Truck Lives Up To Screamin' Detroit Moniker

Seeing this creation, one’s reminded of that saying about climbing the mountain because it’s there. When you look at this hot rod truck, it’s arguably useless. But almost any car guy who sees this 1960 Peterbilt 351 will appreciate the 15 months and 3,000 hours of work that was put into this truck to make it so.As you can see, it’s barely recognizable as a semi, because builder Randy Grubb chopped and reshaped the cab to the proportions he felt would make the truck more aggressive and mean-looking. However, the quality of the work can be seen from the fact that the cab isn’t painted, so any flaws and fitment issues would glaringly show.

In case you didn’t notice, the centerpiece of this creation is the engine, which is a 12 cylinder 12V71N Detroit Diesel. Stock, it’s rated at around 430 horsepower although some reports have the engine on this thing making 500 horsepower. Not much in terms of outright power, but the torque should be something else. It would probably have enough pulling power to pull a house off its foundations, never mind tree stumps. The video below will show how the engine wants to twist the frame. An Allison 4-speed automatic is used in place of the original transmission.

When it was tested in the quarter mile, its time was a 16.63 but the engine is limited to 2,500 rpm, because the nature of these engines are, again, for pulling, not top-end power. The truck has since been sold (not to Jay Leno as the video erroneously claims), which gives builder Randy Grubb more funds and time to build another project.

Source for the article is here.

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Murray F1 Car Has 100% Win Record

The Brabham BT46B was designer Gordon Murray’s answer to the Lotus 79, which was the first car to take full advantage of ground effects, and simply dominated the F1 season at the time. Today, Gordon Murray is best known as the designer of the MacLaren F1 supercar, but even then, the innovative and fertile mind of Murray was already recognized. The BT46B could have challenged and beaten the Lotus 79, had Formula 1 constructors not conspired to have it banned. Thus, the BT46B is said to be the race car with a 100% winning record because it won its first race outright and was banned after that race, the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix.

As is known now, ground effect aerodynamics lowers the pressure beneath the car, allowing the air passing above to exert pressure on the car body itself, which increases traction. At that time, the BT46 used an Alfa Romeo flat 12 producing 520 horsepower, which performance calculations would show gave the car a 50

horsepower advantage over the competing Cosworth DFV. But the breadth of the engine prevented the use of the venturi tunnels beneath the car, which promote the ground effects. Gordon Murray’s solution to lower the pressure beneath the car was to install a fan at the back of the car, which would suck out the air under the car. Skirts at the sides of the car allowed the low pressure to be formed. Driving the fan was a clutch system.

Officially, the fan was a cooling device for the race car’s radiator, and one was mounted at the rear to indeed help with cooling. But when the car showed its cornering-on-rails performance, no amount of subterfuge could conceal the fact of the fan’s true purpose. It was so effective that observers at the time noted that when the driver revved the engine, the car would sit down on its suspension. The drivers themselves had to modify their driving style in the corners, because stepping on the throttle would actually make the car go faster and allowed the drivers to pass on the outside of a corner.

The BT46B, together with the Lotus 79, are examples of an F1 era where innovative, and sometimes crazy, ideas were tried and tested on track. Because of the myriad regulations in effect in F1 today, it has lost a lot of its excitement and followers even though innovative and groundbreaking ideas continue to be developed.

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Offroad Racing Builds As Complex As Other Race Cars

More often than not, competition vehicles only mimic their street-legal counterparts and underneath the skin is a collection of specialized components that nowhere resemble anything found in a production car. But when you see this offroad racing truck, there is no doubt as to what its purpose is. From the tall stance, knobby tires, useless load bed and growling motor, it’s all racer.

PMC Racing campaigns this truck in desert races across Arizona and the surrounding areas. As with any serious racer, a lot of time, money and labor has been lavished on this vehicle. Although its outer skin resembles that of a Ford F-150, this truck is built on a tube chassis with an integrated cage. The driver is centrally located in the cabin. Attached to this chassis are custom suspension links with 26 inches of travel in front and 36 inches at the rear. King shocks with remote reservoirs control jounce and rebound.

The engine is a 408 cubic inch Ford with an output of 800 horsepower, with the transmission connected to a 10-inch rearend. 37 inch tall tires on 17-inch wheels make up the rolling stock and the brakes have 6-pot calipers. The Trophy Truck class that this racer is entered in specifies a minimum weight of 4,500 pounds. Assuming a weight of 5,000 pounds and 800 horsepower, performance calculations give the power-to-weight ratio of this truck as equivalent to that of a Ferrari F430 or a Corvette Z06.

