Shift Blog

EXOTIC RACING SERIES CAR OF THE DAY: Gumpert Apollo

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:35:00 GMT

The brainchild of Roland Gumpert, a longtime Volkswagen/Audi business development guru, and Roland Mayer, former chief of Audi Sport, the Gumpert Apollo is as close to a street-legal racecar you can get, and it’s available with the downloadable Exotic Racing Series for Need for Speed SHIFT.

Taking a look at the Apollo from the outside, it’s reminiscent of the cars we used to doodle in our notebooks as growing boys while feigning attention in math, English or history class so many years ago.

With its swooping, yet angular lines, the Apollo makes use of fiberglass technology to shed the extra pounds that come with steel construction, with carbon fiber pieces optional.

Apollo is constructed entirely upon a tubular chromoly frame and depending on options, weighs anywhere from 2,400-2,600 pounds.

But that’s not what anyone who owns or obsesses over the Apollo cares about.

The 4.2-liter, 40-valve, mid-mounted, 90-degree bi-turbo V8 engine is the star of the Apollo show. Gumpert has three different ‘levels’ of their vaunted mill: the ‘base’ engine has 641 horsepower, the ‘sport’ level boasts 691 ponies, and the ‘race’ Apollo has 789 pavement-eating German thoroughbreds.

On the track, Apollo burns from 0-to-60 in only 3.2 seconds, equaling the time set by the legendary McLaren F1.

Apollo is an outstanding blend of technology and raw engineering, with its drive-by-wire acceleration system, dry sump lubrication and on-board diagnostic system supplementing its prodigious power.

Gumpert claims the Apollo is so perfectly engineered that it can drive upside-down in a tunnel at around 190 mph.

Nobody has been able to test this theory, though British motoring show Top Gear has said they are ready to attempt the experiment but need a willing driver.

You may not be driving upside-down through tunnels with SHIFT’s Exotic Racing Series, but it’s a tempting proposition every time we look at the Apollo.

EXOTIC RACING SERIES CAR OF THE DAY: ALFA ROMEO 8C COMPETIZIONE

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:36:00 GMT

Long overlooked as an Italian performance brand due to its large selection of commuter cars, Alfa Romeo makes its return to the Need for Speed universe in the Exotic Racing Series for SHIFT.

First announced at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show as a concept car, the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione finally made it to full-scale production in 2007.

Its styling evokes memories of Alfa’s illustrious past, with the lines engineered to remind us of the iconic Alfas of the 1930s and 1940s, and it borrows the ‘Competizione’ name from the 1948 6C 2500 Competizione, which placed third in the 1949 and 1950 Mille Miglia races.

Departing from its retro looks, Competizione is a car with tanto – Italian for ‘a lot’ - of modern technology.

Its 4.7-liter V8 is a Ferrari-Maserati joint-venture, with Ferrari assembling the 90-degree, cross-plane, dry sump lubricated monster that kicks out 444 horsepower, running 0-60 in slightly more than four seconds. With an engine redline of 7,500 RPM and rev limiter kicking in at 7,600, this car doesn’t mess around.

The company line from Alfa Romeo is the Competizione has a top speed of about 181 mph, but independent tests have shown it can achieve higher than 190. One anonymous Alfa engineer said the company’s estimations were conservative.

Its lateral acceleration numbers are impressive as well, with the car drawing 1.02g of force, stronger than the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8.

Competizione comes with 20” tires specifically engineered for use on its chassis, with the rims being perforated in fluid molded aluminum.

As with any Alfa, you need to sit in the cockpit of the Competizione and actually feel the car around you to truly understand why people love these vehicles so much.

With only 500 ever built and sold for a cost of $175,000 each, chances are pretty slim you’re going to get your hands on one in real life, but Competizione is available in the Exotic Racing Series for SHIFT. Take it for a spin starting March 18.

EXOTIC RACING SERIES CAR OF THE DAY: McLaren MP4-12C

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:46:00 GMT

When your first efforts to produce a roadworthy car yielded the aesthetically beautiful and technically amazing McLaren F1, is it possible to build a better vehicle?

McLaren thinks so, and their second street-legal car, the MP4-12C, is set to hit showroom floors in 2011 and is part of the Exotic Racing Series for Need for Speed SHIFT.

MP4-12C is a complete structural change from the F1, with every inch of the car re-engineered for a more pleasurable driving experience on road or track.

Under the hood, MP4-12C is powered by a much smaller engine than F1, with its 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 being dwarfed by the F1’s 6.1-liter BMW V12.

But there’s little difference in power, with MP4-12C kicking out approximately 600 ponies from its engine, comparable to F1’s 627.

Where the new car has an advantage is in distribution of torque, with 80 per cent of MP4-12C’s grunt available at only 2,000 RPM.

