13 Best Sports Car Videos On YouTube

photo©OriginalTop10.Wordpress.Com

Check out more great content at our Official Blog !

Super Speed Friday | Saleen S7 Twin Turbo

Jeanne Longhorne — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:09:36 +0000

Find the Original Post Here: Super Speed Friday | Saleen S7 Twin Turbo

This week’s Super Speed Friday features the incredible Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo. Though only in production from 2007-2009, it remains a powerhouse to be reckoned with in the world of sports and super cars.

Super Speed Friday | Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo

photo©Cargurus.Com

Let’s begin by looking at it’s predecessor, the original Saleen S7. The S7 was the brainchild of several influential entities in the super car world. The original concept for the car came from Steve Saleen, noted Formula Atlantic and club racer throughout the early 80s. Steve started the Saleen Autosport company in 1983 and, by 1984, had built the Saleen Mustang. This particular Mustang then took first place in the Mosport 24hr race of that same year. With the completion of the S7 in 2000, Saleen Autosport finally had their very own flagship car. Most of the automobiles they produced until then were modified sports cars.

The Saleen S7 was intended to incorporate twin-turbo engines when the initial concept model was built. However, when the car went into production, the twin-turbochargers were left out. It wasn’t until 2005 that the twin-turbo was re-incorporated into the design. When the Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo was officially released, production of the original S7 ceased. The Twin-Turbo had come home to roost and all Saleen S7s were built that way from then on. Adding the new twin-turbo system gave the S7 a significant bump in power. The overall horsepower was increased to 750, with 700 lb-ft of torque as well. The car that already went from 0-60 in under 4 seconds could now achieve that goal in less than 3. The S7 Twin-Turbo engine rests in the mid-chassis of the vehicle. Not only does that make for optimal weight distribution, but it allows the necessary room for this unusually tall engine. This design also places trunk space for the S7 at both the front and rear of the car. A 3 piece set of custom-fitted Mulholland Brothers luggage originally came standard with the super car.

photo©Luxuryautodirect.Com

The Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo features a car body that is 100% carbon fiber. The body design is sculpted to be incredibly aerodynamic, creating a “split-clannel” airflow through the car itself. The design improvements are unique to the twin-turbo model. Saleen added a new rear spoiler package, diffuser, and new front fenders. By adding all of these features, Saleen gave the S7 Twin-Turbo a 60% increase in down force. Steve Saleen is even quoted as saying “the car can drive upside down in a tunnel at any speed above 160 mph” because it creates it’s own down force beyond that speed. Steve and his team conducted extensive testing in the wind tunnel at the University of Glasgow, Scotland before making that claim.

photo©Automotiveaddicts.Com

The interior of the Saleen S7 was also updated when the twin-turbo model was released. Slight changes were made, putting leather and suede to work throughout. Since the S7 Twin-Turbo was only made between 2007 and 2009, it does lack a touch screen infotainment system. However, if you managed to buy one of these cars, I’m sure one could certainly be installed. For a car with this kind of speed and power, you could always add electronics after the fact. One unique feature the S7 comes with is the video “rearview mirror”, a small camera set into the back of the car that displays on the dashboard tv/dvd/cd system. It is also worth noting that the Saleen S7 has a heated windshield. Depending on where you live, that makes scraping off ice a thing of the past.

photo©Caranddriver.Com

This is truly a super car from the outside in. Every part of the Twin-Turbo S7, from it’s aerodynamic exterior, to it’s powerhouse engine, to it’s posh interior, makes for an ultimate driving experience. Although they don’t make these anymore, seek them out. You won’t be disappointed.

Links to blogs about the Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo

Luxurymeetsperformance.Com Blog

Smanonjames.Blogspot.Com

DanaSpencer Blog

Homeandsport.Blogspot.Com

Check out more great content at our Official Blog !

