Track Cars

2014 Superformance LOLA MkII Can-Am Spyder at Olthoff Racing12

Dream Garage – Superformance LOLA MkIII Can-Am Spyders

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Lola racecars are extremely special for their value-for-money today, racing pedigree, and also their incredibly timeless grace and beauty. This was a racing team directly formed in the late 1950s with one goal: build a car from scratch to win LeMans. The resulting semi-monocoque chassis design – now known as a unibody – was revolutionary at the time of frame-based racers from nearly every other racing company and nearly every single road car. A semi-monocoque? Oh yes. The other part is also pretty advanced for the time: a steel spaceframe for the engine and rear suspension cradle. In fact, the …

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2014 Superformance GT40 Mark I - MEGA Photo Shoot and Ride-Along Videos 86

Superformance GT40 Mk1 – Gulf Racing Livery in 90 Gorgeous Photos + 2 Videos

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Update1 – Republishing this with new gallery formats. While editing these photos just now, I am trying to think of the right description for the beauty shown by the Superformance GT40 Mark I. (And its humble photographer…!) All I keep thinking is: “These Photos Are Wet-Your-Pants Gorgeous!” The 100-plus photos below hopefully make up for the very disappointing camerawork in my GT40 ride-along. Yes, for most of it, I am narrating into an iPhone that was not actually, ahem, recording… VIDEO PART ONE Ride-Along VIDEO PART TWO Overall, owning a Superformance GT40 is now near the top of my long …

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Update1 70 New Pics – 2015 Porsche Boxster and Cayman GTS Feature Ripping Exhaust!

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BIG news about the new 981 Porsche Cayman and Boxster GTS! They feature a roaring, stonking and rip-snorting exhaust note. In perhaps the least-kept-secret of the last year, the Cayman and Boxster are officially available with a new top-level GTS trim level. In addition to more focused dynamics and style all around, the GTS models pack 340-horsepower each. (Edit: the Boxster appears to have ten fewer ponies than the hardtop Cayman.) Even so, this is a pretty substantial leap for the 911’s siblings, which until now have been capped well below this total — even in the Boxster and Cayman …

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2014 SEAT Leon Cupra Now Offered in Very Cool ST Wagon

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Updated 1.10.2015 The sexy Leon ST wagon is now available in the Cupra trim! This cool dynamic and style upgrade includes the availability of the postent Cupra 280 pack and its huge-boost turbo gasoline engine. Six styling packs are also available on the Leon Cupras — with the Dynamic Grey shown in the press shots an ST Cupra exclusive that is not offered on Leon ST’s with lesser engines. We also anticipate the Sub8 performance packs to be offered on the ST wagon – these trims commemorate that the Leon Cupra is the quickest front-drive car of all time around …

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2014 Caterham Seven in the USA! Turn-Key, Street-Legal 280s Available Now From $50k

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The dream track car is now alive and roaring around the USA, thanks to Superformance! More than two dozen Caterham Sevens have been sold so far by the Superformance and Hillbank Motorsports distribution network, and more are arriving fresh every week. We explain all the trim levels and specifications below — but here is the shortcut: The engine installation and selection is just a quick option box to tick. The car arrives to you ready to register for plates, and ready to race on the weekends! So hang those elbows out, floor the throttle and get shopping! The Caterham 280 …

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2015 BMW M3 in 64 New Photos From Road America + Options and Colors Guide

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Updated 11.7.14 Quick caveats about these new photos: Only about half are from Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin — with the rest from a German track drive event. There are a handful of M4 shots in here as well.     PREVIOUS Building a new M3 is remarkably simple – the main choices you need to ponder in advance are: – Manual transmission or M-DCT transmission? – Willing to stump for $8000 carbon brakes? – Willing to upgrade the wheels to the 19-inchers (to avoid looking like a 320i rolling on mini skateboard runners). Besides that, the rest of …

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Best of Awards: Track Drive Video – 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Is A Racecar With License Plates

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  Nailing apexes in this Camaro Z/28 was the most fun this driver has ever had on a racetrack. The car is absolutely surreal in its power and performance in all dimensions. Brakes and road-holding via those Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires are unreal, while the power delivery from the 7.0-liter, 505HP V8 is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Skip to minute two of the above video to see the Z28 in track bliss with cars like the Hellcat, 2015 Mustang GT, Nissan GT-R, Lexus RCF and BMW M4….! One thought? We would recommend speccing the optional A/C on the …

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2015 Lexus RC350 Sends 306HP to 8-Speed Auto, AWD, 4WS and Adaptive Suspension!

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Updated 9.9.14 Now we have the comparison between the silver RC350 shown in these latest Lexus photos and the F Sport version from Pebble Beach! The final 2015 Lexus RC350 F Sport looks **thisclose** to as sexy and fast as the top-flight RC-F — which is a great thing for buyers and Lexus sales alike. Available AWD is new to the RC350, as is the paddle-shifted automatic with eight gears, the latest adaptive suspension with adjustable settings, and an all-new four-wheel-steering setup. Very promising indeed! The only change visible on this pre-production car is a lack of the LED low …

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Pebble Beach 2014 Reunions – Three 1914 Mercedes-Benz French Grand Prix Cars in 78 Photos

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After falling hard for this machine in Amelia Island,it is great to meet the rest of the crew. This trio of amazing Mercedes-Benz racing machines took a 1-2-3 victory at the 1914 French GP near Lyon. Reuinted 100 years later in Pebble Beach — looking not a day older and perhaps a bit cleaner than the finished the race out front!   1914 Mercedes-Benz French Grand Prix Cars   Mercedes-Benz At The Pebble Beach Concours D’elegance: Coupes From The Past, Present And Future August, 2014 International debut of the 540K Streamliner Coupe 1914 French Grand Prix 1-2-3 racers reunited Concept …

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98 New Photos – 2015 BMW M4 Convertible – Pricing, Colors, Options and Specs

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Updated 8.31.14 Pricing from $72,500 climbs a $10,000 with the quicker-to-60-mph M-DCT automatic and carbon-ceramix brakes, but besides that the M4 is absolutely perfect right out of the box. Especially if a stick-shift and regular M Brakes will be fine! In that case, the only upgrades you need are the 19-inch black-accent wheels, upgraded audio for $875. This leaves change to add a special M Performance exhaust and a few other goodies. The top-down audio is one of the new M4 Cabrio’s highlights with the new turbo inline-six ripping to redline.   Hundreds of new real-life photos of the M4 …

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EXCLUSIVE! 2014 Bugatti Veyron Legend ETTORE BUGATTI in 45 Stunning Photos

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Updated 8.27.14 We owe a deep nod of gratitude to Bugatti executive leadership for letting our camera lens into this exclusive Bugatti luncheon at Pebble Beach on Concours day. Like everything in the world of Bugatti – and especially Los Legendes de Bugatti – it is a land of velvet-rope access. Limited availability. Manufactured scarcity. That is part of the Bugatti myth as well as the entire client experience. Mobs of people is not on the agenda. But flashbulbs and press guys? Lucky for us — that is part of the cult of Bugatti. Great to play any part available …

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2015 Hennessey Venom GT – Worlds Fastest Edition in 69 All-New Photos From The Quail

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  The Venom GT is a major success story that keeps building momentum with every aerodynamic tweak and trip to the Kennedy Space Center. If JFK were a Vbox-reading racing driver in 2014, he would certainly approve. This white example is tipped to be the one-off World’s Fastest Edition built to celebrate the record run seen in the below video. It is only the ~14th Venom GT ever made. In fact, Hennessey may have created the first — and perhaps only — great American Hypercar. If not the first American hypercar ever, this is certainly the best there has ever …

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Update1 Photos and Video – 3.7s 2014 BMW M5 Jahre 30 Hits 600HP Horsepower, Adds Active M Rear Diff

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Updated 8.23.14 with real-life USA debut details. We are trying out a new YouTube intro/branding clip ahead of all the videos — and have the current BMW M6 with M Performance exhaust as the audio overlay (for the time being…). This is relevant to the BMW M5 Jahre 30 edition because it shows what this engine can really sound like with an aftermarket addition. It also shows that the Pebble Beach audio recording of the Jahre 30 is not nearly as vivid.   In fact, the Jahre 30 sounds really terrific in person, with much more engine rumble and hum …

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2015 Lexus RC350 F Sport EXCLUSIVE: 8-Speed Auto, AWD, 4WS and Adaptive Suspension!

