Carformance

2010 Mercedes GP Petronas Car Unveiled

James — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:10:54 +0000

Return of Michael Schumacher

The return of Schumacher seems to be too much for fellow team-mate Nico Rosberg, in photos below, Rosberg is the one who looks defeated already, almost like ‘what’s the point?’, and he might be right. How do you stand out and get noticed when your team-mate is the seven-time world champion? We’re not sure exactly how, but we’re pretty sure this new Mercedes GP Petronas car will draw attention when it hits the track this March at the opening of the Formula One season in Bahrain. Oh, did we mention Michael Schumacher holds the current lap record at the Sakhir track, lapping the 5.4km track in 1:30.252 back in 2004.

“Finally the 2010 Formula One season is firing up!” said Schumacher “I have to say that I am totally committed to this new challenge. This season feels like a re-start for me and I am so motivated. We have a very exciting combination at Mercedes GP Petronas.”

Continue for more images.

MGP W01

Unveiled in Stuttgart the new Mercedes-Benz MGP W01 mixes the heritage of Mercedes’ racing ‘Silver Arrows’ with the baby blue company color of Petronas. The look is brought together with carbon fiber, starting at the nose whipping back in a stream towards the cockpit, and tastefully appears along the bottom of the fuselage.
The aggressive look of this newly-designed race car is sure to intimidate as it hammers up behind and weaves around competitors, and the other teams will get to see just how impressive this new beast is when it hits the test track next week in Valencia, Spain.

“Our team have been working extremely hard throughout last year and over the winter on the development of the MGP W01 and everyone at the team is looking forward to the start of testing in Valencia next week. We have two excellent drivers in Nico and Michael, who will form one of the most exciting and one of the best partnerships on the grid, and with the support of Mercedes-Benz, Aabar, our new title partner Petronas and all of our team partners, everyone is looking forward to the 2010 Formula One season with anticipation.”

Via: Autoblog & WCF

2014 Ford Mustang to Sport IRS

James — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:18:49 +0000

Why 2014?

With Ford bringing back the beloved 5.0 in an effort to step up and deliver a true competitor worthy of the term ‘rival’ when compared to the Camaro or Challenger it’s somewhat surprising it will be 2014 before we see the superior handling delivered through Independent Rear Suspension, but word is out that Ford will definitely utilize IRS for the new, redesigned 50th anniversary edition of their iconic muscle car.
The next generation pony car will see a new body design and is also expected to be smaller, similar to the size of the Fox-body – hopefully it’ll look a hell of a lot better than the Fox-body, all in an effort to improve fuel economy and increase performance.

Via: Leftlanenews

Lingenfelter Corvette ZR1 Runs 9’s w/Video

James — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:54:46 +0000

Not Just Once But Four Times

If anyone was going to be able to take the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and work the magic needed to produce 739 horses and 740 lb-ft of torque and cover a quarter-mile track in under 10 seconds it was gonna be Lingenfelter.
The upgrade abundant 2009 Jetstream Blue Metallic C6 Corvette ZR1 produced four continuous runs in the 9’s at the Maryland International Raceway, the fastest pass crossed the line in 9.813 seconds at 145.74mph. A few of the required upgrades include a Lingenfelter supercharger with pulleys upgraded to use an eleven rib belt, a ported stock throttle body, a double capacity intercooler heat exchanger with a larger capacity reservoir, some R345/35R18 Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials in the rear with P185/50R18 M&H Racemasters up front. Continue for Video.

Lingenfelter Performance Engineering

With more than three decades the guys have honed the ability to produce high performance cars, and the parts required to push them to their limits. The add-ons required to put this beast together in your own garage will be available via their website or contact info in the press release below.

YouTube Clip

Via: Topspeed

Press Release:

DECATUR, Ind. -Lingenfelter Performance Engineering (LPE) is pleased to announce the Lingenfelter 2009 C6 Corvette ZR1 recently made three 9 second runs, hitting a best of 9.813 quarter-mile at 145.74 mph at the Maryland International Raceway, Budds Creek, Md.

Building on a rich history of finely engineered vehicle packages, Lingenfelter has refined the high-performance Corvette ZR1 to deliver maximum horsepower and torque utilizing the stock engine. The Lingenfelter ZR1 has been upgraded with the company’s LS9 components designed to provide 739 rear-wheel horsepower and 740 rear-wheel torque.

Lingenfelter’s 9 second quarter-mile was run with stock exhaust manifolds and a factory catback exhaust with a “Mild-to-Wild” switch. To see the ZR1 in action, visit www.lingenfelter.com/video.

