"The Sound of the Wind," the literal Japanese translation of the "Furai."
To me it sounds like a new Japanese sushi dish that can be bought from a seedy vending machine in Ropongi Hills.
Thats right boys and girls. Mazda's best production motor the 3 Rotor Wankel motor is being used in the Courage C65 Le Mans Chassis. MAzda campaigned this car for the 2005 American Le Mans Series with the intention of testing it for hopeful consumers as wel..
Swift engineering is best known for their 016a chassis which is specified as standard equipment for Formula Atantic Series. Mazda teamed with them to design the body of the Furai. The concept they modeled the body after is the sight of wind rushng past a robed angel.
Mazda prowbably made this car to resurrect their previous 1991 World Sportscar Championship season victory with the mazda 787B car.
The 20B which came from the 1990-1995 Eunos Cosmohas been modified to run\ on E100(British Petroleum) ethanol at 450 horsepower. This engine is the predescesor to the 767 Le Mans race car as well.
Earlier today I read that Detroit was nominated for being the 3rd highest in crime for 2007. But besides that, there is the Detroit Auto Show going on! (aka the NAIAS- North American International Automobile show. It is open to the public and let's people come to see what the next hottest vehicle is coming to the states. This particular show has been up and running since 1907 and started out with only 17 exhibitors. The event has been so successful and popular, now more than over 100 exhibitors show.
But don't worry. There won't be "no drama" from Detroit's "Big Three." Because Mary J. Blige will be opening the event.
So.. If you are in the area and/or curious about the show check out http://www.naias.com
Here are some photos from last year's Detroit Auto Show:
AND this year they are going to introduce to you some surprisers. Check them out.
Mazda Furai...
Toyota A-BAT...
Land Rover LRX (made of recycled plastic bottles)...
Not to sound ever so redundant, be we here at thetunersource.com would really like to wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year...chutch!!
We here at TheTunerSource.com take Christmas seriously, and as a Christmas gift to all our loyal readers and followers, our full-blown, application enhanced, website is on the way. Very soon. Just sit tight a little longer and I can assure you that it will be worth the wait. We all wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
TheTunerSource Team Rack of Lam Thai Spyce Ronski The Johnster Mister Philthy
On another note, the Spoon Civic Type R made a cameo appearance at the 25 Hour of Thunderhill in Sonoma, California. Unfortunately, due to an electrical problem the Spoon Civic Type R only ran for 24 Hours and 52 Minutes. Close, but not quite all the way. Good luck next year you guys!
I rarely watched TV as a kid but there were a couple of shows that remained my staple for the times I did watch TV. I had an affinity for shows with bad-asses for main characters.
First, you had Bonanza. I loved Bonanza. I couldn't tell you the storyline of any of the episodes but I just know that cowboys were bad-ass. There was nothing more that I wanted during that time than a vest and a stetson hat.
Then we had Dukes of Hazzard. Two "good ol' boys" who drove the sh*t out of their cars. The best part? Their 1969 Dodge Charger, "General Lee." The doors were welded shut so Bo and Luke had to jump in and out of their cars. I'll confess. I did that when getting in my dad's car for the longest time...errr, tried to anyway.
But above them all, my favorite had to be Knight Rider. Now, here was a car that was a companion. KITT (Knight Industry Two Thousand) talked to Michael, got him out of pickles, and probably did some undisclosed favors for Michael as well. Here's the good/bad news, depending on your sentiments about it: there's gonna be a made-for-TV movie remake that debuts in February of 2008. The question on everyone's mind is going to be about the car. Well, here are the details.
Instead of the 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am of the 80s series, the new KITT has actually stirred some controversy considering it's going to be the yet-to-be-released Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR. This KITT comes with a supercomputer that can pretty much do anything, a weapons system, and a body that's able to shape-shift and change colors. This 21st Century KITT, like the old, gets its artificial intelligence from digital effects wizard that makes it much more than a car; it's a partner-in-crime.
Another cool feature of the car is the air-ride suspension. This allows for the driver to lower the car's height when it goes from hero mode to attack mode. All this morphing and transforming will be done through CGI animation, as we'll all see when the movie comes out.
The creator of this car is Harold Belker, who designed the Batmobile from the Batman and Robin movie and also the space shuttle from Armageddon.
