700 Horsepower Factory Cars Also Made In The 60s

While the original Chrysler Hemi is more known as the the muscle car engine of choice from the 60s, it is by no means necessarily the greatest, as Chrysler itself banned this competitor engine from stock car racing because of its awesome performance. The Ford 427 SOHC engine, more popularly known as the “Cammer” engine, was Ford’s answer to Chrysler’s Hemi. Ford’s philosophy in building this engine was not to do a ground up design but to instead use as many off-the-shelf parts as possible. So, the bottom end is a 427 block with an idler shaft where the cam would ordinarily be. The crank was the original 427 forged steel version that had its mains and conrods cross-drilled. Domed pistons for a hemi head configuration were utilized at the other end of the reciprocating assemply, which was targetted to have a redline of 7500 rpm. New heads with a hemispherical combustion chamber and single overhead cam valvetrain were used for this engine, and
oil pressure was increased and the water pump upgraded to keep up the the engine’s greater demands. A dual-point distributor and ignition amplifier were the advanced electronics utilized to ignite the air-fuel mixture, which was fed by dual Holley 4-barrel carbs. Stock output was around 657 horsepower, which even today, is pretty impressive. Around 10,000 of these were reportedly produced, but only 550 were built by Ford to racing specs (others say 1,500). Today, these engines can be found in various vintage Fords, such as Comets, Fairlanes, pickups and, of course, Mustangs.

The Mustang shown here is still campaigned in vintage events, where even now, it does 9-second times courtesy of its built-up 427 SOHC Cammer engine. Given that it weighs 3,150 pounds, performance calculations estimate its rear wheel horsepower at 900.

Today’s street cars match or easily surpass this figure with turbos or superchargers. But there’s nothing like hearing a big-displacement V8 with a huge cam idling, then launching off a start line.

Inspiration for this post here.

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MRC800 Is Candidate For The Ultimate Sleeper

Station wagons used to be the conveyance of choice for the family man until minivans and SUVs turned the market on its ear and the station wagon faded from public consciousness. But this is not the case in Europe, where wagons, called estates by some manufacturers and touring by others have always had a presence.

Perhaps the most extreme versions of these haulers are the Avant versions from Audi, an example of which is the C6 RS6 Avant, which is a wagon with a V10 engine and all-wheel drive. From the factory, the engine (which is a variant of the Lamborghini Gallardo’s V10) features twin turbos, twin ECUs, variable valve timing, a dry sump oiling system, seven radiators, ten ignition coils and selective knock control. Output is 580 horsepower. Which is the perfect starting point for MRC Tuning in England, which replaces the turbos with Turbo Dynamics hybrid units, installs race type cats, upgraded intake and fuel systems and remaps the management system. Turbo calculations place output at around 820 horsepower, which makes it the perfect car to grab a box of diapers or a case of beers when you’re in a hurry.

Seriously though, this car is one of the ultimate sleepers, because the body shape is that of a family car, yet its performance will make even exotic cars look like they fell asleep at the stoplight. Top speed is in excess of 215 mph and 0-60 arrives in about 3.5 seconds. If we had the money, it wouldn’t be a particularly hard decision to get this stormer as an all-around daily driver that is sure to give sports and exotic car owners a nasty surprise.

Source article is here.

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Mazda Components Married To Produce A 7-Second Drag Car

All too often, mainstream media gets fixated on modified cars from Europe, Japan or the U.S. But even before the advent of the Internet, enthusiasts all over the world have been turning out interesting, if not crazy, builds based on their needs, parts availability and skill sets.

This build we're featuring now comes from Australia, and it would be classified as an old school build. However, the performance of this thing is such that there's nothing old school about its sub 8-second quarter mile times.

As befits a serious drag car, this diminutive Mazda R100 has thoroughly been reworked, starting with a chromoly cage inhabiting the completely gutted interior. A 4-link rearend was installed, which controls the movement of a Mitler Bros chromoly diff hoising using 40 spline axles and an alloy centre. As you can see, the diff should be quite narrow, considering the width of the drag slicks on those 15 X 15 Weld wheels. A parachute completes the requisite safety equipment for a car with this potential.