“The track is the ultimate proving grounds to showcase Lingenfelter’s years of engineering expertise and to test the performance capabilities of our ZR1,” said Ken Lingenfelter, owner, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering. “We are excited to continue developing product that pushes this sports car to the limit.”

Additional upgrades to the Lingenfelter ZR1 include:

- Lingenfelter cast aluminum supercharger air intake snout
- Lingenfelter 8.5″ diameter harmonic balancer – 11 rib
- Lingenfelter 2.60″ diameter supercharger pulley – 11 rib
- Lingenfelter S&B air filter
- 4’ diameter air intake tube with mass air sensor
- Ported stock throttle body
- Lingenfelter C6 ZR1 Supercharger Cast Aluminum air inlet
- Double capacity intercooler heat exchanger
- Larger capacity intercooler reservoir system
- Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials R345/35R18 rear tires
- M&H Racemaster P185/50R18 front tires
- CCW aluminum wheels

Enthusiasts can purchase individual components such as the upper pulley kit and the lower balancer kit to modify their own ZR1.

For more than 30 years, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering has created a matchless heritage of bringing astounding new capabilities to the world’s most sought-after sports cars. This legendary record of precision engineering continues today, as the highly skilled Lingenfelter production team continues to target design excellence in engine packages, superchargers and high-performance aftermarket components that refine power, speed and control. For more information, visit www.lingenfelter.com, contact Lingenfelter Performance Engineering at 1557 Winchester Road, Decatur, IN 46733, or call 260.724.2552.

Hennessey HPE700 LS9 Camaro at the Track w/Video

James — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:31:55 +0000

Hits 1G Through Corners

Equipped with the ZR1 Corvette LS9 tuned and supercharged to put down 705hp, Hennessey have put out another video of the beast, only this time it’s not on the dyno, it’s been unleashed on the MSR Houston track in the great state of Texas.
The force-fed fiend attacks the corners hard, hitting 1.0G through a couple of them and slingshots out to the straight-away to hit a top speed of 131mph. We’d like to see what the Stig would do with it – just throwing it out there. Continue for Video –

YouTube Clip

Source: YouTube

The Fast & The Doofus Supra MkIV

James — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:58:37 +0000

No, It’s Not The World’s First Rear-wheel Steer Supra

So it’s posted over at Motivemag.com as ‘Supra eats it at a meet in SoCal while attempting to hoon’. So quick recap of ‘Hooning 101’: If you’re gonna use a MkIV Toyota Supra to showboat you better know what you’re doing or you’ll just end up looking like a spoon.
No details on exactly what the spazmoid was trying to accomplish here but it’s pretty evident it all went horribly wrong as the wooden pole aided in the re-alignment of the rear wheels. We can only agree with that commenter that summed it all up with a ‘Way to go Dumb***’. More images –

Source: Motivemag – via: Carscoop

2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

James — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:34:52 +0000

Supercharged 5.0

Unveiled on the 45th anniversary of the original ’65 Shelby GT350 at Barrett-Jacksons auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, a concept version of the GT350 package to be offered from Shelby for the new five-point-ohhh 2011 Mustang.

“Since this was one of the most important cars in Shelby’s history, everyone stepped up to make sure it meets Carroll’s performance standards,” – Gary Davis, vice president of production for Shelby American.

So, what exactly do you get from Shelby’s Las Vegas facility for your $33,995, not quite what you’d expect for that kind of money.

Ford Racing – Borla – Baer – Goodyear

Let’s start with a Ford Racing supercharger on top of the 5.0 small-block good for somewhere in the region of 500hp complimented with a Borla center-exit exhaust system, throw a Ford Racing suspension system underneath, add on a Baer braking system featuring six-piston calipers with cooling ducts directing air to all four rotors hid with a set of 19” Cragar wheels wrapped in Goodyear rubber, and to make it look as bad-ass as it is they install a new front fascia, front splitter, a functional hood scoop, and a sweet looking tail light trim cover, amongst other body add-ons. The interior gets an overhaul too, a very impressive overhaul.

The entire set-up is finished with a non-negotiable white basecoat and Guardsman Blue racing stripes. Now you’re probably thinking this is more than you’d expect in exchange for 33,995 of your hard-earned dollars, but that price doesn’t include the car. With the Mustang GT expected to arrive at a price just over $30k you’re looking at a final cost around $65,000, a fair bit more than the Shelby GT500.

