This Year’s Monterey was Something Amazing to Behold

There are car shows and then there are CAR SHOWS, Monterey is the latter. This show it the crème de la crème of the automotive world. We are not talking about Ponitiac fuel pump and fuel injector units here. This is a no hold barred brawl of the most beautiful and amazing car that the world has ever seen.  As an example there were a number of cars carrying price tags so high that even Steve Jobs might think twice. Yeah lets be honest it wouldn’t phase him to buy one but still 2.6 Million dollars for one car is quite the asking price.

One such insane car is the new SSC Tuatara which is the latest offering from the Shelby company and the word bespoke is used a number of times when this car is mentioned. This car is a space age material covered high speed monster that will be a contender for the fasted production car on the planet for sure. The Tuatara features a 7.0L turbo charged motor creating more than 1300 HP and is looking to not only top the 270MPH barrier but also capture the fastest time for a production car around the Nurburgring. The best part about this car is it looks like something out a movie based years in the future and yes it is the car in the main image of this blog.

Bugatti had one of the more interesting cars that has been shown in many years but not for the reason you may think. This particular car is in fact a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport that has been custom built with porcelain worked right into the pain and while not everyone may agree with the styling of the car it can be said it is quite stunning to behold even if it is just in high def pictures. One last think about the car it has clear tail lamps and cops love to pull people over for clear tail lamps. Over 2 million for a car and a top speed of over 260MPH and you get stopped for something that trivial. Just saying it would be funny.

If anyone who could not get into the show it-self was feeling left out there was really no need, the parking lot of the even was any car guys dream. Just in a few short minutes walking around the grass lot that was the parking many Porsche carrers GTs and Lamborghinis can be seen. Enough Ferraris, Rolls Royce and Bentlys to make Rodeo drive loot like the poor house and even a Veyron or 2 all making me think why pay for a ticket. The other thought in my head is what do these people do for a living and how nice it must be to have that kind of speed at your finger tips …well toe tips.

Gymkhana 4 Hits the Internet to Show US What’s What!

It seems like every time Ken block gets behind the wheel of a car, carnage seems to follow. Not to say that is a bad thing, this is a man who can push the turbo in a turbocharger equipped car to the limit. In this new installment of the of Gymkhana he shows off a more Hollywood side of insane driving. Driving through walls and dealing with giant gorrillas and even Jaws makes an appearance.

The car used for all this mayhem is a 2011 Ford Festiva, now that may sound like a recipe for disaster. There is one major thing to consider with this Festiva…and that is that it has been built specifically for this type of driving. The vehicle has been built for drifting and not only is it pushed to over 400HP it also sports a light weight wait frame that would make a Lamborghini Superleggera jealous.  On top of all that the car is outfitted with a 4WD set up and it has been wide-bodied to boot.

Ken Block himself considered one of the best drift/rally drivers in the world is a master of car control and every video in this series proves it.  What is so great about this series of videos is that they not only admit to being completely about advertising the products but they are an internet sensation. Basically the videos show what can be down with a completely built drift car and an amazing ability to control a vehicle at ridiculous speeds. Our hat is off to Ken Block and his team for creating yet another video that will keep us entertained for years to come. 

The Spectra 341 Challenge Hits the Mountain for Another Run

Every year there are thousands of motorsport challenges that occur all across the globe but none are as scary for a drive as a hill climb. The idea of motor sport is a simple one, more control and more speed equals a better time. Drivers push their cars and the parts like the wheel bearing assembly and wheel hub assembly to the limits to make the car get through the course as fast as it can. Hill climbs are the kind of races that make heros or tragedies. During a hill climb the track is usually a road that is not designed for racing, in fact most of the time it is a standard road throughout the year and for one or two day it is transformed into a mecca of speed.

The Spectra hill climb is a relatively new race in fact this year’s running of the races marks the second annual event. True 2 times is not a legacy but it may just be the beginning of one. The list of cars that attend this even are as different as nascar and Formula 1. The track itself is a 5.2 mile stretch of highway that runs through a mining town in the middle of the Nevada desert and has no guard rails or safety barriers.

The fastest time last year and this year was run by the same man in the same car, Lou Gigliotti piloted his ZR1 to a time of 3:14. This time is amazing because a good time on the mountain is considered a 3:41 so to cut 23 seconds off that time is quite the feet. The road is called the Nurburgring of America, probably by people who have never been to Nurburgring before but it is still a good comparison.  Both of these tracks have extremely complex layouts and they both test a drivers ability to its max.  The amazing thing about this race of the Nurburg is that there is no safety on the road itself if you go off it could be a 500ft drop for the driver. For anyone who wants to it is a great idea to take a look at some of the incar videos to get an idea of just how scary this drive really is. Not to mention how crazy the drivers have to be to do this event. 

What Kind of Car Can Be Bought for $7K

Buying a new car can be stressful but a lot of fun with the excitement of looking at all the cars that you could get. Cars with in-dash navigation screen units and ridiculous car radio units that can blow your ear drums, cars with turbos, superchargers and huge V8s. Buying a car is all about personal preference, not all people are car crazy and sometimes they just want something to get them from point A to Point B. For those type of people there are plenty of Civics and Camrys out there. For those of us that are a bit more of a motor head there are lots of sports cars and muscle cars on the market for this price.

