Upcoming Talent : Lewis Hamilton

Move over Michael Schumacher or Kimi Räikkönen , there is some serious talent coming up in the ranks. His name is Lewis Hamilton an upcoming 22 year old Brit that is take the F1 circuits by storm.

Young enough to make other race car drivers shameful, and old enough to plow through as many women as he likes in all the countries of the world. His team mate is Fernando Alonso also young enough to rule the world one race track and female rack at a time.

Lewis got his start in racing by racing R/C cars and was successful at winning many championships. This fascination with speed went onto Go-Kart, Formula 3, and then Formula 1.

In 2007 he won the US Grand Prix, and in 2008 he is in the lead from winning the Monaco Grand Prix in points. Many tensions have risen because of the Double-World Champion Team Mate Fernando Alonso being team members with Lewis' increased wins.

Nonetheless, I hope that these two lads will duke it out on the track, off the track, and on top of some girl's racks.

Famous words of Lewis Hamilton at ten years of age to Team Mclaren Manager Ron Dennis," "Hi. I'm Lewis Hamilton. I won the British Championship and one day I want to be racing your cars."

Johnster

SCION AND TECHNO MUSIC!

The MOVEMENT music festival takes place in Detroit, Michigan and is one of the biggest electronic music festivals in the United States. This year it will be a three-day festival from the dates May 24-May 26, 2008.

Scion will be the main automotive sponsor for the MOVEMENT music festival. Scion is always tapping into the arts and rightfully so. Their vehicles emmulate what Scion is really about, a youth oriented market. What better way to garner new consumers than by sponsoring the biggest electronic festival in motor city. "Scion has the youngest demographic in the automotive industry, so to be involved in a festival geared toward Generations X and Y is a marketer's dream," said Julie Hoermle, regional manager at Scion. "Our brand is seen as hip and vibrant, and there won't be any more energetic city in America, than Detroit, this Memorial Day weekend." "Our goal is not to inundate visitors with a sea of cars," Hoermle said. "Young people are entirely too savvy for such blatant product displays. They're at the festival to enjoy the music and the city. Our tent will be a place to hang out and relax, within earshot of terrific, live music."

Scion's marketing team must be a dream job for anybody. You get to plan events like these, party and get paid. I need a new job. hint hint.

For more information about Movement '08, visit www.myspace.com/detroitmusicfest.

Here are the confirmed acts for the 2008 lineup:

Aaron Carl (featuring Veronique & DJ E. Dubb)
Alex Smoke
Alex Under
Alland Byallo
Alton Miller
Andy Toth
Benny Benassi
Big Joe Hix
Brian Kage & Luke Hess as "Reference"
Carl Craig
Carlos Souffront
Cassy
Cobblestone Jazz
Darkcube
Davide Squillace
DBX
Deadmau5
Deepchord Presents Echospace
Derek Plaslaiko
Derrick Thompson (aka Drivetrain)
Dieselboy (featuring MC Messinian)
Drew Pompa
Dubfire
Ectomorph
Egyptian Lover
Electrobounce.Com Presents Databass Ghetto Tech
Eric Johnston
Gabe Real
Girl Talk
Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts
Half Hawaii
Hearthrob
James Zabiela
Jay Spliff
Jared Wilson
Jerry Abstract
John Johr
Joris Voorn
Josh Dahlberg
Josh Wink
Justin Kruse (aka Kruse Kontrol)
Justin Long
Meg Quandt
Keith Worthy
Kenneth Thomas
Kenny Larkin
Kevin Saunderson
Kill Memory Crash
Konrad Black
Lawnchair Generals
Lee Burridge
Magda
Marco Corola
Mark Farina
Mathias Kaden
Matthew Hawtin
MD! featuring Bombscare
Michael Geiger
Mike Grant
Miles Maeda
Minx
Moby
Mr. De'
Mr. Mixx (Tha 808 King)
Newcleus
Nonspectacle
Number 9
Oscar Mulero
Paco Osuna
Par Grindvik
Patrick Russell
Paul Ritch
Peanut Butter Wolf
Pete Rock
Punisher
Reggie "Hotmix" Harrell
Rex Sepulveda
Richie Hawtin
Rich Korach
Ronin Selecta
Shawn Michaels
Soundmurderer
Speedy J (featuring Scott Pagano VJ)
Stacey Pullen
T. Linder
Tech Itch
Terrence Parker
The Cool Kids
The Nick Speed Collection
Tim Baker
Twonz
Tycho
Yos
ZIP

- Thai Spyce

"WTF Kia??"

