Talk about emotions. The very word “Maserati” makes my pulse race. With good reason, too. Like any proper Italian car, Maserati has always put passion first and trivial stuff like practicality, affordability and reliability somewhat further down stream. Which is totally fine with me. Take the 8CM above. I can just sense the fluids running into the ground. But sexy as hell, no? But in a larger sense, any car minus its roof gets the blood pumping. In fact, this 4th of July weekend yours truly and my lady are hopping in a Miata and driving up the California coast. Sure, the Mazda is no Maser, but it’s pretty damn terrific (canyon-crunching video coming next week) and I know we’ll make it up North (and back) without having to pick up a single wrench. Still… make the jump.
Out of gas? No worries, man. Just throw something flammable in the tank. Shirt. Toilet paper. That obnoxious CD your sister plays. OK, that last one might not work (Hint: dunk in gasoline first). Hell you could even throw in some fresh roadkill. At least that’s the idea behind Segway inventor Dean Kamen’s new Stirling engine hybrid scooter. It’s not as batshit crazy as you might think. Stirling engine technology predates the regular combustion engine by a good margin, and even Honda has shown interest in applying the tech to their own gas misers. Kamen filed a patent for a new scooter powered by a Stirling engine and electric motors, using the “burn anything but gas” approach in a Volt-esque configuration to charge the batteries. Could it work? In theory sure. You could have a scooter powered by readily available garbage from any local dumpster. Assuming it doesn’t emit harmful gasses, it’s about as green as you can get. I hope it sells better than the Segway, for Dean’s sake. Kamen has reportedly already invested $50 Million in R&D for the Stirling engine alone. That’s not exactly chump change by anyone’s yardstick. [Source: Gizmag]
I’m usually all for stricter laws governing who is capable of operating a motor vehicle, but a recent report in Time is painting a grim future, one where control of your car is completely out of your hands. According to the article, new legislation supported by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) will require DUI convicts in all 50 states to have an interlock system installed in their vehicle that would prevent them from driving under the influence. Intrigued? Hit the jump.
This Switzerland-born beauty is the newly created, drool-inducing Sportec SPR1 T80. based on the already stout 911 Turbo, the T80 houses a gargantuan bi-turbo 3.6-liter flat-six T80M engine that produces a jaw-dropping 858 hp. Paired with all-wheel drive, the T80 looks as good on the track as it does on paper. With each wheel churning out 214.5 bhp, the T80 requires only 3 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. Another 15.9 seconds (18.9 total) and the T80 can reach speeds upwards of 185 mph. The T80 has been recorded to reach a blistering 236 mph in Nardo, Italy. Which is McLaren F1 territory! Jump for the full press release. [Source: SPORTEC via Jalopnik]
This week’s feature muscle car has a lot in common with the car from last week, the 1970 Coronet R/T. First, it’s a MOPAR. Second, the looks of this car have been called into question by more than one muscle car enthusiast, myself included. Despite that, it is a muscle car just the same. Have a gander at the 1971 Plymouth Road Runner.
Whenever I run across a vehicle like this a thought pops into my head: What in god’s name was the owner thinking when he decided to jack an already large Ford Excursion 22 inches into the sky? I truly cannot say because I’m a rational person. According to the, uh… not so rational seller, this behemoth gets 18 to 20 mpg on the highway (yeah right, maybe going down a 6% grade with a 15 mph tailwind) and about 14 in the city (ha!). Whether or not this is true I cannot… it’s not true. Remember, bone stock Excursions got 8/12 mpg. Yet another question skates through my mind: How do you get in? Hit the jump for the piece de resistance. Read the rest of this entry »
Is it safe to say that most of us car guys and girls have one brand that we are for the most part loyal to? I mean, I’m a Dodge man, and my best friend is a Ford guy. Naturally, we like to give each other a hard time when it comes to which brand is superior to the other. I put this list together with the help of Musclecarclub.com so that you all can have some ammo when it comes to brand superiority with your friends. And I hope they’re Anglophiles. Jump.
Alright, Ford’s sales weren’t exactly spectacular. However, relative to the other members of the Big Three, they were effing great. Ford announced today that their total June sales were 154,873, down 10.7 percent from the 173,462 units they sold at this time last year. Ford executives claim that surging sales of the Fusion (up 26%) and Flex are responsible for the push towards positive sales. Now to those that weren’t paying attention to the auto industry a few months ago, a 10.7 percent drop in sales doesn’t seem like anything to celebrate. But trust me, it is. Just look at Chrysler’s June sales, down some 42 percent from last year. This number surprised me because of the price slashing going on at the near 800 dealersips that are closing after bankruptcy filings should have stimulated people to venture onto the lots. Alas, it didn’t. Looking on the bright side, at least one American car manufacturer is still chugging along. Way to go, Ford. [Source: AP]
In the words of my roommate, “Too Greedyyyy!” Porsche seems to have dug itself into a hole where Volkswagen Group is concerned. You may remember my previous report on Porsche’s grab for control via 51% share of VW and the subsequent decision to merge manufacturing operations. Well it appears the sports car maker over-reached. Not only is Porsche being hurt by the global economic slowdown, but it’s push itself into debt in order to take control of Volkswagen. A dangerous roll of the dice that so far appears to have landed Porsche in an awkward situation: it has control of a much larger company that it now wishes to merge with or face bankruptcy. Volkswagen offered to take a 49% stake in the company, enough to save it and yet not enough to take control. While this might seem like a godsend for the bean counters, either Porsche is delusional or just plain too proud to accept the offer. Instead, it has cozied up to the Qatar Investment Authority, looking for money from the Oil rich country in the hopes that it can save face and still come out ahead financially. I’m not holding my breath. [Source: MSNBC- thanks for the tip Austin!]
I’m so close! After months of preparation and research, I’m almost ready to mount the case to the engine stand and actually start building. As you can see from my older posts, things have changed and evolved over the last few months. Mainly my choice to go with DPR as opposed to all new parts from CB Performance. Hit the jump to see more Red Baron progress!
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