Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Nurburgring Podium


Here's me standing atop the 1st place podium at the Nurburgring race track!

Saturday, November 24, 2007

1999 Ford Focus WRC Model




Here's a model I just finished, a 1999 WRC Focus RS driven by the late Colin McRae. I again did a street version and kept the C. McRae decal to pay tribute. I was going for a WWII military airplane paint scheme with the navy blue exterior and olive drab interior panels, dash and roll cage. It turned out pretty good in person, we'll see how the pics turned out. Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

2009 Nissan GT-R





Here are some specs on the new 2009 Nissan GT-R (Skyline GT-R R35/R36?):


-433 pound-feet of torque from 3200 to 5200 rpm.
-473 horsepower @ 6400 rpms
-20-inch wheels and 255/40 in front and 285/35 rears.
-0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds
-11.7 seconds in the quarter mile
-7:38:54 Nurburgring
-0.99 lateral G
-7000 rpm redline
-10.2 psi (Car and Driver)

-3814 lbs


The last version of the Skyline GT-R was last produced in 2004. The USA never received this car. We did get the Infiniti G35, but that was a luxo-coupe that had good intentions but wasn't quite the street/race car you see here. Displacement is up from the last GT-R (2.6L RB26DETT) at 3.8L, still twin turbocharged. I here the price tag is about $70k and there is planned about 1500 cars to come to the states. Get on the list in January for June delivery. :)

2008 Mitsubishi Evolution X




Here are the specs of the new 2008 Evolution X:

-Wheelbase 104.3 in. Length 177.0 in. Height 58.3 in. Width 71.3 in.

-Engine DOHC MIVEC 2.0-liter inline 4; intercooled/turbocharged Horsepower 291 @ 6,500 rpm Torque 300 lb.-ft. (est.) @ 4,400 rpm

-Transmission GSR: 5-speed manualMR: 6-speed TC-SST with magnesium steering wheel shifter paddles

-Dynamics Super-All Wheel Control with Active Center Differential (ACD) 4-wheel drive, Active Yaw Control (AYC) rear differential, Active Stability Control (ASC) and Sports ABS

-Wheels GSR: 18 x 8.5 Enkei cast alloyMR: 18 x 8.5 BBS forged alloy Tires 245/40R18 Yokohama ADVAN asymmetrical performance tires


I hear weight is up to 3400-3500 lbs compared to 3200-3300 lbs of the previous models. The S-AWC is going to make for a better handling car all around, but its a bummer to see the weight go up every year. The original Evolutions weighed 2900-3000 lbs. But, looking at the new GT-R from Nissan, it follows the same pattern, going from 3400+ lbs to 3800 lbs. Ouch! But, it also picked up 200 rated hp (480 from 280hp(we all know they were more like 350)).

2008 Subaru STi



Here are the latest specs for the new WRX STi for 2008.
-Power: 305 hp @ 6,000 RPMTorque: 290 lb/ft @ 4,000 RPM
-18x8.5 wheels and 245/40/18 tires
-US Spec weight is 3,395 lbs
-Motor has Dual AVCS (on both intake and exhaust)
-14.7 PSI is max boost
Front rotors 13 inches up front and 12.6 inches diameter in the rear
-EPA Mileage ratings: 17/23 city/highway
No more sedan STi, it only comes as a 5 door hatchback. Looks like its priced around $35k base.


Saturday, November 17, 2007

Cars from the Ring




The first is a BMW 3 series touring car from the BMW museum. The next is a real Focus RS, a very cool turbocharged focus not sold in the US, next are two cars outside the little Nurburg hotel who obviously came for some track time.
Chris

Nurburgring Track Germany



Here are a couple pictures of the track and the museum. This is a track with a lot of history and a lot of action. There are a number of auto manufacture's with Test Centers in Nurburg (BMW, Jaguar, etc) and many bringing new cars still under development to test.
I saw the new 2008 Nissan Skyline GTR on the streets in Nurburg and of course both times I couldn't get my camera out in time to take a picture. AWD, 473hp/440tq and its coming to the USA.