Insightfully revealing new video here from the Drive Channel on YouTube showing the inner-workings of the mysterious McLaren Technology Centre. Most of what is shown in the 26-minute video has been previously unseen by film-crews, so to derive some sort of visual access to parallel McLaren’s notoriously precise methods of detailed engineering is a joyful encounter… Enjoy
To be honest (and a bit nit-picky), I’m not entirely sold on the presenter’s abilities (or school-boy wardrobe selection) during this rare opportunity to ask some of the more pertinent and intriguing questions that could/should have been asked… but regardless, a great job by the cameraman/crew in capturing the interior aura and static mood of this near-otherworldly entitiy of McLaren.
BMW’s North American boss, Ludwig Willisch, has confirmed that the next M3 will ditch the current naturally-aspirated V8 in favour of the classic inline-6 configuration that has powered the M3 in past e36 and e46 chassis outings… Unlike past efforts though, this new inline-6 will undoubtedly feature 2, or possibly even 3, turbo chargers bolted on to harness (and of course, needlessly surpass) the extra grunt required in this day and age.
Rendering of the next M3
There were initial plans for a chopped/sliced/turbocharged V6 derivative of the current, free-breathing 4.0L V8 but those plans have now been set aside. All that’s left to squandor over now is just how much forced induction tech will be nailed onto the inline-6 to achieve the ever-ridiculous power-increase that is required to sell units… I mean, we’re seriously looking at 440-450 bhp… in an M3… that will probably tack-on more weight/bulk anyways (just like the latest, porky-pie M5).
The current (chunky) V8 M3 with the ‘Performance Pack’
It’s pretty safe to say that the M3 is entering into that shady area of motoring now where its massive power-output will soon become an un-accessible entity on normal roads, for normal drivers… As the true saying goes – More power, more weight, more grip = Less fun.
The naturally-aspirated (and mad fun) inline-6 e46 M3 CSL
Of course I’d be in the minority here, but I’d happily trade 3-400 kgs of shed weight from the next M3 (the current M3 is a porky-pants as well) and a gutsy, responsive, 375 bhp, naturally-aspirated inline-6 over some muted, tri-turbo variation dishing out more torque and power than 99% of the M3 drivers on the road can even handle or comprehend.
Not the most-favourite M3, but its naturally-aspirated inline-6 provided driving thrills to coincide with its chassis.
Sure, it’ll ‘go like hell’ but at what cost to the driving enthusiast who enjoys the reachable and exploitable nuances displayed by M3′s of yore… ?
I’d still take the original, 4-cyl. e30 M3 over them all…
Message to BMW re: the M3: We want lightweight FUN, not extra weight and massive power.
Say what you rightly have to say (and think) about the Ken Block/DC Shoes ‘Gymkhana’ series of spectacular, automotive hoonery… Some call it masturbational and self-congratulating to the point of being absurd and some celebrate the undoubtedly phenomenal driving skills and OTT antics of Mr. Block (and the overall sound/visual production levels) as something we should covet and simply enjoy in this Health ‘n Safety riddled world we’ve become so (worryingly) obsessed with…
Either way, there’s no denying that a newly stripped-back and ‘less-Hollywood’ re-edit of last Summer’s Gymkhana 4 video will entice the interest of even the most stuffy of automotive enthusiasts… This is just flat-out, automotive pornography on an out-of-control level that’s just pure fun and simply ridiculous… Enjoy…!
The human race seems to be increasingly obsessed with making these pesky legs of ours largely redundant over time… if Honda has their way, that is.
Really now…?
Check out this ridiculous, living-in-a-bubble-world video where people straddle, well… electric saddles. One question though – stairs and curbs/edges more than 2″ tall… ? ? Hmm… methinks this is a ‘leave ‘em where you found ‘em’ sort of PMD – ie: rental/borrowing priveleges at say, the airport, for example…
For those further interested, the UNI-CUB has a 3.7 mile range and a top speed of (insert marketing fluff agenda) 3.7 mph…! Oh you nifty buggers, you… Yet, (as with the ill-fated Segway) this unit further continues the bold trend of emphasizing what an embarrassingly lazy (and smug) bag of bones you’ll look like… and become.
No thanks, Honda… I press the big, loud, red ‘X’ button on your ‘evolutional’ creation.
