British tuner Kahn Design has introduced a heavily-modified Land Rover Defender called Flying Huntsman.
Power for the Flying Huntsman comes from a GM-sourced 6.2-liter LS3 V8 engine that produces between 400 and 450 horsepower depending on the state of tune, over twice the power output of a stock Defender. The eight-cylinder is linked to a six-speed automatic transmission but performance figures are being kept under wraps for the time being.

The Defender’s brake and suspension system have been thoroughly upgraded to handle the extra grunt.

Kahn had to add 15 inches of sheetmetal to the Defender’s front end to accommodate the massive V8. Other visual modifications include plastic cladding on the sides, a model-specific front fascia with a revised radiator grille and five-spoke alloy wheels wrapped by low-profile whitewall tires.

The tuned Defender is scheduled to greet the public for the first time at next March’s Geneva Motor Show. It will carry a base price of £125,000 before taxes are factored in, a sum that converts to a little over $190,000. At the time of writing Kahn is not planning on selling its Defender outside of the United Kingdom.

The Flying Huntsman is the first in a series of custom-built Defenders. Kahn has revealed that it is planning on introducing a four-door model with a stretched wheelbase and a 6×6 version before the end of the year.

Amateur spy shots have given us the best look yet at the upcoming 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The new RS is expected to take a significant leap over the regular GT3 in terms of weight reduction and overall performance.
Taken in Germany, the spy shots confirm that the 911 GT3 RS sports a number of aerodynamic enhancements including a wide body borrowed from the 911 Turbo, large air scoops, air vents on the front fenders and, of course, a massive rear wing. The 911 GT3 RS also features a wide rear track for added grip, and insiders say the coupe will boast “near race car levels of downforce.”

Earlier spy shots show that the interior offers sport seats with the “GT3 RS” logo embroidered in the headrests and a roll cage in lieu of the rear seats, while headroom is increased thanks to a double-bubble roof panel.

Sources close to Porsche have revealed the 911 GT3 RS will use a brand new naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine tuned to generate at least 500 horsepower. The GT3 RS will be exclusively available with a dual-clutch PDK transmission at launch but the automaker hasn’t ruled out offering it with a manual gearbox later in the production run.

Porsche’s electronic four-wheel steering system will come standard, and the coupe will pack numerous weight-saving components such as a lithium-ion battery and an exhaust system made out of titanium.

Last year, Porsche was forced to recall the standard GT3 due to an engine issue that could lead to a fire, but it looks as though those kinks have been worked out in the GT3 RS. As long as Porsche doesn’t face any more setbacks, we should see the the 911 GT3 RS debut at next March’s Geneva Motor Show.

Following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG, a top BMW executive has revealed that the company’s line of high-performance M cars will soon adopt all-wheel drive.
Although BMW has used all-wheel drive for its M-badged SUVs, the high-performance division has stuck with rear-wheel drive for its car models. However, Frank van Meel, head of the M division, recently revealed that AWD could soon make an appearance on BMW’s M-tuned passenger cars.

Mercedes-Benz recently went down the all-wheel drive route with its high-performance line of AMG cars. Prior to that, AMG — like BMW’s M — relied on rear-wheel drive for its passenger cars.

Van Meet indicated that the next-generation M5 and M6 would likely be the first M models to get AWD. However, those all-wheel drive systems will be tuned with rear-wheel drive bias in order to minimize unwanted understeer.

“The philosophy will remain rear-wheel drive, even if there is all-wheel drive,” Van Meel told Autocar. “As we increase power and torque, then the M5 and M6 will have large outputs, so we’ll look at those solutions [all-wheel drive] with these cars in the future.”

Although it sounds as if AWD is a go, Van Meel squashed the idea of a four-cylinder-powered BMW M model any time soon. “They are not part of the short term for M,” he said.

Daimler announced Wednesday that it is recalling 114,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold in Germany for faulty oil seals.
The recall may be a prelude to a larger, international campaign. According to Reuters, the number of vehicles affected outside of the country is not yet known.

A similar recall announced in December covered E-Class, GLK-Class and M-Class cars and SUVs from the 2014 and 2015 model years.

Bad news for any autocross enthusiasts currently running a standard version of the Ford Fiesta — the Sports Car Club of America has banned the compact from competing in its Street Category because it doesn’t meet the organization’s latest Rollover Potential Guidlines.
The news of the Fiesta ban was discovered in the January edition of the SCCA’ Fastrack News by Jalopnik. According to the publication, “The Ford Fiesta ST meets the Rollover Potential Guidelines in 3.1. The 2011+ non-ST Fiesta models do not meet the requirements and are to be removed from the HS listing.”

So if you have your heart set on autocrossing a Ford Fiesta, be sure to spring for the ST package. However, even that decision isn’t without risk as the video posted below shows a Fiesta ST going up on two wheels during an autocross event.

The base Fiesta isn’t alone in staring down an SCCA ban as vehicles like the Dodge Caliber, Fiat 500 and Nissan Juke have already been barred by the auto club.

Video courtesy of YouTube user Simmonsracing.