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12 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE PORSCHE 959

2/22/2017

To say the Porsche 959 is a legend is an understatement. Whereas its archrival, the Ferrari F40, represents a no-holds-barred approach to speed, the 959 blazed a trail of technology that continues to influence the automotive world to this day. Refined and technically proficient supercars like the Bugatti Veyron and Porsche 918 Spyder can trace their roots to the 959's philosophy, as it truly is a sensational vehicle.

1. The 959 was originally designed as a rally car, not a sports carEngineers wanted to test new technologies like an electronically adjustable four-wheel drive system, and the ultra-fast Group B rally class that epitomizes 1980s rallying was in full swing, so it was a perfect fit.

2. It won the famous Paris-Dakar Rally across North AfricaBlasting past pyramids and up sand dunes looked easy compared to its Mercedes G-Wagen and Land Cruiser competition.

3. With a top speed of 197 mph, it was officially the fastest car in the world...brieflyWhen it debuted, it edged out the Ferrari 288 GTO’s 188 mph to be the first car to 190, as this gorgeous shot from Evo illustrates. The reign lasted just one year until the 959’s arch rival, the Ferrari F40, managed to hit 202 mph.

4. The 959 impacted the future of the 911 more than any 911 ever didThe 959 was indisputably a turning point in Porsche history, and represented a shift toward cutting edge technology and all-wheel drive in the pursuit of performance.

5. A road race-prepped version, called the 961, won its class at the 24 Hours of LeMansAs a result, the 959 is considered the only car to win both LeMans and Dakar.

6. There’s a special gear in the transmission purely for off-road use“G” stands for gelande (loosely, that's off-road in German) and was meant to help you trudge through thick mud and the like.

7. It was the first production car with tire pressure monitorsAlso, some of the earliest run flat tires were developed for the car.

8. It had active suspension that adapted to the road...in the 1980sFormula One was still in the process of trying to get active suspension right while the 959 had it on the street.

9. If you were bored of driving on a highway in the world’s fastest car, you could tackle not-so-paved areas without getting out of the carA touch of a button added over two inches to the ride height, which you can see in this video of the car raising itself up. To put that in perspective, that’s how much extra ride height a company like Toyota adds to its super-serious TRD Pro off-road trucks.

10. The engine was one of the very first to utilize a complex “sequential” twin-turbo system. Without delving too deep into technical jargon, turbos are driven by exhaust, and all of the 959’s exhaust went to one turbo at low RPM, then computers rerouted it to both at high RPM. The result was a smooth power band—which is both ideal for motorsports and the polar opposite of the 911 Turbo of the day, infamously known as "The Widow Maker."

11. The 959 was so beloved by powerful people that congress changed the federal importation lawsBill Gates bought one, and it wound up in a storage area at U.S. customs for over a decade. The government’s stance was that the car wasn’t legal to import, and couldn’t be made so—someone would’ve needed to donate a car for crash testing—so Gates helped get the law changed to allow cars of unusually high significance into the country.

12. The Porsche 959 was built in the same factory as the BMW M1With the M1, a specialist company by the name of Baur was brought in after a contractual issue between BMW and Lamborghini, but with the 959, Baur was selected as the builder from the get-go.

tags: breed of speed , 959 , porsche , nathan finneman , supercar , 80s , 959 legal

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS LIQUIDATING HUMVEES AT SOME PRETTY AMAZING PRICES

2/22/2017

Hundreds of Humvees are being made available at surprisingly low prices.In what may be one of the ultimate military surplus sales of all time, the government is liquidating a lot of decommissioned Humvees, and the prices are a lot more affordable than you might think.

Govplanet.com is helping host the sale, and hundreds of hummers are being sold all across the country. Surprisingly, some are going for as little as $4,000. Not bad for a piece of former military hardware. Some appear to be in better shape than others, but there are a lot of photos for each listing.There are a couple catches, however. First off, you need an end user certificate to finalize the sale. A EUC just means you are the last owner. The EUC is required because the government obviously doesn’t want these machines going overseas to U.S. enemies.

