Russia's TopCar Releases New Photos of Custom Porsche Panamera Stingray

Russia's TopCar Releases New Photos of Custom Porsche Panamera Stingray

We first told you about TopCar's performance program for the new Porsche Panamera way back in December 2008 when the Russian tuning house released an initial set of teaser sketches. Now, TopCar has published the first photos (though, keep in mind that the pics may be photoshoped) of its customized Porsche Panamera that is believed to make its first public outing at the forthcoming Essen Tuning show in Germany towards the end of November.

The tuning firm did not accompany the images with a press release, but from what we gather, the Panamera seen here is equipped with the basic bodykit dubbed 'Stingray' which has been designed by another Russian company called Cardi.

The carbon-fiber aerodynamics package includes redesigned front and rear bumpers, side skirts, a fixed rear wing and a new bonnet with air vents. The kit is rounded off by a new set of beefier alloy wheels.

According to a previous release, TopCar is also working on an even more aggressive bodykit that essentially replaces every external body panel of the Panamera aside from the rooftop.

It is also said that the Russians have joined forces with famed Porsche tuner 9ff which will handle all the performance upgrades as well as the production of both bodykits.

Russian Designer Creates Supercar Fusing Lamborghini Reventon and Pagani Zonda Cues

Russian Designer Creates Supercar Fusing Lamborghini Reventon and Pagani Zonda Cues

Or at least those are the first two cars that popped into mind upon seeing Russian designer Krasnov Igor's latest creation, the Marussia supercar. More specifically, we see the front end design and hard lines of the Lamborghini Reventon fused into a shape that closely resembles that of the Pagani Zonda topped with futuristic styling elements like the dramatic rear end with the massive but weirdly enough, eye-catching jet-inspired 'afterburners' that house the tail lights. Follow the jump to check out the full image gallery and tell us what you think about Krasnov's concept supercar.

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Cardesign

Nissan to Begin Production of X-Trail and Teana Sedan in Russia

Nissan to Begin Production of X-Trail and Teana Sedan in Russia

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Nissan president Carlos Ghosn took part in the opening ceremony of the Japanese automaker's first plant in Russia on Tuesday. Located at St. Petersburg, Nissan's new US$200 million assembly plant has a production capacity of 50,000 vehicles a year. The facility, which is scheduled to employ 750 workers at start of production with one shift, will build the Teana mid-size sedan and the X-TRAIL compact off-roader.

"This is Nissan's breakthrough in Russia," said Ghosn. "The opening of our plant in Saint Petersburg in the current conditions underlines our confidence in the high potential of the Russian economy. With the start of production at our new plant Nissan become an integral part of the local community."

Even though the financial crisis has taken its toll on the Russian car market as sales plunged more than 40% in the first four months of the year compared to 2008 when Russia briefly overtook Germany as Europe's largest car market, many analyst believe that Russia will be a key growth market for automakers when a recovery starts.

VIDEO: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Burns to the Ground in Moscow

VIDEO: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Burns to the Ground in Moscow

The unrecognizable mass of metal you see pictured above used to be a new Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. If we are to believe the reports coming in from Russia, the owner of the Prancing Horse model was driving somewhere in Moscow when he noticed smoke coming out from the engine bay. The driver is said to have stopped on the side of the road in an attempt to extinguish the fire himself - obviously his efforts went down the drain. The corpse of the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti was towed away in a rather unfashionably (some may say ironic) way by a local dump truck. Click through to watch the scorching videos.

Via: Mreporter