“The Zonda has set more than one record at the race track. It raised the bar for road supercars. Passion, ingenuity, knowledge and craftsmanship created the parts to form an effective and focused package. What more could you want?”
These are the enticing words appearing at the beginning of this beautifully-shot video clip. In the clip is the new Pagani Zonda R. It does not move or even start up. This is something of a commercial trailer for the super track car which was commissioned to Supercarmovies.com by Pagani.
Pagani it may be argued, does not need advertising to sell the Zonda R or any other car for that matter. However we cannot pass up a chance to view another video where the car is featured, even if it is just standing still.
At some point during the clip they show some of the components that make up the R and then progress to other shots demonstrating these parts being screwed together by hand to form a complete package. When it’s done you can’t help but admire the polished finished product.
To recap some of the technical bits; the engine is a 6.0-litre V12 with 552kW (750hp) and peak torque of 710Nm. It comes with a 6-speed sequential gearbox and slick tyres.
One of the most unusual vehicles to grace last year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas is now up for auction on eBay Motors. Called the BatSmart, this little vehicle was unlike most of the high-octane pieces of rolling artwork at the event in that it used just three pistons and 70 horsepower to move along its twin passengers. What it loses in power, though, it makes up in style, right?
Designed by George Barris himself, creator of the original Batmobile from the mid '60s, the Batsmart features a faux turbine and rocket launchers to go along with its full custom body kit, which includes the requisite rear batfins and rodent-like pointy nose.
The new Honda Insight, while not technically a full parallel hybrid like the Prius (it can cruise on electric power alone but not accelerate), will nevertheless be cross shopped heavily with the heavy weight from Toyota. The Insight's main selling point is its price, which starts under $20,000, but you wouldn't know that from Honda's first Insight ad.
The commercial, called 'Let it Shine', was created by the Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and uses a bank of Insights parked in a grid near the mountains as pixels in a giant LED-like display. When the sun goes down, the headlights begin flickering on and off to create a cutesy animation to the tune of "This Little Light of Mine".
It's the same kind of creative marketing we've come to expect from Honda, which scored its biggest commercial hit with a Honda Accord commercial that showed a Rube Goldberg-like machine created entirely out of car parts. The Insight commercial won't actually air in the U.S., so you're best chance to see it is after the jump. We've also included a Making Of video that shows just how difficult it was to produce.
We're not sure what's so artistic about a HUMMER H3 with wooden wagon-style wheels, but apparently someone with a higher aptitude than ourselves has created just such an exhibit. It's parked outside the Royal Academy of Arts in London and was created by an artist named Matthew Harrison. According to the press release, he "has combined the legendary off-road vehicle with 'Wild West' wooden wheels to create a sculpture that is a mixture of art, engineering and motoring. For Harrison, "the crux of the 'Hummer' is formed by both its 'being' and its afterlife." We couldn't have sarcastically come up with a better line than that, so we'll just leave it as is. If you'd like to see this rolling sculpture in person, you can do so starting October 17 and it will be parked until the 20th.
In what is believed to be the first-ever Nissan GT-R R35 crash caught on video, a GT-R owner loses control of his ‘Zilla and ends up in a wall after trying to keep up with a Evo IX MR on a twisty mountain road at night. As you can see in the video above, the GT-R driver doesn’t seem to be a match for the Evo driver though for apparent reasons, it’s an easier task to keep up with the car ahead than to be leading. Enjoy and feel bad - for the car.
I've seen this car a few times on the net as its owned by one of the modsof the Pro-Touring forum, Steve Rupp. I saw it on a forum again today, which reminded me I should share it with you guys.
'Bad Penny' is a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro with an LS2 engine, six speed box with 580bhp. Nice and clean!
However, the build wasn't plain sailing. The original intention was to do just a couple of things to the car. As with most builds it ended up as a complete rebuild. The car was nearing completion in May 2007, when it was hit from behind by a truck suffering damage (below). Luckily an insurance pay-out resulted in a quick rebuild ready to be shown at SEMA last November.
The craftsmanship on this vehicle is just stunning. Other modifications include a Corvette C5 suspension, new braking system and, of course, Forgeline wheels. In fact there isn't much left that is standard.
The great thing about this car....it gets used. Fantastic!
In 1988, Lancia gained 10 victories out of 11 rallies and the world title, won well before the end of the season. The 8 valve Delta had won, ahead of every rival in every continent, demonstrating its unrivalled performance, reliability and durability. But Lancia did not let this lull them into complacency, the 16 valve HF Integrale was being developed and was to run alongside its stablemate during the 1989 season. The new car was identifiable from its predecessor by the raised centre of the bonnet to accommodate the new 16 valve engine. The other exterior changes visible were; wider wheels and tyres and new identity badges front and rear. The 16 valve integrale was published in 1989 Geneva Motorshow.
