Supercharger Calculators

R35 GT-R GT3 Promises Competition For Other Marques In 2012

2011-12-17T13:44:00.001-08:00

No car enthusiast is unaware of Nissan's generation of Skylines, and of its latest iteration the R35. Although purists may claim that the R35 isn't a true Skyline because of its engine configuration, the fact is that the R35 offers extremely good value for its performance capabilities. Consistent with its goals of demonstrating the R35's track capabilities, Nissan, through its competition arm NISMO, began a development program in 2010, with the aim of offering a customer GT3 racer by 2012.

To this end, NISMO entered into a contract with JR Motorsport to help develop the GT-R GT3. This is not a new venture for the two companies, as JRM already runs a GT1 R35 for Nissan. Nissan also runs a GT-R in the Japanese Super GT series, so the combined knowledge gained from running these cars will benefit the GT3's development. The FIA's GT3 rules are designed for competitive, yet relatively affordable racing. This is why this class has practically exploded, with entrants from Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, to name a few.

Nissan will step into this arena with the GT-R GT3, using the production car's VR38DETT V6 twin turbo engine. Output has been announced at 530 horsepower. GT3 rules specify rear-wheel drive, so a Hewland transaxle has replaced the production all-wheel drivetrain. Note that the GT1 version uses an NA V8 and a Ricardo transmission. Even so, reports are that the GT3 is very close to the pace of the the GT1 in testing.

The weight of the car will be between 1250 and 1350 kilos, which makes it lighter than the Mercedes SLS GT3. Entered in its debut race at Magny-Cours in August, the GT-R GT3 finished 8th out of a field of 35 cars after 98 laps, or about 440 kilometers of racing. For a race car's initial outing, that is an outstanding achievement. Only 10 GT-R GT3 racers will be produced for 2012, with 5 earmarked for Japan and the remaining 5 for the rest of the world. One has already been reserved by an Australian team and further announcements will reveal where the rest will go.

Based on its initial outing, it looks like the R35 will continue with the dominant performance that have made Skylines such respected cars on and off the track.

Source for this post here.

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Comical Cars Offer Serious Racing Action

2011-12-14T23:28:00.001-08:00

If you're looking at this Toyota and it seems comically proportioned, that's because it is. This car is a competitor at the Aussie Racing series, which is a controlled-format series. All the cars are mechanically identical, although there are 5 body types to choose from. Aside from the Aurion, a competitor can select from the Classic 40 Ford, FJ Holden, Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore styles. The comical part comes from the fact that the bodies, and hence, the cars under them, are 50% smaller.

The cars are built upon a tubular space frame with an integrated safety cage. Suspension is via wishbone up front and a live axle at the rear. Coilovers do the damping work and 4-wheel disc brakes ensure reliable stopping action. Power comes from a 1200cc twincam four tuned to 125 hp with a redline of 11,500 rpm. A sequential 5-speed is the standard transmission. Yokohama 13-inch spec tires further ensure that the drivers are given appropriate performance that will showcase their skills.

Because the cars are so small and light (450 kilos, ready to race), their power-to-weight ratios are equivalent to that of an Aston Martin DB9 Volante or a Porsche 996 GT3. With a top speed of 230 km/h and a 0-60 under 4 seconds, performance is certainly substantial. In some circuits, cornering loads of 2Gs have even been recorded. Race series such as these are popular around the world. People who want to showcase their talents but are hampered by budgets can join these championships, where the cars are the tools that show which drivers are truly the fastest.

Inspiration for this article here.

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Mercedes Rally 500SLs A Very Rare Breed

2011-12-10T06:54:00.001-08:00

Mercedes is recognized as a force to be reckoned with in most fields of motorsport. Its F1, DTM, Group C and other cars all made their marks in the circuit, bringing home race victories and innumerable trophies to date. But few know that Mercedes also campaigned in rallies for a time.

Mercedes had previously campaigned SLCs from 1978 to 1980. For 1981, the factory decided that it would run the W107 500SL. Not a lot of build data is known, but it's been reported that the hardtop was welded onto the body, which also used alloy panels. No carbon fiber yet at that time. As part of the standard prep for a competition car, the interior was stripped, a rollcage installed and racing seats (Recaros) replaced the leather ones. The race prep resulted in a car that weighed 2930 pounds, which was more than 400 pounds lighter than the SLCs of previous years.

The 5-liter V8 was prepped to produce 380 horsepower, and although some accounts report that a manual transmission was used, other people claim that the 4-speed automatics of the time were used, with 1st gear locked out and setup to change gears in manual mode only. Effectively, it was a clutchless 3-speed manual. Horsepower calculations reveal a power-to-weight ratio equivalent to a Porsche 996 GT3 for these factory rally cars.

It's said that these cars represent the last of the true in-house racing cars, where everything from design, to engineering and then production was done by factory engineers and technicians within factory facilities. Less than 5 were made and one is confirmed to have been wrecked in testing. It's too bad that this batch of cars don't even have competition records to their name as they were pulled out of the Monte Carlo rally after the recce, when the team manager was told that the cars had no chance of winning.

Source for this post here.
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Hotrodding Ethic Extends To All Forms

2011-12-08T07:21:00.001-08:00

Any true-blooded gearhead appreciates the many forms of mechanized transport that people all over take apart and remold according to their ideas and whims. Some people just seem to have a natural talent for putting together awesome builds, which is the case with this avid motorcyclist. One subset of the motorcycling world are the so-called cafe racers who mod their bikes according to certain design philosophies. The Honda CB750F Supersport featured here made waves when it was first introduced, as it was one of the first big bikes that was produced with significant input from Honda's U.S. dealers.

The CB750 featured a transverse inline four with, up to 1978, a single overhead cam head and four carbs. Output was 65 horsepower driving 510 pounds.
To convert this CB750 Supersport into the cafe racer you see below, the area under the seat was opened up by reconfiguring and relocating the oil tank for the bike. Aside from this, the seat was removed and a seat that is more in keeping with the cafe racer look was designed. The tubing under the seat was reinforced with a steel plate to strengthen the frame and the battery was relocated to the speed hump. Underneath is a custom-fabricated tunnel that hides the electrical wiring.

The engine is stock for now, but an oil cooler kit (the heat exchanger came off a Cadillac Cattera) was added to enhance engine longevity, plus it allows a spin-on oil filter to be used. Even though the engine is stock, our horsepower calculator reveals that the power-to-weight ratio for this work of art would be equivalent to an Evo 8. Not bad for a project that cost $500 to start with and which won Best Japanese Modified at the Rockerbox show in 2009 with its white, gold and black color scheme.

Original look of the CB750F

Video below shows how cafe-style CB750 racer sounds.

Source for this post here.
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Porsche 924 Conversion Preceded Ferrari's FF

2011-12-06T01:54:00.001-08:00

Ferrari revived it recently with its FF and Mercedes is reportedly developing this body style that fell out of favor but had been the rage a few decades back. Known as a shooting brake, this body style evolved from the requirements of well-off hunters in the past who required a shooting platform on their carriages.

The shooting brake you see here may not be immediately recognizable as the Porsche 924 that it is because of the weird-looking rear section. But it's a wagon conversion that is only one of seven originally produced by German tuner DP Motorsport between 1998 and 2003. Modifications to the body included steel tubing extensions and a lengthened roof. The tailgate is made from fiberglass with safety glass being used for the extended rear section. The result of all the bracing made the entire car even stiffer than the Porsche 944.

Aside from a complete refit for the interior section at the rear, the fuel filler neck has also been relocated. The drivetrain remains stock, but since descriptions describe it as a superfast wagon, it's safe to assume that the base car is a 924 Turbo. Distinguishing features were a NACA duct on the hood and 15-inch wheels, which this wagon has. Not easily seen are the uprated suspension and 4-wheel disc brakes to handle the 170 hp turbo motor. In today's high horsepower environment, it doesn't seem much but it's worth noting that the 924 Turbo had performance close to the 911 SC.

Today, Audi's RS4 and RS6 would be the epitome of sport wagons. But the DP Motorsport shooting brake stands as a unique development for the 924, so much so that an additional number were reportedly produced because of insistent demand.

Source for this post here.
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Lexus V8 In A Lowly Corolla Produces Potent Weapon

2011-12-04T14:16:00.001-08:00

When one talks about Corollas in the drifting world, it's usually about the AE86, which made a huge impact then and is still being used today by serious competitors. When this up and coming drifter wanted something unique for a new drift car, a Corolla was also his choice, but the shell was not an 86 but an AE71. And rather than using the normal powerplants like the 4-AG or the SR20, the engine choice was a 1UZ-FE, which is an engine normally found in Lexus sedans.

Like any serious competition build, a straight body was needed, so the AE71 was sourced from an owner who had his car for many years, stock and untouched. The body was in mint condition, so much so that no unnecessary labor was spent on patching up rusted areas. Apart from the norm of installing a rollcage, the body was also seam-welded to take the stresses of competition. Major front suspension components like the lower control arms, steering rack, hubs and even front crossmember were from Nissan's S-series Silva, while the rear uses the original 4-link solid axle setup with upgraded components like a Hilux diff.

What makes this car truly unique is the choice of Toyota's 1UZ-FE engine. As we said, it's normally found in cars bearing the Lexus branding. But this V8 quad cam engine actually has design elements copied from an Indy Racing League racing engine, with it 6-bolt mains, hypereutectic pistons, 32-valve heads and oversquare engine design permitting high revs. Displacement is 4 liters and stock output is a little under 260 horsepower.

This Corolla's V8 did not stay untouched for long and now has high compression pistons, oversized valves, 286 degree duration cams, uprated fuel injectors, an individual throttle body setup and some cylinder head mods. Haltech's Sport 2000 ECU controls the engine functions and a 3-inch exhaust handles the spent gases. Horsepower calculations and dyno runs confirm that output is over 360, which should be enough power to run with the big boys.

The owner of this car started drifting at age 14 and with his new tool should be able to show much older competitors that Falken made the right decision in sponsoring him.

Inspiration for this post here.
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Wife-inspired Truck Wows Crowds

2011-12-01T23:40:00.001-08:00

Whether you want to admit it or not, American car culture has produced some of the most uniquely thinking hot rodders and enthusiasts on the planet. There is a reason hot rods are emulated in all corners of the planet, one of those reasons being taking what you have and creating a unique work of automotive art that is unlike anything else anywhere. Who can resist building a hot rod and claiming, in truth, that it's the only one in the world. Such is the case of this 1944 Mack truck that has been made into a truly unique vehicle in the finest hot rodding tradition. The inspiration for building this hot rod came from the owner's wife who suggested a fire truck as a vehicle for a project. Found on eBay in Pennsylvania, the truck was shipped to Precision Designs in Colorado.

In true hot rod tradition, the engine has been replaced, this one being from a 2005 Dodge Viper SRT10 that pumps out 500 horsepower. Although the engine is stock, a Mopar competition ECU was used. A Dodge 48RE automatic works to handle the engine's torque and the truck's weight, which should be a lot less since a lot of firefighting equipment has obviously been removed. As are most most of the original underpinnings, which gave way to Viper SRT10 brakes and a Dodge Ram truck rear axle. The springs gave way to airbags, which makes it possible for the truck to ride so low to the ground.

The driver's cab is open to the elements with the top removed and an elegant leather bench seat adorns the interior. Chrome 24-inch Mack-badged wheels peek out from under the fenders. The truck's firefighting origins are still evident, but the black coat and striping clearly show that this truck's working days are done. Unless it's to wow crowds at the different car shows the owner chooses to attend.

Source for this article here.

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Racing Fiat Of Old Won Championship Thrice

2011-11-30T07:45:00.001-08:00

Today’s generation of enthusiasts may not be aware of it, but Fiat was once a world power in World Championship rallying. One of the company’s greatest creations was the diminutive 131 Abarth. It was based on the 131 sedan introduced in 1974. However, Abarth versions of competition Fiats were radically different and the 131 Abarth was no exception. Built as a homologation special, around 400 examples were built. From these 400, an initial 40 were selected to become works rally cars, with another 10 built up at a later date.

