Category:

GM Approves C8 Mid-Engine Corvette for 2019!

8/18/2017

“The mid engine was signed off on last week, a 2019 with 3 or 4 models, top of the line being the “Zora” and I swear rumor has it 900 HP. They will try to compete with the Ferrari and Lambo (an probably at their prices) ……anyway it will be debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in Jan 18.”

“They will also definitely run the C7 thru 2019, simultaneously.”
They go on to say that the unveiling of the mid-engine was for engineers only and it was very well received.

If any of this is true, what we heard and posted a year ago looks like it may become reality with the C7 and mid-engine being built at the same time for a short period of time.

While it may be unrealistic that the top-of-the-line Zora will come out with 1000 HP, it is possible that the engine may be engineered to handle up to 1200 HP.

Hang on tight folks. The Corvette world is about to get a whole lot more interesting!

tags: breed of speed , mid engine corvette , corvette , nathan finneman , colorado , mid engine chevy , 1500hp corvetee

Driving the stunningly beautiful Vanderhall Motor works Venice Roadster

8/15/2017

I recently had the opportunity of spending some quality time with the new Vanderhall Motor Works Venice roadster. I was quite intrigued mainly due to the fact that it had classy lines that were far more attractive than your typical 3 wheel roadster. As luck would have it the company was en route back to their Utah headquarters and were passing through Denver. Daniel Boyer of Vanderhall was gracious enough to hand me the keys and let me put this beauty through its paces.

At first glance, most ask what is it? It looks part hot rod, part sports car, part motorcycle. I guess that is the beauty of this machine. It’s not a car, yet it drives like one. One aspect I always look for the older I get, is attention to detail. I was once only based on what was under the hood, but now the little things such as the button layout in the cockpit, how body lines flow, etc matter more. This roadster hit the stimulation buttons on all those points for me.
I fell in love with this machine, and I’m not event talking about the driving aspect. Just how it looks, the vibe it gives off. If it was a drink it would be three parts classy, two parts hot rod.
This is something you can drive to work for that business meeting, take your wife out for a classy dinner that night, and head to Sturgis the following week with your bandito bandanna on. This machine doesn’t have a specific crowd or place, it fits in where and when it wants to.

Forget my feelings on how it looks, lets talk about how it drives, that’s what we're here for right? Well if I was to say in five words what the Vanderhall is like to drive, “hello turbo, goodbye drivers license”. Simply put, the car is a rocket, sitting in at 1475lbs with 200hp turbo charged GM 4 cylinder, the power to weight ratio is fantastic. Lighter vehicles always appeal more to me, and when you combine forced induction with a lightweight chassis, its a recipe for perfection. One would ask what is the handling characteristics of a three wheel vehicle. Usually I would say sh*tty, for many reasons, weight transfer, power transfer. All around handling is rarely the goal of a three wheeled machine. However, Vanderhall has successfully destroyed my opinion on three wheel handling characteristics. This thing handles like a go kart on steroids, it was an absolute blast and I had full confidence in its corning abilities. I would say the suspension could be a tad softer for those in the mindset of touring, but i'm not one of those types. The closest thing I would compare this too, is a open cockpit version of a Lotus Elise with more ponies on the pedal. Driving this car at high speed was addictive, I constantly found myself under boost, and the wonderful thing was there’s no turbo lag! The power is immediate and pulls through the entire RPM band.

Aeesthetically speaking this car is a perfect fit for both short people and tall people, the steering wheel height, pedal spacing, the seat adjustment, was all suited to pretty much anyone. I mean your buddy Tom who’s 7 feet tall probably has a guarantee of getting more bugs in his hair than my 5’9” oddball self, but are you really buying a machine like this to keep that comb over in check?
Now obviously people ask, what didn’t you like about the Vanderhall Venice? Of course there are some details points that I think could be changed or improved. Cup holders? Yeah cupholders would be pretty awesome. I’m pretty sure they have an option for that, the one I drove didn’t, and my coffee kept my crotch too warm. Obviously this is a fair weather car, at a certain speed the rain will go past you with little effect on your moisture absorption, but you will get wet if you're caught in a storm. The brakes faded faster than I expected, then again I was doing 100mph and heating them up faster than most would. To be honest, there really isn’t anything negative about this machine. I absolutely fell in love with it, everything. How it looked, how people reacted to it, and how it drove. In my opinion it hit the kudos button on all those points. I admire a machine that everyone respects, and frankly that's quite hard of a task to complete. The Vanderhall Venice however got respect from every individual it had contact with, and that really made me appreciate the design of this beauty. My final verdict on this badboy? Hell yes, beyond approved in my opinion. Frankly I didn’t want to give it back to Daniel, but telling by the oddly high number of missed calls from him, and the time frame I had exhausted, I had no choice.
Well done Vanderhall,
you have yourself a hell of a machine..

