Muses on Making Automotive Music

When I was just a boy, I desperately wanted to be a race car driver. Petrol was in my blood, and I was always running on E. When I finally got my first car, it wasn’t racey, fast or loud. It was an Isuzu Rodeo: yep, an SUV… I was not much of a boy racer. But that didn’t stop me from making it my own. Growing up in the expanses of the south, there was plenty of offroading opportunities. The Rodeo was pretty good at it too, but I knew it could be better. The first upgrade I made to it was a set of chrome nerf bars: http://www.autoanything.com/nerf-bars/10A50172.aspx

These gave my ride a clean step that not many other Rodeo’s had (most came with the factory running boards). A small suspension lift and some knobby tires also helped my 4×4 get over the bumps and stay out of the ditches: http://www.autoanything.com/suspension-systems/10A50469.aspx

Power wise, the Rodeo was pretty well equiped. IIRC, the V6 put out somewhere around 210 horsepower. It didn’t weigh much, so when I needed a little power, it was readily on tap. Heck, there was even a “Power” button on the center console. That’s BMW M5 territory. But for good measure, I picked up a performance chip to improve the tune and fuel economy: http://www.autoanything.com/performance-chips/10A50207.aspx

Last but not lease, I added a Flowmaster exhaust system. This really opened up the V6 and gave me good boost in horsepower and torque. Not only that, but it sounded better too. No matter what you drive, I recommend an exhaust as they make the car so much more enjoyable to drive: http://www.autoanything.com/exhausts-mufflers/10A50209.aspx

All these parts made my vehicle mine. Whenever I saw it in a parking lot, there was no question who’s it was…. I instantly knew it was my ride. Accessories set your vehicle apart from the pack. Have you customized yours lately? What have you installed that makes you proud to drive it?

 

What Makes You Roar?

What gets your engine revving more: one of these American-made Flowmaster mufflers:

or one of these hot American-made models?

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Spectacular Car Crashes Caught on Tape

I know, I know. We spend a lot of time ogling leggy ladies on this site. Can you blame us? But the world isn’t just a playpen for airbrushed beauties—terrible things happen to amazing cars. Gut-wrenching things. Spine-tingling things. Readers, if you’re the type who shivered every time you passed by the box for Faces of Death at the video shop, then you don’t want to continue with this post. If you’re not too squeamish, then check out these heinous car crashes. Read more

Poor Girl Traumatized by a Ride with a Pro Drifter

Sitting on the sidelines and watching real race drivers white-knuckle it around the track might make the sport seem like it’s all fun and games. But, sitting down in the passenger seat of a proper racecar with a skilled driver as he drifts around a course can be downright traumatizing. It is for this girl, at least. Check it out:

Drifting into 2010

In Tokyo, you can buy damn near anything from a vending machine, you can eat a power lunch of octopus kushiyaki from street vendors, and you can stay out drinking all night long with the Yakuza in Kabukichō. However, you can’t (legally) do what these crazy kids are doing in their souped up, accessory-laden Nissan Skylines and Honda Zests. Excuse the soundtrack, but don’t turn the volume down—there’s a creepy commentator hissing over the action from time to time.

Bugatti Veyron Gets Sideways in the Tundra of Sweden

Who does this?  I mean really, taking your $1.8 million dollar supercar out to test on a snow covered track!  So jealous right now…

Truly a testament to how well the Bugatti’s all wheel drive system works, this three part video should inspire you to become this reckless wealthy.  The only thing I wish was that we could hear the engine better and not have to listen to the dubbed-soundtrack. Make sure to watch part one and three, but part two is where the fun really starts. Hit the jump to scope the vids.

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Nissan GT-R vs. a Rented Hertz Corvette…with Nitrous.

Garage 419 pitted these two cars against each other. One is driving a stock GT-R, a formidable opponent to say the least. 480+ horsepower, all wheel drive and launch control mean that this car can rocket to 60 MPH in just 3.5 seconds. The corvette, on the other hand, only has 400 horsepower and an automatic transmission, but the nitrous might be able to get the Vette moving fast enough to keep up with the GT-R on this 1/8 mile track. Before you watch, take a good guess at which car is going to win this battle.

Worlds Fastest Car’s Duke it Out in a Drag Race

Well, maybe they aren’t the worlds fastest cars, but they sure are quick!  Chevy ZR1 vs. Ferrari 599 GTB vs. Porsche 911 GT2 vs. Godzilla.  I’m not sure how long of a runway these guys had, but I think it was close to the mile mark. Check it out as these drivers smash the pedal to the floor and take these four super cars up to top speed. 

Porsche 911 GT2: Top Speed Run

There are some incredibly fast cars in this world. We’ve already seen two this week. The 599 was quite a lot quicker than the GT-R, which is reasonable considering the several hundred thousand dollar price difference. So how does the 599 stand up the the GT2, a car that costs more than twice the GT-R and boasts 530 horsepower?

