emajnthis Posted June 14, 2007 Posted June 14, 2007 the only thing that makes that audi look ugly to me is that it's slow.
pfunk Posted June 14, 2007 Posted June 14, 2007 the only thing that makes that audi look ugly to me is that it's slow. I second that, we looked at a TT when they 1st came out and were incredibly disapointed
Lightning Posted June 17, 2007 Posted June 17, 2007 (edited) I'm not sure I like the direction that many of the car manufacturers are heading.......for me, just give me a Caterham Seven and I'd be happy.....Especially if it's the Superlight R500 Edited June 17, 2007 by Lightning 06
areaseven Posted June 17, 2007 Author Posted June 17, 2007 (edited) Now this is what Mirage should've been instead of a stock Ford GT: 2007 Matech Racing Ford GT Edited September 1, 2007 by areaseven
reddsun1 Posted June 17, 2007 Posted June 17, 2007 Well, I figured it'd be just a matter of time before someone prepped a Ford GT for actual competition. To their credit, Kinetic Motorsports got one ready for Speed World Challenge racing way back in '05--with slightly more refined aero work around the rocker panels and rear diffuser. But no sanctioning body here in the US seemed willing to homologate the GT for racing, thus the chance to see a "Ford GT-R" on an American track was missed; I figured some privateer across the pond would make the leap though. The front end on the Matech car looks very similar to that of the KMS car. I suppose there's only so much freedom in what you can do with a front splitter, given the car's original shape. I favor the Kinetic car--still retains the essential character of the GT, but looks a little more "refined" for serious racing. I've had it as my desktop background for forever...
emajnthis Posted June 19, 2007 Posted June 19, 2007 the GT looks niiiice all race spec'd. I wonder how it'll do once it hits circuits.
pfunk Posted June 19, 2007 Posted June 19, 2007 should do well, if they can keep the motor together. Ive heard bad things about the cooling in those cars, especially on the track
pfunk Posted June 19, 2007 Posted June 19, 2007 side note, a guy at work has a 03 Z06. wheel to wheel tuned it for him and with headers/exhaust and intake could only get 365hp at the tires with tuning. the guy estimated 425 at the flywheel,,,it was hot and humid yesterday, but those numbers seem really low to me since the LT4's were dynoing that without all the mods
areaseven Posted June 19, 2007 Author Posted June 19, 2007 (edited) I only got two words for Ferrari: Build it! 2007 Ferrari Dino Concept Design by Ugur Sahin Edited September 1, 2007 by areaseven
reddsun1 Posted June 20, 2007 Posted June 20, 2007 the GT looks niiiice all race spec'd. I wonder how it'll do once it hits circuits. I'd presumed the new GT would be at a disadvantage in competition, given that it's a real porker, compared to the original GT-40, and the forced induction on the original powerplant; i.e. tighter restrictions on induction/power potential than N.A. cars, or regs/homologation hoops to jump through if a different powerplant is chosen for racing. But according to the press release at the prev. link, the car seemed to be right at the knife's edge of the pack from the word go. Apparently, they think it has real potential, from what I skimmed from the article...
reddsun1 Posted June 20, 2007 Posted June 20, 2007 (edited) I only got two words for Ferrari: Build it! 2007 Ferrari Dino Concept Design by Ugur Sahin Ooh, the return of the "curvacious," "sexy" Ferrari? Hiz-ell yeah! Built it! Speaking of the "return of the sexy retro designs," what's the word on the Lambo Miura? Will they build it? [They'd be fools not to...] Edited June 20, 2007 by reddsun1
areaseven Posted June 20, 2007 Author Posted June 20, 2007 If there's only one automotive biography film worth watching, this would be it. I'll be ordering my copy of the DVD soon. Order Ferrari on DVD
Commander McBride Posted June 21, 2007 Posted June 21, 2007 Well, it's been quite a while since I swung by MW. Kept running into A7 for a while, and then forgetting the fact that he'd been yelling at me to come post again! So, figured I'd see what was up with MW's car guys. If I remember right, I'd just gotten my WRX as of the last time I posted. Might as well show you guys what's up with it... So, back in June '05, it was pretty much stock. Here it is now. The biggest thing I've done with it was the suspension. Gone are the crap springs and stock shocks that were on it when I picked it up. Now, it's equipped with K-Sport's Kontrol Pro Damper system. Great setup, and I've got almost 30,000mi on them. Mine may well have been the first set in the US, oddly enough, as they came off the first importer's demo car! Aside from that, I've got a few various things. The A'PEXi N1 ExTi Titanium catback went on in April. Picked it up at a great price when A'PEXi did their "garage sale" event. ECU is lightly retuned for it, and I'm probably making 10-15HP out of the deal, but the big improvement is reduced lag, improved response, and, of course, a massive improvement in the car's sound. Other than that, I've got 17x7.5 Rota Tarmac wheels, with 245/45/17 Bridgestone Fuzion ZRis, a Kartboy Short Shifter, SS Brake lines, an STi knockoff rear strut bar, and an A'PEXi I-Moni unit and mechanical boost gauge. However, the WRX is really moving into a "daily driver" role, thanks to my more recent addition to the stable. She's an '87 Toyota MR2, N/A. She WAS powered by an AE92 Hi-Compression "redtop" 4A-GE 16v motor, but it blew, so I'm figuring out what to replace it with.. The 5spd transmission is also the improved model from the AE92. Aside from that stuff, all I've got is a classic HKS Sport exhaust, an HKS Hi-Flow cat, and an HKS filter on a ghetto-fab intake. She's sitting on 15x6.5 Konig Helium wheels, with Falken Ziex tires. The basic specifications, however, didn't stop me from getting out on Willow Springs Raceway, and competing in a Time Attack event. Didn't place high, but obliterated the closest specced car to mine. Anyway, this probably isn't the end, either. I'm currently thinking about picking up a friend's 240SX, this time a 5spd dual-cam fastback, for cheap, and building a new drift car...
