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Rumormill: Next Bugatti Veyron to hit 270 mph

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Bugatti, Rumormill, Luxury

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Bugatti is reportedly beginning work on the next generation Veyron, and rumor has it that they’re looking to hit Ludicrous Speed. Okay, maybe it won’t go quite that fast, but with a target of 270 miles per hour, it figures to be pretty darn close.

According to AutoExpress, despite losing money on each one it builds, Volkswagen Group has no plans to watch its mighty hypercar fade away, and the next version will stick to the business of shattering perceptions of what a production car can do. Reportedly, the 8.0-liter W16 engine and its quad-turbo setup will return in a similar form as is employed in the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. However, the new car will head to the scales and produce a number far below what we see in current Veyron models. It will achieve this through more extensive use of lightweight alloys and carbon-composite materials.

If AE is reading its tea leaves correctly, the new warp-speed Bugatti Veyron to make an appearance sometime in 2013.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Rumormill: Next Bugatti Veyron to hit 270 mph originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unofficial: Nissan Leaf does 0-60 mph in 7 seconds, tops out at 94 mph?

Filed under: Technology, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

2011 Nissan Leaf

2011 Nissan Leaf – Click above for high-res image gallery

Back in May, CBS Evening News reported that the Nissan Leaf could sprint to 60 miles per hour in five seconds. We knew that their report missed the mark, but by how much? Estimates from nine to as much as 12 seconds began to surface, but those seemed a bit out-of-line as well.

Now, thanks to John O’Dell of Green Car Advisor who timed a 0-60 mph dash during a recent drive in the Leaf, we have at least one unofficial result: 0-60 mph in seven seconds flat. To put that number in perspective, 0-60 mph runs in the Chevrolet Volt have been clocked at 8.8 seconds, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV takes nearly 12 seconds and the Tesla Roadster accomplishes the feat in a mere 3.7 seconds. Okay, so the Leaf is reasonably quick, but how fast does it really go?

O’Dell, the senior editor of Green Car Advisor, writes:

On an 82-degree Tennessee afternoon, with another writer in the passenger seat, I hit 92 mph on the highway, going up a slight hill all the way. I still felt as though there was a little bit more to go, but lifted my foot at 92 because I thought I spied a state trooper’s patrol car way back down the road.

Mark Perry, Nissan’s director of product planning, confirmed that an undisclosed journalist who recently drove the Leaf in Michigan, hit an even more impressive 94 miles per hour, but as far as we know, these are just indicated speeds, not independently verified and repeated. Still, for the sake of comparison, the Smart ED apparently tops out at about 62.5 mph, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV calls it quits at 81 mph and the Volt hits the century mark. So, the Leaf is emissions free, accelerates with (relative) vigor and closes in on 100 before returning to more sane, everyday speeds. Sounds like it can offer livable everyday performance – provided the pure EV’s range isn’t an issue.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Leaf: First Drive

[Source: Green Car Advisor via Nissan-Leaf]

Unofficial: Nissan Leaf does 0-60 mph in 7 seconds, tops out at 94 mph? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 1985 288 GTO lays claim to World’s Fastest Ferrari with 275.4 mph run

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Coupe, Videos, Ferrari, Racing

P4 by Norwood Ferrari 288 GTO

World’s Fastest Ferrari – Click above to watch video after the jump

We’ve seen a lot of special action from the Bonneville Salt Flats this year, but this just about takes the cake. The guys from P4 by Norwood, a Ferrari tuning shop, are laying claim to the title of the World’s Fastest Ferrari with a record run of 275.4 mph averaged over two sprints. Using a stock-bodied 1985 288 GTO, owner Steve Trafton managed to snag not only the title of world’s fastest Ferrari, but the world’s fastest sports car (AA/BFMS) at the same time. The Prancing Horse beat out the previous record holder by just over 3 mph.

Interestingly enough, Thrafton skipped using a high-dollar Italian mill for this car’s beating heart. Instead, there’s a 540 cubic-inch big block General Motors V8 wedged down into that slinky body. Two Borg Warner 80-mm turbos help shove a full 17 pounds of boost into the eight-pot. Thrafton isn’t saying exactly how much power the car is laying down, but it has to be enough to move a planet on command if need be. Hit the jump to watch the Ferrari do what it does best on the Utah salt.