Power will be courtesy of a prepped 13B turbo, dumping its reported 1080 horsepower to a 5-speed G Force clutchless transmission. The car runs in the mid-7s consistently and the reported horsepower was achieved on a low boost (around 20 psi) setting. The engine can supposedly tolerate 35 psi, so a lot more power can be generated as long as the rest of the driveline can hold up to the torque. A turbo calculator should give us a pretty good idea of how much the engine can make.

Builds like these are quite interesting, because we see that factory-quality detail and top performance are not the exclusive domain of high-budget teams, and skill and dedication go a long way towards making a top performing ride.

Source for the article can be found here.
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Lightly Modded Pickup Beats Unlimited Diesel Speed Record

Grow it, burn it, go fast! That’s what you’ll see on the front page of Hajek Motorsport’s website. That’s because owner Brent Hajek is a soybean and maize farmer who’s proving that high performance and biofuels are not contradictory terms. He has run drag racing cars on biofuels and his latest achievement netted him two land speed records on the Bonneville salt flats.

His tool for breaking the B Production Diesel Truck and Unlimited Biodiesel records at Bonneville was a Ford F250 Super Duty truck. This particular truck had in it a 6.7 liter V8 Power Stroke direct injection turbodiesel. Unlike the typical land speed record contenders you see on the salt, this truck has comparatively minor modifications. Obligatory mods include a roll cage, five-point harness, fire extinguishers and parachute. Also added were aerodynamic wheel caps, and the pictures reveal a truck that has been lowered extensively for better aerodynamics. You’ll also notice the side view mirrors removed, an air dam under the bumper and the openings on the front bumper covered.

Engine mods include higher capacity fuel injectors, upgraded fuel pump and a larger turbo. Compression ratio was also increased but the bottom end of the engine is reportedly stock. Ford provide some behind-the-scenes support, and these basically bolt-on mods pushed engine output to 400 horsepower and torque to 800 pounds-foot.

0-60 performance calculations are useless for a vehicle like this, since it’s set up for top speed and although the vehicle is relatively stock, some gearing changes may have been done to facilitate higher velocities. During Speed Week at Bonneville, this truck broke the record for B Production Diesel Truck with a top speed of 171.123 mph, after which the tank was drained and filled with B20 (20 percent bio diesel). The subsequent run saw the previous record of 130.614 mph eclipsed by a run of 173.180 mph with a maximum speed of 182.143 mph.

In using the B20 refined from soybeans from Hajek’s farm, Brent has proven that motorsports, diesel engines and biofuels can provide exciting challenges to gearheads like us.

Source article is here.

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Remembering The Ruf CTR3's Forebear

The Ruf CTR3 is a unique car, boasting extreme performance, power and unfortunately, pricing. But the CTR moniker would be nothing if not for the original, which was nicknamed Yellowbird. The work of tuner of Alois Ruf, this car was often described as the fastest car of the 80s, boasting of a top speed 213 mph.

It was based on the Porsche 964 Turbo, but so many modifications were done by Ruf that the company itself is recognized by the German government as a manufacturer in its own right. The CTR features carbon fiber body panels, which is common nowadays but highly exotic then. This helped keep body weight down to 1100 kg, with an official horsepower rating of 460 horsepower. But horsepower calculators indicate that the actual figure would be above 500 hp. Apart from the 213 mph top speed, 0-60 mph arrived in 3.7 seconds, which even today is supercar territory.

Even then, pricing already was an issue because it cost the equivalent of two Lamborghini Countachs. But only 25 were made, and if you consider that a lot of owners still take their CTRs out to play, then the car is cheap for the performance it continues to give after two decades. And if you like comparing Nurburgring times of today’s current crop of performance cars, it all started with this car, which, without traction control, stability control or all-wheel drive, lapped the Green Hell with a time of 8:05 in 1987.

Source is here.

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Ugly Duckling Transformed Into Outstanding Goat

Like it or not, American hotrodders and their cars offer unique perspectives in automobile tuning, which reflects on their unique culture and practical nature. Our featured car here was commissioned by Raybestos Brakes, an aftermarket parts company. Built for a giveaway promo, the car is a 1964 Pontiac GTO. Unlike typical hot rod builds, the design brief was for a car built for road racing.

To this end, the builders used a unitized chassis insert and a chromoly rollcage to build the foundation for the rolling stock. The rear suspension is a 4-link design optimized for handling while the front will be a dual-wishbone suspension. Controlling those links will be Ridetech triple adjustable, remote reservoir coil over shocks. Raybestos NASCAR-spec brakes hide behind vintage-style wheels.

