Known as one of the most demanding races in the world, the Nurburgring 24 is the perfect place to test both man and machine, or if your Volkswagen, make a name for your latest sports coupe. Last Thursday, May 22nd, Volkswagen introduced the Scirocco GT24 at the legendary GTI Meet at Worther Lake. As Chairman for Development Dr. Ulric Hackenberg put it, “This car doesn’t need to be driven to look fast.”

The power for this little beast comes from a 2-liter turbocharged four cylinder engine putting out 321 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. Volkswagen decided to put there trademark six-speed DSG transmission in the GT24 as well as deciding to leave it front wheel drive. The GT24 is also a little bigger then the production Scirocco measuring 227mm longer 61mm wider and sitting 75mm lower.

Though this car was not as powerful as many of the other competitors at the race, it did have quite a few big names behind the wheel. The Volkswagen works team managed to get a hold of legendary drives such as Carlos Sainz, two-times rally world champion, and Hans-Joachim Stuck. These duo helped pilot two of the three Scirocco to a 1-2 finish in there class as well as an 11th place and 14th place overall finish. The third Scirocco was piloted by Dr. Hackenberg and his team, coming in 5th in class and 32nd overall.

“We gave the Volkswagen Scirocco a really fantastic debut with the class victory,” said Stuck after the race. “It was an extraordinary experience shared with extraordinary team-mates.” Hopefully after the Sciroccos great success at the race, Volkswagen of America will guarantee bringing the car to America, but there are no promises.

© omz for Modded Autos, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Carlos Sainz, Dr. Ulric Hackenberg, GT24, GTI Meet, Hans-Joachim Stuck, May 22nd, Nurburgring, Scirocco, Volkswagen, Worther Lake.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

“The most radically different Subaru World Rally Car in 15 years!” That’s how Subaru World Rally Team principal David Richards would describe the new WRC2008, and we couldn’t agree less. Just the other day Subaru decided that it was time to unveil the new WRC2008, and even better, enter it in next weeks Acropolis Rally in Greece. The event will be marked by an official launch on the evening of Wednesday, May 28th.

The new car is based on the latest road going Subaru Impreza which was introduced in June 2007. The WRC2008 will also be sporting a new livery created around the Subaru corporate identity while preserving the iconic blue that has been familiar to rally fans world wide. The rally Impreza will retain the horizontally-opposed turbocharged engine combined with the Symmetric All Wheel Drive system.

“Just as the latest Impreza road car represents a new era for Subaru so the WRC2008 represents a new era for all of us at the Subaru World Rally Team” said David Richards. “We are confident that introducing the car in Greece will enable the team to be highly competitive in the second half of the season and give Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson the best opportunity to win in 2008.”

Keep an eye out for specifications on the WRC2008, Subaru plans on releasing them on the 28th in conjunction with there official unveiling. Trust me, a poster of this new machine will find a home on my wall, right between the S402 and the R8.

WRC2008 Concept at Frankfurt Motor Show in September wearing old livery.

© omz for Modded Autos, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Acropolis Rally, Chris Atkinson, David Richards, Greece, Impreza, Petter Solberg, Rally, Subaru, WRC, WRC2008

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

After being nothing more than a concept for nearly three years, Chrysler executives may have finally come to their senses, realizing that building the Chrysler Firepower may not be such a good idea afterall. The decision of actually producing this half-luxury, half-supercar has been thrown around more than a Super Bowl game ball, but due to Chrysler’s current financial standing it appears that the Firepower is nothing to hold your breath for.

Slated for production this year, the Firepower was built on a Dodge Viper chassis while boasting a 425hp 6.1L Hemi engine derived from the Chrysler 300C Hemi. This car would have been no slouch, as 0-60mph times were expected to be just under 4.5 seconds. With Aston Martin-esque body lines, It is clear that Chrysler implemented designs within the Firepower that have been proven time and time again not only for aesthetically pleasing purposes, but also race inspired aerodynamics.

The stylish interior would have been a huge hit, as it has both luxury and sport car characteristics. While chatting in the parking lot with a coworker after an executive business meeting, or taking hot laps at a road track, the interior would have surely been as much of a conversation piece as the car itself.

Unfortunately, owning or driving a Chrysler Firepower will be a dream that will never come true for most people, as the closest you will get to sitting behind the wheel of this car is on Xbox 360, as the Firepower is featured on a host of video games such as Project Gotham Racing 3 and Test Drive: Unlimited

© BWAL09 for Modded Autos, 2008. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chrysler, concept, Firepower

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh