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After JE DESIGN, a well-known SEAT customising specialist, tuned the new Leon two months prior to its market launch, the same tuning specialist from Leingarten, Germany, has now turned its attention to the “FR” version.

• Power boost FR-TDI up to around 142 kW / 193 bhp and 410 Nm
• Power boost FR-TFSI up to around 180 kW / 244 bhp and 355 Nm
• 19 inch set of wheels “Multispoke” and suspension lowering by 35 mm
• 4-piston sports braking system
• Complete aerodynamic body-styling kit

The core of the modifications is the power boost to the 2.0 TDI engine. Instead of 125 kW (170 bhp), it now generates a solid 142 kW (193 bhp) with a torque increase from 85 to 410 Nm. The modifications to the engine management system permit better driving performance: A top speed of 224 km/h (series: 218 km/h) and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds (series: 8.2) send out a clear message! The power boost comes with a TÜV parts certificate. Needless to say, the TDI still complies with the EI regulations. An electronic power boost for the new 2.0 TFSI with 147 KW / 200 bhp leads to a terrific 180 kW (244 bhp) with a torque boost up to 355 Nm at 1,850 rpm. Here, too, the modifications to the engine management system permit enhanced driving performance: A top speed of 235 km/h (series: 229 km/h) and acceleration from 0 to 100 in 6.5 seconds (series: 7.3)! This power boost also comes with a TÜV parts certificate. In each case, the price includes a 1-year guarantee on the engine, drive train and gearbox. Upon request and subject to an extra charge, this can be extended by a further 12 months. A power boost for the new Leon CUPRA 2.0 TFSI with 176 KW / 240 bhp is in the pipeline.

JE DESIGN starts on a sporty note at the front by fitting a new front grille without a brand logo that features a grille insert. Headlight eyebrows lend this Spaniard a more aggressive look.

A sporty front spoiler featuring an additional air vent in the corners make the Seat Leon look even classier when overtaking. JE DESIGN enhances the side view by fitting a set of side sills. The tuning specialist completes the rear view of this Spaniard by fitting a rear apron. Last but not least, a rear spoiler goes to create greater downforce on the rear axle, particularly at high speeds. These aerodynamic body-styling components are also available as a complete kit. In addition, it is also possible to order the self-adhesive JE-DESIGN roof fin “Shark attack” in a matt black finish.

Upon request, it is also possible to order a 4-pipe stainless steel rear silencer with chrome-plated tailpipes. This not only promises to generate an awesome sound, but also optimises the engine performance by reducing the back pressure.

The growing desire for chrome also leaves its mark on the Leon range from JE DESIGN. Besides a four-piece set of door handle surrounds, the price also includes the B-post trim “3 D Chrome” with a chrome inlay and a rear door surround in addition to the trim panel for the lower section of the boot lid.

Customers can choose from five sets of wheels. The climax of the offering in 17, 18 and 19 inch versions is the “Multispoke” complete set of wheels in chrome look in the dimension 8.0 x 19 ET 45 with size 225/35 R 19 Y tyres.

JE DESIGN also ensures that the Seat Leon remains sure-footed despite its extra power. The suspension range comprises a set of sports suspension struts, which brings the Leon FR around 30mm closer to the ground, and which noticeably improves the handling and ride comfort due to the lower centre of gravity.
Alternatively, the tuning specialist offers sportier handling in the form of a coil-over suspension kit, which changes the road clearance of this fiery Spaniard in the range from 35 to 65 mm. Upon request, constantly-acting deceleration from high speeds is guaranteed by a 4-piston sports braking system (330 x 28 mm) on the front axle.

2007 Land Rover Range Rover Sport.

By Warren Brown / The Washington Post

Love for Range Rover Sport HSE overlooks its sins

NEW YORK - It made no sense. I spent $128 on premium gasoline for a round-trip drive of 600 miles — 21.3 cents a mile for fuel alone for the 2007 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE.

There were other penalties. My favorite East Side garage charges $10 extra to park sport-utility vehicles. That was painful, but fair.

Sport-utility vehicles occupy more real estate than most cars. Real estate is valuable, especially in this city where a one-bedroom condominium can cost $2 million.

 
The Range Rover Sport HSE is a big sport-utility vehicle. It cost nearly $30 a night to park it here in a 24-hour protected garage.

Parking it on the street was next to impossible, especially in the East Village where my youngest daughter, Kafi, lives in a tiny apartment. On the one occasion I found an on-street parking spot in her neighborhood, I had to pay the worry penalty.

“How much is that Range Rover?” Kafi asked.

“About 60,000 bucks,” I said.

Kafi looked concerned.

“Lots of cars are stolen around here,” she said. “Most people don’t park expensive cars on the street. Are you sure you want to leave it there?”

I wasn’t. But I was sure that, despite its consumptive nature and the many costs and concerns attached to that affliction, I loved the Range Rover Sport HSE — loved driving it, being in it, loved the overall feel, look and even the smell of it.

Love is blind, but I could not resist the power, prowess and prestige of the Range Rover Sport HSE. Thus, I found myself in the nation’s busiest and arguably most congested metropolis in a vehicle that could scramble up mountains, ford streams, or, as demonstrated in a television advertisement, descend steps, enter subterranean tunnels, and drive 200 feet beneath the streets of Tokyo during rush hour.

