For the Future Playboys Out There...

Alright blog world, your buddy Rack of Lam is really jealous. Why? Well, when I was a kid, my main mode of transportation was usually a bicycle. If ever I had a date or wanted to take my buddies out somewhere, they usually had to ride shotgun on my handlebars and/or pegs. Don’t get me wrong…back then, I LOVED my bike. But now, I’ve just seen that they just made a 1986 Ferrari Testarossa Go-Kart for the new generation.

The design of the go-kart is in the legendary Scuderia styling. You might be wondering about the functionality of the car. Well, it’s fully functional and runs on a 5 HP Briggs & Stratton motor with 2 speed automatic transmissions. If that’s not enough for small scale adaptation, it also boasts retractable headlights and turn signals, CD stereo system, horn, independent suspension, and rear disc brakes that are hydraulically operated and could push out a top speed of 30 mph. Imagine being 7 years old and straight up hollering at hoodrats with this thing…

For $25,000, some people feel the car is a little over priced, especially considering no one under the age of 12 can probably fit into it. To those who say that, I pose the question: Can you really put a price tag on the wants and needs of a kid who has it all, including the world at his fingertips? You’ll come to see that the answer is an emphatic “NO.”







-Rizack of Lizzle

Mazda Performance Back from the Dead ? MazdaSpeed3

In the early to Mid-90's Mazda's product offering of the 323GTX and RX-7 were great performance cars in their respective market classes. The 323GTX was the hot hatch that competed in the likes of the Dodge Colt GT, Mitsubishi Mirage GT, Honda Civic Si, Toyota Corolla GT-S. Of course anyone that knows cars from this time will remember that the 323GTX was a purebred AWD Turbo Charged Rally Maniac. With Super car offerings the FD3S RX-7 was a 1.3 Wankel Turbo motor that was amidst the Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, Toyota Supra Twin Turbo, and even the Corvette LS1. After those models were fazed out the whole car industry was bland, including Mazda's line up of the Protege, 626, and MX-6. The only real performance model was the Mx-6, but due to its weak 176 HP 2.5L V-6, it was not as desirable as the Acura Intega GS-R.

Fast forward a couple years and Mazda produced the Mazda Speed MX-5 (Miata). This gave a great big breath of fresh air to Mazda, finally Mazda had it right with outfitting one of its best selling cars with a turbo, to make it legitimately a sports car. Then came the MazdaSpeed3.



The engine in the MazdaSpeed3 is the product of Cosworth/Ford/Mazda design, the MZR. Hailed as one of the Top 10 Engines in 2008 by Ward's, it is simply fantastic. So good in fact that this engine variety has been outfitted to the Formula Atlantic league of race cars, which boasts over 300 Horsepower in a 2.4l engine.

I love the 4AGE, I really really do. But I can not deny the fact that having a road going car with an engine with Formula Atlantic roots is amazing.



The stock MZR Turbo motor with intercooler



The Cosworth MZR with Formula Atlantic Spec.

The MazdaSpeed3 is quite amazing as that it is priced at $24K, which is $9K less than the VW R32. Don't be fooled that it costs less, because the guys at WebRidesTV tested both cars on HorseThief Mile and the MazdaSpeed3 came victorious.

Tuning potential for this car will be stellar in years to come when people realize how awesome this car is. The MazdaSpeed6 is the AWD variety, and soon enough someone will swap in that drivetrain. Either way enthuisiast of the MZR will have great aftermarket support from Cosworth both stateside or across the river in England.

I guess for me it is time to let go of the great 4AGE and move on for my lovfe of the MZR. NOT!

Please sign up as a member on The Tuner Source.


Johnster

I LOVE ME SOME DONUTS

Police in Iowa sure love their donuts. Frank Alvarado got to meet every single one of them in the state after he stole a Donut Delite truck and went on a five hour run from the law.

Frank stole the van full of delights from a hospital in Illinois and went on a trek to Iowa. So first, five sheriff deputies from Tama County followed him, then four, and another three, making a grand total of TWELVE hoggies on this donut van escapade. One hungry hungry hippo even went on pursuit in his own vehicle! Talk about munchies.

