Hyundai Genesis Sedan and Coupe Storm SEMA

The Hyundai Genesis sedan, out now, and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe that will drop in the spring of 2009, is proof in pudding of Korean automaker Hyundai's rise to creating real, serious performance machines. The Genesis sedan and coupe are the culmination of a trend at Hyundai toward quality and driver engagement, without giving up the high value that has catapulted the brand from bottom-of-the-barrel economy to high on many prospective car buyers' lists.

To be taken seriously among the performance tuning community, Hyundai has touted the performance potential of the rear wheel drive Genesis Sedan and Genesis Coupe by commissioning several of the world's top tuning houses to upgrade the already more-than-adequate Genesis performance and styling to a new level.

The natural venue to showcase what can be done with this exciting brand new platform is the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show that hits Las Vegas each fall. Genesis Sedan tuners DUB, RIDES Magazine and RKSPORT showcased the luxury sport sedan's urban image, with tuning packages comparing it to say, the tuned Chrysler 300C or Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The Genesis Coupe is a very different animal, though they are based on the same platform. HKS, Street Concepts and Rhys Millen Racing were chosen as most appropriate to bring out the best custom car potential in Hyundai's exciting new pony car competitor. Particularly noteworthy is the Rhys Millen Racing Genesis Coupe, which has been outfitted with a full autocross-ready track package, demonstrating just how much performance the new 2.0 Turbo from Hyundai is good for.

After the Tiburon has hung on always just outside of the sport compact tuning limelight, will Hyundai finally hit mainstream in the performance tuning world with the Genesis Sedan and Coupe? Both very different cars have the goods to deliver, and it is now up to the market as to just how far Hyundai has come.

http://www.rsportscars.com/

Ferrari 599 GTB + Twin Superchargers = A Whole Lot of Car

Trying to improve upon a Ferrari 599 GTB is like trying to improve on the most delicious piece of chocolate cake. The 599, with its instant-classic styling and powerful V12, is among the finest stock automotive specimens in the world. Whether respected Italian tuning house Novitec Rosso was able to improve the Ferrari 599 GTB or not is a matter of personal taste, but they sure as hell made it faster.

Novitec Rosso 599 GTB - Supercharging One of the World's Sweetest Engines
Those who have witnessed a Ferrari 599 GTB in person, either flying by on the highway or flexing its powerful V12 engine at a stoplight, can attest to the sheer awe hearing such a beast of a powerplant inspires. But rated at "only" 622 horsepower, there are grand tourers that will embarass the prancing pony in a battle of rich guy stoplight testosterone.
The people at Novitec Rosso have added dual cogged belt-driven superchargers pushing 0.39 bars of boost, with the result of a huge Novitec Rosso Ferrari 599 GTB performance boost to a rated 808 horsepower and 607 lb-ft of $500 Pirelli-smoking torque. With the Ferrari F1-style paddle-shifted transmission, the Novitec Rosso Ferrari will smoke 0-60 mph in only 3.5 seconds.

Novitec Rosso/Ferrari Styling - Sharper Creases, A Matter of Taste
Some will look at the Novitec Rosso Ferrari 599 GTB and see the relatively subdued aerodynamic kit as a downgrade from one of the most perfectly styled supercars on the market today, the 599 GTB. The aero package from Novitec Rosso consists of standard supercar elements of a front lip spoiler, skirts and a rear splitter. Novitec Rosso promises increased aerodynamic efficiency over the standard 599 GTB, and if the performance numbers are to be believed they have achieved this goal and then some.
One of the more unique features Novitec managed to push through is a suspension that can raise by 40 mm during low-speed driving on pot holed public roads. Since this 599 sits almost against the road when lowered completely, this is a necessary skill should you actually wish to drive this thing on the street.

The Rosso engine treatment is available for the low, low price of 46,900 EU. Contact Novitec Rosso directly for complete package costs, but you'll need your own Ferrari. Read on for all the official details, direct from Novitec Rosso.

http://www.rsportscars.com/

Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M - Ferrari's Most Hardcore Convertible Ever

In Ferrari speak, the name 'Scuderia' is synonomous with the most hardcore streetable track supercars the Prancing Horse has to offer the public. Unveiled at the Formula 1 Constructor's World Championship, the Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M is the first convertible Ferrari to bear that name.

The Scuderia Spider is billed as the fastest convertible to come from Ferrari, ever. While the new Ferrari California will be released soon in an attempt to make Ferrari supercars accessible to more drivers, the expensive track-ready Scuderia Spider is for Ferrari customers who crave pure, unbridled speed.