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Updated 8.22.14 The final 2015 Lexus RC350 F Sport looks **thisclose** to as sexy and fast as the top-flight RC-F — which is a great thing for buyers and Lexus sales alike. Available AWD is new to the RC350, as is the paddle-shifted automatic with eight gears, the latest adaptive suspension with adjustable settings, and an all-new four-wheel-steering setup. Very promising indeed! The only change visible on this pre-production car is a lack of the LED low and high-beams shown on the final concepts, plus missing parking sensors. These two features are likely to be options on customer cars when …

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Veyron GS Vitesse Legend ETTORE BUGATTI is Pebble Beach 2014 Debut

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A blue-carbon and brushed-alloy finish for the Ettore Bugatti Legends car is a stunning combination – perfectly complementing the saddle leather inside for dramatic effect. The leather and horses theme is pervasive, with Cordovan leather featured in design sketches early on. The muted tones reflect the low-sheen appeal of horseshoes and other early steel machinery. This is a machine you can image would look amazing at speed. In Ettoe Bugatti’s day, many photos had a lively buzzy effect from trying to keep focus in a fast racing environment. Once stopped, the subtle and timeless beauty of this final Legends Veyron …

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Supercar Hall of Fame – 2011 Nissan GT-R in Super Silver Special Metallic

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In terms of #ZeroCompetition – The GT-R’s performance really does stack up amazingly well versus almost any other hypercar. This is as true for the revised 2014 models as it is for any R35 generation GT-R – like the ~2011 model shown below. Super Silver Special Metallic might be a hard $3000 option to justify when ordering the GT-R, but the effect in real life is absolutely brilliant. Nothing short of a pure million-dollar concept has the same depth and reflectivity of this gorgeous color on the GT-R. Please enjoy these 60 all-new photos from Atlanta Motorsports Park.   2011 …

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2015 Corvette Z06 – Tech Specs, Arrival Dates, Pricing and Z07 Package + 105 ALL-NEW Photos

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These exclusive Car-Revs-Daily.com photos of the Corvette Z06 in Amelia Island in March are still some of the best out there. But Gene Leeds from Leeds.io and CorvetteForum.com certainly has my skills beat when it comes to detail shots from the NY auto show. Leeds captures not only the production Z06 hardtop and convertible in stunning, high-res detail — he also has a look all around the display car’s chassis, suspension and inner workings. A huge thankyou to Gene Leeds for his permission to use these photos. More updates on his new website as it becomes available. Back to 2015 …

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Track Test Review – 2014 Mazda MX-5 Club Hardtop at Road America Autocross

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Track Test Review – 2014 Mazda MX-5 Club Hardtop at Road America Autocross The next MX-5 is in the home stretch of development in Japan ahead of an expected debut some time in 2014 or early 2015, with deliveries to America set to start shortly afterward. The next MX-5 will spawn an Alfa Romeo Spider twin, with both built to quality standards Fiat could not dream of achieving without Mazda’s Hiroshima-based talent. Development of the MX-5 is the cornerstone of Mazda’s sports car teams these days – and for good reason! The MX-5 is the ultimate track-day thriller: with enough …

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HD Video – 1953 Gordini 24S Blasts Around Its Favorite Tracks Before RM Auctions Paris Sale

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 This car defies logic. On one hand, it looks adorable and cute. So narrow and low, with the blue bodywork peeled back around the exhaust manifold and the straight-cut pipes. Watch the below… The Gordini starts to howl at about the half-way mark of this video preview. Kudos to its bold driver, who is not shy with the loud pedal. Firing up the 24S takes a prod onto an organ-stop switch – included as the fuel cutoff for racing. This very car won the Tour de France (a car race at the time…) and also traded paint with Porsche and …

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2015 Ferrari California T Now Packing 577Lb-Ft of Turbo Boost

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Yes! The Scuderia is back on boost – in a big way. As the F40’s twin-turbocharged V8 still proudly displays to anyone with the balls and cash — Maranello has always loved forced induction. Time to lower the fences – these stallions want to run wild!   2015 Ferrari California T       The 458 Speciale also debuted in Sepang this weekend.   A few more of the Seabrook stallions.  

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Powerkit for Porsche 911 Carrera S Brings Back Classic Rumble Exhaust

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    Powerkit And Aero Upgrades for Porsche 911 Brings Back Classic Rumble Exhaust For many Porsche 911 owners, the rumble from out back becomes one of the car’s most loved and central features. Far more than a gimmick, the 911 breathes directly from the wind ‘backflow’ at the rear of the car at high speeds. Ideally, the Carrera S Powerkit will sound much like the Sport Classic below: Like it’s own pressure chamber, the spoiler’s effectiveness is required to channel that cold air directly into this once-air-cooled engine setup. 430HP is on tap, a jump from 400. Classic 911 …

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Car Museums Showcase – 1937 BMW 328 and R60 Sidecar Motorcycle

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The 1937 BMW 328 is a little-seen roadster gem from BMW that was, perhaps, the firm’s most advanced and sophisticated achievement outside of aircraft engines at the time. 1937 BMW 328 and R60 Bike in Spartanburg, SC Seeing one so close in the flesh really rings home how advanced this 328 was versus its contemporaries from Aston-Martin and Jaguar — two much-better-known sports-car innovators (and competitive benchmarks) of the time.   Where those cars both still wore giant flat fenders, the 328 is completely smooth in all areas. This aero-led thinking was surely a testament to BMW’s aeronautic history until …

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Berrger SA

Future Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow Racer Pairs Open Wheels with Closed Cockpit

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Renderings done by students are sometimes the most exciting new ideas out there. Phil Berger is one such visionary first-year mechanical engineering student. He is an active participant in the Local Motors Forge project, which is a co-creation community and a bit of a gathering place for dreamers. Mechanical dreamers! The tricky part of student, or any renderings, for that matter: brand names and logos. All this company IP is fiercely protected, especially in a bold new age of shameless counterfeiting. But there are other concerns besides factories running mystery “ghost shifts,” or the adage of a complete twin factory …

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Update1 – 2014 Nissan ZEOD RC LeMans In Detail + 80 Photos

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Ask and ye shall receive? Only last week, we lamented the lack of angles of the ZEOD RC versus the flawless 29 angles of the car’s potent 1.5-liter, 400HP turbo triple, which both propels the car and charges the batteries (we think.) 2014 Nissan ZEOD RC LeMans Well, the strip-tease continues for the ZEOD RC. The latest batch of info from Nissan’s UK-based Le Mans operation shows the real-life racer in much more detail. (Just kidding — looks like we just did not look hard enough for images. This release is tagged October 21st, 2013.) Nissan’s hybrid-electric Garage56 experimental entry …

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2014 JAGUAR XFR -- Driving Review with Full-Throttle Rolling Sprint + Exhaust Bellow 2

