Tag: 300

Mickey Thompson’s son building 300-mph Ford Mustang?

Filed under: Motorsports, Ford, Racing

Brent Hojek 300 mph Ford Mustang

Plenty of us that grew up around a drag strip know the name Mickey Thompson, but fewer of us realize that the guy was more than a name on the sidewall of some seriously sticky rubber. He was also responsible for setting plenty of land-speed records in his day, including being the first guy to break the 400 mph barrier on the salt. His son, Danny Thompson, is no slouch behind the wheel, either. Last year, the younger Thompson managed to set the fastest land speed for any Ford Mustang. With a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 swilling down E85, the Thompson clicked off 252 mph, and this year, he’s going back for more.

Danny Thompson will attempt to waltz past the 300 mph barrier with another Mustang owned by Brent Hojek. This car, like the last, will run off of E85, but will pack somewhere close to 1,300 horsepower. The new pony also wears soy-based carbon-fiber body work and unique soy-based yellow paint in an attempt to ecologically justify a supercharged V8. Hey, we aren’t complaining. Head over to Stang TV for a closer look at the blown 5.4-liter.

[Source: Stang TV]

Mickey Thompson’s son building 300-mph Ford Mustang? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IndyCar: 2010 Indy Japan 300 settles oval championship [SPOILERS]

Filed under: Motorsports, Honda, Racing

2010 Indy Japan 300
2010 Indy Japan 300 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Heading into Saturday, only two races remained in the 2010 Izod IndyCar Series season, and the championship is coming down to the wire. Team Penske’s Will Power raced to an early lead in the standings, his dominating performances on the road and street courses earning him the inaugural Mario Andretti award as the road course champ.

Team Target Chip Ganassi teammates Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon headed to Japan in second and third respectively and first and second in the oval championship standings. Power’s lead before the green flag waved at Twin Ring Motegi was 17 points over Dario, the same lead Franchitti has over Dixon in the race for the A.J. Foyt oval champ award. This weekend’s Indy Japan 300 was crucial, with the potential to end with both championships decided even though the season’s final race at Homestead is still two weeks away.

Follow the jump to see how it played out.

Gallery: IndyCar: 2010 Kentucky Indy 300

[Images: Jonathan Ferrey, Chris Graythen/Jiji Press/AFP/Getty, Shizuo Kambayashi, Greg Baker/AP]

Continue reading IndyCar: 2010 Indy Japan 300 settles oval championship [SPOILERS]

IndyCar: 2010 Indy Japan 300 settles oval championship [SPOILERS] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Sep 2010 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maserati to base upcoming junior Quattroporte on next Chrysler 300?

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Chrysler, Maserati, Rumormill, Luxury

1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati

1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati

As excitement and anticipation mount for the arrival of a new “entry-level” sedan from Maserati, so do the rumors. The new model, expected to slot in below the current Quattroporte, has been the subject of much conjecture and speculation, but the latest hits a little closer to home.

According to reports, the junior QP could share its underpinnings with the next Chrysler 300C. This in contrast with previous reports that the Trident marque was looking to develop a new platform for the model, a move that would be decidedly more expensive for a Fiat/Chrysler empire already spread too thin. (Closer collaboration is expected between the Chrysler and Lancia divisions, which could also lead to a next-gen 300-based successor to the discontinued Lancia Thesis.)

As sources point out, this wouldn’t be the first time that Maserati and Chrysler have gotten into bed with each other. Close ties between onetime Chrysler chief Lee Iacocca and Alejandro de Tomaso (of the eponymous sportscar company that once owned Maserati) led to the disastrous badge-whoring exercise known as the Chrysler TC by Maserati (pictured above). If the latest reports come to fruition, we’d certainly hope the outcome would be in a different league altogether.

[Source: autoblog.it via PistonHeads]

Maserati to base upcoming junior Quattroporte on next Chrysler 300? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IndyCar: 2010 Kentucky Indy 300 comes down to fuelish decisions [SPOILERS]

Filed under: Motorsports, Honda, Racing


2010 Kentucky Indy 300 from Kentucky Speedway – Click above for high-res image gallery

For the IRL IndyCar Series, the 2010 Kentucky Indy 300 was all about the number “200.” It was the 200th race in IRL history. The drivers would be running 200 laps around the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway. And the speeds would be well above 200 mph as the field of 27 cars ran inches away from each other under the lights of Kentucky. Among those 27 drivers was last year’s runner-up, Ed Carpenter, who still hasn’t scored a full-time ride, and Paul Tracy, the fan favorite who seems to never get rusty. Maybe we’ll have to start calling him Platinum Paul.

Last week’s winner Dario Franchitti was making things interesting in the race for the championship by closing the gap to points leader Will Power who hasn’t done as well as some of the others – including Franchitti – on ovals. Kentucky is an oval, of course, and so are Motegi and Miami, the final two races of the season. Would Power be able to get that monkey off his back? Would Franchitti take the win and close the gap even further? Would the talented and hard luck Ed Carpenter finally head to Victory Lane? Follow the jump to see how the 2010 Kentucky Indy 300 went down.