So for all us '80s babies that have been waiting for this for a while, the time has finally come. No David Hasselhoff, new car, new adventures...what more can we ask for really? Oh wait, I said No David Hasselhoff already, right?
EDIT: Here's a teaser for the movie.
-Rack of Lam
P.S. Since it's Christmas Eve, I want to extend wishes of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays on behalf of all of us at TheTunerSource.com. Though we've been through some hardships with getting this site on its feet, we promise that 2008 will be our year and our hope is that you all keep supporting us and join us when the site is up. Until then, all we can say is thanks and you'll be hearing from us real soon!
The Skyline GT-R has been released! But only in Japan for the time being. Of course, Japan always gets the newest gadgets first. Super Famicom, Playstation, Playstation Portable, and every cool Japaneese performance car is sold in Japan first. I don't blame them, if I lived in the land of cool technology I would like to have access to all the products I want first. This definitely sounds upsetting to people outside of Japan that can't wait and have the money to import all the cool goodies Japan has to offer, including the new R35 Skyline GT-R.
The Europeans live for their fast cars, and there are a great of them that can afford to buy the Skyline GT-R at sticker cost plus heavy importation fees. It rings true all over the world to have the coolest goodies before your friends(competition) has them.
Nissan Motor Company has released a statement of intent to "crack" down on the GT-R importers all over the world, and their reason "Copyright Infringement." It makes sense. Grey market cars do not usually meet safety/emission laws of the countries that they are imported to. Also having these cars cannibalizes local dealerships that will eventually stock these cars. The UK plans to sell the R35 for 60K GBP, where as in the Japanese will be selling domestically for 32K GBP. I would be angry too!
GT-R Enemy Number 1, Gary "Twit" Frigo.
This is what Gary Frigo of Nissan (UK) has to say about this matter :
"We have been made aware of a significant increase in activity in the import trade of certain vehicles, particularly the Nissan GT-R, which warrants immediate action."
Mr.Frigo aka Mr. Non-Party says that the start of sales in the UK will be in March 2009 to have the right support and parts for the GT-R. Until then any greay market vehicles will not have manufacturer's warranty. Fair enough. But why does he have to be such a downer about it?
Jeremy Clarkson - Top Gear "The GT-R hasn't just moved the goalposts, it's obliterated them. For all-round ability, I have no doubt the Nissan is the best car I have ever driven."
To all our fans x members x friends we at thetunersource.com bring you an update about our friends at the Toyota Motor Corp. It seems that recently Toyota issued a recall of about 15,600 four-by-four versions of their 2007 Tundra pickup truck in the United States because of problems with a propeller shaft connected to the rear axle.
Toyota states that the problem stems from a joint in the rear propeller shaft that may have been improperly heat-treated which leads to an inadequate amount of hardness. The problem can snowball into an even bigger problem as the said joint in the section of the rear propeller shaft could separate and immobilize the truck and force it to stop.
Owners of the said vehicle will be notified of the recall beginning in within this month and will need to contact dealers to have their truck inspected. Toyota guarantees that if the hardness in the joint is not correct, the dealer will replace the rear propeller shaft at no cost.
Customers with additional questions can contact Toyota @ (800) 331-4331.
~Ronski
P.S. Congratulations to sixteen-year-old celebutant Jaime-Lynn Spears for her new bundle of joy.
The cruise control feature of a car has always had me a bit apprehensive to ever using it on long trips. I always develop these tentative feelings of the cruise control malfunctioning or maybe my reaction time to some impending disaster not quick enough; whatever it might be, I prefer to keep my foot on the gas and brake.
However, I no longer have an excuse. Whereas many luxury automotive companies are focused on developing the radar-based cruise control functions of their cars, Nissan decided to put all to shame by innovating a technology that integrates a car's GPS navigation system to dictate vehicle speed. With conventional cruise control systems, you turn it on and you maintain one speed. However, with Nissan's set-up, the system will get road and route information from the GPS system, account for curves and turns, and will actually appropriate the vehicle's speed to make the turn and accelerate accordingly as well.
Another cool feature of the Nissan Distance Control Assist is notifying the driver of road blocks, disasters, traffic problems, etc. by pushing the gas pedal against the driver's foot to slow the car down and depending on the direness of the situation, will actually set off an audio warning and message telling the driver to brake.