MP4-12C has smoother lines than the F1, looking more like a polished performance car than a speed demon vacationing from the track on public roads.

One major change in MP4-12C’s interior is the removal of the F1’s awkward ‘1+2’ seating arrangement, as both driver and passenger will be seated next to one another in the cockpit.

McLaren has positioned the MP4-12C to compete with top-of-the-line sports cars from Italy, with the company setting its sights on the Lamborghini Gallardo and Ferrari 458 Italia.

With prices approaching $300,000, owning an MP4-12C may be out of your reach, but if you download the Exotic Racing Series for SHIFT, you can save your pennies and drive one today.

Announcing the Exotic Racing Series for Need for Speed SHIFT!

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:12:00 GMT

The all-new Exotic Racing Series for Need for Speed SHIFT, available March 18 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, introduces seven phenomenal new cars and an amazing new track.

Highlighting this exclusive pack of cars are the McLaren MP4-12C, Gumpert Apollo and the legendary BMW M1.

You won’t find more brilliance, innovation, or drama than in these magnificent machines, with each a potent mix of track-tested speed demon and capable daily driver. Beauty, agility, speed, and exclusivity are bred into each one of these models. Here’s your chance to take them out on the track.

Over 50 exciting new events have also been created just for these cars, so you’ll have plenty of time to revel in their beauty and - because this is Need for Speed SHIFT - power.

The challenging and spectacular new Riviera track boasts four unique layouts, each with daring corners, multiple blazing straight-aways, and a couple of hairpins and chicanes, pushing your cars to their limits.

Available March 18, the Exotic Racing Series for Need for Speed SHIFT is $10 or 800 Microsoft Points and is available on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

Final Caption Contest of Week 2

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:30:00 GMT

We had a lot of response to yesterday's caption contest, and we're closing out week two with another classic car, the 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T.

You know the drill here folks, the best caption e-mailed to kirk@needforspeed.com wins themselves a free Ferrari Racing Series DLC code. We're letting this contest run through the weekend, the winner will be announced on Monday.

Two weeks of Ferrari Wallpapers - March 4: Ferrari 430 Scuderia

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:17:00 GMT

We continue in our two-week rollout of Ferrari wallpapers with the beautiful Ferrari 430 Scuderia. This car is a hoot to drive, it's definitely in my top-three out of all the cars in the Ferrari Racing Series.

There are 9 beautiful wallpapers of this outstanding machine. All can be downloaded with a click and they default to 1920x1080.

Two weeks of Ferrari Wallpapers - March 3: Ferrari F430 Spider

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:30:00 GMT

With only three days left in our two weeks of Ferrari Racing Series wallpapers, I present to you the car we rode in during our visit to Empire One last month (see above), the Ferrari F430 Spider.

We have one wallpaper of the F430 Spider, it defaults to 1920x1080 and can be downloaded by clicking on it.

NFS Hot Lap – Week 20 - Mike makes a weird face...again

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:25:00 GMT

The big 2-0! It seems just like yesterday that the NFS Hot Lap was crawling around on all fours ready to take its first steps. Now look at it: in its sophomore year at Duke University deciding whether it has enough electives for its second semester. How quickly they grow up =P

Enough idiocy on my part and let’s get on with it! Hopefully you saw yesterday’s post and got the “leak” on which car and track we’re doing, but in case you didn’t here you go:

Car: BMW M3 E46
Track: Alpental

The competition will run until Monday, March, 15th at 9am PST :)

Here is my video. I bailed hard going into the final straight away, so the time should be relatively easy to beat this week =P (Really, when is it not?!)

The usual:
Make sure to use the same car and track, keep it to one lap per video, make sure the FULL LAP is recorded, and however you choose to record it, make sure your final time is clearly readable. Post it to your YouTube account and submit it as a response to our Week 20 video (embedded below). And, there’s no limit to the number of video responses you can post, so if you see your best time beaten by someone else, get back in and record a better one. And to make your video easier to track, please remember to tag it with NFS and put a link to needforspeed.com in the video’s description.

As always, if you have any questions, please drop me a line at michael@needforspeed.com and I can help you out.

Here’s my video!

Two weeks of Ferrari Wallpapers - March 2: Ferrari Superamerica

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:47:00 GMT

Here we go, day six of the wallpaper series for the Ferrari Racing Series for Need for Speed SHIFT. Today's car is my favorite in the DLC pack, the Ferrari Superamerica.

I just love its elegant curves and aggressive performance. It may not match up to the FXX and F50 GT in terms of raw horsepower, but this car is beautiful and fun.

As always, the wallpapers are available by clicking on them and default to a 1920x1080 size. Enjoy!

SHIFT GGL Playoffs - Round one complete!