Upgrades over the Ferrari F430 Spider on which the Scuderia Spider is based included 80 kg in weight savings due to the use of lightweight body trim materials and the stripping of anything unnecessary to peak performance, and a carbon-trimmed roll bar that broadcasts to all gawkers the Scuderia Spider is ready for the track.

Inside, lucky rich guys who manage to snag one of the 499 Scuderia Spider cars being produced will be treated to an austere but functional Ferrari interior complemented by a custom Ferrari iPod Touch that can be mounted and removed from the dash and is used to control media functions.

Expect the instant-classic Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M to command a significant premium over the F430 Spider when those 499 units are released to the power-hungry car buying public worldwide.

http://www.rsportscars.com/

The HAMANN Volcano - Pushing the Best Mercedes-Benz Ever Past Its Limits

German car tuner HAMANN, one of the most exciting luxury car tuning houses on the scene today, has taken on the enviable task of trying to make the very best Mercedes-Benz on the road even better. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, known as much for its stratospheric base price as its breathtaking styling and killer race-derived performance, has been given a total conversion in the form of the HAMANN Volcano, and we have never seen anything like this SLR.
HAMANN Volcano - SLR McLaren Roots, All-New Car Dynamics
The HAMANN Volcano shows an unmistakable resemblance to the standard SLR McLaren, but many of the body pieces are all new. The hood, front and rear air dams and rather ridiculous rear spoiler are made entirely from carbon fiber, and are special to the HAMANN Volcano.
Two custom HAMANN Volcano color schemes are available to further distinguish the Benz-derived supercar from a standard SLR McLaren. Available in either aluminum/chrome or white/matte finishes, the two-tone paint jobs will appeal to rich supercar collectors who like their toys to stand out on the road as much as possible. Multi-spoke 21 inch wheels, created by HAMANN for the Volcano, complete the fierce race car look.
SLR McLaren 722-Besting HAMANN Volcano Performance
Supercars costing many hundreds of thousands of dollars like the SLR McLaren 722 are engineered to be as fast and drivable as possible. The fact that an aftermarket tuner was able to take the chassis and best the performance of the most hallowed of Mercedes-Benz sports cars, the SLR McLaren 722, and tack on even more performance potential is quite an accomplishment.
The HAMANN Volcano is rated at a top speed of 338 km/h, or 216 mph, a full 11 km/h faster than the 722 Edition hard top SLR. Rated at a cool 700 horsepower, the HAMANN Volcano gets the spec boost from a retuned powertrain including "newly programmed control unit, especially developed high performance exhaust manifolds and an amended belt pulley combination for the serial compressors."
The aerodynamic makeover is as much responsible as power boosts for giving the HAMANN Volcano such a stratospheric top speed. The Volcano is available as a total conversion directly from HAMANN. Production is limited to... well, how much money do you have?

http://www.rsportscars.com/

2009 Dodge EV Concept - Full Electric, Lotus-Based Mini Viper

The Dodge EV electric sports car concept, based on the Lotus Europa, is exactly the car ailing Chrysler LLC needs. For a car like the EV concept to not see production would be admitting defeat for Chrysler/Dodge, which carries one of the worst MPG averages of any automaker.

Real Pure Electric Performance from Dodge

It's no secret that sports car drivers would never settle for something, for all its merits, as boring as a Toyota Prius. Automakers worldwide have hybrid or full electric sports car models in the works, trying to capture the hearts and car note payments of the future auto enthusiast on a green tip.

There's nothing particular outstanding about the Dodge EV when compared with other electric sports cars such as the Tesla Roadster, the RUF Concept A or the 2010 MINI E. The chassis comes courtesy of the Lotus Europa, that British automaker's larger sports car. Power comes from a 200 kW (268 equivalent bhp) electric motor putting power to the rear wheels.

An outstanding feature of such electric high performance ccars is the fact that all the torque is available from a standstill. The Dodge EV pushes a tire-crushing 480 lb-ft. of torque, primarily responsible for taking the 3000 pound sports car from 0-60 in what Dodge promises to be somewhere in the 4 second range.

High Performance, Zero Emissions, but is the Dodge EV Production-Bound?
Chrysler has the most uncertain future of any full-line automaker in the world right now. With GM in serious talks to buy Chrysler from Cerberus Financial and Daimler calling their current 19.9 percent stake in the American automaker a financial liability and nearly worthless, R&D budgets can't too high right now.

