Video: Dacia Logan with Volkswagen 2.8-liter VR6 Engine!

I don’t know if the word Dacia gives James May that fizzing sensation he often talks about, but the Top Gear host seems pretty fond of the Romanian brand. Same goes for low-budget European buyers who see the Renault-era Dacias as well priced models with affordable maintenance costs. One of the Romanian firm's latest cars, the Duster was even nominated for the 2011 COTY award.

However, the brand's models aren't exactly exciting, even more so when it comes to sheer performance with their mundane, small displacement petrol and diesel engines. But as always, for every problem there's a fix. This man's answer was to ditch the Logan sedan's four-cylinder and throw in a 2.8-liter VR6 Volkswagen engine.

Details surrounding the build are pretty scarce right now, as it’s an ongoing project. The owner says that the powerplant churns out 174 hp (most likely stock) and it’s coupled to a VW transmission. Other upgrades include the suspension and brake system.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: 4Tuning , Thanks for the tip Valentin M.!

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Romanian Tuning Firm Drops the Top on Dacia Logan

For the time being, Dacia's parent company Renault doesn't seem to have any solid plans to further expand the range of its low-cost Logan subcompact, but that hasn't stopped tuning companies from creating their own unique proposals.

Enter the world of Auto K9, a tuning house based in Romania. The company has just presented its latest creation in the form of a one-off Dacia Logan Convertible study based on the sedan model.

Aside from chopping the roof, the tuning firm also removed the rear doors and extended the front ones. From what we understand, the car doesn't come with a top of any sorts.

Other touches include a bodykit, chunky alloy wheels and a customized interior swathed in white leather plus a high-end audio system.

Source: 4Tuning [Hat tip to Valentin]

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Renault Inaugurates New Vehicle Test Center in Romania

The Renault Group has opened a brand new test facility in Titu, Romania. Built on a 330-hectare site located between the Dacia plant in Pitesti and the Renault Technologie Roumanie (RTR) engineering center in Bucharest, the Titu Technical Center will complement the company's Aubevoye and Lardy test centers in France.

According to Renault, the new facility will focus on testing for vehicles and powertrain components from the B0 platform that underpins the low-cost Dacia Logan.

The center is said to have 100 benches for testing vehicles and components such as shock absorbers, running gear and powertrains. The benches can simulate extreme conditions, testing the ability to withstand cold, and simulating sunlight, rain, and other situations.

In addition, the center has ten types of tracks including a speed circuit, uneven road surfaces, an underbody impact zone and wading troughs, which make up a total length of 32 km or about 20 miles.

Renault said the first teams arrived at the Romanian facility in June 2010, and the workforce will increase to 300 people before the end of the year. The first track tests are planned for October 2010.

Too Much of a Stretch? Dacia Logan MCV Limousine

When you think about stretch limos, we sincerely doubt that Dacia is among the brands that come to mind. Still, that hasn't deterred some folks from building one off the Logan MCV, a crossover version of the Renault-Nissan alliance's Romanian low-cost sedan. Details are thin on the project but in the extremely rare case you have nothing else better to do, there's a bunch of computer generated drawings of the interior after the jump.

Source: Daciaclub , Via: Vudu84