A coupe is a car body style with a close-coupled interior offering either two seats or 2+2 seating (space for two passengers up front and for two occasional passengers in the rear). Through the 1950s convertible models were sometimes called convertible coupes, but since the 1960s the term "coupe" has generally been applied exclusively to fixed-roof models. Coupes generally, but not necessarily, have two doors, although automobile makers have offered four-door coupes and three- and five-door hatchback coupes, as well.
Tuning firms have always loved customizing Toyota Supra’s from the mid-90’s, and there are literally dozens of Supra’s roaming U.S. streets with in excess of 1,000 horsepower. The silver unit is no exception to that rule, except for the fact that it lives in chilly Sweden.
In a short two and half minute video, producers gathered the insane aforementioned Supra with a group of Supermoto motorcycles and let them loose on some Swedish roads in Västerås, approximately 62 miles from Stockholm.
We’ve seen similar videos on numerous occasions, where high performance sports cars drive and drift around public roads, but this one takes the crown for stupidity. It seems the roads remained open for public use during filming, and drifting a car with as much power as this Supra obviously poses numerous health and safety issues. Combine that with a half a dozen high performance motorcycles, and you seemingly have a recipe for disaster.
Thankfully however, no incidents were reported during filming, but the mysterious appearance of a police car in the closing seconds of the video begs the question as to if the hooligans were fined and reprimanded in any way.
Whatever happened after the director said cut doesn’t really matter, as you can still check out the video above.
If we were to say the name “Robert Glenn Johnson Jr” not many people, besides hardcore NASCAR fans, would know who we are talking about. However, mention the name Junior Johnson and “Mystery Motor” and nearly every NASCAR fan knows what we’re talking about. If you haven’t figured it out, Robert Glen Johnson Jr and Junior Johnson are the same person.
The Mystery Motor refers to Junior Johnson’s most famous car, which was a 1963 Chevy Impala SS with an extremely rare Mk II engine. This engine was a very limited production model that was wedged between the Mk I 438/409 engine and Mk IV 427 engine. This engine only saw roughly 50 total units produced, though some claim there were only 18 ever produced, making it one of the rarest GM engines ever built.
Shortly after these engines went out to various Chevrolet drivers, Chevy pulled the plug on its race sponsorship and the owners of the cars were stuck with modifying and fitting the engines themselves. Junior Johnson’s Mk II 427 wound up being the most powerful built at the time and resulted in a total of seven wins, nine pole positions, 13 top-5 finishes, and 14 top-10 finishes in just 33 races in the 1963 season. Its overall power and rarity earned it the name “Mystery Motor.”
Following the 1963 season, Chevy had began production of the Mk IV 427, rendering the Mystery Motor ineligible for NASCAR competition and reducing Johnson’s win total to less than half the following year.
If you have ever wanted to own a piece of automotive and NASCAR history, this is your chance, as RK Motors Charlotte has put Johnson’s 1963 Impala SS up for sale, Mystery Motor and all.
A standard BMW 335i Coupe delivers a total of 300 HP and a BMW M3 Coupe pushes out 420 HP. That’s a pretty big difference between the two, but with the proper tuning package, that difference can be dwindled down to less than nothing. Alpha-N Performance has managed to make the 335i even more powerful than the M3 delivering an impressive 450 HP, while also being 550 lbs lighter than the standard model!
Starting with the exterior, the tuner added a pretty impressive kit with ultra-light material carbon components. It includes a new front bumper and an equally adjustable spoiler, a big rear diffuser, a new trunk lid with protrusive spoiler lip, and a huge, adjustable rear wing. The car sits on a new set of 19" wheels combined with a MAC high-performance braking system.
The same skills were used to tweak the interior, as Alpha-N Performance installed Recaro Pole Position carbon seats with full belt safety harness, a steel cage, and a performance steering wheel. Everything else in the car was ripped out to ensure weight optimization.
Aside from that, the tuner’s main focus was the 335i Coupe’s 3.0 liter six-inline engine. The extra 150 HP was achieved through an Alpha-N engine kit that includes bigger turbo chargers, adaptation of engine electronics, a completely new exhaust system, and an enlarged air-to-air intercooler. The last touch was provided through a reprogrammed ECU.