Scouring the web for automotive related content, I make my way to the Internet capital of viral videos. Youtube has never let me down (so far). Today was no exception. I ran across this clip/commercial by Kia motors not too long ago.

The clip has a Celebrity Deathmatch kind of feel and starts of fairly normal enough. Tennis player Rafael Nadel is in a middle of a match with a blue hued alien that is a cross between the Green Goblin and Hoggish Greedly from Captain Planet and The Planeteers. That’s where anything normal ends.

What’s really disturbing about the clip are the four spawned Nadals and the crazy shenanigans they do…I do like the Voltron-esque sequence in the middle of the clip. And upon further research, and when I mean further research, I mean no research I discover that Kia released this crazy mish-moshed mind-pork of a clip on Saturday and quickly shortened it to now only eleven seconds on Monday. Why? Because of the massive negative response, that’s why. And if you’re wondering, I believe the clip is supposed to be promoting Kia’s new compact called the Pro_Cee’d, but it’s done for me is go wtf??




~Ronski

Wow, now this isn't a car but its pretty damn cooooool!

Okay for those of you who care out there, I ride a motorcycle. I've been riding bikes now for a whole two months!

Well my birthday is right around the corner so I decided as a birthday present to myself, I bought a new motorcycle. I wanted to go Italian so I went with a Ducati.



It is a pretty sexy bike and I went home content with my purchase.

That is until I saw this...




Forget riding a bike when you can WEAR ONE!

Yamaha's Deus Ex Machina prototype is the first of its kind and is damn cool if you ask me.




It's almost like a bio suit if you ask me. With 36 pneumatic muscles, two linear actuators, and seven artificial vertebrae, its like something out of a Japanese anime, that or those weird things in the Wizard of Oz.

A single person, wearable, electric, vertically parking vehicle! Amazing.
It would, theoretically, travel 0-60mph in under three seconds and stop 60-0mph in under 100 feet.




Well this thing makes my Ducati look like a thing of the past... which is kind of what I wanted.

Purest Perfection Series : Stack ST700 Dash

To me one of the purest perfections in the world is great instrumentation. It makes me want to jump up and down, stomp my feet, and then sing to my hearts delight. That is truly what the Stack ST700 Dash unit does for me.

Sure the other full sized dash units are awesome because they have a larger screen for the tach, LCD screen, and integrated turn signals. For me the ST700 is product of technical marvel, because of its smallish (approx 3.5 inches wide) size and abundance of options.



Almost like a delectable Patek Phillipe, its small size and versatility blows any system out of the water. With an off-track homing beacon, it can do track times! It has sensor options for the standard water temp, oil temp, oil pressure, boost, and speed.

The most impressive feature is that it has an option to tell you the minimum corner speed via two off-track beacons.

Sure its not the most fanciful Pi Data-Logger or an EFI Technology dash unit, but I think its stupidly awesome.

Johnster

FREE GAS! THERE IS A HEAVEN!

Today in my hometown of Huntington Beach, a local Shell gas station gave away $40 gift cards redeemable for free gasoline to the first 200 customers. Verizon Yellow Pages and Superpages.com have been doing this promotion for years now but this is the first time they decided to host an event in Orange County.

I was actually tipped off by my friend DT, but unfortunately yours truly was busy at work. (Plus my gas tank was just filled the night before!) The fiasco started at 11 a.m. but eager drivers lined up for hours beforehand just to get them $40 gift cards.

Gasoline around here in Huntington Beach is roughly around $4.03 - $4.09, you never know tomorrow might go to $5.00. It is insane now. But I'm glad that there are kind angels out there who thought of throwing an event like this for locals. Instead of crying fetal position every night after watching the news and the rising gas prices, Shell gas station and friends just made my day.

"Toyota's White Rabbit??"

Toyota has flexed its muscles one again. Their venture was not the most highly anticipated, hell I just recently found out about it. But the Lexus LF-A stands as an important milestone in Toyota’s 70-plus years of automotive history. The Lexus LF-A would be Toyota’s first real entry into the luxury sports car class…soon to join the ranks of other well-established luxury sports car manufacturers.

Rumored to carry a price tag of a whopping $200,000 give or take a difference of $50,000. The LF-A is already priced like a luxury sports car. Should the rumor of such a hefty price tag for a Toyota/Lexus prove true we are looking at a car chasing Ferraris, Lambos and upper end Porsches, ay least when it comes to pricing. Specs are sketchy, but the LS-A is said to boast a 5 liter V10 producing 500-plus Clydesdales and will most likely come in both coupe and drop-top.

I hope Ttoyota is successful in this venture…if so; the general populous has yet another white rabbit to chase.








