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A German tuning outfit called PP-Performance has put the 2012 BMW M5 on a Maha dyno, and the numbers returned were 444 horsepower at the wheel, 553 at the engine, and a "corrected number" of 574 hp. Max torque came in at 532 pound-feet (721 Newton/meters).

Compare those figures to the official numbers of 560 horses and 502 lb-ft. If the 444 number is accurate, then no matter how you slice it on horsepower – whether you use the numbers from BMW or PP-Ps figures – youre losing around 20 percent from the engine to the wheels. However, adjusting for driveline and twin-turbo losses, that puts things right about where they should be. The 30-lb-ft surplus of torque, on the other hand, is the kind of surplus no one would complain about – again, assuming its accurate.

Follow the jump for video of the dyno run, and for another vid of the M5 being taken to 293 km/hr (182 mph). And with that second vid, try to ignore the fact that the terminal velocity attempt is being conducted on an engine with just 40 kilometers on it...

How many sports cars can one automotive group offer? Just ask the people at Volkswagen, whose various divisions – Lamborghini, Bugatti, Porsche, Audi – churn them out like you and I would write Christmas cards. (Or Hannukah cards, anyway.) And the Fiat group is right behind their German counterparts, with Ferrari and Maserati keeping the upper crust of the market satisfied, and now Alfa Romeo and Abarth filling a more accessible – but potentially no less exciting – niche.

Recently we brought you a progress update on the Alfa Romeo 4C, a concept mid-engine sports car thats now apparently been green-lit for production. In the ruminations of its potential roadworthiness, there was speculation that Abarth could get a version of its own. But those rumors have existed for longer than the 4C concept, and will now appear to outlast it as well.

According to the latest reports, Abarth is pitching a project that would see it develop its own sports car. But while the 4C would be priced similarly to a Porsche Boxster or Nissan 370Z, the Abarth would be positioned lower – maybe at the Mazda MX-5 or the new Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S/Toyota GT-86. It would also likely be front-drive, with between 200 and 250 horsepower, and draw its inspiration from the 1968 Abarth Scorpione pictured at right.

Whether it comes to fruition or not remains to be seen – not to mention its potential arrival in North America – but the prospect of another Italian sportscar isnt something wed turn down.

While @thegarageblog on Twitter has been crazy active over the past week or so, things have been pretty quiet here in The Garage Blog. Why? Well, truth be told, I am so busy with my real job that I dont have time to keep up with The Garage. For those of you who dont know, my real job isnt really a job at all. Instead, I am a freelancer with a daily and weekly gig over at the Toronto Stars Wheels.ca, so when Im done writing (Im never really done) I really dont have the energy to come here and write more.

So, my own coverage of the 2013 NAIAS is going to be limited to a shit load of pictures.

I will tell you that the absolute highlight of the show for me was turning a corner and seeing the Borg-Warner Trophy, in all its glory, standing out in the open, waiting for me to drool on it. Rather than just the usual gearhead drool, this was a chance for me to truly experience a bit of family history that I have never actually been close enough to embrace. Seeing my Grandfathers Cousins name and face on the trophy was quite the moment for me. You can read more about my connection to George Robson here.

Now, head past the jump to see all sorts of stuff from the show.

As part of an upcoming series for my column at Wheels.ca, I am about to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Thats right, a dyed in the wool automotive fanatic is going to ride. I fit the demographic perfectly: A forty something guy who feels the need to get out on the open road. Except for one thing: I am no particular fan of bikes. Sure, I appreciate the mechanical aspect of them and I LOVE shooting them trackside, but I have never really had any interest in riding them. So why am I going through this?

Traditionally, the age group that was most likely to be killed or injured on a bike was a male in his twenties. These days, as the bike hobby explodes with an influx of middle aged men and women, that number has changed. These days, the group that is most likely to damage themselves iswell, me. I am planning to get my M license as a complete newbie and will post my adventure for all to see.

The first step to doing this right was to enroll in a motorcycle training course. Remember, I know very little about bikes. I am set up to take a riding school with the Rider Training Institute in a couple of weeks. RTI is one of the most respected riding schools in Southern Ontario, so I feel comfortable placing my future in their hands.

After training (well, before really) the most important part of staying safe on a bike is to be wearing the correct gear. That means, at the very least, a proper helmet, riding jacket, gloves and boots. A friend in the motorcycle industry introduced me to Tom Whitson at GP Bikes, just down the road from me in Whitby, knowing that the GP team would steer me in the right direction. Tom set me up with seasoned rider Maureen to show me around the store and teach me a bit about rider safety equipment. That was a good thing, because I had no idea just how many choices were available in gear. While safety is of the utmost importance, this stuff has to fit both the body and the attitude or nobody is going to wear it. That means the myriads of colours and styles of every piece of personal gear also come in a wide range of sizes, even big enough to fit a guy like me!

After ended up with a jacket from Canadian company Joe Rocket, that does double duty for Spring & Summer thanks to a zip out liner. In orange and black, I can be sure that drivers wont miss me on the road and my friends will be able to make jokes about The Great Pumpkin. A pair of Five gloves look mean and are super comfy. For my feet, I chose a mid-height boot from Alpinestars. To protect my brains, I grabbed a Scorpion Exo full-face helmet with a super cool skull motif.

Now that Im all geared up, Im ready to get schooled by RTI. Check back soon for more on that in a couple of weeks.

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