Holley 4-barrel Carburetor on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz, BMW both post record September sales

Not only are the German horsepower wars still going strong, but if this next bit of news isn't evidence of German sales wars, then we don't know what is. BMW sold 189,675 vehicles worldwide during the month of September, an increase of 6.7 percent over the previous year, which also made it the best September sales month for the automaker. This comes with a small asterisk -- namely, that figure includes Mini and Rolls-Royce sales, though if we're talking just BMW-badged vehicles, the September sales totaled 158,029 (still a 7.6 percent increase over September of 2012).

Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series (2012) first pictures

We’d be most surprised if you rejected the Mercedes SLS AMG for being too slow and too subtle, but if you crave a few racecar touches for your gullwing supercar then Mercedes will oblige with this: the SLS AMG Black Series. Like the ‘BS’ models that’ve gone before, the SLS Black employs a weight reduction, ramped-up power and better aerodynamics to give more extreme looks and performance. Read on for the full spec of a Mercedes with more power than a McLaren 12C Spider.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car revealed

Porsche will bring its latest hybrid know-how to the racetrack in the form of the new 911 GT3 R Hybrid, revealed here for the first time prior to a planned public premiere at the Geneva auto show in early March. Developed by a team of engineers at Porsche's Weissach R&D center, Porsche plans for the stripped-out race car to act as a rolling laboratory. The German carmaker wants to explore the potential of hybrid drivetrains in a racing environment before an expected announcement that it will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a factory capacity, perhaps in 2012, with a race car boasting technology based on that used in the 911 GT3 R Hybrid.