What a beauty!
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Never seen one in this color before
•June 23, 2011 • 3 CommentsConflicted
•June 22, 2011 • 8 CommentsOn the one hand, bitchin’— this is easily the sportiest stance we have ever seen on the big Peugeot. It looks aggressive. It looks mean. We even think the yellow auxiliary lights on either side of the Lion are Frenchie cool and give it a certain, well, je ne sais quois. On the other hand, the deep dish Borbet Type As are not really our style— too ‘Eurotuner’ aftermarket for our taste. Would love to see this car with that stance, but with a subtler, more refined set of wheels. Close – oh so tantalizingly close – but no cigar. Not quite.
This should give you some idea, redux
•June 21, 2011 • 8 Comments
And we’ll say it again— the E28 M5 is not a big car! So imagine how small the M1 must be in the metal.
We find ourselves very tempted by the E28 M5 these days, by the way. What’s not to like? Well, hideous diving board bumpers and Natur interior (neither of which is seen here), for starters. Both US-spec, naturally.
Parking lot zen
•June 20, 2011 • 4 CommentsWe got in some quality cone-crushing time recently! Autocross may not be track time but it’s still loads of fun, and perhaps more importantly, it marked our first time giving the E30 a proper shakedown on a closed course of any kind, which felt great— we are happy to report that the 22-year old Bavarian pile held up with no discernible harm done. Lots of fun with its relatively low curb weight and complete absence of electronic nannies, but man is it down on power. In hindsight, we should have tried downshifting to first – yes, first – for one slow corner in particular that felt positively anemic taken in second. Ha.
Apologies for the poor quality and low number of shots from the mobile phone.
Surprise, surprise: our favorite car there. And yes, that includes the Boss 302 and the Gallardo Superleggera. Do want!
Checking in with Amaury of the Asphalt Heritage Club
•June 17, 2011 • 5 CommentsWhat has he been up to? Oh yeah, photographing the 2011 Spa Classic in his usual brilliant way. Onward…
This is cool!
•June 17, 2011 • 1 CommentObviously, this PR stunt has been much ballyhooed, but it ends up being quite fun to watch. Love that it’s at the Glen (the long course, no less), a track that’s near and dear to our hearts. The corners look awfully fast seen from the on-board camera on the Formula 1 car.
Formula 1™’s Hamilton & NASCAR’s Stewart Trade Rides in “Mobil 1 Car Swap”
Shared Mobil 1 lubricant technology partner paired champion drivers today for exhibition at Watkins Glen International®
Mobil 1 brought Formula 1™ World Champion Driver Lewis Hamilton and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart together earlier today to swap race cars at the legendary Watkins Glen International in the Finger Lakes Region of New York in the United States.
The teams’ shared lubricant technology partner, Mobil 1, the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, orchestrated the event to showcase the Mobil 1 brand’s more than 30 years of supporting motorsports champions and renowned race teams worldwide.
In front of a crowd of enthusiastic race fans and motorsports journalists from around the globe, Hamilton took laps in Stewart’s No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala, while Stewart climbed into the cockpit of the team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23.
The drivers each enjoyed a few laps around the long course at The Glen, experiencing the 3.4-mile, 11-turn lap circuit.
Rain tires
•June 16, 2011 • 2 CommentsAs long as we’re re-blogging Axis, we may as well go whole hog and sloppy-second this stunning image by photographer Darren Heath. Never seen anything like it.
Rain tyres are cut or moulded with patterned grooves or tread in them. This allows the tyre to quickly displace the water between the ground and the rubber on the tyre. If this water is not displaced, the car will experience an effect known as hydroplaning as the rubber will not be in contact with the ground. These grooves do not help the car grip contrary to popular belief, however if these grooves are too shallow, the grip will be impaired in wet conditions as the rubber will not be able to make good contact with the ground. The patterns are designed to displace water as quickly as possible to the edges of the tyre or into specially cut channels in the centre of the tyre. Not all groove patterns are the same. Optimal patterns depend on the car and the conditions. The grooves are also designed to generate heat when lateral forces are applied to the tyre (source).
You knew we had to post this
•June 16, 2011 • 2 Comments
And yet, as much as we love the Cayman (R, S, or poverty spec), the car we find the mind wandering toward the most in this shootout is… the Boxster Spyder. Sacrilegious? Maybe. But there’s just something about it— it’s a legitimate head turner in a way that these other two are not. If we had to fork over new car money in this neighborhood, we’d probably be doing ourselves a serious disservice by not taking a hard look at one, at minimum.
(h/t: the always great – and in this case, eminently fitting – Axis of Oversteer)
Bertone step-nose coupe
•June 15, 2011 • 3 CommentsMark our words— we *will* own one someday! Love that bumperless front end with the single headlight on either side. Man what a great look.
Motoring Con Brio 