2014 Jaguar XFR Video Review – Full-Throttle Sprint + Exhaust Bellow

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The XFR was much better to drive and far more rapid than expected. This first video gets really good about 2/3 of the way through — at which point I paddle down to second gear before flipping to first and flooring the throttle. Both of our heads hit headrest with AMG-style torque as 510-horsepower brings its full might to the table. Very entertaining, the XFR is, with barely a whistle of supercharger whine to accompany this massive velvet knockout punch. Here is the exhaust note.  2014 jaguar xfr review

BMW ConnectedDrive Only for Geeks? Nope! Meet The Drift-O-Matic 235i and 650i Gran Coupe

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Many of us have seen the old version of automated cars — the ones with robotic inputs for the gas and brake pedals, plus a strange rig to actually move the steering wheel left and right. This is a decidedly manual type of setup. Part of the big push toward electrically-operated steering is energy efficiency, of course. But the other big part is in automation of the actual control inputs. BMW looks like it has gotten pretty far up this self-driving path — to the point where it is demonstrating cars in a high-speed drift scenario! Surely a scary thrillride …

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2014 Audi R8 LMX to Bring World-First Standard Laser Highbeams Via Shared Tech with R18 LeMans

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  Yes, the BMW i8 offers them – but only as a high-priced option. As such, the Audi R8 LMX is set to be the first car to ever include laser highbeams as standard when it arrives this summertime. The highbeam solution is a work-around to make sure that the lighting is still palatable to all world markets – including the United States, we predict. The below information is based on the UK-market R8, but this special edition is almost a sure thing on US roads as well. A redesigned R8 is tipped for Frankfurt – going on sale about …

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2015 SuperCoupe Design Shootout – Lexus RC F vs. BMW M4 vs. Audi RS5

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Executive supercoupes are hot as f*** right now. A duo of new entrants from BMW and Lexus really up the ante on Audi’s 2014 RS5 and the forthcoming C63 AMG Coupe that is expected relatively soon on the horizon. Other competitors are plenty in this segment, including the 2014 CTS-V Coupe from Cadillac, the Infiniti Q60 IPL and even the Camaro ZL1 — but these three are ripe for a design shootout because their performance and target markets are so completely mirrored — even more so than performance, the case may be. The M4 and RC F are not even …

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Gone in 3.7s – 30th Anniversary BMW M5 Adds 25 Horsepower, New Steering and New Active M Rear Diff

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Well this is interesting! The ’30 Jahre M5′ edition is actually a bit more than a run-out special ahead of an expected revamp and the long-rumored addition of xDrive to the next M5. Adding power, a new steering setup and a new controller for the Active M Differential not only improves sprint times down to 3.7-seconds to 60MPH — it is also promised to improve the overall handling balance of the ultimate super saloon car. Worth noting is that the current M5 is not exactly lacking in dynamic poise or power. But the game is moving forward on BMW’s M5 …

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VENTURI Taking its Visionary EV Future-Tech to Bonneville and Formula E Racetracks

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PART ONE: INTRO TO BRILLIANT CONCEPTS You cannot fault Venturi Automobiles for their ambition – here is a company with the power to envision and make concept cars that might even fail the Rinspeed or ItalDesign “reality check” test. Wild ideas like a solar streamliner for commuters, the Antarctic shuttle on treads, and the America off-road cabrio concept are certainly enticing for their rarity and bold vision. The Volage concept is perhaps the most feasible as a sale-able vehicle — with unique ideas present even six years since its first look as a concept in 2008.   PART TWO: HARSH …

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Buyers Guide Info – Building my 2014 Renaultsport Clio 200 EDC Lux

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If you were transplanted to another country tomorrow and needed a company car, what would you select? Nothing too garish or expensive, and something that will keep you entertained over the years of living in a new place? My choice would have a few priorities: — something that cannot be bought in America — something that fits the local roads and driving conditions well — chic, fast and low are always my goals I would be leaning toward a few cars, one of which is the new Renault Clio RS 200. Its turbocharged engine is just a few upgrades (intake, …

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2015 BMW M3 – Configurator Buyers Guide to Options, Colors, Wheels and Best Equipment

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Building a new M3 is remarkably simple – the main choices you need to ponder in advance are: – Manual transmission or M-DCT transmission? – Willing to stump for $8000 carbon brakes? – Willing to upgrade the wheels to the 19-inchers (to avoid looking like a 320i rolling on mini skateboard runners). Besides that, the rest of the options book really writes itself. The level of customization inside with various leather colors really shames the exterior paint finishes available — which seem pretty limited upon first glance. Other options that seem like must-have items? – Adaptive suspension for $1000 – …

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2014 Radical RXC Lands in America! Track Shakedown with WISKO Racing + Mega Gallery Inside/Out

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WISKO racing is based in Virginia and is an official Radical distributor in the United States — which is a bit of a relief for me as a car writer. Why? As you may note in the below photos, there is a “For Sale” placard in the windshield, which would be worrying for such a new car in any other circumstances…! But not for this amazing machine, which delivers such LeMans levels of down-force that it becomes nearly unflappable in any track scenario. All the better to put down some race-ready laptimes..! The RXC is priced from just under 100,000 …

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The Mitty 2014 at Road Atlanta – Modern Formula Racers Group – IndyCars, Formula3 and Lotus T125

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  This Marlboro-liveried car is running a Buick engine, with the rest a bit unclear. The only car I can ID for certain is the T125 Lotus, which was the customer racer they sold briefly in 2012-2013. Group 4C – Modern Formula 2013 Lotus T125 1997 Lola T97/20 1994 Shelby Sports Racer 2002 Dallara Indy 2006 Swift JMS016P 1997 Lola T97/20

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The Mitty 2014 at Road Atlanta – Monoposto Classic – Group 4A and 4B Brabham, Lotus, Lola…

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 The Mitty is really a grab-bag of racers in every group, making it hard to know what is even zooming past. That was certainly the case for this group! Here are the cars in Group 4A – The Monoposto Classic 1969 Lotus 61 1969 Bragham BT-29 1970 Chevron B17B 1969 March 693 1972 Crossle 25 1972 Ensign FB 1067 Brabham BT21   Group 4B Monoposto Formula 1975 Lola T332 1976 March 762 F2 1971 McRae GM1 1979 March 79 SV 1973 Lola T330 1980 March 80A 1980 March 80A 1972 GRD 372 1975 March Fm. Atlantic 7      

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Restyled 2014 Exocet is MX-5-based Trackday Dream: Ariel Atom Thrills for Miata Bills!

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This 2014 Exocet Race visited the Flyin’ Miatas booth at Road Atlanta last weekend, and caused quite a stir in its panel-free glory. Yes, it is just wearing its birthday suit in my Atlanta photos, but the 2014 kits actually all feature resdesigned panels and upgraded features. Here is the low-down of what this Exomotive machine is: — Kit car that uses core components of the Mx-5, but an ultra-strong and extremely lightweight steel exoskeleton versus the heavy and less-rigid factory unibody.     The Atlanta-based Exomotive design is shipped as a kit to owners, where the build is said …

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NASCAR Meets Road Course?! Video of Stock Cars at Mitty 2014 + 100 Track Photos

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One cannot really escape NASCAR if you are outside of a New York-LA-Chicago type of city, and especially if you are a Yankee who wakes up one day in the South. Stock Car racing is everywhere, and I am climbing down into the abyss. Overall, the cars are pretty fun to watch being driven at max attack around Road Atlanta’s challenging road course. For one, it has numerous tight corners. Second, the cars in this Stock Car class include everything from Impalas and relatively recent Charger NASCARS … all the way back in time to the Chevy Monte Carolo and …

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$300 Supercar Track Drive?! Velocity Motorsports of Atlanta Shows Impressive Fleet – And Pricing!

