Typically the words “eco-friendly” and “performance” don’t mix together well, but sometimes they pull it off. A great example of a successful attempt is the ACAT Global Ferrari 575 by JBR Motorsports. ACAT Global specializes in making less expensive and lighter catalytic converters, whereas JBR focuses on building bad-ass race cars; a match made in heaven. This modified Ferrari 575 is set to take on one of the largest challenges in the world, and that is to overtake the world land speed record – in the Grand Touring class, of course – at the Bonneville Speed Flats.
JRB and ACAT have been tight lipped about what this Ferrari 575 has behind the rear seats, but we are 100 percent certain that it is a little more than the standard 515-horsepower 5.8-liter V-12 that the stock 575 boasts. Granted, that engine is good, but certainly not enough to beat out the Ferrari record of 232 mph.
The exterior of the Ferrari 575 is draped in a coat of French Blue Ferrari Racing paint with graphics by custom-graphics-extraordinaire, Troy Lee, but the remainder of the exterior modifications are still unknown at this time. We are certain that the Ferrari will boast a lower ride height to help with aerodynamics and a series of diffusers on the rear to help reduce the drag on the rear of the Ferrari.
As we approach the August 11th debut of the Ferrari 575, given it passes its 3-day testing phase, we will learn more about this super-fast Ferrari. We will pass information along to you, as we receive it.
Click past the jump to read the press release regarding its record-setting attempt.
Even though the Nürburgring is hanging on by a loosely tied thread at this time, it is still the setting where cars are made or broken, which is partly why we are all so confused as to why it is in financial ruins. Despite now owning its own track, Porsche is still looking to the `Ring to help build more excitement around its upcoming 918 hybrid model.
Porsche has just officially debuted its 918 Martini Racing wrap and has also announced that it expects big performance from its 918 model. This performance comes in the form of an expected lap time around the Nürburgring of less than 7:22.
That seems like an extremely fast time, we know, but that is also very conservative, considering the less powerful Porsche GT2 RS completed a lap around the famed raceway in 7:18. We anticipate a time nearer to the 7:15 mark than the 7:22 mark and we expect it to turn this lap time with some consistency.
Regardless of how far under the 7:22 mark the 918 comes, there is only one thing to say and that’s “Dayum, that’s fast.” Sub-7:22 times are only achieved by a small handful of cars, like the Viper ACR, Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition and Gumpert Apollo Sport. That’s some pretty impressive company to keep for a newcomer onto the supercar scene, especially one that boasts an anticipated 78 mpg rating.
Hit the jump to read the official press release.
If you’ve ever been to a tire shop for four brand-spankin’-new tires, you can typically expect to sit around for at least an hour. If you show up on a Saturday, you had better just drop off your car and come back in three or four hours. That is, of course, unless you are F1 driver Jenson Button.
At the German Grand Prix on Sunday, Button was in 3rd place and pulled into the pits for a new set of tires, which you can typically expect to lose at least one position when doing. Button, on the other hand, pulled in and didn’t even lose a single position. It’s not because the car trailing him was so far behind, but rather because his pit crew was ridiculously fast. They lifted the car, removed four tires and rims, and installed four new tires and rims in 2.31 seconds.
That’s not only insanely fast, but it is also a new world record. One YouTube user managed to get a shot of the record-breaking pit stop and posted it for all of us to see. Literally, if you blink, you’ll miss almost everything.
Check out the above video to see just how fast this crew gets this job done. The lightning-fast work of Button’s crew also enabled him to overtake the No. 2 slot, as Sebastian Vettel pitted shortly after Button.
Nissan wasn’t the only one to establish a world record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, even though theirs was probably the strangest: they drove the entire 1-mile Goodwood hill in reverse. A British racing team called Drayson Racing - don’t worry if you’ve never heard about them, we hadn’t either - managed to create an all-electric Le Mans Prototype that became the fastest electric car at Goodwood using the two years of experience the company has had at the Le Mans series.
Called the B12/69EV, this electric prototype was built on a Lola racing chassis and is powered by a pair of electric motors that develop an impressive 850 HP. With this amount of power, the car ran the 1.16-mile hill climb in an impressive 53.53 seconds. smashing the previous times established by both the Nissan Leaf NISMO RC - 60.18-second - and the Tesla Roadster - 58.77 seconds.
Hit the jump for a video of the record.
Full story
Okay, it is odd enough to say that the Nissan Leaf is running at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but it’s even odder to say that it actually set a lap record there. This strange record set at Goodwood was the fastest time up the famed hill while driving in reverse. That’s right; they drove the entire 1-mile Goodwood hill in reverse.
There are some people in this world that have a hard enough time backing out of their driveways, let alone driving a mile in reverse. Then again, many years ago, I had a friend drive his 1980’s Civic CRX in reverse the entire 3-mile trek home, after his transmission got stuck in reverse gear.