At the end, we all know how pursuits go. The bad guy eventually gets caught, everyone is safe, police eat all of the donuts. It turns out the manager of the Donut Delite offered all of the donuts in the van.

Hopefully another criminal was stealing a van full of milk.

excerpts from: www.autoblog.com


-Thai Spyce-

"Nice Try Scion"

Scion designers know that some will like the Hako, some won’t. I’m not wild about the concept car myself. I can, however, see it appealing to many an individual looking for something different yet have a almost classical feel.

The Hako Coupe Concept was inspired by the emergence of American vintage style among young Tokyo trendsetters and was revealed earlier this week at the New York Auto Show. I can see classically inspired lines in this little concept. The more I look at it; the more it reminds me of the Chrysler PT Cruiser. And I’m not too fond of that vehicle either. Enjoy the pics…



http://fp.images.autos.msn.com/media/580x348/60/60072d173166400db2aef48f39e327be.jpg>

http://fp.images.autos.msn.com/media/580x348/b3/b361502d4c084d69a3e7e844770f3e0a.jpg>

~Ronski

Land Rover & Jaguar sold to Indian (Dots, not feathers) Tata Motors

We all knew that Ford was in big trouble. With dwindling sales and a slumping American economy, I guess Ford just couldn't cage Jaguar and Land Rover.





The proud new owners of these mediocre car companies? Tata Motors from India!



Wow, now thats some news. Not that I have anything against Indian car manufacturers, but if my parent company was called Tata Motors, it would be hard to take seriously.



With a value between $2 Billion and $2.5 Billion, I think they over paid! Haha

So now Tata Motors can boast a couple things! Some of the CHEAPEST cars in the world, and some of the most expensive in the world!

Well maybe in the near future we will see more of this going down the Ganges River!



-Mister Philthy

BY THE WAY GUYS! Don't forget to sign up for TheTunerSource.Com!!!!!

The Bigger The Boy, The Bigger The Toy

I remember as a kid, my favorite toys were remote controlled cars. As I got older and more mature, so did the evolutionary capabilities of the remote controlled car. I actually hold it dear to my heart because the evolution of the “remote controlled car” is probably parallel with my own life, in terms of the technology being fit for my current maturity level of the time. For example, when I was a toddler, I had to play with the car that was attached to the remote control by a wire. I had to chase the car around because it couldn’t go more than the allotted few feet of wire that was attached to it. Then, I got older and the RC cars got bigger and better. An antenna was now attached to the remote control which allowed me to stay stationary and control the car at a wider radius. Still, I got older and the toy got steadily better. Now, there were remote controlled hovercrafts, toy vehicles floating on water, and also the control capabilities were a lot stronger as I found I could control the car from further and further away.

Now, fast forward to the present time--I am 23 years old, an adult, and well, I need the remote control car to be befitting of that. Leave it up to Dr. James Brighton from Cranfield University to convert the Hummer H3 to a fully functional remote controlled toy—that’s right folks, an RC Hummer H3. You might be thinking, “Oh cool, there’s a remote controlled Hummer, not much different from the RC Tonka trucks back then.” No. I’m talking about a real, actual full-sized Hummer H3 that was converted into being RC.

The conversion took only a month to complete. When asked about the vehicle, Dr. James Brighton says, “Converting the HUMMER H3 into the super-sized remote control car took a month to complete but we've had lots of fun in the process. The results are clear–all controllers will be amazed by the handling ability–the best any radio controlled vehicle has had to date. The vehicle is capable of climbing a 407mm vertical wall, traversing a 40% side slope and operating in up to 610mm of water–imagine the fun.”

Big boys get big toys, indeed.







With that note, if you haven't noticed by now, the functions side of our site is available for use. Though aesthetically it's not complete, we urge you to please sign up and fool around with the site. Drop us a line if there's something you'd like to see fixed, improved, etc. Thanks.

