Tag: News

  • BRABUS E63 S REVEALED WITH 800HP

    Mercedes tuners’ Brabus has turned its attention to the facelifted 2021 Mercedes-AMG E63 S, making aerodynamic adjustments as well as upping the power to 800hp.

    If you thought the regular Mercedes-AMG E63 S was short on pace, Brabus has the answer for you. Taking the regular 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine found in the E63, Brabus has turned the wick up to 11 by replacing the turbos, upping the boost and fettling with the car’s injection and ignition timing. In other words, it gets new turbos and a remapped ECU and now packs a whopping 789bhp and 737lb-ft of torque.

    Brabus E63 S

    The increase in performance sees the Brabus E63 S clock a 0-62mph time of just 3 seconds (0.4 seconds quicker than the stock vehicle), with an electronically limited top speed of 186mph.

    Elsewhere, the Brabus 800 gets a new custom spoiler lip at the front and refined Brabus air inlets to reduce lift on the front axle, in turn optimising the ride stability at higher speeds.

    Brabus E63 S

    At the rear is a new spoiler and diffuser, both provide further downforce as well as adding in a touch more aggression to the car’s styling. The diffuser houses an upgraded exhaust system, which comes in the form of Brabus’s own valve-controlled system with carbon fibre exhaust tips.

    To complete the look, forged 21-inch Brabus Platinum Edition Z wheels are shod with a choice of high-performance tyres. The usual arch gap from factory has been filled thanks to a new Brabus suspension module, which allows the ride height to be adjusted 10-20mm lower depending on drive mode, which in turn also improves overall handling.

    For those looking for a touch more class inside can opt for a full leather interior, with stainless steel doorsills and Brabus branding.

    Prices for the Brabus E63 S start at around £220,000, although with more individuality comes a higher price tag.  Make sure you check out the Brabus Rocket 900 recently revealed here.

    Brabus E63 S
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  • 2021 HYUNDAI I30 N UK PRICES REVEALED

    Prices for the updated 2021 Hyundai i30 N in the UK have increased to sit alongside the likes of the Ford Focus ST and VW Golf GTI Mk8. Starting from £33,745, it comes with more equipment, more power and a new gearbox option.

    The new starting price of £33,745 for the 2021 i30 N hatchback with a manual gearbox represents a £4000 price increase over the i30 N Performance RRP. The i30 N Fastback also gets a £4000 price increase and now is available from £34,495.

    While that does represent a significant increase in price, you are getting more for your money. That 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot remains but now produces 5bhp extra (now 276bhp) but crucially gains 28lb ft of torque, taking that figure to 289lb ft. Crucially, that torque is now available across a wider range, peaking from 1950 to 4600rpm.

    2021 Hyundai i30 N

    If buyers opt for the newly-developed N-specific DCT transmission, the 0-62mph is cut from 6.1 seconds to 5.4, while cars with the 6-speed manual option will have to make do with a 5.9-second dash, which still represents a 0.2 second improvement over the earlier cars.

    The new eight-speed DCT gearbox is a £1950 option and gets a host of bespoke features including one called N Grin Shift mode, which sounds a bit silly. This essentially overboosts the turbo for 20 second periods and also shifts up through the gears without cutting torque.

    Mechanically, not much else has changed. The chassis remains largely untouched, with just a quick retune of the damper and steering calibrations, while a new stabiliser bar joins the in-cabin strut bar at the rear.

    Visually, the 2021 Hyundai i30 N uses new 19-inch forged wheels that again make use of Pirelli P Zero tyres; these save a total of 14.4kg over the regular 18-inch wheels found on the earlier cars.

    Inside, there is now an option for N Light Sports Seats, which save 2.2kg over the regular seats and feature more prominent bolsters to keep you planted in your seat.

    You can check out our review of the Hyundai i30 N Performance here. You can also check our i30 N fast mods guide here.


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  • 10KM R34 SKYLINE GT-R GOES TO AUCTION

    Having covered just 10km in its life and never registered, this R34 Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nür could be about to rewrite JDM car prices.

    The Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R has enjoyed years of upmost praise, iconic status and rising prices. With the US just a short while away from being able to legally import the JDM legend thanks to its 25-year ruling, prices for ordinary examples are expected to continue to climb.

    10KM R34 Skyline GT-R

    This example set for sale with BH Auction in Japan is no ordinary model, though. This is a V-Spec II Nür, which means its one of just 718 V-Spec IIs built, with the Nür package only setting foot on 1003 R34s in total (285 M-Spec cars were also built). Of the 718 V-Spec cars, just 141 were finished in Pearl White. As part of the Nür upgrade, cars were treated to the gold-covered N1 engine you see under the bonnet. Before 2002, the N1 engine was reserved only for race cars. Nismo believed that the standard RB26 engine required too much maintenance to use in Group-A or Group-N race cars. As a result, Nismo balanced the crankshaft to a higher specification than stock, improved water channels within the engine block, upgraded the top piston rings, thicker cylinder walls and deck surfaces, as well as adding new camshafts and turbochargers.

    10KM R34 Skyline GT-R

    The change to the turbochargers came in the form of steel turbine wheels rather than the ceramic ones found in the standard RB26 unit, this was due unreliability at high temperatures on the ceramic wheel.

    If you aren’t clued up on your Skylines, a V-Spec II Nür sits high when it comes to hierarchy, with the ultra-rare (just 20 built) Z-Tune sitting above it. This isn’t the first time this car has been for sale, having been bought three years ago for 35.2 million Yen (around £234k), and it’s also not the only low-mileage V-Spec II Nür to sell, a Millenium Jade model sold two years ago for £161k with just over 4000km on the clock.

    10KM R34 Skyline GT-R

    How much will this 10km Skyline R34 GT-R fetch? It’s tough to say. BH Auction hasn’t, at the time of writing, published any estimates, but we would expect it to sell for upwards of £350,000…

    10KM R34 Skyline GT-R
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