~Ronski

Ferris Bueller risked a lot of change taking out that car!

Remember the car in Ferris Bueller's Day Off?



Yea it's a replica but it started my fascination and love for expensive ass Italian automobiles.



Well, just recently, one of these exact beauties, a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder was sold for a record shattering, get this, $10,976,000. Wow! That is a lot of change.



And to boot, the buyer was not some billionaire, it was British Radio DJ, Chris Evans. Personally, I didn't know DJ's make that much money but apparently they do. He's no looker but he's probably going to pull some chicks with this bad boy.

Well this car was at one point owned by James Colburn, I wonder if he wishes he had it back?

Product Review : GPS Navigation Systems

I've been in the market for a GPS navigation system
for a while. I figure its a great investment for not
wasting time being lost, gas money, and finding that
hole in the wall Japanese Ramen joint.

I do have a day job. Really. My job requires that I
drive around to people and tell them how great my
company is. I've been sick of planning out my routes
with MapQuest, because simply sometimes I want to
deviate from my actual plan. And sometimes I want
some damn ice cream at that very moment. Driving with
my co-worker verified to me that a GPS Navigation unit
is actually a very helpful thing.

I've used Pioneer, Alpine, Magellen, and Navigon units
before. But after reading reviews on the internet
(http://gpsmagazine.com) and watching YouTube clips, I
changed my mind from getting the Navigon 2100 to the
Garmin Nuvi 200. I went to the Garmin website to find
more information about the Nuvi 200, and was bombarded
with other models that they have. So I compared 5 of
their models at a time. I realized the highly prized
Nuvi 360 was out of my price range, at nearly 75
percent more than the Nuvi 200. Also I realized that
I don't care for street name dictation, wide screen,
subscription to MSN, subscription for traffic reports,
and the blue tooth capabilites. This all verified to
me that the Nuvi 200 was a straight forward unit with
no frills.

Upon messing with the unit I found that the interface
was very easy to use, in fact so easy that if I had an
extra 21st chromosome I can still probably navigate a
herd of cattle competently. The only complaints are
that the battery doesn't last very long without a
power cord attached, and that the Points of Interests
navigation is a little slow. Probably not as slow as
my feeble mind, but slow.

Many people say that buying a navigation is
ridiculous, 'tis true when the cheapest units years
ago started at $500. But now they have become so
affordable that it makes perfect sense to buy one and
always have an idea where you are. But the bad thing
is that now you don't have an excuse to get lost with
a girl you're dating and take her to a remote canyon
and lay it on thick.

The Garmin Nuvi 200, is about $200. Not bad. It just
means I have to wash more dishes and mow more lawns.

GALLARDO AT IT AGAIN!

Ok so you own a Lamborghini Gallardo? Big deal. I have 2. But do I own a Gallardo trailer? oh helllllll no.

Autoblog.com found one in Miami, Beach. (had to be a guido no doubt about that) But this guido has some style adding Lamborghini emblems on on the chopper, its seats and on the trailer. This guy gots mad duckets son. The trailer even has matching wheels with the Gallardo. Talk about balling out of control.

My thoughts. This is pointless. Why haul a matching chopper? You know who the douchebag is. We all know it's one of Hulk Hogan's children. Why have a fast ass vehicle as the Gallardo haul a chopper? I use mine to cruise down the beach and pick up on silicone-filled broads. Someone please tell this guy to stop. Or he will just be like one of the douches on thedirty.com

Here are some photos for y'all:







- Thai Spyce

ps: I am revamping our myspace page. Please add us if you have not already. the address is www.myspace.com/thetunersource. Send me a message. I am in charge on the myspace. (also) if you are a chick and want to talk dirty I'm into that too. I am Thai Spyce you know.

"Compitition For A Ford??"

Ford Motor Company announced a design competition to some of the worlds best design schools earlier this week (May 12, 2008). Ford challenges the students “to create a revolutionary global vehicle for today that shares the Model T’s attributes: simple, lightweight, practical, compelling…and priced under $7,000.” The competition is part of Ford’s celebration of the centennial of the Model T.

The participating schools are Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California; University of Michigan – Dearborn; Lawrence Technological University in Southfield in Michigan; Aachen University in Germany; and Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.

Each university received $75,000 in funding from Ford Global Technologies, LLC to support the creation of a vehicle concept through sketches, models, research papers and potentially even working models.