As you can see, no forced-induction was used for the powerplant. Instead, it relies on cubic inches, 454 of them, to produce about 700 horsepower. The LSX engine uses a Hillborn injection stack that’s sure to produce an induction roar that’s not been heard for a long time. Transmission duties will be born by a TTC Magnum T56.

The original car weighed in at around 3110 pounds, but this car has been lightened extensively. Assuming 2900 lbs. and 700 horsepower, performance calculations give this car a power-to-weight ratio equivalent to an Evo 8 or a Lotus Elise. 0-60 mph is estimated at 2.4 seconds. It’s almost a shame that a car like this is a giveaway, but one very lucky winner will have gotten his hands on this beauty as of this writing. We hope that he lavishes as much care on this car as how it was built.

Source for the post is here.

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Remake Of One Great Sports Car Nipped In The Bud

A lot of very nice cars are out of production now, with their original manufacturers refusing or constrained to produce their modern-day equivalents. Such a case is the iconic Lancia Stratos, the mid-engine quasi-supercar from the 70s which was powered by a V6 sourced from the Dino Ferrari. To enthusiasts everywhere, the name Lancia does not need an introduction, and many have lamented the lack of a successor to the original Stratos, until a few years ago, when a businessman bought the rights to a design from a Lancia enthusiast and constructed a working car based on a Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

Before you turn your nose down at this seemingly amateur attempt, know that the businessman is a major supplier to German car manufacturers and the design house he contacted to do the conversion is Pininfarina, which has been Ferrari's designer for a long, long time. The F430's aluminum chassis was shortened but a rollcage was added. The entire body is done in carbon fiber and despite the additional rollcage, 176 pounds were shaved off the original car's weight. As befits Pininfarina, the car's fit and finish looks like it came from a production line. The interior doesn't show its Ferrari roots, and it is all very sportscar-like. There are cutouts for helmets in the door trim and even the battery is a lightweight lithium ion unit housed in a carbon fiber box.

The Ferrari's dynamic shocks have been retuned to the lighter weight but the carbon-ceramic brakes have been retained. What has been replaced is Ferrari's E-diff for a mechanical and lightweight Drexler unit. The exhaust has also been retuned, to the benefit of the engine, which now produces 533 horsepower. With only 2900 pounds to propel, response is race-carlike. As a comparison, the power to weight ratio is now 5.4 lbs/hp compared to the original F430's 6.1 pounds per horsepower.

Performance calculations predict a 3.1 second 0-60 mph time and the quarter mile in around 11.3 seconds. Even Ferrari's chairman was very impressed with the resulting lightweight car and plans were made to produce a limited run of 25 units at $600,000 each. However, Ferrari subsequently banned Pininfarina from having anything to do with the car and the design house had to accede to the wishes of its longtime partner. So for now, there is no chance yet for a new generation Stratos, but at least, the world has seen what modern design and technology can produce.

Top Gear on the original Stratos

Source article here.
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HSV-010 Racer Is A Winner Out Of The Box

Since the end of production of Honda's world-class NSX, the Japanese company has not had a supercar contender. There is a race car in the form of the HSV-010 but despite its excellent ontrack performance and beautiful shape, there is no confirmation that it will ever see action outside of the racetrack. The HSV-010 is the result of a rules change in Japanese Super GT racing, where Honda have proven themselves to be a consistent winner with its NSX. When the rules were changed to allow only front-engine, rear-drive cars, the dominant NSX automatically became illegal. Honda announced towards the end of 2009 that it would campaingn a car for the 2010 season and despite Super GT requiring that race cars be based on production cars, the use of a production-ready car is technically allowed.

The HSV-010 is based on the development of the replacement for the NSX but is of course modified for racing. As with all race cars nowadays, the body is made from carbon fiber, and as per rules, has the engine mounted up front. The engine is a 90-degree V8 with 32-valve heads helping to produce its 500 horsepower. Engine output goes to a Ricardo 6-Speed sequential with actuation via steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. When you hear the engine, it sounds like a Formula car because the engine is reportedly a variant of the powerplant Honda uses in Formula Nippon.

Suspension is via double wishbones front and wear and Alcon brakes are used to haul the car down from speed. The rack and pinion steering system is electrically powered. Using our performance calculations, 0-60 mph is achieved in 2.7 seconds with an expected quarter-mile time of 11 seconds.