As opposed to the live axle rear suspension of the 131 Mirafiori from which it was based, the works 131 Abarth featured an independent rear suspension damped by Macpherson struts front and rear. The engine was also radically different, being a DOHC 2-liter featuring Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection, dry sump lubrication and electronic ignition. Output was 215 horsepower.

The body was clad with lightweight body panels, but due to differing tarmac and gravel specs plus continued development, body weight varied from 980 kilos for tarmac to 1030 kg for gravel. Fully laden and with driver and navigator on board, weight distribution was 50/50. It’s worthy to note that a third Safari-specific body spec was also built. At the time the Safari was part of the rally calendar, all the major competitors had versions just for that rally. It was that kind of race.

If we compare the power-to-weigh ratio using our favorite horsepower calculator, its modern-day equivalent would be that of a Lotus Elise R or a Lancer Evo 8. Not too shabby for the day then. In fact, it was a terrific combination that allowed it to win three World Rally Championships. Today, the newest Fiat to wear the Abarth name is the 500. It’s a far, far cry from the glory days when European makers pulled out all the stops for rally championship glory.

Inspiration for this post here.

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What Kind Of Car Would A Bugster Be?

2011-11-26T00:27:00.001-08:00

Engine swaps are a dime a dozen, even from decades back, although some swaps and builds are still noteworthy enough that it catches the eye of jaded car nuts, such as Honda's VTEC engines in an old-school Mini or a V8 engine in a Miata. Or even a V10 engine from a BMW M5 into the engine bay of an M3.

But how often do you hear of a chassis swap, specially one involving the old VW Beetle? Well, this build came about because a VW Beetle lover happened to glance over at his wife's Porsche Boxster S one day and realized that the Boxster chassis would fit under the Beetle's. So with the requisite research into the dimensions of both cars and some careful measuring, the decision was made to weld an entire Beetle body onto the floorpan of a Boxster S.

Twe years of work were taken up by the build, as the Boxster S is a modern car complete with electronics and other safety features. One particularly important goal of the build was to retain all the driving dynamics a Boxster S provides. In addition, it was also deemed important that the conversion make use of the ABS, ESP and safety systems like the airbags.

The builder says that output is slightly up due to intake/exhaust and ECU optimization. Performance calculations peg 0-100 km/h at 5 seconds. From afar it can lay claim to be the ultimate sleeper, but even slightly knowledgeable people will notice at once the lack of the familiar aircooled clatter and the deeper growl coming from the back of the car. Purists will say that this conversion is so wrong but to hotrodders and modifiers everywhere, it's just so right!

Source for this post found here.

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Greek Tuner Shows Engineering Knowledge That Silences Naysayers

2011-11-23T00:02:00.001-08:00

Claiming you have the Lancer evolution engine that makes the most power will surely start a flame war on the internet where there are plenty of legitimately knowledgeable people but also keyboard warriors who don't know much except to disagree.

Understandably, the initial claims of Extreme Tuners in Greece were laughed at in some forums until the owner Spyros showed some impressive dyno charts and pictures of custom-made turbos made from billet aluminum with titanium wheels. And metal matrix connecting rods. Plus custom-machined cylinder heads sporting titanium valves and beryllium valve seats. All based on a billet aluminum engine block.

The particular Evo 8 pictured here had 1400 hp at the wheels at the time it was publicized, based on the horsepower calculations resulting from the dyno pulls. It made a 9.3 in the quarter-mile, which, while fast, is slow compared to what some Evos were already doing. But as Spyros points out, they are an engine building facility, so dialing in the car is not really their purview. And if one wants to be picky about it, there is no proper drag strip in Greece that allows drag cars on slicks to hook up properly.

It's a good thing to enthusiasts in general that tuners like Spyros have customers who can afford his wares. Even in a community that is well aware of the costs of modifying the Mitsubishi 4G63, using all this billet, custom-machined hardware undoubtedly costs a fortune. Unlike race engines built to class rules, extreme street cars follow no rules, so Spyros is free to explore the limits of design, materials and engineering. Already, he has developed 2500 horsepower kits for this type of engine and we should see more extreme feats of engineering from him in the future.

More info on this post here.
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Carbon R35 Uses WTAC For Developmental Effort

2011-11-20T01:30:00.001-08:00

Built in time for the World Time Attack Challenge held in Australia is this Autogarage / HKS Australia R35 GTR. Stock, the R35 is a giant slayer, giving established marques a run for their money. But as with any form of motorsports, you have to match your competitor's work on their cars, otherwise your efforts will be in vain.

So with this in mind, the owner of this car started the development of this R35 with, as you can see, no expense spared. While the build was successfully finished in time for the WTAC event, the builders fully intend this racer to be eligible for other events worldwide. For starters, complete model of the front, doors and rear of the car was made in order to fabricate a complete carbon fiber body. Then, an FIA-approved rollcage was welded onto the stock chassis rails. Custom HKS coilovers, fully adjustable suspension components and Project Mu rotors and pads rolling on Volk TE37 18-inch wheels complete the chassis mods.

Although 500 horsepower, is plenty for the street, the car's time attack competition sport 700 horsepower engines on chassis 200-300 kilos lighter, so the builders' horsepower calculations showed that 800-1000 horsepower was needed to be competitive. The engine uses custom CNC-machined heads, HKS rods and pistons, ceramic-coated manifolds and a GT800 turbo kit to achieve this goal. Other stuff includes an HKS F-CON controller, a 2000-hp rated fuel pump and 2000 cc injectors. The stock transmission's internals have been upgraded to cope with double the power.

The weight goal for this car is 1250-1350 kilograms although as we mentioned, the competition will be fielding 1050 kilogram cars. Still, it's obvious that this is only the first year of the car's development and its 9th place in the 2011 WTAC can only improve with all the track and testing data the team will surely accumulate in the near future.

Inspiration for article here. http://advanwheels.com.au/racing/car.aspx?id=41&eid=5

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RX-7 Build Values Balance Over Outright Horsepower

2011-11-18T05:10:00.001-08:00

There's a reason one of the favorite tuner cars is the Mazda RX-7. The combination of its balanced handling and turbo rotary make for a very entertaining car that with a few mods, can handle many more high performance cars. Even though the RX-7 has long been out of production, a lot of Japanese tuners still choose the last version of this platform, known as the FD3S, to showcase their wares and knowhow. In this case, this particular car is from RE-Anemiya, famous in Japan for its string of RX-7 buildups, which have put even 650-horsepower R35 GTRs in their place.

Built for the popular touge events in Japan which take place in twisty and narrow mountain roads, this car has already proven its top dog credentials by winning quite a few events. Touge cars are completely built machines which value horsepower, handling, braking and driver skill in equal measure. As an indicator of the principles guiding the build of these cars, this particular RX-7 has “only” 400 horsepower, which RX-7 enthusiasts will know is still way below what a modified rotary can produce. For this build, the OEM twin turbo setup was retained but the intercooler was upgraded and then repositioned to give the shortest possible routing through the system. The goal here was minimal turbo lag instead of outright power.

DG-5 coilovers replace the original shocks and springs while Brembo calipers and two-piece rotors make up the front braking system. The rear brake setup uses the original calipers but sees the rotor replaced with a high performance component.

The rest of the car has the requisite aero add-ons for maximum downforce, as well as a few carbon fiber bits like the hood and wing to help lighten the car. The rear end was revised to shorten the overhang although the aesthetic qualities of the mod leave something to be desired. Most of the mods performed were done in view of the requirements of the car’s chosen event but even so, the balanced upgrades were enough to make this car a winner.

Source for this article here.
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Tuner Adheres To Lotus Founder's Lightness Mantra

2011-11-16T02:54:00.001-08:00

Forced Fed, a tuning firm out of New York, recently made the news when it offered for sale a cut-up Lotus Elise that had a bevy of aftermarket parts and mods such as an Eaton supercharger, Ohlins dampers, Alcon brakes and a Quaife diff among a host of modifications. This tuner has made a few outrageous Lotuses and in the course of doing so has garnered significant experience in tuning these lightweight cars. Stock, the Lotus Elise is a well-balanced and sprightly car, due to the company's continuing devotion to the founder's principle of making a car go faster by adding lightness.

Forced Fed offers multiple tuning packages, ranging from a 275 hp Stage 1 kit to a 400 hp kit. Whatever the package, the modifications include upgraded engine internals and better oiling to the Toyota-derived 2ZZ engine. A video of a blue Elise with the 400 horsepower Forced Fed turbo package has a reported performance of 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, with a quarter-mile time of 10.56. And since it's a Lotus, it outhandled a Ferrari Enzo in a 600-foot slalom, hitting a speed of almost 74 mph compared to the Enzo's 71 mph run. The tuner says that it has accumulated more than 350 hours developing these packages and does not plan to sell these as kits, but as complete dealer-installed packages to maintain quality.

Since this orange Elise doesn't have a publicized weight, we can't do a reliable horsepower calculation but this tuning firm has undoubtedly adhered to the principle of making the this Elise go faster by not only adding lightness but also by upping horsepower.

Source for this article here.
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Syms Impreza Wagon An Inspiration To Enthusiasts Everywhere

2011-11-11T23:34:00.001-08:00

Although Volvo was more successful in terms of exposure and results, their wagons weren't the only cars which were raced in a top-level series. One company saw the original Impreza wagon as an excellent vehicle to market and test their products, and the Syms Impreza wagon was born. The venue for this campaign was the 1998 season of the JTCC and Syms, a Subaru aftermarket parts manufacturer, set about preparing two cars. The motivation for choosing a wagon body was very similar to that which motivated the choice of an 850 wagon in the BTCC: uniqueness and exposure. At the time, the dominant marque in the JTCC was Toyota, with their Chasers and Coronas. Nissan and Honda had pulled out for various reasons and Syms saw an Impreza built to the rules as a competitive vehicle.

Built at a reported cost of $250,000 each, these Impreza wagons were powered by a normally aspirated 2-liter EJ20 engine featuring roller barrel throttle bodies fed by a carbon fiber airbox and dry sump system. Internals were a closely guarded secret, but output was 300 hp at 8,200 rpm. Moved back for better weight distribution, the FR layout was mated to a sequential transmission, with a BMW diff driving the rear wheels.

Wheel arches reminiscent of the DTM cars of today enclose huge Enkei wheels with equally huge brakes. The car's front track is noticeably wider in the pictures, and with a gussetted and obviously sturdy rollcage filling the inside of the car. As raced, the car was fitted with a rear wing as wide as the car, which was mounted on struts.

Unfortunately, the car wasn't successful against the Toyota teams with several seasons of racing under their belt. Syms quit racing very early but the Syms Impreza wagon remains one of the coolest racing cars to ever grace a track.

Inspiration for this post here.

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Silhouette Civic Is A Honda In Heart & Soul

2011-11-10T23:53:00.001-08:00

People will argue that the car presented here cannot be a Honda, because underneath the skin is a tube-framed, rear-wheel driven race car that does not even share a floor plan with its road-going Civic brother. But this Civic-bodied racer does derive its motivation from a Honda powerplant, so a body and engine from the Japanese manufacturer arguably makes it a Honda.

RaceEnergy built this car to run primarily in the SCCA’s GT3 division, but had in mind some endurance events to run the car in, so this car has a few build differences from a pure GT3-class car. As mentioned, a tube frame chassis with integrated cage forms the structure to which the engine, suspension and the rest of the components are mounted to. Of note is a detachable tube subframe at the front which facilitates replacement and repair should an unavoidable racing accident happen.

The engine of choice is a Honda K24, which was modded and designed for torque, rather than ultimate output, by a pair of U.S. Honda engineers, who contributed in a non-official capacity and in their spare time. Kinsler throttle bodies, a dry sump and a Motec ECU help to produce 270 horsepower, which is what you get when you put a 31mm restrictor in the inlet plenum. Output is said to be in the 350 horsepower range without the restrictor. The K24’s grunt is handled by a Tractive 5-speed sequential tranny out of Sweden, with a quick-change diff transferring power to the rear wheels.