Students involved in the competition have until September 1st, 2008 to submit their proposals. Five judges from Ford Motor Company will critique each concept and the two concepts that best embody the Model T spirit, represent the Ford brand and meet the challenge criteria will each be awarded $25,000 for university scholarships. The winners will be selected within September and will be announced on the anniversary of Model T, which is September 27. Good luck to the competitors…especially those from the Art Center…Chutch!!




~Ronski

What happened in the last 20 years?

Remember the 1989 Honda CRX HF? Great car huh? Capable of making it really damn fast, or just a great grocery getter stock right?

Well I agree and recently was puzzled by the increase of technology, yet the lack of fuel efficiency.

For example, the 1989 Honda CRX HF made an EPA estimated 41 mpg for the city and 50 mpg on the highway. This is adjusted for 2008 standards!



Now look at the most recent small call offering by Honda, the Honda Fit, with an EPA estimated 28 mpg for the city and 34 mpg on the highway. Not too impressive, especially by 1989 standards. Yet ranked as one of the most fuel efficient gasoline only engines!

Just for informations sake, both scored very high in their "green" points, giving both cars extremely high ratings.

Now what happened in the last 20 years? Safety nuts and "green" nuts. With the added weight on the cars, and added emissions standards, cars have only gotten worse, mileage speaking.

I feel that this trend will only continue and to put it as succinctly as I can, it makes me sad.

Just a little FYI for my readers, heres a little throw back to some other memorable gas efficient cars that are finding themselves less and less on the road.



1989 Honda Civic CRX HF
41mpg City
50mpg Highway
45mpg Combined



1992 Honda Civic HB VX
39mpg City
49mpg Highway
43mpg Combined



1988 Subaru Justy (This one is for the Johnster)
31mpg City
35mpg Highway
33mpg Combined



1989 Daihatsu Charade
32mpg City
38mpg Highway
34mpg Combined



1995 Geo Metro
37mpg City
44mpg Highway
40mpg Combined



1995 Nissan 200sx
26mpg City
36mpg Highway
29mpg Combined

Now I'm not saying all new cars are horrible or that gas is a big conspiracy, but it is kind of strange that the 1995 Nissan 200sx with 13 years of less development and technology gets the same gas mileage as the current Honda Civic right?

Baller On A Budget

I'm sure you've seen it before on MTV Cribs; rappers talking about how you need a Bentley to be considered "baller." Well, what about those ballers who are going through the national recession right now? They need some lovin' too right? Well, Bentley Motors took this all into consideration
and built the battery-powered electric car, the Continental DC.

Recently, Bentley Motors wrote a 17-page document stating that they were going to gear their vehicles toward lowering carbon dioxide emissions and improve the fuel economy. Well, this small green machine is the first step toward that.

The body is made of carbon fiber and is rollin' on 1 x 16" Michelin tires and fixed suspension. The "DC" of the name stands for Direct Current because it is powered by a 24-volt electric motor, which pushes 0.5 horsepower and 5.1 pound-feet of torque.

Sure, the car looks like a Soap Box Derby racer but what racer without the Bentley name can weigh 265 lbs. and max out at 40 mph??? And of course, it wouldn't be considered luxury if it weren't for the cockpit, which is trimmed in supple hide and Alcantara faux suede with contrasting diamond stitching.

So instead of sippin' on Cristal and rollin' in the Bentley, you can still roll in the Bentley but only with Coca-Cola. Holla atcha boy.







-Rack of Lam

Purest Perfect Series : BMW S72 Motor

Quite possibly one of the purest perfections of the world could be the BMW S72 Motor that came with the last generation 850i BMW models. I explain further why and how this awesome engine is even more awesome than you ever thought it was.

The 8 series seems to be one of the neglected cars that BMW has produced. I won't say that it is as neglected as a red headed step child, but many in the BMW community rarely talk about this "has been" flagship/top of the line car. What makes it so remarkable is the heart of this very YUM car.

The M70 V12 motor was a very impressive unit for the BMW 8-Series, its inception started with previous model 7-Series and worked its way into the 8-Series. What people don't realize is that when BMW was making there batch of Double Vanos for the M3 and M5, they had indeed made this induction method possible for the V12 BMW engines, the S72.

In fact the S72 is really a M70 with DOHC and Double Vanos system, it almost seems as modular as the M50 and S52 and S54 variants of there own motors. Obviously, with DOHC the S72 was able to make 300HP and 300lb-ft of torque as well. But this is truly not why the S72 is so great, it lies in the potential for this motor.

The Mclaren F1 Super car of the Mid-90's actually contracted BMW to supply V12 DOHC engines for its lighter than light insane super car. Highly modified, the S72 that was put in the Mclaren F1 made over 550 HP and redline of 8500 RPM.