-Rack of Lam

There is a God : Hyundai Genesis

Sweet lord above we have a blessing from the big man himself. Hyundai has made a RWD sports coupe for the masses delivered by 2010. There were rumors that Toyota was going to make a RWD cheap sports coupe as well, but there are only drawings of it. But our beloved Korean brothers have thwarted the Japanese in making an affordable sports coupe. A demo of the car was done at the New York Auto Center, which displayed the cars drifting prowess.

Supposedly this car will have a V-6 or a turbocharged 4 cylinder. It seems that if the 1-series comes with the Tii version it will have a major competitor, and at a fraction of the price.


Think about it.


Johnster

And signal the gong! *GONG*

Behold the Changfeng CS6 in ALL ITS GLORY!!!!

Well I am sure everyone has heard the rumors that China is going to try to enter the US automotive market.

Not too long ago, a couple Chinese automotive companies actually started displaying their cars in International Auto Shows.

Last year, Chinese Manufacturer Geely had an unsightly automobile sitting in front of the Detroit Auto Show, and this year a cacophonous sounding Changfeng had a slightly larger booth for the North American International Auto Show in the basement.

Since everything in the world is being manufactured in China, it was only a natural progression that automobiles would be next. As the Korean?s cornered the budget vehicles as Japanese automobile prices rose, the Chinese are doing the same. Korean cars are going up in quality and in price leaving the very bottom budget vehicles unavailable.

The major advantage that Chinese manufacturing has is price point. Considering that the average Western automotive worker earns as much as $50 an hour, compared to their Chinese counterpart whom works for $1.95 an hour.

Hopefully there automobiles will be made to a higher quality than other products that have made their way stateside (e.g. Toothpaste, Wheat Gluten, etc.).

Either way, I welcome the Chinese into this competitive market and pray they will produce fast, well-handeling, hard braking, vehicles. Perhaps with the Chinese in the US market, the Big 3 will become Japanese, Korean, and Chinese manufacturers!

J.D. KNOWS BEST

No. Not Jack Daniel's. But J.D. Power & Associates; for those of you who live underneath two rocks, is one of the most highly regarded global marketing information service. This firm conducts consumer surveys and judges upon product quality and customer satisfaction. Pretty much, whatever they put their stamp on is golden.

J.D. Power & Associates are already predicting that automotive sales are going to be under compared to the predicted budgeted goals for the year.

DUH! Who can purchase a vehicle? Americans cannot even pay for their mortgages, let alone gasoline for transportation. How do you expect consumers to go out and purchase a new vehicle? We don't need J.D. Power & Associates to tell us that.

So this blog is dedicated entirely to tell J.D. Power & Associates that I am utterly jealous of the employees there because they probably get paid six figures easy, and sit around and play wii all day and when the world wants to know about "consumer reviews about car purchasing in 2008?" they can shake a black eightball that reads, "outlook not so good." Man I want that job.




- THAI SPYCE -

"Deadly Horny Deer"

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety statistics show that there are more than over 1.5 million deer related vehicle collisions each year. Results of the staggering and to be honest surprisingly big number of incidences are an estimated 150 occupant deaths, tens of thousands of injuries and over $1 billion in vehicle damage…damn!! The average claim for collision damage is about $3,000, with costs varying depending on the type of vehicle and severity of damage caused by these cloven-hoofed bastards; claims involving medical payments can add thousands of dollars, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Some states experience more deer collisions than others…which is a big effen duh!! According to a study of annual claim statistics, the states with the highest number of accidents involving deer accidents from 2005 to 2006 were: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia, Minnesota, Texas, Indiana and South Carolina. The deer migration and mating season generally runs from October through December, and causes a dramatic increase in the movement of the deer population. As a result, more deer-vehicle collisions occur during this period than at any other time of year. So to all our fans please be careful out there, especially during mating seasons...when these guys are at their horniest.

I don't care I'm gonna write about it again...