Here's a wonderful short film we shot with the Vanderhall that gives you a feeling what its like in the driver seat, A Motion Portrait by Tage Plantell of silverhalidepictures.com
Michael J. Mikelson - Executive Producer
Cam Blazek Production Assistant

tags: breed of speed , vanderhall motorworks , vanderhall venice , nathan finneman , 3 wheel roadster , open wheel vanderhall , cool , motorcycle

Watch Driving Instructors Get Pranked By a Pro Racer

8/15/2017

Driving tests are supposed to be nerve-racking for new students, but one Malaysian driving school flipped the script and absolutely terrified their rookie instructors.
To prank employees on their first day of work, the school hired Leona Chin, a professional rally-racing driver, to be the unlucky tutors' first pupil.
Chin, dressed up in a nerdy-looking outfit, spends the first half of the video pretending she’s a hopeless learner. Then, just as instructors are getting frustrated, Chin reveals her true talents—and the reactions are priceless.
"The 3 employees you saw at the end loved it and laughed it off, but the guy in the blue shirt was not too happy. That's why we didn’t have footage of him smiling," Izmir Mujab, CEO of the media company behind the video

tags: breed of speed , nathan finneman , student driver funny , driver , drifting , mr.drifto

Chris Hemsworth Loses It In A Formula E Car!

8/11/2017

The New York City street circuit proves too much for actor Chris Hemsworth.When the Formula E circus arrived in New York City a couple of weeks ago, actor and TAG Heuer ambassador Chris Hemsworth stopped by to check things out. Being an ambassador for the race series' official time keeper has its perks, which includes the opportunity to drive a Formula E car out on the track all by your lonesome. Watch how Thor handled the circuit in our third and final episode of TAG Heuer: Inside Formula E – or more accurately, how the circuit handled him.

Singer, Williams Team Up to Build Insane 500-HP Air-Cooled Flat-Six Porsche Engines

8/10/2017

Good news, resto-modded Porsche lovers. Singer Vehicle Design and Williams Advanced Engineering have teamed up for a classic car that will have fans of the classic air-cooled flat-six 911 engine all hot and bothered. Three Singer clients will be getting restored and modified naturally aspirated, air-cooled, 500-horsepower flat-sixes made in concert with Williams for their Singer-customized 911s. Yes, you read that right: a naturally-aspirated, air-cooled, 500-hp flat-six in the back of a classic 911.
Singer, in order to meet the needs of these three customers, partnered with Williams (yes, the Formula One Williams people) to put together a lightweight, high-powered resto-mod. What started life as a 3.6-liter flat-six that put out 247 hp will end up as a 4.0-liter, 500 hp banshee.
According to Singer's press release, these are some of the specs and modifications that were done to the engines:

500 HP
Four-valve cylinder heads
Engine speed range extended beyond 9,000 rpm
Dual-oil circuits
Cylinders and pistons with titanium con-rods
Aluminum throttle bodies with carbon fiber trumpets
Upper and lower injectors for improved performance
A carbon fiber air-box with active multi-stage resonator chamber for mid-range torque optimization
Inconel and titanium exhaust system optimized for thermal performance
CFD optimized and enlarged engine cooling fan
Ram air induction system with pressure recovery in intake plenums
Lightweight materials, including titanium, magnesium and carbon fiber are used extensively to reduce component mass and vehicle weight.

