Vilner has taken the time to give the F800R a once over to create the Predator. Built for a wealthy Russian businessman, the machine received a complete aesthetic redesign with plenty of components hewn from .
What isn’t stitched from composite is coated in chrome, and the company’s engineers set about shortening the bike by almost 10 inches. Vilner also ditched the dual saddle for a single seat variant and remade the headlight array. Red LEDs have replaced the standard bulbs, and a set of repurposed turning indicators are now part of the action.
The Predator remains largely unchanged mechanically, though Vilner threw in a new, hand-built exhaust system. That means this machine still yields around 87 horsepower from its 800cc engine. to check out the quick press release as well as a video of the bike.
The crew from Mission Motors took the time to stop by Jay Leno’s Garage to give the comedian a peek at the Mission-R electric motorcycle. The machine uses 14-kWh lithium-ion batteries paired with a 120-kilowatt motor, which means there’s around 161 horsepower on hand. Mission says the combination can get rider and machine to 60 miles per hour in around three seconds while scooting to a top speed of 160 mph. Not too shabby. The whole package weighs in at around 550 pounds and gives riders a range of 80-100 miles depending on how frisky they are with the throttle.
Mission says the company wanted to pursue a race bike because of the challenges the platform presents. Namely, the machine has to serve up impressive performance while remaining fairly lightweight, meaning there’s little space for massive battery packs. Leno is no stranger to electric bikes or motorcycles. The guy has a stable of two-wheel machines, both internal-combustion and EV. to check out the video for yourself.
Shifting gears on a manual transmission was once the only way to get places. These days there are automatics, sequentials, DCTs, CVTs… you name it. But some among us are still faithful to the old three-pedals-and-shift-lever setup. Like the guys in The Fast and The Furious movies.
All told, there have been five full-length features in the series. And that makes for a lot of shifting. A whole lot of shifting. And if you’ve ever watched any of them, you’ll likely recall that the film editors barely missed a single shift – which is probably more than we could say for some of the actors actually performing said shifting.
Now, someone admittedly with way too much time on his hands has put them all together into one video montage. So if you haven’t got the time to sit through all five instalments of the saga, the ought to get you up to speed, so to speak.
After eight days, 3,300 miles, nine tracks and untold bloody knuckles and zip ties, the song remains the same: Leh Keen and the No. 3 TopSpeed Motorsports emerged victorious at the 2012 Tire Rack One Lap of America on Sunday. Keen, his co-drivers Doug Wilks and Lawrence Richard, and their 2010 GT-R put on a clinic, remaining atop or near the top of the leaderboard of every event, from road courses to ovals to drag races and autocrosses.
If Keen’s name sounds familiar, it’s either because you follow racing – the Georgia native is a multiple Grand Am Rolex GT series champion, currently campaigning a 911 GT3 with Brumos Racing – or because you follow One Lap (this is the third victory in a row for Keen and his second victory in a row at the wheel of the black and green GT-R). In fact, the top three spots this year were all occupied by Nissan’s heavyweight, with the No. 4 2009 GT-R of Todd Treffert and Tyson Timperley and the No. 7 2012 GT-R of Hugh Bate and Craig Kahle rounding out the podium. A total of seven GT-Rs entered this year’s One Lap, though none were officially sanctioned efforts.
Of course, for most competitors and fans, Brock Yates’ One Lap isn’t actually about winning – there’s no prize money doled out and trophies are modest. The event is more about the camaraderie among driving enthusiasts that inevitably results from one of the most unique and challenging tests in motorsports – a week-long pressure-cooker test of man and machine. For more results, photos, videos and tall tales, check out One Lap of America or .
We see some fairly radical machinery come up for sale on occasion, but few creations manage to raise our eyebrows so high as Project Sea Lion. Created to nab amphibious land speed record, the machine uses a 13b rotary engine for propulsion, and its creator says the drivetrain is good enough to launch the vehicle to 180 miles per hour if there’s enough roadway. Given that the current record sits at 125 mph, the Sea Lion should have no problem nabbing that title.
Top speed on the water may be a bit more cumbersome, however. The quickest amphibious vehicle can get to 60 mph right now, and Sea Lion’s builder says the creation will need more horsepower to make that happen.
He suggests a Renesis conversion. We tend to agree.
Made from tig-welded aluminum and a variety of CNC-machined components, the car comes only with a bill of sale. That means we can forget all about driving/floating this thing to work. If you like what you see and what to give the amphibious land speed record a go for yourself, Project Sea Lion is for sale over at Fantasy Junction for the low price of $259,500. for a quick video and be sure to check out for more details and photos.
