Though the modern Porsche 911 has retained much of the same style as the original, there’s still something about a classic Carrera that attracts a certain breed of enthusiast. That’s what led to the creation of the Singer 911, and what has apparently motivated a German tuning outfit called DP Motorsport to retrofit a 1973 model to lightweight specification.

The modifications start with a complete carbon fiber rebody. The front and rear bumpers, hood, fenders, doors and whale tail have all been replaced with the lightweight weave, while the windows and lamp covers have all been ditched in favor of lighter-weight replacements. The result is a 870-kilogram (1,918-pound) curb weight instead of 1,080 to 1,335 kg (2,380-2,943 lbs) stock. But that’s only half of the less weight, more power ratio equation.

DP Motorsport has also fitted a 3.6-liter flat-six with 310 horsepower, enhanced by a new carburetor and filters, fitted to a G-50 gearbox and limited-slip differential. It rides on 16-inch Fuchs wheels on a coilover suspension with adjustable stabilizers, and they’ve fitted the brakes from a 964. The interior has likewise been lightened, fitted with bucket seats and swathed in grippy black Alcantara.

In short, the DP 911 is like the air-cooled original, only more so. Check it out in the high-res image gallery and the press release after the jump.

Continue reading DP Motorsport drapes 1973 Porsche 911 in carbon fiber gorgeousness

DP Motorsport drapes 1973 Porsche 911 in carbon fiber gorgeousness originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When the sheet is lifted from the Rimac Automobili Concept One electric hypercar on September 13th at the Frankfurt Motor Show – Hall 4.0, Stand A43 at 3:00 pm, in case you plan on attending – we hope the Croatian company has some heated neck pads on hand. There may be a few cases of whiplash that need treating.

No, they won’t be offering the assembled journos a sub-three-second ride to 60 miles per hour in the Messe. Rather, we suspect the injuries to occur from sudden head turning and double takes. It’s not every day you come face to fascia with a battery-powered supercar that makes 1088 horsepower and 2800 pound-feet of instantaneous torque that can take you up to 190 miles per hour before the computer steps in to bring you to your senses. Especially not one that’s produced in a country with no automotive industry. Besides all that, if these teaser photos we got our little grubbies on are any indication, it’s a stunner.

Check out the gallery and let us know if you think the looks will match up with its performance promise.

Rimac Automobili Concept One electric supercar boasts 1,088 hp, lots of carbon fiber originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW has been making some headlines over the past few months with its commitment to carbon fiber construction, opening a joint-venture production facility in Washington State and teasing the upcoming Megacity EV as the first mass-produced carbon fiber vehicle. But there’s always a back story to the headlines.

As you might have guessed, BMW has been toying around with the lightweight construction material for some time, seeing just how far it could push the envelop and what practical applications it could have. In this case, it turns out that, back around 2003, the Bavarian automaker re-constructed a first-gen X5 sport-ute with a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) unibody. Every panel on the X5 was replaced with CFRP, save the doors which retained their conventional steel construction. The result was a weight savings of 440 pounds, without – according to BMW – sacrificing structural rigidity and crash-worthiness.

Of course the carbon X5 was never put into production, but it reportedly underwent some 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) of testing, and the knowledge gleaned will surely find its way into BMW’s production vehicles in the future.

[Source: BMW Blog]

BMW leaks first-gen X5 made of carbon fiber originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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