British car magazine Auto Express, has crowned the Ferrari 458 Italia their 2011 Performance Car of the Year (PCOTY). The magazine chose the Italian supercar from a list of 20 contenders, including other big names like the Audi V10 Spyder, Porsche GT3 RS, BMW M3 Competition and Mercedes SLS AMG. The Honda CR-Z, Renault Twingo Cup 133 and Skoda Fabia RS were the more down-to-earth cars of the group. Watch the video summary after the break to see what makes the F458 this year's performance car in AE's opinion.
Former Russian President and now Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is doing his best to remain in the spotlight. After his country decided to back the Renault F1 team, by branding it with Lada advertisements, Mr. Putin was invited to drive the R30 Formula One racer at a special event held in St. Petersburg. Video after the break.
Wearing a helmet painted in his country's colors and with Russia written on the visor, Vladimir Putin is said to have reached speeds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph), showing that he is a man of many talents.
The PM's interest towards the sport is also due to the fact that Russia's bid to hold an F1 event after the Sochi Olympics in 2014 was successful as the deal was signed less than a month ago.
Say bonjour to Peugeot Sport's next generation racing car, currently codenamed 90X. Set to compete in the 2011 racing season, the 90X will replace the four-year-old 908 HDi, which took first place in the 24h of Le Mans in 2008.
Peugeot had entered four 908 prototypes at this year's edition of the Le Mans, but while the racers took the top four spots in the qualifying round, all four cars had problems and were retired before the end of the race. This was the first time that none of the Peugeot 908s finished the 24-hour classic. So now, the French carmaker is preparing its successor that has just completed its first track test.
"Our objective was to start track testing before the end of the year," says Peugeot Sport Director Olivier Quesnel. "I am pleased to report that we have now done that. Even so, there is still a long way to go and a considerable amount of work to be done as we prepare for 2011."
The new car meets ACO's 2011 regulations and is also a closed cockpit model, meeting the mandatory 900 kg (1,984 lbs) weight limit. A new safety feature has been incorporated in the design, a "shark fin" placed on the engine cover, meant to prevent the car from becoming airborne in the case of a high-speed spin.
"We are still exploring several options with regard to the engine and technology we will use," Bruno Famin, the Technical Director of Peugeot Sport, pointed out. "Work on the engine's development is ongoing. Endurance racing is an ideal proving ground to provide us with the opportunity to showcase all the brand's technologies" he added.
Where are my friends with their Ferrari 430 Scuderias and Monza track days? The best I can hope for is a ride around the McDonald's parking lot in a rust-coloured Datsun 280ZX with a faulty clutch. No wonder I'm so cynical.
So the story goes that YouTube member "Marchettino" flew shotgun in his mate's Ferrari 430 Scuderia at some sort of invitation only track day for Ferraristas. Speaking of which, there's a nice selection of Maranello muscle there. I think I saw (and correct me if I'm wrong) two 430s (white and red), a red 360, a black 458 Italia, a red 599 and a silver 575 M. Man, my Jealous-O-Meter is at like 11 right now.
So his friend hits 270km/h (170mph) in 6th gear...big deal. That doesn't make me green with envy. I'm a grown man; I have no interest -cough-cough- in this girly, track day malarkey.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to buy some bright red Michael Schumacher F1 gloves and a bottle of Ferrari Light Essence. Ciao...
After improving a previous world speed record for the standing kilometer in June 2010 with a diesel model, Volvo Trucks is now developing a new diesel-electric hybrid version called "Mean Green" to claim the title of the World's Fastest Hybrid Truck in spring 2011.
A well known Swedish truck racing ace, Boije Ovebrink, is going to be the one to drive the hybrid and he's already very confident of a positive outcome. "I'd go so far as to say that 'Mean Green' is the world's fastest hybrid truck," Mr. Ovebrink said.
"I started building the truck from two half frames that had been earmarked for the scrap yard and the American VN cab came from a crash-tested chassis whose cab was totally intact," explains Volvo engineer Olof Johansson.
Conventional oomph comes from a 16-liter Volvo engine, fitted with Volvo Penta twin turbos that increase peak output to a whopping 1,900 hp (1,417 kW). The electric motor adds another 200 hp (149 kW) and 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque to this explosive cocktail and can interact with the driven wheels through a modified I-Shift automated gearbox.
Weight reduction is crucial when you want to set these kinds of records, so Volvo engineers milled a new, 43 kg (95 lbs) lighter front axle and also removed the gear set for the first gear, as it was rendered useless by the huge amount of torque. That shaved off another 7 kg.
Even Mr. Ovebrink takes part in these weight-saving efforts. " They made me promise to lose 20 kilos and, so far, I'm half-way to my target," said the truck racing driver.