Even with suspension travel measured in feet(!), racing across the desert in a vehicle with the performance of a Ferrari isn’t everyone’s idea of fun. But the engineering and attention to detail that these teams give to building up their vehicles can be appreciated by any gearhead.

Inspiration for this post here.

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Volvo Estate Racer An Icon Of 90s BTCC

The Volvo 850 T5-R was one of the most interesting cars that competed in the BTCC in the 90s. Arguably, it was a marketing gimmick, designed to put Volvo in the news in order to shed its old image. And it worked. The BTCC program was the brainchild of Volvo SVP Martin Rybeck, who saw it as a vehicle with which Volvo could capture the hearts and minds of a new generation of customers. It would show that Volvos could also be capable of serious performance if one wanted. To this end, Steffanson Automotive, a longtime Volvo tuner, was tapped to turn the 850 into a competitive platform. The story has been often repeated that on the day SAM representatives arrived at the factory to pickup up a bodyshell, only an estate was available. So rather than wait for a sedan body, it was the estate bodyshell that was brought to SAM’s workshops.

Subsequent testing supposedly showed that the estate’s longer roof provided more aerodynamic downforce. Volvo then decided to bring in Tom Walkinshaw Racing to campaign the racer for them. TWR started the process by welding in a full rollcage, rebuilding the engine to race specs (for an official output of a little over 290 hp), installing an Xtrac sequential gearbox, using an AP Racing carbon fiber clutch and finally an LSD. Suspension consists of TWR struts up front and Volvo Delta-link at the rear. A combination of Falkner springs and Ohlins dampers provided control. Brembo 8-pot/2-pot front and rear brakes were used, as well as BBS forged wheels.

Total weight for the car came out to 975 kg, for a power-to-weight ratio comparable to that of a Porsche 911 GT3. Performance calculations estimate that the race car would do 0-60 mph in about 3.7 seconds. This performance was enough to make it quite competitive in its first season of racing, but not enough for a win. At the time, each copy of the race car cost up to 400,000 pounds. Today, these ex-BTCC racers can supposedly be had for 25,000 pounds.

Inspiration for this post here.

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Recce Cars An Important Component Of Modern Rallying

At the highest levels of motorsport, nothing is left to chance in order to achieve the best possible result. In rallying, parts of a rally course can change due to weather and human factors, to the point that some can become impassable. Unique to rallying but now copied by other forms of motorsport is the concept of the recce. Here, a driver and his navigator use a car to verify the accuracy of the pace notes that are critical in rallying. The top teams maintain a fleet of these recce cars and these vehicles go with the team, even in international events. In Ford’s case, the fleet consists of Volvo S60R AWD sedans.

Stock, the S60R has a 2.4 liter 5-cylinder turbo engine. Output is 300 horsepower. The drivetrain consists of a Haldex AWD system and a 6-speed manual transmission. Uprated suspension was developed with consultation from Ohlins, and brakes are Brembo 4-pots. FIA regulations impose speed limits during recces of rally stages, so M-Sport’s choice of these Volvos was inspired. They have the necessary underpinnings to tackle the stages while providing the crew with a comfortable ride.

Except for a higher ride height, gravel tires and mudguards, these recce cars appear stock because FIA regulations also prohibit team markings or other signage on the car. So, a lot of recce cars are just plain white with tinted glass. Close inspection will reveal that there are hood pins, sump and undertray guards, with the interior having racing seats, a race steering wheel, 2-way communications and a full rollcage. In the case of the Volvos, dual spare tires can be found in the trunk. Since only two recces per event are permitted nowadays, teams have taken to installing cameras on the recce cars to record the stage for later playback and review.

Inspiration for this post found here.
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Charger Pursuit Is A Car Enthusiasts Could Love

Admit it, as a car enthusiast, you’ve broken the speed limit a couple of times or more and nothing slows you down faster than seeing a police cruiser on the road ahead of you or nosing up behind you. Those criminally-minded have even attempted to outrun police cars, but even an outdated police car has a radio, which a car simply cannot outrun.