[Sources: Seattle Post Intelligencer, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: 1985 288 GTO lays claim to World’s Fastest Ferrari with 275.4 mph run

Video: 1985 288 GTO lays claim to World’s Fastest Ferrari with 275.4 mph run originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MTM launches its 472-horse Audi TT RS with a 194 mph run at Nardo

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Audi

MTM Audi TT RS – Click above for high-res image gallery

You’d be forgiven for believe the Audi TT RS is fast enough. By most accounts it is, packing a 340 horsepower, turbocharged inline five, it’s good for a four-and-a-half-second sprint to sixty and a 174 mph top speed. But if you’re going after the triple-century metric mark (close to 200 mph), you’re going to need a little something extra.

So says MTM. And they ought to know. The German tuning house has a history of taking Audis to the V-max and beyond, having brought an RS6 Avant to 344.2 km/h in 2009, a radical twin-engine TT to 393.6 in 2007 and a Bentley to 331 in 2008.

In an effort to take the TT RS past the 300 mark without the need for breaching the 500 hp mark, MTM tweaked the ECU, modified the turbo spools and fitted a new exhaust system – along with new wheels, tires and brakes. The result of the engine mods was 472 hp, enough to get its customized TT RS up to a GPS-certified top speed of 312 km/h (just under 194 mph) at Italy’s Nardo test track. And they’ll sell you the modifications too, for a price: €14,500 for the engine mods and another €9,973 for the suspension and wheel work, taxes and installation included.

Having proven their point about power:speed ratios, MTM’s also working on a 500+hp version. We can hardly wait to see what they’ll manage with that one, but for now you can check out the images in the gallery below and the details in the press release after the jump.

Gallery: MTM Audi TT RS 20th Anniversary

[Source: MTM]

Continue reading MTM launches its 472-horse Audi TT RS with a 194 mph run at Nardo

MTM launches its 472-horse Audi TT RS with a 194 mph run at Nardo originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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203-mph Suzuki Kizashi stops by for coffee

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Performance, Suzuki, Racing

203-mph Suzuki Kizashi

Record-setting Suzuki Kizashi – Click above for high-res image gallery

Remember that 500+-horsepower Suzuki Kizashi that recently went over 200 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats? The one that Road & Track’s Sam Mitani drove to a new F/BGC record of 203.720? Well, R&T brought it down to Cars and Coffee this weekend and we got our first up-close look at it. Color us impressed.

The exterior features a large air dam up front, Moon discs and a pair of dorsal ridges running along the roof, but other than that, the car looks pretty much stock. Sure it sits a bit lower and it is covered in decals, but it doesn’t look much different from a tuner Suzuki that one might see at this weekly show. Even the engine looks relatively streetable.

Looking inside, you see much of the same – a fairly stock dash and center console, the original door panels, and even the stock steering wheel, albeit with the airbag removed. The biggest mods inside are for safety, with a single racing seat and a roll cage, plus a couple of fire-suppression tanks and a slew of switches and levers to keep everything moving smoothly. The biggest tip-off that this is something a little more special than just a tuner Kizashi is that giant parachute out back. Click below to check out our high-res gallery.

Gallery: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi Bonneville Special

203-mph Suzuki Kizashi stops by for coffee originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Sep 2010 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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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Videos: World’s Fastest Street Car drives 1,200 miles, whips off 6.95 ET @ 209 mph

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Videos, Chevrolet, Racing

Larry Larson and his six-second street-driven Nova – Click above to watch videos after the jump

Technically, there’s nothing wrong with putting your race car on a trailer and towing it to the track. In fact, as anyone who has tried to use a track rat as a daily driver can tell you, a car can be either a racer or a commuter. Rarely can it do both effectively. But there’s a certain subset of drivers out there for whom “trailer queen” is as dirty a phrase as any four-letter word you could think of. Hot Rod Magazine has worked up an event just for these folk. It’s called Drag Week, and the rules are pretty simple. Cars must run five tracks in five states over five days, lowest ET wins and everyone has to drive their bruiser from track to track. No trailers allowed.