areaseven Posted June 21, 2007 Author Posted June 21, 2007 Welcome back, McBride. Nice AW11 you got there. And your WRX is looking better than ever.
pfunk Posted June 21, 2007 Posted June 21, 2007 commander, whats up? lookin good on the track. let us know what you do with the motor
emajnthis Posted June 21, 2007 Posted June 21, 2007 I had a 91 MR2 and dropped a 3SGTE into it, let me know how things go with your motor replacement.
Lightning Posted June 22, 2007 Posted June 22, 2007 if you weren't in Cali I was gonna suggest possibly going with a 20v....it seems like everybody wants one these days.... Myself, I'm trying to save for a TE27 I found about 50 miles away for $650 or so, the body's pretty solid. (either that or a AE86 SR-5 I found locally)
Commander McBride Posted June 22, 2007 Posted June 22, 2007 (edited) Chances are I'll end up with a 20v, anyway. It's an old car, so it's easy to get "smog hookups". I'm still not sure if I want to keep working on it, though, there's not a lot of potential. I sorta want to do a 240Z... but that'd have to come way down the line, anyway... By the way... I've got to say, that Dino "concept" up the page is one of the worst examples of design I've ever seen, and whoever came up with it should be banned from ever designing a car again. Every aspect of the design, from the "super-deformed" proportions, to the front end that looks like a shark with Down's Syndrome, and, especially, the horrible 24" wheels and two-foot-long brake calipers, is a shining example of how NOT to design a car. The day Ferrari, or anyone else, puts a joke like that into production will be the day I tear up my driver's license and buy a bicycle. Edited June 22, 2007 by Commander McBride
emajnthis Posted June 22, 2007 Posted June 22, 2007 Chances are I'll end up with a 20v, anyway. It's an old car, so it's easy to get "smog hookups". I'm still not sure if I want to keep working on it, though, there's not a lot of potential. I sorta want to do a 240Z... but that'd have to come way down the line, anyway... 240Z's make great project cars if you build them up right, the biggest problem you'll probably run into is body work since those things are rust magnets. There are a lot of different motors you can stick into those to make them wicked fast; 350 small block, RB's, SR's, LS, pretty much anything that will fit into that massive engine bay you can easily find parts to get it to fit. The aftermarket is very generous for them you just have to find one that still has some life left in it.
areaseven Posted June 22, 2007 Author Posted June 22, 2007 Here's one reason to not buy a Chinese car: they don't care if anyone gets killed in one. Left Lane News - Chinese Sedan Flunks German Test
Vegas Posted June 23, 2007 Posted June 23, 2007 (edited) me drifting at the balcony....with my retired s14 Edited June 23, 2007 by Vegas Valkyrie
Beltane70 Posted June 23, 2007 Posted June 23, 2007 The biggest thing I hate about S14s (particularly the Kouki)is trying to find one that won't cost me and arm and a leg.
Lightning Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 The biggest thing I hate about S14s (particularly the Kouki)is trying to find one that won't cost me and arm and a leg. It's because EVERYBODY wants a S14...try looking for a Corolla....
Commander McBride Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 me drifting at the balcony....with my retired s14 BUST THE KEYHOLE, BRO!!! You run VegasDrift events? Do you know Matt with the "Panda" blacktop 86, or Case, who had an FC and a Mazdaspeed Miata?
Vegas Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 BUST THE KEYHOLE, BRO!!! You run VegasDrift events? Do you know Matt with the "Panda" blacktop 86, or Case, who had an FC and a Mazdaspeed Miata? i participated a couple of events..dont know matt but ive seen Case with his miata on some drift events.
