Why worry about top speed, when most cars spend a very small percentage of their lives anywhere near maxed out? Instead, why not use acceleration as a benchmark of performance, since that’s something we enthusiasts tap into every time we get behind the wheel? That’s the premise behind the latest video from Road & Track, which introduces us to the “Two Second Club.” Read More…
Image: BMW AG
Here’s a cold, hard fact of life that most of us try to ignore: if you reflash your car’s ECU, then swallow a valve or put a piston through your engine block, don’t expect that to be covered under your car’s warranty. In fact, any changes to your car’s ECU will generally void the powertrain warranty granted by the automaker, unless there’s some other pre-written arrangement between the automaker and the tuner. That’s not to say that mods will void your entire warranty, but if a manufacturer can prove that a failure is a direct result of modification, you’re on your own. Read More…
APR's 34,000 square foot headquarters in Opelika, AL. Image: APR
When it comes to cities with ties to world-class tuners, what comes to mind? If Mercedes is your thing, you’d probably say Affalterbach, Germany, home to AMG. Perhaps you’d say Asaka, Saitama, Japan, home to Mugen, if fast Honda’s are your passion. Closer to home, Livonia, Michigan, home of Roush Performance, may come to mind if you’ve got a penchant for fast Mustangs.
If you’re a Volkswagen or Audi fan, your performance mecca is Opelika, Alabama, home to APR, LLC and one town over from Auburn University. Founder (and Auburn grad) Steven Hooks simply wanted to create a shop where VW and Audi owners could go for repair and tuning services, without fear of getting ripped off. What started as a hobby has grown into a worldwide business that includes both street and track performance for Volkswagen, Skoda, Seat, Audi and Porsche vehicles. Read More…
Like a sea of ghostly white the Bonneville Salt Flats stands out as one of Earth’s great wonders. Its miles and miles of wide open space have become home to the place where mankind has tested the limits of land-based speed. Here records have been broken, hero’s have been made, and in some cases lives have been lost. That however is all part of racing and the quest for going faster then any human has gone before. Some people think chasing speed is crazy, for others though it’s a way of life that has been made possible by the Salt Flats. “A Pinch of Salt” is the final video in the “Depth of Speed” series and gives us a little insight as to why the “Salt” calls upon those who simply want to go fast.
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When you’ve got 100 years of history to choose from, it’s hard to pick just six cars as the “most significant” performance cars you’ve ever built. GM’s Dr. Jamie Meyer gives it a shot in this video tour of the GM Heritage Center, picking just six cars as “most significant,” although not necessarily the fastest or best-handling. I’d take any of the six cars highlighted in the video below, but if I had my choice of any one, It’d be the 1963 Corvette. Read More…
Image: 1poppystudios
Flyin’ MIata has been the go-to site for the Miata enthusiast looking for more power or better handling since the early 1990s. What started as a European specialty repair shop in New Jersey evolved into a Miata specific parts and tuning operation based out of Palisade, Colorado. Want better handling from your first, second or third generation Miata? The staff at FM can hook you up with everything from components through suspension kits. Want to go faster? They’ll sell you fully sorted and developed turbo or blower kits. Want to go a lot faster? They’ll even build you a second generation Miata with an Chevy LS3 V-8 stuffed under the hood. Read More…
It holds 23 gallons of fuel, goes 268 mph and if you mash the throttle and keep it pinned, you’ll be out of juice in 8 minutes. It also cost and est. $3 million and comes with two keys; one for go-fast mode, and the other for super-go-fast mode… awesome right? Car guy extraordinaire Jay Leno is one lucky SOB as not only does he get to drive just about everything under the sun, but he also OWNS just about everything under the sun. In this episode of Jay Leno’s garage, Jay is visited by the boys from Bugatti and they just happen to bring along a their new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport for Jay to play with. The video itself is quite long at over 24 minutes and the Bugatti rep is about as exciting as dry toast, but heh, it is a Veyron so I suppose some of the video had to be uptight. If you want the action fast forward to around the 19 minute mark and see what Jay’s thoughts are on one of the most expensive cars the world has ever seen.
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Earlier today, I gave you my take on the 2011 Camaro Convertible, which I found to be good fun with the 312 horsepower V-6. As a public service, I’m bringing you an alternate opinion from Henessey Performance Engineering, where the words “too much” are never spoken in regards to horsepower. If 312 horsepower doesn’t do it for you and even 426 horsepower isn’t enough to keep your interest for long, how does 755 horsepower in an open top Camaro sound? It sounds plenty angry, as you can see in the video below. Read More…
Ducati, Laverda, Honda, MV Agusta, Yamaha and Bultaco are just some of the names that come to mind when I think about vintage motorcycles. Classic bikes are a labor of love. They’re finicky, sometimes unreliable, but in the end, they provide their owners with a kinship that is seldom matched in the realm of motor sport. Owners of these classic machines tend to know them inside and out. They’re attune to every noise, rattle and smell that these wonderful machines emit and strive day in and day out to keep these rolling pieces of history on the road. This video was shot by Squadra Sutge, a group of classic racing enthusiasts at the Classic Moto 2011 event on the Jarama circuit in Madrid, Spain. The footage, music and gray feel of the video brings forth the true essence of these classic machines in a way that will make you want to start scouring your favorite sales publication for a two-wheeled classic. Click through for the video.
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Image: Callaway SportTrucks
What do you do if you like to go fast, but still need the ability to haul stuff? You could buy a Ford Raptor, but the truck is set up for desert pre-running, not on-pavement fun. Dodge no longer makes the V10 equipped SRT-10, and the Chevy 454 SS is a distant memory. If your pickup tastes run to something with a bow tie on the grille, Callaway has a bolt-on kit for the Silverado 1500 that adds 135 horsepower and 115 ft lb of torque to the stock 5.3 liter V8, bringing it up to 450 horsepower and 450 ft pounds of torque. In case that’s not good enough for you, Callaway also offers a kit with 540 horsepower and 522 for pounds of torque, which should ensure you get the mulch home from the garden center, pronto. Read More…