As most of you will have probably heard or read by now, we lost an American automotive legend last week – Carroll Shelby passed away resulting in complications from pneumonia… He was 89.
Carroll in the original AC Cobra – the 1962 CSX2000
Responsible for developing the mighty AC Cobra (great feature in last month’s Octane magazine), the Shelby line of high performance Mustangs and lest we forget his heavy involvement with bringing the Ford GT40 to fruition where it swept the limelight away from Ferrari in ’66 by winning Le Mans 1, 2, 3… It subsequently won Le Mans every year to ’69.
The GT40 that crossed the line in 1st place at the legendary 1966 Le Mans
The video below comes courtesy of a ‘Behind The Headlights’ feature/documentary that originally aired on the Speed Channel. At just over 43 minutes in length (edited w/out those annoying US commercials) it comes as an intriguing testament to the die-hard mentality and perseverence of Carroll and all the talented ‘blue collar’ engineers that developed and assisted with the birth of the Cobra from its original, humble British roots to the flame-spitting, Le Mans-entered Daytona Cobra Coupe…
Enjoy…
Rest in peace Carroll…
Also, for those wishing to own a Carroll Shelby-approved ‘continuation’ of the original Cobra Coupe (amongst other ’60s Ford/Chevy Motorsport icons), you simply can’t go wrong in checking yourself into one of the incredibly beautiful (and detail-ridden) examples built by South African-based Superformance. Some tasty examples of their stunning recreations below…
The current Aston Martin DB9/DBS shape is one of those automotive-landscape entities that has, undoubtedly, garnered deserved praise for its elegantly stunning and aggressively handsome design flourishes ever since its 2004 debut. It will, without fail, go down as one of the most beautiful sports/GT-cars ever made.
Just last night, during my usual evening stroll, I was taken aback by the sight of a lone, granite-grey DB9 parked up all by itself along one of the many quietly-curving, tree-lined streets that make up my old-money/Mansion-infested neighborhood. Point being, the DB9 still manages to stop me dead in my tracks and forces me to drink it all in… again… and again.
So it goes without saying that the eventual successor to the current DB9/DBS will have quite a job on its hands in keeping faithful to the beautiful mark that has been undeniably stamped onto the automotive scene. Said replacement will see the light of day sometime next year (probably) so it’s no surprise that there will be several ’run-out’ Special Edition versions of the DB9/DBS cocktail forthcoming until then - the ‘Ultimate’ DBS, pictured, is the latest.
Only 100 ‘Ultimate’ DBS variants will be made and the features are, as usual with most run-out special editions, mostly cosmetic. Each Ultimate DBS will be individually numbered and identified by bespoke badging, loads of carbon fibre, shadowy grilles and tail-lamps, diamond-quilted stitching on your leather seats with either silver or red thread and your choice of red, yellow or black-painted calipers to complete the ‘Ultimate’ finishing touches…
Exterior paint colours offered are Carbon Black II, Quantum Silver, or Silver Fox – so basically Black, Grey or Silver. Both Coupe and Volante body styles are offered as well as either Automatic or Manual transmissions…
Hmmm… Silver-Fox DBS Ultimate with red calipers and red stitching being nursed through a Manual gearbox – yes, please.
May 8th, 1982 marks 30 years since the death of Gilles Villeneuve; one of the most-talented and fearless drivers the sport ever witnessed… Here, we bring you a short video-clip tribute narrated by the ever-colourful (and opinionated) Jeremy Clarkson to assist in documenting this incredibly entertaining jousting match (for 2nd place) between Rene Arnoux and Villeneuve at the ’79 French Grand Prix…
‘Social Media is king’ – Yes yes yes… In this day and age we’ve firmly grasped that unequivocal reality by now, despite how confusingly ridiculous and painfully dumbed-down the ‘clickable’ methods of self-congratulating fanfare have become in achieving these Grand Statements of Internet Glory, as so brazenly rolled out by top-brand manufacturers…
Yet somewhere along the way of this tail-spinning online world, rife with increasingly brain-numbing tactics and strategies and marketing obsessions with ISO’s and such, influencing people to simply click a ‘thumb-up’ button on their computer’s screen has actually become A Big Deal… as AMG proudly displays hereth…
Now think about that for a second - Massive companies and corporations are actually celebrating the fact that many millions of humans clicked onto their Facebook page and subsequently clicked a thumbs-up button, with their mouse… We’re supposed to go ‘wow!’ to that news and say ‘job well done chaps’… ?