This is great news for me. It's another step toward driving and taking me, the driver, out of the equation. Because the repercussion of a vehicle's luxury making a driver more inattentive is always a concern, I'm just waiting for the day that I can snap my fingers and just teleport from point A to B. But for now, this will have to do. Happy driving everyone!
I love the Toyota Formula Atlantic Series, and I love the 4AGE. This last year the Formula Atalntic governing body decided to use the Mazda MZR motor( Mazdaspeed 3 and mazda Speed 6) in favor of the 20 year old 4AGE. i was crushed. I love the 4AGE, my love for the 4AGe was when i first went to the Long Beach Formula Atlantic Grand Prix and heard the Formula 4AGE engines scream at 13K RPM. This last year I attended the event again and heard a new sound, the Mazda MZR. This Cosworth built motor screams. Not as high as the 4AGE, but it screams, and hearing these engines(12K RPM) on the straight gives you the chills. So here today I present the Mazda MZR engine.
The new Mazda MZR engine"s is a 2.3L hand built in either England or Torrance, CA USA. These engines are light made of an aluminum lock and head. These engines also produce 300 HP and capable of 175 MPH. these cars are capable of 0-60MPH in 2.2s and 0-100 in 4.2 S Sure its not as impressive as the 4AGE at 1.6L and 240 HP, its still awesome. i speculate that the started using the MZR engines, because they were roughly half the cost of the 4AGE Hasselgren 4AGE, which is 30K. Also the 4AGE engines were rated for 8 hours of race time.
Here is Cosworth's description of the engine :
"A new engine hand build in our engine build facility at Northampton (UK) or Torrance (USA) by the same engine builders that build our Formula 1 and other racing engines. It is a full engine incorporating a barrel throttle intake system, Cosworth valve train, Cosworth pistons, con rods, extrude honed ported head and an auxiliary drive including alternator. Loom, ECU, Flywheel, dry sump and clutch are some of the options that are available for this. Please check out our detailed options list as we can customise the build to your installation needs. A specification sheet is available by downloading the pdf on the left."
Ever run a red light and you happen to see a flash of light strike before you? Yeah you just got served by a traffic camera. Chances are, you are going to receive in the mail a ticket before you ranging anywhere from $100 - $400 depending where you ran the red light.
When Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce got together as the 20th Century started, never would they have imagined what exactly the Rolls-Royce name would mean to the automotive world beyond the UK. Though through the years the brand has gone under many changes and subsidiary divisions, the reputation of the brand remains as one of the premier cars indicating the higher class and extreme luxury.
On December 3rd, Rolls-Royce would further infix their brand into the automobile history books. During an auction, a private British collector set two new records by paying 3.5 million pounds (which equates to about $7.22 million USD) for the oldest surviving Rolls-Royce, which is the highest paid for a pre-1905 and for any Rolls-Royce.
The bidding for the 1904 car started at a cool $1M and came down to two telephone bidders battling it out. The previous record for any veteran car was 1.76 million pounds for the 1884 De Dion Bouton and the record for any Rolls-Royce was the 1912 Silver Ghost Double Pullman Limousine, which went for 1.48 million pounds. The car (car 20154) was the fourth ever built by Rolls and Royce and boasted a 10 horsepower engine for the open-topped two-seater. The car is actually still in running condition after undergoing restoration in the 1950s. Its license plate is "U 44."
The car briefly was neglected until Rolls-Royce enthusiast and speedway star Oliver Langton acquired it and fully restored it. The car is also the only pre-1905 Rolls-Royce to take part in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Frankly, I'm surprised a rapper didn't buy it to go with the fleet of Phantoms they have.
When I was a kid there would always be a movie that played on Saturday afternoons on Channel 5 KTLA, it was a story of a guy that gets killed by some car-fanatic bullies, and he returns as a ghost in an awesome car to seek vengence. It was great, it was everything I ever wanted in a movie. A hot girl, an awesome car, and lots of action. I was in love. Years down the road I was flipping through my older cousin's car book admiring all the cool cars of the 80's which included the 959 Porsche and Ferrari Daytona. Upon flipping through the book I found my favorite movie car, the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor. I was in disbelief, I thought the car in the movie was fake, and was just a model that they created to carve the canyon, and make all the bad guys go off the cliff. And so I present to you the dual turbocharged Dodge PPG M4S Turbo pacecar.