The list goes on and on with muscle cars and some sports cars, now for those of you who don’t know a muscle car is not and I repeat not a sports car. A Mustang or a Charger may have a huge engine but the geometry of the car is all wrong. A huge engine is not what makes a sports car, the ability to handle a corner at high speed and handle it well is what makes a sports car. One of the best examples of a good muscle car at this price range was a 1998 Ford Mustang GT in perfect condition with all the options and even garage kept.

The $7000 price range may seem to be a bit low for your dream car but the idea here is not to show that you can buy a dream car for that much cash. The idea here is to show that we can still have fun on the road without having to drop $50K on a dealer lot. The best way to say it is gear heads want to get out and have fun on the road feeling the car rocket you from zero to 60 in a few seconds.  The greatest thing about these cars is that they are use and being sold by a private individual who can be haggled with.  

BlogAutoParts Car of the Week

This week the car of the week is not as much a individuals car but a modified factory car that you can go out and buy yourself. Well you can go out and buy one if you have the estimated $350K it is going to cost. It is the Maserati Gran Sport S in the Super Black Edition from tuning house Anderson Germany. The car this is based on the Maserati Gran Sport which houses an in car navigation system and car stereo that can rival a concert hall but also has lots of other amazing tidbits.

The car has been taken to the black, so to speak. A full carbon fiber body kit has been added not only to accent the car but also to lighten the whole vehicle to increase the performance. Since less weight is always the way to faster acceleration and better handling. Along with the lightening treatment the car has received a few motor tweaks to up the power and a lower stance to increase the aggressive look of the car.

Next Anderson took on the look of the body and did a masterful job of making it look menacing. Blacking out everything they could get their hands on, the head lights and tail lamps got the blacked out treatment as well at the entire body was sprayed with a silky flat black paint job. Carbon fiber accents were left unpainted to give that aggressive racy look and a set of huge 21 inch wheels were added and you guessed it they are black. The rear tires of the car have now swollen to 295 and this helps cope with the 492 rampaging horses coming from the engine. 

The Ford Raptor, You Break, You Buy

Recently Ford has released some amazing new models to the public that has swayed many new buyers to take an interest in the company. In fact their new line of cars has an extreme or performance version in almost every model line-up. From the turbo charger equipped Taurus to the Super charger equipped Raptor their line-up is sporting some pretty amazing credentials now. While the Taurus is more of a wolf in sheep clothing the raptor has nothing subtle about it, in fact even in the adds it is shown jumping through the desert. The problem is most of the buyers are not reading the manual.

While the Raptor may be a mean off road truck made to take more abuse then most people can throw at it, there are limits to its ability. More and more claims of frame damage have been flooding into Ford’s SVT division and the amazing thing is it’s not fords fault. It is understandable that people would be mad about breaking a $50K truck but there has to be some responsibility taken when you break something.  These trucks use a suspension travel of about 14 inches and can take some serious hit but when you hit a jump that for says can be done at 60MPH at 90…well that’s a different story. The suspension will max out on the landing and then the bump-stops are the last line of defense to stop the trucks energy. Once the Bump-stops are maxed, the chassis begins to take the brunt of the force and it will bend to release the pressure. 

Lawsuits have sprung up under this issue and it doesn’t look like they will get very far. If you are going to claim you were going to fast is to make sure your buddy was not filming from behind you and putting the video up on Youtube. So far SVT’s official statement points out the obvious, if you broke it…you fix it. That may sound harsh since every one of us wants to get out and thrash one of these trucks right to the limit. This whole issue wraps back to an old saying in the racing world “if ya can’t afford to fix it , you can’t afford to race it” and this holds very true for this whole situation. 

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars, Clarity for the Future

There are many alternative fuels hitting the market some of which are more interesting than others. Vehicles using a fuel pump that pushes grain alcohol or car using electric generators attached to the wheel hub bearing but not all of these ideas will succeed. Most new technology will fall by the waist side and be over shadowed by others. The hydrogen initiative is one of the ideas that will most likely see a lot more attention in the next decade. Not only is hydrogen clean to the environment but it also means that the only byproduct of a vehicle powered by hydrogen is water and we can all use more of that.

In the attempt to get more efficient cars on the road many car companies and technology rims have tried hydrogen fuel cell cars with varying degrees of success. Honda has had one of the most “in the news” version of this car which is called the Clarity which is basically a civic but under the bonnet it houses a secret. A hydrogen fuel cell power plant that can be fueled just like a gasoline motor but the emissions are leaner than the air in the city where the testing is being done…LA.

While this car may be the future in some people’s eyes others think the electric car movement others see the complete electric car as the way to go. Electric cars are a great idea in principal but the truth is their range is limited and it takes a good amount of time for the batteries to recharge. Anyone who has an EV will tell you that they must have a second car to take them on longer trips which kinda defeats the purpose. Hydrogen may just be the way to go but it is a bit too soon to know, also even the clarity has a $600 a month lease payment…a bit too steep for a Honda that is not an NSX Type-R.