Return Of The King | Rolls-Royce Wraith

Jeanne Longhorne — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:00:10 +0000

Find the Original Post Here: Return Of The King | Rolls-Royce Wraith

There has been so much excitement surrounding the premier of the new Rolls-Royce Wraith that I absolutely had to blog about it this week. As the world of luxury cars expands, the true kings of it will continuously strive to stay on top of their game. Providing consumers with the most luxurious cars is what Rolls-Royce is all about. Truly, they have claimed their spot once again at the top of the ladder with The Wraith.

The Rolls-Royce Wraith

The Wraith was first announced in January of this year and touted as the “car Charles Rolls would choose to drive”. In fact, the automotive pioneer was the inspiration behind this new automotive triumph. Rolls-Royce has always had rather fantastic names for its cars. Silver Ghost, Phantom, Ghost, and now The Wraith will continue that tradition into the next few years. After releasing the legendary Ghost model in 2010, Rolls-Royce decided that they simply could not stop improving their already phenomenal automobiles. Award winning Serbian designer Pavle Trpinac was tapped to design the chassis and the brains at RR began to conceive what was to be their most luxurious, and fastest, car to date.

The Wraith was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show this past March to an absolutely thrilled crowd of enthusiasts and industry professionals. It takes it’s name from the original Rolls-Royce Wraith, produced between 1938 and 1939. Only 492 original Wraiths were ever made. The new version will surely be available to more people than that. The new Wraith features a 6.6 litre twin-turbo V12 engine with 624 hp. It can go from 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds, .3 seconds faster than it’s Ghost predecessor. Compared to the Ghost, The Wraith also has a shorter wheel base and improved suspension, making it the ultimate road ride.

Another truly unique feature put into The Wraith is the Satellite Data Transmission. This system pinpoints the car’s location from space, continuously. It can see upcoming turns and shift accordingly, always putting the driver in the right gear for the right setting. No more guessing when it comes to down-shifting, the Wraith does it for you, effectively utilizing every part of it’s incredible engine.

The interior of The Wraith is nothing short of mesmerizing. It bears all the beautiful luxury that one would expect from a Rolls-Royce, yet has added features that propel its quality past other brands. The “Starlight headliner” makes the interior roof look like a starry night sky by placing tiny fiber-optic lights into the upholstery. The car doors are traditional trademarked powered RR coach doors. A whole host of new technological features transform the Wraith into a virtual electronic extension of the driver. To the driver’s right hand side is a rotary controller that harnesses the power of the entire entertainment system. The driver also never has to take their eyes off the road, as the Wraith’s steering wheel has push-button voice command technology built into it.

Exoticsuperandmusclecars Blogspot

The Wraith is such an incredible accomplishment for Rolls-Royce in both luxury and speed. I can’t wait to see how they improve on it over the next few years and what that leads to. More importantly, I can’t wait to hear what they name their next car. It is also worth noting that there was recent speculation Rolls-Royce would expand their current factory to comfortably accommodate production of the Wraith. Just about all RR cars are hand built at their Goodwood factory in Westhampnett, England. While the factory currently produces around 3000 cars a year, the Wraith is sure to push that number up close to 5000. However, the Rolls-Royce factory is located in a conservation area and thus will never be able to expand.

Links to blogs about the Rolls-Royce Wraith

Blogs.Cars.Com

Carhoots.Com Blog

Reviews.Cnet.Com Blog

photo©Retro-android.blogspot.com

Check out more great content at our Official Blog !

Virtual Racing | Cool Arcade Games Then And Now

Jeanne Longhorne — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:00:34 +0000

Find the Original Post Here: Virtual Racing | Cool Arcade Games Then And Now

About five years ago I had my first dinner ever at Dave And Buster’s. It had been over a decade since I was last in an arcade, and that was just the corner one down the street from my parent’s house. I walked through D And B, between the monstrous machines, and sat down into a car racing game. Twenty dollars later, my love of the arcade was thoroughly renewed and I had a brand new obsession, car racing arcade games. You can take some rather incredible driving risks in those games that you absolutely could not take in real life. My job necessitates a lot of commuting, so I find myself behind the wheel almost as often as I’m riding the train. After all of those hours spent every week ensuring I drive responsibly and safely, it’s a lot of fun to hit the arcade and throw caution to the wind. Last week I had a meeting in New York City and took the group out to Dave And Buster’s afterwards. On the train ride home I got an idea, and decided to write this blog.

