Carbon Fiber – Pulpaddict

SINGER CELEBRATES 300th PORSCHE 911

SINGER CELEBRATES 300^th PORSCHE 911 reimagined by Singer and completed in California.

The 1990 Porsche 911 featured here was restored in collaboration with its owner who has named their car the ‘Sotto’ commission. This car is an example of Singer’s personalization services and love affair with the 911. Its specification represents requests made by its owner.

1990 Porsche 911 Targa (Type 964)

Presented with carbon fiber bodywork in Resistance Blue with ghosted side stripes
Bespoke interior trimmed in orange leather with black stitching
Lightweight carbon fiber track seats with woven leather centers and nickel grommets
4.0L, naturally aspirated, air-cooled flat six, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission sending power to the rear wheels
Carbon ceramic brakes
Titanium sports exhaustThis milestone represents Singer’s careful but steady growth since its founding in 2009. Singer now employs over 600 people across world-class teams in California and the UK. On behalf of its global clientele, Singer brings together beauty, craftsmanship and innovation.
Founded in California in 2009, Singer has become famous for its celebration of the Porsche 911. The company undertakes bespoke restorations for owners of the air-cooled cars.

For more information about SINGER CELEBRATES 300^th PORSCHE 911 and its services, please visit https://singervehicledesign.com/

KEVIN HART’S CADILLAC-POWERED BUICK GRAND NATIONAL

Powered by a turbocharged V6, KEVIN HART’S CADILLAC-POWERED BUICK GRAND NATIONAL broke cover at the 2022 SEMA Show; boasts 650 horsepower.

Comedic actor and consummate carguy, Kevin Hart attended the reveal of his latest addition to his high-performance fleet, the Dark Knight, at the Magnaflow booth at SEMA 2022. Like his ’69 Plymouth Road Runner, dubbed Mike Myers, the Dark Knight GN was designed by Sean Smith and built by Wisconsin-based Salvaggio Auto Design.

Aside from its theme, Hart wanted to create a Grand National resto-mod that would redefine its key elements with modern technology. However, he insisted Salvaggio and Smith retain the car’s character, including its stock fenders, to create a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Already the proud owner of a Grand National GNX with its factory flares, Hart didn’t want the new car to overwhelm it.Using 3D CAD technology, the front bumper was scanned and a new design was 3D-printed, incorporating functional air ducts to improve cooling of the turbocharged Cadillac engine and aerodynamics. The printed bumper was then used to mold the final piece in carbon fiber. Carbon fiber from Brothers Composites was used sparingly, limited to the hood, chin spoiler, rear spoiler and mirrors. It can also be found inside; under the hood.

The next task was to “tighten” the body lines, giving them a crisper profile with a premium fit and finish. This involved reprofiling the shut lines on the doors to allow everything to flow better with the primary surfaces. The metalwork was fabricated by Randy Russell, Telly Violetto and Craig Ness who expertly created the engine bay, floors, rear seat delete and trunk interior. Smith designed new door handles that subtly update the original parts. Machined from billet, they have carbon fiber inlays to echo the carbon mirrors, which were molded from the Grand National’s stock parts.

With all the custom parts, the Buick’s lighting and front grille are stock, but Smith couldn’t resist reimagining the Grand National badge, creating a modern interpretation. With the bodywork complete, the car was painted in straight BASF black – no tints or effects. It’s offset by the nickel-plate finish on the 19-inch HRE 501 wheels, which were chosen for their resemblance to the original equipment but with a modern twist.

Sitting on a laser-cut and TIG-welded custom Salvaggio chassis, KEVIN HART’S CADILLAC-POWERED BUICK GRAND NATIONAL features a Detroit Speed & Engineering X-Gen 595 front suspension package. The bolt-in sub-frame increases rigidity for superior handling from the Ultimate Performance coil-overs. The rear-end has a DSE four-link set up with Panhard bar. Brembo GT six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers provide Supercar braking. HRE 501 wheels with 265/30 R19 (front) and chunky 325/30 R19 (rear) Toyo Proxes R888R tires get the power to the pavement.

When it came to the heart of Dark Knight, the team sat down with Mario Abascal from Gearhead Fabrications to discuss the options. Inevitably, the Chevrolet LS V8 was a topic of heated conversation but Mario suggested the LF4 3.6L V6 Twin-Turbo engine from the Cadillac ATS-V. “It was the obvious choice for what Buick might have installed if the Grand National GNX were around today,” said Abascal.

