Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 "Kowalski Edition"


A lot of us may be too young to remember the glory days of auto movies in the 70s, but for those old enough to remember a movie called Vanishing Point starring Barry Newman, this little tuning project may be if interest. In the movie, Newman plays the role of Kowalski, man who makes some sort of bet that he could take a white 1970 Dodge Challenger and drive it all the way the from Colorado to San Francisco in just 15 hours. Apparently, Vanishing Point was one of the most iconic car movies of the era, having enjoyed cult status to its fans, including one Bob Frederick.

As the dealer of New Wilmington Dodge and a long-time fan of the movie, Frederick decided to do something really cool to pay homage to one of his favorite flicks by unveiling a special edition model of the 392 Inaugural Edition Dodge Challenger SRT8 and calling it the ?Kowalski Edition?.

Hit the jump to read more about the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 "Kowalski Edition."

Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 "Kowalski Edition" originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 27 April 2011 20:00 EST.

read more




Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/dodge/2011-dodge-challenger-srt8-392-kowalski-edition-ar108705.html

Bill Whitehouse Robin Widdows Eppie Wietzes Mike Wilds Jonathan Williams

Where there is smoke?

In Formula 1 there is rarely a rumour that does not have a purpose. Often there are stories that are designed to throw people off the correct scent. Sometimes information is leaked in order to scupper a project. There are other times when a story is designed to make things happen, to warn what might [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/where-there-is-smoke/

JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger

Honda NSX


In 1991, Acura shocked the exotic car world with the introduction of the NSX, a supercar that stood up to models like the Ferrari 328. However, as good things can’t last forever, the NSX was discontinued in 2005 due to slow sales. Of course, it didn’t take long before people started talking about when a successor would show up, especially considering the fact that the NSX was said to go into production a few years back, but was denied on several occasions.

However, rumor mills don’t just shut down and the latest information churning them is that an NSX successor has always been in the cards. At first it was believed to come out in 2009, but the economic crisis made sure that didn’t happen so this future model is still a few years away, and it will not feature a 4.5 liter V10 engine that will deliver up to 550 HP as previously reported. New information revealed that the NSX will feature a hybrid drivetrain.

Of course, then there’s the question of whether the NSX will show its face as an Acura or a Honda.

UPDATE 04/26/2011: Shortly after Honda CEOs officially confirmed that the NSX would indeed have a new successor, people everywhere started the ’what if’ game, speculating on everything from the engine fitted under the hood to the design used on the vehicle. Thankfully, auto execs aren’t great about keeping secrets and Honda President Takanobu Ito has already chatted it up with Automotive News and stated that the future NSX won’t come with a V10 engine. The idea for an engine that size was actually dropped in 2008, then the company decided that the car should be environmentally friendly and still fun to drive. "That’s the kind of sports car we want to make," Ito said.

The next NSX will use an electric engine alongside a gasoline engine for that added little something. The car will be positioned as a high-performance counterpart to the two-seat Honda CR-Z sporty hybrid. According to Ito, the company is working very hard on the new car.

Hit the jump to read more about the future Acura, or Honda, NSX.

Honda NSX originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 April 2011 19:00 EST.

read more




Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/honda/2014-honda-nsx-ar100635.html

Maria Teresa de Filippis Ralph Firman Ludwig Fischer Rudi Fischer Mike Fisher

Oullim Motors Spirra


It took over nine years to complete, but the Spirra - South Korea’s very first supercar - is now ready to be unveiled. Originally the Proto Spirra, this supercar is now the Oullim Spirra due to Oullim’s purchase of Proto back in 2007. It wasn’t without any rough patches, but manufacturer Oullim Motors now has its eyes set for an unveiling very soon.

Powered by a 2.7-liter V6 Hyundai that’s sourced with four different outputs, the Spirra’s low-end line will produce 173hp and 245Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. The next model configuration will come with a small turbo that pushes up the performance to 326hp and 471Nm, while the third level pushes the output even further to around 402hp and 490Nm. The highest end and most powerful version will come with twin-turbos that produce somewhere around 444hp to 493hp and a maximum torque of 539Nm. This top-of-the-line version also comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox and goes from 0-60 mph in just a little over 3.5 seconds with a top speed of around 186mph.

The 2,600lb Spirra is constructed entirely by hand using pretty expensive materials, like carbon fiber, for the supercar’s body. Seeing that the market for locally-manufactured supercars are still slim pickings in South Korea, the Spirra’s unveiling will be a breakthrough for a country that’s slowly making head-way in the auto industry as being one of the foremost producers of quality cars in the world.