Other notable components are Ohlins 4-way adjustable dampers, Performance Friction brakes rated for endurance racing, wiring for headlights and a driver cooling system. Note that the last two features are more for endurance, rather than sprint, racing. But the most visible and aesthetically appealing component is the 100-lb carbon fiber body, which helps trim the weight of the car to 2,200 pounds. Horsepower calculations reveal that the power-to-weight ratio of this car is equivalent to that of a Porsche 996 GT3.

Whatever detractors may say about the purity of this car as a Honda, the pictures show an incredible build that shows a lot of podium potential when the car is fully sorted out.

Source for this post here.

Impreza RS Conversion Begets A Super STI

2011-11-05T00:33:00.001-07:00

For a lot of enthusiasts, wanting a car that the factory has chosen not to sell in a particular market is not necessarily a hindrance, but rather an opportunity to build a unique ride. This is the case with Scotty Molitor’s GC8 Impreza, which was released in the U.S. in an RS, but not an STI version. Rather than mope about the fact, Scotty chose to build up his car to approximate a Japanese home-market WRX STI.

Installing a complete 2006 WRX drivetrain would have created a pretty awesome ride already, but Scotty didn’t stop there. The turbo was swapped out and a Garrett GT30/76 with a rotation kit was put in. The list of mods is extensive, but highlights of the upgrades include an aftermarket intercooler and aluminum radiator, a retuned ECU, Tial wastegate, HKS headers and blow-off valve. Suspension was not left alone and these received upgraded sway bars, Tein coilovers and Brembo brakes.

The interior was stripped, a rollcage installed and the roof was removed and replaced with a carbon fiber roof. If you think that this is just an aesthetic mod, consider that BMW did exactly that with its high performance E46 M3 CSL to improve handling and lower weight. Incidentally, that car, like the GC8 STI, was not sold in the U.S.

With the turbo swap and ECU tune, horsepower calculations estimate 408 horsepower at the wheels. But as with any enthusiast, it’s safe to assume that Scotty will be looking for more upgrades and that power output may not stay that way for long.

Inspiration for this post here.

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Volvo Enthusiast Shows Competitors The Door

2011-11-02T04:47:00.001-07:00

A Volvo is not a usual choice for a race car, which is why outstanding performances from Volvos and Volvo-powered cars are all the more fascinating and newsworthy.

Krister Adeen of Sweden has been active in European drag events, and has been using this Volvo-bodied drag car to pursue his campaign. Originally an 850 4-door, this Volvo has obviously been extremely modified for the business of professional drag racing. The interior is stripped, the chassis has been tied into a full safety cage, Lexan adorns the windows and the rear section has been tubbed to accommodate the massive Hoosier tires. As you will notice, the engine has been set so far back that the transmission bellhousing now sits where the console would be in a normal Volvo.

Despite splitting several blocks early in the development program, Adeen’s Volvo still use a B230-based cast iron block and 16V head. Needless to say, custom internals populate the engine, and a massive turbocharger protrudes from the hood. Information on the engine is scant, as even the ECU is being kept secret but it’s reported that multiple methanol-fed 1600 cc injectors are used and 2.6 bars of boost is used during runs. Horsepower calculations estimate output at 1100-1400 horsepower, which a Liberty transmission feeds to the rear wheels.

As netizens will have read, this car has recently run 6.8 seconds in the quarter mile, making it one of the quickest 4-cylinder cars in the world at the moment.

Source for this post here.

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RML And Nissan Spawn An Evil Juke

2011-10-30T03:12:00.001-07:00

Nissan has built some pretty iconic cars that car nuts love, starting with the 240Z, to the 240RS Group B contender, the Nissan Pulsar GTI-R, to the series of Skylines and now the GT-R. But its latest build, the Juke-R, has the motoring world agog with its insane spec. For how else would you describe shoehorning the R35 GT-R’s drivetrain into one of its smallest production cars, the Juke?

Built in conjunction with RML (which has built works-backed Le Mans and BTCC race cars for Nissan), Nissan and RML engineers fitted a slightly shortened GT-R drivetrain into a Nissan Juke which had its innards literally gutted – the floorpan had to be removed and rebuilt with the twin turbo V6 and AWD 6-speed transaxle drivetrain in position.

The exterior now features huge wheel arches, 20-inch wheels, racy-looking side skirts and a rear wing. Inside, racing buckets, 5-point harnesses and a full cage ensure safety if the driver gets caught out by this wild ride. With this car, you know that that aggressive look has the guts to back it all up. All the electronics that the GT-R carries to control and monitor the engine and drivetrain are also being reinstalled into this monster Juke. With 1700 kilos to propel, this advanced torque-vectoring drivetrain catapults the GT-R to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. Imagine the performance in a car that weighs 450 kilos less. Horsepower calculations indicate that 0-60 can be achieved in just over 2 seconds.

Nissan (make that RML, actually) will build two super Jukes, one left-hand drive, the other right-hand. If Nissan sees that these test vehicles will create as much impact with the rest of the motoring world as it did with the hardcore enthusiasts, then there’s the chance that we’ll see a production version of this insane factory build in the future.

Source for this post here.

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Sleeper Evo Is A Nightmare On The Street

2011-10-29T00:25:00.001-07:00

For a car enthusiast, one of the more perverse pleasures one can get is blowing the doors off a sports car, or a car that looks like it just came from a car show. Specially if the car you’re looks like an econobox with nothing more to show than a set of plain alloy wheels. New Zealander Andy Glasgow has such car, although it didn’t leave the factory exactly as an econobox. More like a Lancer Evolution 3, which is hardly a sleeper car, with its factory air dam, side skirts, rear wing and outstanding performance. However, when Andy got his hands on the car, it was in a repossessed state with no engine. Obviously though, such a car has enormous potential, as evidenced by its victories in the WRC events it was entered in.

As you will have seen in the first picture, this Evo 3 doesn’t have its wing anymore although the side skirts and front bumper have been retained. Since the engine was missing when Andy got it, an OEM 4G63 was located and upgraded with a forged reciprocating assembly. But Andy didn’t stop there as the cylinder head has received mods and upgrades as long as your proverbial arm. Even the turbo was upgraded with a Garrett unit. Supporting mods such as an upgraded fuel system and a Link ECU were installed, as well as a coilover suspension, strengthened diff gears and a locking center diff.

At the time it received attention as a magazine-worthy build, this Evo3 had began producing consistent 10-second quarter-mile times. Horsepower calculations estimate power output in the 530-hp range. As you can see, nothing unnecessary has been installed, but cost has been disregarded when it came to performance upgrades. With his goal of building a tough street car that could be used in hillclimbs and at the drag strip, Andy has shown that his ordinary-looking car is a fearsome ride that is too easily dismissed as an ordinary car.

An Evo3 vs Evo8

Source for this post here.

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Offroad Custom Buggy Truly Is A 38 Special

2011-10-26T04:09:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, the one-off builds we see are so nice that it seems like a shame to see them get dirty. Well, this rock crawler build, called 38 Special, does get dirty because that’s what it’s supposed to do. The owner of this buggy is an avid off-roader who has owned several other offroad vehicles, but wanted something unique this time around. So he commissioned builder Adam Woodley to create something different.

The inspiration for this buggy is the Chevy 1938 pickup, and it shows in the front end of the buggy. However, the chassis is not some old ladder frame design but a full tube frame. Attached to it are four-link suspensions front and rear, with Fox 16-inch coilovers controlling its movement. This buggy also has hydraulic 4-wheel steering which uses aluminum links and rolls on 39-inch BF Goodrich tires.

Power comes from a Chevy 6-liter V8 with 480 horsepower and 450 plus lb-ft. of torque. If you think this buggy is a rough and tumble affair, know that it’s got a full complement of electronics, such as multiple cameras that feed their input into a single 7" monitor. A Racepack digital gauge cluster displays various screens showing engine rpm, water temperature, oil pressure, battery voltage, oil temperature and fuel pressure. A high-end stereo system has also been installed. And to ensure that the owner’s offroad pursuits don’t leave him thirsty, a custom built-in cooler hold 2 dozen canned drinks.

This buggy has won multiple awards on the car show circuit but rather than keeping it a trailer queen, the owner uses his 38 Special for the purpose it was built for.

Source for this post here.

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Loopy Lupo Is One Man's Incredible Homebrew Masterpiece

2011-10-23T01:05:00.001-07:00

With the variety of wild machinery we’ve featured here, you wouldn’t think that a Volkswagen Lupo would be a worthy addition to this blog. But this build is too crazy to not be considered. And if you think this car was built in some high-dollar shop, know that Petar built this car in his garage, on his own.

From the factory, the high performance version of this 975 kilogram city car is fitted with a 1.6 liter 123 horsepower four. Clearly not enough for this builder and for most of us. But the rest of us wouldn’t resort to putting two VR6 204 hp engines on opposite ends of the car and then adding 100-hp nitrous shots - to both engines.

After gutting and then test fitting the engines to the car, Petar set about strengthening the body by adding a rollcage. The rear engine is mounted on a modified Golf subframe and a combination of VW parts are utilized to make a successful conversion. For example, the left front driveshaft is from a Polo Tdi and the right is a shortened Golf Mk4 driveshaft. Golf Mk2 control arms and Golf Mk3 hubs are then used for the OZ Racing wheels to mount onto.

Solid front engine mounts are used, the front engine’s alternator has been removed to create space and twin front radiators are used to cool one engine each. The quality of the fabrication and homebrew engineering is amazing and there are too many other fabrication details to list. Brakes are from a Porsche Cayenne, and KW was quick to provide sponsorship for a set of custom coilovers after seeing this incredible build. Horsepower calculations reveal that this car’s power-to-weight ratio surpasses even those of the most exotic supercars.

It’s very inspiring to see home brew builds like these because it shows that inspiration and creativity go a long way towards having a car no one else in the world has. It helps of course if you have some fabrication and engineering skills, which this builder obviously has in spades.

Build thread can be found here.

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Four-wheel Drive Nissan Patrol Aims For 8-second Run

2011-10-21T03:41:00.001-07:00

The owner and builder calls this creation “a little different”. Well, if you section a Nissan Patrol, put in a 1000-plus hp diesel engine and aim for 8-second quarter mile times, it sure will be different. This build has gone through several stages and different engines and before this latest rebuild, this monster Patrol had been doing quarter-mile times in the 12-second region. Before being a drag truck, it was built to be an outback/challenge truck.

Over its various iterations, the bodyshell has been reworked to the point that what remains of the original today is the basic structure of the cab and the frame rails. A rollcage that extends to the front supports now envelopes the vehicle, while the original section which supports the radiator and bumper assembly has been grafted onto the cage.Tubular hoops have been welded to the frame to mount the front coilover suspension while at the rear, a multilink assembly with coilover shock/spring units are used.

But the heart of the beast is a Duramax conversion that has been fitted with twin turbos and air-to-water intercoolers. Horsepower calculations estimate the output of this monster at 1200 hp, which may be just enough to achieve the owner’s goal of an 8 second pass at 150mph. Looking at the quality of the build and the seriousness with which the work is progressing, it looks like the owner’s goal will be met by this outstanding build.

Source for this post here.

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Corvette-inspired Superboat Surpasses Original's Performance

2011-10-19T03:34:00.001-07:00

The recent news about the Aston Martin-inspired Voyage luxury boat brought to mind another superboat. The Voyage, the designer admits, is a purely conceptual exercise at this point. However, the ZR48 superboat was built without much fanfare but continues to awe throughout the boating community.Taking after the ZR-1 Corvette, this 48-foot boat has a carbon fiber hull with Corvette styling cues that can be seen in the headlights, tail lights, and marker lights. The entire interior is not only Corvette-inspired but actually outfitted with a dash that contains Corvette gauges, and a ZR1 steering wheel. The shifter linkage controls both engines, which are the heart of this superboat.

At the stern resides two Mercury Racing model 1350 engines, with, you guessed it, 1350 horsepower each, for a total of 2,700 horsepower. This engine is built to order and is a V8 configuration with twin-cam heads and one turbo per bank with a charge cooler. Displacement is 9 liters, with peak hp being achieved at 6,500 rpm. If you need to ask, the retail price for these engines is $200,000 - each.

