The MW Automotive Thread 5.0 GT

[Marzan]

At this year's running of the 24 at LeMans, driver Allan McNish had a mid-morning shunt that was certainly one of the scariest/nastiest crashes I have ever seen, mere minutes after he appeared in a very lengthy and elaborate Audi infomercial. I happened to catch it live, and I literally stopped what I was doing, stood momentarly agape at the TV when it happened. I couldn't help but think: oh Dear God, no--we've just seen this man get his brains dashed out inside the cabin of that car, right here on live-feed. Not to mention the near mayhem wreaked upon the photogs behind the barriers. One bloke came within inches of being cannonballed by a flying front wheel/tyre.

I've yet to see the Mike Rockenfeller crash, in the 2nd team Audi car that occurred overnight. It's said that one was even more terrifying, and to paraphrase the reaction: "the whole track went silent" in the wake of the crash, expecting death and disaster.

It is an amazing testament to how far safety has come in motorsports. A crash under similar circumstances in say, a GTP prototype almost certainly would have killed the driver, and possibly many bystanders...

Yeah I saw it live too and my heart just completely skipped a beat. It's absolutely amazing that not only was no one seriously injured,, but McNish was walking around minutes later. Same for Rockenfeller after his crash.

Here's a link to the clip and some pictures of the second crash

http://auto-racing.s...-mans-accident/

[reddsun1]

Yeah I saw it live too and my heart just completely skipped a beat. It's absolutely amazing that not only was no one seriously injured,, but McNish was walking around minutes later. Same for Rockenfeller after his crash.

Here's a link to the clip and some pictures of the second crash

http://auto-racing.s...-mans-accident/

DAYUM! The in-car footage is pretty terrifying. Will likely be a subject for study by racers and engineers alike for years to come.

I know: hindsight is 20/20; but still--there was a fair bit of erroneous reporting there by one of the commentators in the heat of the moment. From the multiple mentions of "contact with a GT car," to the summation of "...and it was an awkward moment that sent Mike Rockenfeller, the defending winner of this race, into a spin backwards into the armco barrier..."

Um, no. You are incorrect, sir. Rockenfeller did NOT make contact with Rob Kaufmann--he spun because he went wheels-off, got 2 into the dirt trying to miss the Ferrari, and he still had his foot very much in it. And he went in NOSE first. It's hard to tell, since the big hit happens out of frame. But it looks like the car didn't tumble, as much as it spun like a top down the armco [thankfully], and the debris was from the 4 corners of the car being ripped away in an exlposion of carbon fiber. But good God, what a hit! That frontal impact must have been monumental!

I don't know if Rob Kaufmann is a season regular, but he will no doubt get the Bonehead Move Of The Year Award. There will likely be a black cloud over his head in the paddock(s) and after the driver's meetings for some time to come. Not sure what the etiquette is for allowing faster cars to pass [is it to allow on the left? right?], but it's a "what were you thinking, man?" moment.

[areaseven]

The E30 series (1982-1994) is undoubtedly the best generation of BMW's 3 Series. So as a tribute, the Top Gear trio buy some used E30 convertibles as part of the latest Cheap Car Challenge.

Edited May 7, 2014 by areaseven

[areaseven]

Based on the 2009 Toyota FT-86 Concept, Scion's FR-S Concept is the brand's first rear-wheel-drive offering. Like the FT-86, it's powered by a Subaru-designed 2-liter boxer engine. No word on whether or not it will hit production lines, but the Hyundai Genesis Coupe needs a rival.

2011 Scion FR-S Concept

[ron5864]

Toyota needs this car more than Subaru. Sure they have the Lexus LFA. But how many people have $400,000 for a car. The Scion tc is OK, but is not very sporty when compared to other cars near that price range...Civic Si, Genesis coupe, GTI, Focus ST, Mazdaspeed3 and Veloster Turbo. So this FT-86 coupe should bring more younger drivers into the showroom. Toyota better have a turbo version of this car or else the competition will kick dirt at its face.