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:32:00 GMT

The first round of playoffs in the Need for Speed SHIFT tournament going on at GGL Global Gaming is now complete. Here's how the bracket looks:

All three races took place with the Porsche Cayman S, with the first race on Brands Hatch GP, the second on Donington National and the final on Glendale West. Round 2 of the playoffs are underway and run until Thursday, so get those races in!

Xbox 360:

(1) archie2511
		archie2511
(128) BYE
(2) chellebelle4
		chellebelle4
(127) BYE

(3) Eagleized Z
		Eagleized Z
(126) BYE
(4) SACKAMONJARO
		SACKAMONJARO
(125) BYE

(5) zsta2k7
		zsta2k7
(124) BYE
(6) URCwhiplash
		URCwhiplash
(123) BYE

(7) moreAIMthanAOL
		moreAIMthanAOL
(122) BYE
(8) Revan002
		Revan002
(121) BYE

(9) PopsOnline
		PopsOnline
(120) BYE
(10) iTz MeaNFacE
		iTz MeaNFacE
(119) BYE

(11) hezlikeher0in
		hezlikeher0in
(118) BYE
(12) spl1t sec0nd
		spl1t sec0nd
(117) BYE

(13) X ThieF x D1 X
		X ThieF x D1 X
(116) BYE
(14) MotorArchie
		MotorArchie
(115) BYE

(15) raceboyinc
		raceboyinc
(114) BYE
(16) philalex90
		philalex90
(113) BYE

(17) da78gemini
		da78gemini
(112) BYE
(18) EaP I RAsTAz x
		EaP I RAsTAz x
(111) BYE

(19) Happy Hippys
		Happy Hippys
(110) BYE
(20) Anton Gruffalo
		Anton Gruffalo
(109) BYE

(21) Hunter4777
		Hunter4777
(108) BYE
(22) iTz WaffIe
		iTz WaffIe
(107) BYE

(23) thelancerevo
		thelancerevo
(106) BYE
(34) Mix311
		Mix311
(105) BYE

(25) scootypuffjr02
		scootypuffjr02
(104) BYE
(26) Kubuu
		Kubuu
(103) BYE

(27) Deranged WRX
		Deranged WRX
(102) BYE
(28) CODADwilly
		CODADwilly
(101) BYE

(29) xWRCxb00StCrAzY
		xWRCxb00StCrAzY
(100) BYE
(30) RySyndrome
		RySyndrome
(99) BYE

(31) apsb21
		apsb21
(98) BYE
(32) MechanixX
		MechanixX
(97) BYE

(33) StAnne23
		StAnne23
(96) BYE
(34) XxXTODD1XxX
		XxXTODD1XxX
(95) BYE

(35) SK Silk
		SK Silk
(94) BYE
(36) DozierMane
		DozierMane
(93) BYE

(37) betavirus11
		betavirus11
(92) BYE
(38) CyanideStudios2
		CyanideStudios2
(91) BYE

(39) silencedKNOT
		silencedKNOT
(90) BYE
(40) baddad8u
		baddad8u
(89) BYE

(41) dayzielynn
		dayzielynn
(88) BYE
(42) AKA AMASTER
		AKA AMASTER
(87) BYE

(43) xJOZx
		xJOZx
(86) BYE
(44) overblood
		overblood
(85) BYE

(45) V3XX08
		V3XX08
(84) BYE
(46) delimin8or
		delimin8or
(83) BYE

(47) mccarthayallday
		mccarthayallday
(82) BYE
(48) sparker parker
		sparker parker
(81) BYE

(49) DarinSRT
		DarinSRT
(80) BYE
(50) IrezumiOne
		IrezumiOne
(79) BYE

(51) ShiftStiX
		ShiftStiX
(78) BYE
(52) TopLegend23
		TopLegend23
(77) BYE

(53) ScorpiusIXMR
		ScorpiusIXMR
(76) BYE
(54) x shadyspark x
		x shadyspark x
(75) BYE

(55) PABLO ESCABAR
		PABLO ESCABAR
(74) BYE
(56) brianbjulius
		brianbjulius
(73) BYE

(57) PainlessDurst
		PainlessDurst
(72) BYE
(58) warriortiburon
		warriortiburon
(71) BYE

(59) BlackHawk3890
		BlackHawk3890
(70) NotreDamer
(60) xsmd
		xsmd
(69) Nitedriver69

(61) THE BUD KEEPER
		THE BUD KEEPER
(68) Big Zeus08
(62) blazenregen
		blazenregen
(67) mix311

(63) Lnin0
		Lnin0
(66) Irnmike04
(64) NFSDrew (DISQUALIFIED)
		lrnmike04
(65) unbracingheart

(65) GreenChallenger
		GreenChallenger
(64) st3alth32
(66) DEF LEPPARD 101
		DEF LEPPARD 101
(63) Stick E Steve