Horsepower calculations place the top speed of this boat at 180 mph. Evidently, you have to choose the optimum conditions before you run this boat at wide open throttle. But the exhilaration, and acceleration, one must feel when you give the engines free reign must be indescribable.

Inspiration for this post here.

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MkIV Supra Is A Sensation, And With Reason

2011-10-16T01:50:00.001-07:00

This car, a JZA80 Supra, is an Internet sensation of sorts because it's been continuously built to the point that it now has the power to out-accelerate a Bugatti Veyron. But owner Jamie didn't at first intend it to be that way. The first iteration of this build started by removing the stock twin turbos from the and installing a single turbo conversion that would net 500-550 horsepower at the wheels. This was achieved without any problems and at that time, the owner has very happy with the performance.

So, together with that significant bump in output, a high performance RPS clutch, Tein coilovers and Brembo 6- and 4-pot brakes were installed. 19-inch wheels on Toyo 295/30/19 make up the rolling stock. To manage the engine, a Solaris S6GP ecu and Dash2 display were also installed. But as with a lot of builds, the upgrade bug kept on biting, to the point that the car now sports a Precision T6765H DBB turbo, Jun 256/256 cams and 1700cc injectors. As of the last published reports, the car now has almost 1300 horsepower. When the car was still under the 700 hp range, horsepower calculations placed its 0-60 times at 2.9 seconds. At this point, with practically double the power, this black stock-looking Supra would be hitting that benchmark in less than 2 seconds, traction permitting. And its 0-200 mph time is 6 seconds faster than a Veyron.

The car has been featured in several magazines and is probably one of the most acclaimed Supra builds anymore. Its combination of supercar-killing performance and subtle looks show that the owner knows how to spend on the important things and restrain himself on mods that don't significantly improve performance.

Inspiration for post here.
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This Senator Isn't A Paunchy But Rather A Punchy Luxury Car

2011-10-14T03:38:00.001-07:00

HSV is a hardly a household word, outside of Australia, that is, but down under, it's a highly respected brand in its own right as it produces factory hotrods that offer more than decent performance in unassuming packages. Case in point is this HSV Senator, which in its base form is really a front-engine, rear drive Holden Commodore with a Chevy LS1 engine and a raft of luxury and performance appointments. Not content with this special treatment, the owner of this Senator asked tuner PowerTorque in Australia to up the ante with further upgrades.

Starting with a C5R engine block, PowerTorque installed a stroker crank with matching rods and pistons, bumping displacement to 7.2 liters. LS6 heads featuring upgraded valves, springs and retainers with Comp cams provide the heavier breathing capacity. Which brings us to the eight 55 mm throttle bodies you will see when you open the hood. This Harrop setup utilizes individual runners and individually-adjustable throttles. The cost-no-object engine setup gives a total output of 500 horsepower.

In keeping with the luxury underpinnings of this car, the owner opted to retain the 4-speed automatic, although a 3000 rpm stall converter was installed and the rest of the drivetrain strengthened for reliability. Alcon 6-pot brakes ensure that this car doesn't smash into unwanted barriers and the suspension is looking at a Bilstein coilover upgrade. Horsepower calculations place this car's power-to-weight ratio as equivalent to a Mercedes CLS55 AMG or an Aston Martin DB9. 0-60 mph time is estimated at 4.4 seconds with a quarter-mile time of around 12 seconds.

HSV vehicles are slowly gaining worldwide recognition as highly affordable performance cars and this particular example, with its BMW M5-slaying performance, is a testament to the platform's possibilities.

Top Gear's review of the HSV VT

Source for this article found here.

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X3 CC Racer Retired After Five Fruitful Years

2011-10-12T17:52:00.001-07:00

You know a race has become a major event when major manufacturers begin to enter it for marketing reasons as well as to use it as a proving ground for their components and technologies. Such is the status of the Dakar now that it attracts not just car manufacturers but also motorcycle and truck manufacturers too. Among the many manufacturers that have embraced the Dakar in a big way is BMW, where its bikes and X-class vehicles have proven to be highly competitive with continuous development. One team, X-Raid GmbH, had been campaigning the X5 BMW, with which it won an FIA World Cup title in 2004. However they decided to switch to the X3 CC (for cross-country) beginning in 2005. Powered by an award-winning diesel twin-turbo straight-6 with 3 liters of displacement, the team rebuilt the X3 to stand up to the rigors of a multi-day, multi-stage, thousand mile rallies. The body of the X3 CC racer is full carbon-kevlar composite wrapped around a space-frame chassis with an integrated FIA-spec rollcage. Dual, remote reservoir Reiger shocks on each fully independently suspended corner provide 250 mm (9.8 inches) of travel while 6-pot AP racing brakes ensure more than adequate stopping power.

In marathon rallies, reliability counts for much more than outright horsepower, so output for the 2010 iteration of the races is still near the stock figures, at 310 horsepower. Torque is a high 510 lb-ft., which is very important in for an equipment-laden vehicle stuck in the sand. This power and torque are transmitted to the center diff by a Sadev sequential 6-speed, on to the X-Trac differentials.

As built, the X3 CC racer tips the scales at 1850 kg, with a top speed of more than 180 kph. In a desert, with no markers and in shifting dunes, many would agree that that's fast and dangerous enough. The X3 CC has lived a long and fruitful career for team X-raid and for 2011, X-raid has shifted to the Mini All4 using the same M57TU2D30 engine that has served it so sell in the X3 CC.

Source for this post here.

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Touring Car BMW Shows Influence Of Class Rules

2011-10-08T23:34:00.001-07:00

Most people know that the E36 M3 BMW (1992-1999) has a six-cylinder engine with up to 320 hp, depending on displacement. But during this period, when the E36 was being raced in Group A in the British Touring Car Championship, class rules dictated that racers use a different engine. This is where the unusual S14-powered (from the BMW E30 M3) E36 racers came into being.

It is believed these 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engines were used because of displacement rules. However, these engines in race trim certainly did not give up anything in terms of horsepower output. Reportedly, the engine in this car could make 360 horsepower, and other S14s could make up to 400, depending on the length of the race the cars would be entered in. These engines have a redline of 10,000 rpm, which seems to be necessary because the motor comes on the cam at 7,200 rpm. Behind the engine sat a Hollinger sequential 6-speed, which cost more than $30,000 new. Once 1st gear was engaged via the clutch, the rest of the shifts, up or down could be done by just pulling or pushing the gear lever.

Apart from the engine, these unusual BTCC E36s also used the rear suspension from the older E30, which was a semi-trailing arm design as opposed to the original multilink layout. Again, class rules dictated this change. As one would expect, brakes were 6-pot fronts and 4-pot rears. A BMW DTM ECU and Astra Tech data system control and log the engine’s behavior. Our horsepower calculator says that with 360 horsepower in a 2300-pound car, the power-to-weight ratio would be equivalent to a Ferrari 550 Maranello or the M5 with the V10 engine. 0-60 mph would be hit in 3.3 seconds.

As has often been said, there are different horses for different courses. These unique BMWs which used components from an older generation were certainly no slouches, as the accompanying video shows.

Inspiration for this post here.

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Boring Ford Sedan One Of The Ultimate Sleepers

2011-10-07T00:58:00.001-07:00

Aside from police departments around the country, one other entity which loved the Crown Vic was Bob Bondurant, who loved the cars but not their performance. In 1999, Bob decided to do something about it, by asking well-known Ford tuner Roush, to build a run of cars for the instructors to use in his racing school. Now affectionately known as the Cobra Vics, these cars started life as Ford Police Interceptor Crown Vics in the assembly line but a chosen few, 18 in fact, were diverted to the Roush shops to be converted into Crown Vics with Ford Mustang Cobra drivetrains. Hence, Cobra Vics. Although Roush has close ties to Ford, this conversion was not sanctioned by Ford, but it was not discouraged, at any rate.

The heart of the conversion was replacing the underpowered V8 with the engine from a Ford SVT Cobra, which was a 4.6 liter with overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. Output jumped by 100 hp to 300 and to keep things interesting, the 4-speed auto was replaced with a 5-speed manual with carbon fiber blocker rings. A higher gear ratio and limited slip were fitted to the diff and cooling vents were added. Before you think that this was just a simple swap, Roush considered the use the car would undergo and did a lot more things. Things like relocating the air cleaner, adding an H-pipe to the exhaust, modifying a larger-capacity Lincoln oil pan for enhanced oil volume, adding a windage tray and installing a Cobra engine oil cooler. Since the car was intended for track use, emission controls were removed, and the ECU map was recalibrated to optimize the mods. Eibach springs and custom-calibrated Monroe shocks, Winston cup sway bars and recalibrated alignment settings provide the handling prowess.

The interior received its fair share of mods too, such as Recaro seats, six-point cage and 4-point harnesses. Little things like a dead pedal and a 140 mph speedo from an SVT Cobra show Roush’s attention to detail. There are lots of other details that differentiate this car from a “normal” Police Interceptor Crown Vic and today, these cars are treasured by their new owners, who know that they own one of the ultimate sleeper cars.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4zMTHlrJpM

Inspiration for this post here.

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Old Corolla Shows Money Second Only To TLC

2011-10-05T02:33:00.001-07:00

It’s all well and good to see high-dollar professional builds done by a team with a race shop that looks like a lab. But sometimes, those done in a garage or a small unassuming shop can be even more impressive, given that these builds are often built on a limited budget, by one or two guys and in their spare time.

Consider this car’s achievements:

Best of Show at TORC (Toyota Owner’s & Restorer’s Club)

MOON EYES People’s Choice at the same show

Loaned to Toyota USA as part of the company display at the 2007 SEMA

But before you think that this car is just a pretty piece, consider that it has run a 9.6 second quarter mile using a turbocharged Toyota 4-banger. That quarter-mile best is all the more significant, because it used the stock 1969-era chassis with only an NHRA-legal rollcage to stiffen it. AE86 struts, tubular links and a narrowed Toyota minivan diff make up the suspension. Competition Engineering adjustable drag shocks control the suspension’s contortions.

The engine is a Toyota 3T-C, which is a 1.8 liter, hemi-head cam-in-block 4-banger that has been turbocharged and fitted with a nitrous system. All told, the engine produces 537 horsepower - at the wheels. Various transmissions have been run on the car, starting with beefed up Toyota trannies up to a Ford C-4 with a 5,500 rpm stall converter. Looking at the car from medium distance, you would think that it’s just a finely restored 1969 KE15 Toyota Corolla and nothing else. Until you hear the engine start up and see the car slay a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

Source for this post found here.

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Ford A Dominant Player In German Touring Car Series

2011-10-02T00:50:00.001-07:00

In the late seventies and early eighties, Ford was a dominant player in the touring car series that preceded today’s German DTM series. The Zakspeed Capri was a special project built for Ford Germany when the Mark III Capri was introduced to the European market. With the closure of Ford’s Competition Department in 1975, it was necessary to contract the racing effort to an outside specialist. With this, the Zakspeed Capri was born. Ford Capris were already being raced by Ford from the early 70s but the dominant cars during this time were the BMW 320s. With Zakspeed entering the picture in the late 70s, the the 320 was rendered practically obsolete.

The Zakspeed Capri was run in Group 5 Division II, which meant a maximum engine capacity of 2000cc. If one were to run a turbo engine, it meant a base engine capacity of 1.4. What Zakspeed chose to do was to destroke a 2-liter Cosworth BDA to 1427cc and boost it with twin KKK turbochargers. Using Garret intercoolers and Bosch fuel injection, performance calculations showed an output of 380 horsepower. However, this initial setup produced teething problems and final variants of the Zakspeed Capri engine used a single, larger KKK turbo that produced 460 horsepower reliably.

Suspension was composed of a strut/wishbone combination front and rear, using titanium springs and Bilstein gas pressure shocks. Brakes were Girling units with two calipers per rotor for the fronts. The body structure was what you’d expect from a race car, which would be a full rollcage with lightweight body panels and floorpan. The engine mounts were set as far back as possible for the best weight distribution. Ready to race, the Zakspeed Capri weighed 790 kg.