The torque split was changed to 47% front and 53% rear, this gave the car better handling characteristics, on tarmac, where the Ford Cosworths were beginning to show their potential. Both the 8 and 16 valve cars were in use by the Works Team during the 1989 season, the 16 valve made its successful debut on the Sanremo Rally with Miki Biasion, at this time the new livery of the 16 valve cars was red; however, the colour reverted to white for the 1990 season as red was found to be less incisive than white in photographs and on television.
The turbocharged 2-litre Lancia 16v engine is already a powerful, refined performer, but was further developed for the Integrale 16v. Generating 200 bhp (149 kW) at 5500 rpm, it can take the car to a maximum speed of 137 mph (220 km/h) and get it from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 5.5 seconds. Larger injectors provide higher power output and efficient exploitation of the fuel feed at high engine speeds. The response of a Garrett T3 turbocharger is immediate, thanks to the reduced inertia of the turbine. A highly efficient intercooler provides the driver with more power and greater reliability. The new over-boost system uses a proportional electrovalve, to give a lift to engine torque: 220 lbf·ft (298 N·m) at 3000 rpm. All these improvements make the road-going version of the Integrale 16v a spirited, reliable and inherently safe car. The exuberant 16-valve engine, however, retains commendable refinement, thanks to the inclusion of two counter-rotating balancer shafts, eliminating vibration to give superb smoothness. The engine can also run on unleaded fuel without modification.
The Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v uses a dual circuit braking system with each axle separate, which is safer because directional stability is maintained by each axle. The optional four-channel, second generation ABS system is mounted on this circuit. Designed specifically for four-wheel drive, it ensures safe braking on all surfaces and in any situation, in the minimum distance, to maintain directional stability. In emergency braking, the electronic control unit uses two sensors, detecting transverse and longditudinal accelerations to deliver braking pulses appropriate to each side of the vehicle. Loss of control over ground with uneven grip can thus be prevented. The sensors are situated at the car's centre of gravity, near the gear lever. System efficiency is assured by electronic self diagnosis carried out automatically after starting the engine.
Lamborghini built its first military vehicle, a prototype vehicle codenamed the "Cheetah", in 1977. Lamborghini had designed the vehicle with hopes of selling it to the US military. The original Cheetah prototype had a rear-mounted ChryslerV8 engine. The prototype was destroyed during testing by the US military. This led Lamborghini to develop the LM001, which was very similar to the Cheetah, but had an AMC V8 engine.
It was finally determined that the engine being mounted in the rear caused too many unfavorable handling characteristics in an offroad vehicle, and the LMA002 was built with an entirely new chassis, moving the engine (now the V12 out of the Countach) to the front. After much testing and altering of the prototype, it was finally given a serial number and became the first LM002. The production model was unveiled in an early 1986 Brussels Auto Show
Lovingly dubbed the "Rambo-Lambo",its aggressive styling and powerful engine made it a success for Lamborghini. Civilian models were outfitted with a full luxury package, including full leather trim, tinted power windows, air conditioning, and a premium stereo mounted in a roof console. In order to meet the vehicle's tire needs, Lamborghini commissioned Pirelli to create the Pirelli Scorpion tires with custom, run-flat, tread designs. These were made specifically for the LM and were offered in two different tread designs, one for mixed use and the other for sand use only. These tires could be run virtually flat without risk and were the only rubbers available to compete with the desert heat, the loading and the speeds that the LM could inflict on them. A 76 gallon (290 liter) fuel tank supplied fuel.
The civilian version was often marketed toward rich Saudi sheiks because of its incomparable performance in the desert due to the Scorpion tires, an oversized radiator, and a large air cleaner which sat on top of 6 Weber carburettors. For those requiring even more power, the 7.2 litre marine V12, more commonly found in Class 1 offshore powerboats, could be specified.
The military version of the LM002 omitted some of the luxuries, and featured additions including mounting points for machine guns. The Saudi Arabian army ordered 40, each with the roof able to be opened like a hatch over the rear seats.Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi reportedly ordered 100 of them for the use of Libya's military.
In 1988 Lamborghini sent an LM002 to a team of special engineers with the intention of making it capable of participating in the Paris Dakar Rally. They stripped it of anything that added unnecessary weight and gave it an upgraded suspension, engine modifications which brought it to 600 hp (450 kW), full roll cage, plexiglas windows, and GPS equipment. Unfortunately, the money ran out before it could officially be entered in competition, although it did participate in the Rallye des Pharaons in Egypt and another in Greece, both times driven by Sandro Munari.[5]
Near the end of the LM002's production, a Turin based autoshop owner created a one-off "Estate" version by enclosing the back area and raising the roof. This added significantly to the interior room.
On July 18, 2004, at a US military base near Baqubah, members of the American military used an LM002 that had belonged to Uday Hussein to simulate the effects of a car bomb, not knowing of its rarity or value. The LM002 was destroyed during the test.
