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Video: Autocar pits McLaren MP4-12C against turbo Toyota GT86

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, UK, Racing, Comparisons, McLaren

Autocar pits a Toyota GT86 Turbo against a McLaren MP4-12C on track.

The Toyota GT86, in all of its forms, is one of the best-handling cars money can buy, a trait that can put a smile on the faces of all but the most jaded car enthusiasts. But if good handling isn’t what they’re looking for, then what is? Our first guess would have to be more power, something the 200-horsepower Toyota would benefit from. Autocar tries out that theory by driving two turbocharged GT86s on track, then pitting the more powerful one against the 616-hp McLaren MP4-12C in a track battle.

The first GT86 turbo Autocar‘s Steve Sutcliffe drives makes around 255 rear-wheel horsepower and a bucket-load more torque than the stock car. That’s plenty of power to either have a lot of fun or get into a lot of trouble. But the GT86 that Sutcliffe tails in the McLaren is race-prepped, stripped to the bone and wears slicks to harness a heavy-hitting 335 hp at the wheel. Weighing in at under 2,500 pounds, the Toyota can’t overcome the MP4-12C’s power-to-weight ratio of 5.3 pounds per horsepower, but it comes pretty close.

Enjoy a lot of chasing and drifting fun in the video below!

Continue reading Autocar pits McLaren MP4-12C against turbo Toyota GT86

Autocar pits McLaren MP4-12C against turbo Toyota GT86 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Chris Harris pits Fiesta ST against Mercedes G63 AMG in 0-60 battle… sort of

Filed under: Performance, Videos, Ford, Mercedes-Benz

Chris Harris on Drive screencap

Vehicle performance tests are serious business, with reputations made or broken by things like braking distance, top speed, and lateral g-forces. King of the metrics, though, is the 0-60 run, which for unknown reasons has become the benchmark for what truly makes a car a performance machine.

Now, Chris Harris from Drive has turned the whole idea behind the sprint to 60 on its ear. Taking a new Ford Fiesta ST, Harris asks a simple question: would the ST be quicker to 60 on its own, or on a trailer being towed by a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG?

It’s a fair question, really. The Fiesta Harris tested hit 60 in 7.2 seconds on a slightly uphill section of runway. It should be noted that Harris quotes his ST at 182 horsepower, which is about 15 ponies less than what we’re getting in the US, so these numbers might not hold up all that well against an American model. The G63 AMG, meanwhile, is a 536-horsepower monster, powered by a twin-turbo V8 that, able to propel the big SUV to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds without towing a Fiesta.

So, is the Fiesta ST quicker with or without some AMG aid? Have a look below to find out.

Continue reading Chris Harris pits Fiesta ST against Mercedes G63 AMG in 0-60 battle… sort of

Chris Harris pits Fiesta ST against Mercedes G63 AMG in 0-60 battle… sort of originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Autocar pits BMW 1 Series M Coupe against Porsche Cayman R

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, BMW, Porsche

2011 BMW 1M Coupe vs. 2011 Porsche Cayman R

2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe vs. 2011 Porsche Cayman R – Click above to view video after the jump

The 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe has been setting hearts on fire across the automotive press since Munich started teasing the car a couple years ago. Now that it has finally arrived, Autocar decided to see if it lived up to its own hype when faced with the lithe 2011 Porsche Cayman R.

We’ll save giving away the outcome of the comparison in the video, but suffice it to say the 1M Coupe satisfies expectations. It brings back the raw, visceral driving experience characteristic of the old M cars and is relatively affordable. All things we dig. With that knowledge safely in hand, click past the jump to see how the little M rocket stacks up to the competition.

Continue reading Autocar pits BMW 1 Series M Coupe against Porsche Cayman R

Autocar pits BMW 1 Series M Coupe against Porsche Cayman R originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 May 2011 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Final Best Motoring battle pits LFA against GT-R, ZR1, 911 GT2 RS and F430 GT3

Best Motoring Fuji supercar battle – Click above to watch the video after the break

If you were one of the many automotive enthusiasts to shed a tear when it became known that Japan’s Best Motoring set off for the giant junkyard in the sky, we have a little piece of good news to cheer you up: there’s one final track battle for your viewing pleasure.