Recently deceased automotive master and all-around great person, Carroll Shelby, has a history that few can compete with. Not only was he one of the best American road racers, but was also a legendary car designer. But his legend is seemingly endless in the automotive field, as even racers in drift series races are influenced by him.
The most recent evidence was when American driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. took home 1st place in round 1 of the World Drift Series in China while driving his Mustang RTR. Though Mr. Shelby never had a hand in drifting, it is obvious that he had a huge influence on Gittin, as he dedicated this victory to the memory of Mr. Carroll Shelby.
After being declared the winner, Gittin was quoted saying “I would like to dedicate this to win to a very special man that we lost recently, someone I had the opportunity to meet just a few times, and someone that was a true inspiration to me personally and to the automotive world as a whole. That man is Carroll Shelby. He is someone that always did what he wanted to do no matter what anyone thought and I know he would be proud to know we are drifting Mustangs in Olympic stadiums here in China and bringing home a huge first place trophy back to the USA!”
Our congratulations have to go out to Gittin for his victory, but the victory pales in comparison to his heartfelt dedication to the man that helped make the Mustang that won the race what it is today. To say that Gittin has our support throughout the rest of the WDS is an understatement.
Somewhere, Mr. Shelby was smiling as this Ford Mustang slid its way around imports and into first place…
Click past the jump to read the full press release.
Our spy photographers have been on fire these past few days, revealing a number of test vehicles as they make their rounds. Today, the car du jour is the upcoming Mercedes CLA - a model that until recently was known as the CLC. The name change occurred because Mercedes decided that all of its future coupe or four-door coupe models would get a name that starts with CL. Since this baby CLS is based on the A-Class platform, the name naturally evolved to the CLA.
But back to the car. The CLA is based on a long-wheelbase version of the upcoming front-drive B-class platform. It will also get an AMG model that is considered an indirect successor to the classic 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II. As you can see in these images, when compared to the previous prototypes caught testing, this CLA is donning less camouflage, revealing more details such as the front, the rear lights, and more of its overall lines.
The future Mercedes CLA will be offered with a four-wheel drive system that will be paired up with the same petrol and diesel engines found in the new A-Class. In the A-Class, the petrol line-up includes 1.6 and 2.0 liters engines, with power ranging from 115 HP in the A 180, 156 HP in the A 200, and 211 HP in the A 250. Diesel versions include the 109 HP A 180 CDI, the 136 HP A 200 CDI, and the 170 HP A 220 CDI. For the CLA, Mercedes will also be offering an AMG version that will get a turbocharged 2.0-liter unit with about 335 HP.
Expect to see the new Mercedes CLA launched sometime in 2013.
If you needed more proof as to how amazing the new generation SRT Viper is, here you go! Youtube user, RealMCR12, caught the Viper on tape outside of a Dodge dealer. Next to its amazing engine rev sound, the Viper was captured doing a few rounds on the road next to the dealership. After the year long Viper hiatus, SRT was able to provide a stunning specimen, allowing the wait to be absolutely worth it.
As a reminder, the SRT Viper is powered by a new 8.4-liter all-aluminum, V-10 overhead-valve engine that delivers a total of 640 HP and 600 lb-ft of torque. The new engine is mated to an improved Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission. Official performance numbers haven’t been provided as of yet, but when the time comes, we’ll be there to report them!
Audi just had a successful weekend despite terrible weather clouding the day; the company managed to record its first overall victory in the Nurburgring 24 Hours with the new Audi R8 LMS ultra. The car was driven by German driver quartet Marc Basseng/Christopher Haase/Frank Stippler/Markus Winkelhock, while Christian Abt/Michael Ammermüller/Armin Hahne/Christian Mamerow from Team Mamerow Racing completed the one-two success.
This latest win adds to the overall success acquired by Audi in this particular event. In June 2011, the brand celebrated its tenth victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the R18 TDI LMP sports prototype. In July 2011, the customer racing R8 LMS race car also won the 24 hour classic at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium for the first time.
