If you don’t remember D.C. Shoes cofounder Ken Block’s tire smoking gymkhana antics, then we suggest you take a moment to refresh yourself with his catalog of adrenaline inducing videos with his power sliding sideways Subaru as the star of the show. In a recent interview with Edmund’s Inside Line, Block admits that his first generation gymkhana car was nothing more than an extremely modified streetcar that had gone through a series of complete revisions. The STI started out as a way for Ken and friends to enjoy cross country rallies before dabbling in the world of the Japanese art of autocross know as gymkhana. Gymkhana is like any other time trial that takes place in an oversized parking lot, except there is a lot more rally style sliding in order to get your car around the orange cone even quicker.
So when Block wanted to get serious about gymkhana, he contact the folks at Crawford Performance and teamed up to produce a race ready 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The first thing that the racers did was shed every unnecessary ounce from the STI and then stiffen the chassis with an extensive roll cage. Weighing in at 2,775 pounds, the Crawford car is almost 600 pounds lighter than a stock STI. The weight reduction helps the 565 HP high performance flat four make the Subaru absolutely fly. Almost every part of the stroked 2.65 Liter boxer engine has been replaced in favor of lightweight reinforced pieces. Sitting atop the neon green powder coated charge pipes is a Garret GT35R turbocharger that compresses a maximum of 30 psi of boost to make a total of 590 E85 burning lb-ft of torque.
One thing that you don’t get an appreciation for with those slow motion pans and rubber burning power slides is exactly how quick Ken Block’s car is in a straight line. First of all launching an all wheel drive turbocharged car can be difficult, you have to get the revs up around 7,000 to keep the turbo spinning and then absolutely dump the clutch so that all four drive wheels can get power without bogging out the engine. But after all the Crawford STI is a racecar and even without the aid of fifth gear it can go from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.0 seconds and run the standing quarter mile in only 10.8 seconds at 123.7 seconds on a set of 275/35R18 BFGoodrich g-Force Drag Radials, now that is 0.7 seconds faster than a Corvette ZR-1 super car, so you know that this tuned STI is fast.
.
It looks like Subaru is going to go that extra step to set the factory tuned STI apart from more mundane WRXs. The obvious reasoning for the new STIs name is the oversized sheet of lightweight carbon fiber that replaces the factory sheet metal and adds a bit of tuner bling to the turbocharged hot hatchback. This trick is currently being carried out by BMW with their two door M3, a design cue that makes it almost unthinkable to buy a four door version of the V8 powered Bavarian boy racer. The lightweight roof trick was first incorporated into the Subaru’s then WRC rivals at Mitsubishi with their Lancer Evolution IX MR. The MR used a aluminum roof skin that Mitsubishi’s engineers said had the same effect as lowering the car up to two inches. Taking the extra weight off the top not only lowers the car’s center of gravity, but it also makes the sport compact less top heavy which means that it will be less inclined to roll when tracking deep into the corners.
Subaru already has the razor sharp Spec C, but when they debut the special edition Impreza WRX STI Carbon at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show the Japanese automaker is hoping to attract a new kind of buyer to the Impreza STI family. Aside from the trick carbon fiber roof, which should come at a bit of a premium, STI Carbon’s interior is upgraded with some very exotic suede material. Not only is the upper half of the dash wrapped in the fuzzy fabric to eliminate glare in the windscreen. The Recaro sourced black leather STI bucket seats also get some grippy suede inserts to keep the driver in place when they push the Subaru’s symmetrical all wheel drive system to the limit. Almost every interior surface benefits from red accent stitching that matches the red STI logos embroidered into the car’s seat backs.
Another touch that goes along with the upscale theme is the STI Carbon’s exclusive 5 speed automatic transmission that was sourced from the larger Legacy sedan. Perhaps Subaru’s product planing team feel that those new car customers who would be able to afford the Carbon don’t want to be bothered with a clutch pedal. However being a turbocharged vehicle, the automatic will allow the engine to keep running at maximum RPMs during shifts and eliminate the lag inducing loss of boost that could actually give the STI Carbon an edge over the standard model.
.