Beltane70 Posted June 25, 2007 Posted June 25, 2007 try looking for a Corolla.... If I wanted a Corolla, I'd be looking for one Although knowing my luck, if I was trying to find a Corolla I'd run into the same problem. When I was first interested in looking for an S14 I had no idea that they were so coveted, escpecially since everybody and their brother seemed to own Civics.
Phyrox Posted June 25, 2007 Posted June 25, 2007 Hey, another paint question: Can anybody verify the color of the grey used on the Pontiac Solstice? I think it's called "sly." I've seen only one driving around in town and it looked unique...sorta shiny, but not too shiny. And not metallic. But when I look online, all the photos look different, and the pontiac website says it is "shadow metalic grey" or something like that. I know photos often distort the actual RL color, and since I don't have a car right now (in CA to get painted), I am hoping one of my fellow car-lovers can help me out. I think that is the color I want my car to be, but not if the one I saw was a custom/one-off. Thanks.
trueblueeyes Posted June 25, 2007 Posted June 25, 2007 (edited) Hey, another paint question: Can anybody verify the color of the grey used on the Pontiac Solstice? I think it's called "sly." I've seen only one driving around in town and it looked unique...sorta shiny, but not too shiny. And not metallic. But when I look online, all the photos look different, and the pontiac website says it is "shadow metalic grey" or something like that. I know photos often distort the actual RL color, and since I don't have a car right now (in CA to get painted), I am hoping one of my fellow car-lovers can help me out. I think that is the color I want my car to be, but not if the one I saw was a custom/one-off. Thanks. Unfortunately, I haven't seen one in the color you are describing so I can't help with specific names or paint codes. I can try and make a couple of suggestions. The first is to contact a Pontiac dealer in your area. They might have a brochure on the Solstice that has paint swatches of the colors available. The second is to try this website: Paintscratch.com. You can plug in the year, make, and model of any vehicle to get paint codes and names, as well as a chip swatch that approximates the color. Unfortunately is still is not as clear as it would be seeing it in person, but maybe it can get you a little closer to a decision. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. Melissa Edited June 25, 2007 by trueblueeyes
David Hingtgen Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 If "Sly" (I hate the Solstice emotional color names) really is "Shadow Grey" then that's a new color for 07. It's metallic, but BARELY. It's more like just plain gloss grey, almost no flake at all. In real life, it's about the lightest grey I've ever seen on a car. It's very close to primer grey. A lot of people describe it as if you just buffed and clear-coated the primer, and I agree. It's like non-metallic pale grey. Go find an 07 Grand Prix that's "not at all bluish" grey. That'll be shadow grey. It is not on the G5 or G6. Here's a link to a Shadow grey GP for sale: http://www.autouplinkusa.com/FindVehicle1....p;DealerId=6571 Note that in real life, it's much lighter. The pic below is much more like how they look in reality, one of the few GOOD pics I have of Shadow grey:
David Hingtgen Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 Like myk, I also recently joined the LSx club: (I drove it to the Transformers movie tonight, first time it's been to that mall) And yes, the fender vents are functional. The second pic is the best representation of the color, it's a very bluish grey, almost to the point of being a greyish shade of blue, instead of being a bluish shade of grey. It's stealth grey, the coolest grey ever IMHO. (Blue-green crystal was the coolest color ever made for cars period, but that stopped being available on these in 06)
myk Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 (edited) Hoooooooooly s*********t Dave, that thing is beautiful. Doesn't that car sport the LS2? Anyway, can you even BELIEVE how strong these cars are? Congratulations on the excellent wheels. You should join up with LS1tech or LS1.com... -Just checked out Pontiac's site, looks like you're running the LS4? Why would the LS2 put out 400 crank horse but the "4" only 300? And where is the LS3? I've never understood GM's various designations for stuff. Whatever though, a 300 horse car is a 300 horse car! Edited July 3, 2007 by myk
