Hybrid vehicles aren’t generally looked at as fast machines capable of break-neck speeds. In truth, hybrids aren’t even marketed as such. Their true calling card is the promise of better fuel economy and improved CO2 emission ratings.
Unless of course you can find a way to marry all three elements the way Infiniti managed to do with the new M35h. Nissan’s luxury division has released a video of their new M35h sedan taking on the equally irrepressible 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid.
Not one to back down from a German challenge for full-on hybrid supremacy, the M35h and the Panamera S Hybrid engaged in a quarter-mile drag race - with surprising results.
Not only did the 360-horsepower M35h complete its time in just 13.4 seconds - impressive for a hybrid! - but it also managed to spank the Panamera S Hybrid by a good second. On top of that, the time is also a marked improvement from their previous record time of 13.9031 seconds, eclipsing the Guinness World Record by a tidy half-a-second.
Check out the video and watch the Infiniti M35h show up the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid.
GReddy takes pride in the fact that they are a company "founded and managed by racers and enthusiasts" and their latest take on the Nissan GT-R is proof of that fact.
The new GTR 35RX by GReddy is powered by a 4.3 liter stroker VR engine that has been tweaked, pushed, and pulled for amazing results. It starts with a Twin Turbo upgrade kit and a Type-29R Cross-flow intercooler kit that rev the power all the way to 1,084 HP, while a Ti 94mm full Y-back titanium exhaust system ensures the engine growl sounds just right. Other features for the 35RX include a tuned GR6 transmission cooled down by a DCT transmission cooler kit, a Dodson/Exedy clutch kit, a Dodson first gear upgrade, and WPC treated full gear set and clutch steel plates. The power is sent to MT drag radial tires with Ray’s Engineering Volk Racing G2 wheels. Visually, the first thing anyone will notice is the giant BOMEX rear wing, but GReddy is also working on a top secret front bumper for the kit.
All of the hard work put into the Nissan GTR 35RX by GReddy came to a head on September 18, 2011, when it recorded a 202.5mph top speed at the Fuji Speedway with World Champion Time Attack Challenge pilot, "Tarzan" Yamada behind the wheel. The vehicle currently does the quarter mile in the nine second range, but GReddy is still working on it to achieve a time in the eight second range.
UPDATE 01/18/2012: GReddy has unveiled an official video presenting their 35RX GT-R during a testing session. Fearless Option Video driver, Tarzan Yamada, takes to the Fuji Speedway for the high speed test, achieving over 200mph! Enjoy!
The current world speed land record is 763 mph, but this record may be about to change significantly if one speed addicted aficionado has anything to do with it. Southern California native, Waldo Stakes, is working on a rocket car that he hopes will hit a speed of 2,000 mph.
The car, which is called the Sonic Wind LSRV, is powered by an XLR99 rocket engine that was developed for the X-15 - an aircraft that can hit a top speed of 4,520 mph. He started his project back in 2003 and has currently put together a wooden model about 4 feet long that looks more like a dart than a car.
"The Sonic Wind Land Speed Research Vehicle will be the premier land speed car and the most powerful car ever seen on the planet," Stakes claims in his video tour of the project. "Nothing being built in Australia or Great Britain or planned by any nation will be able to touch this car in its velocity. And its stability will be second to none."
Stakes must have a lot of faith in his work to be able to make such claims without a real prototype to back him up. So much faith, in fact, that we are inclined to believe him, but we’ll save our final say for when the rocket car actually puts tires to paved roads.
Find out more about the Sonic Wind LSRV after the jump
The year 2012 started off with quite a bang for Renntech. Their updated version of the Mercedes SLR - already known for being the world’s fastest SLR - established a new quarter-mile record of 9.76 seconds at a speed of 140.8 mph. This new time smashes its previous record of 10.29 seconds and 134mph established in October 2011.
The Mercedes SLR used for the record-breaking run was equipped with a Mansory Renovatio bodykit, a new set of Agetro M140 Monoblock wheels, and a custom interior. The engine was obviously hooked up; it put a modified supercharger to good use, along with larger heat exchangers, a more efficient intercooler pump, prototype race headers, a limited slip differential, and a modified the five-speed transmission to handle the extra power. As a result, the SLR delivers an amazing 800 HP!
Last September, the Koenigsegg Agera R entered the Guinness Book of Records with six amazing records. Unfortunately for the mighty Swedish supercar, one of those six world records - the fastest brake time - has already been smashed. If you remember, the Agera R went from 300 km/h (186 mph) to 0 in 6.66 seconds.
But now, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 managed to eclipse that number after posting a time of just 6.5 seconds from its high-speed performance 0-300-0 test at the annual Sport Auto event in Papenburg, Germany. That number is 0.16 seconds faster than the Agera R.
For those of you who have forgotten the GT3 RS 4.0 is powered by a naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter engine that delivers a total of 500 HP at 8,250 rpm and 339 lb-ft of torque, which is a 50 HP and 22 lb-ft increase over the current GT3 RS model.
