CEC announces Lexus LFA customization program

Los Angeles-based tuner CEC has announced a new partnership with Lexus North America to create a tuning program for the Lexus LFA. Limited to just three vehicles, these unique supercars will feature a variety of enhancements created specifically for each customer. “We believe these three CEC Tuner Edition LFAs will be the most expensive and rarest of all the LFA supercars that Lexus will manufacturer and sell worldwide,” said Sherif Yassa, Vice President of CEC.

Thanks to the technical innovations that went into building the LFA, the CEC upgrades will mostly be limited to aesthetics. “We looked at the LFA and what Lexus engineers had done, and knew it would be crazy to try and improve it from a performance or engineering standpoint,” said Claus Ettensberger, founder of CEC. Even so, the tuner has managed to squeeze an extra 10 horsepower from the 4.8-liter V10 and trimmed shift times to .15 of a second.

While we don’t have any photos of the trio of custom LFA supercars quite yet, CEC did have an LFA on display featuring their lightweight forged wheels. You can see high-res photos of the car in the gallery below.

Porsche looking to LeMans, not F1

Sorry Formula One fans, it looks like Porsche won’t be throwing its hat into your ring anytime soon. Instead, the German manufacturer is more likely to back a factory team at Le Mans, at least according to ESPN. CEO Matthias Mueller said that while F1 has some attractive aspects, it’s also very expensive. Throw in the fact that success is a good sight less predictable than in other racing theaters and you can begin to understand why Porsche is a little skittish about diving into the deep end of the motorsports pool.

Instead, Mueller says that there’s a stronger possibility that we could see Porsche return to Le Mans. If you’re thinking that Audi just might have a thing or two to say about having to go fender-to-fender with its corporate cousin, you’re probably right. Still, the minds at Porsche seem to think that having two teams parented by Volkswagen gunning for the checkered flag is better than just one. For now, this is all just speculation. Mueller said that he wants all Volkwagen Group companies to come together to discuss a cohesive motorsports plan in the near future.

Solar Powered Car is Coming

Solar powered cars have been in existence since the mid of the 19th century. They have been increasing in number year by year and organizations tend to hold solar powered car racing each year and thousands of people invest their money and bet on their solar powered cars. The mechanism of these cars is very simple. The batteries installed in these light bodied cars charge themselves from the solar energy. Then this energy is converted by them into electrical energy thus it helps the motor run.

Now this prospect is very simple or more likely it sounds very simple and trouble free. The sun shines everyday and there doesn’t seem to be any such problem with these cars. But the fact is that the amount of energy stored at a time by these cars enables them to drive at a very slow pace. The road has to be leveled and not steep because that requires even more energy. It will need more powerful batteries and more storage capacity.

Solar Powered Car is Coming

Solar powered cars have been in existence since the mid of the 19th century. They have been increasing in number year by year and organizations tend to hold solar powered car racing each year and thousands of people invest their money and bet on their solar powered cars. The mechanism of these cars is very simple. The batteries installed in these light bodied cars charge themselves from the solar energy. Then this energy is converted by them into electrical energy thus it helps the motor run.

Now this prospect is very simple or more likely it sounds very simple and trouble free. The sun shines everyday and there doesn’t seem to be any such problem with these cars. But the fact is that the amount of energy stored at a time by these cars enables them to drive at a very slow pace. The road has to be leveled and not steep because that requires even more energy. It will need more powerful batteries and more storage capacity.

2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 dyno’d – is the 392 underrated?

Hemi. The mere mention of the word is enough to strike fear into the hearts of lesser powerplants… or at least images of a pair of scrubby-looking bottom-feeders that really love themselves some Ram Trucks. In any case, we’re keenly interested in the latest Hemi engine from the Dodge Boys, in this case displacing a heady 392 (or so) cubic inches and placed gently inside the engine bay of the 2011 Challenger SRT8.

Not only is this new Hemi larger than the already oversized version it replaces, it’s also considerably more potent. The Pentastar says that its new 392 kicks out 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque – substantial improvements over the outgoing SRT8′s 425 hp/420 lb-ft. But those are factory ratings, and we all know those don’t necessarily match what’s actually under the hood of production models.

