Automotive News

Filed under: Motorsports, Ford, GM, Driving

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the V8 race cars at the Queensland Raceway.

Recently, I was lucky enough to take a spin around the Queensland Raceway in a V8 race car courtesy of a Christmas present from my lovely wife. The Queensland Raceway is west of Brisbane and hosts a number of high profile events during the year, including Round Seven of the V8 Supercar Championship, Champ Car Racing and drift competitions. For me though, it was all about the V8 Race Experience, where you get suited up and jump behind the wheel of a V8 race car for either five or eight laps of the circuit. Let me just say at the outset that I’ve never driven a car on a race track before, so the nerves were peaking from the moment I started the drive out to the track.

Upon arrival and after all the usual paperwork was out of the way, the head instructor took us through a tutorial to teach us some of the basics of driving a race car on a race track:

• First of all, it’s nothing like driving a street car on the road
• You have to follow the racing line, which involves using the entire expanse of the road
• Different types of corners require different strategies to wring the most speed out of them
• Accelerate out of the apex of the corner
• You brake not only to reduce speed but also to shift the weight of the vehicle from the back of the car to the front of the car, and importantly, over the front wheels
• Brake 10 percent to start shifting the weight then 100 percent to really slow down the car before a tight corner
• On this track in these cars you only use third and fourth gear
• Hold the accelerator flat to get the highest speed on the straight

Continue reading after the jump.

Continue reading Racing V8s at Queensland Raceway

 

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Ford

Over at The Blue Oval Forums, the new vehicle inventory manager for Hamden, CT’s Bob Thomas Ford posted word that the ordering guide for the ‘08 Crown Vic came in and the car is now only available to fleets. This is good news for taxi/limo companies, government users and police departments, who are guaranteed at least one more year of the car in its current form. If you wanted to buy an ‘08, you’re outta luck, however. Fret not, as used (and identical-looking) ones are not hard to come by. We’d be looking for a retired police car, ourselves.

Speaking of the police, the ‘08 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor has a few new features for the upcoming model year. The 4.6L V8 is flex-fuel compatible and will run on E85, a tire pressure monitoring system is now standard equipment, and remote keyless entry is now offered as an option. According to a poster on CrownVic.net, the cops won’t be ordering Driftwood Beige cars any longer (good for us, because we find the beige cars to be essentially invisible when parked roadside), and 3.55 gears will not be available on 50-state-emissions-legal cruisers. Other than that, the cars are the same as they’ve been for many years.

We haven’t heard anything regarding the Vic’s sister sled, the Mercury Grand Marquis, so tell grandma and grandpa not to worry themselves just yet. Meanwhile, at Ford dealerships, salesmen will be happy to show you a shiny new Taurus in lieu of the Crown Vic. It’s worth noting that when Ford consigned the last-gen Taurus to fleet sales only, it essentially marked the car’s death knell since it was discontinued completely the following year. As such, we could finally be witnessing the beginning of the end of the Crown Victoria as we know it.

[Sources: Blue Oval Forums, CrownVic.net, Ford]

 

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Filed under: Gadgets, Etc.

While we enjoy reporting from car shows the world over, Baselworld remains the one main show for watches, and with the 2007 exposition coming up, you know what that means: new driving watches. We featured the Carrera in our Top 10 list, citing TAG’s unsurpassed reputation and history in crafting sports cars for your wrist, and for the first time, the Swiss watchmaker has offered a glimpse at their new releases in advance of the Baselworld show.

Along with a couple of new variations on the Aquaracer sailing watches, TAG Heuer is unveiling three new driving watches: the revamped Formula 1, a special-edition Monaco, and the SLR for Mercedes-Benz. We brought you the news on the stunning SLR chrono back last month, details of which you can check out by clicking here. Meanwhile, the TAG Heuer Formula 1 has been “reinterpreted” with a freshened design dominated by a titanium-carbide-coated bezel with brushed-steel raised numbers. The watch worn by defending world champion Fernando Alonso is available with a rubber or steel strap, with a choice of black, red or white dial; the chronograph with orange, red, silver or black dials.

While the Formula 1 is a decidedly modern design, TAG Heuer is not forgetting its rich history, either. In tribute to Hollywood’s racing hero Steve McQueen, TAG is taking the wraps off a special edition of the iconic Monaco wristwatch he wore in the cult classic, Le Mans. This limited edition has been spruced up with a black dial featuring the Gulf livery that adorned the Porsche 917K he drove in the film, complete with baby-blue and orange racing stripes. The matching black alligator strap is also highlighted by contrasting orange stitching.

The new watches present yet further compelling cases to the many motoring enthusiasts whose appreciation of automotive design and craftsmanship carry over to their appreciation of timepieces as well.

[Source: TAG Heuer via Gizmag]

 

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Filed under: Trends, Etc.

Engine blocks have a thankless job. As long as they’re under the hood and working, they’re at best taken for granted by most drivers, much like the rest of their cars. If there’s something wrong with it and it’s got to go into the shop, it’s a cursed nuisance. But if it’s not even serving its function, it’s a forgotten hunk of iron (or aluminum). To a motoring enthusiast, however, the end of an engine block’s job doesn’t have to mean the end of its life. Engine blocks are enjoying great retirements in the living rooms of petrolheads the world over: sitting under glass, not having to work, and appreciated in all their crude aesthetic glory.