Even better news: Best Motoring went out with a bang, pitting the Lexus LFA up against such performance benchmarks as the Nissan GT-R, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Ferrari F430 GT3.

Yes, there are two almost-race-cars in the mix there along with three machines intended solely for the street, but it doesn’t really matter. All such contests should be taken with a grain of salt anyway.

When it’s all said and done, what we have here are five mouth-watering supercars on a track together being driven in anger. Want to know how it all shakes out? Check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Final Best Motoring battle pits LFA against GT-R, ZR1, 911 GT2 RS and F430 GT3

Final Best Motoring battle pits LFA against GT-R, ZR1, 911 GT2 RS and F430 GT3 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 May 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Turkish Grand Prix was just the pits [spoilers]

Filed under: Motorsports, Middle East

2011 Turkish Grand Prix

2011 Turkish Grand Prix – Click above for high-res image gallery

Few could have seen it coming: The team that was started by a multiple world champion, then taken over by a British automaker only to be bought out by a beverage company would win the world championship. And win it in spectacular style, too. But surely it was a fluke when Red Bull rose to the top of the heap last season. A fluke like when Brawn GP seized the championship the year before. A fluke the likes of which we hadn’t seen – amid decades of Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Benetton/Renault alternating for the trophy – since Matra and Tyrrell scored the titles in ’69 and ’71 respectively – at the hands of the same Jackie Stewart who, in 1997, started the team now known as Red Bull. That kind of fluke, right? They couldn’t possibly keep it up…could they?

Well, if Red Bull was to fall off the podium this season like Brawn did after its title and acquisition by Mercedes-Benz, we certainly wouldn’t know it from the first three rounds so far. Defending world champion Sebastian Vettel took pole position at all three opening rounds, turning them into two wins upset only by fellow champion Lewis Hamilton taking the top step in Shanghai. Would Vettel and Red Bull take their place at the top again this weekend in Istanbul? Would Hamilton be poised to upset his Germanic rivals once again? Or would it be someone else’s chance this time? Follow the jump to read on and find out.

Continue reading 2011 Turkish Grand Prix was just the pits [spoilers]

2011 Turkish Grand Prix was just the pits [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 May 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: EVO pits Audi RS3 vs. Subaru WRX STI Spec C vs. Ford Focus RS vs… Ferrari Enzo?!

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Hatchback, Audi, Ford, Subaru, Ferrari

Evo Magazine hot hatch comparison

Evo Magazine hot hatch comparison – Click above to watch video after the jump

Occasionally, we can’t help but think we were born in the wrong corner of the globe. With our penchant for diesel fuel, wagons, hatchbacks and forced-induction four-cylinders, something tells us we would have been right at home growing up on the old continent.

Why all this musing on our misplaced youth? The goons at Evo Magazine have just released a new teaser video for the rag’s upcoming issue, and the cover story is rife with all sorts of metal we don’t get to play with here in the Land of the Free. The editors lined up three of the meanest hatchback bruisers available in the EU and matched them up against a mighty Ferrari Enzo. That’s right, an Enzo. Go big or go home, fellas.

The contenders include a Ford Focus RS, a Subaru WRX STI Spec C and the blistering new Audi RS 3 Sportback. For those of you who are keeping score, our chubby yank hands won’t even get close to touching any of that hardware in our neck of the woods. How’d the three musketeers stand up to the might Italian stallion? Your guess is as good as ours. We’ll have to pick up the next Evo Magazine to find out. In the meantime, check out the video after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Georgian!

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: EVO pits Audi RS3 vs. Subaru WRX STI Spec C vs. Ford Focus RS vs… Ferrari Enzo?!

Video: EVO pits Audi RS3 vs. Subaru WRX STI Spec C vs. Ford Focus RS vs… Ferrari Enzo?! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Autocar pits Porsche’s Cayman R vs. Cayman S

Filed under: Coupe, Videos, Porsche

porsche cayman r

Cayman R vs. Cayman S – Click above to watch the video after the jump

The Cayman S is considered by many to be the best-handling Porsche currently available. After all, the Cayman is 90 percent Boxster with just a teensy bit more power and a fixed roof. The all-new Cayman R, however, has still more power, is lowered by about an inch, loses about 100 pounds and adds the lightest wheels currently available on a production Porsche. So, which version of the Cayman really is the best-handling Porsche?

