New AMG Mercedes Unveiled Alongside F1 Car

February 21st, 2012

It’s been an eventful day for Mercedes-Benz and fans alike as two new cars have been unveiled in Barcelona. One being the new F1 challenger and the other being the new SL63 AMG. Whilst Mercedes will be hopeful that the MGP WO3 (F1 car) will be a race winner, they are equally hopeful that the SL63 AMG will be a popular choice for petrol heads with deep pockets.

It’s set to go on sale in June over here and was unveiled in front of a crowd of international press representatives in the Barcelona pit lane alongside the new F1 car. Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were the lucky pair that set it free from cover.

The new SL63 AMG is based around an aluminium and magnesium structure which massively reduces weight; a whole 125kg has been saved compared to its predecessor. That’s almost two medium sized men!

Under the bonnet you’ll find a shiny new 5.5 litre V8 twin-turbo that delivers a beefy 529bhp. This has been achieved by some careful tuning and tinkering to the engine that was used in the E63, CLS63, S63, CL63 and ML63.

The new performance Merc also looks the part, with an AMG developed body kit that appear to be aggressive and outlandish – if you see one of these in your mirrors you’ll know exactly what it is: a thunderbolt of a machine!

The new SL63 AMG also sports a rather clever, aluminium folding hardtop roof and an extra detail includes the automatically tinting Magic Sky Roof system.

The new model is sure to be popular both while it is brand new and when it is available second hand also. AMG Mercedes’ are always brilliantly ferocious cars both in terms of what is under the bonnet and the way they look. They also sound pretty impressive too with deep burbles coming from the AMG tweaked stainless steel exhausts.

The new Mercedes is to be officially and publicly unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next month, will you be there?

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers, Formula 1, New Cars, Stainless Steel Exhausts | No Comments »

Audi TT RS Plus

February 14th, 2012

A new Audi TT is to be launched and it goes by the name of the TT RS Plus. The name instantly informs you that it will, therefore, be quick, very quick!

The original TT RS came with around 340bhp, and this new “Plus” version will receive an increase of 20bhp, which might not sound like much, but drivers will certainly feel the added oomph! The new RS Plus will also come with an S tronic automatic gearbox that will achieve a 0-60mph time of 4.1 seconds, which is surprisingly 0.2 seconds quicker than the six speed manual version.

The RS Plus will still come with the same 2.5 litre turbocharged five cylinder engine, however it will have received a thorough work-over in order to gain added power and performance. The little TT will press on to a very impressive, and limited, top speed of 174mph and with some careful ECU remapping this top speed can undoubtedly be raised!

The TT will also come with a permanent all-wheel drive setup. However, it is not just under the skin that the TT RS has had a makeover.

The exterior of the new car has also been subject to re-modelling as there are new 19 inch rims with some fetching black and red paint along with a single-frame radiator grille with a polished anthracite diamond-pattern mesh, some carbon fibre side mirror housings and a new exhaust flap that will open up when the driver squeezes the throttle hard. The exhaust flap is sure to make the RS Plus sound pretty special too.

What do you think of these additions to the TT RS?

Personally, I think the Audi TT is one of the prettiest cars on the roads today, but with the additions that come with the RS Plus, such as the rear spoiler and the black and red rims, the aesthetic appeal of the car is somewhat ruined. The added power and performance is very much welcome, however, I prefer the TT without the exterior extras.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers | No Comments »

New F1 Cars Launched

February 9th, 2012

I’m sure you wouldn’t have failed to notice that there is a new Formula 1 season imminent and testing has, this week, begun. The cars that have been unveiled have been, to be honest, overwhelmingly ugly.

The dip on the front nose, which is a particular feature of most of the cars this year, is there in order to comply with new regulations that state that the front of the nose must be a certain height. Most of the teams obviously believe that they will gain aerodynamic performance thanks to the dip on the front nose, just in front of the front bulkhead, yet it would seem McLaren are approaching the new regulations from a slightly different angle. Their front nose looks great, purely because it does not include the much talked about drop on the nose. Instead, McLaren’s front nose simply slopes downward and it is without a doubt the best looking car to have been launched yet.

