Favre GTO: Good Enough to Die For?

But does it TASTE like the real thing?

Wired’s Autopia brings us the rivetingly interesting tale of one William Favre and his mission to build a Ferrari 250 GTO replica so authentic it was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. At the peak of the Ferrari craze of the 1980s, where you could slap a prancing horse on a Cadillac Cimaron and it would sell for triple its worth, this ballsy guy was sticking it right to the Ferrari aficionado community by shamelessly copying the design of the most desirable Maranello creation ever. He wasn’t passing them off as real Ferraris, but it didn’t sit well with some folks. And quite possibly, he was murdered over it …

Real or fake? (Real)

The handmade body, crafted out of aluminum, covers up real Ferrari mechanicals, that have all been modified to be as close as possible to the original car. Of course, that means a Columbo V12 up front, and the Borrani wire wheels, as well as an accurate interior. Favre made a few - was it just 2, or as many as 11? The numbers don’t really matter - what matters is, Favre had made all the wrong people angry. What happened next is difficult to say. All we know is that Mr. Favre ended up dead due to an encounter with the business end of a .357 Magnum. Some say suicide, some say murder. It adds up to a mystery that we’ll leave to the Poirot fans.

In any event, this one’s available at The Classic Car Collection in Switzerland, for sale, price “upon demand.” How mysterious.

[Source: Autopia]

2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible pricing announced

Infiniti today announced the pricing details on the 2009 G37 Convertible. Scheduled to go on sale on June 19th, the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible will start at $43,850 for the 7-speed automatic model with paddle-shifters and $43,900 for the G37 Convertible Sport 6MT.

Buyers can opt for the Premium Package, which will cost $3,250 on the 7-speed automatic model and $3,050 on the Sport 6MT. The Navigation Package and the Technology Package are priced at $1,850 and $1,150 respectively. A Sport Package is also available for $1,350 ($1,550 when chosen without the Premium Package).

Illuminated kick plates will run you $330 while a rear deck spoiler will cost you $830. If you want to spice up the wheels, get ready to cash out an additional $2,200 for the 19-inch wheels and $370 for the R Spec High Friction brake pads.

Refresher: Power comes from a 3.7L V6 that produces 325-hp. The 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible folds its top in 30 seconds.

More Photos of the BMW E92 M3 “Darth Maul”

Last month, we gave some great exposure to the guys at MWDesign, by posting a photo of their latest project: “Darth Maul” BMW M3.

The general consensus was that their modded M3 was quite tasteful, not overly done and still keeping the M3 core design. Since many of you might wonder what mods have been used in the “Darth Maul” M3 project, the fellows at MWDesign provided us with the following list:

• Amuse Ericsson Front Bumper with custom Orange highlights
• Amuse Ericsson Trunk
• CF Rear Diffuser with custom Orange highlights
• CF Side Vents with custom Orange highlights
• CF Side Mirrors
• Modulare M6 20×9 F 20×10.5 R - Matte Black Centers/Gloss Black Lips + Custom Matte Black Center Caps with Orange Accents
• Falken tires FK452 245/30/20 F 285/25/20 R
• H&R Sports Springs

The previous photos we posted made their way all over the web, but we can’t decide yet if it was because of the gorgeous girls posing or the car.

Regardless, new photos were released today and yes, the girl is still in them.

Hartge new Aerodynamic kit for the BMW X6

The BMW tuner Hartge continues to surprise us by releasing a new aerodynamic kit for the BMW X6 Sports Activity Vehicle. Back in April, they released their original X6 kit and we weren’t overly impressed.

But the latest Hartge kit takes after the recently revealed X6 M, giving their X6 a far more aggressive stance which will turn heads.

The aero kits includes plenty of aerodynamic pieces, starting with the aggressive front bumper, a custom rear skirt and continuing with side sills, new rear difuser and stainless tailpipes.