(67) x AbStRaX
		x AbStRaX
(62) DJ Shot
(68) penguinpunch3r
		penguinpunch3r
(61) BYE

PS3

(1) andrewsquad7
		andrewsquad7
(128) antman325
(2) ApeX-B_SUPRADAVE
		ARC_Stig
(127) ARC_Stig

(3) arnuttharanee
		arnuttharanee
(126) bazza180sx
(4) bbf472
		bbf472
(125) bentleygtr

(5) BlaTaN
		BlaTaN
(124) bmascarenas
(6) brandon42191
		camezaGP
(123) camezaGP

(7) cje2148
		cje2148
(122) coma-inferno
(8) corollasr52009
		CVONER55
(121) CVONER55

(9) dad2343
		dad2343
(120) danmc_27
(10) dannylee87
		danwin
(119) danwin

(11) DAVE_THE_TROUSER
		DAX-TR_08-13
(118) DAX-TR_08-13
(12) Destructron
		DsSGame
(117) DsSGame

(13) e30racer
		e30racer
(116) Fatsandwich
(14) fictivechaos
		FOWLER1971
(115) FOWLER1971

(15) freyman1
		freyman1
(114) Gods_Unwanted88
(16) gooch1971
		goofy187
(113) goofy187

(17) hahahasmile
		hahahasmile
(112) hgrdgman
(18) hosscat501
		hosscat501
(111) ICON_SOULREAPER

(19) wizard2dragon
		wizard2dragon
(110) IgorMey
(20) InfAm0u5KR15
		InfAm0u5KR15
(109) X-R-L

(21) jdmtunerguy
		jeno904
(108) jeno904
(22) jimmy0043
		jj13190
(107) jj13190

(23) jMcb27
		Jon_1993
(106) Jon_1993
(24) kamtumpai
		Ki-Lo
(105) Ki-Lo

(25) kilgojr
		killingspeed
(104) killingspeed
(26) kopaszgeci
		kopaszgeci
(103) L_GIANT

(27) l0ad3d9
		l0ad3d9
(102) lolo123intx
(28) Lonedrifter1989
		Lonedrifter1989
(101) lostkhan

(29) LT_Chambers
		Mach_10
(100) Mach_10
(30) mf-dif
		mfkang
(99) mfkang

(31) mikiwoodie
		mikiwoodie
(98) MIXINGK
(32) MoeszY
		MoeszY
(97) MonuBirk18

(33) mr-caprese
		mr-caprese
(96) MRDalsbo
(34) MrRASER
		mrsan4d
(95) mrsan4d

(35) multimaxman
		Need_Foor_Speeed
(94) Need_Foor_Speeed
(36) NOLMT2276
		NOLMT2276
(93) nselewa

(37) Oldsparky442
		Oldsparky442
(92) OTS_TRYLINE
(38) Poptart64
		Poptart64
(91) prpgamer2008

(39) PRTM-twinturboQc
		PRTM-twinturboQc
(90) qc22
(40) race2winnet
		race2winnet
(89) RacerBoi23

(41) RACERRICK54
		RACERRICK54
(88) redcelica2002
(42) rich24vv
		rich24vv
(87) rodman16

(43) S1DEWYNDER
		S1DEWYNDER
(86) SamuraiRacerHIRO
(44) Sanel89
		Sanel89
(85) scrach23

(45) sespe
		sespe
(84) SilentKaliSmoker
(46) Sionnach22
		Sionnach22
(83) Sipero

(47) Sirpiccolo13
		Sirpiccolo13
(82) SIZMW
(48) slimreyes
		AK-47_rifle
(81) AK-47_rifle

(49) Avery0609
		bainbridge1234
(80) bainbridge1234
(50) bibblesplat
		bz24
(79) bz24

(51) DEMOGODZZZ
		DEMOGODZZZ
(78) Rey_JGD_PR
(52) joao
		joao
(77) JosemiliKis

(53) NFSDrew
		NFSDrew
(76) LTKapal
(54) EahnLeeMahsterz
		EahnLeeMahsterz
(75) ever13

(55) fast-taco
		fast-taco
(74) Ghosheh
(56) hemihotrod402
		hemihotrod402
(73) JC096

(57) kutt22
		kutt22
(72) LCASS420
(58) lexus56
		mikie6t6
(71) mikie6t6

(59) morrislevy
		morrislevy
(70) N_10_SE
(60) nissan380zx
		nissan380zx
(69) nme8871

(61) No_Sorrow_13
		No_Sorrow_13
(68) OutcastNeedhelp
(62) petitronikon
		petitronikon
(67) samm1313

(63) SD-SUPERDRIFTER
		SD-SUPERDRIFTER
(66) shytoonmim
(64) snacks28217
		zsta2k7
(65) zsta2k7