Is it not a worldwide ‘given’ that companies such as Coca-Cola and Starbucks and Ferrari have quite a healthy, in the mega-millions, dedicated fanbase despite social marketing claims…? Obviously, Ferrari is the sell-out King of merchandising their brand to legions of followers/minions and, unsurprisingly, they want you to know it…
Somehow, this clicking-of-’like’-buttons and obsessions with ’view numbers’ on YouTube pages is seen as a marked achievement by these top brands - in this case, an achievement deemed worthy of chucking money towards silly, tire-smoking video productions to highlight their ‘accompishment’ and ‘thank’ all those that clicked the upward-pointing thumb on their FB page…
AMG c63 ‘thanking you’ for watching and clicking…
Really now…? Is that really an impressive feat…? Well yes, nowadays it is, it would seem… Companies (and people) will do just about anything, no matter how stupifyingly simple and brain-oozingly dumb, to gather your attention and persuade you to click a button, watch a video and interact with your opinions… Utterly baffling sometimes… Squeal away, Audi….
Welcome to online automotive marketing where any cause (or excuse) to illuminate the most banal of irrelevant, self-righteous claims is the way forward. Millions of people ‘like’ your global corporation…? uhm, yeah… we know…. we really, REALLY know… Sally’s self-gratifyingly emotive statement from 1980 says it all…
My oh my… Check out this world-exclusive, hands-on drive along with a detailed view (and soundtrack) of the criminally insane 760 bhp Zonda 760RS, as presented by Evo Magazine’s founder, Harry Metcalfe… What a sound – what a car – what a justified price-tag..!
Interesting to note that Harry mentions “an F1 driver” with the initials LH, that has one of these on order… with a manual gearbox… solely for the purposes of driver enjoyment/involvement… We doff our cap to you, Mr. Lewis Hamilton (you lucky bugger).
By now, you’ll have most-certainly been exposed to the gradually building fanfare of the joint automotive venture that is the Subaru BRZ/Toyota FT86. It goes without saying that this new vehicle harkens back to a time, not too long ago, when simplicity, affordability and exploitable fun were found within the recipes of modestly-powered sportscars.
BRZ looking gruff and ready at our recent local Auto Show
I recently attended our fair City’s annual Big Motor Show at the newly re-domed mega-plex and besides the usual exotica (and lack thereof) to catch my attention, my main focus was on seeing the Subaru BRZ and Toyota FT86 (well, the Scion FRS – North America and all) in the actual metal. While it was rather annoying that both cars were on lockdown mode preventing anyone from accessing their interiors, they were openly displayed to allow up-close viewing.
Sorry dear, it's locked - slightly frustrating with an exciting new car that is focused on driver-involvement and interaction... just sayin'
Of the two cars, it was the Subaru that caught my attention with its almost demure, yet purposeful presence – a bit more aggressive yet less flashy than the Scion counterpart. It looked tough. It also looked smaller than what I was expecting as well – chalk that up to the internet making everything look larger than it really is… – I liked that.
Looks better up close in-the-metal instead of on my computer screen... Want to drive one, now.
I also liked the small wheels – cannot tell you how refreshing it is to hear a manufacturer placing emphasis on ‘fun’ vehicle dynamics (remember ‘fun’ driving…?) without resorting to the fashionable ‘maximum grip levels’ on massively cartoonish 18″ or 19″ wheels… Heck, I wish it had 15″ or 16″ deeply-dished, lightweight wheels to coax even more exhilaration from the chassis… but that’s the old-school BMW e30-applauding side of me coming to the fore…
If they'll offer a 15 or 16" wheel variant with dish, I'm game...
Anyways, on to why we’re conducting this entry… To share with you the newest documentary from Subaru themselves that offers a detailed view of the development process involved with the BRZ… albeit in Japanese with easy-to-read subtitles. I think it’s safe to say that Subaru knows how to build and engineer a fun car… and knowing now how much effort and input Subaru instilled with the creation and development of this new sportscar, my intrigue continues to fall towards the BRZ over the sister Scion…
Posted by AutoInjected.com 
