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9ff a well known German tuner specialist for Porsches has came out their latest project which is the Cayenne Vantage GTR. It's based on the Cayenne SUV and has nothing to do with the 911-rivalling Aston Martin, but the 9ff sport-ute packs a mighty punch. With a whopping 725hp on tap, the Vantage GTR leaves other modified Cayennes in its dust – make that a big cloud of dust – and straight into Gemballa territory, which is an insane place to spend any amount of time.

For the exterior, 9ff has decked out this Cayenne in Tumbler-worthy bodywork and sinister matte black finish, and is apparently even offering a revised front end to replace the stock model's angular headlights with round 911 units.

Recently, Fisker has announced plans to debut their new Karma S 'Sunset' Convertible concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month. The company has been tight-lipped about the concept but judging by the name it will most likely be based off the production version of the Karma sedan that will also debut at the show.

Besides the green Karma, Fisker is perhaps best known for their coachbuilt SLs and BMWs, but Henrik Fisker is also one of the most influential designers in the last decade, with most of the current Aston Martin lineup and the late, great BMW Z8 attributed to his pen. We can't wait to see what this wunderkind is up to now.

A flashy new door insert that looks as if it could also double as some sort of engine bay vent extends a swooping flare down the side of the car as well. The split-spoke alloy wheels are also of a different type than those of the Karma, though they do share a sort of familial look.

Last year, Motor Trend has estimated the Nissan GT-R35 is going to produce about 507hp and it is not match the factory specification. Now, Motor Trend plans to have another round power testing on the Nissan GT-R35. The key to this latest round of testing is the use of Hyper Power Dynamometer's DYNOmite, which allows testing not just of engine output, but of powertrain drag. After a dyno pull, instead of ceasing to record data, the machine records the slow-down period, and measures the drag due to the car's powertrain, including engine, transmission and wheels.

According to MT, the average of those three separate dyno runs reveals that Nissan's supercar is delivering 485-horsepower @ 6050 rpm and 470 lb-ft @ 3800 rpm. That's nearly spot on for horsepower, but a good deal more torque at the crank than its official 430 lb-ft. -- we're not complaining. These tests also prove that there are indeed significant losses due to the GT-R's twin-clutch, all-wheel drive configuration, though that's also what helps launch the supercar from a dead-stop so quickly.

Begin next year 1st of January 2009, all passengers in a car whether sitting in the front or back have to buckle up or face a RM300 fine. This only applies if the passenger is over 17 years old, but if you are younger, the driver of the car is the one who will be punished as according to Road Transport Director-General Datuk Solah Mat Hassan, it is the responsibility of the driver to ensure the safety of the minors that they are driving.

This new seatbelt ruling includes the rear seatbelts, but excludes the following:

* Cars registered before 1st of January 1995
* Cars registered after the 1st of January 1995 but not equipped with rear seatbelt anchorage points
* Commercial vehicles such as taxis and rental cars
* Vehicles with more than 9 seats including the driver’s
* Transport vehicles with capacity above 3.5 tonnes

The RM300 fine will be in effect only within a “grace period” of between the 1st of January 2009 to the end of June 2009. From the 1st of July 2009 onwards, this fine will be upped to RM2,000 and you could even go to jail for up to 1 year.

BMW's S54B32 engine, the straight-six 3.2L cast-iron motivator that powered such greats as the E46 M3, the Z3, Z3 M, Z4 M, and even the Wiesmann MF3, and now BMW plans to retire this engine.

The final Z4s, built at the tail end of 2008, housed the last of the S54 straight-sixes, reports CAR. Instead, the replacement cars will feature only a 3.0L twin-turbo rated at 300hp (223kW) as the top-of-the-range model. They're sure to be fun and are most likely somewhat underrated in terms of outright horsepower, but they are unlikely to have the same character of the outgoing mill.

Singing along at its 7,900rpm power peak - just 100rpm shy of redline - the S54 was one of the most sonorous of BMW's sixes, and a worthy successor to the S50B32 of the E36 M3, itself a sonic powerhouse. At 3.2L, the engine was a middleweight doing the fighting of a heavyweight. Rated at 343hp (252kW) in Euro-spec trim, the addition of U.S. emissions equipment bridled the engine back down to 333hp (248kW) in America.

The S54 engine had won some awards through out the 7 years tenure. This all include the International Engine of the Year Overall and Best New Engine awards in 2001, the winner of the 3-4L category from 2001-2006 and a spot on Ward's 10 Best Engines for four years running from 2002 to 2004.

Though troubled early on by some mechanical problems, most relating to the car's stratospheric redline and some sub-par contracted engine parts, the S54's cast-iron block and otherwise bulletproof construction have earned it a spot among the most praise-worthy engines of recent times.

GM's Australian performance arm, Holden Special Vehicles, had capped production of its Corvette LS7-powered HSV W427 super-saloon at just 200 units. Now, the performance division is pondering a new halo car that would be price below the limited-edition W427 but that would remain a permanent fixture in its lineup. The interest in the 505hp (375kW) HSV W427, which is based on the Holden Commodore, has inspired the company to branch out to expand its range. The W427 is currently selling for around AUD$150,000 ($102,000) in Australia, however HSV hopes to build a new model that would compete with European sports cars in the AUD$100,000 ($70,000) range once the production run of the W427 is completed.

Besides that, the Australian-based performance company is also looking to include a number of less expensive, smaller cars in its lineup to give the brand a mass appeal, reports Drive. Other changes at HSV include a renewed interest in alternative fuels, such as LPG and diesel. While traditionally HSV has been associated with big petrol V8 engines, the company is hoping to expand this brand image to appeal to a wider range of performance enthusiasts, who may not want a large performance sedan.