To say that we’re eager to drive the is one of the understatements of the year. After seeing lots of and , we can’t wait to get Ford’s new hot hatch out on the road, and now, we have a pretty good idea of what sort of aural stimulation the turbocharged will provide while we’re tossing it about.
understands that a good engine and exhaust note is an important part of any performance car’s overall experience, and to that end, the automaker has implemented some interesting technology with its Focus ST. Engineers have added a special sound tube – called a sound symposer – to the ST, which specifically enhances the throaty, low-end frequencies of the exhaust. This sort of sound tube has been used before (on the and ), but here in the Focus ST, there’s an electronically controlled valve that opens and closes based on specific driver inputs. What’s more, this valve is mapped more aggressively in lower gears for great sounds during acceleration, but stays shut more often in higher gears to allow for quieter highway cruising.
But enough of the technical mumbo-jumbo. Click the play button below to hear what the end result sounds like during an acceleration run in the Focus ST.
We like what we hear, though we’ll wait to see just how it sounds when things like road and wind noise are factored in during the overall driving experience. for Ford’s official press blast.
Yesterday’s Spanish Grand Prix was an enormous cause for celebration for Williams. The Formula One team that was once at the very top of its game hadn’t won a race since 2004, but it broke that losing streak when Pastor Maldonado claimed the checkered flag for the team against Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen and against all odds. But the celebrations in the team’s garage were cut short when a massive fire broke out just after the race.
The fire erupted an hour and a half after the grand prix’s conclusion as team members were toasting their victory in the garage on pit lane, sending smoke billowing out over the track. Members of other teams – Force India and Caterham chief among them – quickly sprung into action to help their comrades put out the fire. A total of 31 people were subsequently sent to the emergency medical center on site, with all but one treated and released. The remaining Williams team member is being treated for burns suffered in the incident and is expected to be sent back to the UK for further treatment in the coming days.
Officials are still looking into the cause of the fire, which reportedly emanated from the racecar that Bruno Senna drove until it was disabled in a collision with Michael Schumacher that took both cars out of the race. Suspicions center around a malfunction in the Kinetic Energy Recovery System. The incident is not the first time a Williams facility suffered from a fire, the factory back in Grove having a few years ago. to watch video of the incident in Barcelona this weekend.
Certain videos, when the protagonists speak a foreign language, don’t need subtitles: Mexican telenovelas, dolphins in love and auto racing are but three. Although the narration is in Spanish and there isn’t any racing in this video of former WRC Champion Carlos Sainz and current DTM driver Miguel Molina lapping the Autódromo Terramar, the action needs no translation.
Terramar, in Spain, is the second oldest racing track in Europe after England’s Brooklands, built in 1922 to host Grand Prix cars. Its owner’s vision stretched further this his financial backing, so the two-kilometer oval track with 60-degree bankings hosted only one sanctioned race in 1923. After that, it was used sporadically, holding its last event in 1950. It is now part of land used for a chicken farm.
That didn’t stop Sainz and Molina from seeing how fast they could lap the 80-year-old circuit in a Red Bull Racing Audi R8 LMS. The video is a bit long, but it’s well-shot and definitely worth watching for the high banking and bumpy airborn shots alone. Check out the action by to watch the video.
Every time I travel to Maranello for a test drive, the three hours or so prior to turning the red key are driven in a U.S. Interstate-style straight line along Italy’s A1 autostrada in my 99-horsepower 2001 Opel Astra station wagon with five-speed manual. It’s just about the perfect antithetical setup for the unleashing of the hounds that awaits just over the hills south of HQ.
This trip over was for the midlife upgrade of the for our 2013 model year, a car that promises to weigh less, deliver more horsepower and torque, and go quicker.
We can now take an official, in-depth look at the new BMW M135i and the accompanying three-door range – and there’s much to see. Starting from the beginning, the Bimmer’s styling has inclined some people to grab their hatchets. Yes, there’s a whole lot of intensity and a slumgullion of deeply incised polygons mixed together in that little upright face, but we have no doubt there’ll be a whole lot more people grabbing their wallets when they see it.
Along with the 320-horsepower M135i, fresh engines and features are among the new treats, as well as Sport Line, Urban Line and M Sport Package trims. The new 102-hp 114i model establishes the base, followed by the 136-hp 116i, 170-hp 118i and 218-hp 125i on the gasoline side, the 116-hp 116d, 143-hp 118d, 184-hp 120d and 218-hp 125d on the diesel side. Six-speed manuals are the go-to, with two eight-speed automatic transmissions in the options column. The M135i and 120d can be had with xDrive all-wheel drive, a first-time application on the 1 Series.
The new body is 85 mm longer, 17 mm wider, with a 30-mm longer wheelbase and wider track front and rear. The enlarged dimensions mean more cargo and legroom in the back, and buyers will get the option of having either two or three rear seats. And the comfort and safety systems lists read like someting out of the Papa Bear , from Internet access to Lane Departure Warning and auto-braking cruise control.