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Driving experiences are a highly recommended way to indulge the supercar and trackday fantasy lives we all have. But in my experience, the prices are absolutely eye-watering in many cases. But there is a new breed of supercar driving clubs out there that have pricing starting from about $300 — which is a far, far sight cheaper than the $2000-per-day that most of the big-name driving academies charge. Heck, even the Jaguar F-Type R Coupe driving day is priced in the thousands of dollars. Lamborghini is similarly outrageous – particularly for these clients who may or may not already own …

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VIDEO and Photos – Bailey Ferrari P-4 Replica Running 400i V12 + Flat-6 917 Porsche Replica Too!

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A day that fires up with GT40 V8s and ends with Ferrari P4 V12’s? What could be better? Sure, both the cars in question are recreations – replicas of these arch-rival racecars that are remade in 2014 just a bit better (we would argue)  than was possible in the 1960s. But even so, they are a wonderful time-capsules and even time machines for many – these cars were in their racing prime when color photography was rare enough to not know the difference between Rosso Corsa and Gulf Blue. This was racing at modern speeds — with decidedly vintage technology. …

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2014 Superformance GT40 Mark I – MEGA Photo Shoot and Ride-Along Videos

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While editing these photos just now, I am trying to think of the right description for the beauty shown by the Superformance GT40 Mark I. (And its humble photographer…!) All I keep thinking is: “These Photos Are Wet-Your-Pants Gorgeous.” The 100-plus photos below hopefully make up for the very disappointing camerawork in my GT40 ride-along. Yes, for most of it, I am narrating into an iPhone that was not actually, ahem, recording… VIDEO PART ONE VIDEO PART TWO Overall, owning a Superformance GT40 is now near the top of my long list of life goals. Enjoy.     OUTDOOR PHOTOS …

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VIDEO: Touring the Olthoff Racing Dream Factory – Superformance GT40s and Cobras Galore

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Tucked beside a country highway in North Carolina, impossible dreams come to life in the form of howling racecar replicas from Superformance. The model year says 2014, but the dream of piloting a Le Mans car on the street generally share a birthday with a 196* starting point. Authorized and licensed by Safir Spares and Shelby American, Superformance is not a fly-by-night organization. Badges and paperwork are a sure thing with every model they sell from the dozen or so assembly and retail outlets like Olthoff Racing all over the world. But the one thing with racecar assembly versus mass-market …

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McLaren M8F meets M8B Go-Kart! Seeks Posh New Home; McLaren Owner Strongly Preferred

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How awesome is this (homage) McLaren M8B High Wing Go-Kart? The detail-work is remarkably accurate (for a toy…), down to that desirable McLaren Orange paintwork and the white tire stencils to match period racing rubber. The kart is not intended as a racer — which makes sense considering it was created only for kid-sized individuals. It is more of piece of art, a conversation starter, or a piece of wall decor to crave. Originally built for an owner of many, many original McLarens, the M8B (M8K?) kart is now in transition and is for sale to the highest bidder. Located …

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Ariel Atom Duo on Slicks at the Road Atlanta Skidpad for ATL Driving Experience

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Ariel Atom ATL Driving Experience Q: what is even quicker than an Ariel Atom at any track, worldwide? A: an Ariel Atom on racing slicks! I’ll take the blue one. You hop in the orange. Let’s do this. The Ariel Atom is well-known as the elastic fun-cooker that shook Jeremy Clarkson’s face apart around Dunsfold Air Force Base in 2007, then hung his cheeks out to dry via a high-speed blast down those world-famous TopGear runways just moments later. The Atom is now on to generation 3.5, with the much-wider track and chassis making it even more like a shrieking …

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Porsche, BMW and Aston Beware: Nissan GT-R GT3 Poised to Dominate Nurburgring 24H Race

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Nissan GT-R GT3 Nurburgring 24H Race When the Nissan GT-R goes racing, it typically does so to win. This is not a flight of fancy – the latest GT3 version of the mighty GT-R must know something we do not about speed and stamina around the Green Hell. Either the car knows something, or the Nismo.tv YouTube channel, or perhaps the GT Academy drivers for this year’s online reality competition show? Someone must be very confident that this GT-R GT3 can beat everything else on the grid.   With this GT3-spec GT-R, perhaps Nissan is delivering such fast testing laps …

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Mazda MX-5 Adds 40HP, Drops 800LB: BAUER Catfish Shell Over Flyin Miata Turbo

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This is an interesting meeting of the Miata minds. Bauer Limited Production’s Catfish body overhaul for the 1990-2005 Mazda MX-5 with Flyin’ Miata’s turbocharged engine underneath. It is a recipe that delivers surprising style and divine performance, that is for sure! This Flyin’ Miata example is a bit gnarly in the headlight execution and in some tiny spots on the metallic vinyl wrap, but is still quite bewitching in the flesh. The $14,000 Bauer Catfish bodywork is a relatively simple bolt-on, bolt-off design – and also cuts 800 pounds from the cars’ curb weights. Not too shabby, especially considering the …

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McLaren Special Ops Reveals Upgrades for 650S via Production-Ready Concept

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McLaren Special Ops 650S McLaren Special Operations is fantastic – easily and safely turning any 12C into more graceful beauties via new bumpers, sills, spats and diffusers outside. Inside, your taste and modesty are the only restrictions on colors and customizations. All the MSO upgrades adhere to the same McLaren fanatical obsession with racing performance enhancement at every step – meaning they are far more than just cosmetic. They are also OEM-quality, which is less-than-a-sure-thing for other body kits. Such bodywork flying off the car at McLaren-level speeds would be a concern for me when personalizing my supercar. Bruce McLaren, …

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Mustang 50th Anniversary – Stragglers Gallery Shows 150+ Great Photos of Your Dream Mustangs

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What to do? As a junior media outlet, I really hate to let any good photos fall by the wayside and not publish them. But in order to create one of my big articles (they are all pretty Big & Tall, but I am trying to slim the text and photos down…), I need at least 40 photos. These amazing Mustangs were either too fast or too loud to stand by for the full photo shoot — and I am left without full batches. But if you were at the Mustang 50th Anniversary event in Charlotte – and especially if …

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HD GoPro Video + Track Action Photography: Top 3 Mustang GT350s of Charlotte Motor Speedway

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In the 1960s, almost all American cars came equipped with an 85-mph speedometer. Only the wildest exotics of the time dared go to 100-mph on the speedo – which was usually the ‘hoped for’ rather than ‘verified’ top speed…. So for this 65 GT350 to be so, so fast (and loud!) when howling around Charlotte Motor Speedway was really something to see, hear and feel resonating in your lungs — and brain — long after it has gone past.   Days later, I was still feeling the high-def bellow of these race-prepped GT350 Mustangs – in a good way. Every …

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Mustang 50th Favorites – 1968 Ford Drag Team – Mustang 428 Cobra Jet in Wimbledon White

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It is impossible to very the authenticity of this car as a 428 Cobra Jet model without a thorough VIN inspection in multiple places, but we are leaning toward “Homage” versus “Original.” That is no bad thing when considering the care and exhaustive effort to bring this Mustang up to ‘Winternationals 1968’ spec – where eight Cobra Jet Mustangs joined the drag racing pit area, for a combined 3000-plus Mustang horsepower from each car’s FE engine making 390-horsepower. This was a real shock to the shock the competing teams, generally equipped with one car (total) plus one backup engine. The …

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Exclusive World Debut – 2014 Superlite SLC Le Mans Spyder – $70k, 430HP V8, Porsche Trans and 2200 Pounds Total!

