In this Volvo R-Design and Polestar special of Road Magazine, we test & report on some seriously hot road and race Volvos: Ballistic 329bhp V60 T6, 250bhp hot hatch C30 T5 & the 215bhp all-conquering XC60 D5. And Ashley Van Dyke follows the K-Pax S60's at the Pirelli World Challenge, Mid-Ohio. Sorted swedes... you bet your last Krona! Please like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roadmagblog, follow us on Twitter @roadmagazine and share this FREE publication with your friends and family. Thanks, Road Editor, Phil Royle.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Project Cars: E92 BMW 335i Twin Turbo
Meet the latest project car for Team Road – Andy Robinson's E92 BMW 335i Twin Turbo. Regulars may remember Andy's bonkers fast 1100bhp Evo drag monster in the Tim Schrick special: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_17. This is his latest road car project... and he's already got started with the modifications – ECU and induction kits. Read all about it here: http://www.roadmagazine.co.uk/2012/08/29/project-335i-introduction-stage-1-tune/, and see more on the blog, website, Twitter (@roadmagazine) and www.facebook.com/roadmagblog soon...
NEWS: Silverstone Motorsport UK LIve Show, Nov 3-4th
Silverstone Motorsport UK, the live motorsport show that showcases all categories of national motorsport – 3rd& 4th November 2012 – is shaping up to be an event not to be missed, with the show confirming several new attractions. This year’s event will allow visitors to sample the action first hand, either on the Stowe circuit with the Silverstone driving experience, which has teamed up with Silverstone Motorsport UK to offer visitors the chance to receive a discount if they pre-book. Alternatively, visitors can take part in the Go Motorsport kart challenge, where they can battle for a selection of prizes. In addition to these exciting driving elements, visitors will be able to enjoy race simulators and even compete in a series of radio control races organised by the British Radio Control Association. Martin Capenhurst comments: "This year’s event is shaping up really well, and it looks like it is not to be missed! The live elements have really made the event extremely interactive, so visitors can really get involved and have a go! The promotion for this year’s show is on schedule and I believe that we will beat our target of attracting 4,000 visitors over the two days."
Richard Phillips, Director of Silverstone Circuits comments: "We are delighted with how the inaugural Silverstone Motorsport UK event is shaping up. There is no doubt that this event is going to be a great way for enthusiasts and competitors to come together to sample the best of British motorsport."
In addition to the live elements, Silverstone Motorsport UK will host more than 100 companies from the world of motorsport. Exhibitors include some of the UK’s largest motorsport championships, key suppliers and the event will see the announcement of the first Spirit of Motorsport award winners, who will share a £10,000 prize fund, courtesy of high performance oil and lubricant manufacturer RAVENOL. In addition Silverstone Motorsport UK has recently confirmed the backing of three new media partners which now sees the event promoted by 12 key publications from the motorsport and automotive sector. Capenhurst adds: "I am delighted to have gathered so much support from our event partners and event media partners. All of our agreements are long term, as we are keen to build a foundation for the future, as Silverstone MotorSport UK is here to stay!"
Current exhibitors include TrackDriver magazine, Go Motorsport, 360 Motor Racing Club, Motors TV, RAVENOL, British Radio Control Association and Racelogic. For further information on Silverstone MotorSport UK visit www.motorsportshow.co.uk. See Team Road – event sponsors – there too...
Friday, August 24, 2012
BLOG FEATURE: Bentley Mulsanne 7-litre V8 Twin Turbo
Talented motoring journalist, Richard Barnett gives the new Bentley Mulsanne a run for its big money:
"Editor Phil said I had up to 500 words to review the Bentley Mulsanne, but I think you could do it on the number of fingers on one hand: big, rapid, luxurious, stunning. And that leaves the thumb out. Word count aside, Bentley’s top-of-the-tree luxury saloon, which sits above the Continental Flying Spur, actively replicates those pre-war Bentleys that built the maker’s reputation for mixing power with a finely-appointed interior.
And in the Mulsanne the power certainly does the talking: mash that heavily-sprung accelerator pedal to unleash the twin turbo'd, seven-litre V8’s power onto that unsuspecting tarmac.
Being rear-wheel drive the ‘sanne feels less friction-constrained than the four-wheel drive Continental. The seven-speed automatic is almost seamless, but to be that good at changes up and down the range would take away the fact that despite its size, this is a car that the owner should be driving, rather than reclining in the back keeping an eye on share values or who’s giving the best odds at Haydock Park that afternoon.