There’s nothing new about this trend in automotive mechanical rejuvenation. The coffee table pictured gave new life to an old Rover V8, and it’d go great with the Jaguar cylinder block wine rack we brought you last week. If you’re thinking about putting together your own, all it’ll take is a little elbow-grease to get it looking its best (especially after a long life of propulsion) and a nice slab of thick glass to place on top. This one apparently has four cylinders repositioned to hold up its glass. We’d recommend a V-configuration, ‘cause an inline engine wouldn’t make for a very sturdy table. The more cylinders, the merrier, and a prestige brand would be a bonus since it’ll naturally become a conversation piece when you have guests over. (The V12 block from Uday Hussein’s Ferrari 550 would make the ultimate trophy.)

Some say such an item shouldn’t be displayed in your home without shame, but we say if it’s your living room, make it yours, cylinder count and all.

(Thanks go out to amp for the tip.)

[Source: Dubspeed Driven]

 

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Pontiac

Back before engine bays were tightly packed, feline friends would sometimes hop up on a warm engine in the cooler weather. Proximity to the cooling fan would occasionally lead to ah, colorful results. We’re sure that no tigers were harmed in the filming of this ‘65 GTO commercial that the guys at WheelsTV dug up. The Pontiac line was sold with the “Wide-Track Tiger” descriptor. The advertising guys did a nice job getting the Poncho to eat the tiger, though, and it’s always fun to waste a little time watching vintage advertising. We can just imagine all the pointless ass-covering fig leaves that’d be supered at the bottom of the picture were this ad to play today.

[Source: WheelsTV]

Continue reading VIDEO: Tiger underhood! ‘65 GTO commercial

 

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Filed under: Videos, Supercars, Ferrari

Coming up on nearly twenty years old now, some would be mistaken to consider the legendary Ferrari F40 a bit of a dino - not because it was part of the series named after Enzo’s dear departed son, rather because, as far as supercars go, the F40 seems is a bit of a relic, dating back to an age before modern developments like electronic stability control and paddle-shifted transmissions roamed the earth. And yet the F40 can still thoroughly devour almost anything and everything on the road today. What better way, then, to take in the brutal monstrosity of the dinosaur that is the Ferrari F40 than spooling up its turbos on a dyno. Better not let it loose….

This video, which has been floating around the internet, was shot after an F40 was fitted with a custom Tubi exhaust. Check it out after the jump.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Continue reading VIDEO: Ferrari F40, the dyno-saur of supercars

 

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Mercedes Benz

Carbon fiber, aluminum…chocolate? Regrettably, this isn’t a new development in F1 construction technology, but a motor racing fan’s fantasy: a replica Formula One race car, made entirely of chocolate. Incredibly, it wasn’t made as a promotional tool for the Belgian Grand Prix, either. A pastry chef from the town of Ibi in the Spanish province of Alicante created this cocoa concoction as a tribute to national hero Fernando Alonso, whom the locals are likely to submit for canonization if he pulls off a third consecutive driver’s title this season.

The chocolate McLaren-Mercedes MP4/22 weighs 120 kilograms and measures 220 centimeters long, yet is still capable of accelerating from your plate to your stomach in less than three seconds flat. Just don’t expect to be pulling impressive cornering speeds.

[Source: Motorpasion]

 

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Filed under: Porsche, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

The tail keeps wagging the dog over in Germany, as low-volume Porsche is again looking to bump its stake in high-volume Volkswagen. This time, Porsche’s supervisory board authorized increasing its stake to 31%, an action which would require the luxury sports maker to make a bid for VW itself. Porsche expects the mandatory bid (any stake increase over 30% requires a full bid) for VW will cost $134 a share.

The proposed combo would be formed as a holding company and converted to a European stock corporation with 12 supervisory board members headquartered in Stuttgart. Increased competition from Japanese, Malaysian, and Chinese automakers was cited by Porsche as a main reason to increase its share of VW. We’re sure Porsche doesn’t mind the windfall profits they’ve had since 2005, when they began investing in Volkswagen, either. This is huge news in Europe, where VW has long been at the top of the food chain, and we’re getting the feeling that we’ll be reading more industry stories like this in general as time progresses.

[Source: Market Watch]

 

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Filed under: Videos

Yet another week passes by, and all we have to remember it are the pictures. This week on Autoblog we had reviews of the Holden Commodore SS V Series, the Mercury Montego, and the Kia Rondo. Plus, we saw a glass-shard Maserati that was one of the more popular posts in recent memory. Oh, and let’s not forget that the Infiniti G37 broke cover as well. We’ve captured some of the best photos of each and placed them in this video. For your enjoyment, a few of the related galleries are included below.

Music for this piece comes from EL84 with “Race Car”. Enjoy!

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertibles, Ford

Earlier in the week, we told you that a Maltese firm had developed an aftermarket hard-top convertible to be used on the Mustang, and now you can see it in action. Peter Muscat decided to put his own touch on the popular Ford Mustang GT by converting the pony car into a hard-top convertible. To make room for the custom mechanicals that power the roof, Peter decided that the back seat was dispensable. Considering the rear seats of the Mustang are pretty unusable for anyone older than six, we’re okay with that decision.

It takes a reasonable 29 seconds to drop the top on Pete’s ‘Stang, and about 40 seconds to put it back up. Looking at the video, the roof doesn’t appear to be as sturdy as what you’d get from the factory (i.e. VW EOS or Volvo C70), yet the motion seems well-executed. Pete added one of those overly-vogue side vents to his personalized Mustang, but left almost everything else stock. In the next six years, Pete plans on building 500 of these one-off Mustangs, and he says he’s already got orders for over 100. Hit the jump to check out this unique Mustang’s hard-top convertible in motion.

[Source: Imalta.net]

Continue reading VIDEO: Muscat hard-top convertible Mustang GT

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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