So driving up the 405 today I actually saw a car that I've seen many times in magazines and even at car shows, but never on the street.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4

Man this thing is pretty mean looking, and we all know its fast, but it seemed so wide on the road. So what I decided to do today is show you the widths of different cars so you guys can see the differences, if any!

The standard beloved 2009 Toyota Camry comes in at a whopping 71.7".



The impressively small Honda Fit crowds the road at 66.5".



And the Toyota/Scion counterpart, the xB also comes in at 66.5"


The original AM General Hummer moves up to 86.5".



The Bugatti Veyron 78.66"



The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 clocks out at 81.02".



So I guess at the end of the day, the Veyron isn't as wide as I thought it was. Seems like its marginally longer than a Camry, but 10 inches in car widths is a lot of inches!!!

SLR McLarenhausen

One of my favorite cars at the moment is probably the Mercedes SLR McLaren. You put together about $500,000 and you can have yourself this supercar that’s in the same classification as a Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari 599 GTB, or a Lamborghini Murcielago. I’ve seen only a few of them in my time but when I have, I’ve nearly broken my neck each time trying to get a longer gander. It’s hard to imagine this car’s design can get any better…

Well, from one German company to the next, the SLR McLaren has been improved upon…aesthetically, anyway. Mansory, a German aftermarket tuning and customiser company, has released a modified and redesigned SLR McLaren that has left this author with a gaping mouth. They call it the Mansory Renovatio.

Though most of the modifications were made on the exterior of the car, there were a couple of components that were replaced for Mansory developments. This includes new high performance compressors, tailor-made intercoolers, a sports air filter, and a modified engine management system. This has made the car two tenths faster than the normal SLR in a zero to 100km/hr dash and has also upped the top speed to 340 kph.

On the outside, the Renovatio is composed of carbon fiber body components with ultra-light forged wheels and the obvious gold paint job. The wheels are one-piece turbine-wheels with five double-spokes, 9 x 20 at the front and 11.5 x 20 at the rear. This has improved the car’s acceleration, braking distance, and overall handling.

The details underneath the hood also have improvements and many exciting features, such as a super-charged 5.5 liter capacity and 626 hp V8 engine. Then there’s the interior of the car that has special leather, aluminum pedals, illuminated door tread plates, and carbon everything (well, carbon A LOT of things).

And because it’s one of my favorite cars, I’m going to rain on you with pictures of this golden beaut. Enjoy!













-Rack Of Lam

Bug Eyes: 2001 WRX(GDA) Similar to the 1998 Corolla(AE111)

Sure. Just look at the headlights. But of course one was WRC for Manufacturers, the AE111 Corolla. The AE111 WRC Corolla was the last generation that Toyota had entered the WRC. Sure this car was not the normal off the shelf Corolla you could purchase, first off it wasn't available in the USA and it came with the 20V 4AGE motor. This WRC version came with a reworked 3S-GTE engine that made over 300 Horsepower with the CT20 turbo(Supra TurboCharger). The drive train came from a Celica All-Trac from previous generation. It was well-balanced with 54% front and 46% rear, and was shorter than both the Ford Escort Cosworth and Impreza WRC. One of the inovations that lead greatly helped was the Xtrac gearbox. This was a sequential gearbox that was actuated electronically, and had a backup H-pattern shifter as well.





Here are some cool pictures and spec of the car :



Engine Cast iron block, aluminum head construction. Transversally mounted.

1972.3 cm3 , water cooled in-line 4 (type 3S-GTE). Bore: 85.4mm, stroke: 86mm. Compression ratio 8.5:1

Output: 299 Bhp@5700 rev/min*, 510 NM@4000rev/min. Toyota oil lubricated , water cooled turbo type CT20 (2 bar max. pressure) and air/air intercooler. 2 OHC belt driven and solid tappets. 4 valves per cylinder. Oil cooler. DENSO EFI integral engine management (injection, ignition and turbo).

Transmission All wheel drive.