The car debut in the middle of the 1978 season, where it achieved a time 25 seconds faster than the previous racing Capris. Entering the 1979 season, the Zakspeed Capri won 8 races, together with the Division II title. It’s unfortunate that Ford does not contest European championships as much as it did in the 80s. The competition would be more lively and the shape of a different car would certainly be welcome, compared to the Audis and Mercedes sedans that dominate DTM today.

Inspiration for this article here.

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Truck Lives Up To Screamin' Detroit Moniker

2011-09-30T16:29:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-29T00:14:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-25T03:50:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-23T04:23:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-22T01:30:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-17T19:43:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-16T02:11:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-13T01:13:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-11T04:09:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-09T17:57:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-02T16:30:00.001-07:00

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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700 Horsepower Factory Cars Also Made In The 60s

2011-08-31T02:24:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-27T07:01:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-24T19:37:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-23T02:05:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-21T04:59:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-19T17:23:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-17T08:06:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-13T21:40:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-12T06:27:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-10T06:28:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-07T03:17:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-04T21:10:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-03T04:04:00.001-07:00

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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VW Bus Is Typical Hotrodder's Excess

2011-07-31T08:38:00.001-07:00

Typically, a hot rod build involves putting a blown motor on an old chassis, chopping the top, putting some chrome wheels and then enjoying the fruits of your labor. This build is exactly that, except for a couple of minor differences. The first difference is that this is a mid-engine build, and the second is that the engine is in the middle of the chassis, a VW Type 2 bus, to be exact.

In true hotrodding style, builder Ken Prather used a mix of components that have been proven to work, such as using a narrowed Ford diff, 350 automatic, Dodge truck radiator and a 355 small-block with a 6-71 blower sitting on top of it. The yoke of the transmission attaches directly to the differential, which has been narrowed 14 inches to accommodate the 10-inch slicks at the rear. Incidentally, the whole powertrain is solid-mounted to a huge swingarm that serves as the rear suspension of the vehicle.

Prather spent four years fabricating this ride, which features a side door to give access to the engine, louvers on the other side of the body to cool the engine and a 7-inch chop from the roof. To say the vehicle is unusual is to insult the creativity and labor that went into it. While it did the requisite rounds of car shows, Ken also drove this beast 4,000 miles from Pennsylvania to the Bonneville Salt Flats, where as a warmup, he ran this bus down the flats at 130 mph.

See video here.

Source article here.

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V12-powered MGB Is One Crazy Build

2011-07-28T06:15:00.001-07:00

Daft would be the proper term to use for this build, because it would take a crazy sort of mindset to envision a V12 Jaguar engine in an MGB. Factor in a fully fabricated tube chassis and 4-link rear suspension and you get to appreciate the mad scientist mindset a car nut would need to go through the build.

Mark Sawatsky of Canada is an avid autocrosser, and an old MGB and Jaguar V12 was lying around in his garage, so he decided to build it up to enter in the EMod class in the autocross series he was running in. Despite being MGB-bodied, this car actually has nothing left of its English car origins.

Displacing 5.3 liters, the V12 Jag engine is still a carbureted version, which limits its horsepower to 290 at 6,000 rpm. Transmission will be a 5-speed using a custom bellhousing to mate it to the Jag V12. Racing details abound on this car, like the aforementioned rear 4-link and a front suspension that uses Ohlins shocks mounted on a pushrod system. From the transmission, power will go to a Ford 9-inch diff that will have 13-inch slicks on opposite ends.

In a 2300 pound car like this, performance calculations estimate the 0-60 sprint in under 4.3 seconds with quarter mile times in the 12.5s. Despite being a successful build, the latest news is that the engine has run into problems and the owner may defer a rebuild for now. But enough videos were taken of the car while it was running, and here’s a couple for our readers to view.

On the dyno

At the track

Source article is here.

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24-Meter Long Volvo Is An Award-Winning Show Truck

2011-07-26T02:06:00.001-07:00

On this blog, we’ve been featuring all the wild and wonderful builds that result in vehicles that are a joy to own and drive. For this post, we feature a truck build that gives its owner as much satisfaction as any other owner of the cars we’ve featured here. This truck is not built in the mold of a Dakar truck which we’ve written about here, but imagine rolling up in this truck with any of the vehicles featured in this blog being towed behind it.

When you learn that this Volvo’s owner is a second-generation trucking magnate operating over 200 trucks in the European continent, you’ll understand why a Volvo FH16 truck was his natural choice for a project build. Calling the creation the Road Cruiser, the custom rig is an 8-axle truck and box trailer combination with custom paint and trim. Rolling along with a total length of 24 meters, this truck has won numerous awards at car shows.

But before you think that this truck has no place in a horsepower and forced induction blog, consider that a Volvo FH16 packs a 700 horsepower inline 6 displacing 16 liters. And a torque output of more than 2,300 pounds-foot. It also features Volvo’s TC (turbo compound) technology, which is not a twin turbo setup but rather uses the turbo’s exhaust to drive another turbine. Horsepower calculations estimate that this setup adds 10% to peak engine output. And despite being a diesel, this engine is fully compliant with Euro5 emissions standards. The engine also provides compression braking, has four valves per cylinder driven by a single overhead cam and 2-piece steel and aluminum pistons. Handling all that is a 12-speed semi-automatic transmission which operates like BMW’s SMG or Porsche’s PDK transmissions.

Inside the cab, the driver is in command of the latest safety features from Volvo, including rain-sensing wipers, cornering lights, radar controlled cruise control and a Driver Alert System (DAS), which monitors the driver’s responses and monitors the time spent behind the wheel. But to keep the driver awake, this custom rig has also been outfitted with an audio system that has USB auxiliary and MP3 inputs, as well as a swiveling passenger seat to better keep a driver company. So who says big rigs are boring things?

Source article is here.

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W165 Silver Arrows Still A Beauty After 70 Years

2011-07-23T15:42:00.001-07:00

The picture you see here shows one of four cars that were made, of which only two survive. Built to compete in the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix, the W165 was Mercedes’ response to a radical rule change by Italian racing authorities, which tried to “balance” the regulations in favor of Italian machinery. At the time, Mercedes’ W154 was the dominant Grand Prix car, and the rule change in favor of smaller cars was meant to exclude the W154.So, what Mercedes did was to use its considerable talent and resources to produce the W165. This feat of engineering was developed in just a six month time frame. To make the smaller car, the W165 was essentially a four-fifths version of the W154. Although the engine basically used the same design from the 3-liter V12 found in the larger Grand Prix car, the smaller displacement (1.5 liters) engine was a V8 using the valvetrain design of twin cam heads and 4 valves per cylinder. Two Roots superchargers were fitted to each bank of cylinders, giving an output of around 254 horsepower. By today’s standards, it’s a trivial output, but bear in mind that this is the pinnacle of 1930s racing technology.

Development time was so short that the second car was reportedly finished on the boat to Italy. In the practice sessions for the race, the new W165 racers were fast, but were not fast enough to match the initial pace of the streamlined racers from Maserati. So, of the two race cars that were entered, one was instructed to go all out from the start of the race as a sacrificial lamb while the other was driven more conservatively. This strategy worked perfectly as the rest of the field tried to chase down the rabbit and fell down the wayside as the pace destroyed machines one by one. The conservatively driven car picked up places as it went and in the end, it was a Mercedes one-two finish.

These two cars were never raced again because other world events intervened, and today, these cars are revered as the last of the “Silver Arrows”.

Warm-up video

Drive-by at Goodwood

Source article is here.

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Audi's A1 Redefines The Meaning Of Hot Hatches

2011-07-21T16:11:00.001-07:00

When one talks of hot hatches and pocket rocktets, we normally think of small, lightweight cars zipping along on 200 horsepower. And the Audi A1 hatchback is a pretty good example of the breed, with a 180 horsepower engine, FWD and a little over 1,000 kilos to burden the powerplant.But MTM, a well-known tuner of European cars, decided that such a petty output was not enough for its tastes, so it set out build what it calls its A1 Nardo Edition. Basically the MTM-tuned A1 has had its 1.4 TFSI engined ripped out and replaced with a turbocharged 2.5-liter 5-cylinder unit from Audi’s upmarket and high-performance TT RS. Producing 340 horsepower as built by the factory, you’d think that that would be enough for a 1,000 kilo car. Not nearly so. MTM increased boost to 1.3 bar to further bump the engine’s output to 500 hp, with a corresponding upgrade in torque to 442 lb-ft. Power then goes to a six-speed manual and a diff with a limited-slip unit using the larger TT axles.

Performance is now 4.5 seconds to 60 mph and top speed is a verified 201 mph. This was achieved at the Nardo high speed track in Italy, where it ran with big boys’ tuner cars such as an SLK Mclaren, Porsche Turbo and a supercharged BMW M3. Allowing for the heavier engine and assuming a 1300 kilogram weight, performance calculations place power to weight ratio at 385 horsepower per ton. That figure is comparable to what a Corvette Z06 or a Ferrari F430 achieves. Not bad for a supermini. At its top speed, the car can cover 90 meters per second, which would leave even that 430 gasping to catch up.

Getting to its top speed did not take any radical aero aids, with just carbon fiber fenders (to accommodate the wider track) and wheel covers to help reduce turbulence from the wheels. Just recently, Audi announced its very own 500 hp AWD A1. With these developments, the world of hot hatches is definitely heating up.

Source article here.

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Volkswagen CNG Racers Demo Winning Green Power

2011-07-17T02:43:00.001-07:00

As any car enthusiast nowadays will have noticed, green technologies for cars are all the rage with manufacturers and being brought up with gasoline-fed performance engines, we cast an uneasy eye on non-traditional methods of producing the power we crave from our rides. Luckily for us, bold engineers, notably German engineers, are not afraid of experimenting with new concepts, and thinking outside the box. Witness the success of Audi at Le Mans with its diesel engines and Porsche with its hybrid racer. We can now add to the list the engineers of Volkswagen, who entered a trio of Sciroccos in the 2011 edition of the Nurburgring 24 hour race, using CNG-powered engines for their race cars.

These engines are modified versions of the production 2-liter turbocharged TSI engine, which produce 330 hp from its CNG fuel. CNG is an excellent fuel because it has very high anti-knock qualities and in the blend used in the races cars, have the equivalent of 130 octane. Furthermore, natural gas vehicles emit 25% less CO2 emissions compared to conventional spark ignition engines, with almost zero particulates. For the racers themselves, Volkswagen claimed an 80% reduction. Transmitting the power on this front-wheel drive racer is a six-speed DSG transmission, actuated by steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Volkswagen also fitted one of the cars with an active electro-hydraulic differential.

Fruits of the hard work of VW’s engineers came in form of a class win for alternative powertrains and finishing 17th overall against a field dominated by the giants of racing, such as Porsche, Audi, and Ferrari. With these developments, gearheads need not worry about the future because with developments in low-emission and non-polluting technologies, racing diehards can have their cake and eat it too.

Source article is here.

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Pulsar GTi-R Replaces Lancia Integrale As Enthusiast's Ride

2011-07-15T08:58:00.001-07:00

What makes a Lancia Integrale owner, winner of multiple World Rally Championships, give up such an iconic car? Decades later, the Integrale has become a cult icon and collector’s car but for a hardcore enthusiast in England, such status was not enough for him keep his example. Instead, he replaced it with a Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, which is not as well-known but which also has a cult following.

Stock, the Pulsar GTi-R is a compact hatch with all-wheel drive and a 2-liter, 230 horsepower turbocharged engine. This particular car already had a 350 hp engine when the current owner got it, which was enough for awhile. But then, he decided that 500 horsepower was a nice figure for such a car, so he sent the engine off to be rebuilt with stronger internals and larger displacement. An HKS GT3040R boosting to 1.9 bar replaced the stock unit and when all was said and done, engine output was calculated and verified to be at 510 hp with 430 lb-ft. of torque.