The overwhelmingly positive response of the ‘Jetsons-esque’ Vision EfficientDynamics may have given BMW the shot in the arm it has long waited for.
Due to the glorious feedback generated by the concept car, BMW is not tinkering with the idea of bringing back the M1 by 2012 where it would be based on the 2+2 coupe concept of the Vision EfficientDynamics.
The rumoured M1 will also come with the same hybrid powertrain that comes with the Vision EfficientDynamics concept, a sign that BMW may be more serious than anyone ever thought about the its efforts in becoming more eco-friendly.
In the event that it does use the hybrid powertrain, the M1 will be expected to carry a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine that comes with an electric motor. The power output expected to come out of this set-up is expected to reach as much as 350 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque.
As far as aesthetics are concerned, we’re not expecting the M1 to look remotely close to that of the Vision EfficientDynamics concept, although we are anticipating that BMW will take a few styling cues from the concept and adapt it to the M1. After all, what’s the point of basing the car to the concept if it won’t have any resemblance to it?
In any event, if this supposed reincarnation of the M1 is all BMW says it would be, then we can expect it to generate the same type of reaction the Vision EfficientDynamics concept got in Frankfurt. And that’s going to be great news for the boys of BMW.
Photos courtesy of Fox Syndication
The Japanese all wheel drive automaker, Subaru, has just revealed their biggest surprise for the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, a Hybrid Tourer Concept. The gas/electric car of the future features a pair of oversized gullwing doors and is powered by a hybrid drivetrain that centers around a 2.0 Liter horizontally opposed direct gasoline injection turbocharged engine combined with two auxiliary electric motors, one placed at each axle to continue Subaru’s all wheel drive philosophy powered by a high performance lithium ion battery pack.
The gas burning boxer power plant is mated to the automotive arm of Fuji Heavy Industry’s symmetrical all wheel drive system and the automaker’s latest power train invention, a next generation continuously variable transmission that Subaru calls a Lineatronic CVT. The fuel efficient Hybrid Tourer Concept gets the majority of its power from the refined flat four; but the electric motors, making 27 HP up front and 13 HP in the rear, provide an additional boost and make the new Subaru capable of operating round town as a zero emission vehicle.
Aside from the concepts unique design both inside and out, the Tourer Hybrid Concept also features a unique driver assist system called EyeSight that provides the new car with vehicle to vehicle and road to vehicle communication technology. The program includes a collision prevention support system that uses a unique stereoscopic camera that is capable of recognizing a wide variety of driving obstacles with the goal of improving passenger safety and providing drivers with peace of mind touring.
Press release after the jump.
> More
.
Abarth has unveiled today the 500 R3T, their rally car for 2010. The car is based on the Abarth 500 model and is approved for Group R3T, the category for turbocharged cars up to 1600 cm3 in capacity.
Its turbocharged 1368 cm3 engine delivers 180 hp at 5500 rpm and is mated to a sequential, front meshing with 6 speeds gearbox.
The car sits on Brembo brakes are all disc, ventilated at the front with 4 callipers, solid disc at the rear with brake distributor and governor.
Press release after the jump.
> More
The great American automaker, Ford, is invading their competitor’s markets by introducing the new Figo into the Indian market. The compact Figo is an all new car that features a fresh, contemporary shape that offers a distinct alternative to the traditional offerings in the city car segment with a shape that exudes the spirit of energy in motion with its bold fender flares and swept back headlamps.
Like all of the blue oval’s new car, the Ford Figo was designed with their consumers in mind. The all new body features lots of fresh fun elements like a large mouth front bumper, sporty alloy wheels pushed to car’s four corners, squared off rear end and subtle rear spoiler. Despite its compact size, the Ford Figo has a spacious interior with plenty of room for both passengers and cargo thanks to its taller roofline and more upright stance. Ford feels that this is the perfect car to combat the ultra affordable Tata Nano that is produced in the developing nation. The Figo’s size makes it the perfect car to navigate the narrow stretches of the Indian bazaars and markets without scarifying an ounce of style.
With Ford planning on bringing the equally compact Fiesta to the U.S. in the near future, the question that remains is whether or not Americans will have a soft spot in their hearts for a more spacious city car offering.
Press release after the jump.
