BMW has invited itself to a party that Porsche started. Someone trolling through patent filings found drawings submitted by BMW for two slightly different takes on a seven-speed manual transmission. The first take is a more conventional setup that provides an honest clutch pedal. The second variant uses a shift-by-wire system to swap gears through an electromechanical actuator. To prevent drivers from accidentally engaging an engine-damaging gear in such a closely spaced pattern, both rely on an electromagnetic fluid inside a shifting module that can change viscosity to prevent the ‘lever’ from making a shift. Funk Flex
(Video) Auto Talk: First Tesla Model S delivered to board member Steve Jurvetson
The very first Model S, decked-out with license plate TSLA S1, left the Fremont, CA factory this past weekend, Green Car Reports believes, in the hands of venture capitalist – and Tesla board member – Steve Jurvetson. Now that the U.S. government has fully homologated the car, people who invested early are getting their just desserts. Jurvetson is one of those and made sure he would get the first Model S during a board meeting back in 2010. “Regular” deliveries will reportedly start in two weeks. The entire first batch of Model S vehicles is made up of the sold-out Signature Series that offers the best performance (0-60 in 4.4 seconds, a top speed of 130 miles per hour) and range (up to 320 miles). Funk Flex
(Video) Auto Talk: Watch Audi’s A1 Quattro get thrashed on gravel roads
German magazine Sport Auto got its mitts on an Audi A1 Quattro, then tested the limited-edition hot hatch for high speed and gravel prowess. With 252 horsepower and 258 pound-feet underhood from its 2.0 TSFI engine, it’s slightly down on gumption from the 500-horsepower A1 Clubsport that Audi showed off at the Wörthersee and Le Mans last year, but the bewinged A1 Quattro will still get from standstill to 62 mph in 5.7 seven seconds and onto a GPS-indicated 257 kph (159 mph). Funk Flex
(Video) Auto Talk: “High Gear” Mustang chosen to be SEMA’s first all-female build
Ford designer Jennifer Seely’s “High Gear” Mustang concept will debut at the 2012 SEMA show this fall after collecting the most online votes out of three female-created Mustang concepts. Funk Flex
Auto Talk: McLaren MP4-12C getting boost in power, other upgrades for 2013
McLaren will reportedly be offering a handful of upgrades for the 2013 model year MP4-12C supercar. Car and Driver reports that the most significant upgrade is a power bump – 25 horsepower – which now brings the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8’s total output to a screaming 618 hp. Funk Flex
(Video) Auto Talk: Chevy Camaro ZL1 lines up against Ford Shelby GT500 on the dyno
Inside Line took the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, together, on a field trip: to Westminster, California where where they were both tested on the same dyno at MD Automotive, run the by same operator on the same day. In case any memories need refreshing, the specs run thusly: the ZL1 has a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 belting out 580 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 556 pound-feet of torque at 4,200 rpm, for a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 184 miles per hour. The Shelby GT500 rocks up with a supercharged 5.8-liter boasting 662 hp and 631 lb-ft, for a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed in excess of 200 mph. Both get the power down via six-speed manual transmissions. Funk Flex