The seductive word here is “could.” It appeals to the American sense of entitlement. It speaks to the American notion of preparedness, which says you should always have more than you’ll ever need or use just in case you need to use it.

Certainly, the Range Rover Sport HSE is one of the most capable sport-utility vehicles, on the road or off, available anywhere.

Depress and turn a rotary switch on the center console and automatically set the vehicle for maximum traction and handling on a variety of driving surfaces — dry pavement, wet or snowy roads, sand and gravel, mud or mountain rock climbing. Executives at Land Rover, the overseer for the Range Rover brand owned and controlled by Ford, call this their “terrain response” system. It works. I like it.

A “tilt control” technology enables the Range Rover Sport HSE to drive at a 35-degree angle with near-perfect traction. A “hill descent control” feature allows you to descend the steepest hills at a constant, safe, low speed. And despite its weight of 5,468 pounds and ground clearance of 8.9 inches, dimensions that could yield unwieldy top-heaviness, the Range Rover Sport HSE, with the proper terrain setting, is so remarkably stable and agile it truly lives up to the “Sport” part of its name.

Vehicles such as car-based tall wagons, which are combination station wagons and minivans masquerading as SUVs, have more seating and cargo space than the 4.4-liter, 300-horsepower V-8, four-wheel-drive Range Rover Sport HSE. The tall wagons generally are more fuel-efficient and city-friendly, especially in terms of parking, than the Range Rover or other truck-based sport-utility models.

But none of that matters when pride and lust for power take hold. You want a worldbeater, or at least a vehicle that looks and acts like one as long as there’s fuel in the tank. You want the Range Rover Sport HSE; or, perhaps, you’d prefer its even more powerful sibling, the Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged.

Go on. Enjoy. You can deal with the “power corrupts” issue later.

2007 Lexus LF-A Concept. The Detroit News

Dodge racing driver Kurt Busch drives the 2008 Dodge Viper onto the stage at the Chrysler Group unveiling at Cobo Center in Detroit Tuesday.

Pontiac unveiled the GXP.R racecar, which will compete in the GT class of the 2007 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve. The GXP.R hits the track running later this month at the famed Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race in Florida.

With the bodywork inspired by the Pontiac G6 GXP Street edition coupe, the GXP.R is the next step in the evolution of a successful racing program that began with the purpose-built GTO.R. The GTO.R was retired after winning the 2006 GT championship; the new GXP.R is built on the same winning foundation as the GTO.R.

“The GXP.R begins the next chapter in a very successful racing campaign that has put Pontiac over Porsche and BMW in the highly competitive GT class,” said John Larson, Pontiac general manager. “The GXP.R promises to pick up the GTO.R’s momentum and carry it into another winning season.”

Built to the specifications of the Grand American GT class, the GXP.R features a rear-drive layout and a racing version of the LS2 V-8 engine that produces approximately 450 horsepower (335 kW). It is based on the same Gen IV V-8 engine design as found in the production Grand Prix GXP. The production G6 GXP is powered by a sophisticated, DOHC 3.6L V-6 with variable valve timing that produces approximately 252 horsepower (188 kW).

The GXP.R’s bodywork retains the silhouette of a production G6 GXP, but lightweight, carbon-fiber replica panels are used throughout to reduce overall mass. The stock window glass also is replaced with lighter, shatter-resistant polycarbonate pieces. The body panels are attached to a custom tube-frame chassis, with the front and rear fenders flared to cover the wide, 18-inch wheels and class-spec Hoosier racing tires. Also, a huge rear wing that provides stabilizing downforce is tied into the chassis. It’s not a production-model wing, but the G6 GXP street car has its own distinctive rear spoiler.

Production-based racing
The Grand American GT class is comprised of production-based coupes and sedans that are modified for racing. Many of the engine components must be the same as those found on production models. The tube-frame chassis and ground-hugging bodywork are used to ensure high-speed traction and stability, while a purposeful interior deletes amenities such as air conditioning and an MP3-capable radio for a crisscross of safety roll cage tubing, a single racing seat, racing instruments and other race-only accoutrements.

Grand American Racing’s racing series, which also includes the Daytona Prototype class, was founded in 1999 with the goal of reinvigorating American road racing. Pontiac models were campaigned in the GT class from its inception, and the GTO.R program was launched in 2005. In their first full season of competition, two GTO.R teams dominated the 2006 season. With eight wins, including a podium sweep at Phoenix , Pontiac clinched its first GT Manufacturers championship, and the No. 65 TRG/F1 Air GTO.R of Andy Lally and Marc Bunting took the GT Drivers and Team championship. The No. 64 TRG GTO.R of Paul Edward and Kelly Collins finished third in points. The remainder of the class’s top 10 finishers included five Porsche GT3 Cups, a BMW M3 and a Chevy Corvette. During the 2005 and 2006 seasons, the GTO.R amassed an impressive 19 consecutive podium finishes – a class record.

PONTIAC GXP.R SPECIFICATIONS