UPDATE 04/25/2011: Oullim Motors has unveiled a video detailing all of the steps they have to take to build their phenomenal hand-built supercar. This isn’t your typical machine-made, mass produced vehicle; plenty of TLC goes into every model made. Check it out by clicking on the picture above, plus check out all of the new images of the super car in the gallery provided!

Press Release after the jump

Oullim Motors Spirra originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 25 April 2011 19:00 EST.

read more



Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/oullim-motors/2011-oullim-motors-spirra-ar91938.html

Kenneth McAlpine Perry McCarthy Ernie McCoy Johnny McDowell Jack McGrath

Senna immortalised in new movie

The hotly anticipated new film 'Senna', about the life and career of the Brazilian Formula 1 legend, has finally been given a UK release date - 3 June.

The movie, which I was lucky enough to see last summer, has caused quite a stir both within Formula 1 and the film world and with good reason - it's fantastic. It has already won one significant award from the jury at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, who gave it the World Cinema Audience award for best documentary.

It's a marvellous movie and, coming as it does from Working Title, the company behind Four Weddings and a Funeral and the brilliant mountaineering film Touching The Void, that's no surprise.

Senna's story is a compelling one anyway, but what makes this film are the unearthed treasures of previously unseen footage - including revealing snapshots of his life in Brazil and behind the closed doors of the driver briefings at grands prix.

These are weaved together with more familiar images of the great Brazilian's career to create a fascinating story that grips the audience from early on and never lets go. You can get a sense of it from the trailer we have embedded in this blog.

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.


The fundamental story will be familiar to many - Senna's arrival in F1 with high expectations; his unnerving of the established stars with his breathtaking pace; his battle with arch-rival Alain Prost; his emergence as the dominant force within the sport through his talent and magnetic personality and charisma; his death and the shock felt around the world, not just in the sport that he had come to transcend.

But to make it work as a film, the producers had to make a decision about the narrative arc - what was their story line?

They chose the classic theme of the little guy battling against the establishment and, while it works well as a story and is true up to a certain point in Senna's career, it is also where those more familiar with Senna's story may occasionally find themselves questioning it.

Carried along as you are by the power of the film itself and of Senna's presence, you're aware that the events of his life don't fit the theme as comfortably as you might like - not from an objective point of view, anyway.

An example comes in a sequence that is one of the movie's greatest strengths - the way it deals with events surrounding the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix.

This was the first of two infamous collisions between Senna and Prost at Suzuka in consecutive years. The Frenchman turned in on Senna when the Brazilian tried to pass him at the chicane, they collided, Prost climbed out of his car, but Senna went on to win the race, only to be disqualified on dubious grounds for cutting the chicane, a decision that handed the title to Prost.


The poster for the new movie 'Senna'

Using previously unseen footage, the film shows Prost making his way to the stewards' room after the race and talking to Jean-Marie Balestre, the president of the sport's governing body, then called Fisa.

It creates a powerful reminder of how badly treated Senna was that weekend by the powers that be, so it fits nicely with the story of the film. Prost is painted as the villain, manipulating his powerful contacts to the detriment of the wronged, naïve, brilliant upstart.

But of course the reality was much more complex than that. This sequence is not preceded by any sense of how things had got to that point between Senna and Prost, no relating of Senna's aggressive driving tactics towards his rival, or his breaking of an agreement the two had made before the San Marino Grand Prix earlier that year.

It is only later in the film - by which time Senna himself has effectively become the establishment - that this darker side to his sporting personality, the slightly unhinged aspect to his character, is touched upon.

On an objective level, this undermines the film a little. But from a cinematic point of view it undoubtedly makes for a more powerful story.

This film is telling Senna's story, from Senna's point view. He is used as a narrator in death, through archive interviews, in much the same way as the hero of Touching The Void, Joe Simpson, is used in life in that film, and the end product is similarly superb.

'Senna', then, is not an unbiased movie; it's not trying to be. But it is a brilliant and beautiful one.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/04/senna_immortalised_in_new_movi.html

Giovanni de Riu Richard Robarts Pedro Rodríguez Ricardo Rodríguez Alberto Rodriguez Larreta

Lewis Hamilton: ?I love being able to fight??

Big stress on the grid as the McLaren mechanics finish repairs Lewis Hamilton put in one of the drives of his career in China, charging onto the tail of leader Sebastian Vettel in the closing laps, and getting by with … Continue reading

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/04/17/lewis-hamilton-i-love-being-able-to-fight/

Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston