We had the chance to watch the Ayrton Senna documentary yesterday, thanks to a special screening organized in Miami by trackweekend.com and we have to say that we loved it. This is a must seen for all of you who watched the Senna / Prost battle in the late 80s and early 90s. If you are too young to have witnessed the battle yourself, additional footage from the driver’s meeting and behind the scene will help you feel what was at stake. I remember watching the F1 championship myself at the time and I think this documentary adds another dimension to the fight that both driver were having on and off the track. The movie itself is well made and entertained my wife who is not even remotely a racing fan.
Go watch the Senna documentary on the big screen while you can. You deserve to watch those on board camera footage on a 50 feet screen!
When something sounds too good to be true, chances are it is. Ford’s 2012 Mustang Boss 302, produced in limited quantities, is a hard item to find in a dealer showroom. If you can track one down, chances are good that the dealer will want a hefty profit, labeled as “Additional Dealer Markup,” on top of the car’s sticker price. In fact, if you can find a Boss 302 for only $5,000 above the sticker price, we’d say, “buy it.”
Thus, when you come across a Boss 302 for $20,000 on eBay, you know there’s bound to be a catch. Take the car in the picture above, which recently sold on the online auction site for $20,000. It was only two months old, with less than 1,700 miles on the clock, when a drunk driver forced the Boss 302’s owner off the road. No other details were provided, but it’s clear that the car rolled at least once, and hit something pretty damn solid with the left front fender.
Over the years, we have seen plenty of episodes of parking ’fail’, but we dare any of you to find something as ridiculous as this.
Featuring a high speed, tons of air, and a gymnastics flip that would make Olympians proud, the driver of this Porsche 911 has found a new and inventive, albeit extremely dangerous way to park his car.
We’re not going to follow his lead and try a barrel-roll-parking maneuver anytime soon, but we still have to give some much-needed props to this dude for his daredevil stunt gone wrong.
We’ll also give him even more credit for actually getting out of the car and walking around it to inspect the amount of damage that resulted from his somersault flip.
Good to know that he’s alright given the circumstances, but his car looks a little worse for wear than he initially would have hoped. The air was great and the landing was phenomenal, but we hate to see the amount of money it’s going to take to get his car fixed up.
Before his premature death four months ago, world famous fashion designer Bijan Pakzad was famous in a number of circles, including both the fashion and auto industry.
Speaking of the latter, the Iranian Pakzad boasted an impressive stable of exotic supercars that have captured the world’s attention for their striking black-and-yellow paint schemes.
Turns out, one of them - his now famous Bugatti Veyron - has been vandalized by some unruly idiot a few days ago. After his death, the Bijan Veyron remained parked in front of his store in Beverly Hills as a way for fans and consumers to admire the car. Unfortunately, one person took his admiration too far, shattering the glass window on the passenger side of the car. Even more amazing, the ridiculous act of vandalism happened in broad daylight, at least according to a source who to spoke to TMZ about it.
Further details behind the incident are being withheld by the police, but if you’re in the area, there’s a good chance to you might see the Bijan Veyron in the same spot it has occupied for a few months now, albeit with a lot of yellow tape wrapped around its perimeter.
Lord knows that prompted the perpetrator to damage such a car that’s owned by somebody who’s already dead, but whatever his intentions are, it’s something that shouldn’t go unpunished.
The monster truck phenomenon began sometime in the 70s when modified pickup trucks were becoming the rage and rampant testosterone was causing men to fight the "Who’s bigger" battle. It wasn’t until about 1981 that these same trucks were used to crush the smaller, weaker vehicles, and the culture took off from there. Now, monster truck events are everywhere and the battle for the bigger, badder truck still rages on.
In order to reign supreme in an event that has about as much drama as a pro-wrestling smackdown, owners of these massive modified trucks have to pay to play. A full monster truck build can run up to $250,000 with about $150,000 per year for spare parts. Since these 12,000lb trucks make a name for themselves by smashing the competition, an additional $250,000 is needed per year for repairs and maintenance.
Cost isn’t the only issue either. A full eight man crew spends 18-20 hours spanned out in three days constructing the track for the trucks to race on. Then the weaker vehicles, such as cars, vans, buses, ambulances, and even airplanes, are hunted down to serve as prey for the massive trucks. About 3,000 vehicles per year are found in local junkyards and returned after each event.
With such painstaking lengths taken to ensure a successful and entertaining experience, it’s no wonder that Monster Truck Jams run rampant in so parts of the country.
Check out the rest of the infographic to get a more detailed breakdown of a Monster truck’s numbers and remember to check back with us for the next installment in our Car Infographics series.