Hop into the high-res gallery or head for the press releases that details everythingyou could want to know about the new three-door 1 Series.
The BMW M135i is still , but that hasn’t stopped BMW from getting prospective buyers ready for it. In a 1:44 promo called “It!”, two adults play the kiddies’ favorite game in the hot hatches through the container-box lanes of an empty port at night.
If you’re dead-set against the car then this probably won’t make you like it, but this does lay down the first promotional marker in the 1,000-horsepower M135i//Audi RS3. battle. Take a look to watch.
The wagon is not dead! BMW has unveiled the latest 3 Series Sports Wagon and announced that it will again be available to U.S. customers. The new long-roof 3 goes on sale in Europe later this year as the 328i, 330d, and 320d Touring. U.S. customers need to wait until Spring 2013 for the 3 Series Sports Wagon to arrive in showrooms, and powertrain details for our market have not yet been announced. The current 3 Series wagon is only offered as the 328i here in the U.S. (with and without xDrive).
The new car is larger than the current model, and boasts 10 percent more cargo volume according to BMW. As with the 3 Series sedan, the wagon will be available in Sport, Luxury, and Modern lines, as well as an M Sport Line, each with a unique approach to their interior and exterior trim.
Inside, the back seats have a 40:20:40 split and the cargo space offers plenty of room (as you can see in the photos). There’s also hidden storage, a standard partition net, and if the cargo cover isn’t in use, it can be stowed under the cargo floor for added convenience.
Amenities include an available power tailgate that, with the optional Comfort Access package, becomes a hands-free power tailgate; you just wave your foot under the bumper à la . Naturally, BMW will offer its full complement of tech and driver aids, like BMW Apps, a color HUD, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection, BMW Parking Assistant, Rear-view Camera with Top View, and the BMW Assist telematics service.
So, the good news: There’s a new 3 Series wagon. The bad news: You need to wait a year. But that’s better than no wagon at all, right?
The wagon is not dead! BMW has unveiled the latest 3 Series Sports Wagon and announced that it will again be available to U.S. customers. The new long-roof 3 goes on sale in Europe later this year as the 328i, 330d, and 320d Touring. U.S. customers need to wait until Spring 2013 for the 3 Series Sports Wagon to arrive in showrooms, and powertrain details for our market have not yet been announced. The current 3 Series wagon is only offered as the 328i here in the U.S. (with and without xDrive).
The new car is larger than the current model, and boasts 10 percent more cargo volume according to BMW. As with the 3 Series sedan, the wagon will be available in Sport, Luxury, and Modern lines, as well as an M Sport Line, each with a unique approach to their interior and exterior trim.
Inside, the back seats have a 40:20:40 split, and the cargo space offers plenty of room (as you can see in the photos). There’s also hidden storage, a standard partition net, and if the cargo cover isn’t in use, it can be stowed under the cargo floor for added convenience.
Amenities include an available power tailgate that, with the optional Comfort Access package, becomes a hands-free power tailgate; you just wave your foot under the bumper a la the . Naturally, BMW will offer its full complement of tech and driver aids, like BMW Apps, a color HUD, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection, BMW Parking Assistant, Rear-view Camera with Top View, and the BMW Assist telematics service.
So, the good news: new 3 Series wagon. The bad news: you need to wait a year. But that’s better than no wagon at all, right.
Depth of Speed is Josh Clason’s video series that cosses the country looking for cool automotive stories to tell. He found another one in Utah at . They let Clason take one of their vintage Skyline GT-R projects out on track for some sunset lens time, and the result is nothing less than you’d expect from Clason.
On a side note, while the current is totally awesome, we wish it had a bit more of this car’s cool vibe. for the video.
Clear your Monday nights. “World’s Wildest Police Videos” has officially returned to Spike TV. The show spent a brief spell on TruTV, but will now lay claim to a prime-time spot during Spike’s weekday lineup. The show airs footage from cruiser dash cams and the like to give the world a glimpse of what police face in cities across the country, from high-speed chases to armed bank robberies We wouldn’t exactly call “World’s Wildest Police Videos” intellectual entertainment by any stretch, but there’s something to be said for switching off your brainbox for 30 minutes.
“World’s Wildest Police Videos” comes from a long line of such noble shows. Paul Stojanovich Jr. helms the creation as executive producer. If that name looks familiar, it should. His father, Paul Stojanovich Sr. is the mind behind “COPS.”
Look for “World’s Wildest Police Videos” on Spike at 8:00 pm EST Mondays. In the meantime, click for a look at the show.
It’s darn near impossible to overemphasize the impact that has had on the automotive world as we know it today. Born in 1923, Shelby took part in his very first race, a quarter-mile drag, in 1952. Later that year, he’d go on to win his first road race in an MG-TC. By 1956, Shelby had garnered enough race wins to earn the title “Driver of the Year” from Sports Illustrated. He would win that award again in 1957.
