If you were compiling a list of the world’s sportiest front wheel drive cars, you’d no doubt start with names like the MINI Cooper S, Volkswagen Golf GTI or Scirocco R, Ford Focus RS500 or Taurus SHO, Honda Integra Type R, Vauxhall/Opel Vectra or Astra VXR models, Peugeot 205 GTi, Alfa Romeo 147 or 156 GTA models, Nissan Altima Coupe, Mazda speed3, one of the Renaultsport Meganes, or if you’re a little older perhaps the Lotus Elan, Lancia Fulvia, Fiat Abarth or Volvo S80 T6. Now there’s a new name to put at the very top of that list and several new contenders gunning for the crown … More
Archive for the ‘Automobile’ Category
Long time go not been on the beach. With some races coming soon I needed to do some training to get back the feeling with the kite. Today almost no wind.
An American investment consortium led by HIG Capital has reportedly moved to acquire Germany’s famed Nurburgring race complex.
The firm is said to have submitted an acquisition proposal to the German competition regulator, the Federal Cartel Office, for a significant portion of the Nurburgring’s assets, according to Reuters.
The group is allegedly preparing to pay no more than 60-70 million euros (~$83.4-$97.3 million USD) for the complex, representing approximately half of the initial asking price of 125 million euros (~$174 million USD) in March of last year.
The buyout reportedly includes … More
Gasoline engines have gotten incredibly good at squeezing all the energy they can out of gas. The problem is that “incredibly good” still means about 37% efficiency. If my high school transcript is any measure, 37% still kind of sucks. The rest of that energy is lost as heat, but there are ways to reclaim it. Ask Porsche.
Porsche’s 919 Hybrid racer is using a pretty novel drivetrain: a 500HP 2L V4 engine (a first, if you don’t count their flat-fours as a 180°V) and an electric KERS system with an electric motor active on the front wheels. But what makes it interesting is … Pictures and more