Here’s a list of 5 particularly cool car racing games that are either currently in arcades or used to be.

Dirty Drivin’

Raw Thrills and Specular Interactive 2011

photo©Coinoptoday.com

The first game to hit this list is none other than Dirty Drivin’. DD is a relatively new addition to the virtual racing scene. Release in 2011 by Raw Thrills and Specular Interactive, DD is a one-seater game which can feature the driver in one of ten custom vehicles. That might not sound like very many, but the list of upgrades that are available throughout the game is almost endless. Racers can find themselves tearing up the craziest of tracks, unleashing weaponry on their opponents, or even grabbing on-course power ups to catapult themselves to victory. There is a special, skull-shaped crank next to the drivers seat which, when pulled, releases the power ups that can be acquired throughout the game. Smashing into your opponent is also encouraged. The more points you get throughout the game, the more power-ups become available. The whole game has a wonderfully gritty feel to it that translates into an incredibly fun experience behind the wheel.

Hard Drivin’

Atari 1989

photo©Myabandonware.com

I’m going to reach way back here and talk about one of the first arcade driving games ever, Hard Drivin’. I never played this game, and I’m sure it has since disappeared, but it’s more than worth mentioning for a whole host of reasons. First of all, Hard Drivin’ is a game that doesn’t skimp on the realism when it comes to driving. This game actually featured a clutch pedal to be worked in conjunction with a gear shift. If the driver couldn’t work those seamlessly, the car would stall in the game and affect the lap time. Secondly, this was the first arcade racing game of it’s time to feature the driving perspective from inside the vehicle. Just looking at this game, I bet it was tough to drive with that perspective. Not for any lack of talent on the gamer’s side, but mainly because the perspective is like a horse with blinders on. When you’re driving the car in the game, you can’t see off to the sides! I’m sure that made it difficult to navigate turns. Then, on top of all that, if you left the road, you had ten seconds to return before your game was automatically over. While this game may have been very accurate and revolutionary in it’s day, I prefer the games that followed it. I like my virtual racing games to be fun, especially in an arcade setting.

OutRun

Sega 1986

Now here’s a game I played when I was younger and occasionally made it to arcades. Outrun was truly the beginning of the racing games we see in arcades today. Yes, like Hard Drivin’, this game features a full sit-down cabinet for arcade play. However, Outrun uses the more popular “behind the car” perspective. The seat would also shake and turn along with the on-screen turns and crashes. Outrun made you really feel like the action was happening around you. The game was designed by Yu Suzuki. Yu toured Europe before working on the game in order to add as much realism to the game as possible. Most of the backgrounds and settings seen throughout Outrun are modeled after European landscapes. It wasn’t just a coincidence that the races took you past windmills, the Alps, and rock formations like Stonehenge. The whole point of the game is to escape reality. Let me tell you, driving through the Alps while sitting in a small arcade in Minnesota was definitely escaping reality.

Fast & Furious Supercars

Raw Thrills 2010

photo©Forums.toucharcade.com

Let’s get back to the modern racing games you will find the next time you step into an arcade. This next one is also from the geniuses over at Raw Thrills and it’s called Fast And Furious Supercars. Although Raw Thrills began developing and releasing these “Fast And Furious” games in 2006, Supercars is the most recent addition to the family. It features 10 incredible cars, like it’s predecessors, everything from a Dodge Viper SRT10 to a Saleen S7 Twin Turbo. That’s another thing that makes me love racing games right there, the modern ones feature some of the most incredible cars ever made. Although driving the car in the game is a stretch from the real experience, it’s a stretch in the most fun way possible. Another key difference between Supercars and those games that came before it is the number of races available. While the first Fast And Furious game had only 12 races, Supercars has 27 different racetracks for the driver to tear to shreds. The designer of the game is also the leader of Raw Thrills development studio, Eugene Jarvis. Jarvis originally developed pinball games in the late 1970s for Atari. Inspired by the release of Space Invaders, he sought out to design his own game. Almost thirty years later, he is developing and releasing some of the most incredible arcade games on the market.

