the Lotus Exige S Roadster
Posted on Jun 15, 2021 in Racing | 2 comments
A few folks have been modifying present Lotus Exige S cars, converting them into soft-tops (see comment by wallabyguy here), but now the factory does it for you. And it has made other alterations to make this a most desirable sports car. This is part of Lotus’s comeback story. The firm has had lots of ups and downs but has always kept to the “less is more”...
Read MoreNASCAR: Why?
Posted on Apr 5, 2021 in Racing | 3 comments
I know, it brings in a lot of money even though attendance keeps dropping. It’s a spectacle, yes, though so was throwing Christians to the lions. It takes some skill to drive 200 mph in a pack. Skill does not equate to sport. The recent series of fiascos at the Daytona 500 just confirms what we all know from watching South Park’s 2010 send-up of NASCAR (wherein...
Read MorePeugeot Out, Toyota In for Le Mans Race
Posted on Feb 1, 2021 in Racing | 1 comment
World racing fans were shocked last week when Peugeot, after some real successes, abruptly withdrew from the Le Mans LMP (Le Mans Prototype) 24-hour competition. Peugeot has had a great back-and-forth duel with Audi, both running turbodiesels, particularly last year, when the team lost by some 13.8 seconds after much lead-changing. Peugeots finished second...
Read MoreMan Hopes to Set New Land Speed Record of 2,000 MPH
Posted on Jan 24, 2021 in Racing | 1 comment
The Bloodhound SSC: Can it be beaten? “Dad, did you know the fastest car ever went 2,300 miles per hour?” These were the words of my 9-year-old son yesterday morning, as we were discussing the top speed of various supercars. “I don’t think so — it seems like the current land speed record is somewhere around 700 miles an hour,” I replied. “No,” he said, “A car...
Read MoreSubaru BRZ May Revive the Lightweight, Affordable Sports Car
Posted on Dec 11, 2020 in Racing | Comments Off on Subaru BRZ May Revive the Lightweight, Affordable Sports Car
The BRZ was shown in Tokyo last month, and a bunch of reviewers got to drive it at Subaru’s test track. There were very few niggling comments; most everyone loved the handling of the car and its broad power band. After so many years of idiotic horsepower wars, muscle-car wars, 0-60 mph wars, maybe it’s finally time to look at what a sports car should be—light,...
Read MoreCars Coming Soon: Audi A4 Allroad and a $100,000 Ford Focus
Posted on Nov 14, 2020 in Racing | 3 comments
A Focus by any other name is still a Focus. Right? We see them every day in shopping-mall parking lots across America. We rent them during trips to Dallas. We see them advertised by dealers for low, low monthly payments. We have friends who drive a Focus. We’ve considered buying a Focus. But a Focus for almost $100,000? That’s just crazy talk. Or is it the...
Read MoreDan Wheldon’s Unnecessary and Awful Death
Posted on Sep 14, 2020 in Racing | Comments Off on Dan Wheldon’s Unnecessary and Awful Death
Here we go again. Dan Wheldon, a highly talented, respected and loved race driver dies in a horrifying crash that should have been prevented. IndyCar racing has now claimed six drivers since 1996. Six were injured in this 15-car crash alone. Driver Alex Zanardi lost both his legs in a crash in 2001. Sunday’s IndyCar 300 race in Las Vegas was just another...
Read MoreA Pause for IndyCar Champ Dan Wheldon
Posted on Aug 8, 2020 in Racing | Comments Off on A Pause for IndyCar Champ Dan Wheldon
It’s always difficult to choose a topic after such an intense weekend of auto-related news and events. Unfortunately, the biggest news this weekend was the tragic death of IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon, who died in a massive accident yesterday during the Las Vegas Indy 300. It makes other news and developments feel trivial, so I’d like to devote this post to the...
Read MorePorsche to Revive the 550 Spyder; New 911 Pics and Specs
Posted on May 12, 2020 in Racing | 3 comments
“I can imagine that such a modern version of the famous ‘James Dean’ Porsche would be well-received by our customers. The new model will not be retro-styled.” Thus spake Matthias Mueller, Porsche’s CEO, confirming that a new version of the iconic 550 Spyder will be built. James Dean, famous film actor in the 1950s, loved racing and prepared one of the 90 550s...
Read MoreRacing: It’s for ALL the Idiots!
Posted on Mar 1, 2020 in Racing | 3 comments
A new generation of speed freak! I drove for the first time when I was about 9 years old. That’s also when I crashed for the first time, slamming hard into a big blue dumpster after the brakes on my homemade go-kart failed. Those early days behind the wheel of a go-kart I made with my dad are what sparked my love for cars and my desire for speed (not to mention...
Read MoreThe 100th Indy 500 Is History
Posted on Jan 15, 2020 in Racing | 2 comments
Wheldon’s 2011 Indy 500 winning car By now, most of you have heard about J.R. Hildebrand’s hitting the wall on the last lap and giving the race to Dan Wheldon. Hildebrand made a rookie’s mistake, staying on throttle while passing and going too high on the turn. He crashed but coasted to second place, 2.1 seconds behind Wheldon. Graham Rahal finished...
Read MoreRecession? Not in Supercar Land
Posted on Dec 13, 2019 in Racing | Comments Off on Recession? Not in Supercar Land
Much to the chagrin of certain members of my family, I’m not a fan of the Indy 500. I don’t deny the significance of the race (a riveting look at it is coming later this afternoon from jgoods) but in my simple view, racing 500 miles around an oval isn’t of much interest. I know, though, that the race isn’t just about the race. At an average speed of 150-160...
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