With such a long development time and track testing, this car better handle like a Mazda RX-8.

[reddsun1]

Based on the 2009 Toyota FT-86 Concept, Scion's FR-S Concept is the brand's first rear-wheel-drive offering. Like the FT-86, it's powered by a Subaru-designed 2-liter boxer engine. No word on whether or not it will hit production lines, but the Hyundai Genesis Coupe needs a rival.

Wow. A Scion that doesn't look like sh*t.

[Marzan]

That´s a very nice looking car. Let´s see if it looks like that if/when it hits production.

[Agent ONE]

Thats great looking

[Ghost Train]

I'm totally enjoying my Focus 2012, fun car, really high-tech, and reasonably priced (it's about time the Focus got some loving in the US). The MPG indicator hit 30.0 hits morning on pretty much city driving alone due to insane road construction this time of year. I can do almost anything from climate control to audio to calling someone, 100% through voice commands.

The other day I was watching Top Gear's review on the Porsche Boxster, and I fell off my chair when Clarkson describes how the car has a little slot for a SIM card LMAO... cheap 25000 Focus 1 / Boxster 0. Ok jk, I'm making a horrible generalization based on Bluetooth connectivity alone . Would love to have a Porsche one day.

I love my new car - entry level vehicle with luxury user interface. The ease of connectivity to all your digital devices - memory sticks, iPod/phones, etc makes this the ultimate geek car.

Edited June 29, 2011 by Ghost Train

[Shadow]

Nice Focus. Though, I was never fond of Sync. Still, if I were to buy an new car under 20k, it would be at the top of my list.

Toyota needs this car more than Subaru. Sure they have the Lexus LFA. But how many people have $400,000 for a car. The Scion tc is OK, but is not very sporty when compared to other cars near that price range...Civic Si, Genesis coupe, GTI, Focus ST, Mazdaspeed3 and Veloster Turbo. So this FT-86 coupe should bring more younger drivers into the showroom. Toyota better have a turbo version of this car or else the competition will kick dirt at its face.

With such a long development time and track testing, this car better handle like a Mazda RX-8.

I think I still would have rather seen the MR2 revived over the FT-86. I was hoping the FT-86 when it was first being rumored was the revival of the Celica and we may have lead to an AWD GT-Four version.

Edited June 29, 2011 by Shadow

[anime52k8]

Based on the 2009 Toyota FT-86 Concept, Scion's FR-S Concept is the brand's first rear-wheel-drive offering. Like the FT-86, it's powered by a Subaru-designed 2-liter boxer engine. No word on whether or not it will hit production lines, but the Hyundai Genesis Coupe needs a rival.

still needs a 6-cylinder engine and supra badges.

[reddsun1]

Because some cars are just worth a second look...

Apparently, the name loosely translates to something like: "winnowing fan" or "blower"? More likely would be the quickly-googled definition as slang for "kicking ass" in Spanish.

Elicits that same sense of ooh-I-want-one awe and desire not felt since my childhood days of coveting the Countach.

Edited June 29, 2011 by reddsun1

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Because some cars are just worth a second look...

Apparently, the name loosely translates to something like: "winnowing fan" or "blower"? More likely would be the quickly-googled definition as slang for "kicking ass" in Spanish.

Elicits that same sense of ooh-I-want-one awe and desire not felt since my childhood days of coveting the Countach.

It's the "aventador" right?

It comes from the Spanish verb "aventar". It means "throw" (for example, throw somthing to the wind - throw a stone: "aventar una piedra"). When speaking about cars it means (not used in my country) "surpass another car".

Edited June 29, 2011 by Ignacio Ocamica

[peter]

Wow, that Scion's FR-S Concept looks really good. I'm a Honda guy myself so it pains me to say nice things about Toyota, but wow.

It would be nice to see the Supra resurrected, but is this thing picking up after the Celica? For the record, when it came to racing (JGTC), the Supra did better with Yamaha's 4 banger than the factory issue 6 cyclinder twin-turbo.