Front and central differentials are hydro-electronically controlled. Rear differential is of hang-on clutch type. 50-50 % F/R distribution. Final drive ratio depends on surface.
Six speed XTrac sequential gear box.
Gear ratios depend on surface.
Double carbon dry plate clutch.

Suspension Front: Independent McPherson struts lower control arm , progressive coil springs and Öhlins telescopic dampers with separate cartridge, antiroll bar.

Rear: Independent Independent McPherson struts, longitudinal arm, progressive coil springs and Öhlins telescopic dampers with separate cartridge, antiroll bar.

Brakes Front: Ventilated disks (343 mm) fixed 6 pot aluminum calipers.

Rear: Vented disks (295 mm) fixed 4 pot aluminum calipers.

Chassis Monocoque. Parts in aluminum and carbon.

Wheels/Tires 8"x18" wheels, 20/65/18" tires

Dimensions Length: 4100mm

Width: 1770mm

Height: 1365mm (excluding roof vents)

Wheelbase: 2465mm

Front track: 1564mm (for gravel, add 100mm on tarmac)

Rear track: 1556mm (for gravel, add 100mm on tarmac)

Laden weight: 1230Kg





I guess Subaru loved the Toyota Corolla so much that they decided to copy the look of the car, too bad they couldn't copy its WRC for Manufacturers.

STUDENTS AT MIT ARE GOING TO MAKE PARKING A LOT EASIER!

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) are working on a foldable vehicle. Talk about not worrying about a place to park.

These scientists are deriving a way where the vehicle’s computer system can detect a tight parking spot and fold in half!

Bill Mitchell, a professor in MIT’s architecture department is quoted saying, "We have reinvented urban mobility.” The actual vehicle has yet to be built but a mini model mock-up is on display at the campus for your viewing pleasure. The actual full scale model is underway and may be available as soon as fall 2008.

This foldable car idea can solve the world’s continuing traffic congestion. With the built-in rechargeable battery, this car is economically friendly and can help reduce pollution and make the o-zone layer happy.







related links: www.reuters.com

- THAI SPYCE -

Them Dukes!

I remember I wrote an article a while back about the Dukes of Hazzard and mentioned that it used to be one of my favorite shows growing up as a kid. I mostly just liked the General Lee, the 1969 Dodge Charger that "them boys" drove in. John Schneider (Bo Duke) sold his personal General Lee earlier this year for $450,000.

Well, it has just been reported that the LEE 1 has been slated to appear in the April Dupont Registry with a yet-to-be established price tag. In case you didn't know, the LEE 1 was the General Lee that was featured in the opening credits of the Dukes of Hazzard series and was in the first episode ever. The car has been lying in a heap in a junkyard until Travis Bell and his team salvaged it and restored it back to its original makeup. Because of the crazy jumps and violent stunts that the LEEs had to endure during the shows production, a lot of them were retired due to extensive damage. I'm just glad to see that longevity usually tests the quality of an item...and well, this car has lasted a longgg time and been through a lot.





-Rack of Lam

The Mythical Twin Charger

For some people going fast is what is important to them. I've always wanted a really fast car, but have never been able to afford one. We all know that building a naturally aspirated car costs the most money. An affordable way to go fast is forced induction, either supercharging or turbocharging. Both methods use compressor wheels to force air into the intake chamber.



Many years ago I stumbled across a site that opened my eyes to the shear ingenuity of man. It was called "TwinCharger" and had crude pictures of one of my favorite cars, the AE86 with a turbo and supercharger working together. This kit made well over 300 Horsepower, and to me was genius.



Apparently HKS designed a kit for the AW11 first generation MR2 to incorporate the stock supercharger to its very own turbo setup. Mr.TwinCharger himself designed his kit around iron steam pipe and made a bypass valve so that there would be no restriction when the turbo would outflow the supercharger!!!







This webpage meant a lot to me, it showed that with will any 1985 Corolla could go ridiculously fast. This car was so powerful that it broke many rear axles, and now it has a Celica Supra Rear end to place all that torque down. Sure it might be a Corolla, but who in this world claims to have a turbo supercharged car?