David Hingtgen Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 Yup, LS4. It's basically a smaller version of the LS6 with most of the LS6's features, has LS6 heads, LS2-derived accessories, and some LS1 valve parts. Overall it's considered to be very similar to the LS1. Or, a refined, aluminum version of the Vortec 5300. There's some good info at the LS1tech forums about it: http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=556077 BTW, the LS3 is brand-new, it'll be the 08 Vette engine with 430HP, 30MPG highway. Why isn't that technology giving us 300HP 40MPG engines? The Grand Prix GXP's have a completely new front end than the standard Grand Prix, very GTO-ish IMHO, a big reason I bought it. Plus the chrome quad outlet exhaust. As for 300HP----it took some work just to surpass the 250HP mark in a FWD and not have severe torque steer (and tranny) issues, 300 took even more. Also, it is only 5.3L, not 5.7L. (And it BARELY fits, the engine bay was originally designed for a 3.1 V6, with 3.8 V6 optional) This is one of the few (only?) cars with the front wheels being bigger than the rear. 255/45/18 on 8in rims up front, 225/50/18 on 7in rims at the rear. Anyone in Iowa with a RWD V8 only has it as their summer car. If you need a year-round car, better have FWD or AWD. I've seen a V8 F-body in the snow here once, in a dozen years. Basically---I bought the fastest FWD car I could find/afford. Officially it does a 5.7 0-60, and the fastest bone stock 1/4 is 13.68@102.3 from ClubGP. (normally 13.8-13.9 is considered a good run for them) Not bad for a 4-door grocery-getter. I'm still getting used to it, I swear that the day I got it, everyone in town decided to drive as slow as possible to deprive me of checking it out. Still a bit surprised by the power at times. I had a 99 GTP before, so I'm used to a supercharged V6---far better than some ricey I4, but still not a V8. Now I have ~60 more HP and ~40 more lb/ft. It does weigh a little bit more though, but due to being an aluminum engine, the engine itself weighs less than my GTP's supercharged V6. The V8 Grand Prixs also get an aluminum subframe up front (very obvious when the car is new), so they might actually have better weight distribution than the V6's due to all the lightening up front. As for the wheels---thanks much for noticing. Pontiac changed the wheels mid-year of 07 production without telling anyone, so I had to search out every GXP within 300 miles to find that color with those wheels. But I got it! Basically---Pontiac (and most dealerships) won't acknowledge the wheel change. Not only do the new ones not look as nice shape-wise (flat, no curve at all, and thicker spokes), they're not quite as shiny. (We suspect the new ones are merely cast, while the older ones are forged). But they look fairly similar, so most people don't care. But I do! A lot. I have actually gotten cars with my second choice in both paint and interior color, to get the wheels I want---I'm a wheel guy. Having owned 2 (and now 3), I'm a long-time member of the Club Grand Prix forums, so I was PM'ing almost everyone there I knew with an 07 GXP, asking for their build dates, wheel style, and VIN. So based on the replies I got I eventually pieced together the approximate build date and VIN sequence of when the wheel change occured---and of all the cars in the Midwest, there was only one that was the right color, with the right wheels (based on VIN). So I went to my local dealer, and they got it from the dealer that had the one I wanted. I keep my cars in really nice condition, I actually got a few hundred more for my trade-in than I had hoped. PS---being such an airplane nut, I love the HUD that it has. Pontiac has had an unofficial rule the past couple years that only the highest-end version of the Grand Prix gets it, and that's no longer the supercharged ones. My 99 had a HUD, and I just loved it, so finding a new car with a HUD eliminated most other cars out there. I tried really hard to photograph the HUD indicating "stealth mode" but since it's a holographic projection, the camera really has a tough time focusing. My car is "stealth grey", and I can push a button and turn on "stealth mode". Grand Prix GXP---the only car with an active stealth system! (No battroid mode though). Also a heck of a sleeper---most people only know Grand Prixs from the ultra-common base-model rental cars, which a lot of people pick up used. Few suspect any have an LS-series V8 under the hood.
Stampeed Valkyrie Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 David, I know just how you feel about the Grand Prix, I had a black 95 GTP coupe. It had the HUD and all the other trimmings to it at the time. Unfortunately due to age I had to let it go, never went back to the Grand Prix because I didn't like the redesigned styles. Plus they got rid of the coupe and only make a sedan and with the rising cost of gas I am glad I moved on. Now I am awaiting my 07 Civic SI coupe from the dealer. I am "supposedly" getting a build date of middle july but we will see. How you'll be able to point me out is that I will be the one person in an SI driving Normally, and not like a "tool" like every other SI I see driving around. So I shouldn't be hard to spot . Rob
Lightning Posted July 4, 2007 Posted July 4, 2007 the reasoning for the 300hp 40mpg cars not existing is: they keep putting those engines in cars that weigh over 3000lbs.
myk Posted July 4, 2007 Posted July 4, 2007 (edited) Yup, LS4.... Also, it is only 5.3L, not 5.7L. (And it BARELY fits, the engine bay was originally designed for a 3.1 V6, with 3.8 V6 optional) Man. When you finally get around to getting your plugs and wires changed it's gonna' be a royal pain for whoever does it. Estimated times of completion on cars like my Trans-Am and Camaro are anywhere from 3 to 8 hours. Based on what you've described-yikes. So, are you going to 'mod this thing, or what? Being a member of the GP forums I'd be curious to hear what people do to their cars... Edited July 4, 2007 by myk
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