Gallery: IndyCar: 2010 Kentucky Indy 300

[Images: Chris Graythen, Streeter Lecka/Getty Images | Ed Reinke, James Crisp/AP]

Continue reading IndyCar: 2010 Kentucky Indy 300 comes down to fuelish decisions [SPOILERS]

IndyCar: 2010 Kentucky Indy 300 comes down to fuelish decisions [SPOILERS] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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$300 discount on Lexus F Sport Accessories

Filed under: Aftermarket, Lexus

Lexus IS 350C F Sport

2010 Lexus IS 350C F Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery

Lexus just dropped us a note to let us know that its F Sport line of performance accessories are on sale between September 10 and November 1, with between $100 and $300 off on accessory packages ranging from $500 to $2,000. If you’re interested in wheels, brakes or an exhaust for your GS or IS, click here for the coupon with all the details.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Lexus IS 350C F-Sport

$300 discount on Lexus F Sport Accessories originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IndyCar: 2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 [SPOILERS]

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300
2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 from Chicagoland Speedway – Click above for high-res image gallery

It might seem that the 2010 IndyCar championship is a foregone conclusion. After all, Team Penske’s Will Power has a sizable lead in the standings and there are just four races left to run. Ah, but those four are all on ovals, and Will has never claimed the top step of the podium at an oval track. Plus, right behind Power in the race for the overall IZOD IndyCar Championship are Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon – two drivers who have considerably better luck than Power when everybody only has to turn left.

In fact, Dixon leads Franchitti in the new-for-2010 A.J. Foyt Oval Champion standings. Furthermore, Dixon basically owns this week’s venue – Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois – despite never actually winning there. That might seem like a contradiction, but Scott has been the bridesmaid on five separate occasions at Chicagoland.

IndyCar’s return to the ovals also means bigger fields, with 29 drivers lined up to run for the checkers on Saturday night. Among those 29 were a record five female drivers – Ana Beatriz, Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick and Simona de Silvestro. Would Dixon finally take the win in Chicago? Would Dario claim victory and close the gap on Power? Would one of the ladies break through and be the first across the stripe? Follow the jump to see how the 2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 from Chicagoland Speedway played out.

Gallery: 2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 from Chicagoland Speedway

[Images: Jonathan Ferrey, Streeter Lecka/Getty Images | Skip Stewart, Nam Y. Huh, Warren Wimmer/AP]

Continue reading IndyCar: 2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 [SPOILERS]

IndyCar: 2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 [SPOILERS] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Who’s got a 300-horsepower Ford Festiva Shogun? Jay Leno, who else?

Filed under: Videos, Hatchback, Ford, Celebrities, Specialty

Jay Leno’s 300-horsepower Ford Festiva – Click above to watch video after the jump

Ford is hosting a round-the-world trip in its new Fiesta, and somehow that led Motor Trend to visit Jay Leno’s Garage and have a look at his ’80s-era Ford Festiva Shogun. There’s no way a bog-standard 63-horsepower runabout could last longer than a fruit fly in Jay’s garage, so this one does its best impression of a Renault 5 Turbo down to the engine in the rear and the blistered arches and vents.

For those who don’t know what a Shogun is exactly, it’s the perfect marriage of a Taurus SHO’s original 3.0-liter Yamaha V6 and a Ford Festiva. You take the motor and drivetrain from the Taurus SHO and place it front-to-back in the Festiva, then season to taste with wheels and body kit. Leno’s Shogun is also boosted by nitrous oxide for a total of about 300 horsepower, which is pretty good for a Korean-built subcompact from 1989.

Leno cites two compelling reasons for the Shogun: “Because there are certain parts of the world where people are going to chase you,” and “I live in a hilly area.” Of course, Jay, of course. Follow the jump for the Shogun’s story.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Continue reading Video: Who’s got a 300-horsepower Ford Festiva Shogun? Jay Leno, who else?

Video: Who’s got a 300-horsepower Ford Festiva Shogun? Jay Leno, who else? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2012 Chrysler 300 is more than a nosejob

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Chrysler

The next Chrysler 300 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The next Chrysler 300 has had some chiseling and wedging applied to its current stoic proportions. The perfectly horizontal shoulder line now sweeps up from a lower front end into a shorter decklid. The nearly perpendicular front and rear on the 2010 have also been reshaped, particularly in the rear. Detail-wise, only the mirrors appear to have carried over, with what looks like new headlight hardware in an angled design, LED taillights in back, an integrated exhaust treatment and new rear window glass. Get a closer look in the gallery of high-res photos below while we wait to see what magic has been done to the inside…

Gallery: Spy Shots: 2012 Chrysler 300

2012 Chrysler 300 Spy Shot

Spy Shots: 2012 Chrysler 300 is more than a nosejob originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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