GRID

Sega 2010

photo©Wikimedia.com

The final virtual racing game of my post is truly a monster. GRID was released into the arcade world by SEGA in 2010. This game features 12 different insane automotive machines, everything from a Pagani Zonda to an Aston Martin DBR8. The car options alone might make this my favorite of all the games, though the player only has 8 different racing circuits to choose from. The screen on this game is 42”, basically the size of the average flat-screen living room TV. Even when up to 6 of these get linked together, everyone still gets their own 42” screen for game play. Plus, each cabinet also gets its own 2.1 digital sound system and sub woofer. The driver can even switch between auto and manual transmission, as well as several views of the car. So, if you wanted to play it with a Hard Drivin’ perspective, you could absolutely do that. I’m going to call it now. Of all the modern arcade racing games out there, this one is my favorite. Though some other games have more course options, GRID always draws me back with it’s encapsulating construction and fantastic car options. Really, any game that features a Pagani Zonda, that’s a game you’ve got to play.

Links to blogs about Racing games

Operationsports.com Racing Games Blog

Arcade Games From THE 90s

Johnsarcade.com Forum & Blog

Games Blog + Racing Games @ Guardian.co.uk

Itsgamingblog.com Top Racing Games

Play Racing Games Online For Free At The Following Sites

Racinggames4u.com

85play.com Racing Games

Check out more great content at our Official Blog !

Super Speed Friday | Lamborghini Aventador LP700

Jeanne Longhorne — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:54:30 +0000

Find the Original Post Here: Super Speed Friday | Lamborghini Aventador LP700

It was really only a matter of time before a Lamborghini entered the ranks of my Super Speed Friday list. This particular post will take a look at the Lamborghini Aventador LP700.

The Lamborghini Aventador LP700

Unveiled in 2011, the Aventador was designed to be Laborghini’s new flagship car in their already impressive array of automotive excellence. To look at this car is to awed by it’s design. This Italian built coupe bears all the aerodynamic slickness one would expect from Lamborghini and the engine sounds like a sonic jet taking off down the road. The Aventador even has a start button that looks like a missile launch button straight from a “cold war” movie. Lamborghini typically has always put acceleration and speed at the forefront of their goals when designing and building new cars. However, with this new car they put control at the helm above these factors. While the Aventador can still achieve remarkable speeds, the handling has been noticeably improved. The praise resulting from this slight shift in priorities has been undeniable in the world of car reviews and has brought Laborghini’s brand to a new height.

With a top speed of 217mph, the Aventador can go from 0-60mph in under 3 seconds while producing an incredible 700hp. This super speed is produced by a 6.5litre V12 engine. The complexity and cost of the V12 primarily confine it to the sports and luxury car world. Lamborghini has numerous V12s throughout their catalog, though the Aventador contains only the second one built in-house. A single clutch 7-speed transmission by Graziano Transmissioni puts the driver in complete control, even able to accomplish gear shifts in less than 1/10th of a second. Lighting shifting for a lightning speed engine, even with a single clutch. Graziano is also the same gearbox manufacturing company that produced the 7 speed dual-clutch found in the McLaren MP4-12C.

The Aventador has three different custom driving options which each have pre set engine, steering, transmission, and differential adjustments. The driver can put the car in ‘Corsa’ (track setting), ‘Strada’ (road setting), or Sport, depending on personal preference and driving environment. A series of buttons on the center console make changing between these options very straightforward. Though this car achieves all the power one would expect from a Lamborghini, and then some, the single clutch shift and console design make it flush with “out of the box” functionality. The interior of the Aventador contains some of the most incredible displays and entertainment options ever seen in the world of sports cars. In addition to what I would call the “cold war missile launch” start button, there is an Audi-MMI based “infotainment” system with a great stereo, bluetooth connectivity, and full navigation gps built in.