Will it be quick though? It’s all well and good having a great looking car, but if it doesn’t win, then, frankly, it’s a bit of a dog. The Ferrari last year was one of the best looking cars out there, but it only won one race, so with this seasons Ferrari looking like a bit of a dog, perhaps it will blow the competition away…We shall soon find out!

Furthermore, even the designers and drivers themselves have stated that this year’s cars are not the prettiest, with Adrian Newey having been quoted saying: “We’ve kept more or less the same chassis shape, but had to drop the nose just in front of the front bulkhead which, in common with many other teams, has led us to a slightly ugly looking nose. We’ve tried to style it as best we can, but it’s not a feature you would choose to put in were it not for the regulation.”

So, pre-season testing is in full swing and it would appear that all the teams will be using the test sessions to bed-in their cars, run various different aerodynamic set ups, including using the different sessions for some engine remapping and gathering essential telemetry data.

They say a beautiful car is a winning car, so who’s car will be the most beautiful this season, Red Bull? Ferrari? McLaren? Mercedes? Lotus? Or an outside contender? We will just have to wait and see…

Tags: , ,
Posted in Formula 1 | No Comments »

McLaren MP4-12C Receives Performance Boost

February 2nd, 2012

If you didn’t already think the new McLaren MP4-12C was quick enough then there is now a range of updates that can be fitted to improve speed and performance further. John Hennessey, the founder and president, of Hennessey Performance (HPE), which is a supercar tuning company based in Texas, has announced that the upgrades that can be fitted to the McLaren will take power up to over 800bhp.

The original MP4-12C already comes with a quite astounding 592bhp and some very clever Formula 1 derived technology, and while upgrades to further improve performance are all well and good, my reservation is that the balance and poise of the original MP4-12C would become upset by the extra power and performance.

Furthermore, McLaren are famed for their perfectionist approach to engineering and, well, just about everything they do to be honest, and so we can be sure that their brainchild, the MP4-12C, will have been built within very specific constraints and to very specific and particular requirements. One wonders whether McLaren would be particularly happy with another company modifying the performance of the car.

Nevertheless, the HPE tuned McLaren features a larger air-intake, intercooler system and improved turbochargers. There is also a custom-built titanium exhaust. Whether HPE will have played with the onboard computer we are unaware, however ECU remapping on the McLaren may indeed be necessary with such a jump in power.

Furthermore, HPE have modified the aerodynamic package as it has been designed to increase downforce. HPE have also stated that they will not be changing the suspension or the brakes as they have claimed that they would not be able to improve on the factory fitted components.

John Hennessey has been commenting the McLaren: “We’ve been taking fast cars and have been making them faster for over twenty years. I spent a lot of time around the new 12C at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed and was very impressed. We’re excited to have the opportunity to take a great car and give it our own special performance touch while giving 12C owners a uniquely aggressive appearance.”

The modifications are sure to be popular amongst the lucky people that own an MP4-12C; it would however be interesting to see what McLaren themselves think of the new upgrade package offered by HPE.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers, Car Modifying, Tuning | No Comments »

How to Gain More Power

January 31st, 2012

One thing car fanatics like us are always trying to do is increase the performance and horsepower from our vehicles, but what is the best way to do this? You can easily take you car to a specialist garage and have a number of items fitted that will supposedly improve the performance and horsepower, but you want to make sure you get the most for your money and kit that will actually work with your car.

Turbo Chargers

This is normally the first thing people think off when looking to increase their cars horsepower and it definitely can do that! A turbo charger is a high speed turbine powered by the engines exhaust which then increases the amount of air entering the engine, leading to increased power and performance.

A turbo charger can greatly increase the power of your engine, but if it is the only modification you make you will not get the maximum potential from it. A turbo charger works best when other parts, especially the exhaust, have also been upgraded to match its performance levels.