If memory serves, the stock engine red-lined at around 6,500 to 6,800 rpm. The Singer/Williams mods will have it pushing more than 9,000 rpm. The 1991 911—or 964 if you will—has a curb weight of around 3,100 pounds; after Singer is done with the cars, they will most likely come in under that. So, you're looking at a (probably) sub-3,000 pound, 500-hp 964. This is the stuff of dreams.

Helping our clients realize their unique vision for a reimagined Porsche 911 with the help of automotive royalty is very much a privilege," Singer founder Rob Dickinson said in the press release. "Singer is delighted to be working with Williams Advanced Engineering and Hans Mezger to offer our clients a 'next level' of restoration and modification services for their Porsche 911s. With careful and dedicated development, this iconic air-cooled engine has much to give both its existing devotees and a generation of new enthusiasts.”
You read that right. They pulled legendary Porsche engineer Hans Mezger out of retirement for this project.
Singer will be announcing more partners and all the details when the first Williams car is revealed in September. Until then, you'll have to settle for drooling over the engin

tags: breed of speed , singer 911 , porsche 500hp air cooled , bos , colorado , singer 911 ,

Brand New Corvette Destroyed By Red Light Runner

8/3/2017

Traffic can get wild sometimes. Anytime you're on the road, there's a risk of somebody that can't drive or can't pay attention long enough to look at the road for more than 5 seconds, crashing into you. It's an unfortunate fact of life and comes with the territory of driving. In fact, it's probably worse nowadays since there's so many distractions on our smartphones, which cause many people to run red lights resulting in an accident. It's always best to pay attention to the road (and traffic lights!)

Unfortunately for the driver of this new Corvette, they didn't get to keep it in mint condition very long. At a red light, both the Corvette and the Jeep Cherokee begin to drive forward as they get a green light to go. Out of no where a Chevy Colbalt runs the red light and smashes into the Jeep, causing the Jeep to smash into the Corvette. Ouch! That's definitely not a good situation to be in, especially when it's your brand new car you just bought that just got destroyed! What a fail!

But that's why there's insurance and hopefully everything got sorted out and the Corvette looks as good as new now. What do you think about this?

This Weird Windshield Blocker Could Replace the Parking Boot

7/31/2017

The parking boot is outdated and inefficient, according to startup Barnacle Parking Enforcement. In Barnacle's view, we should retire the old boot and use its new product instead, cleverly dubbed The Barnacle. It's significantly more high-tech than a parking boot, and significantly more bizarre.
Using two industrial-grade suction cups, the Barnacle mounts to a car's windshield, which unlike a boot, allows the car to be towed. The Barnacle comes with a screen to let the parking offender know why it was installed, and a credit card reader, so they can pay to have it removed. If the offender tries to drive off, an alarm will sound.
It's a definite improvement over the old Boot, but the people who made it clearly have never heard of the windshield-less Morgan 3 Wheeler. In addition, if an owner was motivated enough, they could just replace the windshield.
The Barnacle is certainly strange, but honestly, anything is better than getting booted.

STRANDED MAN WALKS INTO ASTON MARTIN HQ AND STEALS DB11!

7/31/2017

A 45 year old man has been handed a 2 year suspended prison sentence after stealing an Aston Martin DB11 from the British manufacturers headquarters in Gaydon.
In a very strange twist of events, the man claims he had an argument when out with some friends, that left him abandoned in the area with no way of getting home. The stranded man wandered into Aston Martin's HQ and was able to get away with an Aston Martin DB11!

That night there just happened to be a glitch in Aston Martin's security system, which allowed the 45 year old to drive away in an unregistered DB11.
The next Morning, police were alerted to a disturbance, describing an Aston Martin driving wildly around the streets in the early hours. The police found the car abandoned, and sniffer dogs traced the man to his house, where he was found with keys to the DB11 and another Aston Martin model.

Aston Martin have said that they were forced to write-off the car, as the damaged caused by the man meant that the car could not be sold as new, and as the car had no registered keeper, could not be sold as a used vehicle either.
The man was given only a minor sentence as the judge ruled that the theft was coincidental, and not planned.