The first test runs will take place this month, so we'll be keeping an eye open for any updates.
Aspiring rally fans buckle up, as this is your chance to follow in the footsteps of Mikko Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latvala or Ken Block. Already offered throughout Europe, the Ford Fiesta R2 rally package has now become available in the U.S. Those that buy the rally-prepped Fiestas will be able to compete in a new championship, called Fiesta Sport Trophy, in the Rally America Series 2WD class, starting from 2011.
The winner of the Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship will be awarded a ride in the R2 class in a Fiesta at Wales Rally GB and have the opportunity to compete in the Fiesta Sport Trophy International Shootout. The grand prize is a year's residential placement at M-Sport, working alongside the BP Ford World Rally team.
The R2 package was developed by M-Sport, Ford's long lasting WRC partner. A number of modifications were applied to the stock Fiesta, starting with the 1.6-liter Ti-VCT engine. New pistons, conrods, camshafts and other parts increased the small four-pot's output to 168 hp (125 kW) and 134 lb-ft (182 Nm), a 40% gain over the production model.
Other upgrades include a five-speed Sadev sequential gearbox, with flat shift gear cut, Reiger adjustable dampers paired with Eibach springs and ventilated disc brakes with four-piston calipers. Naturally, there's also a roll cage to protect the driver and navigator in case of an accident.
Besides the full R2 kit, there's also going to be a Stage 1 kit, offering drivers a lower-cost entry point. This too features a series of new parts and upgrades, like new ball joints and dampers, more power and a limited-slip differential.
The R2 package is now available for order through Team O'Neil Motorsports.
Supercars are nice, no doubt about it, but few people can really afford them. The price is high, upkeep is high, taxes are high and any mistake, even one that ends in a mild fender-bender is still going to cost you an arm and a leg. A bit too much then, for some weekend fun.
Fortunately, there is a cheaper alternative and, might I add, at least as fun as owning a supercar. A kart. This is driving at its purest form and if you ever saw a kart race with Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher in it you'll know what I'm talking about.
True, those karts can cost as much as €100,000 (US $138,950), but a Swissauto 250 engine and matching chassis are about €4,000-5,000 (~6,000-7,000 US dollars). I think that's a fair price for something that can reach 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in about 3,5-4 seconds!
Yep, the one-cylinder 250cc engine is quite a gutsy little beast, capable (depending on the carburetor diameter) of 35/40 hp (26/29 kW) at 10,000 rpm. The torque is also delivered high-up in the rev-range: 28 Nm (20.6 lb-ft) at 8,000 rpm.
Driving this thing is quite an experience. The bucket seat squeezes you like a boa constrictor and you're sitting at an inch from the tarmac. There's no suspension, not in the classic sense, anyway, so you feel every bump on the track, even the hairline cracks.
That would be the downside. The upside of this setup is that the kart will communicate with you unlike any car you've ever driven. Steering is razor-sharp, so, if you're smooth enough, you can hit any apex with extreme precision.
On the other hand, if you're jumpy, you'll end up all over the place. You just can't floor the accelerator. The kart will instantly do a 180 turn and bite you in the behinds.
You have to be extremely progressive with applying the throttle or the brakes. Only then can you wring out its enormous potential, which, believe me, is jaw dropping. And you can still have some money in the bank. Hey, this is better than (paid) love...
The standard Camry isn't exactly what you'd call an exciting car - well, unless the gas pedal and floor mats decide to do their thing and kick in, that is... But as you might imagine, this here SEMA-bound example is a totally different beast from your everyday Camry. First of all, it's only got two doors. And then there's that massive V8 engine lurking under the hood.
The special two-door Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition was developed by RK Collection (RKC) in cooperation with the Japanese firm's in-house Toyota Racing Development (TRD) division. The goal was to create a high-performance but completely street legal Camry with a NASCAR engine to demonstrate the connection between Toyota's production vehicles and its NASCAR program.
We are told that the tuned car gets a specially made exterior shell with a custom body kit and 20-inch tires fitted with 245/35/20 Michelin Pilot tires in the front and 285/20/30 in the rear.
Inside, the car features custom leather-covered panels, power leather seats, SPEK gauges by Proparts and a powerful audio system. A four-point roll cage was also installed.
At the heart of the Camry concept is a TRD NASCAR V8 engine that measures 358 cubic inches and delivers 680 horsepower at 8500 RPM. The V8 is hooked up to a Tremic T-56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission with a Ram dual-disc street clutch.
In the handling division, the street-legal racer makes use of Camry modified Macpherson struts in the front and a Venza modified multi-link independent suspension in the rear.