One of the latest additions to police vehicle fleets in the U.S. is the Dodge Charger Pursuit and even standing still, it’s a car you wouldn’t want your unfriendly police officer to be chasing you with. It looks so ominous that some people have actually castigated police departments for using a car that looks so aggressive. The Dodge Charger Pursuit is (optionally) powered by a 370 horsepower Hemi, with a V6 as standard, but would you rather find out after one starts going after you? Besides, as we’ve said, your 1,000 hp rocket sled won’t still be able to outrun a radio call. Suspension on the Pursuit is a multilink rear with performance-oriented  tuning and sway bars front and rear. Heavy duty four-wheel disc brakes with the requisite ABS provide stopping power. No fancy wheels are used on the Pursuit, which rolls on black 18-inch steelies. These are both easily repairable and replaceable. In addition, the Pursuit has a two-mode police-specific Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system.

In keeping up with modern technology, the Charger Pursuit comes with Dodge’s Police Interface Module for easy integration with electronic equipment. Other neat touches which have law officers in mind include a column-mounted automatic transmission lever, red/white LED interior lighting for night-vision equipment, a spotlight mounted on the A-pillar and body-hugging bucket seats, the same as on other non-police models.

Enthusiasts understandably have a natural aversion to cop cars, but the Dodge Charge Pursuit is one cop car that car nuts would love and hate in equal measure.

Source for this article came from here.

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One-off Racing Transporter Immortalized In Mercedes Museum

One essential piece of equipment that doesn't get much exposure from the PR hacks of motorsport teams is the team transporter. Today's transporters look like any other container rig on the road, except perhaps for their coats of flashy paint and graphics.

But in 1955, Mercedes saw  the need to transport its racecars quickly between servicing at the factory and bringing the racing car to the track. The one-off Blue Wonder, as it was fondly called, was a combination of the X-tube frame of the 300S (extended to provide cargo space for the race car), the 3-liter straight six engine from the SL Gullwing, which was the first car to be equipped with direct fuel injection, and parts from the 180S car. 

Engine placement was above the front axle and output was restricted by 20 horsepower to 195 at 5500 rpm, from the original 215. A combination of hydraulic and disc brakes ensured that the truck/race car combo could slow in a controlled fashion from its top speed of 175 km/h. One wonders about the skill of the truck drivers who made high performance runs to and from the factory. After the withdrawal of Mercedes from racing in 1955, the original Blue Wonder was used as a garbage hauler and finally scrapped in 1967.

It was decided to reconstruct the truck in the early 90s from photos, oral reports and all other available data. Being a one-off, construction plans were missing entirely and it took 6,000 man-hours and 7 years to come up with a replica which most people agree is a faithful reproduction of the original.

Inspiration for the article here.
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Top Secret Supra Is Not So Secret Anymore

Japan is known for some pretty outrageous cars, but even this one is over the top, even for a Japanese tuner. The inspiration to build this 5th-gen Supra came from a project car that ran 300 plus kilometers per hour. In building the Supra, tuner Smoky (nicknamed because of his love for long smoky burnouts or chain-smoking habit, take your pick) Nagata aimed for a 400 km/h top speed, who decided that a twin-turbo V12 would be just right to hit that mark.

The engine is from a JDM Toyota Century called a 1GZ-FE. Displacing 5 liters, this engine is as long as the 2JZ that originally graces the Supra, but is significantly wider. Add the twin HKS GT2540 turbos, associated plumbing and intercooler and you’ll wonder at how it all fit. Target output for the engine is 1,000 horsepower, which is almost four times what the engine originally makes, so custom internals were machined to make the engine live with the boost and output. The radiator for the cooling system has been moved to the trunk where ducting in place of the side quarter windows direct the airflow. HKS ECUs take car of engine management.

Connecting the Getrag 6-speed is a custom bellhousing, and output from the transmission is handled by a Cusco 1.5 way LSD. Coilovers are electronically height adjustable units from Nagata’s Top Secret brand and brakes are Greddy 8-pot calipers. Depending on the owner’s whim, wheels are 19-inch Rays or Volks, with Bridgestone 245/35 fronts and 275/40 rears wrapped around them.

When it went to the Nardo track a few years ago to attempt a 400 km/h run, it fell short by about 40 km/h. Smoky will have to revisit his turbo calculator to make that target velocity on the next attempt. It was supposed to make a guest appearance at the Texas Mile event this year but the East Japan earthquake happened so we have to wait a few more months to once again see this car in action.

Source for the article is here.
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Family Effort Campaigns A Production Class Land Speed Racer

While the previous post detailed the exploits of unlimited-class time attack cars with seemingly unlimited budgets, we take a look now at an effort that makes up for enthusiasm what it lacks in budget.The VW Karman Ghia pictured here is a land speed racer that was formerly a street driven car but has been running at the Bonneville Speed Week for two years now.