This year’s king of the heap is Larry Larson and his 1966 Chevrolet Nova, a racer that is staking its claim for the title of world’s fastest street car. A twin-turbocharged 565 cubic-inch big-block Bowtie V8 supplies the grunt, and though it’s never been on a dyno, estimates put it at more than 2,300 horsepower. As a result, Larson can launch the car down the quarter mile in 6.95 seconds at 209.1 mph, even after driving the car on public roads for five days straight – some of it in pouring rain, no less. Hit the jump to see a few videos of the machine.

[Sources: 1320 Video via YouTube, Bang Shift]

Continue reading Videos: World’s Fastest Street Car drives 1,200 miles, whips off 6.95 ET @ 209 mph

Videos: World’s Fastest Street Car drives 1,200 miles, whips off 6.95 ET @ 209 mph originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Police cruiser cam catches 100-mph highway jump and crash

Filed under: Etc., Videos

Ohio highway crash

100-mph highway crash – Click above to watch the video after the jump

We can’t help but hold our breath whenever we see video of cars being wrecked at speed. Take this incident, for example, in which Brennan Eden, age 19, slams his Pontiac Firebird into the concrete pillar of an overpass while doing over 100 miles per hour. Oh, and this was after he slid into the median and sent the car airborne and sideways. You’d never think it from watching the video, but Eden managed to survive the crash after being ejected from the car and no other motorists were injured – what a relief.

The accident took place on Interstate 675 in Beavercreek, Ohio and was amazingly captured via a dash-mounted video camera inside a local police cruiser that Eden just happened to pass at the right time. This kid should go buy a lottery ticket after thanking his lucky stars for this one. See the full crash footage for yourself after the jump. Thanks for the inbox full of tips on this one, people!

[Source: WDTN]

Continue reading Video: Police cruiser cam catches 100-mph highway jump and crash

Video: Police cruiser cam catches 100-mph highway jump and crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Budget, Sedan, Suzuki

2010 Suzuki Kizashi takes Bonneville – Click above to watch video after the jump

The crew from Suzuki and Road & Track officially hold the new Land Speed Record for the Blown Gas Coupe Category. The team wheeled out their modified 2010 Suzuki Kizashi to the Bonneville Salt Flats and managed to average an impressive 203.720 mph across two high-speed runs, besting the previous record by a little less than a second and a half. R&T commissioned legendary engine builder Richard Holdener to rework the engine in the Kizashi before it hit the salt, and as a result, the car wore forged internals and a beefier turbo that shoved a full 16 pounds of boost into the four-cylinder as the Sam Mitani-helmed Suzuki headed down the dry lake bed.

Now that the Kizashi has one record under its belt, Road & Track is planning to try for a second, naturally-aspirated record by unbolting the turbo and going hog wild. Now all we have to wonder is how much it’s going to take to convince Suzuki to offer those slick seam-welded steel wheels as an option on the Kizashi Sport. Hit the jump to take a look at a video of the car during its record-setting run, as well as a press release detailing the occasion.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi Sport

Continue reading Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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G-Power tuned BMW M5 World’s Fastest Sedan with 231 mph top whack?

Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Performance, Europe, BMW, Luxury

G-Power M5 Hurricane RR – Click above for high-res image gallery

The mad scientists at G-Power have reworked the company’s sinister M5 Hurricane into something even more impressive. Meet the M5 Hurricane RR – an 800 horsepower beast that G-Power claims is the fastest sedan in the world. The company started by plopping a new set of superchargers onto the M5 sedan’s already potent BMW V10. With a theoretical capacity of 900 horsepower, each belt-driven supercharger delivers air to a single bank of the engine. According to the tuner, this configuration allows for 25 percent more air to enter the combustion chamber. The engine’s internals have been completely reworked and balanced to handle all of that extra boost as well.

All of that mojo is good for a top speed of 231 mph on track, which the company says makes their matte monster the fastest four-door extant. If lofty top-speed numbers aren’t your bag of tricks, maybe acceleration figures are. G-Power says that 0-60 mph takes around 4.35 seconds and 0-120 mph clicks by in 9.5 seconds. Yep, that’s pretty darn quick for a two-ton sedan. Even better, G-Power will be more than happy to convert any old BMW M5 into the beast you see above, all for the low, low price of $71,780 – plus donor M5. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: G-Power M5 Hurricane RR

[Source: G Power]

Continue reading G-Power tuned BMW M5 World’s Fastest Sedan with 231 mph top whack?

G-Power tuned BMW M5 World’s Fastest Sedan with 231 mph top whack? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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