TopSpeed Daily Update

Audi A6 Avant by ABT Sportsline
Lamborghini Carbon Fiber Bags Collection
Video: Capri pants-wearing man hoons his Chevrolet Corvette Z06
BMW X5 by G Power

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 05:00 AM PDT

The 2012 Audi A6 Avant has received a new tuning kit courtesy of Audi tuner extraordinaire, ABT Sportsline. Aesthetic upgrades are part of the package, but the main ingredient of the whole thing is an extensive performance upgrade that takes the output of the estate car to a whole new level.

Among the changes you’ll notice on the exterior include a new front spoiler, new sidebars, a custom rear spoiler, a new rear apron that integrates four exhaust pipes, and a set of 19", 20", and 21" lightweight wheels that comes wrapped with high-speed tires.

As for the engine, the 2012 A6 Avant is powered by a number of engine options, including a 3.0-liter TDI engine with a choice output of 204 horsepower and 245 horsepower and a 2.0-liter TFSI engine that produces 300 horsepower. On it’s own, these engines are impressive, right? Not to ABT Sportsline.

Using a few engine modifications, the German tuner was able to bump up the output of the two 3.0-liter TDI variants from 204 horsepower to 240 horsepower and 245 horsepower to 300 horsepower. As for the gas-powered 2.0 TFSI engine, the original output of 300 horsepower has been juiced up to a mouth-watering 420 horsepower, improving the car’s 0-62 mph time to just under five seconds.

ABT Sportsline’s upgrade on the 2012 A6 Avant has turned an already attractive car into one impressive piece of business. And quite frankly, we wouldn’t mind owning a piece of that business ourselves.

gallery: 2012 Audi A6 Avant

Audi A6 Avant by ABT Sportsline originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 28 August 2011 12:00 EST.

Lamborghini Carbon Fiber Bags Collection

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 11:00 PM PDT

Posted on 08.28.2011 06:00 by Kirby
Filed under: Lamborghini | car gift ideas | Cars | Car News

Carbon fiber is used in a lot of cars these days, especially those of the high-end variety. You’ll even find it in bicycles, yachts, and even planes. But as a fashion accessory? We’ve never heard that before.

That, as it turns out, is what Lamborghini is venturing to when it released a new line of carbon fiber bags as part of their new collection. The bags will come in various styles - Travel, Messenger, and Envelope - with each completed in hand-stitched leather with palladium-finish galvanized brass accessories, hand-mounted studs, and cotton lining. The colors of the bags are then highlighted by the diagonal graphite reflections, turn reflected by carbon fiber.

"The uniqueness of these products is not by chance, each one has been carefully studied and is one-of-a-kind, entirely made by hand by craftsmen who carry out each phase of the process," said Stefan Winkelmann, president and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.

We certainly wouldn’t doubt that these products are unique and they make use of a material that’s never been used on bags before. But just like their supercars, these bags cost more than our budgets would allow.

The cheapest of the three is the Carbon Envelope bag, which you’ll have to pay €850, which is around $1,230 based on current exchange rates. Then there’s the Carbon Messenger, which will set you back €1,050 - that’s $1,500 of your hard earned dollars. Finally, the Carbon Travel bag will cost €1,450. Convert that into Benjamins and you get $2,100.

Lamborghini Carbon Fiber Bags Collection originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 28 August 2011 06:00 EST.

Video: Capri pants-wearing man hoons his Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 04:00 PM PDT

Ahh yes...capri pants: the fashion statement of 2006. Some people are still caught wearing this choice of denim and while we can’t really fault them for their fashion choices, we can give props to a man brave enough to wear capris while performing wicked burnouts with their Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

It’s not so much about the capris as it is about the American sports car, which can burn rubber with the best of them. And as you can see in this video, the Corvette Z06 is one of the most hooning-friendly cars out there, enough to generate a huge plume of smoke and leave some of the tire treads on the road.

Without question, the driver and presumable owner of the Corvette Z06 gets good grades for his hooning skills, but we certainly have to question his choice-of-clothing. For as good as he is at burnouts, he’s a few years too late when it comes to what’s hot and what’s not in the fashion world.

gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Video: Capri pants-wearing man hoons his Chevrolet Corvette Z06 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 27 August 2011 23:00 EST.

BMW X5 by G Power

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 11:00 AM PDT

We’ve seen G Power’s Typhoon body kit on an earlier version of the BMW X5 M, but now the German tuning firm has dressed up the new BMW X5 with the same Typhoon body kit. This would be in addition to giving the SUV an engine upgrade courtesy of its SK III program.

As we’re all familiar with, G Power’s Typhoon body kit comes with plenty of aerodynamic enhancements that turns the X5 into a car that looks like it’s been given a massive makeover. Among the items included are a pair of enormous wing extensions on the front and rear end of the SUV, a new bumper that comes with massive air intakes and LED lights, a vented bonnet made from carbon fiber, custom side skirts, and a custom diffuser. On top of all that, G Power also gave the X5 with a set of 23" Silverstone Edition forged wheels wrapped in high performance Michelin tires.

Inside, G Power continued with the modifications, complete with exclusive accessories that include a sport steering wheel, a new speedometer and a number of interior elements that have made from aluminum.

As for the powertrain, the tuning company’s SK III engine upgrade program, together with an ASA T1-522 supercharger, took the new X5 xDrive48i’s 4.8-liter V8 engine and bumped up its output by 170 horsepower all the way up to 525 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 443 lb/ft of torque at 5,300 rpm. The end result allows the X5 to hit 0-62 mph in just 4.7 seconds with an increased top speed of 172 mph, a bump up from the electronically limited 155-mph top speed of the standard model.