In many ways the Mulsanne is a dual-personality car: yes, it’s highly luxurious: but then again, it’s seriously rapid, but in a way that lacks the urgency of its lower-priced Continental siblings.
However, along with that seriously grin-inducing straight-line performance the Mulsanne is very, very composed through the bends. Thanks to its 22-inch Dunlop Maxx treads grip is unsurpassed and even on wet muddy country roads it simply sticks to the tarmac, leaving you to enjoy the well-composed, gently-weighted steering.
And while the performance is good, the stopping is up to par as well. The brakes are nicely balanced and have a very good, progressive feel that adds to the driving pleasure.
Meanwhile for the passengers there’s plenty of room and plenty of fittings to make each and every journey an occasion. Acres of wood and leather of course recall the Bentleys of years gone by but the way the interior is put together is first rate, the only other car getting near to it (other than the Continental) being Jaguar’s current XJ saloon.
And when it comes to the power game, a car’s appearance doesn’t have to have the desperate cry of ‘look at me’. The Mulsanne is B-I-G, and there’s no getting away from that. But what’s pleasing is that its looks won’t date rapidly and in the same way the 1981-1996 Bentley Eight /Turbo R still looks great, in 10-15 years the current Mulsanne will too.
Successfully blending old-school Bentley traits with new technology, the Mulsanne is King of the Castle in luxury saloons. Power, luxury, room and great looks. In the top-flight super saloon echelons no rapid four-door can best the Bentley…."
In many ways the Mulsanne is a dual-personality car: yes, it’s highly luxurious: but then again, it’s seriously rapid, but in a way that lacks the urgency of its lower-priced Continental siblings.
However, along with that seriously grin-inducing straight-line performance the Mulsanne is very, very composed through the bends. Thanks to its 22-inch Dunlop Maxx treads grip is unsurpassed and even on wet muddy country roads it simply sticks to the tarmac, leaving you to enjoy the well-composed, gently-weighted steering.
And while the performance is good, the stopping is up to par as well. The brakes are nicely balanced and have a very good, progressive feel that adds to the driving pleasure.
Meanwhile for the passengers there’s plenty of room and plenty of fittings to make each and every journey an occasion. Acres of wood and leather of course recall the Bentleys of years gone by but the way the interior is put together is first rate, the only other car getting near to it (other than the Continental) being Jaguar’s current XJ saloon.
And when it comes to the power game, a car’s appearance doesn’t have to have the desperate cry of ‘look at me’. The Mulsanne is B-I-G, and there’s no getting away from that. But what’s pleasing is that its looks won’t date rapidly and in the same way the 1981-1996 Bentley Eight /Turbo R still looks great, in 10-15 years the current Mulsanne will too.
Successfully blending old-school Bentley traits with new technology, the Mulsanne is King of the Castle in luxury saloons. Power, luxury, room and great looks. In the top-flight super saloon echelons no rapid four-door can best the Bentley…."
Great job Richy, thanks a million pal. When you getting yours?
See more of Richy's images on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/roadmagblog
VIDEO: WRC 2012 Germany Preview
It's the 30th anniversary of Rally Germany this weekend, and the 10th time the tarmac event has been run in the WRC calendar. Super-Seb Loeb has won the event a massive eight times, in a row... but super-Seb Ogier robbed that off Loeb last year, so what will happen this year? Can the Scandinavian drivers in their Fords challenge the French drivers in their Citroens? The smart money says no... but, as Didier Auriol used to say: "You can never count on anything... it's rallying, no!" Friday sees the stages blast through the vineyards, on fast flowing roads. Saturday is on the painful airfields, with their tyre-shredding tarmac and lethal hinklesteins and Sunday is a sprint day, with final power stage through Trier. Bring it on!
Monday, August 20, 2012
VIDEO: "Monster" Tajima @ Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, EV-style
The wonderful, weird-sounding, wacky-fast world of EV motorsport is here to stay, so get used to it folks... and here's something that should help make it sexy – GoPro superhero Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima aiming to beat his record of 9:51.278 in his all electric hill climb car in the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs. This is his qualifying run from Friday on the 12-mile crazy hill climb course of all hill climb courses. Ok, it's not Walter Rohrl in a turbocharged, flame-spitting T16, but hey... life moves on and this is still scary, skilled stuff...