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Unless I am in Chicago traffic from O’Hare to Wrigleyville, I rarely like to toot my own horn. But the Superlite SLC Le Mans world debut might be a seriously exclusive piece of supercar news – seen only by readers of Car-Revs-Daily.com, so far. Why? The Spyder (or Roadster) SLC Le Mans is absolutely brand new and has never before been shown in public. This is the first complete prototype of the full Le Mans Spyder bodystyle of the Superlite SLC Coupe, an it is magnificent. Completed with a Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine and Porsche transaxle by H Craft Customs …

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1966 Shelby Mustang GT350 Racecar Awaits Engine Buildout at Charlotte Motor Speedway

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  A few issues in the video above, namely that when I am in the engine compartment noting the steering components. I refer to the “rack” of the typical modern rack-and-pinion steering setup. The original Mustang ran a worm-gear setup, which goes a long way toward explaining the factory car’s waywardness on the road (versus a modern car.) This recreated and not-original Shelby GT350 racecar build is just about the ideal starting point for most people. Almost any engine, transmission and interior setup are feasible with such a clean example like this. 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350 Racecar  

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Mustang 50th Favorites – 1966 Mustang 2+2 Coupe running Big Brake Kit and LED Brake Lights

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Intro note: The hood and trunk and doors are all open in these photos on purpose. The car is running fine, but car photos with the hood up can be really confusing on first glance.   This darling 1966 Mustang 2+2 Coupe stopped by Olthoff Racing for a bit before making his way to the big 50th Anniversary gathering with his 5,000 closest Mustang pals.       It was a nice chance to see such a well-modded example that is also abolutely pretine inside. Drive-able upgrades all around, including radar detector and other accessories – Cold AC included. How …

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SHOCK! Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Banned NASCAR Mustang Prototype… Actually Looks Like a Mustang

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Confession time: I have not been an active NASCAR fan in more than 20 years. But I am definitely a fan of the cars’ outright speed, power and the bravery needed to take one to victory over near-identical others on the grid. This extremely homogenized approach to racing rules is epitomized outside by what NASCAR calls the “Car of Tomorrow” bodyshell. It makes all the cars the exact same shape, excluding stickers. This seems like a huge error in judgment versus what fans want to see: actual rivalries among not just drivers, but the car manufacturers’ racing technology and expertise. …

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Speculative Renderings – 2014 Superformance GT40 Can-Am Spyder or Street-Able Convertible

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So, if the Ford GT40 and the LOLA T70 Mk II Spyder share so much under the skin, and if the Lola is already available from Superformance — why bother with a meld of both these ideas?   Three reasons: – The Lola cars have a far smaller following among the world’s enthusiasts, and therefore are a very niche machine – If Ford had continued racing the GT40 concept after its four LeMans victories from 1966 to 1969, it is likely that the car would have adopted this style to match FIA’s rule changes. Can-Am was much closer to home …

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2014 Superformance LOLA Mk III and MkII Can-Am Spyder at Olthoff Racing – Chevy-Friendly Racing Speedster?

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Lola racecars are extremely special for their value-for-money today, racing pedigree, and also their incredibly timeless grace and beauty. This was a racing team directly formed in the late 1950s with one goal: build a car from scratch to win LeMans. The resulting semi-monocoque chassis design – now known as a unibody – was revolutionary at the time of frame-based racers from nearly every other racing company and nearly every single road car. A semi-monocoque? Oh yes. The other part is also pretty advanced for the time: a steel spaceframe for the engine and rear suspension cradle. In fact, the …

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Mustang 50th Anniverary Showcase – $150,000 Race-Prepped 1986 Mustang GT Convertible!

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An unlikely hero?  Here it is!  The 1986, Fox-body Mustang GT Convertible. Proof that being feeling young and hip and bad-ass will never go out of style. Like all cyclical trends, the 1980s, 1990s and pre-2005 Mustangs were all firmly out-of-favor at the Mustang 50th Anniversary extravaganza in Charlotte. But even while the public moslty fawns over most-popular first and latest-gen cars, these 80s and 90s Mustangs are still the epitome of fast and brash youth culture to their owners. This was my key take-away from meeting hundreds of Mustang guys: The Mustang of all years and styles embodies being …

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Race-Prepped 1967 Mustang Hardtop in SB Yellow

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Learned a great deal about Mustang culture and Mustangs themselves last week in Charlotte, but the identity and owner of this amazing race-prepped coupe escaped me. I assumed these were Steeda Autosport‘s cars – based on proximity to their giant trailer – until they explained that their cars were elsewhere in the main display areas. But these pit-garage beauties certainly did not go unnoticed by us! The School-Bus Yellow example was an instant favorite. It is intense in the flesh, and based on the less-popular Notchback Coupe versus the fastback that was preferred by Shelby and most other go-fast teams …

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2015 JAGUAR F-TYPE R Coupe -- Lifts Its Bonnet to Show 550HP 5

2015 JAGUAR F-TYPE R Coupe — Lifts Its Bonnet to Show 550HP 5.0-liter V8 — And Even A Deep and Large-Seeming Trunk!

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Forget Pippa!  This is 2014’s AotY! (Ass of the Year..) Pippa in an F-TYPE R Coupe? That could be quite the pair of yummy buns! Ever the diplomat who never voices his concerns too bluntly, I am trying to bite my tongue here really hard. But here is the skinny: the F-Type cabrio, at least on first sitting the other month, had a highly compromised driving position and barely any trunk. Those are big issues. Thrilled to see the all-new F-TYPE coupe does not suffer from both these maladies: the trunk is huge! Okay, it is not huge. But we …

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SHELBY COBRA – How These Two Words Ultimately Killed the Ford Takeover of Ferrari in 1963

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No series of articles about the GT40 can begin without a look at how the car came to exist. A battle of spite between Ferrari and Ford? Yes. But also a battle to establish Ford as a racing powerhouse – which was a new opportunity to regain face as Chevrolet and General Motors dominated the coolest car news via Motorama shows and Corvettes in the 1950s. FROM DE-FACTO BANS ON BOTH RACING CARS AND RACY MOVIES… Racing was also heavily discouraged by the United States government of the time – until the case was made that racing improved the breed. …

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VIDEO: Olthoff Racing Factory – Superformance GT40 Mark II – Specs, History + High-Res Photo Comparison Vs. GT40 Mark I

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Is there beauty in functionality? That is the question to ask when debating a GT40 Mark I versus its successor, the GT40 Mark II. Is authenticity of the actual 1-2-3 1966 7.0-liter Mark II race win better than the clean lines and simple aesthetic of the Mark I — which was actually a trouble-prone testing bed for the losing 1964 and 1965 seasons? The 24 Hours of LeMans is widely known as the most grueling durability and endurance test ever fathomed, let alone run annually with a field of more than sixty cars across four racing categories: LMP1, LMP2, GT2 …

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GT40 vs Cobra Track Battle VIDEOS! Superformance Brings American Racecar Glory Global via Shelby Asia

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Superformance Ford GT40 – in-car track cam Editor’s Intro: Can you tell I am getting excited to visit Olthoff Racing tomorrow in Charlotte, NC?   Have you ever wished you could just wake up tomorrow day inside Gran Turismo?  Or even better, in the pit lane of Daytona circa 1965 ? Well beyond 3D — and into 4D of not just SSM (sight, sound and motion) but SSMTSFG — Sight, Sound, Motion, Touch, Smell, Fear and Glory? Well, for a modest amount of cash and enough skill – Superformance racecar recreations can do just that. These two videos demonstrate the …