BMW 850i


Dual supercharged S72 in 850i



Modified 850i


The Mclaren F1 engine. Notice the dry sump application, the ITB, and the carbon fiber airbox plenum.


The S72 is the purest perfection because it is part of the F1 technology. I'm not sure why people are going crazy after M series swaps when the S72 is truly the highest for the M-Series swaps.


Johnster

Purest Perfect Series : BMW S72 Motor

Quite possibly one of the purest perfections of the world could be the BMW S72 Motor that came with the last generation 850i BMW models. I explain further why and how this awesome engine is even more awesome than you ever thought it was.

The 8 series seems to be one of the neglected cars that BMW has produced. I won't say that it is as neglected as a red headed step child, but many in the BMW community rarely talk about this "has been" flagship/top of the line car. What makes it so remarkable is the heart of this very YUM car.

The M70 V12 motor was a very impressive unit for the BMW 8-Series, its inception started with previous model 7-Series and worked its way into the 8-Series. What people don't realize is that when BMW was making there batch of Double Vanos for the M3 and M5, they had indeed made this induction method possible for the V12 BMW engines, the S72.

In fact the S72 is really a M70 with DOHC and Double Vanos system, it almost seems as modular as the M50 and S52 and S54 variants of there own motors. Obviously, with DOHC the S72 was able to make 300HP and 300lb-ft of torque as well. But this is truly not why the S72 is so great, it lies in the potential for this motor.

The Mclaren F1 Super car of the Mid-90's actually contracted BMW to supply V12 DOHC engines for its lighter than light insane super car. Highly modified, the S72 that was put in the Mclaren F1 made over 550 HP and redline of 8500 RPM.


BMW 850i


Dual supercharged S72 in 850i



Modified 850i


The Mclaren F1 engine. Notice the dry sump application, the ITB, and the carbon fiber airbox plenum.


The S72 is the purest perfection because it is part of the F1 technology. I'm not sure why people are going crazy after M series swaps when the S72 is truly the highest for the M-Series swaps.


Johnster

"AROUND THE WORLD AROUND THE WORLDDDDD"

Sunday, three gentlemen set out to cover 48 states within 100 hours. They came close. 106 hours! Still a tremendous effort. Teenagers; Joshua Keeler, Joey Stocking and Adam Gatherum, all hailing from Utah drove a 2005 Scion xB and wanted to see if they could hit all of the mainland states for pure "fun." After news broke out, everyone hit up their blog greatamericanroadtrip.us. praising them for their heroics and their adventure.

Keeler even had to purchase more bandwidth in order to contain all of the comments and to keep the site running. Keeler even admits to almost every continent except for Anarctica commented on their trek.

What did I tell y'all? The car to buy is the Scion xB. It's roomy, stylish, great on mpg (miles per gallon), and can travel the USA no problem.

Best part? Not one ticket issued nor a breakdown or tire flat. Now that's what I call a roadtrip.



notes: http://www.startribune.com/local/18772509.html

- THAI SPYCE -

"How About A Free Watch With Your Benz?"

In October of 2004 Mercedes Benz-AMG first collaborated with time-honored Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen and presented their first jointly designed vehicle, the CLS 55 AMG IWC Engineer. Four years later the two bastions of luxury combine their talents and bring to their respective customers the SL 63 AMG Edition IWC.

The marriage of luxury and performance is quite apparent in this piece of engineering decadence. As a result of the partnership with Swiss watchmaker IWC (International Watch Company) the car is fitted with all sorts of special fittings, most of which serve as beautifying agents. Examples of these beautifying agents include the car’s all new exclusively available Designo Magno Kashmir White paint finish, Tobago brown nappa leather upholstery, carbon matte trim inside, Tobago Brown leather accented floor mats, mad AMG badging, and the IWC logo featured prominently on the center console.



As far as performance, the SL 63 AMG Edition IWC will provide customers lucky enough to purchase them with a fairly decent driving experience. The powerplant is the AMG 6.3-liter V8 engine which boasts a top output of 525hp with an AMG Speedshift MCT seven-speed sports transmission. I want it in stick!!

As a little added bonus with the purchase of the vehicle, buyers of the SL 63 AMG Edition IWC will also receive a limited edition model of IWC’s “Grosser Ingenieur” watch (see picture below). Those of us who can’t wait to get our grubby hands on one of these panty droppers will be able to order the SL 63 AMG Edition IWC beginning in the Fall of this year!! The vehicle deliveries will begin in the winter of 2008, sometime around November. The model will be limited to 200 units…so if you really really want one, stay on top of things…good luck.




~Ronski