The video was shot on the new HD HERO2® camera from http://GoPro.com. Check out pals at DogCam for offers: http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
NEWS: Toyota GT86 Scores First Motorsport Victory
Toyota’s exciting new GT86 sport coupe has claimed its first UK motorsport victory – winning the third round of the Toyota Sprint Series at Barkston Heath on Sunday 12 August. Driven and prepared by Adrian Smith of Fensport (http://www.fensport.co.uk) in conjunction with Autocar magazine, the car was competing in the Toyota-sponsored event for the first time and duly won both its class and the event overall. It was also a first win for a rear wheel drive car with a normally aspirated engine since the series began in 2007. Fensport boss, Adrian Smith posted the quickest time of 54.55 seconds around the 0.75-mile Lincolnshire course, six hundredths of a second quicker than the second placed, heavily modified Celica GT-Four ST205 of Iain Gard. Third place went to Autocar’s Steve Sutcliffe who co-drove the GT86 with Smith.
The GT86 used a standard 2.0-litre “boxer” engine and unmodified six-speed gearbox. The only changes made to the road car specification were the suspension, wheels and track tyres. To save weight the interior was stripped out and fitted with a racing seat.
The GT86 was lined up against a range of standard and modified Toyotas, and its winning time demonstrates the rewards drivers can enjoy from the car’s essential qualities of light weight, agility and strong grip – elements that Toyota made priorities in its development programme.
A great deal of preparation took place very quickly by Smith and his team at Fensport to prepare for the event as the GT86 only went on sale this month in the UK.
Smith said: "Driving the GT86 for the first time on track was an absolute joy, the car has responded so well to our modifications and has proved to be a very capable and extremely well handling package. I am really looking forward to further development of the car and hope to repeat our initial success."
With further development planned for the car, Smith hopes to maintain this winning streak at Croft on 16 September and Snetterton on 20 October. The Toyota Sprint Series is open to all Toyota vehicles, from standard road-going models to highly modified cars, each competing in their own class against the clock on a series of timed runs. For more details visit www.toyotasprint.com.
This win celebrates the start of GT86 participation in motorsport with Toyota (GB) entering a car in this year’s Britcar 24 hour race at Silverstone from the 21 to the 23 September. The GT86 is available to buy now from Toyota Centres and is priced from £24,995 on the road.
Find out more about the GT86 racer at: http://www.facebook.com/Fensport & look forward to our road test of the GT86 in www.roadmagazine.co.uk Toyota and Lexus special this Autumn.
VIDEO: Tim Schrick + Ariel Atom + Cadwell Park = Heaven!
This is a serious blast from the past quality film we love. Our media pals at www.facebook.com/roylemedia organised this shoot for Tim Schrick's old DMAX TV show back in 2007 - testing the then brand new Ariel Atom III Supercharger, Caterham CSR260 and Toniq R on track at our favourite UK circuit, Cadwell Park. The day was a huge success, from a filming (as you can see) and hooning, er, sorry, testing POV... perfect conditions, perfect cars, perfect track and erm, at least one perfect driver. Days like this when everything comes together are rare, and we bloody well made the most of it... Tim and I could not stop lapping, or laughing. The winner... well, watch the film and you decide...
Monday, August 13, 2012
VIDEO: Le-Mans Classic 2012 Lola T212 With Neil Primrose
Here's 'our' Neil Primrose – Travis drummer and Road Magazine racer and road tester – letting rip at the Le-Mans Classic 2012, in his amazing Lola T212, with a cockpit camera showing a perfect clean lap in the last race. The start of the video shows just how fast and long some of Le Mans straights are and it seems likes Neil's out there on his tod, with no one passing him... Then, at around 2:30, things get hot and Neil's extreme pace in the Lola is revealed, as he makes other quick cars look ordinary. Quality stuff Neil. Find out more via http://www.islaracing.com/. Neil has been racing the Lola T212 in the CER Championship, and a T290 along with legendary driver John Sheldon, with over thirty appearances combined at Daytona, Le Mans and Sebring etc. The lads are sponsorsed from BID Industrial Doors in Bolton, Greens Plus Health Foods, SRLV Accountancy, Steinhart Watches from Germany and Nimbus Motorsport. Good luck for the rest of 2012 Neil and John. You're flying!
VIDEO: Jaguar F-Type
Wonderful viral video from Jaguar here of the forthcoming F-Type two-seater sports cat – with 3-litre V6 and 5-litre V8, and supercharged options. Looks set to be another cracker from the re-born Jaguar stables, with increased agility, composure and trick aerodynamics to aid downforce and brake and engine cooling. The all-new aluminium two-seater sports car will make its global debut in production form at the Paris Motor Show on 27th September.
Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar Cars, said: "The unveiling of the F-TYPE in Paris will be a truly significant day in Jaguar's history as it will mark the company's return to the sports car market, a market it originally helped to create. "As its sporting forebears did in their era, the F-TYPE will break new ground by delivering stunning sports car performance while vividly demonstrating Jaguar's cutting-edge engineering technologies and world-class design excellence. The next step in Jaguar's sporting bloodline is about to become reality."
The F-TYPE will be launched as a convertible with a choice of three petrol engines: 340PS and 380PS versions of Jaguar's all-new 3.0-litre supercharged V6, and a new derivative of its existing supercharged 5.0-litre V8. All will drive the rear wheels through an eight-speed transmission and will be equipped with Stop/Start technology and much, much more. We can't wait...
Following the F-TYPE's 'camouflaged' public drive at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June of this year, testing of the final verification prototypes has continued in some of the harshest environments in the world. As its name suggests, this test programme is designed to verify the staggering amount of design work that was carried out by Jaguar's engineers in the 'virtual world', a process in which the company is an industry leader.
More than half-a-million separate F-TYPE design analyses were carried out comprising 10-million CPU hours of processing, creating more than 300TB of data. Had that same amount of initial design analysis been completed on physical cars, the number of prototype F-TYPEs built would have filled the majority of the UK's motorway network bumper-to-bumper.
The result of all that 'virtual' design work is that Jaguar's engineers are currently concentrating on honing the performance of the physical verification prototypes, to ensure the production F-TYPE delivers truly focused sports car driving reward.
Said Ian Hoban, Jaguar's Vehicle Line Director: "When you are working on a Jaguar sports car the expectations of the world are huge. We're really pleased how the attributes have translated from the virtual simulation work we've done into the physical world. "Now, we're refining and adding those last few percentage points - that true element of honing which the Jaguar test team are delivering - which will turn a great sports car into an exceptional one."
Lovely stuff!
NEWS: BTCC Snetterton Report
Check out Gordon Shedden, on fire at Snetterton in this weekend's BTCC! Thankfully, he escasped unharmed! Jason Plato, Andrew Jordan and, for the first time, Dave Newsham shared the wins in Sunday’s three action-packed Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk. But it is Matt Neal who continues to lead the standings – just – from team-mate Gordon Shedden as the nation’s premier motor racing championship now heads to the latter’s home circuit of Knockhill, Fife in a fortnight on the weekend of 25/26 August. Preston’s Frank Wrathall had achieved his and his Dynojet team’s first BTCC pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session. Oxford’s Plato, though, got in front at the start of race one to take his third win of 2012 in his MG KX Momentum Racing MG6. Wrathall was second in his Toyota Avensis and Jordan third in his Pirtek Racing Honda Civic. Lichfield’s Jordan took the win in the second race – his first of the season – but only after Plato’s MG and Worcestershire ace Neal’s Honda Yuasa Racing Team Civic had controversially collided and run off the track ahead of him with a lap to go. Shedden was second ahead of the recovering Plato and Neal in third and fourth. Inverness racer Newsham’s victory, his and the tiny Team ES Racing.com squad’s first in the BTCC, came in race three as he won comfortably in his Vauxhall Vectra. New Malden’s Tom Onslow-Cole was second in his eBay Motors BMW ahead of Plato who took another third. Hereford’s Lea Wood may well have achieved a maiden podium result had his BINZ Racing Vectra not cruelly retired with just a few laps to go, while Warwickshire’s Mat Jackson completed a hugely encouraging debut for Redstone Racing’s all-new NGTC-spec Ford Focus ST – only completed at 7.00am on Saturday – with a fourth-place finish. But there was a double disaster for the factory Honda squad as Neal finished a lowly eighth after a spin and Shedden, who had crossed the line in third, was later excluded for a technical infringement with his car. It means reigning Champion Neal retains the championship lead but now only ten points cover the top three, with Shedden eight behind and Plato just a further two adrift. Plato had arrived at Snetterton 29 points down on of Neal…
Neal commented: "We knew we were on the back foot after qualifying and so it proved on race day. It’s been a case of damage limitation and the spin in race three after contact from Wrathall did me no favours. Knockhill, which has shorter straights, is next so should be better for us but it’s clear we have a lot of work to do."