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VIDEOS – Charleston Cars & Coffee – 1967 Chevy Nova, Drag-Prepped Hudson, Hemi Cuda and 2002 Superformance Cobra

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Okay! Trying to plow through all these Cars and Coffee photos before heading up to Charlotte tomorrow for the Mustang 50th Anniversary Celebrations — three days of playful work in the infield of the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hoping to come back with some track videos and driving impressions to share — but one thing is certain: I will have more photos than most car magazines publish in a full calendar year! My Amelia adventure? More than 3000 photos, 99-percent of which are in-focus and use-able. But still 600 that I am too fatigued to write about (so far). Rainy day… …

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The NSX Effect — Own One, And You Will Never Sell It — Black NSX Series I and Red NSX-R Series II

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I have met more than a few NSX guys recently — and they all have two things in common: — undying devotion to the machine — unwillingness to even consider parting ways with it This is exceptionally rare for supercars — or any car, for that matter. But as the years pass, the NSX’s charms grow stronger for almost every owner. It is a captivating machine in the flesh even today, to be sure. Our investigation continues on the NSX’s chokehold over its owners — wish updates as soon as we know more this summer with the next car’s (expected) …

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VIDEO: 1999 Lamborghini Diablo VT at Charleston Cars & Coffee — Still Crazy After All These Years

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Crazy cool… but also crazy compromised? It took a three-point-turn for this “FARM” license-plated thoroughbred to squeeze its way into this generous parking space…! The FARM plate might be a tongue-in-cheek reference to Lambo’s origins making giant tractor engines… but the car is from Lake Forrest, Illinois!  My old stomping ground… As far as curb appeal and stopping power to draw stares, little can compete with the Diablo VT.

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Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec – Wheel Colors Visualizer! Plasti-Dip Fantastic Voyage

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The Genesis Coupe is well-loved among the auto tuning community –for good reason! It is a wonderful canvas. But is tuning just a left-coast thing? This group in the Southeastern US seems just as passionate as our pals in SoCal. Evidence? This Plasti-dip wheel respray was the second or third color choice our pal’s GC had worn. He loves wheel color! Said he developed a taste for it after adding a 9PSI turbocharger to his previous Toyota Yaris — bringing its total power tally of more than double what it was from the factory. A hooner’s delight in its 13-inch …

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2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.6 R-Spec at Cars & Coffee – Wearing Custom Lime Green Wheels!

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  Colors like this custom Plasti-Dip shade can be ordered as a special formulation from Plasti-Dip website. My solution was much jankier when doing my wheels in anthracite grey — a quick blast of color into the wet black Plasti-dip that was the only variety I could find in Chicago. But color is harder than adding a grey flash. These most likely start with a white Plasti-dip base and add color from there. The effect on the Genesis Coupe is definitely striking in person, but also the right amount of mature — these green wheels are actually pretty subtle versus …

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W Motors LYKAN HyperSport Makes Production Debut in Monaco This Week – Racecar In Pipeline?

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      Since winning 2013’s Best New Exotic car award here on Car-Revs-Daily.com,  the W Motors team has been anything but idle. The Lykan HyperSport’s whirlwind tour continues this spring with its European debut in Monaco April 17th through the 20th. Despite not exactly being street-legal in Europe and the United States yet — that is not likely to be a problem for this hypercar’s ~ten total owners. Not street legal there? Here is how the buyer conversations might go… “Let’s have the Lykan as our Paul Ricard HTTT track car, or maybe we should just order it shipped …

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VIDEO: 2014 BMW M6 Coupe — Before / After M Performance Upgrades — Exhaust Roars Like A ScramJet

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      Did you watch this video!  You must!  It is 40 seconds of shrieking roar. This M6 sounds absolutely ferocious. Far rougher and meaner than a jet engine. It sounds like a solid-state rocket… The M6 is available as a two-door hard or soft-top, or my choice: for four-door Gran Coupe. The key style differences in the three cars below concerns the grille finish: from totally blacked-out on the M Performance upgraded car, to the (my prefererence) chrome vertical clats on the the indoor cars, to the standard M6 coupe bringing up the bottom set of images. All …

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Concept Flashback -- 1969 Alfa-Romeo Tipo 332 Coupe Speciale -- Gullwing Mid-Engine Supercar That Never Was 12

Concept Debrief – 1969 Alfa-Romeo Tipo 332 Coupe Speciale – Gullwing Canary in Supercar Coal Mine

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This Alfa is Canary Yellow. It was also a dying canary in the coal-mine of Italian supercar fates of the next decade. When a canary dies in his cage deep undergound, miners knew the toxicity of the air was going from bad to worse. In mid-1960s Italy, the momentum to start one’s own hypercar legacy was a powerful draw. By 1969, all in the small sports-car business at the time marvelled at Feruccio Lamborghini’s success in carving sales away from Ferrari. Ferrari had quashed nearly all attempts by Maserati and Alfa-Romeo at reclaiming their past glory, and non-Ferrari people were …

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Exclusive! Caterham Seven — USA Buyers Guide — LHD, Street-Legal Superformance From $38k! — 5 Engines: 160, 280, 360, 480 and 620R

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The only questions to ask yourself when ordering a Caterham from Superformance are remarkably basic: — How quickly would you like to have a huge grin on your face via monster performance and uber-tactile handling? — Will 2.8-seconds to 60-mph be worth an extra $30,000 or so versus the devastatingly-rapid Seven 480’s 3.4-second sprint? Or is 4.9-seconds in the affordable Seven 280 acceptable? — How wild do you prefer to be with color and style — as this can ratchet up all the below pricing dramatically. Easy, right? The Superformance distribution deal with Caterham finally allows these hilarious machines to …

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Build Your Own 500HP Chevy Truck with Valvoline! 5 Body Styles, 5 Engines, 10 Colors, Wheels, Graphics!

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Valvoline and Hendrick Motorsports have nabbed two of the biggest names in US auto racing for the entertaining and fun ‘Reinvention Project.’ It pits Dale Jr. versus Jimmie Johnson in a battle of resto-modding wits — five vintage Chevy truck bodies to choose among, and engines up pushing nearly 600 horsepower! It is both an on-track grudge match with drag racing and burnout contests for the resulting real-life pickup trucks each racer designed himself — a riot of power and semi-politeness among the guys. Cruise over to Facebook.com/valvoline to give them a thumbs up, and vote on your favorite. The …

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Op_Ed: Ferrari Formula One 2014 Whine-a-Thon — Actually Just Poor Engineering? But Surplus of Arrogance, Entitlement and Cronyism

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INTRO: No kid says, “I want to be one of the angry and out-of-touch old men in charge, long after my prime and causing damage to my sport, or my team.” They say, “I want to be a racecar driver.” Formula One is bringing a bit more drama to all the backstage maneuvers this year — which is at least half the fun of the sport lately. Bogged down by a tome of a rulebook, Bernie Ecclestone’s forced hiatus from running every lockstep in the sport brings with it significant pitfalls for the most legendary team on the grid: Scuderia …

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In-House Racing Expert Chris May Asks — Are Established Tracks Safe For Today’s Race Pace?