For those of you interested in the actual parts used, Hartge released that earlier today:

51 71 0000 G
HARTGE aerodynamic kit in PUR-RIM, primed and with ABE homologation by the KBA consisting of:

HARTGE front spoiler
HARTGE rear skirt
HARTGE left and right side sills
(only in connection with standard aluminium running boards - no. 328)
HARTGE wheel arch extensions front * and rear
(* with air intakes)

for xDrive30d, xDrive35d and xDrive35i
(only in connection with HARTGE stainless steel tail pieces with quadrilateral tail pipes 18 71 0400) and

for xDrive50i
(only in connection with HARTGE stainless steel rear silencer with quadrilateral tail pipes 18 71 0495)

18 71 0400 F
HARTGE stainless steel tail pieces with quadrilateral tail pipes (large version) left and right for xDrive30d, xDrive35d and for xDrive35i (only in connection with
HARTGE adapter 18 71 0320)
(incl. connecting pipe for standard rear silencer)
(only in connection with HARTGE aerodynamic kit 51 71 0000)

18 71 0320 N
HARTGE adapter for xDrive35i

18 71 0495 F
HARTGE stainless steel rear silencer with quadrilateral tail pipes (large version) left and right for xDrive50i (export version / sound +) (only in connection with HARTGE aerodynamic kit 51 71 0000)

After seeing these photos, we’re definitely giving thumbs up to the new Hartge BMW X6, as long as the price is not higher than an X6 M.

[Source: Motor Authority ]

White BMW 5 Series GT spotted

After the official revealing, the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is out in the open and cruising down the Munich streets. While the official marketing photos were all about the gold and blueish colors, the test car spotted by Carscoop is sporting the beautiful Alpine White paint.

We never thought we would say this, but the 5 Series GT looks better on public roads that in those marketing photos. The car definitely has an impressive stance, road presence and it absolutely stands out. Of course, some of us are just not cut for this car and it will be difficult to accept it, but it definitely has its place in the BMW line-up and we are willing to bet that it will do just fine.

Now what else is new with the GT? Well, beside the fact that it has a brand new engine, the N55, a twin-scroller turbocharger which features for the first time High Precision Injection and variable VALVETRONIC.

In the U.S., the first model launched will be the 550i GT and a few months behind it, an xDrive version will be offered as well. The 550i Gran Turismo will launch in the fourth quarter of this year as a 2010 model. The base price is expected to be between $65,000-$70,000.

The 5 Series Gran Turismo is also the first four-door/sedan BMW to have frameless doors, a feature available at this point only on the Coupe and Convertible models. The famous Hofmeister Kink gets a new form and it appears in “6-window” (3 windows per side) form in the rear quarter windows aft of the rear doors.

Inside, BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo supports variable seating accommodations where the 4-seater configuration can turned into a 5-passenger cabin. The entire instrument cluster is “in a high-resolution Black Panel display, in which four classic circular instruments are most prominent; other driving-relevant displays and readouts.

Many new other things developed recently by BMW made their way into the 5 GT, technologies like the Integrated Chassis Management and FlexRay. Other electronic equipment available on the new 7 Series, will also be found in the 5 Gran Turismo.

In conclusion, judging by the photos above, the GT might actually grow on us, but we will tell you more in about a month or so, after we will see it live.

[Source: Carscoop ]

What could have been the BMW M7 or 7 Series GT

Let me start first by explaining the ambiguous, double meaning title. First of all, in the past few years, there have been several reports pointing to an imminent BMW model: the M7. Even though BMW has never official spoken of this upscale Motorsport luxury sedan, fans across the world were hoping to see on in the future.

Even more recently, when a photo of a BMW 7 Series sporting a future M Sport Package appeared on the internet, many BMW fans and auto journalists jumped to the false conclusion that we are looking at the all-mighty M7. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Second, I will share a little secret with you. BMW indeed had some plans of building a more luxurious, sporty 7 Series, but the final product would have carried the Gran Turismo badge, a vehicle derived from the canceled CS Concept, a vehicle highly regretted by all of us.

The 7 Series GT would have been BMW’s flagship, the ONE model that many of the pessimistic BMW fans would have embraced it without a doubt. Unfortunately…again, BMW scrapped out that project in favor of a future 6 Series GT, a “progression” of a sports coupe vehicle which will be the first BMW coupe with a hatchback and four doors.

When Rendy Alfonso from Modtor contacted me to share with us his own interpretation of the BMW M7, I figured you might be interested in seeing it. While the overall size and shape of the car is the one of a 7 Series, the front-end reminds me of the CS mixed in with the Z4, so that’s when I decided to add the 7 Series GT portion to this article’s title. The idea was mostly to talk a bit about the “never born” 7 GT.

Overall, not a bad rendering, even though the front-end is almost identical with the new BMW Z4, wait…..it really is the same. But hey, let’s let Rendy share with us and see what you think.

P.S In my personal opinion, the front-end of the new 7 is perfect the way it is and the high-end performance model which will be added later this year, it really is beautiful.