Dalgety Bay’s Shedden, who’d started the yesterday’s first race from last on the grid after a spectacular fire aboard his car on Saturday morning had prevented him from qualifying, was dejected. He said: "I’ve clearly done something to someone, what with the fire and then the exclusion – without that I’d have been leading the table and it was also very cruel on the team who’d performed miracles to give me a race-ready car after the fire. Knockhill is, of course, next and I’m determined to fight back for the fans there. I won’t be short on adrenaline…"
Three podium results at Snetterton have suddenly moved Plato right back into contention as he chases a third BTCC title. He added: "I couldn’t have asked for much more, although it was a shame about the incident with Matt in race two after I’d led all the way up until then. What’s encouraging is the MG is really starting to come alive at a crucial stage of the season. In fact I think it’s going to be strong at all four remaining rounds so it’s game on."
Jordan and Newsham were both elated with their wins. The former enthused: "The win is long overdue and the perfect way for us to start the second half of the season. I’m delighted." And said Newsham: "A win for little ES Racing and the sponsors who keep our season ticking over is just unbelievable but thoroughly deserved. The timing couldn’t be better either with Knockhill, my home race, next. It’s going to be a very special weekend."
Elsewhere Honda/Dynamics and the Honda Yuasa Racing Team continue to handsomely lead both the Manufacturers/Constructors and outright HiQ Teams championships. Jordan has also extended his lead in the Independent Drivers standings and his Pirtek Racing outfit has taken command of the Independent Teams Trophy.
Meanwhile a number of drivers were penalised for incidents at Snetterton. Race 1: Robb Holland, official reprimand and two penalty points on his competition licence (for an incident with Adam Morgan); Dave Newsham, excluded (underweight car); Andrew Jordan, verbal warning (for an incident with Dave Newsham). Race 2: Jason Plato and Matt Neal, verbal warnings (for an on-track collision); Jeff Smith, official reprimand and two penalty points on his licence (for an incident with Andy Neate). Race 3: Gordon Shedden, excluded (for exceeding turbo boost limits); Frank Wrathall, verbal warning (for an incident with Matt Neal). For full race reports, results and points tables visit the official www.btcc.net website.
Also follow BTCC via Facebook, Twitter & You Tube:
2012 Dunlop BTCC Drivers’ Points after Snetterton (round 6 of 10):1. Matt Neal, 255
2. Gordon Shedden, 247
3. Jason Plato, 245
4. Andrew Jordan, 218
5. Robert Collard, 178
6. Mat Jackson, 170
Manufacturers/Constructors’ Points:1. Honda/Dynamics, 567
2. MG/888, 458
HiQ Teams’ Points:1. Honda Yuasa Racing Team, 482
2. eBay Motors, 350
3. Pirtek Racing, 313
4. MG KX Momentum Racing, 292
5. Redstone Racing, 267
6. Team ES Racing.com, 133
Independent Drivers’ Points:
1. Andrew Jordan, 265
2. Robert Collard, 217
3. Mat Jackson, 213
4. Tom Onslow-Cole, 203
5. Frank Wrathall, 163
6. Dave Newsham, 141
Independent Teams’ Points:1. Pirtek Racing, 287
2. eBay Motors, 282
3. Redstone Racing, 262
4. Dynojet, 188
5. Team ES Racing.com, 187
6. BINZ Racing, 152
MAGAZINE: Motorsport Magic
Get stuck into three mouth-watering motorsport features in this month's FREE Road Magazine – all the news, specs, prices and unique quotes for Road readers only from the genius brains behind the new Atom Cup UK, an MG the likes of which you've never seen before and some stunning images from Goodwood Festival of Speed. Love your motorsport? Then love this...! Share with your friends too and like us at Facebook on www.facebook.com/roadmagblog. Thanks!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
PROJECT S4: Powerflex Bush Kit, Whiteline Swaybar & Tarox Rear Kit Report
We've just got our tuned twin turbo V6 Project S4 back from Dave Green at www.hensteadmotors.com – complete with new Powerflex (http://www.powerflex.co.uk) bush kit, Whiteline rear anti-roll bar/swaybar and camber/caster kit (http://www.whiteline.com.au) and Tarox rear brake upgrade (http://en.tarox.com) – ready for some track day action with RMA soon. The effects are simply staggering. Read all about the test so far at our Project Cars section of the Road website: http://www.roadmagazine.co.uk/project-cars. And look out for a big power BMW and crazy EVO project cars coming soon too. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more pictures and updates too:
https://twitter.com/#!/roadmagazine and http://www.facebook.com/roadmagblog
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
VIDEO: Pikes Peak Lexus ISF CCS-R - First Test Run
It's Pikes Peak this weekend in Colorado Springs, and Lexus will be competing for the very first time in the all-new, 416bhp IS F CCS-R V8 race car. Here it is in action for the very first time, with Brian Smith, VP Lexus Marketing, discussing the engine and modifications to the ISF CCS-R. The Lexus IS F CCS-R will be lining up against 200 other entrants at the start line of the 90th running of the iconic event, held in the USA on Sunday 12 August. Known as ‘the race to the clouds’ it takes place on a 12.42-mile track that features 156 turns and rises a total of 4,720 feet to the finish line at the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado. Decked out in eye-catching orange mica and black, the Lexus IS F CCS-R uses a modified 416bhp version of the 5.0-litre V8 engine used in the road car, twinned with an eight-speed semi-automatic gearbox. The CCS-R first appeared at the the Tokyo Auto Salon in Tokyo, in 2011. In a race where the thin air at the top of the mountain can cut performance by up to 30 per cent, weight saving is critical – so carbon fibre is used for the bonnet, doors, dashboard and even the door handles. The windows are made from a lightweight polycarbonite material as well. It's a serious machine.
