RideLust

Man… just when I thought I was going to be able to save some money BMW has gone and taken the wraps off of its new 1 Series M Coupe. You see I’m in desperate need of a track car. I’m looking for something that I can flog mercilessly on the street and then thrash on the weekends at the race track. My Magnum SRT8 is simply too big and my old BMW E39 M5 was just too fat. This little bugger though, this little bugger may fit the bill perfectly. That front end is wicked aggressive and that short stubby wheelbase means that this car should have the flick-ability of a go-kart. With power from its twin-turbo 6-cylinder said to be in the 340 hp range, the 1 Series M Coupe should also have more than enough grunt to roll with the big dogs on the track. I’m really diggin’ this thing, now I just have to see if it’s going to be released before track season starts.

Source: Youtube.com

It’s true, we here at Ridelust.com want one of these suckers BAD! What you are seeing is the new Audi Quattro Concept, a car that is a fitting tribute to the original Audi Quattro Sport that was released back in 1984. Powered by a 5-cylinder turbo that bangs out 408 hp, this amazing concept is something that we hope Audi builds. Oh yeah, it’s also a proper 6-speed manual gearbox and rockets to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds thanks to its all-wheel-drive system. You see right now Audi is pimping this thing out all over the place in order to test the waters and gauge public reaction. I saw this car in person a month ago at the LA auto show and not only was I immediately impressed, but I knew right then, that I wanted one. Audi went back to basics with this car by making it light weight, fast and a traditional two-seater. This is one of those rare automobiles that WILL sell… all Audi has to do now is build the damn thing.

Source: Youtube.com

If you’re a car enthusiast you should know that John Hennessey is one of the big dogs when it comes to creating big power from stock power plants. What you are seeing here is the Hennessey Venom GT, a car that started its life as a Lotus Exige. Then something strange happened. John Hennessey got the idea that he wanted to build his own super car, so by using the Exige as a mule, he’s come up with one of the most outrageous machines ever to role on tarmac. By taking the LS9 mill out of a Corvette ZR1 and refortifying it with new internals and a pair of 35mm Garrett turbos, as opposed to the standard supercharger, Hennessey has been able to get an ASTOUNDING 1200 hp out of this thing on pump gas. The gearbox was pilfered from a Ford GT and was just another piece of engineering that was added to the recipe. Hennessey states that they’re building 29 Venom GT’s at a cost of $900,000 a pop. Not cheap by any means, but when you compare it to the price of a Bugatti Veyron, well… the Hennessey Venom GT seems like a downright bargain.

Source: JayLenosGarage.com

Gran Turismo 5 is finally here and so far all the reviews I’ve read and heard about seem to say that it’s a take it, or leave it type of game. In comparison Forza Motor Sports III, a game that came out almost 2 years ago, is a definitive “must have”. Obviously GT5 was plagued with delays and obviously the folks at Sony and Polyphony Digital could have used more time for R&D, but when you put the two games up side by side, one has to ask, “what the hell were those guys doing for 3 years?” The above video compares both GT5 and FMS III from a graphics and physics perspective, and to be honest, while GT5 is a “little” better in some instances, it certainly, in my opinion doesn’t warrant all the bullshit that fans have had to put up with. I’ve been following the development of GT5 since the PS3 first came out, and now that I’ve seen it, well… lets just say that I’m happy that I never gave up my XBOX 360. Sorry Sony, better luck next time.

Source: GameTrailers.com

This past Saturday at Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, California, gymkhana Drift King Ken Block got his ass handed to him at his own event. You see the Gymkhana Grid Series was launched by Block as a way to help bring the sport of gymkhana further into the mainstream media. Competitors such as Tanner Foust and Vaughn Gittin Jr. were on hand not only to support Block, but to compete as well. A problem arose however when drift champion Tanner Foust, not only beat Block at the sport that he made famous, but beat him at his own inaugural event. Now I don’t know about you, but if I were Block I’d be feeling a bit sheepish right now. The video is a bit long but totally worth the watch, it should also be noted that Mr. Foust is a total class act. Click play and you’ll see why…

Source: Youtube.com

Ford's upcoming Focus ST. Photo: Ford Motor Company

Ever since the Focus ST made it’s early debut at the Paris Motor Show, there have been all sorts of rumors that Ford was considering a three door hatchback version of the hot hatch. After all, the original Focus SVT was offered in both three door and five door flavors, so it seemed to make sense that Ford would offer the ST in a lighter, more nimble version. Even Ford’s head of design in Europe, Martin Smith, seemed to indicate that something new and “more exciting” would be coming to the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.

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Not too long ago we showed you a video of the new 2011 Dodge Charger with the police pursuit package. We went over its shape, its nostalgic queues and how much we liked it. Up until now we haven’t seen one doing its thing on the road, thankfully for us though Dodge was kind enough to release a video of the 2011 Charger ripping it up at Grattan Raceway in MI, a racetrack that just happens to be one of my favorites. Police cars need to be beefy units. They need to be able to sit and idle for hours, have enough space to put the bad guys in the back and at the end of the day, put the pedal down in case a pursuit takes place. The above video illustrates to us that the new 2011 Dodge Charger seems more than capable of getting this done. As mentioned, I’ve driven the above circuit many, many times and I can tell you from first hand experience that watching them toss the big Charger through some of Grattan’s tight turns is quite impressive.

Source: RedLetterDodge.com

It seems that the guys from Electronic Arts felt the need to recruit a little Hollywood star power for the release of their newest game, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. By enlisting the help of Entourage’s Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara, they’ve actually pulled off a couple really funny ad’s that poke fun at anyone who drives a car that costs under $100,000 (that would be most of us btw). I downloaded the demo off of XBOX Live to see if the game lived up to the hype and I have to say that I was not disappointed. The game features awesome online cooperative capabilities as well as just about every type of high end super car that you can imagine. The only thing that I have to do now though is put it on my Christmas list in the hopes that the fat man will drop a copy of it down the chimney.
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Back in the late 1980′s I was still a bit green behind the ears as it pertained to anything automotive. I knew I loved motorcycles, cars and anything mechanized, but up until that point I’d never had any real experience with any of them. Then I hit college and everything began to change. You see college, as everyone knows, is a time to get your vehicular groove on. You go out and buy a piece of shit car to get you from point A to point B and then sit back and thank the Gods of internal combustion that you actually have a way to get around. I however went the two-wheeled route as I was always infatuated with motorcycles. My first bike was a 1986 Kawasaki Ninja 250. It was a little pipsqueak of a bike, but it was great to learn on and it solidified the fact that up on two wheels was the right place for me to be. Unfortunately that bike met its demise when a buddy of mine stacked it into a water tower (no joke). He then paid me cash which paved the way for my first real motorcycle, a 1990 Ducati 750 sport.

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When I was a kid my Dad built me this cool wooden go-kart that utilized rope steering and had a lever style hand brake. Back then it was cool as hell and I can remember buzzing down this hill called Brewster Drive in my old neighborhood. I remember feeling a combination of speed, fear and excitement as I whistled down the hill with the only hope being that I’d be able to make the turn at the end and not plaster myself against the curb. Back then those were good times. Now however, as an adult, my entire perception of what speed is has changed. It used to be that 30 mph was fast, but now having been north of 180 mph, well, let’s just say that 30 mph just doesn’t do it for me anymore.
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