‘Saab 96 two-stroke singing.”
Watching and, more importantly, listening to the above-titled YouTube video clip of a mid-60s Saab 96 rally car tackling a gravel stage in snarling snap-crackle-and-popping fury is a better introduction to the charm of these feisty little Swedish cars than I can manage with mere words.
Sounds and smells often take a back seat to the visuals that can pop up unexpectedly on memory’s monitor. But when they’re triggered, they can transport you back in time with an astonishing degree of intensity.
A V-12 Matra Formula One car on a misty long-ago Mosport morning. The smell of Castrol R “bean oil” cooking off a Manx Norton single that’s being rhythmically revved to warm it up in a racetrack paddock and emitting a ripple of crisp-edged thuds on the way up and a unique twitter on the way down. These are just two memories that come readily to mind…. More info
We all could use a break right about now, so let’s go to the races. But you might not recognize racing in its 2009 version.
Motor racing of all types became a huge draw during the First Great Depression, from 1929 until the start of WWII.
Today, though, in this Second Great Depression, motor racing is being hit hard, not just in the US, but worldwide.
Every major racing series, from the quintessentially American series like NHRA drag racing, IndyCar and NASCAR to world events like Formula 1, the exciting and interesting new A1 Grand Prix series to World Rally, European Touring Cars and all the motorcycle sports, too, are trying…Â More info
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A famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb champion will be back on the mountain on July 19 for the 87th running of the nation’s second-oldest motor sport race.
Rhys Millen returns to Colorado Springs to defend his championships (2007-2008) in the thrilling Time Attack 2WD Class during the Race to the Clouds on the 14,000-foot peak. He set world record on the Peak last summer with his winning clocking of 12:31.06 in his 2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP over the demanding 156 turns.
This summer, he will be introducing a modified 550-hp Hyundai Genesis Coupe to the crowds at the Peak…. More info
Hyundai has tapped drifter-extraordinaire Rhys Millen to campaign a Red Bull-Sponsored Genesis Coupe in various motorsports events in 2009. To prepare for the rigors of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the Formula DRIFT Championship and Redline Time Attack events, Millen and his Rhys Millen Racing crew put the Genesis through a strict diet and exercise program, shedding excess weight and adding 550 hp of muscle.
The RMR team first stripped all components from the frame — bodywork, interior pieces, and drivetrain — which spent a week with an Alkali bath to remove extraneous rubber and adhesives. An eight-point safety cage and firewall takes the place of standard comfort amenities such as passenger seats and interior panels.
Next, the car received lightweight, carbon-fiber bodywork which first appeared …Â More info
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