Cadillac 2013 ATS

The video teasing of the upcoming 2013 Cadillac ATS compact sedan continues with the fourth installment of the series that focuses on the engineers behind the development of the car with which GM hopes to compete head on with the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The rejuvenated wreath and crest brand stresses that all engineers working on the upcoming ATS were "handpicked based on their roles in developing other top Cadillacs" and "how well they can drive and evaluate cars on grueling test tracks".

The primary testing phase of the ATS took place at the own backyard of BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, the famed Nürburgring racetrack and the Autobahn.

"It's been the persistent attention to detail in noise-vibration-harshness, the gram-by-gram mass reduction, and consistent focus on ‘fun to drive’ attributes that led this team to hone the suspension and steering in the demanding environments of the German Autobahn and Nurburgring Nordschleife,” said ATS lead development engineer Chris Berube.

The new entry-level Cadillac ATS will receive its world premiere next year and reach showrooms in the third quarter of 2012. It will be manufactured at GM's Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan.

Nissan Showing 2013MY GT-R Lapping the Nordschleife in 7:21"

The first Nissan GT-R R35 kicked off a war of lap times on the Nürburgring with its 7:29.03 run that seems to be escalating with each new sport car that is launched.

We already know that Nissan has made some serious changes to the 2013MY (2012 for the rest of the world) GT-R. Despite the fact that it looks identical to the previous model both inside and out, under the skin, the 2013MY is even better as Nissan’s engineers have apparently been burning the midnight oil for quite some time.

The result is a revised engine with an extra 20HP, for a total of 550-ponies, a more rigid body, ceramic brakes on certain editions and even an asymmetric suspension setting on left- and right-hand drive cars.

The 2012MY 530HP GT-R shaved more than four seconds off the 2011MY's Ring time so we expect the even more powerful 2013MY to be even faster. Nissan said that the 2013MY GT-R has the potential to drop under 7:20".

Recently, there was a posting on Wikipedia's Nürburgring Lap Times with a link to a video allegedly showing the 2013MY Nissan GT-R turning the Nordschleife in 7:21.0 – more than eight seconds faster than the 2010 model, placing it 10th in the street-legal car rankings.

Problem is, despite Wikipedia’s entry that states this was a Nissan-conducted test and the company’s official test driver, Toshio Suzuki, was behind the wheel, the Japanese company claims to have absolutely no knowledge about the issue.

Nissan spokesman Nobukazu Tanaka told The Truth About Cars that, while the company has indeed conducted tests of the new GT-R at the ‘Ring in October, there was no record attempt. “We have no official announcement of a time trial or the results of the test run at the Nürburgring Nordschleife”, he said.

Is this a doctored video? Tanaka-san said that at least some of the footage is real. You can watch the video right after the jump and decide for yourself.

Weismann Roadster MF5 V10 Black Bat by SchwabenFolia

We'll forgive you if you've never heard about SchwabenFolia and Dähler, its co-partner in the creation of the Wiesmann Roadster MF5 V10 Black Bat.

SchwabenFolia is a car wrapping company based in Korntal-Münchingen, Germany, and is responsible for the Roadster MF5's dark looks.

The company dressed the outer body panels as well as bits from the interior plus the door sills, trunk and engine room in a matte black skin. To showcase its craftsmanship, SchwabenFolia even wrapped the 20-inch BBS alloy wheels in the same shade.

A foiled “imprint” of the Nürburgring's northern loop on the driver's side and the chrome emblems round out the makeover.

In factory spec, the limited production roadster mode is powered by the previous BMW M5's 5.0-liter V10 engine with 507HP. This is where Swiss company Dähler steps in adding a new sportier exhaust system and modified electronics to boost output to 600-horses.

The tuner says that the Black Bat can go from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in just 3.5 seconds, to 200km/j (124mph) in less than 10 seconds and top out at 321km/h (200mph).

To improve braking, Dähler added Brembo 6-piston fixed calipers with 308x32mm discs up front and 4 piston fixed calipers with 380 x 28 discs at the back.

No pricing information has been released yet.

Camaro ZL1 Special Aero Package Test

Ah, the Nurburgring; the Nordschleife; the Green Hell. Whatever you call it, it is today the de facto measure of any new sports car’s abilities, to the point where it has sparked some not so polite exchange of words between rival manufacturers.

The 580HP Camaro ZL1, which goes on sale in spring 2012, has of course tackled the famous track. Chevrolet didn’t expect it to outperform the top contenders, exotic supercars costing many times more than the Camaro. Nevertheless, it recorded a 7:41.27 lap time, reaching a top speed of 273 km/h (170 mph).

“This time would not have been possible without the work of our aerodynamics team”, says Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser. “The design of the ZL1 creates downforce like a race car, harnessing air pressure to press the tires against the track for extra grip and control at high speeds.”

Like most production cars, regular versions of the Camaro are designed to meet certain parameters – and one of them being fuel consumption. Managing airflow is crucial: the less drag you have, the less fuel you consume at any given speed.

However, track-oriented cars are built for speed and road handling, not high mpgs. Therefore, GM’s engineers tested the ZL1 aero package extensively at the company’s wind tunnel in Indianapolis.

Once they were done, the data showed that the Camaro ZL1 produced 65 pounds of downforce at 241 km/h (150 mph), compared to 200 pounds of lift in the Camaro SS, with the price being a little extra drag.

“From the driver’s seat, the downforce makes a huge change in the feel and responsiveness of the ZL1 at high speed”, explains Oppenheiser. “One of the best examples of how aerodynamics improved the performance of the ZL1 is the Fuchsrore (that’s German for Foxhole) at the Nurburgring.

“In the ZL1, you can take that sweeping left-hand corner flat-out in fifth gear – nearly 160 mph (257 km/h). That’s a great testament to the confidence-inspiring stability and control the aerodynamic design gives the Camaro ZL1.”

The aerodynamic package that transforms the ZL1’s handling characteristics consists of many carefully crafted elements. These include the front fascia with its reshaped grille “fins” and lift-minimizing corners, and the vented carbon fiber hood insert that lets the air escape from the engine bay, thus cooling it and at the same time creating a downforce-inducing airflow.

The factory-installed front splitter and tire deflectors reduce both lift and drag by pushing wind away from the wheels, while the two belly pans minimize airflow turbulence under the car. And while the rocker panels that reduce lift and increase stability may go unnoticed, the same won’t happen with the Zl1’s prominent rear spoiler which creates about 150 pounds of downforce while increasing drag by 0.1 points.

You can watch GM aerodynamics engineer, and former F-16 pilot, explain how the ZL1 package was shaped, as well as the ZL1 lapping the 'Ring, in the videos that follow below.