A twin-disc clutch and Quaife gearbox handle all this power and Wilwood 4-piston brakes ensure that stopping power is available when it becomes necessary to slow down. Since the Pulsar was intended to be a Group A rally contender, the rest of the car is readier than most to cope with double the horsepower that the car came with from the factory. Nissan did not see success with the Group A rally program for the GTi-R, but its foray into that arena became the reason for producing the rare GTi-R homologation specials that are sought after up to today.

Build video for a 500-hp GTi-R

Source article here.
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Corvette Show Winner Is No Trailer Queen

2011-07-13T01:59:00.001-07:00

All too often, a show car, specially a show car winner, is synonymous with being a trailer queen. Despite having engines to die for and suspension gear that can tackle any mountain road, these cars never turn a wheel in anger and the most they travel is a few meters of pavement to get on and off a truck or trailer.

But not in the case of this C1-RS Corvette which was made by The Roadster Shop. This car was intended to be a showcase for the C1 chassis that The Roadster Shop has developed and it became the basis for this stunning build that literally modified everything in the car. While the car is obviously a Corvette, anyone can see that the aluminum panels have been reshaped to obtain a one-of-a-kind look. Carbon fiber trim panels give the body a more modern look, which match the car’s dual-wishbone and multilink front and rear suspension. Aside from the high-performance shocks and springs, Brembo 14-inch 6-piston brakes ensure that the car stops as well as it goes.

Which brings us to the engine, which is a decidedly modern Chevy LS7 tuned and modified to produce 618 horsepower with 640ft lbs of torque. Carbon fiber intake runners and custom stainless headers with 2-inch primaries give the car a solid engine note that gives a hint of its power.

In the mandatory Autocross competition at the 2009 Goodguys PPG Nationals this ‘Vette gave the best performance of the day with a lap time of 32.22 seconds, besting 30 other contenders.

Source article here.

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In The RC Realm, 11 HP Is King

2011-07-10T00:34:00.001-07:00

Nic Case is a Southern Californian who has had a lifelong passion for cars, RC cars that is. But unlike RC enthusiasts who buy off-the-shelf parts to modify their cars, Nic modifies cars with a combination of stock parts and custom-fabricated parts. One of his latest projects was recently recognized by the Guinness Book of Records with a World Speed Record certification, because of his car’s 161.76 mph run.

To get to this level of performance, Nic spent $4,000 and the better part of six months testing and tuning his car to set the speed record. Using a Schumacher Mi3 carbon fiber chassis, Nic fitted a streamlined body that looks like a land speed record vehicle. Reportedly, computational fluid dynamics was used to design the streamlined body. Underneath that simple-looking exterior, this extreme RC builder installed top-of-the line components such as a 12-cell Power Edge Lithium-Polymer battery, a Castle Creations power management and speed controller module, and an 11 horsepower Neu motor. Radio control components from Futaba are used.

Although this car’s specific weight is not known except to a few, lightened Mi3 cars run around 1265 grams and this world record car should be lighter. The power-to-weight ratio for this car is off the scale, so much so that performance calculations predict this car’s 0-60 mph time at 0.285 seconds. On July 5, this car was ran again and it has unofficially reached a speed of 175 plus miles per hour. Not bad for a 11-horsepower car!

Source article here.

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Top Fuel S2000 Is Top Time Attack Contender

2011-07-09T08:18:00.001-07:00

Time attack events are a very popular form of motorsport nowadays and the car builds that you find there sometimes rival factory efforts, like this Honda S2000 prepped by tuning house Top Fuel. You know a build is serious when a light 1,250 kilogram car is stripped and rebuilt with a carbon fiber body to bring the weight down to 1,000 kilos. Since this was intended to be a time attack car, an aero body kit was a necessity, and the resulting widebody and radically winged S2000 doesn’t disappoint.

Underneath the swoopy body resides the original F20C powerplant, but with revised internals such as chromemoly conrods and forged pistons. Displacement was increased to 2150 cc and 1000 cc/min fuel injectors feed the engine so that the huge HKS GT3540 turbo can produce the 680 horsepower the engine is now capable of. From the triple plate clutch, a sequential HKS transmission gives 5 forward speeds.

Of course handling is just as important as power in time attack cars and the chassis was spot welded and reinforced to give a rigid base for the modified suspension arms and adjustable race dampers the reside at the corners of the car. Tires are 10.5 X 18 in size and Brembo calipers reside behind it. The best test of how a car works is to compare it with its class rivals and this S2000 certainly didn’t disappoint. When the time came to show what it was capable of, this Top Fuel S2000 promptly set the record for the fastest FR car at the Tsukuba Circuit. Performance calculations reveal that 0-60 should be over in 2.7 seconds and the quarter-mile in 10.7 seconds. For a car whose specialty is to lap a track in the fastest possible time, these acceleration figures are very quick indeed.

Source article can be found here.

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LS1 V8s Give Miatas Big, Reliable Horsepower

2011-07-07T08:07:00.001-07:00

The thought of a Miata taking on a Ferrari in a drag race is laughable, if only a V8-powered Mazda Miata can be called laughable. This type of conversion is quite popular nowadays, with the availability of the Chevy LS1 V8 motor and with knowledge on this particular swap circulating freely on the Internet.

While it’s natural to think that swapping an LS1 engine will make for a nose-heavy car, it’s been found that the original cast-iron Mazda engine is actually a bit heavier, and using the all-aluminum V8 LS1 still gives a 50/50 weight distribution, which plays a significant part in why the Miata handles so well.

At the rear wheels, a stock Chevy LS1 will give around 330 rear-wheel horsepower. The Miata only weighs 2,100 pounds or 940 kilos, so with an LS1, the power to weight ratio will come out to 356 bhp per ton. This is comparable to the power-to-weight ratios for a Corvette Z06 and a Ferrari F430. Performance calculations predict a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds with a quarter-mile time of under 12 seconds. Swaps like these follow the classic formula of a big engine in a small car, and the combination of a modern chassis and engine gives a high performance package for relatively little money.

According to an LS1 Miata owner, “I built this car to drive on big tracks like Sebring, Road Atlanta, Homestead etc. and I smoke Turbo Porsche's, Ferraris, and Vette's at every event. That’s why I chose this chassis, it handles better than most cars out there, and now it has the power to match.”

LS1 Miata vs. Ferrari F430

Source info can be found here and here.

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Rolls Silver Shadow Has BDS Blower Sticking Out Of Its Hood

2011-07-03T14:53:00.001-07:00

Some have called it a waste of a good Rolls and some have lauded it as one of the ultimate expressions of hotrodding, but what is clear is that this supercharged Hemi-powered Rolls Royce does not leave those who see it without an opinion.

Owned by a Florida lawyer, this Rolls reportedly has $500,000 invested in it, and judging from the quality and scope of the work done to this car, it’s a believable figure. This Rolls would look just like a stocker, if you look at the body alone, because it was left as is. The obvious giveaway is the BDS 6-71 blower poking through the hood and if you remove the hood, you will get to see the monstrous Hemi engine, which, with additional nitrous injection has an output of 1,350 horsepower.

As the owner has intimated, the Rolls unibody needed a complete frame with a 4-link, 9 inch rear end. Axles from Strange Engineering are used in the diff to ensure that the power gets to the wheels after it exits the 2- speed Powerglide transmission. Performance calculations by the crew who built this monster Rolls believe that it can do the quarter mile in 9 seconds.

But before you think that this is just a Rolls-shelled drag car, check out the interior and the trunk, where you will see entire sheets of Connolly leather used not just in the seats and dash but also for covering the entire trunk, including the nitrous bottles, fuel cell and battery boxes. Even if you think that putting that kind of money on a bastadrdized Rolls-Royce is a waste of money, just be glad that there are people with the vision and the cash to come up with incredible builds such as these.

Hemi Rolls-Royce starting up

Hemi Rolls walkaround

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Ice Racing Jeep Shows Diversity Of Racing Machines

2011-06-30T20:57:00.001-07:00

All forms of racing demand specialized vehicles which conform to the racing environment and the class rules. This is what makes the world of motorsport so diverse and interesting.

Our build feature shows an ice racing jeep that uses interesting details to be highly competitive in its class. Built by the owner of Edgewater Jeep in Colorado, this ice racer was fabricated around a heavily modified Jeep DJ3 frame. As with any racer, a rollcage has been built and attached to the frame to both provide protection in crashes and chassis stiffening. Suspension is an upper link/lower wishbone combination front and rear, which is damped by adjustable Koni coilover shocks and Hypercoil springs. Disc brakes front and rear handle the stopping duties and depending on the class that the Jeep is entered in, tires used vary from grooved or studded with 1.5 inch spikes.

Power is provided by a highly modified, carb-fed 400-ci V8 Chevy that provides 500 horsepower at 7,400 rpm. A dry-sump system is used for circulating the engine oil and A 3-speed TH350 automatic is used to transfer the power to Dana 44 axles front and rear with 4.27 ratios.

Since a stock DJ3 weights about 998 kg, it would be safe to assume this racer weighing in at 900 kilos or less. Performance calculations for this four-wheel drive hotrod place 0-60 at 2.6 seconds with a potential top speed of 130 mph. In a vehicle as light and open as this, that is scary performance. But it should be a lot of fun, as the below video suggests.

Source article here.

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Italian Tuner Performs Radical Transformation On Fiat 500

2011-06-28T03:23:00.001-07:00

The normal route when a tuner lays his hands on a car is to add more power by modifying the engine and reducing weight to improve the power-to-weight ratio. Motore Centrale did both and more, much more, by converting the lowly Fiat 500, which is a 135 horsepower front-wheel drive car into a mid-engined 230 horsepower pocket rocket.

Installing a bigger turbo and intercooler with some revised engine internals produced this 95 hp gain, which is controlled by an electronic limited-slip differential. Other modifications include 4-pot brake calipers, Bilstein adjustable suspension, 17-inch tires and a 50 kg weight reduction. But the most radical transformation has been to transfer the engine from the front to the middle of the car and making it a rear drive vehicle. An entire subframe has been designed to accommodate the engine, as well as a new wishbone suspension for the rear. A clue to the car’s nature is the additional ducting on the rear fenders.

All these mods produce performance that is unheard of in small cars like these. 0-60 mph is now 4.7 seconds from the original 7 plus seconds and top speed is now 245 km/h. For the true nutheads, Motore Centrale is also producing a track version that further lightens the car and boosts horsepower to 280.

See source article here.

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Mines R34 Is Almost Too Much Of A Good Thing

2011-06-26T03:06:00.001-07:00

Until the Western media discovered one of Japan's supercars, a skyline was what you saw looking over an urban cityscape. Now Skylines are recognized all over the world and are much respected due to their on-track and accessible performance. One of the best known tuned Skylines is the R34 built by Mines. Typical of its builds, the Mines R34 does not have outrageous wings or flared fenders, instead relying on subtle graphics to announce its presence.

What lies beneath the skin, however, is a level of performance that should impress even Nissan's engineers. This is because the power of the engine has been doubled, using in-house intake, exhaust and camshaft mods. The original turbos were ditched for a pair of HKS GT2530 turbos and the management electronics were revamped to allow the engine to hit its 630hp at 7200 rpm limit effortlessly.

Mines suspension components are installed, including 3-way adjustable dampers and sway bar. 18-inch Mines magnesium wheels hide uprated brake rotors and calipers. For the body mods, subtle carbon fiber pieces subtly give the Mines R34 Skyline a different look without making it look trashy. Our performance calculations estimate 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds and the quarter-mile in the mid-11s. Nowadays, there are more powerful Skylines out there, but Mines' tuning philosophy has always been balance, and in this aspect, the tuner has succeeded brilliantly.

During testing, even jaded race driver Keichi Tsuchiya was heard to say, 'it's so fast that even a dead man will scream.' Mere performance numbers are not enough to describe what the car can do. The video belows shows how it compares to a modded Supra.

Source article here.

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"57 Sleeper" Chevy Bel Air A Prime Example Of Hotrodding Art

2011-06-25T01:08:00.001-07:00

One of the most iconic and widely modified American cars is the 1957 Chevy Bel Air. So many have been modified to the extremes that it is difficult nowadays to find one that will really stand out from the crowd. This show car example, which is driven regularly, is one that does. Owned by Red Line Oil’s Tim Kerrigan, this car has been lavished with the best of what is available in the hotrodding scene, and the results speak for themselves.