"We are absolutely delighted about this long desired victory," explained Dieter Gass, Head of Racing Commitments at Audi Sport. "For three years the Audi R8 LMS was always the best GT3 car at the Nürburgring. Now we have taken overall victory in the fight with seven other brands. Over the last 24 hours nothing whatsoever was handed to us on a plate. Our victorious drivers and teams produced a fantastic, consistent and error free performance. My sincerest congratulations go to our winners. This victory in a race car closely related to the production based car once again proves that Audi Sport customer racing provides its customers with a well refined, versatile and successful race car."
Here we go, folks. The 2012 model year will be the last for the current Aston Martin DBS and a newly redesigned model is on its way. In the mean time, Aston Martin fans can enjoy the 2013 DBS Ultimate, which is little more than a slightly upgraded version of the Carbon Black model, but a limited edition nonetheless.
We all anticipate seeing the upcoming 2014 Aston Martin DBS in the 2012 Paris Auto Show, which kicks off the 29th of September. We are also anxiously awaiting some official photos from Aston Martin, which we expect to see some time in June. As we wait, the spyshot groups are out and about seeking some prey and fell upon a 2014 DBS specimen frolicking around the streets and snapped a few pics. Unfortunately, the DBS was wearing significantly more clothing than the models at the Beijing Auto Show and there wasn’t much to be seen.
Well, our crack rendering team has stripped the clothing from this beauty and gave us a good idea of what to expect, with the above picture. Rendering is not what we’re all about though, as we also are prepared to offer you a full review of this new beast using the information we have gathered and just a pinch of speculation.
Click past the jump to read the entire review on the 2014 Aston Martin DBS
To kick off our very first Photo of the Week, we have decided to start things off with a bang, with one of the most incredible photos ever captured of what is one of the most expensive supercars ever produced: the 2009 Pagani Zonda Cinque.
If reports are to be believed, only three white Cinque coupes were ever produced, with the remaining two units being bright green and bright orange. Furthermore, every single one of the Cinque coupes produced are reportedly all driving around one of the increasingly-luxurious and expensive regions in the world: Singapore.
Taken by Nicholas TJ.R Photography, the following image shows off the incredibly well-detailed and aerodynamically inspired rear end of this hypercar, which cost a cool $1.3 million when it went on sale in 2009.
As a quick refresher, the 2009 Pagani Zonda Cinque features an AMG-sourced 7.3-liter V12 engine producing 678HP and 575lb-ft of torque which is mated to a six-speed sequential transmission. When combined with the extremely lightweight body and those massive rear tires, the car can launch to 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds and 124 mph in 9.6 seconds before continuing onto a top speed in excess of 220 mph.
Ford may not have released the official performance numbers for their latest muscle car beast - the 2013 Shelby GT500 - but there are ways to get the sports car to talk. Motor Trend recently took the GT500 for a brief test session at the Atlanta Dragway and powered the Mustang from 0-60 mph in a blistering 3.5 seconds! Move over, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Ford is taking back its muscle car supremacy! Wait, did they ever lose it?
Motor Trend pulled in other killer numbers in Atlanta, like a 0 to 100 mph sprint in 7.7 seconds and a quarter mile run in 11.6 seconds at 125.7 mph. The Mustang GT500 also raked in a 60-0 mph braking distance of 101 feet and .98g of lateral acceleration.
Let’s get back to comparisons for a second. The Camaro ZL1 runs the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.8 seconds (there’s one point for you, Ford), runs the 0 to 100 mph sprint in 8.7 seconds (second point goes to the Mustang), and runs the quarter mile in 12.1 seconds at 117.4 mph (final point goes to the GT500). So, what does this mean? Nice try, Chevrolet, but your high off of the Camaro ZL1 seems to be short-lived.
As a reminder, the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is powered by a 5.8L V8 engine (up from 5.4L) pushing out 650 HP! Next to a bigger engine, the existing Eaton M112 supercharger will be replaced by a more efficient and quieter TVS unit. Rumors suggest that the top speed will go up to an impressive 190 mph (if this is true, the Camaro loses again with a top speed of 184 mph).
