2019 Toyota Supra

We drove one back to our office from Toyota's launch event at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia and have now had the chance to run our full gamut of performance tests on it. In short, the fifth-generation Supra is quick聴even quicker than anticipated, hauling to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds and steamrolling through the quarter-mile in 12.3 seconds at 113 mph. Our best runs involved a light dollop of brake torquing to get engine revs off idle and then carefully applying the gas pedal to avoid excessive wheelspin. The launch-control program, which was inconsistent in its engagement, was considerably slower. These acceleration times stack up favorably against some bigger, pricier guns, nearly hanging with a Chevy Corvette or a Porsche Cayman GTS through the quarter-mile and slightly outaccelerating the BMW M2 Competition and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. This doesn't come as much of a surprise, given that it is based on BMW componentry, but the revived Supra follows in the BMW tradition of delivering far better performance than its claimed power, and thus power-to-weight ratio, would suggest.

For example, at 10.1 pounds per horsepower, the Supra outaccelerates the Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE, which has 120 more horsepower, each of which is only taxed with 8.2 pounds. It's less a question of whether or not the Supra's 335-hp inline-six is underrated, and more about how much. Unfortunately, we have yet to test a BMW Z4 M40i to see how close the Supra is to the more powerful, "382-hp" six-cylinder Z4. Despite wearing modestly sized Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires聴that, yes, are branded with BMW's star (鈽? designation聴the Supra averaged a heroic 1.07 g on the skidpad. That hangs with just about anything not wearing DOT-approved track tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 or Pirelli P Zero Corsas, and slightly better than the current top-dog Cayman GTS and BMW M2. Braking performance from 70 mph came in at a solidly impressive 148 feet, right in line with the front-engine competition, although the slightly front-biased Supra (51.5/48.5 percent front/rear) can't hang with the rear-biased Porsche Cayman or Boxster. Welcome back, Supra. You've been missed.

Official debut is rumored to be sometime in 2013 as a 2014 model. Tuning experts 9ff from Germany have transformed this heavily modified Porsche 911 to what they call the GT9 Vmax. The 4.2L flat-six engine produces 1400hp and has a 6-speed PDK style transmission. The carbon fiber body reduces the curb weight down to just 2,954 lbs, and 0-62mph takes only 3.1 seconds with the top speed of 186mph in 13 seconds. Audi RS1 Finally Coming? Images have surfaced of a new Audi reportedly filed with the European trademark office. These photos look very familiar of an Audi RS1. Obviously based on the A1 with aggressive bodywork and wing. If these are real, the Audi RS1 could be closer than we think. The A1 Quattro concept was powered by the 2.0L turbo four-cylinder with 256hp. The RS1 is rumored to have a detuned version of the 2.5L five-cylinder turbo. Perhaps the long awaited RS1 will soon be here to please the masses. The latest from Vorsteiner for the 991 Carrera S features a new front spoiler, side skirts, carbon fiber diffuser, and rear deck lid spoiler. In a recent report from Auto Express, it states that VW will introduce a new top-down approach styling with the 2015 Phaeton. VW styling boss Klaus Bischoff admitted the current (Golf) bottom-up styling theme is a mistake.

Porsche recently debuted the 718 GT4 Clubsport as the first production race car built with natural fiber body parts. It is an updated version of the 2015 GTS Clubsport, made for both amateur racers and professionals. When building the 718 GT4 Clubsport, Porsche notes that the principal focus centered on improving lap times, enhanced drivability and the utilization of natural-fiber composite body parts. These parts are in both driver doors as well as the rear wing, and natural fibers like hemp and flax are the primary composites chosen for said pieces. These fibers feature many similarities with carbon fiber and allow the vehicle a lighter weight of 2,910 pounds. The latest sports car features a 3.8-liter flat-six engine producing 313 kW (425 hp), along with a dual-clutch gearbox with six gears and a mechanical rear axle differential lock, which gives the car its power. The automobile comes in two distinct versions, the 鈥淭rackday鈥?model and the 鈥淐ompetition鈥? 鈥淭rackday鈥?is meant for amateur drivers whose aim consists of private track usage. Its features include; a fixed shock absorber system, ABS and a traction control program that may be deactivated when at maximum limits, a rescue hatch in the roof, a handheld fire extinguisher and an FIA regulated 80-liter safety fuel cell. The 鈥淐ompetition鈥?model offers a more intricate suspension system, made for national and international racing. The 鈥淐ompetition鈥?includes an adjustable shock absorber, a 115-liter safety tank for long-distance drives, a quick release steering wheel, an automatic fire extinguisher and various adjustment options catered to the individual driver鈥檚 needs.

The term 鈥渉ybrid鈥?no longer means slow. Automakers are able to fit gasoline-powered vehicles with battery-electric technology, giving them better performance鈥攊n some cases, better than gas-only vehicles鈥攚ithout penalizing fuel economy. Thus, midway into the previous-generation Cayenne鈥檚 tenure in 2015, Porsche introduced the Cayenne E-Hybrid, a plug-in electric hybrid SUV. The entire Cayenne range has been redesigned for 2019, including an all-new Cayenne E-Hybrid. All but the most die-hard Porsche fans would be hard-pressed to differentiate the 2019 Cayenne E-Hybrid鈥檚 overall shape from that of its predecessor鈥攊t even retains the 114.0-inch wheelbase from the old model. That said, all of the sheetmetal is new. It鈥檚 on a brand-new architecture鈥攕hared with the Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga鈥攚ith increased amounts of aluminum that lower its bodyweight. Everything is sleeker design-wise. The side windows have a faster profile, the front end has been simplified, and the rear end gets a distinctive full-width 3D light bar, similar to those on other Porsche models.