Happy Birthday! Chevrolet Corvette turns 60
On June 30, 1953, the first Chevrolet Corvette rolled off the assembly line at Flint, Michigan and the car went onto become the world’s most popular and talked about sports car.
“While the postwar Baby Boom was in full swing, this was definitely not a family car,” GM said in a statement. “This was a very personal vehicle, one that promised a driver and a passenger all of the thrills of the open road.”
At the time, skeptics gave the Corvette a little chance of surviving, however 60 years later, here we are and the Corvette has become an American icon.
“Through the years, Corvette certainly offered state-of-the-art features, designs, technologies and performance,” said Tadge Juechter, vehicle chief engineer for Corvette. “However, I think what has made the Corvette such an enduring concept is the exciting experience of driving one. No matter what your station in life, when you’re behind the wheel of a Corvette, you’re an Olympic athlete – able to go faster, stop quicker, and turn better than everyone else. “Very few cars can match that experience. And no other car has delivered that experience as well, or to more people, than the Corvette.”
The next generation Corvette is due to hit roads in 2014. Stay tuned.
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Bentley Blower sets £4.5 million auction record
Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin’s 4½ Litre Supercharged Bentley Blower has fetched a record sales price of £4.5 million ($ 6.9 million) at auction.
The legendary single seat racing car, which sold at the Goodwood festival of Speed on Friday, smashed Bentley’s previous record price of £2.8 million, set in 2004 at the Le Mans Classic by a Speed Six, known simply as ‘Old No 2’.
The Blower Bentley is essentially a Bentley 4½ Litre with a Roots-type supercharger placed at the end of the crankshaft, ahead of the radiator.
The racing version produced 180kW at 2400rpm, which was more power than its Bentley 6.5 Litre successor was able to generate.
In 1930, UK-based newspaper the Daily Herald offered a trophy for the fastest driver around the Brooklands Outer Circuit. In 1932, Tim Birkin drove his famous red Blower Bentley at a speed of 219.93km/h to take the record and the trophy.
Introducing Turner Motorsport 2012 BMW ActiveE Project Car
Turner Motorsport, a company known for their racing program and high-performance vehicles, takes a foray into the land of electric vehicles. Recently the North Carolina-based company took ownership of BMW’s latest electric vehicle: ActiveE. Often labeled as the last step before “a real electric BMW”, the ActiveE is a full conversion EV based on the 1 Series Coupe and it is currently offered as a lease to selected customers in the United States.
Turner is first BMW tuner with a BMW electric car and many have wondered what their plans are with the ActiveE. “We are doing this to try to keep on the cutting edge of automobile and BMW technology, says Jay Baier, Director of Marketing for Tuner. “We have this project car to “test the waters” to be ready for the release of new electric vehicles in the future. We want to have a step up in this area.”
So why an Electric Car? Simple really. At Turner we pride ourselves on being on the cutting edge of performance and technology for BMWs. Alternative sources of energy are the future and we want to make sure we have a jump start on the things to come. We want to have an understanding of these cars to secure our future as a leading BMW tuner. We chose to be a part of this pilot program with BMW to experience firsthand what it’s like to have a BMW that is 100% electric that does not rely on ANY fossil fuels. We want to get a sense of what it’s like to drive this car as a daily driver to see the positive as well as see where it can be improved. This car is unlike anything we have ever worked on, built, or raced and that is exciting.
The ActiveE 1 Series is an E82 chassis with an electric power plant consisting of a 32 Kwh lithium ion battery pack which powers a 125 kW (168hp and 184 ft-lbs) electric synchronous motor within the rear axles to power the rear wheels. This motor powers the 4,000 lb car from 0-60 in 8.5 seconds. The ActiveE 1 Series weights approximately 800 lbs more than a E82 135i but has a 50:50 weight distribution front to rear.
Production Audi R8 e-tron Sets World Record at Nürburgring
It seems as if every auto manufacturer’s goal is to break track records at the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife, which is regarded by many as the toughest test track in the world.
A few days ago Audi quietly set a new record of 8:09.099 minutes for one lap of the 12.9-mile track. At first blush that doesn’t sound very fast as it’s about a minute slower than the overall fastest lap. However it is a world record for an all-electric production car.
It was set by the Audi R8 e-tron, which will be available for sale at the end of this year. The car was driven by Markus Winkelhock, who was one of the drivers on the team that won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring a few weeks ago in an Audi R8 LMS Ultra.
2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed: What’s Headed Up the Hill
The annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place in the south of England, is shaping up to be a fun one this year. Well, who are we kidding; it’s fun every year. It is a meeting of old and new, mixed with some racing events, a hill-climb, and a head-spinning display of motoring history mixed up with a dash of old-world charm from the Goodwood circuit. Here’s a preview of some of the more exciting things to look for this year.
2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed
Bentley’s fastest production car to date, the Continental GT Speed gets an uprated version of the 6.0-liter W-12, now good for 616 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. That should take the 4000-plus-pound super coupe to 60 in four seconds flat and to a top speed of more than 200 mph.
Cummins 95-Liter, 16-Cylinder Diesel Engine
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Infiniti EMERG-E Debuts at Goodwood
Published June 30, 2012
By Huw Evans
To prove that Infiniti’s extended range EMERG-E supercar is far more than just a styling exercise, the brand unveiled “fully functional” versions at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend.
The demonstrator cars, have already taken part in the famous hillclimb, while as this is written, Formula 1 pilot Mark Webber is getting ready for a stint in the EMERG-E on Sunday.
According to Jerry Hardcastle, who is vice president of Vehicle Design and Development for the Nissan Group Technology Centre Europe, as well as Chairman of the UK’s Automotive Council, the demonstrators remain true to the original concept car shown at Geneva, utilizing twin electric motors that generate 402 horsepower, enabling 0-60 mph acceleration of four seconds and 0-130 mph in 30 seconds.
Nissan LEAF goes for speed record… in reverse!
Professional stunt driver Terry Grant, who thrilled the crowds at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed by driving a Nissan Juke up the 1.86-kilometre hillclimb course on two wheels, will now attempt to set a Guinness record for the fastest time in reverse with a Nissan LEAF.
“The LEAF Reverse Record isn’t going to be easy and will be very challenging,” he confessed. “I’d prefer to do it on a nice straight and level strip of tarmac rather than on Lord March’s drive. The hill not only climbs, but is also full of twists, turns and obstacles.”
The attempt is part of Nissan’s ambitious social media-driven campaign, The Big Turn On, which aims to prove that the LEAF is not only environmentally friendly, but also safe, economical to run, practical, and fun to drive.