Starting with a custom Art Morrison chassis, commissioned builder Dominator Street Rods installed a custom twin-turbo big block that produces 1590 horsepower and over 1500 lb-ft. of torque. A 4-speed custom automatic transfers power to the wheels via a custom driveline that includes Strange Engineering axles. These axles are used widely in pro drag race cars for their unbreakable reputation, which is what 1500 pounds foot of torque will do to lesser components. In fact, the engine was reportedly de-tuned to make it more streetable and even at 70 mph, digging into the throttle will still smoke the tires. The rest of the build includes Wilwood brakes and rotors with 6-pot calipers, 3-inch custom exhaust, electronic traction control, a bladder-type fuel tank and custom leather interior.

The original Chevy Bel Air weighed from 3,200 to 3,400 pounds. Assuming a weight of 3,500 pounds, performance calculations for this car put 0-60 mph in something like 2.6 seconds. The quarter mile would be done in less than 8.5 seconds, which is not bad for a street-driven show car. Many critics have scoffed that this car can’t do corners, and compared with today’s hot hatches, it would probably have a difficult time of it. But as the saying goes, “different horses for different courses”, so in the area of performance that the builders and owner of this car had in mind, this car is a standout example.

See source article here.

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King Sling A Different Kind Of Truck In Design And Purpose

2011-06-23T02:24:00.001-07:00

The build featured here, while looking like a monster is apparently known more correctly as a digger truck. But leaving specifics aside for the hardcore aficionados, what's interesting about this truck is how it's built to suit a specific purpose.

Starting with a a tube frame chassis with an integrated rollcage, the builders then fitted a cab and fabricated a custom rear section for the chassis, which would serve as a cover for the engine, mount in the middle of the chassis. This is already a departure from the typical monster truck build, which normally have their engines in front. The engine is a 540-inch big-block with a 10% overdriven supercharger. This gives it a horsepower rating of 1,800-1,900 horsepower, although a peak of 2,500 is reportedly possible with the setup.

To handle that power and enable this rig, named King Sling, to jump the high berms that please spectators, the truck is equipped with a 4-link suspension, nitrogen-charged bypass shocks, and, of course, 4 wheel drive. The coilover shocks have 16 inches of travel at the front and 20 inches in the rear.

A difference from monster trucks one will observe will be the tires. The tires are narrower and a bit smaller, although the lugs on the tires are custom-cut. As an indicator of the amount of custom work performed on the truck, the cutting of the tread takes 6 hours per tire. Finishing off the King Sling is a paint job that uses spray-on chrome as a base before being finished in its lime color that was overlaid with custom graphics.

With no definite weight available for the King Sling, we can't do proper performance calculations to get some performance figures for the truck. However, it's generally acknowledged that this truck weighs half that of monster trucks, so with almost 2000 horsepower on tap, acceleration and powering through obstacles should not be a problem at all.

Source article here.

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New free trials...

2011-06-20T05:19:00.001-07:00

Our free trials are now full featured trials of the horsepower calculator. When you sign up for a free trial you get to experience the FULL POWER of all the features of the calculator including:

The Octane Center - Use any mix of 12 commonly supported fuels (Gasoline, E85, Nitro ...etc)
The Power Calculator - Choose one of 5 possible power adders (Twincharged, Turbocharged, All Motor ...etc)
The Thermal Model - Maximize your density ratio and power with proper cooling & avoid preignition
The Tuning Center - Find total timing and target air to fuel ratios for your setup based on load and rpm

935-007 Moby Dick A 20-year Labor of Love

2011-06-19T15:55:00.001-07:00

Like wine, some car builds need time, 20 years worth in this case, to be built to proper specification, specially when what you are building is one of the most famous racing cars ever built.

The Porsche 935/78 was built for the Group 5 regulations of the period, where Porsche's Norbert Singer used a standard 930 chassis (the basis for the 911 Turbo). By removing the front and rear sections and grafting aluminum subframes, the designers were able to attach the racing suspension and install an exclusive twin-turbo flat six with 4-valve water-cooled heads, making 845 horsepower. A low-drag body featuring a long nose and tail were used, which made it look like a whale, hence the moniker Moby Dick. Only one was ever built in that period, although Porsche apparently had another chassis in storage.

It is this chassis, 935-007, that was the basis for the recently completed build started by an American Porsche collector and restorer 20 years ago. Because of his desire to build the car to original specifications, the parts needed were very rare, to the point that he gave up the project because of his inability to purchase the special 935/71 engine. Passing the project on to Fresinger Porsche who were able to acquire the rare engine, the car was finally completed recently and went out on its maiden outing at the Spa Classic in May of 2011. This car is built to the correct 1978 spec and can thus be recognized as the only 935/78 in private hands.

Specs for the factory car are 2.6 seconds to 100 km/h with a top speed of 365 kilometers per hour. Performance calculations show that this car has a power-to-weigh ratio of 837 bhp per ton, with the quarter mile time estimated in 10.1 seconds. It’s nice to see that this car was driven at the Spa Classic instead of being kept hidden away for just a few people to see. Iconic racing cars like Porsche’s Moby Dick are extremely rare and it had not been seen at a racetrack for 30 years until last May.

Source article here.

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Miller 1929 Ford Roadster Takes Hotrodding To New Directions

2011-06-17T00:31:00.001-07:00

One has to admit that hotrodders display degrees of ingenuity and creativity that reflect on their individual creations. To create a rolling work of art from what was originally a utilitarian tool can only be described as genius. In making the Miller 1929 Ford Roadster, a crew of top craftsmen was tapped, resulting in a one-of-a-kind creation that does justice to the spirit of American hotrodding.

This Ford Roadster mostly uses aftermarket components, as the concept called for power windows, a removable hardtop, and a trailer that tows a welding generator. Modern components such as an independent front suspension and a modern audio/video system were also installed, which are systems unimagined in 1929. For the engine, a 453-horsepower Roush 302 was installed, which gives 10 times more than the power that was originally installed in 1929 for the Ford Roadster. But perhaps the most unique aspect of this vehicle is its trailer, which carries a welding generator powered by another Roush 302 engine with an output of 320 horsepower. The original engine for the welding generator is a Kohler 20-hp unit, so one can only imagine what the excess power can be used for. To tie the Roadster and trailer together, a 1929 Ford radiator was used for the trailer, together with a matching shell.

Despite obviously being a showpiece, it’s easy to imagine this particular roadster/pickup and trailer combination being seen in a racing team’s pit, where the auxiliary power can be tapped for welding as well as powering other pit equipment. Far from being just another blown hotrod, the Miller Roadster shows the possibilities of hotrodding when creativity and enthusiasm are given free reign.

Source article here.

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KAMAZ Trucks Remain Dominant In Their Racing Class

2011-06-16T07:49:00.001-07:00

The Dakar Rally is famous for the grueling terrain and rugged machinery that teams must bring to the race in order to even finish. Even though there are numerous classes in the Dakar Rally, one of the more fascinating classes is the T4 class, which is the truck class. And the dominant make in the truck class, having won 8 of 10 class wins, is the Kamaz brand from Russia.

Currently, the chassis being used by the Kamaz Team is the type 4326-9, which is a 20,000 pound 4X4 truck. Its designers have favored reliability to withstand the torturous stages, which is why it uses leaf springs and solid axles front and rear, with competition shocks from Reider in Holland being utilized. The cab section has an FIA-spec cage and it has space for the driver, mechanic and co-driver. As befits its racing nature, two fuel cells with a maximum capacity of almost 250 gallons are placed low and center in the chassis. This fuel capacity is necessary to keep the 17-liter, twin turbo, 730 horsepower V8 engine fed. A 16-speed ZF transmission feeds that power to the front and rear diffs. Top speed is 170 km/h hour, but bear in mind that this velocity is achieved in unpaved terrain. To provide the best balance possible, the engine and transfer case are relocated towards the center of the vehicle.

Seeing these trucks perform day in and day out in the rally is amazing because these trucks keep on going whereas their competitors from companies like MAN from Germany often fall by the wayside. It’s not useful to do our normal performance calculations because the power-to-weight ratio of this behemoth is very far compared to, say, a Porsche or even an M5. But what makes this design a winner is its consistency and reliability in a race that demands stamina and speed in equal measures.

See source article here.

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1966 Minx Sports Modern Honda Underpinnings

2011-06-11T00:29:00.001-07:00

Whatever you think of globalization, it generally has been a boon for us car enthusiasts who get to see all the forms of motorsports and project builds from around the world. This exposure would not have been possible without the Internet. As an example, where else would you see a vintage British car and Japanese powertrain grafted together by an American fabricator? That’s the very creation you see here.

Starting with a 1966 Sunbeam Minx, this American hot rodder swapped in a Honda F20 engine with its 6-speed manual transmission. Originally, this engine was found in the S2000, which gave an output of around 240 horsepower from 2000 cc. On the S2000, this engine output was good for 0-60 times of about 5.5 seconds. The original 1800cc Minx had 65 horsepower and a top speed of about 85 mph or 140 km/h. 0-60 was in the region of, wait for it, 18 seconds. So, again, this swap follows the classic formula of a powerful engine in a small chassis. The original curb weight for the car is estimated at 2250 pounds, or 1020 kilos. Even with the added weight of the modern suspension and powertrain, performance should be much better than 5 seconds for the 0-60 time.

But the real beauty this car is not in its sports car performance but in how the builder was able to fit not only the engine, transmission and front suspension from an S2000. For the rear end, a 4-link suspension with a Jeep diff was utilized. To keep the car as vintage looking as possible, most of the original instrumentation was retained but the internals were modified too to accommodate the electronic inputs from the modern powerplant. The modified instrumentation shows speed, fuel, oil, water and engine RPM. Even though the tach looks vintage, closer inspection will reveal a 10,000 rpm redline. The finished car looks very ordinary, except for the wheels. However, closer inspection will reveal the incredible fabrication skills that went into the car and one must look at the 35-page build thread to appreciate the work involved in putting the project together.

See the complete build thread here.

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BOSS 302S Is An Instant Rarity

2011-06-07T09:31:00.001-07:00

It’s a good time for muscle car enthusiasts nowadays, as a renewed war seems to have ignited once again among the Big Three. An example of this is Ford’s Boss 302S which is a special run of the current Ford Mustang. Mind you, this is not some tarted up bells and whistles fluff model. The Boss 302S is a run of factory racers that is intended for use on the NASA American Iron series or the GTS class of the World Challenge series. The limited run of 50 guarantees exclusivity.

The 302S is assembled at Ford’s Flat Rock, Michigan facility after the installation of an FIA-spec rollcage by an outside contractor. The factory seam sealer, sound deadener and interior panels are omitted from the assembly to reduce weight. Drivetrain is basically the same as that of the roadgoing Boss 302, which is a 5-liter V8 giving out 440 horsepower. The OEM six-speed manual is fitted too but a Torsen unit is used in the differential.

Other features of this track-use car include a Ford racing aluminum radiator and oil cooler, brake cooling ducts and adjustable Panhard rod. High-performance Pirellis are used for the rolling stock. AIM instrumentation with GPS data logging provide the information the driver and crew needs and a carbon fiber rear wing adds a functional and distinctive look to the car. Perhaps the most unique part of this car is the distinctive build plate that replaces the VIN plate. This little piece of aluminum truly proves the provenance of the car.

Ford enthusiasts who have 80K to blow on a project car would do worse than get one of these rarities, that is, if the order list hasn’t yet been filled. Luckily for those wanting to buy this special Mustang, Ford has said that it is open to keeping the production of this car running as long as demand justifies it.

Source article here.

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Pikes Peak Quattro S1 Still Awesome After 25 Years

2011-06-04T01:39:00.001-07:00

It was Audi that came out with a viable high-performance all-wheel drive system for cars in the early 1980s and since then, no high-performance rally car has been competitive without such a system. Towards the late 1980s, Audi entered its orphaned rally creation at the Pikes Peak race and showed North Americans the incredible traction capabilities of all-wheel drive in loose surfaces. First, it was Michele Mouton who set a record in 1985 for fastest time up the mountain. In 1987, Walter Rohrl also took the overall win up the mountain. That was the last time the Pikes Peak S1 would be seen because Audi did not return for the 1988 edition of the race.