Only four teams were supplied with these brand-new race cars and it is notable that in its first season, the HSV-010 was able to achieve a race win and ended up being third in the championship. This is a rare achievement for any race constructor and it speaks highly of the technical skill and racing experience of the constructor and the teams involved.

Source article is here.

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Chevy S10 Is Literally A Land Rocket

This vehicle is dubbed the world’s fastest Chevy, but it’s like calling a Formula 1 car a go-kart. Because despite its looks resembling a Chevy S10 truck, it’s doubtful that any major components of that diminutive work vehicle remains, or was there in the first place. For starters, this truck is powered by a Pratt & Whitney J-34. Reportedly found on eBay, this engine was originally installed in a Navy jet where its 12,000 horsepower output was put to good use in aerial maneuvers.

Nowadays, this powerplant is used mainly in airshows where, during its 10-minute appearance, it consumes 60 gallons of jet fuel. The truck itself looks the part of a low flying missile, with its low slung body and huge wing mounted over the rear of the powerplant. The cockpit is squeezed to the left of the engine intake, and the whole powerplant dominates the whole of the truck, starting from the intake in the hood, the combustion chamber where cab is and finally to the bed, where the turbine outlet is located. Beside the outlet are a couple of canisters housing parachutes to help slow the truck down.

Performance calculations peg this truck’s 0-60 mph in under 1.5 seconds, with a top speed of 375 mph. When you see videos of this truck during its airshow appearances, it looks like all show and smoke but watch the video below to see the acceleration this land rocket is capable of.

Source article here.

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Nitrous & Bolt-ons Produce Class Winner

With all the off-the-wall builds and professionally built racers we’ve seen on this blog, featuring a grassroots effort would seem out of place. But it’s the efforts and enthusiasm of individuals like these that keep motorsports alive.As you’ve seen on the picture above, our featured car is a Dodge Magnum SRT8. It’s a daily driven car that’s also sees regular weekend use at the dragstrip. At this point, the car is stock inside and out, except for a few bolt-on mods. Of course, the main ingredient, despite being an original factory install, is a 6.1 liter Hemi which produces 425 horsepower and 420 ft-lb of torque. Starting with the typical cold air intake and a cat-back exhaust, this station wagon is being constantly tinkered with, where it now has a 150-horsepower nitrous shot, from the original 50-hp shot.

In preparation for installing nitrous on the Magnum, the transmission valve body solenoids were upgraded and a driveshaft loop was put in place for safety. An SLP Line Lock was also installed. On the 50-shot nitrous setup, quarter mile times improved by 1.1 seconds. The next modification was a more practical one, that of installing a trailer hitch so that the weekend race team could tow their pit gear with a U-haul.

The installation of the 150-hp nitrous system showed a dyno reading of 548 horsepower at the wheels. The 150 shot is the maximum that can be used on a stock internals Hemi, so 550 horsepower at the wheels is a pretty good number. In fact, the team could not immediately harness that power as the rear axles proved to be a weak point in the drivetrain. Together with replacement axles and an LSD unit, steeper gear ratios were installed. As you can see, the modification bug has hit the owner of this car, Alex, who also drives it down the track.

Source for this article is here.

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Peugeot Class Record To Be Challenged By Toyota Soon

Challenging the Peugeot EX1’s record-breaking track time at the Nurburgring in May of this year, Toyota has announced that it soon aims to top that class record with a car that does 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. With a top speed of 160 mph, it doesn’t seem like a fast enough car, given today’s hypercars. However, when the class record set by the Peugeot EX1 is for electric vehicles, then this is something new.

That alternative powertrains in motorsports will become common in the future is undeniable. The question now is how soon, not if. No details of Toyota’s challenger are yet forthcoming, but Peugeot has made a few details available. First off, the EX1 is actually a concept car that was built in time for last year’s Paris Motor Show. The tub and body panels employ copious amounts of carbon fiber and it has design concepts that will definitely not make it to production.

The drivetrain, however, is interesting, not just because it’s electric but because it uses 2 motors to achieve all-wheel drive, instead of four, as in the Mercedes electric SLS and Porsche hybrid racer. In practice then, it can be a front-wheel or all-wheel drive car. Each motor produces 170 hp and is powered by Li-Ion batteries. Like all electric cars, maximum torque is available (in this case 240 Nm) as soon as throttle is applied and the EX1 has been recorded as capable of more than 1g acceleration. Sprint time to 60 mph is officially 3.5 seconds but Top Gear’s performance calculations have the EX1 doing it in 2.5. Quarter-mile time is 12.67 seconds.

