Weekend Roundup: 11/3/17-11/5/17

Koenigsegg Nails Fastest Production Car Record on Nevada Highway 

Hennessey stole the show at SEMA–no easy feat–with their announcement and release of their new hyper-ultra-mega-car, the Venom F5 and it’s purported 300mph top speed. Everyone reported that the great Hennessey-Bugatti speed wars had begun: who would take the top honor of fastest car?

As it would turn out, neither of them are recipients of the honor, as Swedish car maker Koenigsegg has swept in and earned the record, with their Agera RS hyper car. Averaging 277.9mph during two runs in opposite directions on a closed, 11-mile section of Nevada highway, the car was driven by factory driver Niklas Lilja.

As the record time was an average, it means it was not the fastest. As it turns out, the fastest speed achieved by Mr. Lilja in the Agera RS–a customers car–was 284.55mph, fully utilizing the cars 1360hp.

As if this was not impressive enough, the same car and driver also broke the 0-249-0mph record, completing the feat in 36.44 seconds, beating Bugatti by 5.52 seconds.

What a car.

BMW Releases M3 30 Years American Edition: More ‘Murica!

BMW’s M division is celebrating 30 years of M3 sales in the US with the production of the M3 30 Years American Edition, debuted at this years SEMA show. Designed by BMW’s Designworks team and built by the brand’s Individual service, the 30 Years American Edition is limited to a single production unit and will be sold after the show.

Equipped with the M3 Competition Package’s 444-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, the 30 Years American Edition sports a six-speed manual transmission as well as a further list of custom parts and options. Most noticeable among these options are the Frozen Red II metallic paint, staggered split-spoke wheels measuring 19 inches up front and 20 inches in the rear, as well as a massive, carbon-fiber rear wing, among other options.

Performance modifications are limited to a  set of adjustable springs lower the car by 0.2 to 0.8 inches and an M Performance exhaust system.

The interior is treated to a series of other custom touches, such as the seats and door panels being upholstered in a combination of red, white, and blue leather, with contrasting red, white, and blue stitching. Additionally, the front seats include an American flag motif on each headrest, while the front seat shells include a blue hue.

The 2018 BMW M3 30 Years American Edition will be offered for sale shortly after the conclusion of the SEMA show and will wear a price tag of $129,630, or $58,385 more than a standard M3 equipped with the Competition package.

2018 Nissan GT-R Line Gains Sub-$100k ‘Pure’ Model

Last year saw major changes–or at least what amounts to ‘major changes’ in GT-R land–come to the Nissan GT-R in the form of a refreshed exterior and interior look, as well as 20 additional horsepower. With this change, the base price ballooned to over $110,000 for the cheapest example.

Now, for 2018, Nissan has introduced a new trim-level, dubbed “Pure”, which lowers the entry price of a GT-R to below $100,000. Priced at $99,990, compared to $110,490 for the next cheapest GT-R. To achieve this price, the ‘Pure’ model loses its 11-speaker Bose audio system, Active Noise Cancellation and Active Sound Enhancement systems, as well as it’s titanium exhaust system.

For nearly $10,000, many will find losing these systems worth it.