacher made a solid series debut in his older spec car finishing a creditable, if unspectacular, 14th overall. Audi’s new British drivers had mixed results with Oliver Jarvis taking an impressive 9th at the chequered flag and Katherine Legge finishing 18th.
Mercedes are a little under pressure as the next DTM race is on the 20th April at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.

Top 10 results DTM Round 1
1 Mattias Ekstrom Audi
2 Timo Scheider Audi
3 Tom Kristensen Audi
4 Bruno Spengler Mercedes
5 Martin Tomczyk Audi
6 Jamie Green Mercedes
7 Gary Paffett Mercedes
8 Bernd Schneider Mercedes
9 Oliver Jarvis Audi
10 Mike Rockenfeller Audi

Excellent results for Volkswagen in Formula 3.

Volkswagen declared themselves delighted by the result of the first round of the F3 Euro Series season at Hockenheim after their Formula 3 engine took two podiums during the race weekend. Volkswagen powered driver Edoardo Mortara is joint championship leader having taken two strong 3rd place finishes.
Speed trap recording show that the Volkswagen engine is as powerful as dominant Mercedes unit. Whilst Volkswagen seems to be capable of competing directly with German rival it only currently has 8 cars in the championship, considerably less than Mercedes which could prove to be a slight hindrance.

We're BACK!

After a lengthy office move, provider change, system refit and general problems for our staff we can finally say that GERMAN CARS BLOG is back publishing posts on everything related to German cars.
Hope you enjoy reading what we post!

There's such a lot gone by since we flickered away in January, we'll try to add so of the old news in amongst the current stuff as we progress.

Gumpert Apollo.

1468kgs combined with 650PS is a very respectable power to weight ration. Add in 850Nm of torque and it is clear that the Gumpert Apollo {link} is a serious super car. More figures reinforce the impression; 0-62 mph takes 3.9 seconds, 0-124 mph takes 10.9 seconds and the Apollo’s top speed is 222 mph.
Designed and built by former Audi Sport boss Roland Gumpert’s company the Apollo is a racecar for the road. Many cars make this claim but the Gumpert Apollo really is a road legal racer. Function has taken priority over form, the Apollo is designed to perform rather than parade. The extreme aerodynamic detailing of this 2 seat, mid engined sports car means that as it approaches top speed it generates more downforce than the car itself weighs, both impressive
There are very few creature comforts in the Gumpert Apollo, the sits are floor mounted and offer no adjustment (the pedals and steering wheel adjust) and those that there are come directly from an Audi parts bin. Switch gear, ventilation, dials other items are all from Ingolstadt though the carbon panels and alcantara padding most certainly isn’t, nor are the 4 point harnesses which offer added security compared to normal lap-and-diagonal seat belts. In car entertainment is limited to the steering wheel and pedals, they will provide more entertainment than any radio, CD or DVD player ever could!
Another Audi influence is the engine, normally found in the A8 the 4.2 litre V8 produces far more power than the standard 335PS of an A8. A couple of KKK turbo chargers help give the Gumpert Apollo the extra 325PS it produces and they keep power climbing high into the rev range. By using a six speed sequential gearbox the Apollo always has an ample supply of power and torque available for those lucky enough to drive it. Handling is always going to be at a premium for this type of car and the Gumpert Apollo uses true race bred technology in its suspension; fully independent, double wishbones from and rear with pushrod operated dampers.
The Gumpert Apollo is impressively powerful and undoubtedly very fast. It will also lap race circuits at exceptional speeds offer a very rewarding and ultimately thrilling drive. On the public road, in the wet or in the hands of a driver with more money than ability the Gumpert Apollo will not be a pleasant experience.
When a car is designed and focused so much on ultimate performance, as the Apollo undoubtedly is, then it looses vast amounts of practicality and almost becomes a road car white elephant; tailored to and from venues where it came be driven to its maximum capabilities and where it will definitely excel. Getting to and from those venues in a Gumpert Apollo would be too much of an unpleasant experience for all but the most dedicated…
The lucky 39 Gumpert customers who will receive their £228,000 cars in 2008 will be driving an automotive masterpiece. The fact that everyday driving is a chore should take nothing away from the Gumpert Apollo, it is a masterful and exceptionally capable super car. Currently it is the closest thing to a thorough bred racecar on the roads of Europe and I can’t see any manufacturers taking that title away from Roland Gumpert and his dedicated team of employees any time soon.

BMW Sauber F1.08.

BMW Sauber {link} launched their latest Formula 1 challenger, the F1.08, at BMW Welt with the sole aim of winning races in the coming season. Last year saw BMW clearly ahead of the mid-field teams in the F1 championship; the F1.08 is designed to move the German-Swiss team into the same league as McLaren Mercedes and Ferrari.
The BMW Sauber F1.08 is the most radical F1 car launched so far for the coming 2008 season. It has side wings that extend from just behind the fuel tank to the exhaust chimneys. Designed to clean airflow onto the rear wing these wings are also said to produce a quantifiable amount of downforce.
The whole design philosophy behind the F1.08 has been to make it as stable and neutral as possible, ensuring that without (the now banned) traction control the drivers have a car that reacts quickly to any driver input but one that is not balanced on a handling knife-edge. The car’s aerodynamic package has been devised to give constant handling even whilst cornering. The overall weight has been reduced to optimise ballast possibilities to aid handling and traction whilst both front and rear suspension have been re-designed for greater adjustability and driver feedback.
As with all other 2008 cars the BMW Sauber F1.08 sees the engine specification remain the same (development is frozen from last year) so there has been intense work on the peripherals to reduce weight, bulk and improve reliability. Unlike McLaren Mercedes the F1.08 gearbox is not all new though it is still under going test and development on the run up to the first race in March in Australia.
BMW Sauber are hoping that their F1.08 is sufficiently fast and driver friendly that their drivers, Nick Heidfeld {link} and Robert Kubica {link} can continually challenge the top two teams for victories. If it proves to be the case BMW Sauber will have performed the masterstroke of becoming a race winning team in three years.

Alpina B3.

The BMW M3 is the ultimate performance incarnation of the BMW 3 series but what if you want a slightly less extreme 3 series? The standard 335i isn’t all that impressive and leaves a large performance gap unfilled between it and the M3. That is unless you look at faithful BMW tuner Alpina’s B3. The B3 sits perfectly between the 335i and the M3, offering an ample 360PS (approximately 60 more than the 335i and 60 less than the M3).
Alpina {link} have been tuning 3 Series BMWs for nearly 30 years so the B3 is virtually guaranteed to be a good car. It doesn’t disappoint, the power delivery is smooth and effortless from the 3 litre twin turbo 6 cylinder. Slides can be induced if required but with all the electronic driver aides switched on the B3 remains very easy to drive even in the wet. Handling is crisp and precise, Alpina’s modifications not being overly detrimental to passenger comfort at all.
The Alpina B3 isn’t an outright performance car, despite sprinting to 62mph a tenth quicker than an M3. The subtle yet effective spoilers don’t draw attention, the refined leather interior is more comfortable than hardcore performance and that really sums the B3 up. It is a very quick 3 series BMW (available as saloon, coupe and cabriolet) that has excellent handling characteristics but that is not as, dare one say, power mad as the M3. It is though a far more interesting and enjoyable car than the standard BMW 335i and is a fine example of Alpina’s expert knowledge.