Man Manages To Crash Brand New Ferrari Within An Hour Of Buying It

7/30/2017

Very little equates to the feeling you get when you buy a new car.
The possibilities of the stuff you can do surges adrenaline through your body, and you never want to stop driving. You want to hit speeds, blast the stereo as loud as possible, be that guy who gives lifts to your annoying mates who shout things out of the windows. It's all part of having a new motor.
What isn't on the agenda, though, is crashing the new vehicle shortly after purchasing it. This guy clearly didn't get that agenda and ended up writing off his brand new Ferrari.
Police released pictures of the wrecked £260,000 Ferrari 430 Scuderia which had been in the fella's possession for no more than an hour.

U.K. to ban sales of gasoline, diesel cars starting 2040

7/26/2017

Britain will ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of a plan to get them off the roads altogether 10 years later, environment minister Michael Gove said.
Gove's comments confirmed U.K. newspaper reports on Tuesday that said from 2040 all new vehicles sold must be fully electric as part of a plan to clean up air pollution.
The sale of new hybrid vehicles that have an electric motor combined with a gasoline or diesel engine would also end under the plan, The Times said.
The U.K. is the latest European country to focus on electric vehicles for future transportation. France also plans to end the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2040in a bid to become a carbon-neutral nation. German cities including Stuttgart and Munich have also said they are considering banning some diesel vehicles, which are blamed for harmful NOx emissions.
The U.K.'s step will likely accelerate the decline of diesel cars in the U.K., Europe's second-biggest market after Germany.
Demand for diesel cars fell 10 percent in the first half in Britain while sales of gasoline vehicles rose 5 percent, according to industry data. Sales of electric and hybrid models increased nearly 30 percent in the same period, the fastest growing section of the market, but it still accounts for less than 5 percent of new-car registrations.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said consumers should be given incentives to buy electric cars. "Outright bans risk undermining the current market for new cars and our sector, which supports over 800,000 jobs across the U.K.," he said. "The industry instead wants a positive approach which gives consumers incentives to purchase these cars."
Hawes said demand for alternatively fueled vehicles is still at a very low level because consumers have concerns over affordability, range and charging points. "We could undermine the U.K.’s successful automotive sector if we don’t allow enough time for the industry to adjust," he said.
Diesel restrictions
In a BBC interview on Wednesday, Gove said the government would make 200 million pounds ($261 million) available to local authorities shortly for schemes to restrict diesel vehicles' access to polluted roads. He said he favored road-by-road restrictions for diesel vehicles rather than outright bans from town centers or costly vehicle scrappage schemes, but did not rule them out entirely if they were local authorities' preferred options.
"It's important we all gear up for a significant change which deals not just with the problems to health caused by emissions but the broader problems caused in terms of accelerating climate change," Gove said on the "Today" show on BBC Radio 4.
The British government is right to put an expiry date on dirty gasoline and diesel engines, "but 2040 is far too late," said Areeba Hamid, a clean-air campaigner at Greenpeace UK. "Car manufacturers like Volvo have announced their intention to move away from petrol and diesel by the end of this decade. Germany, India, the Netherlands and Norway are all considering bans by 2030 or sooner," Hamid said in a statement.
The U.K. has been under pressure to take measures to reduce air pollution after losing legal cases brought by campaign groups. The decision is partly brought on by stringent European Union emission rules that the U.K. must follow even as it is set to leave the bloc.
Ahead of the June general election, the governing Conservatives pledged to make "almost every car and van" zero-emission by 2050. "Today we are confirming that there should be no new diesel or petrol vehicles by 2040," Gove told BBC Radio on Wednesday.
The move comes as the U.K. plans to invest more than 800 million pounds ($1 billion) in driverless and zero-emission technology as part of its post-Brexit industrial strategy. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy outlined plans to invest 246 million pounds in battery technology research earlier this week. BMW said on Tuesday it will build an electric version of its Mini car in Britain.
The global shift toward electric vehicles will create upheaval for industry - from oil majors harmed by reduced gasoline demand to spark plug and fuel injection manufacturers whose products aren't needed by plug-in cars.
Car manufacturers are already adapting to the new reality. Earlier this month, Volvo became the first major traditional automaker to set a date for phasing out vehicles powered solely by the internal combustion engine by saying all its new models launched after 2019 will be electric or hybrids.

<<Previous

Forward>>