For the Pikes Peak event, Audi used its Quattro Sport S1, which was basically a rally car with an all-aluminum, 4-valve, 5-cylinder KKK-turbocharged engine tuned to produce (officially) 600 horsepower from its 2.1 liters of displacement. While 600 horsepower street cars are relatively common nowadays, 600 horsepower was a huge amount of power then. However, it was that the turbo, with an anti-lag system, actually produced 1,000 horsepower. The all-wheel drive system was complemented by three locking diffs and a six-speed, dual-clutch sequential transmission. Other highlights include a Kevlar body and carbon fiber driveshafts, which helped to keep the car's overall weight to an even 1,000 kilos.

With a power to weight ratio of .6 bhp per kilogram (at 600 hp), performance calculations place 0-60 mph times at 2.6 seconds and the quarter mile in 11 seconds. One can only speculate how violent the acceleration would be with 1,000 horsepower. With performance like this, one can see why the Audi Quattro was an unbeatable car in its prime.

Article on the Quattro here.

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Cusco Impreza A Worthy Competitor In Japan's GT300 Wars

2011-06-01T16:39:00.001-07:00

Mention the word Impreza and the image that automatically comes to mind is of street cars with distinctive exhaust burbles coming from cannon-sized exhausts or of World Rally Championship cars in their distinctive blue livery. What’s not very commonly known is that Cusco, a respected name in aftermarket tuning circles, has been campaigning an Impreza in the Japanese GT300 series for more than a decade. The particular Impreza featured here was built for the 2007 season.

Looking at the car, it is almost unrecognizable as an Impreza because of the wild bodywork that is permitted under the JGTC rules. The car features a lightened body and has been prepped with the usual safety rollcage. Onto this prepared chassis were installed a push-rod inboard type double wishbone suspension for the front and rear, ALCON water-cooled 6-pot caliper brakes with Ferodo pads and 18-inch Hart wheels on Dunlop racing tires. The engine is Subaru’s trusty EJ20 built by Subaru Technica International. Output is restricted to 300 horsepower by the class rules and transmission is a CUSCO Sequential 6-speed transaxle AWD unit. Being a Cusco-sponsored car, Cusco also fitted its radiator, oil cooler, intercooler, suspension components, LSD and the distinctive body kit. Ready to race, the car weighs in at 1150 kilos. Performance calculations place its 0-60 time at less than 4 seconds with the quarter mile in around 12.5 seconds.

In terms of outright performance, this car is now beaten by the 800-horsepower unlimited class time attack cars that can be found all over. In its time and in its class though, this performance was enough for a class win.

Source article is here.

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Hotrodding Insanity Infects Swedish Enthusiast

2011-05-28T15:47:00.001-07:00

Since the early days of hotrodding, car enthusiasts have been putting together unlikely engine and body combinations. You can call them crazy or out-of-the-box thinkers, but the results have mostly been outrageous machines that have captivated the people lucky enough to have seen them.

Thanks to the Internet, we see here such a build, courtesy of a car nut from Sweden who has both a stockyard of car parts and some serious fabrication skills. In this case, the unholy alliance is between a Saab wagon body and a Dodge Viper drivetrain. Unfortunately, the build thread is in a language that not all of us understand so we have to content ourselves with pictures of the fabrication, which is extensive. There is a new massive transmission tunnel and almost the entire firewall has been replaced. Subframes to locate the Viper engine were fabricated and aligning them in the Saab body is another testament to skill of the fabricator. Part of the aluminum oil pan has also been notched to clear some obstruction in the underbody. An entire rear subframe has also been fabricated so that the rear suspension and differential of the Viper can be used. It’s a good thing this shop has a laser aligner, otherwise the finished product would have been crabwalking due to misalignment of the various components. The amount of work is massive, and it’s obvious that few persons would have the doggedness to see this through.

While the Viper’s and Saab wagon’s performance are known respectively, we have no weight figures for this frankencar, so, at this point, we can’t do any performance calculations. Which is a pity, because this car will surely come up with outstanding numbers.

Build thread here.

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Ferrari P4/5 Competizione Being Readied For Nurburgring 24 Hrs.

2011-05-27T10:09:00.001-07:00

At this point in time, you are looking at one of the world's rarest cars, being build number 1 of 1. The Ferrari P4/5 Competizione is an offshoot of James Glickenhaus's roadgoing P4/5, which is a Pininfarina-bodied Ferrari Enzo, also one-of-a-kind. However crazy the idea of a rebodied Ferrari Enzo may sound, using another Enzo as a rebodied racer would be crazier still, so the Competizione model will be basically based on the F430 GT2’s drivetrain.

This means that the engine will be a 32-valve Ferrari V8 (type F136) that will have around 480 horsepower and and 340 lb-ft. of torque. Suspension will be double wishbones front and back and as you can see, the body is in carbon fiber. All other details of the car are what one would expect with a modern-day competion car such as the use of Brembo 6- and 4-piston brakes front and rear, FIA-spec rollcage and electronic gauges and data logging.

The front of the competition car is wider than the road version, while the rear is reminiscent of the F40, with its black mesh covering. There is an F1-like rear diffuser plus a massive rear wing that ensures that the rear end stays planted. Note that despite the Ferrari technology and components being used for this car, Glickenhaus is not receiving any support from Ferrari for this, after having displeased the Maranello-based automaker with his audacious 2006 rebody experiment with the original P4/5 road-going car.

Source article here.

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S2000 Nitrous Setup Shows Reliability and Consistency

2011-05-26T01:35:00.001-07:00

Nitrous oxide systems, specially those that boost engine output by 100 or more horsepower over stock have reputations as risky mods because of the history of engines grenading themselves, sometimes from the first time the system is used. From Hondas to V10 BMWs, the Internet is rife with stories of wasted engines that were the result of poor nitrous oxide system installation and tuning.

Not so with this particular Honda S2000 installation, whose owner's goal was to attain 400 whp using only a nitrous oxide system and no engine mods. The entire setup is composed of a Zex Direct Port 150 shot nitrous setup, Clutchmasters Stage 3 clutch, AEM Ems 1052, Full Standalone Fuel system, Q16 race gas, AP1 flywheel, Megan Racing test pipe, N1 muffler swap, Injen short ram intake with K&N cone filter, Walbro 255 lph fuel pump, bottle pressure between 875-900, Zex bottle warmer, Zex purge kit, Zex remote bottle opener and NGK 7405 plugs which are 2 steps colder than the original rating. The car is also 141lbs lighter, but as you can see, there were no major modifications to the engine internals.

With the above setup, engine output is now 390 wheel horsepower with the nitrous injection versus 215 whp stock. Torque is also correspondingly increased to 324 lb-ft from the stock 152 lb-ft. During the tuning process, the engine had been run almost 2 dozen times on nitrous, with no ill effects, as evidenced by the consistent cylinder pressures taken after the process. Clearly this shows that with the correct tuning parameters, nitrous oxide injection is a safe, reliable and cheaper alternative to other engine modifications, with the added benefit of being easy to remove and relocate to another car.

Source post here.

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Bentley Continental Sets Ice Speed Record

2011-05-22T05:37:00.001-07:00

When you hear the word Bentley, the image that comes to mind is a hand-crafted luxobarge that's too heavy to be properly called a sports car. Early this year though, Bentley disproved that stereotype by establishing a new Ice Speed Record, aided by 4-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankunnen and witnessed by Guiness World Record representatives.

The tool used for this record attempt was a bio-fueled Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible, which was practically stock, except for some safety modifications. The ISR car used the OEM powertrain consisting of a 6-liter, twin turbo W12 engine, with an output of 631 horsepower and 590lb ft of torque. Drivetrain is Bentley's Quickshift six-speed automatic transmission, with the all-wheel drive system being controlled by a Torsen center diff. Additions to the car were limited to a fully-welded roll-cage, new front and rear spoilers, a bumper-mounted parachute, and Pirelli SottoZero II winter tires.

Performance calculations put 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds and 100 mph in 9.5 seconds. At the attempt made in the Bay of Bothnia in Finland, Juha drove the Bentley ISR to 330.695 km/h on a track 16.5km long, which was specially prepared for the occassion. Although the 4-time champion makes it look easy, driving more than 300 kilometers an hour on ice takes nerves of steel and a high level of natural skill.

Source article is here.

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Norwegian Hotrodder Opts For Classic Combination In A 1-Series BMW

2011-05-20T20:46:00.001-07:00

This Norwegian enthusiast shows us that hotrodding in all its various forms is not the sole purview of motorheads from the U.S., Germany, U.K., Australia, Finland or Japan. Since time immemorial, dropping a big engine into a small car has been a time-tested formula that has achieved success in street and racing applications.

In this case, this unnamed enthusiast from Norway started with BMW’s entry-level 1-series model that reportedly had a diesel as its original powerplant. In true hotrodding style, the owner selected none other than the excellent BMW V8 found in the E90-series M3, which produces 420 horsepower. But, the owner didn’t stop there, as a BMW performance exhaust and minor tweaking has upped power to 435. The M3’s drivetrain was also installed, such as the 6-speed manual gearbox, limited-slip diff and the M3’s brakes. A sports suspension from Bilstein combined with 19-inch BBS wheels with 235 tires in front and 265 at the back try to handle the power and torque that BMW’s engineers never envisioned for the car.

Inside, the only hints to the car’s potential are the 330 kph speedometer and an M tach redlined at 8,200 rpm. BMW Performance parts like the sport seats and Alcantara steering wheel complete the factory look. Outside, a subtle M Sport aero package composed of front and rear bumpers and carbon fiber rear diffuser together with an AC Schnitzer lower front apron and roof spoiler give some clue to the car’s intent. Assuming that this 1-series is the base model, it would have a weight of 1320 kilos or 2930 pounds. With the 435-horsepower engine, the power-to-weight ratio comes out to 335 horsepower per ton. Performance calculations would put 0-60 mph at 3.8 seconds and the quarter mile in the high 11s. This kind of performance is the domain of high-end Porsches and Ferraris. What a shocker it would be for owners of these high-priced sports cars if they happen to be unlucky enough to find this sleeper running side-by-side with them.

Source article here.

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Hot Rod Wagon Combines Old and New World Ingenuity

2011-05-18T00:31:00.001-07:00

Tom Divers, who created the custom hotrod featured in this post, says that when he was a teenager, resources were scarce, so they had to learn all the crafts that were needed to make the cars they wanted. Now, customers with fat checkbooks ask him to create hotrods for them.

The one-of-a-kind car you see here is the marriage of a 1960 Nash Rambler Wagon with the drivetrain of one of Europe's finest sports cars, a 2002 Ferrari 360 Modena. Divers Street Rods and the customer were lucky enough to find a wrecked 360 with an intact drivetrain and suspension, and these components from the donor car formed the basis for the Ferrar/Rambler wagon's performance underpinnings. As in the Ferrari, the engine is mounted amidships, together with the 6-speed manual transaxle. To mate the engine to the 1960-era chassis, a custom frame was fabricated. The Rambler wagon body was then fitted to the frame, along with numerous handcrafted mods to give the front of the car hints of a 1960s-era Ferrari.

The Ferrari 360's dual wishbone suspension was then attached to the frame to give this old-fashioned body the handling prowess that its engine deserves. Despite requests to Ferrari for help in making the engine run using the factory sensors and ECU, Divers Street Rods was ignored, so with the ingenuity typically found in the best rodders, Divers and his crew used a Motec ECU. Although it's known that the Ferrari engine is good for 400 horsepower, there are no weight figures released of the Ferrambo as build, so we cannot do the necessary performance calculations that will give us an idea of how the car should perform. One thing's for sure. It will be no slouch.

Although the car looks pretty simple at first glance, looking at the car will show an incredible amount of custom work and craftsmanship, which resulted in its winning the most prestigious award for hotrodding in 2008.

See source article here.

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