Exhaust System

Another way you can greatly improve the performance of your engine and increase horsepower is by upgrading your exhaust system. A modified exhaust system will expel exhaust fumes at a greater rate, which will improve the flow of the engine and make the performance smoother, which will help improve the engines horsepower.

Custom stainless steel exhausts can also work really well with other performance engine parts, such as turbo chargers, and can even help improve the fuel efficiency of a car.

Engine Remapping

Another upgrade we would highly recommend for increasing your car’s engine performance and power is an engine remapping. With a custom engine remapping you can programme your ECU to suite your personal needs, which will make sure you get the power when you need it but then also make the engine more ecological as well.

An engine remapping can be a quick process and will work well with other performance parts, such as a custom exhaust or turbo charger. The best way to make the most of any of these parts is to not just add them on their own but to revamp the whole engine so that the parts can work together and you can get the most out of each one.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Car Modifying | No Comments »

Comeback King?

January 24th, 2012

Those of us that follow all things motorsport will certainly not have missed news this week that a former Formula One World Champion has been settling into his new office – a Lotus F1 seat. Yes, I am of course talking about Kimi Raikkonen’s return to F1 with his new team, Lotus, formerly Renault.

This week he has been blasting around the Valencia test facility whilst he dials himself back into the rhythm of the most demanding motorsport there is. Lotus’ signing of the Finn has excited many of us that follow F1 as we remember him to be an extremely fast talent – one of the quickest over a single lap that I’ve ever seen.

Raikkonen left F1 at the end of the 2009 season, a year where he was driving a Ferrari that was drastically off the pace, yet he still managed to win at Spa, one of the most challenging circuits in the world where the driver can make up for a lack of car performance. Ferrari themselves admitted that 2009’s car was a bit of a dog, however they bounced back with a brilliant machine in 2010 that very nearly won the Drivers’ Championship in the hands of Kimi’s replacement, Fernando Alonso. Maybe Kimi will feel that he could have gone one better than Alonso in that same car?

Well now he is driving for the Enstone based team that Alonso won both his Championships with; will Kimi be able to double up his championship trophies with the newly named and rebranded Lotus F1 Team? It would be a bit of dream story if he did!

When Kimi was at his peak throughout the mid noughties, there were so many occasions where he left the others in a cloud of exhaust gases, and I personally thought Kimi was the most exciting driver on the F1 grid. In 2003, driving for McLaren as a youngster who had replaced the legend that was Mika Hakkinen, Raikkonen went on to win his first race in Malaysia and only lost the World Championship by two points at the final round in Japan.

Then in 2005, still at McLaren, Raikkonen again challenged for the title, this time he went head to head with the aforementioned Spaniard, Fernando Alonso. Raikkonen won seven Grand Prix but still lost out on the title by 21 points due to a dreadfully unreliable McLaren that let him down on so many occasions. He retired from three races, all of which Alonso capitalised on by winning, whereas Alonso only retired from one race that season in what was a consistently strong Renault F1 package.

Raikkonen was rewarded however in 2007 when he finally clinched the World Championship by just one point from his rivals, as Kimi won six Grand Prix in a brilliant debut year for Ferrari.

However, what stands out most for me was Raikkonen’s die hard attitude towards racing – at the Nurburgring in 2005, for example, Raikkonen led the race as the drivers began the final lap, however he was suffering from a serious problem with his front tyres, and as he braked for the first corner on the final lap, his suspension gave way and he ploughed into the tyre wall, and out of the race. He had the option to come into the pit and change his tyres before the problem worsened however that would have cost him the lead of the race and some serious points in the Championship, so instead he stayed out and took a chance – unfortunately for him, on this occasion, it was not a case of “he who dares wins”.

Raikkonen was also extremely entertaining to watch as he pulled off some fine overtaking manoeuvres during an era where overtaking was fairly minimal. Raikkonen’s return to F1 is a much anticipated one and everyone will be looking forward to seeing the Finn back on the track and competing once again.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Formula 1 | No Comments »

Peugeot to End Endurance Programme

January 18th, 2012

It has just today been announced that Peugeot is to pull the plug on its Le Mans programme with immediate effect. This is a big surprise to all in the endurance racing field, particularly as Peugeot has achieved such great success as one of the front-running manufacturers.