This car was a DOHC 2.2L motor with dual turbochargers, that produced 440 Horsepower, and had a top speed of 195 MPH. This car did a 0-60MPH in 4.1 seconds, and 12.9s quarter mile. The motor used dual T-25 Garrett turbo which were fed into the "top of the line" Bosch L-Jetronic fuel management system. This car was contracted to Dodge by PPG and they spent nearly $1.5 Million Dollars for 6 cars, now only four cars exist 2 belonging to PPG still.
You see. When I first saw my boy pick up a carbon fiber hood for his Honda Civic, I was amazed because his car actually looked nice for once. Not just that, but the fact that the hood was lightweight, flashy, and well made his car look really really good, I'm telling you! But seriously, then he decided to get his grille, spoiler, dashboard, shift knob, door pillars, tail lights, etc. (oh trust me there is a lot more but you get the picture) all done up. Then he just looked really gosh darn silly.
What would be the pro to having carbon fiber? Maybe because it is extremely light and strong? Eh. but it scratches up and doesn't withstand side impacts all so well. Hm, I dunno if it's all that cracked up to be. Maybe you, the audience can convince to me why carbon fiber is such a plus to have when it comes to performance parts. In the mean time, let's take a look at what else carbon fiber has invaded in America:
I don't have to continue. You know how silly it is to have carbon fiber now. So just quit it while you are ahead.
Based on the Silver Arrow Type C Grand Prix racing car of 1936 as the ideal blueprint, AUDI AG has brought onto the market an absolute first for them. The 2007 Auto Union Type C Pedal Car is an aluminium automobile in 1:2 scale (or half scale) of the original size of its predecessors. The automobile is only large enough to accommodate a person no more than four and a half feet (4
Not too long ago Toyota introduced the Prius. Remember that ugly ass car that looked like an Echo? Don't remember? Well let me refresh your memory.
Horrendous right? But Toyota did claim 46 miles per gallon. Not phenomenal, but a good amount right? I guess its not amazing compared to the 1989 - 1991 Honda Civic/CRX HF which many claim can get over 40+ miles per gallon.
Well a few years later, Toyota introduced the new Prius that got over 60MPG!!!
Well that was bullshit. I rented one via Enterprise on a trip to .... where else would they have rental hybrids? San Francisco! Well from the city, I charged out to Monterey Bay which is quite a flat and long drive, and I hardly managed to drive 45MPG!
So in 2008, what did Toyota do? They readjusted their MPG to 46. Pretty accurate!
Well rumor has it that Japanese model Honda Insights and FCXs are at 100MPG and Toyota Prius' are at 94MPG! Well I guess at that point we are going to have to buy a hybrid huh?
Believe it or not? I can't say but I did have the pleasure of going to the LA Autoshow where "The California Car Initiative" were publicly showing off their 100+MPG plug-in converted Prius. You can try and get one, but I guess its proof that there are 100MPG cars around.
So lets look forward to the 2009 hybrids!
The 2009 Toyota Prius 94MPG!
The 2009 Honda FCX 68MPG with an 2010 or 2011 model getting 100MPG!
See ya later guys,
Trying to keep the environment clean and his wallet full, the not so filthy, Mr. Philthy.
It's that time of the year again everyone. Malls are filled, cash registers are ringing, and debt is accruing; it's the holiday season!
On the contrary, this time of the season is also great for the intrinsic quality of your life. You have much needed vacation time from work, more time to spend with your loved ones, and receiving cool gifts that are usually excessively unnecessary.
Now, I don't know about you but I really love children. Especially during the holiday season, there's nothing better than giving a child a gift and seeing their faces light up. But, what can you give to the kid who has everything, especially in this time of age where children have it too good? Leave it to German automotive power house Porsche to provide you the perfect gift.
The Porsche Kinderbob sled is really the implementation of the company's brand and its timeless and exquisite designs in another mode of transportation other than a car. The sled itself is actually more than a toy, with a very aerodynamic design complete with metal runners and suspension system. You can rest assured that your kid will be the talk of envy and most stylish on the snow slopes.
Only bad news is that the sled is not available in the US stores but if you go on the German site, you can pick up one of these for
