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

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.

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Comical Cars Offer Serious Racing Action

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

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.

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Hotrodding Ethic Extends To All Forms

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.

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Porsche 924 Conversion Preceded Ferrari's FF

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.

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Lexus V8 In A Lowly Corolla Produces Potent Weapon

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

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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