Paris Show: Citroën Unleashes DS3 WRC Contender

Joining the world premieres of the MINI Countryman WRC and Ford Fiesta RS WRC at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, is Citroën's all-new contender for the 2011 World Rally Championship, the DS3 WRC in full racing livery.

The French firm's replacement for the multi-championship winning C4 WRC fully complies with the new FIA regulations with power coming from a 300hp 1.6-litre direct-injection turbocharged engine. The car also gets a four-wheel-drive system that incorporates a six-gear sequential gearbox and front and rear mechanical differentials.

"The DS3 WRC is designed to limit the budgets required to compete in the WRC", said Citroën in a statement. "The new FIA rules ban costly materials such as titanium and carbon-fibre, and standardise certain parts like the turbocharger and limit the changes that can be made to the vehicle during its lifetime. Rally nevertheless remains a great testing ground for driving new advances in vehicle technology."

The new DS3 WRC will make racing debut at the Rally Sweden in February 2011. The French firm has already confirmed two teams of the next racing season, Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena and Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia.

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BMW Confirms Return to DTM from 2012 with M3 after 18 Years Hiatus

BMW has officially confirmed its return to the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) starting from 2012, almost two decades since its departure from the series in 1994. The Munich-based marque said it took the decision after the positive nature of discussions in recent months with the DTM umbrella organization ITR e.V. and the other manufacturers represented in the touring car series on issues regarding the future technical regulations, and the long-term internationalization of the championship.

The company said it plans to make its racing comeback to the series with the M3 model as the firm's basic DTM vehicle.

Dr Klaus Draeger, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG with responsibility for development, says: "The return of BMW to the DTM is a fundamental part of the restructuring of our motorsport activities. With its increased commitment to production car racing, BMW is returning to its roots. The race track is the perfect place to demonstrate the impressive sporting characteristics of our vehicles against our core competitors in a high-powered environment. The DTM is the ideal stage on which to do this."

BMW has won the touring car series twice in the past with Eric van de Poele (BE) and Roberto Ravaglia (IT) who celebrated two DTM titles with the original E30 M3 back in 1987 and 1989, while before that, Volker Strycek (DE) won the DTM premiere in 1984 in the 635 CSi.

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2009 Lumma CLR 730 RS based on the BMW M5 E60 One of the Fastest Sports Car Limousine worldwide.2

2009 Lumma CLR 730 RS

2009 Lumma CLR 730 RS, One of the fastest limousine worldwide, With a unique combination of High Tech engineering and an innovative, solely for maximum power constructed design, LUMMA Design introduces, in cooperation with G-Power. Do you need a true-bred sports car for a spectacular appearance? By no means! With this unique sports limousine CLR 730 RS LUMMA Design, basic vehicle BMW M5 E60, benches many sport cars. Ten cylinders, bi compressor engine, 730 hp and 700 Nm. Is there any room for improvement? Definitely not! The new LCR 730 RS from LUMMA Design is a commitment to racing. But also concerning style and luxury the CLR 730 RS goes strong.

2009 Lumma CLR 730 RS

Aerodynamics is of elementary importance to get a more then 360 km/h maximum speed. The body of the BMW M5 is improved with ultra light but extremely compact carbon components. The LUMMA Bodykit "CLR 730 RS" consist of a hood, a trunk lid with integrated tearing edge, mirror caps, door handles, entrance strips and fenders - all made of carbon.
Extra light and forged wheels were produced for the ultra broad track. On the front axle are LUMMA Racing rims in 10x21" with tires size 255/30-21, on the rear axle 12Jx21 with tires from Michelin size 295/25-21. The wheelwork is three piece crafted, the rim star is forged, and dull black anodized and has stainless steel outer rims.

2009 Lumma CLR 730 RS

The combination of lightweight, enormous engine power and innovative aerodynamics the LUMMA CLR 730 RS from Winterlingen achieves acceleration times which were so far only subject to true race cars. The 730 hp V10 bi-compressor engine obstructed from G-power is the most powerful engine that has ever been obstructed into a road-legal BMW. Off the top off one's head the car catapults itself within 4.2 seconds up to speed 100. After 10 seconds the sport limousine has already doubled the speed. After 29.5 seconds the car achieves 300 km/h. Top speed is at 367,4 km/h. This power explosion is traced back to the core of the G-Power compressor system, the ASA radial compressor. Also used is a LUMMA sport exhaust system with 100 cells racing catalysts and 105 mm end pipes made of stainless steel and engraved LUMMA logo.

