NEWS: Donkervoort D8 GTO Test Results in!

The Dutch destroyer that is the brand new Donkervoort D8 GTO, has gone even faster than expected and stated it would do at its media info launch earlier this year – knocking out some incredible stats at its testing at a roasting hot (32C) Nardò Ring in Italy. 

How do these vital stats grab ya?
0-100 km/h: Standard 340bhp 3.3 sec & Premium 380bhp in just 2.8 sec
0-200 km/h: Standard 340bhp 9.4 sec & Premium 380bhp in a mental 8.6 sec.
Top speed: Standard 340bhp 255 km/h & Premium 380bhp 270 km/h. 

Sweet as ****!

The D8 also managed a lap around the track of 2:29.8sec, which, let us tell you... is fast! 

Donkervoort said: "The first test day kicked off with the high speed track, where the car had to be driven at top speed for several laps. Immediately afterward, the GTO was placed in a walled-in enclosure in order to warm up for an additional 45 minutes, with the engine shut off. The same procedure applied for the acceleration tests, stationary tests and track laps at racing speed during the hottest and coldest part of the day. After the European homologation requirements, which were carried out on day 2, the Donkervoort Development Team was especially looking forward to the results of the over two hour long endurance (race simulation) test on the track on day 3. How would the GTO come through it in the high temperatures and could anything still be improved? This endurance test too went exceptionally well. After a making a couple of improvements to the wheel suspension tuning, during 2 hours of virtually non-stop driving ,the times were faster lap after lap. Finally, the fastest lap time clocked was 2 min 29 sec. A time that brought a frown to the face of many a test driver for the colleagues present when this was compared to their own times. In the end, two days earlier than planned, the Donkervoort team bid a content and proud farewell to the Nardò Ring and headed home. With these splendid results and latest improvements, the quality and performances of the new GTO are permanently established." 

Find out more about the lightweight, Audi turbo powered beast here: www.donkervoort.nl 

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VIDEO: Thomas Papapaschos ANGRY 600PS Nissan Silvia Portaria Hill Climb!

Greek Driving Academy instructor, Thomas Papapaschos letting rip in the unbelievably cool and angry, 600PS Nissan Silvia up the Portaria hill climb. This video shows in-car footage from the second leg of practice, and is very cool! Love it! That sound on booooooost is mental oriental!

NEWS: Road Snapper Richard Seymour Wins AOP Award

Many congratulations to Road pal and snapper, Richard Seymour, who has just won the prestigious 'Commissioned Advertising Best in Category' in the top flight AOP Awards 2012, from a massive 3500 entries, with this first rate image above. You can see his work here: www.richardseymour.co.uk
And like him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/richardseymour.co.uk

And you can see his work in Road here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_27_small and here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_5-shows

VIDEO: Colin McRae & Subaru Legacy RS

Tour De Corse 1993. Classic McRae and Ringer action in the car that made him a household name – not the Impreza WRC, but the awesome and oft-over-looked Legacy RS. Flat four turbocharged rally porn at its very best... just brilliant!

VIDEO: Nürburgring Nordschleife Electric Lap Record Lap with Toyota TMG EV

And here's the video... mental fast! Instant electric power is fascinating to watch and weird to hear! Great driving too Jochen.

NEWS: Toyota Break Nürburgring EV Record Again

Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) continued its record-breaking success with the TMG EV P002 – setting a new electric record on the legendary 20.8km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany, with an electric (sorry!) time of 7:22,329, with driver Jochen Krumbach at the helm. This smashed their own record set by TMG last August by over 25 seconds! This achievement marks the second milestone for TMG’s electric powertrain this year following its new record at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, United States. As with the Pikes Peak success, TMG’s latest electric milestone used pioneering off-board battery-to-battery charging technology. The TMG DC Quick Charger was developed in partnership with Schneider Electric GmbH to meet the challenge of recharging an electric race car at tracks without reliable access to grid power. Mounted in the rear of a Toyota Hiace van, the TMG DC Quick Charger uses Schneider Electric’s EV Link technology and includes a 42kWh lithium ion battery, which can be charged direct from the AC power grid. After an overnight charge, the TMG DC Quick Charger is able to quickly deliver high levels of power to a battery-based electric car without additional installation or infrastructure, making it the perfect solution for electric motorsport.
Ludwig Zeller, TMG General Manager Electrics and Electronics: "Since our Nürburgring record last year, we have developed our electric powertrain to deliver more power, more consistently, over a longer distance by managing the temperature of batteries, motors and inverter. Pikes Peak was a clear illustration of the improvements and we have now reinforced that at the Nürburgring. But this achievement is not only about on-track performance; we are also very proud of the DC Quick Charger which again provided a reliable power supply in a remote location. This is an aspect of electric motorsport which has not been discussed at length but it is very significant; electric race cars need to be charged and it is a challenge to have the right infrastructure at race tracks, particularly temporary street circuits. Together with our partners at Schneider Electric, we have developed a solution to charge a race car literally anywhere in the world. This, along with the TMG EV P002 powertrain, represents a major step forward for electric motorsport." Incredible stuff. You are staring at the future her folks...! Like it or not, it's darn impressive stuff...

NEWS: New Falken Winter Tyre

So, the leaves are starting to fall, along with the heavy rain... and soon it will be ice and snow. Time to consider some Winter boots for your motor? If you have never tried these, you really should. The difference in grip in ice, snow and cold, wet conditions is staggering. And here is a brand new Winter tyre from Falken, the Eurowinter HS449 winter tyre, with "an innovative tread pattern and compound delivering improved control and grip." The tyre is available in 57 initial sizes, with a further 32 being added in January 2013. Falken say: "A comprehensive set of ten product improvements has led to the creation of Falken’s new Eurowinter HS449 winter tyre. The HS449 incorporates tread, compound and construction changes to improve wet braking, stability and noise – following a rigorous testing programme in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. Cold weather tyre compounds typically contain silica helping the tyre to be more flexible at low temperatures (below 7˚C). For the Eurowinter HS449, Falken’s engineers have increased the proportion of silica to improve braking on wet surfaces by 11 percent (compared to the predecessor model HS439). A higher concentration of polymer in the tread compound enhances stability, delivering an increase of 13 percent over the HS439.
Whilst relevant for all cold weather scenarios, Falken has made strides to ensure braking is particularly improved on snow. In such conditions, the 45 percent increase in tread coverage is designed to improve stopping distances. The novel three-dimensional zig-zag lamellar structure was chosen to boost grip on snow and ice, whilst three dimensional fins optimise even wear of the tyre. Though not a prime consideration for many customers, Falken has lowered tyre noise by incorporating five-phase shifted tread bars. The Eurowinter HS449, the fifth new tyre introduced by Falken to the UK market this year, is available now from a wide range of dealers.