The other catch? These Humvees don’t come with a title, and they’re being sold under the designation as being for off-road use only. But don’t let that be the deal-breaker if you’ve always wanted one! You can still pick up a sweet ride for cheap, although you will have to likely endure a lot of time and headaches with the DMV to make your new vehicle legal.
tags: military , humvee cheap , nathan finneman , h1 , hummer , h1 sale, off road, breed of speed

Porsche's Hidden Restaurant Is LA's Best New Secret

2/20/2017

Most “hidden” restaurants are small, demure things, tucked away out of sight and only accessible with a whispered password. But Restaurant 917, the recently opened Porsche-backed restaurant strutting atop the sports car manufacturer’s Experience Center (a fancy phrase for their driving school and showroom) in Carson, CA doesn’t fit that mold at all — yet it’s practically guaranteed you’ve never heard of the place.

The sweetest part of the whole experience is the automobile eye candy
The grounds on which Restaurant 917 (that’s “nine-seventeen,” a famous Le Mans-winning car from the Porsche lineup) span acres, with a couple of rolling hills, tight racing corners and mechanic bays. It’s a noisy plot of land tucked into a triangle between the 110 Freeway and the 405 Freeway, a few hundred yards from the eye-catching Goodyear Blimp landing pad. Not exactly out of sight (and with the low thrum of tuned engines cresting hills every so often, not out of sound either).

That said, Restaurant 917 doesn’t much cater to the public. The second-floor restaurant sits inside a looming Porsche facility packed with timeless auto racing relics, its entrance hidden behind visitor badges, locked doors, and long hallways. The clientele is almost exclusively folks who work at Porsche, and those who have come to drive.

But the truth is, anyone can show up. You can even make a reservation on OpenTable for a weekday lunch or weekend evening meal, then be whisked away to your seat against floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Porsche performance track. There’s a bar, a private dining room, and a small outdoor perch for catching the action with your ears as much as your eyes.

Butter shaped like the iconic Porsche 911
As for the food, it’s far better than you might think, owing in no small part to the discerning clientele coming in for a bite to eat. Chef Matt Lee comes over from a stint as executive chef at the restaurant at the Getty, and he’s turning out a tuned-up menu of basics — grilled flat bread, ahi tuna, flat iron steak, an $18 burger — and notable surprises, not least of which is Lee’s commitment to sourcing everything from within less than 200 miles away. A lunch tasting menu runs $35 a head, and cocktails hover in the $15 range.

Really though, the sweetest part of the whole experience is the automobile eye candy. Cars line up for road course jaunts every hour or so, and in the meantime guests can wander around downstairs to watch the mechanics do their thing on some truly classic rides. After all, just about everyone in the restaurant is there because they love Porsche — even the guy in the kitchen who makes sure the butter that accompanies each table’s bread service is shaped like the iconic Porsche 911.

Restaurant 917 quietly opened late last year, and keeps hours for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner Thursday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Restaurant 917
19800 S. Main St.
Carson, CA

Florida troopers ticketing slow drivers in fast lane on I-75

2/20/2017

NAPLES, Fla.- Florida Highway Patrol troopers are cracking down on drivers traveling
too slowly in the left lane on Interstate 75.

“Driving on the interstate, a lot of people are just ignorant,” said driver, Joseph Portner. They won’t move over.”

Troopers say many of the slow drivers are multitasking on their phone, something Maria Strawder says she sees it all the time.

“If they’re looking down, they’re not looking at the road, so they’re looking
at their cellphone,” said Strawder.

Traveling too slowly in the left hand lane is against the law in Florida. Troopers say
it forces other drivers to pass on the right, messing up the natural flow of traffic and causing road rage.

“I try not to flash my lights at people,” said driver John Ballard.

Troopers are now ticketing anyone driving 10 mph or more below the speed limit in the passing lane.

“A ticket is a little excessive,” said Portner. “I think a warning would probably be the
better way to go.”

But other drivers are applauding the move, “I say give them all a ticket,” said Strawder.

“Sooner or later, I want you to get the hell out of the way,” said Ballard. “I’ve got
places to go.”

The tickets can cost drivers about $150 depending on which county they’re stopped in.

The new Ford GT supercar may be Amphibious.

2/19/2017

Wet weather driving is something most supercars will never encounter, but Ford wants everyone to know what the new GT is capable of. Living in Florida, we are accustomed to flooded roads and the calamity they cause. In order to breath cool air most new cars are bottom breathers. The engine’s air intake is mounted low to take advantage of high pressure generated by the front bumper. So inevitably rain water is sucked into a few unlucky cars and its game over.