2009 Lumma CLR 730 RS

The LUMMA Bodykit “CLR 730 RS” consist of a hood, a trunk lid with integrated tearing edge, mirror caps, door handles, entrance strips and fenders – all made of carbon. The Lumma CLR 730 RS sport suspension is multiple adjustable on both axles in bound and rebound and lowering the car up to 45 mm. On the front axle are LUMMA Racing rims in 10×21″ with tires size 255/30-21, on the rear axle 12Jx21 with tires from Michelin size 295/25-21.

Shelby GT500KR Ford Mustang Sports Car (King of the Road)

Shelby GT500KR Ford Mustang Sports Car

King of the Road The 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR is a limited edition performance model limited to just 1000 units. The launch of the GT500KR at the 2007 New York International Auto Show was designed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the original 1968 Shelby GT500KR.
The bulging vented hood, styled after the original, is secured by a pair of stainless steel, twist-down hood pins. The composite front valance houses a pair of chrome-trimmed, functional brake ducts to cool the large 14-inch, vented Brembo front brakes.
The Ford SVT-engineered 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 under the GT500KR's hood is treated to a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack that boosts horsepower to an estimated 540 and torque to 510 ft-lbs, thanks to revised ignition and throttle calibration and a cold air intake system that replaces the stock unit.

Shelby GT500KR Ford Mustang Sports Car

Power is delivered to the rear wheels of the GT500KR through a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission and 3.73:1 rear axle ratio, upgraded from the standard GT500's 3.31:1. Gear selection is courtesy of an all-new Ford Racing short-throw shifter making its debut on the KR. Topped with a white ball, the new shifter is 25 percent shorter than the unit on the GT500 providing for crisper, sharper shifts.
Ford SVT, Ford Racing and Team Shelby worked together to develop the GT500KR's suspension tuning. Based on initial work by Ford Racing and the team at Shelby, often at Shelby's own facility on the grounds of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ford SVT chassis engineers will apply fine tuning techniques to prepare it for the streets. The Shelby GT500KR will feature unique spring rates, dampers, stabilizer bars, and strut tower brace, all designed specifically for the KR, to deliver the precision handling package.

2009 Sport Car Renault Megane Trophy

The 2009 Megane Trophy will go on sale at the end of the year in the form of kit after the completion of its development programme which will enable existing cars to be upgraded.
The 2009 Renault Megane Trophy is based on the new Megane Coupe which is powered by the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s mid-rear 3.5-liter V6 24V engine that produces 360 hp.
The front and rear light units and windscreen are from the Megane Coupe road car while flowing lines of the bodywork was designed from digital simulation technology to improve the aerodynamic.
The Renault Megane Trophy features front splitter which channel air flow to the extractors and rear diffuser and wing that generated downforce. Downforce has improved by 20 % with the refinements to the set-up and drag was reduced by 15 % , which together, represent a gain of almost 40% in terms of the new car’s aerodynamic performance over the previous generation vehicle.

Apart from that, the Megane Trophy also features butterfly doors reminiscent of the world of GT and sports-prototype racing. The V6 3.5 24V engine is mated to a semi-automatic gearbox with the same mechanical features as the current car, including an FIA-homologated sports-prototype tubular chassis, steering wheel-mounted paddle shift, double wishbone suspension with adjustable dampers, 18-inch wheels and Michelin tires.
The power of the standard 330 hp engine was boosted to 360 hp with the help from the new inlet manifold. Rebuild is still at every 5,500 km for the car’s reliability. According to Renault, with the new aerodynamic gains, the extra power from the engine will enable the 2009 Renault Megane Trophy to lap in similar times to those of a Porsche GT3.

2009 Sport Car Audi R8 GT3

Audi Sport will offer a racing sports car specifically developed for customer use in the form of the powerful 500 hp plus GT3 version of the Audi R8 which will be available from autumn 2009. The logistics and factory space required for the AUDI AG customer programme will be created over the next few months in Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm and Györ.
The Audi R8 conforms to the production-based GT3 regulations allowing the car to be fielded in numerous national and international race series.
Because the GT3 regulations prohibit the use of four-wheel drive the Audi R8 comes with the typical GT rear-wheel drive. The power is transmitted via a newly developed six-speed sequential sports gearbox. The suspension uses almost exclusively components from the production line. A comprehensive list of safety equipment guarantees the highest-level of passive safety. A modified front end and a large rear-wing generate the required downforce for the race track.
The Audi R8, which bears the project name “R16” within Audi Sport, was developed under the direction of Audi Sport. Mid August, the first prototype successfully completed a roll-out in the hands of Audi factory driver Frank Biela.