Latest news with #turbo
Auto Car
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Ready for a new lap time war? Porsche and AMG are readying their next track weapons
German pair's new turbo-powered track weapons are set to fight it out for the Nürburgring crown Close News Porsche and Mercedes-AMG are going to battle it out for the Nürburgring crown with a pair of track-honed, turbo-powered sports cars both created with one thing in mind: to claim lap records. From Stuttgart comes the third iteration of the GT2 RS, the model that has always marked the outer edge of the 911's performance capabilities – and insiders have told Autocar that the new one looks like it will raise the bar once again. Affalterbach's fighter comes in the form of a successor to the GT Black Series of 2022. Based on the current AMG GT that was launched in 2023, the newest variant will be previewed by the Concept AMG GT Track Sport that is expected to be revealed at September's Munich motor show. PORSCHE TO PUSH 911 EVEN FURTHER The most extreme road-going Porsche 911 yet is edging closer to production. Due to be unveiled this year before production starts in 2026, this is the third iteration of the nameplate since the first GT2 RS arrived in 2010. Prototypes feature aggressive new bodywork, including a drastically widened rear wing that gives it a race car-like stance that is more dramatic than that of earlier incarnations. Power for the GT2 RS will come from a new hybrid drivetrain derived from Porsche's Le Mans cars. Compared with the 691bhp Mk2 version, this will give the new GT2 RS a performance lift that will be vital for setting a lap record on the Nordschleife. The drivetrain will be centred around the 3.6-litre flat-six engine of the GTS T-Hybrid, the most powerful 911 on sale today, but it will be pushed further. In that car, the engine is supplemented by a single electronic turbo and a gearbox-mounted motor to deliver 534bhp and 450lb ft. The GT2 RS will add a second electronic turbo and a more powerful electric motor to target a combined output of at least 750bhp. One insider has suggested to Autocar that more than 800bhp is possible. Power will be sent exclusively to the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Torque is expected to exceed comfortably the 590lb ft of today's 911 Turbo S. Given the new architecture, it will be heavier than the previous 1470kg GT2 RS. Sources suggest a gain of around 60kg is likely, even with extensive use of carbonfibre, a reduction in sound insulation, the fitment of Perspex windows and the use of other lightweight trim elements. The aerodynamic package is set to be even more dramatic than that of today's 911 GT3 RS. At the centre of that is a more aggressive active rear wing that will build on the naturally aspirated sibling's 860kg of downforce at 177mph. It will also offer DRS-style rear wing stalling. To increase downforce further, the new GT2 RS will also sport a lower front diffuser and a host of air channels, the latter for improved stability at high speeds and inspired by Porsche's racing efforts. The ball-jointed suspension will build on the current GT3 RS's adjustable architecture and is likely to retain the eight-way adjustability of bump, rebound, diff lock and traction settings. Expect reworked calibration, broader track widths, stiffer anti-roll bars and a recalibrated rear-wheel steering system. Braking will be via carbon-ceramic discs as standard. While we've yet to see the cabin of the new GT2 RS, it will likely shift to the digital cockpit introduced in other newly facelifted 911 models, with options for roll cages, racing harnesses and CFRP-backed bucket seats. Porsche is also expected to continue to offer the Weissach package as part of its track-focused configuration options. Historically, the GT2 RS has served as the final evolution of each of 911's model generations and the pinnacle of the nameplate's performance. To hit the feats required by Porsche, the new GT2 RS will need to beat the Mercedes-AMG One's 6min 29.09sec Nordschleife record. That means shaving almost 10 seconds off the previous GT2 RS's best time. That's a massive leap in performance, requiring not only substantial gains in power and traction but also aerodynamics and chassis refinement. It also underscores just how serious Porsche's engineers are about extracting the full potential out of its longest-running production model. While pricing has yet to be confirmed, the new 911 GT2 RS is expected to exceed the £200,000 base of its predecessor. Porsche has already committed to continuing 'low-volume, high-emotion' models as part of the 911 line-up, with production set to be very limited. Before it arrives, however, Porsche plans to roll out hybrid versions of the 911 Turbo and Turbo S, which will serve as the technical forerunners for the 911 GT2 RS. BLACK SERIES TO RETURN? Up against the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS will be Mercedes-AMG's own track-honed lap-time chaser, which will be powered by a potent turbocharged V8. The new challenger will be