But GM, who has dumped its research and development budget into the dual-mode hybrid Volt powertrain and E85 Ethanol Flex Fuel green cars, could potentially have the chips to bring the Dodge EV to production, or to use the technology in anything from a Cruize to a Camaro.
Something called the General Motors EV brings to mind another electric car that has not actually given the company a good name. Still, times are changing, and full electric sports cars will be in greater demand than ever before.

http://www.rsportscars.com/

The AC Schnitzer X6 Falcon - Powerful Diesel Engines, Much-Improved Styling

The BMW X6 has received mixed reception since its debut last year. Mechanically essentially the same as the much-more-useful X5, the 2009 X6 trades interior and cargo space for... what could be called... styling.

Legendary German BMW tuning house AC Schnitzer has largely succeeded in making the best of the BMW X6's rather strange design language with the 2009 AC Schnitzer X6 Falcon. But X6 upgrades don't stop at the aerodynamics and styling level. Choosing to tackle the X6 diesel variants, AC Schnitzer has given the X6 Falcon real usable everyday power and an aero and styling kit we really like.




A wide-body kit, especially prevalent in the rear, envelopes AC Schnitzer Type V11 22 inch wheels that look perfectly at home on the X6 Falcon. A black-and-gold two tone paint job on the promotional model would make Bruce Wayne jealous, and further accentuates the lines of the X6 Falcon's aero kit.


AC Schnitzer leaves no stone unturned when giving the BMW X6 the Falcon treatment, promising better grip and sharper cornering from a heavily-modified suspension. The Falcon interior gets signature AC Schnitzer two-tone leather as well.

BMW X6 performance parts can be purchased from AC Schnitzer separately, or the Falcon will be available as a total conversion soon. Contact AC Schnitzer for pricing information.

http://www.rsportscars.com/

Most Expensive Cars - Bugatti Veyron $ 1,700,000

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a proven top speed of over 400 km/h (407 km/h or 253 mph). It reached full production in September 2005. The car is built by Volkswagen AG subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS and is sold under the legendary Bugatti marque. It is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm. The Veyron features a W16 engine-16 cylinders in 4 banks of 4 cylinders.

http://www.fastspeedcars.com/

Ferrari Enzo $ 1,000,000

The Enzo Ferrari, sometimes referred to as the the Ferrari Enzo and also F60 is a 12-cylinder Ferrari supercar named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. It was built in 2003 using Formula One technology, such as a carbon-fiber body, F1-style sequential shift transmission, and carbon-ceramic brake discs. Also used are technologies not allowed in F1 such as active aerodynamics. After a maximum downforce of 1709 pounds (775 kg) is reached at 186 mph (301 km/h) the rear spoiler is actuated by computer to maintain that downforce.

http://www.fastspeedcars.com/

Pagani Zonda C12 $ 741,000

The Zonda C12 F debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. It is the most extensive reengineering of the Pagani car yet, though it shares much with its predecessors including the 7.3 L V12. Power is increased to 602 PS (443 kW/594 hp) with a special clubsport model producing 650 PS (478 kW/641 hp). The company promises a 3.2 second sprint to 60 mph (97 km/h, a top speed over 374 km/h (225 mph) and it will be the queen in braking from 300 km/h to 0 (186 mph to 0). The Zonda F clubsport has a power to weight ratio of 521 bhp/ton (384 W/kg) . Compare, for example, the Enzo Ferrari which has a power to weight ratio of 483 bhp/ton (356 W/kg).

http://www.fastspeedcars.com/

Porsche Carrera GT $ 484,000

The Porsche Carrera GT is a supercar, manufactured by Porsche of Germany. The Carrera GT is powered by an all-new 5.7 litre V10 engine producing 612 SAE horsepower (450 kW). Porsche claims it will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62.5 mph) in 3.9 seconds and has a maximum speed of 330 km/h (206 mph), although road tests indicated that in actuality the car could accelerate from 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds and to 0-100 in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 335-340km/h (209-212.5mph).

http://www.fastspeedcars.com/

Mercedes SLR McLaren $ 455,500

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a sports car and supercar automobile co-developed by DaimlerChrysler and McLaren Cars. It is assembled at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. Most people presume "SLR" to stand for "Sportlich, Leicht, Rennsport" (German for "Sport; Light; Racing"). The car's base price is £300,000 or $455,500. The SLR has a supercharged 5.5 (5439cc) litre dry sumped 90 degree V8. It produces 466.8 kW at 6500rpm (626 hp) and 780 N·m (575 ft·lbf) torque at 3250 - 5000 rpm.

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Maybatch 62 $ 385,250

The Maybach 57 and 62 were the first automobile models of the Maybach brand since the brand's revival by DaimlerChrysler. They are derived from the Mercedes-Benz Maybach concept car presented at the 1997 Tokyo Motorshow. The engine is a Mercedes-sourced 5.5-liter twin-turbo V12, generating 550 hp.

http://www.fastspeedcars.com/