Hydro lock is when an engine is destroyed by water. It can happen to any car in the right situation, especially supercars with low ground clearance. In a move that would kill most cars, Ford Performance decided to ford a river by plunging the GT into a splash test. In a test trench usually reserved for trucks, the GT makes swimming look easy. The rear mounted 3.5 liter engine has intakes located behind the cockpit, so you would have to work very hard to get water into the cylinders. We inquired with them about replicating this test at our facility, but for some reason we have yet to receive a reply. Please don’t try this at home, and if you do please send us the footage. Stay with us for all your Ford GT updates.

tags: nathan finneman , ford gt , water testing , ford supercar , awesome , breed of speed , bos

Lambo owner talks Sh*t before a race and regrets it after.

2/19/2017

A heated argument between two racers ends in a race setup with a total pot of $9,000! Things don’t go quite as planned for one of the racer and it gets heated! You may have seen this XBox Forza Horizon R32 Nissan Skyline in videos on the net so you probably know it’s not to be messed with (800whp), but this Lambo driver with a temper didn’t know what was comingWe haven’t seen too many fights when out filming, but when we do it’s typically over ego, money, or BOTH! This was a very exciting way to end our trip in Australia at the end of the roll race night at Queensland Raceway.

Luckily the only actual damage done was to one Lambo owners ego and his pocket book!

The Grappler Police Bumper Is Made to End Chases by Lassoing Cars

2/13/2017

One of the most dangerous aspects of a police officer’s job is chasing down a car. Constantly walking the fine line of staying on pace with the suspect while ensuring the safety of the officer and the surrounding public, an officer is often forced to make split-second decisions that can (and do sometimes) end in tragedy. In an attempt to reduce the chance of injury or death, a company called Grappler Police Bumpers has invented a unique pursuit termination device that quickly and safely brings a car chase to a controlled stop.

Utilizing a device that resembles a retractable slingshot, the Grappler launches a series of straps that wrap around the rear tire of a vehicle. The pursuing officer then applies the brakes and uses his or her squad car as an anchor, safely bringing the vehicle to a stop. It's fast, it's simple, and based on the video of the Grappler in action, it works stunningly well.

Unlike spike strips, this Grappler car lasso does not give the vehicle being pursued as great a chance to slide out of control due to an
extreme deceleration. And instances where it is too dangerous to remain tethered to the vehicle, the officer is able to cut it loose, leaving the pursued vehicle's wheel immobilized while giving the cop room to back off.

This is not the first time an alternative to the spike strip or PIT maneuver has been created. However, the Grappler's simple design means fewer things to break, improving its odds of surviving the rough-and-tumble life of the patrol officer.

Plus, let's face it: It's a car lasso. Police departments might pick it up on the cool factor alone.

Bernie Ecclestone Is Out At Formula One.

2/13/2017

Longtime Formula One impresario Bernie Ecclestone has been forced to resign from his leadership position over by the sport’s new owners Liberty Media, reports Auto Motor und Sport. New F1 chairman Chase Carey has taken over his former responsibilities.
Ecclestone told Auto Motor und Sport, as translated by Google:
I was deposed today. Just go away. This is official. I do not run the company anymore. My position has been taken over by Chase Carey.
Carey was announced as Formula One’s new chairman right after Liberty Media announced their purchase of the sport. This change means that he will fulfill the duties of both the chairman and CEO.

Ecclestone’s departure means that others will now handle contracts with race organizers and broadcasters, as well as serve as a political liaison between teams, the FIA, and other stakeholders.

It is understood that Liberty Media wants to divide Ecclestone’s former responsibilities among multiple people. Auto Motor und Sport and Motorsport.comboth report that ex-Ferrari and Mercedes head Ross Brawn is still in the picture to fill a leadership role over F1's sporting side. Former ESPN sales and marketing executive Sean Bratches is expected to take over F1's commercial side, per Motorsport.com. [Update: Both of these hires have now been confirmed. See note below.]

Ecclestone also confirmed to Auto Motor und Sport that he was offered the position of “Honorary President,” to keep him around for his years of experience and expertise with the sport, however, he is not sure what this means, and it’s clear that it lacks much power. Ecclestone said, as translated by Google:

My new position is now such an American expression. A kind of honorary president. I’ll get this title without knowing what it means.

Ecclestone is 86 years old, and has served in a leadership role over Formula One for over 40 years.

Liberty Media and Formula One have yet to confirm the change, with an official confirmation not expected until Tuesday, per Motorsport.com. The FIA just approved of F1's sale to Liberty Media at a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council last Wednesday.