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By: Special Contributor Chris May Established Race Tracks:  Are they Safe Anymore? It’s a loaded question that I have been wrestling with over the past couple of weeks.  So you might ask, ‘Why is this on your mind, bit of a random thought?’ Well, the genesis of the thought process started last year when the racing community lost Allan Simonsen tragically at Le Mans.         I, just like many other racing fans, was glued to the TV as we watched the historical event unfold and the tragic cloud that fell upon the race with 23 hours left …

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2014 Hennessey Venom GT Worlds Fastest Edition- 270 Stunning Photos of 270MPH Venom GT Spyder

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The Venom GT is a major success story that keeps building momentum with every aerodynamic tweak and trip to the Kennedy Space Center! This video below is pretty awesome. Great intro via a  great JFK speech, HPE! Pretty outstanding results, too =] The latest WFE reached the long-held ideal of one kilogram of weight per horsepower, with both totaling 1244 thanks to the latest tweaks to the Hennessey twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The Hennessey team notes that not only is the Venom GT now the world’s fastest car, it is also the quickest. A 2.7-second sprint to 60-mph only increases in …

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2014 Cadillac CTS and CTS-V Wagons — Cult Classics — 3.6-liter V6 Offering Dark Vsport Grille via New Touring Package

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The Cadillac CTS Wagon is a plum machine, and one so rare you may never pass yourself going the other way on any road, worldwide. Available with a rear-drive 3.0-liter V6, or the upgraded 3.6-liter in rear-drive or AWD, this is a massively practical car that just happens to be gorgeous. It would be my pick in a heartbeat over the CTS Coupe, but versus the new sedan? That is a toss-up. What the Wagon does bring is that intangible sense of coolness that every fast wagon driver will know and love. What does that actually earn you? Nods of …

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INFINITI Q50 Upping Pressure on BMW With Aggressive New Turbo Engines — 2.0L Turbo for Europe … or 560HP GT-R V6 for US!

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Okay, that is not super fair. The European market is also a sure thing for the Q50 Eau Rouge, which runs a 560-horsepower twin turbocharged engine that is closely related, if not the exact same, as what powers the upgraded 2014 Nissan GT-R. But the bigger news may be down at the lower end of the range: Europe is the first market to benefit from a new sharing deal with Mercedes-Benz. Infiniti will borrow the brand-new 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that is seeing duty, or will soon see action, in everything from the CLA250 to the E250. So, the Infiniti Q50 …

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2015 Acura NSX Set for Goodwood Debut — REAL Pre-Production Model — Plus! Dream Colorizer — 150 Shades of Hybrid Supercar

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The NSX Concept is still making the rounds in near-production form — but there is big news on near-term horizon. Our prediction? The New NSX will debut in production form this summer’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England in late June of this year. While the debut is only confirmed so far as the “prototype,” we have reason to believe this prototype is actually the real pre-production car. Why is this our prediction? Some inside info or a hot tip? I wish. No — we are working on a hunch. Informed by just historical data, careful analysis of the wording …

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4.2s, 425HP 2015 BMW M4 Convertible! Full Details + 39 Photos of Wide-Track Menace — Arrival to US Buyers by Late August 2014

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Sierra Denali HD? Acura NSX Goodwood 2014 debut? Both articles bumped. Dinner skipped. The 2015 BMW M4 Convertible has arrived. Looking amazingly athletic and aggressive from every angle, the 2015 BMW M4 Convertible just popped up in our inbox ahead of its first public outing at the New York Auto Show in just two weeks time. First stats are remarkably impressive: — manual six-speed or seven-speed M-DCT transmissions, with 4.4-second and 4.2-second sprint times, respectively — Bigger trunk than before, new three-piece folding hardtop that drops cruising cabin noise levels by 2-decibels — Incredible agility and a characterful howl from …

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Honda Heritage Celebration — Official Togichi Museum PhotoSpheres — 71 Honda-isms and Milestone Achievements Since 1936

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Auto Museums are super cool. Even if your eyes glaze over at the thought of visiting a dark and endless art museum — if you like cars, you will be ecstatic the moment you walk into any car museum. Why? The cars are there because they are objectively so, so important. So important that they cannot even be stored in the basement archives of the car company — but need to be proudly displayed for both internal teams and the public to admire. Another amazing reason car museums should be on your radar? These collections are expertly-curated and laid out …

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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray — Animated Evolution in Polo White

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Ever since the debut of the 2015 Chevrolet Suburban in September 2013, General Motors seems to — finally — be a far more forward-thinking company. The irony was not lost on anyone during the 1980s and 1990s: the largest and most successful industrial entity of the 20th Century, and  perhaps all of American history, was rapidly in decline and risking it all via short-sighted management strategies that equaled awful cars.   Part of looking forward is knowing where you came from, of course. Good (but often not-so-good) skeletons of cars in the closet would no longer be swept under the …

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Okay Now! European JUKE Nismo RS Features Matching LEDs Above and Below The New Round HID Lamps

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The recent European Nissan JUKE article spent a faintly absurd amount of words and on the color choice of the show car, as well as the LED lighting functionality of the JUKE Nismo. Hiding on my desktop is another Geneva debut I have yet to cover: The JUKE Nismo RS with the solution to both the LED and icky color problems! This photo of the JUKE Nismo RS for Europe confirms: all three lighting elements can now be used simultaneously.     Perhaps a trivial distinction, but one that American JUKE Nismo owners will understand. The JUKE Nismo RS in …

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Speculative Renderings – Future Corvette Z51 Speedster and Z06 Spyder

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INTRODUCTORY CAVEAT: I hope these do not irk General Motors too much. They are all labeled as ‘speculative renderings’ — in case the dismal quality of these Photo”Chops” did not make that clear already to everyone. It is harder than it seems to achieve anything like photo-real results. To avoid any confusion among buyers is my goal in labeling everything as renders, but also to explore these ideas visually. A separate (and amazing!) article coming in a few hours will be a thorough, real-life buyers guide to the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible’s trims, wheels, colors and options later this afternoon. …

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2013 Nissan GT-R Black Edition – Drake the Akita

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UPDATE: Drake is home from surgery and doing well. It is this April Fool’s birthday tomorrow and my best friend, Drake Burkart the Akita Labrador, is in surgery right now overnight for a torn ACL.   The TPLO procedure is hopefully not life-threatening, but I am very upset anyway to see him in such pain. Therefore, is a very emotional day for me, so I am going back to some all-time favorites for car-news comfort. Here is Drake. As an American Akita breed, he is something like the GT-R in many ways. Akitas in the US were generally bred with …

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Car Museums Showcase – 1937 BMW 328 and R60 Bike in Spartanburg, SC

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The 1937 BMW 328 is a little-seen roadster gem from BMW that was, perhaps, the firm’s most advanced and sophisticated achievement outside of aircraft engines at the time. Seeing one so close in the flesh really rings home how advanced this 328 was versus its contemporaries from Aston-Martin and Jaguar — two much-better-known sports-car innovators (and competitive benchmarks) of the time.   Where those cars both still wore giant flat fenders, the 328 is completely smooth in all areas. This aero-led thinking was surely a testament to BMW’s aeronautic history until this point, but also a deep bow to the …

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2014 LeMans LMP1 – Toyota TS040 Hybrid – A Dark Horse in Audi vs. Porsche Battle

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The TS040 Hybrid is looking mighty rapid this year, with a huge increase in stamina and budget for the Toyota Motorsports Group based in Cologne, Germany. Training with past winners and local talent can only be considered a huge new asset in the Toyota WEC racing ambition for its LMP1 cars. TS040 Hybrid running from ToyotaGB on Vimeo. So, is the TS040 fast and powerful enough to outwit the Porsche 919 Hybrid and Audi R18 trio? Fast enough remains to be seen, but the Toyota effort in LMP1 has garnered five race victories since 2012, which is certainly nothing to …

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1982 BMW 1.5-liter F1 Turbo Engine Makes 1100HP! Two Videos and 17 Detail Photos