They had been Audi’s main rival for many years now, and they had embarked upon running a series of variants of its diesel powered 908 prototypes in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the related sports car series since 2007. This of course was a fantastic way to develop certain diesel technologies, including diesel particulate filters.

The greatest achievement for Peugeot in the endurance programme was winning the momentous Le Mans 24 Hours race in 2009. Further success came last year when they won the inaugural Intercontinental Le Mans Cup title before the series then transformed into the World Endurance Championship this year.

In a statement from the French manufacturer, Peugeot have said: “This decision has been taken in the context of a difficult economic environment in Europe. Peugeot has chosen to concentrate resources on its sales performance in 2012.”

Peugeot’s decision to pull the plug is perhaps a rather justified one when considering the fact that car sales for the company have been plummeting.

Peugeot’s of old were never the prettiest cars it must be said, however, recently they have turned a corner with their design and development. The Peugeot RCZ, and the new 508, both look great and it indeed makes me wonder whether such developments have come from the great work Peugeot have been carrying out at Le Mans and within the sports car series.

However, having said that, with Peugeot now concentrating solely on their road vehicles, and with these great cars already there as a base to build upon, we can hopefully expect to see even better things fly off Peugeot’s design board and onto our roads. Hopefully this will also, therefore, lead to an increase in sales for the company, and maybe one day they will be able to make a very welcome and valiant return to sports car racing.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers, Diesel Particulate Filters | No Comments »

Honda NSX to Make a Return

January 10th, 2012

Last week we blogged about just a handful of the exciting cars to look forward to this year, and today we bring you news that a new, eagerly anticipated, Honda NSX is on the way. The only problem being, who knows when? Certainly not this year, or in the next couple, but maybe in three years time if Honda stick to their timeframe.

However, regardless of that, an NSX concept was revealed at the Detroit Motor Show, however, it wasn’t actually promoted as a Honda, but an Acura (the American version of Honda).

It has to be said that the concept car looks pretty impressive with stylish, angular lines making it look like the ideal futuristic supercar. Furthermore, it probably won’t be another run of the mill supercar as it will, hopefully, follow in the footsteps of the original, which only had around 270bhp.

The beauty and brilliance of the original was the way it drove, the way it cornered and the noise it made. If the new NSX can tick those boxes then it’s happy days for the Honda NSX once again. This is indeed a supercar that doesn’t need to be filled with X-trillion horsepower, all it needs is to be designed with the same attitude as the previous model and bingo, it will likely be a fantastic car that will put a very large smile on your face.

It’s been well documented that Formula One icon, Ayrton Senna, had a helping hand in the development of the original NSX as he advised Honda, who were the engine manufacturers of all three of his World Championship winning cars, that the chassis needed to be stiffened, and Honda admiring, respecting and trusting Senna’s word, did just that! And it paid off as the NSX notoriously became one of the best handling cars on the market.

Now back to this new NSX, apparently it will come with a high-revving (good stuff) V6 engine, much like the original, so it is almost certain that the noise that will come out the back of the performance exhaust system will be truly awesome, however the new NSX has a twist…it’s a hybrid. Honda’s boss is adamant though that it will not get in the way of petrol head heaven, as he says: “The NSX will enhance dynamic driving abilities without getting in the way.”

The hybrid nature of the car goes thus far: there will be two small electric motors at the front of the car which will allow independent drive to each wheel and the ability to tighten or loosen the car’s cornering line for some effective torque vectoring, whilst another electric motor will be embedded in the gearbox to enhance the V6’s power. This is one clever concept that is sure to be fuel efficient also as the car will reclaim braking energy whilst also having added performance and some thrilling cornering capabilities.

With Honda again thinking about how best to utilise their tasty V6, the new NSX is sure to be a winner!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Hybrid Car, New Cars | 1 Comment »

The Year Ahead

January 5th, 2012

Now that the festive and New Year activities have more or less come to a close, and we are all (kind of) back into the swing of things we can look forward to the year ahead, and in terms of upcoming cars in 2012 there is a lot of reason to smile and get very excited. Especially if you are lucky enough to be genuinely thinking about buying, or already have ordered, one of the cars we are about to mention!

We start with America’s special offers this year. Ford look certain to launch a new Mustang GT500. The name alone evokes a feverish excitement deep within a petrol heads stomach whilst also creating some very sweaty palms. Remember the original GT500 that was showcased in Jerry Bruckheimer’s Gone in Sixty Seconds remake? Well this new, modern version is set to come with over 600bhp and around 600 lb-ft torque. This astonishing performance comes from a 5.8 litre powerhouse.

Ford have also been hard at work designing an aerodynamic body in order to make it as fast as possible in a straight line as they aim to smash the 200mph barrier. Be sure also that it will be fitted with one tasty sounding stainless steel exhaust system that will burble and shake the fillings from your teeth.

Also from America comes the new Dodge Viper which is expected to be fitted with an 8.7 litre V10 that will also produce more than 600bhp. Prototype Vipers have been reportedly blasting round the Nurburgring at some rate and so anticipation is building for the release of what should be a European supercar beater. Watch out Ferrari and Lamborghini!

Speaking of European supercars, there is a new Pagani on its way. The difficult to pronounce Huayra has been delayed since the end of 2010 and this has led to increased expectations and excitement for what should hopefully be the release of Zonda’s replacement.

The Zonda was, and still is, a truly awesome supercar. It had everything, beauty, power, performance, garishness and pizzazz, and so with the Huayra set to replace it, we would hope the new model would be even better! That is certainly a tough task but Pagani have obviously been hard at work and will only release the new car when they are more than happy with the end product, and when, in their eyes, it is a true Zonda vanquisher.

There is also a new Bugatti set to arrive in 2012. The Galibier is expected to have over 1000bhp and is currently looking like a four door Veyron. It is almost certain that it will be the fastest four door saloon the world has ever seen, and in typical Bugatti style will come with a big WOW factor. It will be loud, fast, grand, and fierce whilst also being able to settle down for a long, executive cruise. Perhaps a Bentley defeater? Or a Rolls Royce slayer? Expect the Bugatti to be quite a chunk more expensive however…

There are, of course, many more cars that will get tails wagging throughout 2012, stand by for reviews and previews here on the Longlife blog.

Happy New Year!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Car Manufacturers, Stainless Steel Exhausts | No Comments »

Autosport 2012

November 28th, 2011

The Autosport and PistonHeads show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, is considered in the motor racing industry to be THE show to exhibit at if you are serious about attracting high quality customers to your business, so it’s with great excitement in the office here at Longlife that we can say we’ll be there again next year with a new and larger stand.

Last year’s show was our first time at the show so we were slightly nervous as to whether the substantial investment would be returned.  The number of things to consider when exhibiting is huge, ranging from what products to take with us to car insurance for the vehicles on the stand.  The planning for how we lay the stand out, design for graphics boards, booking of hotels and filling out the many forms for the organisers is a lengthy job that takes quite some time.

As a result of our attendance at last years show, we met a business owner who was later to become one of our franchisees and also many people who have now had Longlife Stainless Steel Exhausts on their cars.  As a result of the success, this year’s stand will be almost twice as large and will show off our fantastic range of exotic car exhausts for Porsche, Lamborgini, Ferrari and more.  This is of course in addition to the custom build exhausts that we build for almost any vehicle.

If you are interested in seeing the best that the British motor industry has to offer, the best racing cars and of course some of the best after-market products for your car, then make a note in your diary to go to the show in January 14th and 15th next year.  Tickets are available either online at the Autosport website or on the door.

Posted in Exhausts | 2 Comments »

« Older Entries