The folks at Autocar asked that very question, and they set aside some track time to find out. The S goes first, and Autocar‘s Matt Prior gushes over the Porsche’s steering and handling while he slips and slides through the Silverstone Porsche driving experience track. Then comes the Cayman R, which very obviously has even less trouble keeping all four tires glued to the road. So, which one takes the cake? Hit the jump to find out for yourself.

Gallery: 2011 Porsche Cayman R: First Drive

2011 Porsche Cayman R

[Source: Autocar]

Continue reading Video: Autocar pits Porsche’s Cayman R vs. Cayman S

Video: Autocar pits Porsche’s Cayman R vs. Cayman S originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Speed pits minivan versus pickup in jet engine warfare

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Videos, Chevrolet, Dodge, Specialty

Jet-powered Dodge Caravan

Jet-powered Dodge Caravan – Click above to watch video after the jump

There are two ways to do jet-powered vehicles. On one hand, you have the deliciously simple and effective method of strapping a used jet engine to a car or truck, and letting the thrust do the rest.

On the other, slightly more complicated side, you can attach a turbine to a shaft drive, translating the thrust to the rear wheels via a differential. Both are viable, albeit expensive, ways of adding jet propulsion to your car. But which is faster?

Speed took it upon itself to find out, pitting a thrust-powered Chevrolet S-10 against a shaft-driven Dodge Caravan. The Caravan uses a helicopter engine hooked to its rear wheels in conjunction with its standard gas engine up front. The truck relies solely on good, old-fashioned thrust. Click past the jump to see who’s faster over an eighth-mile drag strip.

[Source: Streetfire]

Continue reading Video: Speed pits minivan versus pickup in jet engine warfare

Video: Speed pits minivan versus pickup in jet engine warfare originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Autocar pits McLaren F1 against MP4-12C

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos

McLaren F1 vs MP4-12C

McLaren F1 vs MP4-12C – Click above to watch video after the jump

Awesome. Guttural. Vicious. Even though the youngest of the 100 McLaren F1 models produced was built 13 years ago, the machine still conjures some of the very best words the English language has to offer polite society. It was only a matter of time before someone lined up the old king of the roost against the new McLaren MP4-12C to find out which is the better weapon for assaulting track records. Autocar has done exactly that, and it’s been so kind as to work up an excellent video of the experience.

Which car comes out on top? We’d hate to spoil the fun by saying so here, but it’s worth noting that McLaren didn’t set out to build the MP4-12C to overtake the F1 in either brute strength or finesse. Instead, the newcomer lives in a category all its own. Hit the jump to take in the action for yourself.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Autocar pits McLaren F1 against MP4-12C

Video: Autocar pits McLaren F1 against MP4-12C originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hennessey pits Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon against last year’s Nissan GT-R

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Wagon, Cadillac, Nissan, UAW/Unions

hennessey cts-v sport wagon versus nissan gt-r

Hennessey Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon versus 2011 Nissan GT-R – Click above to watch video after the jump

Hennessey is once again bringing its super station wagon out to the drag strip. The Texas tuner has taken Cadillac’s 556-horsepower fast family-hauler and tweaked it so that the 6.2-liter V8 now produces 650 hp. We previously showed you how it fared against an (outdated) Porsche 911 Turbo, and now Hennessey has brought the CTS-V Sport Wagon back to the track, and this time, the opponent in the other line is driving a Nissan GT-R.

A 2011 Nissan GT-R to be more precise. The model that produces 485 horsepower and runs down Hennessey’s track in 11.8-seconds. That’s a hair slower than the 11.7-second run ripped off by the Sport Wagon – an amazing time for the 4,398-pound American muscle machine.

However, the 2012 Nissan GT-R pumps out 530 horsepower, runs from 0-60 miles per hour in less than three seconds and will cover a quarter-mile in about 11.6 seconds. Now, you can take that to mean Hennessey should’ve run against the newer GT-R… or that they’ve built one hell of a station wagon. Click past the jump to watch the two cars run down the strip.

[Source: YouTube via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Video: Hennessey pits Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon against last year’s Nissan GT-R

Video: Hennessey pits Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon against last year’s Nissan GT-R originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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