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1982 BMW 1.5-liter F1 Turbo I love a good turbocharger, and this is certainly one of the best. The carbon-fiber shell for the turbo unit and the engine cover itself has a very National Aeronautics and Space Agency feel to it — showing how advanced this material was in the early 1980s. No company had brought the artful woven patterns we take for granted today from Pagani and all the rest — C-F and Carbon-Kevlar were simply the strongest materials known to man. Looks were a firm afterthought on the space shuttles as much as for this F1 engine. But …

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2014 911 Targa4 and Carrera S Featuring PDLS LED System

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After yesterday’s article on all my failed LED headlight attempted, my admiration for the Panamera Turbo and Cayenne Turbo’s quad-point LED setup is very clear. Sidebar: Posting so many of my hideous DIY failures is really mortifying. But at least a break from the 600-or-so Amelia Island photos I am still sitting on?! Here is a 360-degree spin from one of the beach-walk decks in front of the Ritz-Carlton. This is a point of view panarama — versus a subject-focused turntable like many of my fly-arounds that center on an automobile. It was grey, overcast and raining that day, which …

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Black Swan SLS AMG GT3 In Detail — Incredibly Fascinating Aerodynamic Solutions Under Disguise Mirror Wraps

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The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has long been the oversteer king of Deutschland. We all recall Clarkson cooking many, many sets of tires in his — and even trying to locate a replacement in rural North Carolina a few years ago. So how would this car do on the track with that handling attitude and tail-first handling mantra? Well, of course. But only once it spent countless hours in the wind tunnels of Mercedes-Benz. For racecars, the engineers’ brief on aerodynamics is much easier overall than road-going supercars. Yes, tons of downforce and Yes: zero lift whatsoever, no matter what it …

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2014 SEAT Leon Cupra Scores First OEM Embedded Spin-Table! Plus 3 Reasons The Leon Cupra Spanks Renaultsport Megane (…and VW GTI)

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The most unlikely fan of SEAT? Any American! While our LED obsession is well-documented — it is not just the available full LED headlights that are big turn-ons for the Leon. We love the latest SEAT car style, value proposition and brand statement. Any favorites in the ten-strong SEAT range? We are huge Leon admirers especially. Why? Check out the (mid-range) Sports FR Kit below and tell me it is not incredibly sexy. Three reasons to crave the SEAT Leon: 1.) — Value: Versus the VW GTI, the Leon is significantly more affordable for new-car shoppers, both in actual transaction …

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BUGATTI Marque Showcase -- Geneva, Salon Prive and Pebble Beach -- Veyron Vitesse and GS Rembrandt -- Plus GIF

BUGATTI Marque Showcase — Geneva, Salon Prive and Pebble Beach — Veyron Vitesse and GS Rembrandt — Plus Venet, Jean Bugatti, L’Or Blanc and GS Vitesse

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So many Bugatti’s, so little time!   Just kidding. It really is the opposite, in fact, with a production run closing in on the final 75 units pretty soon on the horizon in 2015. But when your car costs as much as these magnificent specimens, who wouldn’t want a custom theme and livery? Quick shorthand: GS signifies the targa cars, while the Vitesse models are the fastest and newest of the all. The Vitesse wears significant updates and shaping to the entire nose, with a mid-wing in the air ducts that is not present on the earlier cars. Geneva 2014 …

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Geneva 2014 ShowFloor — Ferrari California T, 458 Speciale and F12 Looking Brilliant, Per Usual

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Any doubts about the California T’s new nose or the rationale of the 458 Speciale will be silenced in their first in-person viewing. Ferrari California T   Ferrari 458 Speciale Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

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TurboSquid 3D: Mercedes SSK, Jaguar D-TYPE Longnose and Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

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Including TurboSquid.com’s 3D design models of the Pagani Huayra ‘Extreme’ last night opened a really stinky can of worms for your humble scribe — who tries to Do The Right Thing more than even Spike Lee. On the one hand, these design models can and should be used for ethical and legal purposes. On the other hand: let’s imagine you own the intellectual property at play. Making the entire design available for just $100 or so to anyone online would be like Coca-Cola giving away the secret recipe after a customer takes their first sip of soda. Not in anyone’s …

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Unpainted Black Carbon-Fiber is Draining Hypercars of their Beauty! McLaren P1 Before/After Digitally Painted Surfaces

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The epidemic of unpainted or dark-lacquered carbon-fiber is magnificent to behold from just a few paces. But for the rest of us, from far away, there is little beauty in these dark, cavernous ‘holes’ in the latest hypercar bodywork. Both the Pagani Huayra and the McLaren P1 have liberal amounts of unpainted CF — but must it be this way? Without a McLaren P1 configurator available to the public — the car is already sold out — we have taken it upon ourselves to visualize the P1 with fully-painted surfaces. Of course, nothing is simple in the hypercar battle royale …

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PAGANI HUAYRA Extreme Renderings — Plus Bugatti EB110 and SSC Tuatara

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These are very photo-realistic 3D building blocks for designers. In fact, so good that the website greets you with this large caveat: these are not real! While these might not live outside computer screens: they are some great ideas regardless. Who would need these highly-detailed 3D maps of the entire car’s surface? Does this not infringe upon Pagani’s trademarked and copywritten designs with the EU Patent Office?   The answer to those questions is: we do not know for certain. Overall, these screenshots sampled here promote TurboSquid.com’s expertise — design renderings used for legal and ethical means. TurboSquid.com About Us …

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Legendary Racecars — 1983 March Porsche 83G-4 — Still Seeking New Home after Gooding Amelia 2014

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Alarming fact error on this one, guys. Our sincere apologies for any confusion, and a thankyou to Wayne at Pelican Parts for pointing out the issue. This is, in fact, a 1983 March Porsche 83G-4 — a BMW prototype racer retrofitted with a flat six from Porsche. Hearing the March Porsche 83G-4 fire up immediately brought droves of people up close and personal to fawn over its details, including your humble scribe. My video of the car firing up is missing somewhere in the archives, but the photos are intact! NOTABLE ELEMENTS: — In fact, Kreepy Krawly is a brand …

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Engineering Student Envisions Future W154 Silver Arrow Racer (Open-Wheel, Closed-Cockpit!)

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Renderings done by students are sometimes the most exciting new ideas out there. Phil Berger is one such visionary first-year mechanical engineering student. He is an active participant in the Local Motors Forge project, which is a co-creation community and a bit of a gathering place for dreamers. Mechanical dreamers! The tricky part of student, or any renderings, for that matter: brand names and logos. All this company IP is fiercely protected, especially in a bold new age of shameless counterfeiting. But there are other concerns besides factories running mystery “ghost shifts,” or the adage of a complete twin factory …

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Amelia Island 2014 – 1914 Mercedes-Benz GP Car

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1914 Mercedes-Benz GP Car This car does not photograph with quite the same intensity and impact of seeing it up close. There are numerous elements that truly reminded me more of a racehorse than a racecar — including the specially-made leather bonnets for much of its suspension and braking gear. Why? To keep the grime out while putting its 105-horsepower to use hitting nearly 67MPH. In 1914, those were death-defying speeds. The Dunlop Cord tires are filled harder than horseshoe steel: 80-plus PSI to maintain shape, versus about a 35PSI max in modern cars. But the real racehorse impression? This …

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Green With Envy! 2015 Audi S1 Sportback Evokes Cut-Length Sport Quattro S1

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2015 Audi S1 Sportback ]We will not see the Audi S1 here in the states for the current generation of models, but there is still something really delightful about the cars. The latest news is the reveal of a five-door version of this speedy and highly pivotal cutie. Grip in a these S1 pocket rockets is also sublime — look for the grip comparison videos versus the Nissan GT-R for evidence of how fly-paper-like the S1 can be, even versus other four-paws. The green is my new favorite car color, and something we hope to see crossing the Big Blue …

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