- Testing season at the Nordschleife Nurburgring continues
- Two American entrants this month.
- And two European performance SUV as well.
In the month of May, the testing season of the notorious ‘Ring witnessed many more cars careening hard undergoing their dynamic testing. We also saw two impending American icons spotted on the State side. Here are all the performance cars our spy sleuths caught testing last month.
Audi SQ3
Audi is already testing the potent variant of the next-gen Q3. The test mule was spotted with quad exhausts and sportier bumpers. The vehicle was riding on a larger wheel which gave a clear view of red brake callipers at the rear. The powertrain under the hood might be the 2.0-litre turbocharged motor with around 300-350bhp.
Range Rover Sport Coupe
The Range Rover Sport Coupe is codenamed L560. The Coupe will be shorter than the X6 and will employ lightweight aluminium parts from the F-Pace. Powering it will be a range of six- and eight-cylinder engines. A four-cylinder unit from F-Pace or electric powertrain from I-Pace is also on the cards.
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante
The Vanquish replacement will reincarnate the iconic DBS Superleggera moniker and we spotted its drop-top Volante variant. The new DBS Superleggera seems to have taken on the design cues of the DB11 and has added sporty elements for an aggressive flagship appeal. Expect the new Volante to break cover sometime next year after the coupe.
Audi RS7
The RS7 test mule had minimal camouflage revealing extended wheel arches, large wheels with massive brake callipers and dual large oval exhaust pipes. Under the hood will be a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 generating 641bhp and 770Nm. A hybrid variant is also on the cards with 690bhp, sourced from the Panamera Turbo S E-hybrid.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
The full-blown GT4 sits above the GTS in the 718 range and this test model has a new powerplant lurking in the engine bay. The 3.8-litre motor of the older GT4 will be replaced by the 911 family’s naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six engine. However, Porsche will detune to be restricted below the 400bhp mark.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
The new Shelby GT500 test-mule reportedly had a dual-clutch automatic transmission. It will be mated to a supercharged 5.2-litre flat-plane crank V8 motor with more than 700bhp. There is an aggressive body work with a heat extractor on the hood and massive diffuser at the back. It will rival the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
Audi S8
The S8 dropped all its camo as it unleashed the 550bhp 4.0-litre V8 at the ‘Ring. The Quattro all-wheel-drive system was keeping the Luxo-barge in check. The test mule had quad-exhaust setup, sporty brake callipers, lowered ride height and large multi-spoke alloy wheels which were the tell-tale signs of the flagship saloon's performance intentions.
Chevrolet Corvette C8
Chevy is officially testing the production ready model of the mid-engined Corvette in the broad daylight. The halo supercar will be powered by a 6.2-litre big-block V8 found in Zo6 and ZR-1 models of the current Corvette range. It will be built at the Chevrolet’s Bowling Green plant in Kentucky and take on European supercars like the Ferrari 488.