Carroll Shelby was nothing if not a keen businessman. In early 1957, Shelby opened his first car dealership in Dallas, Texas. Bolstered by his success behind the wheel – Carroll won the 24 Hours of in 1969, driving an – Shelby went on to build the iconic using a chassis built by in England and powered by a V8 engine. Officially homologated in 1962, the Cobra Roadster won its first race in January of 1963.
Driven by legendary drivers like Phil Hill, A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney, the Shelby Cobra and its aerodynamic Daytona Coupe sibling won the Sports Car Club of America’s A-production title and the United States Road Racing Championship in ‘63. The following year brought with it the big-block 427 Cobra, and the machine went on to deal serious blows to , the dominant sports car manufacturer of the time.
Shelby began his long-running relationship with the Ford factory in 1965, as the Shelby GT350 hit both the street and the race track. That year, Shelby secured the FIA World Championship of GT cars. In 1966, a Shelby-backed Ford team finished in first, second and third place at Le Mans; this was the first time an American team claimed victory in the historic race, but it would not be the last – Shelby’s team would go on to win Le Mans again in 1967. The Ford GT40 ended up in first place four straight years from 1966-1969.
The Shelby GT350 claimed the Trans Am racing title in 1967, and in that year, the very last 427 Shelby Cobra was built. In 1970, Ford ended its partnership with Shelby, and the man would remain mostly quiet in the automotive industry until the 1980s, when approached Carroll about building high-performance versions of products. The Omni and would Go Like Hell for several years, embarrassing V8-powered Mustangs and Camaros along the way.
Carroll Shelby received a heart transplant in 1990 and would go on to reintroduce Cobra 427 S/C continuation cars and 4000-series cars throughout the 1990s. Shelby was also involved heavily with both the and programs. No wonder why Carroll Shelby was inducted into the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
Today, the name Shelby may be most often tied to the latest and greatest models from Ford, but it’s clear that the man has impacted the performance world for decades. While he may no longer be alive, there can be little doubt that Carroll Shelby’s influence will be felt by enthusiasts for as long as cars move us from one place to another.
We’ve collected a couple of videos that we thought were a fitting tribute to Shelby’s unending legacy. Join us in watching them by .
The crew from Cool Hunting finally got around to stopping by the Icon headquarters for a little chat with founder Jonathan Ward. The man has made a name for himself by crafting some of the most detail-oriented interpretations of classic cars on the planet.
The Icon Bronco features all of the vintage style of a late ’60s SUV with a hand-built frame, modern running gear and electronics underneath. We are, needless to say, smitten with the creation. Ward gave Cool Hunting the complete tour, including showing off a number of Icon Bronco models in various stages of completion.
Ward brings up an interesting point about modern vehicles about halfway through the clip. He says that with manufacturers continuing to pile on unnecessary technology, today’s machines are almost guaranteed to be obsolete in five years or so. In contrast, Ward says he builds each Icon to be durable enough to last decades without needing serious revision. We like his style. to watch the video.
We’ve gotten used to seeing Sebastian Vettel kicks some ass on the race track. After all, he is the reigning Formula One world champion twice over. But in a kung-fu movie? We’ve got to be kidding, right?
Only we’re not. As you may recall, – the luxury automaker that sponsors both Vettel himself and his Red Bull Racing team – about a month ago that the German driver would be starring alongside action star Celina Jade in a short film. Called Drive of the Dragon, it’s the first in a multi-part promotional campaign being undertaken by the Japanese automaker. The flick has made its debut, and you can check it out by scrolling . But be warned: cheesiness will ensue.
We don’t know anything about this man or the chair he’s driving. Yes, driving. We just know that he was apparently caught in China, doing a nice clip on the shoulder of a rather nice multi-lane road, in what looks like a custom sofa chair. There’s some sort of contraption between his feet that looks like a control panel, but it could just as likely be a wombat cage or a pot of gold.
And we give him props: whatever he’s doing, he looks cool as hell doing it. Have a look for the video.
As expected, the so-called auto bailout of 2009 has become a major talking point in the run-up to the 2012 Presidential Election. Somewhat surprisingly, however, both sides of the aisle are taking credit for the success seen by and since the two automakers were pushed through a structured bankruptcy process.
Presumptive Republican nominee for the resuscitation of the auto industry due to his suggestion of a managed bankruptcy of the two automakers. President Obama, on the other hand, points out that Romney was very vocal in his opposition to the auto bailout, frequently citing the editorial he wrote for the New York Times in 2009 titled “,” in which he said the auto industry was “virtually guaranteed” to fail if Obama’s bailout proceeded.
Building on highlighting the auto bailout of 2009, the Obama campaign has released two new videos touting the success of the automakers since the dark days of bankruptcy. to watch the videos for yourself.