previewed by the Concept AMG GT Track Sport. Also likely to be revealed at the Munich motor show in September, the concept is based on the second-generation AMG GT coupé that was launched in 2023. In its brief announcement, AMG didn't provide any technical details of the new concept but confirmed it previewed an 'expansion of the GT series' that would be powered by a V8. The production version of the concept will serve as the new flagship GT model and is likely to be seen as the successor to the AMG GT Black Series of 2022. AMG has said the new car will be designed to achieve lap records. The 2022 GT Black Series produced 730bhp from a highly modified version of AMG's twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8. That car's engine is the most powerful series-production V8 the German firm has made, but the showroom version of the new concept is expected to push beyond that output with its own V8. The most powerful variant of the second-generation GT range at present is the 603bhp track-focused Pro. The preview images of the new concept reveal its track-bred pedigree. It has a huge, GT3 racing-inspired rear wing, a chunky front diffuser and wide front and rear tracks. The news that it will be powered by a V8 also confirms AMG isn't yet done with combustion power, despite work being well under way on the creation of the first electric AMG GT, due for launch in 2027 and previewed by the recent 1341bhp Concept GT. Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Next Prev In partnership with
Car and Driver
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
View Photos of the 2026 Audi Q3
We are still waiting for official powertrain details for the U.S. market, but Audi confirmed that the Q3 we're getting will come exclusively with a 2.0-liter turbo four.
Car and Driver
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
View Exterior Photos of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner Limited
Although more powerful hybrid models are available, our 4Runner had the base turbo 2.4-liter four, making 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque.
Top Gear
04-06-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Meet the Mannic Beattie: a 600bhp jet-engined hillclimb hero built in a shed
Interview This hillclimb specialist is a record-breaker with a unique turbo. Here's how owner Nic Mann built it in his garage Skip 8 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Nic Mann hands me a turbine blade. This, he says with a gleam in his eye, was originally part of the Rolls-Royce Olympus 593 turbojet that powered Concorde. Nic worked on that fearsome engine during his time at the aerospace giant in the 1970s, and remains transfixed by turbines. So much so that he's used one to circumvent the lag in his hillclimb special, the Mannic Beattie. Except that 'special' doesn't even get close to describing this thing. Nic is supremely modest but his creation is close in spirit and execution to an F1 car. The kicker is, he designed, engineered and built it in his Berkshire garage for about £20k. Advertisement - Page continues below A beloved statesman of the hillclimb scene, Nic transformed his mother's Morris Minor in phases until it was running a turbocharged V8 with throttle modulated nitrous injection to the tune of about 550bhp. It was hooked up to a Jaguar XJ6 driveline and its torque outputs would regularly overwhelm the gearbox. Nic ran a 30.07s up Shelsley Walsh in the Moggie in 1986, only half a second slower than World Rally champion Hannu Mikkola in a works Audi Sport Quattro. Photography: Huckleberry Mountain You might like He sold the Morris in 1990 and used the funds to start the next project. Nic wanted to create a record breaker, and inspired by the Mallock U2 single seater, all the usual parameters came into play – go big on the mechanical grip while reducing the centre of gravity, optimise the weight distribution, minimise the effects of lateral weight transfer. It would be all-wheel drive, have a flat floor and huge wings. After which, Nic headed down a more idiosyncratic path. The engine is a four pot 1.7-litre Cosworth BDT (a staple of many a fast Ford, including the Group B RS200), canted over at 25° on the intake side to help the centre of gravity. That was good for about 400bhp, which meant Nic needed forced induction to make the numbers he wanted. And that meant lag, which he didn't want. Enter a compact gas turbine, originally used as an auxiliary power unit in helicopters. Advertisement - Page continues below Watch the car in action and you'll detect a distinctive whooshing sound as Nic prepares to launch himself up a hill. That's the turbine, spinning at 90,000rpm. It's started by compressed air using an external starter but only after the main engine has been fired up. An ingenious but complex solution, my head spins almost as fast as the turbine as Nic explains how it works. Basically, it runs separately from the ICE and delivers air to it at a constant pressure independent of the main engine speed. Ergo, zero lag, and an overall