Thankfully, the crew over at Inside Line managed to score enough time with a 2011 Challenger SRT8 to strap it down to a proper dyno. And the results? How about 452 horses at 6200 RPM and 443 lb-ft at 4400? Yep, that’ll do nicely, and it means that Dodge may actually be underrating its potent performer just a tad. Oh, and for what it’s worth, IL managed to record 370 horses and 343 lb-ft from its 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS on the same exact dyno. Chevy’s answer ought to be coming in the form of a Z28 with over 500 supercharged ponies… Stay tuned, the horsepower wars are clearly still in full swing.

2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 dyno’d – is the 392 underrated?

Hemi. The mere mention of the word is enough to strike fear into the hearts of lesser powerplants… or at least images of a pair of scrubby-looking bottom-feeders that really love themselves some Ram Trucks. In any case, we’re keenly interested in the latest Hemi engine from the Dodge Boys, in this case displacing a heady 392 (or so) cubic inches and placed gently inside the engine bay of the 2011 Challenger SRT8.

Not only is this new Hemi larger than the already oversized version it replaces, it’s also considerably more potent. The Pentastar says that its new 392 kicks out 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque – substantial improvements over the outgoing SRT8′s 425 hp/420 lb-ft. But those are factory ratings, and we all know those don’t necessarily match what’s actually under the hood of production models.

Thankfully, the crew over at Inside Line managed to score enough time with a 2011 Challenger SRT8 to strap it down to a proper dyno. And the results? How about 452 horses at 6200 RPM and 443 lb-ft at 4400? Yep, that’ll do nicely, and it means that Dodge may actually be underrating its potent performer just a tad. Oh, and for what it’s worth, IL managed to record 370 horses and 343 lb-ft from its 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS on the same exact dyno. Chevy’s answer ought to be coming in the form of a Z28 with over 500 supercharged ponies… Stay tuned, the horsepower wars are clearly still in full swing.

Popular Mechanics doles out its Top 10 Cars of 2011

As 2010 draws to a close, it’s time for different publications to start dishing out the numerous “car of the year” awards that highlight the best and brightest offerings for each new model year. The folks at Popular Mechanics have just released their Top 10 Cars for 2011, with American manufacturers (Ford, specifically) taking away the vast majority of top honors. Add General Motors and Chrysler to the mix, and the Big Three account for six of the ten vehicles on Popular Mechanics‘ list.

Ford’s Mustang, Fiesta and F-250 Super Duty were all recognized as class-leaders for the 2011 model year. Across town, the new Cadillac CTS Coupe and Chevrolet Volt were given a hat tip from the editors, as was the Jeep Grand Cherokee, one of parent company Chrysler’s big comebacks for the year 2011. The remaining awards were given to the Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Sienna, Lotus Evora and Infiniti M, all of which are fantastic cars in their own rights.

To see which cars were honored for each category, you can scroll through our image gallery of the winners, or hit the jump to read the official press release. Look for the full story in Popular Mechanics’December issue, which hits newsstands on November 12.

Popular Mechanics doles out its Top 10 Cars of 2011

As 2010 draws to a close, it’s time for different publications to start dishing out the numerous “car of the year” awards that highlight the best and brightest offerings for each new model year. The folks at Popular Mechanics have just released their Top 10 Cars for 2011, with American manufacturers (Ford, specifically) taking away the vast majority of top honors. Add General Motors and Chrysler to the mix, and the Big Three account for six of the ten vehicles on Popular Mechanics‘ list.

Ford’s Mustang, Fiesta and F-250 Super Duty were all recognized as class-leaders for the 2011 model year. Across town, the new Cadillac CTS Coupe and Chevrolet Volt were given a hat tip from the editors, as was the Jeep Grand Cherokee, one of parent company Chrysler’s big comebacks for the year 2011. The remaining awards were given to the Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Sienna, Lotus Evora and Infiniti M, all of which are fantastic cars in their own rights.

To see which cars were honored for each category, you can scroll through our image gallery of the winners, or hit the jump to read the official press release. Look for the full story in Popular Mechanics’December issue, which hits newsstands on November 12.