UPDATE [3:34 p.m.]: Formula One has confirmed that Liberty Media’s purchase of Formula One is complete, and that Bernie Ecclestone will be moving to a Chairman Emeritus role:

Liberty Media Corporation and Delta Topco, the parent company of Formula 1 announced today that Liberty Media has completed its previously announced acquisition of F1, the iconic global motorsports business, from a consortium of sellers. F1 has appointed Chase Carey as Chief Executive Officer of F1, in addition to his existing role as Chairman, and Bernie Ecclestone as Chairman Emeritus of F1. Bernie Ecclestone, who has given valuable service to F1 over many years, will be available as a source of advice for the board of F1.

Today, Liberty acquired 100% of the shares in Formula One, which represent an enterprise value for F1 of $8 billion. As part of the transaction, the Liberty Media Group will be renamed the Formula One Group, to be traded under the ticker symbol FWON. You can read more about the financial particulars of the sale here.

Bernie had complimentary words for his successors in Formula One’s announcement:

I’m proud of the business that I built over the last 40 years and all that I have achieved with Formula 1, and would like to thank all of the promoters, teams, sponsors and television companies that I have worked with. I’m very pleased that the business has been acquired by Liberty and that it intends to invest in the future of F1. I am sure that Chase will execute his role in a way that will benefit the sport.

Additionally, Liberty Media President and CEO Greg Maffei and new F1 Chairman and CEO Chase Carey will appear on the CNBC show Squawk Box at 7:00 a.m. ET Tuesday morning to discuss the sale.

Formula One also confirmed the addition of Ross Brawn as Managing Director, Motor Sports, and of Sean Bratches as Managing Director, Commercial Operations.

Brawn is well-known in the Formula One world, having played a role in numerous world championships with Ferrari, Benetton, Williams and BrawnGP—the latter of which became the Mercedes F1 team that has dominated the past few seasons. Brawn has been acting as a consultant to Liberty Media throughout the sale of F1.

Bratches’ last job was as the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for ESPN, and he brings over 27 years of commercial-side experience to the role.

McLaren 650S Makes Mom Throw Up

2/13/2017

Friend of the blog, the.leviathan, has already taken his dad out in his McLaren 650S and made him quite unhappy. Now, it’s his mom’s turn.

In his latest YouTube video, he had his mom in the passenger seat while he rocketed around, throwing her back into her seat. He used his McLaren’s monster twin-turbo V8 to give her with what she called her “best ride ever.” Although, she did end up getting sick after the video. Shame on you, Leviathan, for gettin’ your mom sick!

Check out the video below and let me know what your mom would do if you drove her around in a McLaren. My mom? She’d be begging for me to let her drive it!

Two people dead in Lamborghini crash at SPEEDVEGAS

2/13/2017

LAS VEGAS - A client and instructor died on Sunday in a Lamborghini crash at SPEEDVEGAS. The incident happened around 1:26 p.m at 14200 S. Las Vegas Boulevard.

According to Metro Police, a client was driving the Lamborghini on the SPEEDVEGAS racetrack with an instructor in the car. Investigators say the client, a man in his 30's, lost control and crashed into a wall.

The car erupted in flames and both men inside the Lamborghini were killed.The instructor was described as being in his late 50's or early 60's.

"Today, an accident on the track resulted in the deaths of a SPEEDVEGAS employee and a customer. We are fully cooperating with investigators at this time. We are devastated by this tragic event and extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families and to our SPEEDVEGAS team members who have lost a beloved colleague," said Aaron Fessler, co-founder and chief executive officer, SPEEDVEGAS.

This incident is being treated as an industrial accident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will lead the investigation.

breed of speed , nathan finneman , crash , lamborgini crash vegas , lambo crash vegas , exotic

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12 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE PORSCHE 959

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS LIQUIDATING HUMVEES AT SOME PRETTY AMAZING PRICES

Porsche's Hidden Restaurant Is LA's Best New Secret

Florida troopers ticketing slow drivers in fast lane on I-75

The new Ford GT supercar may be Amphibious.

Lambo owner talks Sh*t before a race and regrets it after.

The Grappler Police Bumper Is Made to End Chases by Lassoing Cars

Bernie Ecclestone Is Out At Formula One.

McLaren 650S Makes Mom Throw Up

Two people dead in Lamborghini crash at SPEEDVEGAS

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