Having made the suggestion, it was Mario’s mission to see it through; no easy task given the complexity of the direct injection engine and eight-speed automatic transmission. Undeterred, Gearhead sourced a running ATS-V drivetrain assembly. Installing the drivetrain required not only new mounts but the oil coolers, oil filters, turbo coolant system and more had to be relocated to clear the Salvaggio frame rails. The team also had to painstakingly extend 300 wiring connections to relocate the power control module (PCM) under the newly created carbon fiber engine covers.

As a homage to the factory GNX, Mario removed the twin-turbo setup, building a single-turbo kit around a 67-mm Boost Labs BL67R ball-bearing Turbo with a billet wheel. It was mounted to a custom header once Salvaggio Design fabricated flanges to fit to the Cadillac’s integral manifold. Abascal built a custom exhaust from Magnaflow sections for the unique engine swap. He also fabricated the plumbing, including pipes for the factory air-to-water intercooler, which mounts in its stock position on top of the engine. The Cadillac engine’s fuel supply is governed by a lobe on the factory cam. And by fitting a Comp Cams “fuel cam,” Abascal increased the fuel flow to feed the turbo. He then controlled engine boost, fuel, ignition; transmission shift points via an HP Tuners module.

Running at about 20 psi boost, the single-turbo Cadillac V6 was dyno-tested at 650 horsepower on 103-octance fuel. The intention is to fit performance camshafts and reach a projected 700 horsepower on race gas. This is a considerable increase over both the Grand National GNX at 276 horsepower and even the ATS-V at 464 horsepower. A Cadillac eight-speed automatic and 9-inch Tru Track 3.7:1 rear complete the powertrain.

Inside KEVIN HART’S CADILLAC-POWERED BUICK GRAND NATIONAL there’s blue and grey leather upholstery by Gabe’s Custom Interiors with bronze stitching and pinstripes, bronze accents on cooling vents and Salvaggio billet steering wheel, 3D-printed dash with Holley gauge pack, Vintage Air system, bronze billet door trim with carbon fiber inlays, billet shift knob and shift boot bezel.

For more information about Salvaggio Auto Design, please visit https://www.salvaggiodesign.com/

MULTIPLE PERSONALITY: ‘21 BMW M5 COMPETITION

The twin-turbocharged, MULTIPLE PERSONALITY: ‘21 BMW M5 COMPETITION can be a comfortable family sedan. Or it can be a very fast four-seat sedan with all-wheel-drive to safely play, or go out Supercar hunting, blogs Dan Scanlan.

I had to double check the numbers. First, our 4,345-pound M5 Competition boasted 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, with all-wheel-drive and launch control. The 4,600-mile-old sedan hit 60 mph in a hair over 3 seconds, and 100 mph in 7 – check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb2MXz9dfS4

Then let’s compare: a 4,610-pound Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye with 797 horsepower and 707 pound-feet of torque did 60 mph in 4 seconds, and 100 mph in 8.2 with launch control on a slightly damp and cold night when we tested it. A 4,669-pound Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Wagon with twin-turbocharged 4-liter V-8, 603 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of peak torque, saw 60 mph in 3.1 seconds with launch control, and 100 mph in 8. Yes, our M5, with carbon fiber roof and twin-turbocharged V-8 power, is the quickest four-passenger sedan I’ve tested, given weather conditions and drivetrain configuration.

This updated sixth-gen version MULTIPLE PERSONALITY: ‘21 BMW M5 COMPETITION has cross-bank exhaust manifolds, direct injection and upgraded cooling to improve turbo response by reducing the distance exhaust gases flow to them. Default drive mode clicks on when you park yourself inside, giving all 617 horsepower, active stability control, full digital instrumentation and Head-Up display. Sport mode gives full power plus quicker gearshifts and stiffer suspension, with simplified digital dash showing tach, digital speed, gear and a G-force display if desired. Then there’s Track mode – full power, plus driver assistance, audio and center display off so you can focus. There’s also three xDrive modes – basic all-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-biased 4WD Sport, and rear-wheel-drive only, with stability and traction control limited or off.