[emajnthis]

The FR-S is supposed to be turbocharged FR platform, so as long as that remains true, it should be competition directly aimed at the Genesis. Now if only Nissan would bring back the Silvia then we'd have a real fight on our hands.

I was never a fan of the Murcielago but the Aventador strikes me in a good way, something about the hexagonal theme is really pleasing to the eye.

[Marzan]

Apparently, the name loosely translates to something like: "winnowing fan" or "blower"? More likely would be the quickly-googled definition as slang for "kicking ass" in Spanish.

Elicits that same sense of ooh-I-want-one awe and desire not felt since my childhood days of coveting the Countach.

Actually the name comes from bullfighting. Lamborghini names a lot of it's cars after famous bulls like Islero, Murcielago, Reventon and Gallardo. "Aventador" was a particularly fierce bull that took part in a bullfight in Zaragoza, Spain in 1993.

Apparently Mr. Ferrucio Lamborghini was nuts about bullfighting. In fact if I'm not mistaken, the emblem of Lamborghini is a bull.

And yeah, that is absolutely awesome car.

Edited June 30, 2011 by Marzan

[mikeszekely]

In fact if I'm not mistaken, the emblem of Lamborghini is a bull.

You're not mistaken.

I liked the Murcielago better than the Diablo, but not as much as the similar-but-smaller Gallardo. The Aventador is better than all three, but the design seems a little timid after the Reventon.

The Countach is still my favorite Lamborghini, though. There was a guy driving a white one around my local Target the other day. That car was 25 years ahead of its time.

[emajnthis]

The flagship Lambo hasn't been relevant for me in a long time, even the Reventon looked like a mess of disjointed angles, the only modern lambo i've liked is the Gallardo and now the Aventador, too bad i'll never be able to afford one, but i'll no doubt see one on the road shortly (lambo dealer close to home).

[David Hingtgen]

The Countach is still my favorite Lamborghini, though. There was a guy driving a white one around my local Target the other day. That car was 25 years ahead of its time.

Countach is still my all-time fave car. Only seen one once, years ago. (hey, it's Iowa). I just saw an F40 for the first time this week.

[mikeszekely]

Countach is still my all-time fave car. Only seen one once, years ago. (hey, it's Iowa). I just saw an F40 for the first time this week.

The area I live in is fairly rural, so I rarely see anything more expensive than the odd Volvo or BMW, and no sportier than a pony car. I've never seen a Ferrari, and I don't think I've ever seen a Porsche that wasn't a Cayenne. But, oddly enough, I see a Lamborghini every so often. In addition to the white Countach, we parked next to a black Gallardo at the hotel where they were doing Batman casting in Pittsburgh, and here in Greensburg there's a younger guy who drives a green Gallardo. Few years back I got stuck behind a yellow Diablo. I guess when you drive an exotic sports car in "Penntucky" you really stand out and have to take extra car not to get pulled over by the local po-po.

[Beltane70]

I see Lamborghinis where I live often enough that it isn't even a big deal. I get more excited when I see a GT-R around than I do with a Lamborghini or a Ferrari.

[emajnthis]

I see Lamborghinis where I live often enough that it isn't even a big deal. I get more excited when I see a GT-R around than I do with a Lamborghini or a Ferrari.

Our areas are very similar, It's not uncommon to see exotics on the beltway here, but we also have all of our exotic dealerships in just about one area, lotus, mercedes, aston martin, porsche and lambo all have dealerships literally next to each other and then the ferrari dealership is a rock throw from my house, my friend's mom is the manager at that ferrari dealer. The neighbor across from me bought a Panamera and the neighbor a few homes down owns a GT3, Porsche's here are undoubtedly the most common sports car on the road, GT-R's are definitely a rare but welcome sight.

[Marzan]

Due to the insane taxes in cars in Denmark, its also pretty rare to see anything above Mercedes and BMW's. There's the odd Porsche now and then but Lambo's are rare.