2012 Nissan GT-R order guide leaked

We’ve got good news for you if you want the skinny on exactly how the 2012 Nissan GT-R will be available when it arrives. The crew over at 2009GTR.com have sourced up the ordering guide for the next Nissan supercar from the North American GT-R Owners Club, and it looks like buyers will be able to pick from a total of six colors. Of those, it’s unclear exactly how man that the company will only charge extra for at the moment. Right now 2009GTR.com seems to think that Super Silver will be the only cost-adding hue, though the forums are rife with speculation otherwise. The 2012 GT-R will be available in just two packages, including Premium, which will fetch $89,950 excluding destination and Black, which is expected to land around $95,100.

Options include floor mats, a cold-weather package and a rear view camera, though at this point it’s unclear how much Nissan will want for those niceties. One of the most curious additions comes from the car’s homeland. Japanese buyers will be able to opt for an Egoist package for the interior that drapes the cabin in red and pink leather as seen above. Let’s just say we won’t be missing that one in the States. More demure owners can go for grey and red hide.

To each their own, we suppose. There are also a heap of photos of a new JDM-only Club Track Edition, though details are scarce at the moment. Judging from the photos, that machine is a full-on track heathen with a gutted interior, unique dampers, a roll cage and a driver controllable rear differential cooler. Tasty. Sadly, it looks like that particular car isn’t headed stateside anytime soon, either.

Head over to 2009GTR.com to have a look at the full order sheet.

2012 Nissan GT-R order guide leaked

We’ve got good news for you if you want the skinny on exactly how the 2012 Nissan GT-R will be available when it arrives. The crew over at 2009GTR.com have sourced up the ordering guide for the next Nissan supercar from the North American GT-R Owners Club, and it looks like buyers will be able to pick from a total of six colors. Of those, it’s unclear exactly how man that the company will only charge extra for at the moment. Right now 2009GTR.com seems to think that Super Silver will be the only cost-adding hue, though the forums are rife with speculation otherwise. The 2012 GT-R will be available in just two packages, including Premium, which will fetch $89,950 excluding destination and Black, which is expected to land around $95,100.

Options include floor mats, a cold-weather package and a rear view camera, though at this point it’s unclear how much Nissan will want for those niceties. One of the most curious additions comes from the car’s homeland. Japanese buyers will be able to opt for an Egoist package for the interior that drapes the cabin in red and pink leather as seen above. Let’s just say we won’t be missing that one in the States. More demure owners can go for grey and red hide.

To each their own, we suppose. There are also a heap of photos of a new JDM-only Club Track Edition, though details are scarce at the moment. Judging from the photos, that machine is a full-on track heathen with a gutted interior, unique dampers, a roll cage and a driver controllable rear differential cooler. Tasty. Sadly, it looks like that particular car isn’t headed stateside anytime soon, either.

Head over to 2009GTR.com to have a look at the full order sheet.

2012 Chevy Camaro Convertible configurator pops its top

The time has come to virtually create your own modern-retro (an oxymoron? Not these days…) muscle car convertible. That’s right, the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro convertible configurator is now online. The base price for a standard-grade 1LT model with a V6 comes in at $29,150. Stepping up to the top-level SS model will empty the wallet to the tune of $39,650… but if you’re like us you will end up closer to $50,000.

To get there, we threw on the RS package and blacked-out 21-inch wheels along with the dealer-installed ground effects package. However, once we looked to the cost summary and saw $49,635 we began to backtrack a wee bit on the options. We ended up at $47,920 for a tasty new Camaro Convertible painted up in classic white with orange racing stripes.

Head on over to the Chevrolet Camaro convertible configurator and see what your ideal setup will cost you.

2012 Chevy Camaro Convertible configurator pops its top

The time has come to virtually create your own modern-retro (an oxymoron? Not these days…) muscle car convertible. That’s right, the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro convertible configurator is now online. The base price for a standard-grade 1LT model with a V6 comes in at $29,150. Stepping up to the top-level SS model will empty the wallet to the tune of $39,650… but if you’re like us you will end up closer to $50,000.

To get there, we threw on the RS package and blacked-out 21-inch wheels along with the dealer-installed ground effects package. However, once we looked to the cost summary and saw $49,635 we began to backtrack a wee bit on the options. We ended up at $47,920 for a tasty new Camaro Convertible painted up in classic white with orange racing stripes.

Head on over to the Chevrolet Camaro convertible configurator and see what your ideal setup will cost you.