The car is shared between brother and sister Zach and Talor Burns, who share a passion for speed.Entered in the production class, the Karmann Ghia has just enough mods to make it legal to run in the salt, such as a fire suppression system, full cage, new wiring harness and some additional gauges to monitor the engine.

Except for lowering the car 2 inches and sometimes running aero wheels, the body is totally stock. The engine is a rebuilt 1900cc unit that redlines at 8000 rpm and is used with a VW transaxle. At its run at the 2011 Speed Week in Bonneville, it hit 144.75 mph before the engine blew, caused by a broken valve. As there was no way to rebuild it there, the efforts of the team will have to wait until next year.

Veterans of Speed Week say that going to Bonneville once is enough to make the speed bug bite you hard enough that you keep coming back. For this family endeavor (dad is part of the crew), their aim of becoming the fastest production class Type 1 VW will ensure that they will keep coming back to the salt for years to come.

Inspiration for this article found here.

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GT3 Racer Shows Its Mettle Against Purpose-Built Competition

As we car nuts know, car racing subscribes to the adage “different horses for different courses”, and even similar disciplines (e.g. track cars) have degrees of specialization and regulations that necessitate specific sets of mods for a given type of racing.

Australian tuner Prep'd Motorsport built up this Lotus Exige to FIA GT3 specs for competing in the Australian GT Championship but has also used the car for other classes of racing, notably the World Time Attack Challenge in 2010 and 2011. If you look at the contenders in the recently concluded WTAC held in Eastern Creek in Australia, there aren’t the stringent rules found in most other forms of motorsport, which may equalize the cars but definitely stifles innovation. Prep’d Motorsport pitted their mid-engined racer against a field where all-wheel drive and 600 horsepower engines were commonplace. In the process, they placed 4th outright, in an event that was dominated by purpose-built time attack cars. Not a bad result at all for a car built for FIA GT3 racing.

Starting from the excellent Lotus platform, the Prep’d replaced the entire body with carbon fiber panels, and side window glass was replaced with Lexan. The team did not need to reinvent the Lotus’ suspension setup, opting only to replace the springs with Eibachs and the dampers with Ohlins custom-valved GTX units. Brakes were also upgraded to AP 6-pot front and 4-pot rears. The car rolls on 18-inch wheels wrapped in the tire sponsor's products for the event.

For power, a Toyota 2ZZ 4-cylinder engine was used, but modified and turborcharged to produce 500+ horsepower with the help of a Motec ECU. This power goes to a Hewland sequential 6-speed with the aid of an AP twin plate clutch. Performance calculations show that this 740 kilo car would have a power-to-weight ratio that easily exceeds the world’s fastest supercars. 0-60 mph is hit in less than 2 seconds. As with any race car, top speed will be dependent on the track configuration.

Other mods include a Motec dash display, carbon fiber dash, Recaro seat and an LCD rear vision display. Built for a different type of racing, Prep’d Motorsport has shown the versatility of their car which put in a very good result in an event it was not originally built for. The top two places were taken by Lancer Evos with unlimited aero and engine mods, and which were exclusively tuned to attack the Eastern Creek course in the fastest time possible.

Source for this post here.

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Fiat 500 Inspiration For Radical Hillclimb Racer

Subscribing to the classic formula of big engines in small packages, this Austrian hillclimbing team has made what could be the ultimate Fiat Abarth 500 racer anywhere. As you can see, the shape of this race car has been widened and chopped so much so that it resembles a melted Fiat 500 more than anything else.

The actual car has a tube-framed chassis, with body panels made from fiberglass. This makes the target weight for the car of about 500 kilos believable, given the toy-like dimensions of the car. One look at the rear of the car and you realize that this car is no front driver powered by a sewing machine. Mounted amidships in a longitudinal configuration, the engine is a Powertec 2.8 V8, producing 450 NA horsepower. Transmission is a sequential six-speed.

Suspension for the rear is pushrod type, with the coilover assembly mounted atop the transmission tunnel, helping keep the mass centered in the car. The radiators are positioned in front of the rear wheels, fed by scoops on the sides of the body. Just like any other race car, instrumentation is now provided by a single multi-page display, which also provides datalogging as well as monitoring functions.

Performance calculations estimate that this car will hit 60 mph in 1.64 seconds. As it is a hillclimb racer, top speed is academic because it is designed for the fastest cornering speed instead of outright velocity. Although a big engine in a small car is a traditional combination, it’s refreshing to see this principle applied to modern cars.

Source article here.

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