Via: Autoblog

GM Challenge Ford to Tug-of-War

James — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:41:38 +0000

2011 Heavy Duty Duramax vs. 2011 F-series Super Duty

The guys at Pickuptrucks.com managed to get GM’s vice chairman of global product operations, Tom Stephens, a little excited – to say the least – in much the same way Lutz got excited and we ended up with the CTS-V Challenge. In a recent interview regarding the new 2011 Duramax equipped Heavy Duty trucks, former executive vice president of GM global powertrain blurted the following out.

“You know what I want to do to prove it? I want to take our truck and Ford’s [new Super Duty] and chain them together back -to-back. Then I want to have them pull against each other. I know our truck will beat theirs.” – Tom Stephens

Editor at Pickuptrucks.com, Mike Levin, asked three times if this was a serious challenge, Stephens confirmed he saw it as the ultimate way to prove the strength of the GM Heavy Duty line-up. So it only makes sense Levine would follow that up with a pass along to Ford with an offer to arrange and referee such an event in Texas. We now wait for their response, and unlike the CTS-V Challenge we do expect a response.

Source: Pickuptrucks.com

Toyota Prius G Sports Concept

James — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:17:03 +0000

Oh G, How Exciting

At the Tokyo’s equivalent to the SEMA show there just so happens to be a ‘Nerds Corner’, and this Toyota Prius occupies that floor space. I’m not sure how Toyota come up with the thought Prius & Sport could go together for a new concept, they have even thrown ‘G’ in there to help convince somebody this a good idea.
The G Sport utilizes the same 1.8L from the standard Prius and still delivers the same output of a gerbils fart, so everything that makes it a G-whizz of a sports hybrid is in the form of cosmetic styling and improved aerodynamics. Updates include LED DRL’s, new bumpers and side skirts, a dual exhaust system (what the freak is that for?!?!!?), with 18” alloys hiding a set of high performance ADVICS brakes. Do you think the Prius designers are getting bored? This is clearly a cry for attention.

Yes, It does look like it’s going fast but it’s going down hill!

Via: WCF

Tommy Kiara’s Silver Wolf

James — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:42:20 +0000

Japanese Tuner Turns Attention To Nissan GT-R

The Tokyo ~~SEMA~~ Auto Salon Show was chosen as the location to unveil Tommy Kiara’s carbon fiber wide bodied Nissan GT-R, and while the iconic Japanese tuner didn’t exactly tune this offering as such, he did improve handling with a high performance brakes kit, a sports suspension set-up, and a sports titanium exhaust system to help the 485 horses grunt a little easier.

Carbon Fiber Clad

The new body kit includes a newly designed carbon fiber front bumper with a minimal lip spoiler, the side skirts lead back to a wider rear wheel arch covering 20” fifteen-spoke alloys wrapped with Pirelli P-Zero’s in the form of 285/35 ZR20 – up front sit 255/40 ZR20. A GT-style rear wings sits out back and a rear diffuser with an underspoiler finish off the carbon add-ons.
Carbon fiber features again inside to form the console, black Recaro bucket racing seats with white stitching are supposed to be complimented by the red interior and door panels, but we’re not sure the bright Alcantra red would have been our first choice to finish the interior.

Mini Crossover Teaser w/Video

James — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:33:55 +0000

Mini with Four Doors

Spy-shots hit the web last month of this ridiculous looking mini due to hit the European market later this year, followed by the U.S. market early in 2011. Well Mini were so impressed with the attention the black & yellow psychedelic wrapped prototype gained they decided to run with the theme for the release of a teaser video announcing the official reveal to take place on February 7th via their website.
Be warned, your ‘gay-dar’ may go off watching the following video.

YouTube Clip

Shelby T-Shirts

James — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:54:00 +0000

Made In The USA

New from Morgan’s & Phillip’s for 2010 will be a selection of officially licensed T-shirts bearing images inspired by the iconic brand Shelby America.
The above shirts are just three previews of the new line they will offer as of the first of next month. Morgan’s & Phillip’s offer quality T-shirts made in the USA which is a pretty big deal, because who wants a Shelby cobra on a shirt made from the land of ricers?!? Their shirts are usually limited-run editions in the region of $29 to $39. Click here for their website.

Tommy Kiara’s Silver Wolf

James — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:57:28 +0000

Japanese Tuner Turns Attention To Nissan GT-R

The Tokyo SEMA Auto Salon Show was chosen as the location to unveil Tommy Kiara’s carbon fiber wide bodied Nissan GT-R, and while the iconic Japanese tuner didn’t exactly tune this offering as such, he did improve handling with a high performance brakes kit, a sports suspension set-up, and a sports titanium exhaust system to help the 485 horses grunt a little easier.