Porsche has announced that they will begin offering a Panamera Turbo Powerkit that increases engine output to 540 hp, 40 horses more than the standard 500 hp model. Other personalization upgrades include a Sport Design Package and the new 20-inch Panamera Sport wheels for the Panamera Turbo and the other Porsche V6 and V8 Panamera models.
Following up on the G-Power M5 Hurricane RS, with its tuned 750 hp engine powering it to a ‘world’s fastest sedan’ record of 367.4 kph earlier this year, G-Power has created a new version of their modified BMW M5 called the Hurricane RR, now capable of 372.1 kph.
Since my last report, much has happened with the “Z.” Besides getting a job in Abu Dhabi which called for multiple trips in the week to Abu Dhabi and back to Dubai, I had taken the car twice to Fujairah, became airborne with the car (almost becoming airborne myself!), and eventually selling it where it was shipped to Iran in June 2010. As a petrolhead, it was a fun experience to keep it always waxed up, hearing the deep exhaust and induction noise and most of all, driving with the roof down. An added minor benefit of having blue xenon lights is that traffic seems to get out of one’s way much faster.
A “foreign” Swedish driver who was caught speeding at 290 kph in the nearby country of Switzerland could be given a world-record speeding fine of SFr 1,080 million, equivalent to US$ 1 million.
The all-new 2010 Jaguar XJ full-size luxury sedan is now quietly available in UAE, Saudi Arabian, Qatari and other GCC showrooms. The XJ will come here with three engine choices and only in long-wheelbase form.
For better or worse, the new 2011 Renault Fluence is now officially available for sale in the GCC, having been advertised in UAE newspapers for weeks now.
The U.S. NHTSA safety agency has a recall for the 2002-2010 Mercedes-Benz G-Class for what seems to be a non-issue, although as many as 3,522 G-Wagens are being called in for this in the United States.
Rolls-Royce has a customisation option that lets owners change every inch of their car when it comes to colours and materials, before they take delivery of their personalised car. The Rolls-Royce Bespoke Programme can take six months or more to complete their handiwork, and apparently, a lot of customers in the UAE do not want to wait that long. Abu Dhabi is one of the firm’s best dealerships in terms of sales So pre-customised Rolls-Royce models are shipped in, done up in various tasteful themes, to satisfy customers who want instant gratification.
Volkswagen keeps making it harder for their fanboys to defend their favourite carmaker. In the latest line of issues inflicting VW models as they drop out of warranty, the previous-generation Passat is under investigation in the U.S. over reports of engine fires. And for some reason, everybody disses Toyota for floor-mat recalls instead?
With the first info on the facelifted 2011 Land Rover LR2, also known as Freelander elsewhere, Land Rover is jumping full force into the crossover market. For the 2011 LR2 will be the second Land Rover ever to be offered in a front-wheel-drive version. The first one was, of course, the 2011 Range Rover Evoque.