Tag: wrung

Video: VW Golf GTI wrung out by Chris Harris

Filed under: Performance, Europe, Videos, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Celebrities

Chris Harris with Mk VII Volkswagen GTI - video screencap

Enthusiasts like nothing more than to crucify modern interpretations of their favorite performance models for failing to live up to some imagined ethos. Even the Volkswagen GTI has suffered its fair share of slings and arrows for growing in size and curb weight. Chris Harris recently spent some time with the all-new MK VII GTI to find out if growing up means giving up on what makes the machine so special.

Judging by his comments, Harris certainly doesn’t think so. Yes, the new GTI is considerably more comfortable than its predecessors, but that’s hardly a bad thing. The multitude of driving modes actually seem to add depth to the car rather than simply try to force one tool to do many jobs, and Harris even finds the machine’s electronic power steering tolerable. As a result, Harris goes so far as to call the Volkswagen GTI “one of the best cars to actually own.” How’s that for high praise? You can watch the video for yourself by scrolling below.

Continue reading VW Golf GTI wrung out by Chris Harris

VW Golf GTI wrung out by Chris Harris originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Ferrari, Racing

Ferrari 458 Italia caught testing – Click above to watch video after the jump

A video camera can do strange things to reality. While we’ve always heard that training a lens on a person can add 10 pounds to their figure, it’s also true that focusing on a moving car can subtract 20 mph. Watching a car scoot around a track on screen and seeing the same action in real life, or even worse, from the cockpit, are two entirely different things. At some point during the migration from the real world to digital representation, things just seem to slow down, which is exactly why this video of the Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge after the jump is so impressive. The beast looks down right fast on film, so we can only imagine the kind of tear in the space-time continuum it could develop here in the real world.

Ferrari has pulled something special with its newest track bully. While the car still breathes through the same 570-horsepower 4.5-liter V8 as its more civil sibling, the company shaved a considerable amount of weight and fitted it with the same globe-crushing brakes as the 599XX. The changes have been enough to give the 458 Italia Challenge the guts to lap the Fiorano circuit in a blistering 1:16.5. That’s a mere two-tenths of a second off of the lap time of the marginally more loco FXX.

That puddle on the floor? Yeah, that’s from our mouths watering. We’ll get someone on that.

[Source: Axis of Oversteer]

Continue reading Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano

Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge wrung out at Fiorano originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Video: Nissan GT-R SpecM gets wrung out at the ‘Ring

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Europe, Japan, Nissan

Nissan GT-R SpecM – Click above to watch video after the jump

Just when we thought the softer-riding Nissan GT-R SpecM had disappeared for good, the car shows up at the Nurburgring for a little abuse. The crew from Auto Motor und Sport managed to lay their hands on a lengthy video of a few barely-cloaked examples of the car scooting around Green Hell, and everyone’s best guess is that the vehicles are a peek at what we can expect out of the Nissan 2011 supercar lineup. As you likely recall, the SpecM is designed to be a more comfortable interpretation of the company’s no-holds barred bruiser. The suspension is tuned more for the street than busting around your favorite road course, and the interior is supposedly swaddled in more high-grade materials.

Judging from what we see in the video, we’re guessing that the new SpecM will wear aero additions borrowed from the mighty Spec-V, along with wheels swiped from the same car. Hit the jump to see the flick for yourself.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via Carscoop]

Continue reading Spy Video: Nissan GT-R SpecM gets wrung out at the ‘Ring

Spy Video: Nissan GT-R SpecM gets wrung out at the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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