Senner Tuning Presents Nissan 370Z Asphalt Surfer with 365 Ponies [+ Video]

Senner Tuning, probably best known for last year's disastrously named "White Power" RS6, has released pictures and details of its latest project car: the Nissan 370Z Asphalt Surfer.

The German tuning house has modified the 370Z with an ECU tune, sports air filter and cold air intake, boosting power to 365 hp (272 kw) and torque to 400 Nm. Twin 63.5 mm (2.5 inch) sports exhaust, door mirror caps / B-pillars capped in carbon fibre and black painting front / rear splitter round out the exterior package.

Senner has also added 20-inch Barracuda alloys by Tzunamee Racing, which are available in either white or black and wear 9x20" 245/35 R20 rubber at the front and either 10x20" 275/30 R20 or 11x20" with 285/30 R20 rubber at the back.

The interior modifications are more subtle, with carbon fibre added to the instrument barnacle and additional (dash top) gauges.

While you can build up your own 370Z Asphalt Surfer, Senner Tuning said it also offers completed examples of the car.

By Tristan Hankins

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READ MORE - Senner Tuning Presents Nissan 370Z Asphalt Surfer with 365 Ponies [+ Video]

Paris Preshow: Ferrari SA APERTA, aka the 599 Roadster

The long-anticipated roadster version of Ferrari's front-engined 599 is finally here but don't get too excited as all 80 examples have already been sold even before the car makes its formal world premiere at next week's Paris Motor Show. Named SA APERTA, the new member of the 599 family was designed in celebration of Pininfarina's 80th anniversary.

And if you're wondering about the name, the SA nomenclature pays homage to both Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina, while 'aperta' means 'open' in Italian.

Maranello's newest supercar loses the standard 599's tin top and gains a low-slung windscreen, two roll bars that mimic the outline of the seats and a pair of aerodynamic fins, while the car's stance is made more aggressive thanks to a lowered ride height.

Unlike the car's predecessor, the 575M Superamerica, which sported a rotating central-piece rooftop, the SA APERTA makes use of a simple light soft top. Ferrari says the top is "designed to be resorted to only if the weather gets particularly bad". That's Ferrari's way of saying we didn't bother to develop a normal ragtop.

As is the case with all coupe models converted to roadsters, the 599's chassis has been reworked and strengthened, with the company claiming it offers "a standard of stiffness comparable to that of a closed berlinetta" and that there's "a negligible weight difference."

Under the hood, the open-top 599 model gets the same 670-horsepower V12 as the recently revealed GTO model. Further details are to be released at next week's Paris show.

READ MORE - Paris Preshow: Ferrari SA APERTA, aka the 599 Roadster

Subaru Announces First All-New Boxer Engines in 21 Years

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), Subaru's parent company, has released details on its third-generation four-cylinder boxer engine that will be available in 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter displacements. This is the first overall renewal since the second generation was introduced in 1989. The horizontally opposed flat 4 has been a mainstay of Subaru's Impreza, Forrester and Legacy models for some time.

Subaru claims that fuel efficiency is up by 10%, thanks to a compacter combustion chamber and longer stroke, variable-valve timing (which Subaru calls Active Valve Control System) on both the intake and exhaust valves, lighter pistons and connection rods, a more efficient and compact oil pump and separate engine cooling circuitry for both the block and head.

Power for the 2.0 L engine remains the same at 109kw / 150HP, while torque is up 5 Nm to 196.

The new boxer engine has a slightly higher compression ratio of 10.5 (up from 10.2), a shorter bore (84 mm, down from 92) and longer stroke (90 mm, up from 75). Subaru has yet to release details about changes to the 2.5-liter unit.

The first Subaru to receive the third-generation boxer engine will be the Forester.

By Tristan Hankins

READ MORE - Subaru Announces First All-New Boxer Engines in 21 Years