To find out more:
Go to Lexus website: http://www.lexus.com/
Find Lexus on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexus
Follow Lexus on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/lexus
Lexus Drivers: http://drivers.lexus.com
L Studio: http://www.youtube.com/user/lstudiopresents
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/lexus
Best of luck to the beast and all at lexus _ we love it at Team Road. And we will be reporting back on how they get on at Pikes Peak here and in www.roadmagazine.co.uk Lexus & Toyota special, later this year.
BLOG FEATURE: Pirelli World Challenge by Ashley Van Dyke
Here's another fabulous blog feature by our talented USA correspondent Ashley Van Dyke () – coming from the awesome Pirelli World Challenge at the Mid-Ohio circuit. Ashley says: "Hey Roadies! I've just returned home from a long trip over to the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course for the Cadillac Grand Prix Presented by StopTech. It was an eventful weekend with 100 plus degree temps and then thunderstorms. Crazy to imagine going from being too hot to needing a jacket and experiencing rain the very next next day! (Try any meet in European motorsport AVD, Ed). It was sure a lot for the teams and drivers to manage and try to call the right race strategy.
The double-header weekend saw no shortage of excitement. The fans were out in full force and the venue was jam-packed... just like the Pirelli World Challenge paddock. Randy Pobst stole the show winning the race on Saturday and Sunday in the ace K-Pax Racing Volvo S60 (pictured). He was so fast and the car was hooked up really well. Behind Posbt the action was hot battling it out on track for position. The series only has one more event now leading into the final championship round and will head to Sonoma August 24th. Congrats to Cadillac for sealing up the manufactures championship win! More to come on that...
Meantime, you can watch the fabulous races from Mid Ohio on www.world-challengetv.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@WCRacing) to stay updated and in the loop! There will be a juicy article on the recap of the entire weekend coming out in the next issue of www.roadmagazine.co.uk. Stay tuned!" Thanks AVD!
Oh, and if you can't wait to see more of Ashley in action on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/roadmagblog. Please like & share us... and follow us on Twitter @roadmagazine.
Monday, August 6, 2012
BLOG FEATURE: 1100bhp, 220mph "Widow Maker" Mustang
Thanks to Road pal, Tim Porter for this piece on his incredible, 1,100bhp "widow maker" Mustang:
Once you get bitten by the performance bug, they say, there is no going back... The story goes like this. Following a series of triumphant Cannonball world events, our man Tim was keen to get the adrenaline pumping through his veins... something to get the blood pumping the moment you turned the key (or pushed the button, whatever!).So, after owning a Ferraris and Lambos over the years, he wanted a car that made them look like watching paint dry– based on the Ford Mustang. The end result was named UBB, short for Ultimate Bad Boy, and the brand was born in 2007. In a segment dominated by the likes of Roush, Saleen and Shelby, Tim knew that he had to build something with greater performance and better handling if he wanted to be noticed. And it was not to be a one-dimensional, straight line-performer either, the car had to be usable on a daily basis as well. With this in mind, Tim teamed up with none other than Steve Saleen to produce around a dozen Saleen 600hp Ultimate Bad Boy S281E cars. But, to Tim, even these lacked the power and handling combo that he was looking for and, unsurprisingly, it was time to move on when inspiration struck again.