To hear that a cool car like a Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport has been completely destroyed by driver’s fault is not something we really enjoy. But this is the way things are and today we have to sadly informed you that a 2011 Corvette Grand Sport has been completely destroyed in a driving under influence crash.
The driver - a young woman - was speeding just after midnight Sunday in the intersection of Lower Sacramento Road and Kettleman Lane/Highway 12. In the intersection she broadsided the 1994 Pontiac Bonneville. As a result the Pontiac model was cut in half and the Corvette was thrown 700 feet away from the crash. It ended upside down.
Luckily the driver and the other two passengers in the Pontiac suffered minor injuries, but the woman in the Corvette is in the hospital with serious injuries. Police coming at the accident said that the woman was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
When people drive fast vehicles at high speeds, accidents are bound to happen. When these people happen to be professional Formula One race car drivers, the numbers of accidents decrease, but still exist. Just ask German F1 driver, Adrian Sutil, who had a little trouble keeping the Gumpert Apollo steady during some testing at the Nurburgring.
Apparently, Sutil was in the middle of testing when he lost control and crashed the Apollo. The Apollo escaped with just a few repairs, but apparently Sutil suffered a few broken teeth. No other injuries were reported.
As a reminder, the Gumpert Apollo is powered by a 4.2-liter bi-turbo 8-cylinder engine and weighs in at around 2400 lbs. It can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and can hit a top speed of 225 mph. Apparently, it’s a little more difficult to keep a 700 HP supercar at bay than it is a Formula One car. Okay, not even we believe that, but we’re sure the F1 cars have more safety devices in place just in case an accident does occur.
Usually, when anyone buys a high performance sports car, the first advice typically provided to them is to take a high performance driving course to learn how to handle the amount of power shooting out of it. If the driver of the sports car doesn’t heed to this warning then incidents like this can easily take place. A driver testing his Ferrari 458 Italia at the Vallelunga racetrack during the race of the Ferrari Club Italia lost control over his sports car and ran right smack into a wall. Luckily, the damages caused to his red 458 Italia are repairable.
The Ferrari 458 Italia is powered by a 4,499 cc V8 engine that delivers a total of 570 HP at 9,000 rpm and a peak torque of 540 Nm at 6000 rpm. Top speed goes up to an impressive 201 mph so is no wonder people have trouble controlling it.
Please tell us it isn’t so. During a routine test drive over in Steinegg, Germany, a 2012 Porsche 911/991 prototype has inexplicably gone up in flames. According to fire chief commander, Klaus Buchinger, the fire started in the engine bay and "the car has burned like tinder." Apparently, the car completely burned through in only 15 minutes. The cause for the fire is still unknown.
The vehicle testing was a special prototype developed for the Chinese market, but will be finding its way back to the Porsche center in Weissach for further examination. Once the malfunctioning element has been discovered and corrected, we’re sure the 2012 Porsche 911 will successfully find its way to its official debut later this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. That, or it will continue to go down in flames like the first few Ferrari 458 Italia units. We’re hoping for the former and not the latter.
As a reminder, the 2012 Porsche 911/991 will be powered by a 3.4-liter, direct-injected flat-six engine that delivers a total of 350 HP at 6400 rpm and max torque of 280 lb-ft between 4400 and 6000 rpm. The Carrera S, on the other hand, will get a 3.8-liter flat-six with direct injection engine that delivers a total of 400 HP at 7000 rpm.
’Jackass" star Ryan Dunn has reportedly died after being involved in a car crash in Pennsylvania earlier this morning. According to TMZ as confirmed by Bam Margera’s mom, Dunn and an unidentified person died after crashing on Route 322 and New Street in West Goshen Township around 3am in what appeared to be Dunn’s Porsche 911 GT3. It is unclear who the driver of the vehicle was, but reports are stating that the vehicle erupted into flames and was later towed away as the crumbled mess seen in the picture above.
In a disturbing twist, Dunn - most known for his stunt in the first ’Jackass’ movie where he strategically placed a Hot Wheels car inside his bum - had apparently tweeted a photo of himself with a couple of buddies a few hours earlier. The photo showed all three gentlemen engaging in what looks to be a few alcoholic beverages. There’s been no word as to whether or not alcohol was the culprit, but other sources are also claiming that the vehicle was traveling at a high speed of 110 mph when the crash occurred. Either way, we’re sure investigations are underway to determine the main factor behind this sad event.
UPDATE 06/20/2011: The West Goshen Township Police Department have confirmed that Ryan Dunn was indeed the driver of his own 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 and that both victims "died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident." Police have also stated that "speed may have been a contributing factor to the accident." Investigations are still underway.
We’ll keep you posted on this story as it develops.
