Posts filed under ‘Burger Dots’
January 23, 2013 by Matt
- Fantastic repository of classic Car and Driver reviews. I haven’t read nearly all of them (though I plan to), though I can tell you the Mustang vs Camaro vs The World comparo undertaken in the mid-’80s has a surprising—and pleasing—winner!
- Neat factory-produced mini-documentary on the awesome Koenigsegg Agera R’s suspension design. Interesting that they’ve essentially attempted to do mechanically what the McLaren 12C’s suspension does electronically; that is, to achieve optimum control of each wheel individually with the fewest number of compromises with respect to how other wheels are affected. I guess when you don’t have McLaren’s development budget, you have to be a bit more creative from an engineering standpoint.
- Left Lane relays new information emerging about Porsche’s upcoming supercar, the 960. Here’s the relevant information: Mid-mounted flat-8, four turbos, 650+ hp, 3,000 lbs, 0-60 in 2.5. Should be a hoot.
- Check out this video of a Bugatti Veyron W16 engine being assembled. The castings are works of automotive art, plain and simple (via Tamerlane).
- Feast your eyes on some of the most exquisite photography ever of the lovely Jaguar D-Type over at Automobiliac. Cast and hand-shaped aluminum FTW. My only question is, shown in the photo of the instrument panel, what use a race car driver would have for a speedometer? One’s speed at any given time seems like hardly the most relevant piece of information in the heat of battle…
February 16, 2012 by Matt
- Here’s an incredibly cool poster featuring profiles of 50 significant Japanese sports cars. While I’m a little disappointed the Starion made the cut instead of the superior FC RX-7, for the most part, the “breed,” if you will, is well represented. Bonus points if you can name all 50!
- Car and Driver offers a preview of an upcoming road test of the refreshed Audi A4 and S4. It goes without saying, but they’re just stunning cars. The resolution of lines around the trunklid area (particularly the horizontal taillights that give the rear a low, wide aspect) is especially successful. If I were in the market for a new, small European 4-door, Audi’s entry-level cars would be on my short list.
- Ever wondered what you’d do caught behind the wheel of a car with a stuck throttle? Edmunds relays some helpful advice for those of us apt to completely freak out in such a situation. Hint: A little more knowledge about how your car actually works would go a long way.
- Another in a long line of cars not destined for the US that I’m not really sure we’d even want here, Renault plans to inject a little visual pep into their subcompact Twingo (yes, that’s its name). Lifting styling cues—notably the front and rear wing shapes—from F1 cars, the Twingo R.S. is identical to its less speedily-adorned stablemates under the hood (a 133 hp 4-banger provides the go). It’s factory-sanctioned rice, in other words.
January 19, 2012 by Matt
- Left Lane reports on new details released concerning the upcoming McLaren F1 successor, tentatively named the P12. It won’t be the quantum leap its forebear was, using a only a breathed-upon version of the 3.8l twin-turbo V8 employed by the lesser MP4-12C instead of a bespoke V12, but it will have some tricks up its sleeve, including a KERS “booster” system, similar to the one optional on F1 cars, that could augment the engine’s output considerably in limited bursts. Should be interesting.
- Meanwhile, Bosch is burning the midnight oil in their effort to get gasoline engines to emulate diesels. The promise of a 30% increase in efficiency is driving their development work on the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) concept, in which a spark-less engine ignites the gasoline fuel-air mixture using heat from compression alone. Will it be the wave of the future? Doubtful, but Bosch’s research could spawn other, more incremental improvements in efficiency.
- What’s it like to live surrounded by a coterie of expensive supercars? A wealthy Evo reader gives some insight. It turns out that in spite of its utter ugliness, the Ferrari F50 is actually a great drive, and a handbuilt Mosler track weapon can be as reliable as a Camry.
- Just the facts, ma’am. Ever found yourself completely bewildered by circuit maps of the legendary 12.8-mile Nürburgring, in all its glorious intricacy? I have. Fortunately, a cheat sheet of sorts has been put together, distilling the track’s myriad twists and turns into a nice summary of the numbers and potential tricky areas.
December 21, 2011 by Matt
- Italian boutique automaker F&M recently debuted their Evantra supercar, ingloriously bestowing it with a name that sounds like it originated in the Kia marketing department. Also, I’d hate to see one of those doors pop open accidentally on the autostrada. Oh, and it weighs under 2,700 lbs and its 3.5l twin-turbo flat six pumps out 603 hp. Yawn.
- AOL Autos recently decided to do what every automotive publication does when it’s a slow news day: Compile a list of the 50 worst cars of all time. The only variation on a very common endeavor was the fact that AOL opted to include one car per automaker. Agree with most, disagree with a handful of selections, including the Alfetta (there have been uglier Alfas), Audi 5000 (indicting it for faults entirely unrelated to the car itself) and 2012 Honda Civic (first-gen Insight, anyone?).
- In a case that has car buffs fantasizing about Italy turning into some kind of automotive paradise (more than it already is, natch), Ferrari president Luca Montezemolo is reportedly considering running for Italian Prime Minister. His “a chicken in every pot and a Ferrari in every garage” campaign promise should go over particularly well with the Tifosi.
- Edmunds today features a fantastic photoshoot of four classic ’80s supercars: The Ferrari 288 GTO, Porsche 959, Ferrari F40 and Lamborghini Countach. All red, naturally, and overexposed so you can really see the crackle finish on the aluminum manifolds and cam covers, and the pucker on the leather interiors. Perfect.
- Continuing the “ridiculously cool pictures” theme, Jalopnik highlights a stunning photo featuring the groundbreaking Citroën DS and a prototype Concorde. Both vehicles share a kinship in that they were assumed to be the wave of the future in many ways, but technological progress decided to take a left turn just as they were set to really catch on. Ghosts of old future tech.