Tim simply decided to go ahead and build the world’s fastest street-legal Mustang, which he did back in July 2008, when the first UBB Mustang rolled out, featuring a mental 1000hp from a tweaked Ford GT sourced 5.4-litre V8. And now he’s back with an even more badass version – the 1,100bhp "Widow Maker."The Shelby GT500-derived Mustang boasting an aggressive stance and killer looks. The first thing that strikes you is that the 5.4-litre quad cam V8 features a 4.0-litre supercharger, quite incredible when you consider that even the mighty Shelby GT 500 makes do with a 2.3-litre blower!
In addition to the big blower, the ‘stang receives 100cc fuel injectors and twin cooling fans to keep things breezy and many other internal parts. Taking care of handling duties are adjustable coilover shocks from Penski, accompanied by a 3.75 limited slip differential.
The Widow Maker rolls on massive 305/35 19 Toyo 888 rubber wrapped around gorgeous 10.5 X 19-inch rims, with Brembo brakes peeking from beneath. Rounding out the crazy performance is a full carbon-fibre body kit, which is joined on the inside by Recaro seats, a 230mph/8000rpm instrument cluster.
Press the red ignition button and the UBB demon emits a throaty rumble, causing the whole car to literally throb. It’s no bare bones racer either, with the interior on this model receiving sumptuous nappa leather and a carbon fibre-covered dash, of course accompanied by the requisite figure-hugging Recaro race seats. Convenience bits include a sat nav, keyless entry, A/C, Microsoft Sync 5000 track memory and even a DVD player.
Out on the track, pedal to metal, the UBB delivers like a freight train just hit you from the back; acceleration is almost surreal, with a 0-96km/h time of just 3.4seconds but where it comes in to its own is mid range from 90mph to180mph and we are talking seconds here. Being a modern American muscle car, straight line speed and balance is exemplary, but even more welcome is how nicely the whole package comes together in the twisties, thanks in no small part to the grippy front end. Tim Porter says that this new UBB will easily do 365km/h and belt out a staggering 900lbs per ft of torque!
On the handling side, the mean UBB has fully adjustable Penski coilovers and a Cortex suspension designed by aerospace engineer Filip Trojanek, enabling the beast to corner on rails, producing up to 1.5 G in tight turns. Topped off with a powerful braking system, this is a perfect weekend track tool for enthusiasts and a perfectly usable supercar for everyday use, at the same time. Two for the price of one, then. It also boasts 10.5 x 19” alloy rims at all four corners. Tim Porter further says that, at around USD $120,000, the UBB is the best value supercar around. All said and done, the UBB’s Widow Maker is like the Road Runner on steroids; in a class of its own when it comes to muscle, speed and swagger. Tie this in with some innovative engineering and design, and the new UBB package can only be described as truly awesome. And now the package is for sale, at 85,000 USD... so, what are you waiting for? www.ubbmustang.com
The Widow Maker rolls on massive 305/35 19 Toyo 888 rubber wrapped around gorgeous 10.5 X 19-inch rims, with Brembo brakes peeking from beneath. Rounding out the crazy performance is a full carbon-fibre body kit, which is joined on the inside by Recaro seats, a 230mph/8000rpm instrument cluster.
Press the red ignition button and the UBB demon emits a throaty rumble, causing the whole car to literally throb. It’s no bare bones racer either, with the interior on this model receiving sumptuous nappa leather and a carbon fibre-covered dash, of course accompanied by the requisite figure-hugging Recaro race seats. Convenience bits include a sat nav, keyless entry, A/C, Microsoft Sync 5000 track memory and even a DVD player.
Out on the track, pedal to metal, the UBB delivers like a freight train just hit you from the back; acceleration is almost surreal, with a 0-96km/h time of just 3.4seconds but where it comes in to its own is mid range from 90mph to180mph and we are talking seconds here. Being a modern American muscle car, straight line speed and balance is exemplary, but even more welcome is how nicely the whole package comes together in the twisties, thanks in no small part to the grippy front end. Tim Porter says that this new UBB will easily do 365km/h and belt out a staggering 900lbs per ft of torque!