power output of 600bhp (give or take). The transmission is from the Ford Sierra XR4x4, a tidy setup that features epicyclic transfer gear and a viscous coupling. The front and rear diffs are from a Lotus Elan, the front suspension uprights a MkII VW Golf GTI, the rears from a Ralt single seater. Nic fabricated the chassis from CDS steel tubing, and laid up the composite panels on the front wings himself. Yep, that's homemade carbon fibre. The big aero parts are made of sheet aluminium, the sidepods of birch plywood. You'll detect a whooshing sound, that's the turbine spinning at 90,000rpm When Nic became acquainted with former BAR and Ferrari F1 aerodynamicist Willem Toet, himself a successful hillclimber, it helped finesse his instincts on downforce. He also verified his thinking using F1 grade computational fluid dynamics tools (thanks to Miqdad Ali). Which is how Nic's home brew racer ended up with a blown rear diffuser that helps drop the ride height by 40mm at 140mph, a high rake stance not dissimilar to the 2021 Red Bull RB16, and an aerodynamic centre of pressure that would get Adrian Newey's attention. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. At 100mph, it produces well over its own weight in downforce, Nic says, so somewhere in the region of 750kg. The car has also set and broken all sorts of records, and holds the Shelsley specials record with a time of 25.47 seconds. That the man is still chasing tenths at the age of 73 is just as impressive. 'But it's time to hand it over to someone else, which is one of the reasons I'm talking to you,' he says a little ruefully. 'If anyone gets in touch, let me know.' Top Gear is happy to help...
Top Gear
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 review: America's most powerful V8 production car ever Reviews 2025
Yep. Next question. I'm going to need more than that. Let's start with the engine, because it's ridiculous isn't it? Where Aston Martin, McLaren and Ferrari have had to hybridise to cross the mythical barrier into four figure power outputs, Corvette just took the Z06's 5.5-litre V8 and bolted on a pair of turbos. And yee-hah there you have it – 670bhp becomes 1,064bhp. 200bhp extra from each turbo. Mad world. Of course not. The engine is so different it now has an entirely new designation: LT7 rather than LT6. The compression ratio and rev limit has been dropped to aid torque, the conrod fractionally shorter to leave a bigger combustion chamber, the piston head dished out more. The crankshaft has been rebalanced, the heads are new, as is the entire intake and exhaust system. It is – and this is the easy thing to overlook when talking about American V8s – a genuinely exotic powerplant. That also happens to sport a pair of the largest turbos ever fitted to a production car. The 76mm monoscroll blowers are better for peak power and Corvette claims to have largely eliminated lag with valve timing to keep engine cylinder pressure high when you lift off. Another claim to fame: the most powerful production V8 ever made in America. God bless the US of A. Give me more engine facts! The turbos spin at up to 137,000rpm (that's 2,283 rotations per second ) and at that speed the turbo tips are travelling at 1.7 times the speed of sound. The impellers get to two-thirds of the belly temperature of the Space Shuttle on re-entry and so close are the turbos mounted to the exhaust manifold that the air going into them is still on fire. Flat out, the engine demands two gallons of fuel per minute. Expressed another way it downs a pint every 4.5 seconds. Cheers. Maximum torque stands at 828lb ft available anywhere from 3,000-6,000rpm. 0-60mph takes 2.3s, it's through the quarter mile in 9.6s at 150mph and maximum speed – as the boss himself discovered late last year – is 233mph. Correct, all that power and fury is fed through a pair of 345-width Michelin PS4S rear tyres. Or Cup 2Rs, if you spec the ZTK package. This brings grip: both mechanical (the almost-slick, yet still somehow road legal, tyres, plus stiffer springs and bespoke magnetic ride control) and aerodynamic (the whacking great rear wing is balanced with extra aero work at the front). Actual maximum downforce isn't particularly impressive given how massive that rear wing is – just 444kg at 186mph. A GT3 RS produces close to double that number. Look underneath, there's not much of a rear diffuser to pull the back end down. You have to choose your weapon. Want a fast lap and the most fearsome acceleration? Have the ZTK package. Want the 233mph max? You'll need the regular car without the draggy tail. You can also choose between hard top and convertible. The latter adds 45kg, but the former still has a lift-out roof panel. Every ZR1 can be open air, it's just a question of whether you're up for a bit of manual labour. You'd have thought so, but the all-aluminium ZR1 is commendably stiff. Corvette positions the ZR1 as being a little softer than the naturally aspirated Z06, less snatchy at the limit which, let's face it, is just as well when you've got this much power on tap.