Ferrari 599 GTB: Top Speed Run

Ferrari’s 599 is a fast car. With nearly 600 horsepower on tap, it can rocket to 60 miles per hour in just 3.2 seconds. That’s fast enough to spin anyone’s head. But where does the madness stop? I’ll give you a hint: it’s faster than the GT-R…

Nissan GT-R: Top Speed Run

What is the top speed of the Nissan GT-R? According to MotorTrend, it’s very close to 200mph…

Video: Dodge EV versus Dodge Challenger

The Dodge Challenger is no slouch. With 425 horses on tap, the 6.1-liter V8 engine can get up to 60mph in less than 5 seconds and finishing the quarter-mile in around 13 seconds.

But EV vehicles get 100% of their torque from 0 RPM’s, which means it can accelerate hard and keep moving fast until redline.  Dodge has been working on an EV vehicle, which is currently shielded within a Lotus body.  In this clip, you’ll see their concept EV run against a Challenger in an 800-foot (1/8-mile) race.

Who Will Make the Next Fastest Car in the World?

There are lots of fast cars in this world. McLaren set the world speed record for a production car back in the ’90s with the F1 model, topping out at 240MPH. It wasn’t until the early 2000′s that another manufacturer was able to step up and beat it. That was Bugatti with they’re EB Veyron 16/4, the quad-turbo 16 cylinder 1001 horsepower monster that could reach 253MPH. Saleen reworked the S7 in 2006 to include a twin turbo kit, boosting the sleek exotic up to 248MPH. It was close, but not fast enough. Koenigsegg claims that their CCX can top 254MPH, but this remains to be proven and verified at official speed record sessions.

On September 13, 2007, the Shelby Super Car Ultimate Aero Twin-Turbo averaged 255.83MPH on two separate top speed runs, beating the Veyron by 3.11MPH on its fastest recorded run of 257.11MPH. This was a big triumph for SSC and they’ve enjoyed the top spot for over a year now, but the real question is how much longer can they hold that podium position?

It’s only a matter of time before Koenigsegg puts up their bio-fuel powered CCXR which is even faster and more powerful than their CCX. It’s also been rumored that Bugatti will release a Super Veyron that will be 25% more powerful and able to hit 264MPH. Then there’s the Porsche 9ff GT9-R. It’s hardly a production car, more of a mad-tuner’s creation of a highly modified Porsche GT3. Pushing out 1,120 horsepower, there’s no doubt that the GT9-R will be able to top the (unofficial) 254MPH limit that the standard GT9 was able to achieve.

Who will be next to make the claim that they have the worlds fastest car? My money is on Bugatti, but there are a lot of wild cards out there. In the mean time, enjoy this gallery of super cars images.

How Fast is the Tesla Roadster?

Pretty fast. The Tesla Roadster is the hottest new EV on the market. The company has had some troubles lately, including executive turnovers and cash flow problems, but a recent procurement of capital should help keep the company afloat and those Tesla’s rolling out of the factory.

We already know that the latest drivetrain revision lets the EV Roadster go 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, but what about a quarter-mile run? One of the lucky few who already owns a Tesla Roadster recently ran the all electric vehicle at the Infineon raceway in California.

The verdict: even with an R/T of .764 the Roadster still ran the quarter-mile in 12.7 seconds. This is one quick EV! Hit the jump to see the time slip.

Source: AutoBlog

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F1 Season has Ended, Winner Decided in the Last Second of the Brazilian Grad Prix

Going into the Brazillian Grand Prix, the final race of the Formula One season, Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) was seven points ahead of the man in second place, Felipe Massa (Ferrari), for the drivers championship.  For Felipe to win the drivers title, he not only had to take 1st, but Hamilton had to place 6th or worse for Massa to close the points gap and take the championship.

Massa was driving hard and held a commanding lead for most of the race, only falling behind during a pit stop.  Hamilton started the race in 4th place, dropped to 7th, but was able to regain some of his lost ground by the last two laps.  It was raining out and the track was pretty wet.  Many drivers went to the pits to change into a set of rain tires, but Toyota’s rookie Timo Glock took the gamble and stayed on dry tires.  That gamble would prove to payoff, but not for Glock.

Entering the last couple of laps in 5th place, Hamilton had to maintain or improve his positioning to win the drivers race.  It was looking good until Sebastian Vettel was able to squeeze by Hamilton, knocking him down to 6th place.  If these positions held, Massa would take the championship.  Felipe crossed the finish line in 1st place and it looked as though the race was over, but then the unimaginable happened.  Glock couldn’t hold his position in 4th place during the last corner and both Vettel and Hamilton over took him. The whole thing happened so fast, even the camera’s missed it.  Massa, his crew and family were rejoicing over his win, only to find out that Hamilton had taken 5th.

It was as close as close can get and was an amazing finale for the season.  Hit the jump to get a list of the final standings for the Grand Prix and the Drivers Title.

Source: AutoBlog

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