On the handling side, the mean UBB has fully adjustable Penski coilovers and a Cortex suspension designed by aerospace engineer Filip Trojanek, enabling the beast to corner on rails, producing up to 1.5 G in tight turns. Topped off with a powerful braking system, this is a perfect weekend track tool for enthusiasts and a perfectly usable supercar for everyday use, at the same time. Two for the price of one, then. It also boasts 10.5 x 19” alloy rims at all four corners. Tim Porter further says that, at around USD $120,000, the UBB is the best value supercar around. All said and done, the UBB’s Widow Maker is like the Road Runner on steroids; in a class of its own when it comes to muscle, speed and swagger. Tie this in with some innovative engineering and design, and the new UBB package can only be described as truly awesome. And now the package is for sale, at 85,000 USD... so, what are you waiting for? www.ubbmustang.com
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
NEWS: Need Perfect PR? Publishing? Design? Photo-journalism? Need this...
Does your brand need a boost? Do you pay too much for your PR or design work and it's not up to standard? Is your social media working hard enough for you? Do you not even do any brand promotion or 'get' social media? Does your brand deserve its own magazine – print or digital? Do you want the best customer service and a quality product, every time? Then you need our PR & publishing team – www.roylemedia.co.uk. Contact and like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roylemedia. "Affordable quality" starts here... as Mitsubishi Motors, Castle Combe Circuit, Chevron Motor Cars, Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes, Plays Kool Motorsport, RSR Nurburg, Be Happy Magazine, Road Magazine, Nur Motorsport, Thames Composites, Ten Of The Best, RMA Track Days, Leyton Clarke Racing and many others have discovered. Join Royle Media today and give your brand the boost it deserves...
NEWS: Glass's Guide Reveal Top Residual Value Motors
Glass's Guide have revealed the cars least likely to lose value – with the funky Fiat 500 topping the petrol car bill (read our review here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_24s), followed rather surprisingly by the brilliant, but niche Focus RS and the enormous Audi Q7. The top diesels were the excellent Toyota Land Cruiser (also the overall winner, read our review here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_14), perfect Skoda Yeti (read our piece here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_26_small) and another Audi, the Q5. Skoda also got the Octavia into the top five, and Toyota a second Land Cruiser, so bravo to them, and to Suzuki for their bargain Jimmy getting in there. Glass's say: "It’s a well-known fact that the minute you drive a new car off the forecourt, it loses a big chunk of its value – and then quite a lot more in subsequent years. But not all cars are equal when it comes to holding their value. So by planning ahead and choosing the right model, prospective buyers can save themselves a fortune." And Adrian Rushmore, Glass’s Managing Editor adds: "Most motorists do all they can to ensure that when they buy a new car, they get the best price possible. However what most don’t think about, and perhaps even realise, is that when they are looking to sell a few years down the line, they could get far more – in some cases thousands of pounds – by picking a model which will retain its value well. It’s not unusual for a car to lose well over half its value in three years, but the top models such as the Land Cruiser can hold on to four-fifths of their value, which really makes a difference. My advice is to do your homework and reap the benefits a few years down the line."
Glass’s Top Ten Residual Value Cars July 2012 | |||||
Ranking | Manufacturer | Range & derivative | % Residual value (58 plate, 37,000 miles) | Cost when new (list price) | Current Value |
Top 5 Petrol models | |||||
1 | Fiat | 500 (1.2 69bhp Sport H/b 3d) | 66.7% | £9,410 | £6,275 |
2 | Ford | FOCUS RS (2.5 301bhp RS H/b 3d) | 66.2% | £24,730 | £16,375 |
3 | Audi | Q7 (3.6 FSI V6 276bhp quattro S Line Stn Wag 5d Tiptronic) | 65.7% | £42,635 | £28,000 |
4 | Fiat | 500 Convertible (1.2 69bhp Pop Con 2d) | 63.8% | £11,210 | £7,150 |
5 | Suzuki | Jimny (1.3 83bhp JLX Est 3d) | 63.0% | £9,641 | £6,075 |
Top 5 Diesel models | |||||
1 | Toyota | Land Cruiser (4.5 D-4D Stn/wag 5d auto) | 79.5% | £54,510 | £43,325 |
2 | Skoda | Yeti (2.0TDI CR 4x4 140bhp Elegance Stn Wagon 5d) | 76.0% | £21,115 | £16,050 |
3 | Audi | Q5 (2.0TDI 141bhp quattro S Line Stn/wag 5d) | 74.6% | £30,120 | £22,475 |
4 | Skoda | Octavia (2.0 TDi PD 140bhp Scout Est 5d) | 70.7% | £20,100 | £14,200 |
5 | Toyota | Land Cruiser Amazon (4.2 TD Stn/wag 5d 24v TD Amazon auto) | 69.8% | £49,575 | £34,625 |
League table is based on three-year old vehicles (59 plate).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)