If these figures seem anemic to you, bear in mind that this is a completely electric vehicle, not a hybrid racer like the Porsche that was raced last year and which has been featured in this blog. There are a lot of hurdles to surpass, conceptually and otherwise, as it seems weird to see a car accelerating with no sound and fury at all. But that is one direction for the future and we enthusiasts will have to wrap our minds around that fact.

Source article is here.

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Unlimited Class Hyundai Racer Almost Makes History

Recently, a news article announced the inroads Korean car manufacturers had made into the markets where Japanese makers used to dominate. Of late, Hyundai has also been funding the Millen motorsports team who have built the Veloster rallycross racer and the unlimited-class PM580, which was used to assault Pikes Peak a few weeks back.With the backing of Red Bull, Rhys Millen Racing designed this unlimited class racer with the aim of an outright win and a sub 10-minute time at Pikes Peak, which has stood as a time to beat for decades.

The race car looks more like a Group C endurance racer than one designed to tackle a mixed-surface course. From the pictures, you will see that the racer is truly purpose built, with the packaging just enough to accommodate the engine, transmission, all-wheel drive system and driver. The engine is a turbocharged Hundai V6 bored out to 4.1 liters, and rated at 750 horsepower.

With this in mind, Rhys Millen Racing is fabricating a modern Le Mans style car with a target weight of 1,850 pounds powered by a 4.1-liter Hyundai Lambda turbocharged V6 engine. Performance calculations and testing showed the engine capable of producing 750 horsepower. The entire car weighs in at 1,850 pounds, with the carbon fiber body enclosing high tech systems such as an active rear wing, which lessens its profile to reduce drag in high-speed straights. It also features an active center diff, which allows a torque split of 10 to 100 percent to the front wheels. This system was incorporated to handle the mixed dirt and asphalt surfaces that is present on the Pikes Peak course. Toyo Proxes tires were tasked to maintain the critical grip between the car and the road.

History shows that this car, despite a fast time of 9 seconds over the target 10 minutes, lost out to another specialized racer, that of Millen’s arch-rival Tajima. Coming in second must have been a big disappointment for the team, as this was the last year that the course would have a mixed-surface track. Being fully paved by next year, new setups and higher grip will produce several sub 10-minute times, but they will not stand out as having been made on a mixed-pavement course.

See source article here.

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Weekend Race Toy Restored By Owner After 25 Years

This Escort was the project of two young enthusiasts who met at a company that manufactured gearboxes. Bought as a stripped bodyshell in 1978, it had already seen life as a race car, and it took about two years to complete it. This car was raced for around 8 years, sold, but reacquired by one of the original owners and restored to its former glory in 2010.

Escorts have seen all manner of engine conversions, but this one is unusual in that it features an all-aluminum dry-sumped Rover V8 stroked to 5 liters and fed by a quad Weber carburetion system. 380 horsepower was produced from this setup, and was fed to a Rover five speed, via an AP Racing twin plate clutch and aluminum flywheel. The limited-slip diff was fitted with a 3.75 ratio gearset.

Prepping the bodyshell involved triangulating the front end and installing an FIA-spec rollcage. A one-piece fiberbglass nose, fiberglass door panels, decklid and rear fenders complete the lightening process, together with an aluminum transmission tunnel. All windows except the windshield are Perspex. This resulted in a car that weighet 857 kilograms. Front Leda struts and Spax rear coilovers damping the rear multi-link suspension comprised the handling setup.

Rolling stock is made up of 10X13 front and 12X13 rear wheels, with 11- and 10-inch vented discs respectively. The owner notes that the wheel nuts were tightened to 120 lb-ft. Performance calculations predict a 3.3 second 0-60 time and 11-second quarter miles. Reportedly, this car was able to hit 180 mph at a track in England, so that was pretty fast, and actually quite scary for a bodyshell designed in the, what, 1960s?

At any rate, this car has been resurrected by the original owner, and it must be a rare pleasure indeed to be able to take this car out for a spin and relive those moments of youth 25 years ago.

See source for this post here.

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