You can set your two-favorite engine, transmission, suspension, steering, stability control and xDrive settings, then get quick access via two red “M” buttons on the steering wheel. M1 was efficient powertrain, comfort steering/suspension and full all-wheel drive for commuting; M2 preset engine and suspension on Sport Plus, steering on Sport, and full all-wheel-drive. In efficient M1, power aplenty to hit 60 mph in a very quick 3.6 seconds. M2 was quicker – 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, four tires grabbing as acceleration pinned me to the seat, then 100 mph in 7.2 seconds as the rear-biased M xDrive distributed torque between front and rear axles via a multi-plate clutch. An active differential splits torque between left and right rear wheels to keep us straight. We had a hint of rear wheelspin during launch control liftoff as we pulled .9Gs. In Track, a smoky burnout for fun, and tail-out drifting if you want. Select manual shifting in Sport Plus and you get an exhaust braaaap at upshifts, and delightful exhaust crackle on overrun. Mixing modes, we averaged 15 mpg.

The M5 has double-wishbone front/five-link rear suspension with Comfort, Sport and Sport damper control. Our M5 Competition model added new shocks and recalibrated damper control, a .2-inch lower ride and increased front negative camber, firmer rear anti-roll bar and 10 percent firmer springs. Plus low-profile 20-inch Pirelli P-ZERO run-flat rubber, wider in back, on forged M alloy wheels with huge cross-drilled carbon-ceramic brakes and gold calipers.

Even the M1 setting was firm enough for fun daily running, neatly buffered and not too soft as it handled bumps with quick but buffered rebound. But Sport tightened things up nicely but did not jar over bumps, and let its 4,345 pounds feel light and precise as it cornered as if on rails. There was no understeer in curves as xDrive shifted power where needed to pull us through – no body roll either. Tighter turns saw the rear-biased xDrive letting the tail power out a bit, so easy to catch and play with as we pulled 1G in corners. It went where pointed with no drama, feeling a bit of its weight but never playing it. We had a bit of wheel-hop hitting a bump in mid-turn, but our M5 shrugged it off and stayed on course. Steering was direct with good feel in Sport, and very precise in Sport . The lighter carbon ceramic brakes had quick bite early on, then solid, quick stops with no fade and no real nose dive, if a bit grabby at slower speeds. We saw 1.2Gs on full stop.

Some other BMWs are going through a design crisis with tall twin-kidney grills. But the 5-Series’ seventh-gen version of 2016, got some freshening for 2021, those twin grills still somewhat slim, extending deeper into the bumper. Glaring LED headlights bend into turns, with twin L-shaped DRLs. There’s an aggressive, deep lower intake over integrated air dam. M5 Competitions get black accents everywhere, and M Division’s signature carbon fiber roof. There’s a near-fastback rear window and short deck with slim black spoiler. In back, large LED taillights live over a gloss diffuser with black chrome quad exhaust pipes. It’s subtly aggressive, low and wide, but doesn’t stand out too much.

Inside, a luxurious dark-over light-gray leather-lined cabin with serious tech and color-changeable accent lighting over strips of buff carbon fiber with chrome edging. Leather with twin stitching outlines the dashtop’s gentle cowl framing a configurable 12.3-inch-wide digital gauge package with 200-mph speedometer and an 8,000-rpm tach. A navigation screen, or car info can be shown in between, while a sport mode contracts the tach and speedo to frame a speed display incorporating a small G-force meter.

The grippy M steering wheel has paddle shifters in back. Dash center is another 12.3-inch-wide stand-up screen for navigation, audio, seat massage settings and more, controlled by a familiar iDrive twist/tap/jog controller on the center console with main menu buttons. There’s Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto, two USB ports up front and an inductive phone charger. But there’s more. And like Mercedes, it has an easy voice command: either say “Hey BMW” and ask it to work windows, adjust a/c, navigation, audio and. Or use gesture control. Long trips on winding roads were just fine in heavily-bolstered sport seats that heat, cool and offer massage settings, plus a very clear and powerful Bowers and Wilkins audio system. And friend can join the autobahn cruise with OK leg room and decent head room in back, plus a decent 14-square-foot trunk, which opens with a foot wave.

To play, a base 600-horsepower M5 with xDrive is $103,500; ours had the $7,600 Competition Package with 20-inch wheels and tires, sports exhaust, black trim, horsepower boost to 617-horsepower and suspension mods. It also had a $3,600 paint job; $3,500 full leather interior; $3,350 executive package with soft-close doors, rear sunshades, heated front and rear seats with front ventilation and massage; parking assist and surround-view camera; $1,000 gas guzzlers tax, and a bit more for an as-tested price of $139,645.

For more information about the MULTIPLE PERSONALITY: ‘21 BMW M5 COMPETITION and the latest performance-luxury M-models from BMW, please visit https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/m-models.html