> More
The Toyota Prius is all new for 2010 as the Japanese automaker’s most popular gas electric hybrid goes into its third generation of production car status. Our Blue Ribbon metallic [Prius features an all new shape from the previous version that includes a few more aerodynamic touches to get the gas electric hybrid as close as possible to 50 MPG. Toyota’s engineers had a very unique approach to making the new Prius as fuel efficient as possible by adding larger power units. The 2010 Prius features a larger 1.8 Liter engine than its predecessor that by itself makes a maximum output of 98 HP and 105 lb-ft of torque and when combined with the larger 36 HP electric motor gives the 2010 Prius a combined gas/electric output of 134 HP, more than most economy cars.
Despite the larger displacement power plant the latest generation Toyota Prius is able to get an EPA estimated 51 MPG in the city and 48 MPG on the highway thanks to a very concentrated effort to aerodynamically reduce drag and eliminate unnecessary energy loss with a few new sophisticated driving modes, one of which turns the Prius into a true zero emission electric vehicle. Priced with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of just $22,000 the 2010 Toyota Prius is now well within the reach of the average new car buyer and proves to be a perfect solution to the future of personal transportation.
Continued after the jump.
> More
.
The fuel efficient Japanese automaker Toyota has unveiled two customized iQ models: the iQ for Sports and the iQ Collection at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Both models come straight from the Tokyo based design studio with unique treatments to both the interior and exterior of the gas sipping compact city cars like custom paint, bespoke interior trim and rather unique sets of rims.
The first of the compact concepts is the iQ Collection with its oversized transparent acrylic roof. The iQ Collection is aimed at providing drivers with a more upscale driving experience and the larger than life sunroof provides the perfect window into which you can admire the vehicle’s upgraded interior appointments and fine touches like white pearl detailing on the center console, instrument binnacle and door panels while the seats are wrapped in supple leather finished with clean white piping.
On the other hand, the iQ for Sports focuses on beefing up the compacts car’s body in order to create one very wild winged hot hatch. Housed inside of the aggressively blistered fenders are a set of custom five spoke rims measuring 18 inches in diameter and hiding a set of massive brakes from the more youth oriented Scion brand of vehicles. The bold body kit is finished off with a set of LED driving lights integrated into the front bumper and a large trapezoid exhaust tip smack dab in the middle of the back bumper. These two unique iterations of the Toyota iQ are as different as any two concepts can be, but they both are excellent examples of the vehicle’s versatility and ability to take the shape of whatever their owner desires.
Press release after the jump.
> More
.
The german tuning firm Brabus unveiled the Ultimate R, a tuning package based on the Smart Fortwo at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week. With the help of a few Brabus modifications, the engine now delivers 112 HP and 111 lb-ft of torque and can go from 0 to 60 MPH in 9.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 106 MPH. The Ultimate R sets itself apart from lesser Smart cars with a set of bold fender flares, unique rims as well as some additional exterior accessories.
Press release after the jump.
> More
.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
As part of the late night comedian Jay Leno’s newfound power with his own prime time television show appropriately named the "Jay Leno Show" the automotive enthusiast is using that newfound fame to promote environmentaly friendly vehicles with a Green Car Challenge. The bit is very much like the BBC’s Top Gear segment, "star in a reasonably priced car" except that the American show will feature an environmentally friendly vehicle, in this case an Electric Orange Ford Focus battery electric vehicle.
As we learned a few days ago, actress Drew Barrymore will be the first famous person to lap the specially designed track inside of the NBC compound inside a zero emissions vehicle. The show airs tonight, so check you local listing for the time and channel in your area.
The Green Car Focus features a sophisticated electric power train that delivers almost as much torque to the wheels as a V6 powered 2010 Ford Mustang and is capable of storing enough energy to power an average household for an entire 24 hours. Thanks in part to the design team’s attention to detail, the Ford Focus BEV has a nearly 50/50 weight distribution due to the battery’s placement and a set of front springs and dampers from a Ford Focus RS as well as a unique rear suspension make this the perfect Focus to see constant time on the track.
More information after the jump.
> More
Pages: 
Picture Gallery
Post a comment
RSS -
Webmaster free news |