Man tattooes ‘Mini’ on his penis to win free Cooper

Think about the craziest thing you would do to win a free car. Andreas Muller of Germany has you beat. Muller really – really – wanted to win the Mini Cooper being given away by his local radio station, and in order to do so, he had the word “MINI” tattoed on his mini, err… penis.

Organizers of the stunt received a long list of crazy ideas, yet Muller’s stood out for the sheer ballsiness (pun intended). His screams of pain were broadcast over the air as the tattoo was applied to his now-sponsored manhood.

Volkswagen Golf MkVII could come by end of 2012

The MkVI (sixth-generation) Volkswagen Golf has been around since 2009, and according to a report fromReuters, the next all-new Golf may be approaching sooner than we thought. According to a spokesperson forVolkswagen, the automaker will have the MkVII Golf ready for public consumption by either the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013.

Golf generational changes typically occur in much larger intervals, but this rapid introduction for the MkVII is a result of the Volkswagen Group’s new cost-savings model architecture called MQB. Different makes and models that share the same underpinnings will be built in a similar manner to save large percentages of money.

Red Hot Audi R8 Spyder with 600 Ponies will Burn your Pockets

 

If the factory ready Audi R8 Spyder isn’t quite to your liking, perhaps the tuning folks over at Sport Wheels can help you build the roadster of your dreams, albeit at a very, very steep price. If our calculations are correct, the full treatment will cost you around €62,000 (US$85,000 at the current exchange rates) or about half the price of an all-new R8 Spyder in Germany.

The tuning house begins from the outside with numerous carbon fiber parts including the front bumper (€7,799), brake cooling ducts (€1,259), front spoiler (€1,799), rear bumper (€4,799), rear diffuser (€3,799) and fixed wing (€1,999).

Next up are the engine and exhaust system upgrades (€6,048), which help boost output to 600HP and 580Nm of peak torque. Stopping power can be further improved with MOV´IT-CER ceramics brake calipers, but at a ludicrous cost of €21,990.

Those sexy looking alloy wheels sized 20-inch up front and 21-inch at the back with Dunlop Sport Maxx tires are priced at €4,599, while the tune is completed with an aluminum coil-over suspension for €7,349.

 

 

BMW announces 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo for U.S.

BMW has been teasing us with little factoids here and there about its new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and we finally have official confirmation that it will, in fact, be coming to the United States later this year.

This new four-cylinder engine uses the same twin-scroll turbo technology found in the larger N55 3.0-liter engine. Maximum power is rated at 240 horsepower at 5,000 rpm, and peak torque – all 260 pound-feet of it – is delivered at 1,250 rpm. By switching to a smaller-displacement, turbocharged, direct-injected engine, we can expect that cars with this new 2.0-liter four will get a healthy bump in fuel economy over the current six-cylinder models.

BMW has yet to point out which models will be getting the new 2.0-liter turbo, but since the automaker specifically mentions that it offers more power and torque than the current naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six, we wouldn’t be shocked to learn that all cars with a 28i or 30i at the end of the name will now be powered by this four-pot mill. Earlier reports have suggested that the Z4 sDrive30i will now use four-cylinder power, and we’re betting both the 1 and 3 Series, as well as X1, will get the turbo-four treatment. Follow the jump for the official press release.

 

Ferrari Four put through the paces at Bolocco in the dark

 

 

You can bet dollars to donuts that when Ferrari brings a new car to market, it’s undergone a ridiculously thorough testing regimen. That applies whether it’s developing a coupe, a convertible or even a station wagonshooting brake, as we saw with the release of the new FF.

Especially the FF, as it turns out, as the new four-seater from Maranello represented a number of firsts for Ferrari. It has an all-new engine, incorporating the HELE system for the first time, coupled with a completely new kind of all-wheel drive system, and mounted into a body-style that was previously the exclusive purview of custom coachbuilders.

In short, the Ferrari Four is nothing like they’ve ever made before, and so – as you can see from the video after the jump – thorough testing was required. Which is exactly what was carried out at a number of race tracks, test tracks and proving grounds. In this case, it’s the Centro Sperimentale Bolocco in Italy. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.