My automotive highlight of the year was being overtaken on the E20 by a Bugatti Veyron with german numberplates. Trust me, there is nothing else that looks remotely like that car on the road. Every single motorist on the road either had a mild heart attack or developed stains on his pants.

Edited July 1, 2011 by Marzan

[Beltane70]

The only thought that usually runs through my mind when I see picture of a Veyron is, "why the hell is that sing so freaking hideous?".

I haven't seen one in person, though.

[Shadow]

Living in northeast Ohio, I rarely see anything beyond some BMW 5 series and occasionally, a Jaguar. Spotting an Evo or even a WRX is a rarity. There is one Lambo out here and I've seen him on a few occasions. He was driving in the lane next to mine a few months ago. He would be showing off after every light or so though I did enjoy hearing those notes. I've also seen an Audi R8 a few times

Edited July 2, 2011 by Shadow

[derex3592]

Living in Fort Worth and going to Dallas for work a lot, I see some pretty cool stuff around here, especially Dallas..I ALWAYS scream when see a Ferrari or Lambo...saw a 458 Italia the other day and scared my gf half to death as I screamed "oh my god!" or something to that effect. The ones that catch u off guard are better though...just driving home from work one day and a yellow Lexus LFA passed me...it took a minute to actually realize what it was...doubt I'll ever see another one. No Veyron sightings yet...but that's good as I might have a wreck trying to get a pic!

[reddsun1]

The only thought that usually runs through my mind when I see picture of a Veyron is, "why the hell is that sing so freaking hideous?".

I haven't seen one in person, though.

Indeed. Those will always be "The Dung Beetle" to me.

[Golden Arms]

Living in Fort Worth and going to Dallas for work a lot, I see some pretty cool stuff around here, especially Dallas..I ALWAYS scream when see a Ferrari or Lambo...saw a 458 Italia the other day and scared my gf half to death as I screamed "oh my god!" or something to that effect. The ones that catch u off guard are better though...just driving home from work one day and a yellow Lexus LFA passed me...it took a minute to actually realize what it was...doubt I'll ever see another one. No Veyron sightings yet...but that's good as I might have a wreck trying to get a pic!

I sometimes miss living in Dallas. I grew up there. Austin is sort of the same way. A far amount of muscle cars and exotics here. Earlier this week I saw an Audi R8 and last weekend I saw a Gray Ford GT. There is a local weekend get together near my house were a lot of classic car owners take over a parking lot and bring their cars. I've seen a shelby daytona coupe there a few weekends back. One of the local european car dealers throws a cars and coffee and you see so many cool cars there. I really enjoy it because you see so many different types of cars.

[ambient73]

Speaking of Lamborghinis, this squirrel is probably not a real big fan of.

World's luckiest squirrel

Edited July 4, 2011 by ambient73

[derex3592]

LMAO!!! That's great.

[Marzan]

If that video is the real deal, that's one lucky squirrel and one lucky driver. I would have though a Lambo was too low for anything to run beneath it.

[Agent ONE]

If that video is the real deal, that's one lucky squirrel and one lucky driver. I would have though a Lambo was too low for anything to run beneath it.

Squirrels would scramble under my Lotus and live, but not often... Whats more impressive is at high speeds, these cars drop maybe an additional inch.

When I would look at pictures people took of me driving ~130 the car looked far lower than standing still.

[reddsun1]

Speaking of Lamborghinis, this squirrel is probably not a real big fan of.

World's luckiest squirrel

Bet his arse was a little singed though.

[aerocombatpilot]

I'm giving some serious consideration about purchasing the 2011 chevy camaro "Transformer edition", however I've heard that the previous editions did not look like the ones that appears in the film. Does anybody know if this is true?

[Chewie]

As far as I know the Transformer Edition is only some badging here and there.

The ones in the movie are based off the original concept and have changed throughout each movie and are running some pretty heavy mods.

Edited July 8, 2011 by Chewie