Toyota said that after its debut at the 2010 SEMA Show, the RK Collection Camry NASCAR Edition can be seen during the NASCAR race weekend beginning November 12 at the Phoenix International Raceway.
RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition Features
Exterior • RKC Custom made two-door 2010 Camry Body Sheet Metal • RKC Custom Body Kit, Nose/Tail, Flare/Side Skirt/Spoiler • RKC Custom Toyota Grill's • RKC Custom Carbon Fiber Brake Ducts with Fog Lights • RKC Custom TRD emblems
Tires/Wheels • TSW Jarama 20X8.5 Front - 20X10 Rear • Michelin Pilot 245/35/20 Front – 285/20/30 Rear
Interior • Custom Leather Covered Panels • Custom Suede Headliner with Integrated Rear Tweeters • Custom four-Point Roll Cage • Custom Leather Covered Power Seats with Custom TRD Billet Logos • Custom Billet Shifter • Custom Dash with SPEK gauges by Proparts • Air conditioning by Vintage Air
Audio
• Pioneer AVIC-2110BT DVD/NAV receiver
• Boston Acoustics
o Gt-275 75w x 2 Amps.
o Gt-475 75w x 4 Amp.
o Two- pair SR-60 two-way 6.5 Component Speakers
o 1 G212-44 12' Subwoofer
Engine/Transmission • TRD NASCAR Engine-V8 Configuration - Displacement- 358 cubic inches - Power- 680 HP @ 8500 RPM - Bore/Stroke - 4.185 inch/3.25 inch - Oil System- five-stage dry sump • Custom Wilson Throttle Body Injection • Motec Engine Management • Custom Fluidyne radiator • RKC Custom Header • RKC Custom Air Intake with K&N Filters • RKC Custom A/C Mounts • Quicktime Bell Housing • Custom Ram Dual Disc Street Clutch • Tremic T-56 Magnum 6-Speed
Suspension
Front • RKC Modified Camry Sub frame • D2 Coil Over Struts • Custom Lower Control Arms • Speedway Engineering 1 ¼ Splined Sway Bar • Woodward Power Rack • Wilwood 14.25 Rotors • Brembo six-piston GT Calipers/ radial Mounted
Rear • Modified 2010 Vensa Sub frame with Lexus SC-430 Differential • SC-430 Differential with TRD Locker • Custom Adjustable Control Arms • Custom Driveshaft and Axles from The Driveshaft Shop • D2 Coil over • Wilwood 14' Rotors • Brembo 4-Piston GT Calipers radial Mounted
Exhaust • Custom three-inch Exhaust with X-Pipe • Thrush Mufflers • Quicktime Performance Cut Out • Custom Side Exhaust Tips • High Temp Turbo Black Coating by H.M. Elliott INC.
Participating Suppliers • Brembo • Fluidyne high Performance • Michael Waltrip Racing • Michelin Tires • PPG • Speedway Engineering • Specialty Automotive Materials • Toyota Racing Development • Tremec Transmissions • Vintage Air • Wilwood Engineering • Brown & Miller Racing Solutions • ProParts • Hushmat
For a company that builds the wildly popular in the tuning scene WRX and STI models, Subaru appears to be taking it easy at this year's edition of the SEMA Show.
According to the official announcement, Subaru's offerings on the Las Vegas Convention Center floor will be highlighted by the "fastest STI ever"; a pre-production test model that lapped the Ring in 7:55:00 in the hands of four-time World Rally Champion, Tommi Mäkinen this past summer (see video here).
The other cars on display will be Travis Pastrana's World Record Setting WRX STI, and three custom-tuned WRX STI's, while the company will also showcase the latest available Subaru Genuine Parts and Subaru Performance Tuning Accessories [no photos have been released yet].
"SEMA is the pinnacle of the aftermarket tuning world and the perfect place to show our new line of SPT parts," said Charlie Fishman, national accessory manager, Subaru of America, Inc. "With the launch of the new 2011 Impreza WRX and WRX STI, Subaru is having a record year for Subaru Genuine Parts and SPT accessory sales. The launch of the 4-door WRX STI has rekindled interest for the 2011 SEMA Show."
Subaru said that SRT USA drivers Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra will be on hand to sign autographs at the firm's booth between 1 and 2 PM on November 2 and November 3rd, while Tommi Makinen will also attend the show this year.
Vehicles to be displayed include:
Tommi Makinen's Nurburgring Fastest Lap WRX STI
SRT USA Driver Travis Pastrana's World Record Setting WRX STI
Get More G's Subaru Performance Tuning WRX STI 2010
Kicker Audio WRX STI
K&N Performance WRX STI
Subiefest Best of Show Winner – Jamarri Whiteside – 2006 WRX STI
