LONG BEACH, California — Two rear-wheel-drive Scion tCs will compete at the 2009 Formula Drift season opener on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach street course this weekend.
Ken Gushi will return with his refreshed Toyota-four-cylinder-powered rear-drive RS*R Scion tC. The big news, however, is the Rockstar Energy Drink/Scion Drift Team tC driven by 2007 and 2008 series champion Tanner Foust.
Fitted between the tC’s front shock towers is a 358-cubic-inch V8 from a former Busch Series NASCAR entry built by TRD and Ed Pink Racing Engines. The engine, rated at 650 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, routes power through a four-speed G-force dog-engagement gearbox and Toyota Supra rear differential and rear suspension.
Former Formula D competitor and import drag racer Stephan Papadakis is responsible for shoehorning the mega motor under the tC’s windshield …Â Details
But Ecclestone believes the gravity of the offence McLaren is accused of – which he says amounts to fraud – is such that the team could be hit with a heavy sentence.
“We need to investigate closer what went on,†he said.
“It is about stealing a point and a place but those are worth money so basically it is fraud, although I am sure it started off more innocently … Details
Cars like the million dollar Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo are rightly considered supercars with their lightweight carbon fiber construction and 650 hp (477 kw) thoroughbred mid mounted engines making them capable of 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. The amazing thing is that electric vehicles like the 250 hp (183 kw) Tesla Roadster, which produce 100% instant torque from zero rpm, can accelerate to 60 mph in the exact same time, and at costs as low as $0.02 per mile. Paul Evans takes a look at the leading lights of this new breed of speed demon – the top 5 fastest Electric Vehicles in the world.
The two aforementioned supercars are officially rated at around 12 mpg (19.6L/100km) in city driving, depending on your local fuel price, meaning it could cost as much as $40 in fuel to drive 100km. An EV with similar performance will travel the same distance on just $1.20 worth of electricity ($0.60 in charged over night at off-peak rates). That’s not just a slight improvement, that’s a huge leap forward.