In order to set this record, the team that worked with Terry Grant, the lucky driver stuck taking on this task, actually removed the reverse speed limiter, so he could essentially drive the Leaf in reverse just as fast as he could. Well, he definitely didn’t hit top speed, as his best time came in at 1:53, which equals out to an average speed of about 30 mph.
That’s still an insane feat, though, as driving a car in reverse at 30 mph is definitely not a simple thing, but to traverse the Goodwood’s twisting track is a completely different animal. Hats off to Terry Grant and his team for coming up with such an insane idea and actually executing it.
You can see one of the videos of this stunt above and the other two can be found after the jump.
Full story
Over the weekend, Hot Wheels’ own version of the double-loop record was attempted by stunt driver Greg Tracy and the one-and-only Tanner Foust. You remember Top Gear Live’s version of the double-loop record attempt last month?
Well, Hot Wheels’ has seen their hand and is raising with their own version. The stunt was attempted at the X-Games in Los Angeles, and true to expectations, the attempt was successfully executed.
Greg Tracy hit the double loop first followed shortly by Tanner Foust. Once both drivers successfully completed their double-loop run, they decided to finish with a flurry and do a pedestrian on-ramp jump much to the delight of the fans in attendance.
Check out the video of the attempt and tell us if this attempt was more impressive than the one Top Gear Live pulled off a month ago.
If you haven’t seen it, you can check out the Top Gear stunt after the jump.
Full story
There are some records that you wouldn’t even think existed were it not for great marketing from those that are trying to set it.
One of those records is the recent one set by MINI earlier this month; you remember that as the parallel parking record they attempted to promote the special edition Chinese Job MINI Cooper. Well, despite their penchant for quirkiness, attempting to set the record was no small feat - even with a professional driver like Han Yue behind the wheel.
In this video, MINI takes us on a behind-the-scenes look on the preparations and hours of practice that went behind the attempts. In the end, Yue managed to squeeze in his MINI with only 5.9" of real estate separating the MINI from hitting the cars.
Check out the video and see how everything went down; it’s certainly worth your time to see how somebody is capable of doing something as cool as that when a lot of us can’t even grasp the concept of parallel parking.
Even though the Audi R8 e-tron hasn’t officially been launched yet, it is already a world record breaker. With a lap time of 8:09.099 minutes, the R8 e-tron has just become the fastest production vehicle with an electric drive system around the Nurburgring. The car was driven to success by racing driver Markus Winkelhock.
The R8 e-tron is powered by electric motors that deliver an output of 375 HP and a peak torque of 604 lbs-ft. The electric car will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and hit a top speed of 124 mph (electronically limited). To achieve the record-setting lap, the electronic speed limiter was removed so that the top speed could go up to 155 mph.
"The R8 e-tron has given a magnificent demonstration of its potential on the toughest race track in the world," said Michael Dick, Audi AG Board Member for Technical Development. Dick, who completed a fast lap himself in the R8 e-tron, added: "The record-setting drive confirmed that we are on the right track. To us, electric mobility has never been about sacrifice, but rather is about emotion, sportiness and driving pleasure."
The Audi R8 e-tron will grace the market with its presence by the end of 2012.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is famous for a lot of things. Last year, a whole lot of things happened, including Nissan’s record-breaking attempt climbing the hill with a Leaf...and doing it in reverse.
This year, the Japanese automaker is headed back to Pikes Peak and to no one’s surprise, they’re attempting to break their year-old record. Professional stunt driver Terry Grant will once again man the wheels of the electric Leaf as it tries to complete the 1.16-mile hill climb course faster than it did a year ago. It’s a unique record, to say the least, one that Nissan is all too happy to have as its own.
"The LEAF Reverse Record isn’t going to be easy and will be very challenging," said Grant. "I’d prefer to do it on a nice straight and level strip of tarmac rather than on Lord March’s drive. The hill not only climbs, but is also full of twists, turns and obstacles."
We’ve seen some weird record attempts in the past, but we have to admit, Grant’s record attempt at Pikes Peak is something we’re really looking forward to.
When Top Gear Live recently attempted - and succeeded - the first double loop stunt in history, you knew that at some point in time, somebody was going to try to replicate it.
Apparently, that ’point in time’ is about to happen at the end of the month.
Hot Wheels is planning its next big stunt, and it’s going to take the concept of the double loop and add a pretty serious twist to it by having two drivers do it side by side. The bar has definitely been raised.
Hot Wheels is no stranger to wild stunts like this. Last year, Tanner Foust broke into the Guinness Book of World Records by setting a record jump at the Indy 500. You all remember that, right?
Well, the toy company’s penchant for stunts and theatrics will come alive once more at the end of the month during the 2012 X Games in Los Angeles. Check out the teaser video to see what we’re all in store for when Hot Wheels don their Evel Knievel capes once again.