Lamborghininewportbeach.Blogspot.Com

All of these previous factors combined have resulted in a new height for Lomborghini automobiles. As a result, The Lamborghini Aventador LP700 is selling like crazy. Demand for the car is incredibly high and Lambo is pushing to increase it’s already impressive 600 units per year simply to get closer to meeting demand. Though, for an automotive powerhouse such as this, I think they may never truly catch up with that demand. You might just have to wait to drive one of the most incredible cars ever built.

Links to blogs about the Lamborghini Aventador LP700

Blogs.Cars.Com

Blog.Autoshopper.Com

Autoweek.com Video Blog

Caranddriver.com Blog

photo©Instablogsimages.com

Check out more great content at our Official Blog !

7 Cars That Fly

Jeanne Longhorne — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:19:24 +0000

Find the Original Post Here: 7 Cars That Fly

7 Cars That Fly

With the media buzz surrounding the recent developments of the Terrafugia Transition, flying cars of the future are closer than ever before. Who wouldn’t want to skip every traffic light, stop sign, pothole, construction detour, and speed trap on your way to work in the morning? Growing up in Minnesota, I can think of many times when flying to work in the morning, instead of driving through the snow, would have made my life significantly less stressful. Not to mention how much easier my parents would have had it, could the moving trucks hover from place to place.

With all of that in mind, I took off across the Internet and found 7 cars that fly. This list is everything from designs still destined for production to actual working cars that can one day soon have you hovering over bumper to bumper traffic. When it comes to the future of the family automobile, hopefully where we’re going we don’t need roads.

The Honda Fuz-O

photo©I.I.Com

Let’s start with one that is at this time is just a design and a concept. Don’t discount this particular vehicle simply because it hasn’t entered production yet. The design of the Honda Fuz-O is quite realistic compared with other flying cars currently in production. The design revolves around 4 turbines that set the car in motion and also calls for the vehicle to be made from carbon fiber, thus making it super lightweight and requiring minimal power. The Fuz-O concept includes seating for three, while most other flying cars in design and production seat two people at most. I think the main appeal of this particular design is that the resulting vehicle is more of a hover car than a flying car. Imagine if you never had to shovel the driveway again, that could be a reality with a hover car design like the Fuz-O.

The Terrafugia Transition

photo©Ridelust.com

Now let’s look at a flying car that may be on the road much sooner than you think. The Terrafugia Transition flying car was unveiled in 2012 and already has 100 pre-orders at $279,000 a piece. This “roadable airplane” can drive up to 70mph on the road with normal traffic and it’s folded dimensions are designed to fit inside the average size home garage. This model has a much more traditional airplane design to it. Since you will probably have to get a pilots license to operate a flying car of this sort, it is no surprise to me that there are only 100 orders so far. Although Terrafugia expects 2013 to be a great year for the Transition, they are still holding off on the actual street date for the time being.

The ParaJet SkyCar

photo©Likecool.com

The SkyCar is essentially a souped up dune buggy that acts as a massive paragliding machine, having a parafoil and parawing attached so that it will sustain flight level. It can take off in less than 500 feet and reach heights of over 2000 ft. Although this car is street legal, perhaps it’s best use is for having fun offroad. When I was growing up, my parents lived on a very large plot of land outside the city. My father got more and more into off road vehicles and hobbies over the years. He even went to far as to build a full off road course out behind the house. Since I had no brothers or sisters, I often rode with him. I wish we had one of these back then.

Yee Flying Car : SCUT students design the future.

While this one remains purely in a conceptual state, the YEE flying car is absolutely worth mentioning. I think with every new design the entire idea gets closer to reality. This car, which came from the minds of three South China University of Technology students, is an award winning design with a definite future in the vehicle marketplace. The wings fold in while driving on the road and are equipped with small wheels along their edges, keeping the wings smooth to the road and off the pavement. The designers envision the car “taking off” with business professionals who are forced by income restraints to live outside of town and need a quick way downtown. However, no retail price has been released for this vehicle, so that demographic may not be accurate.

The Hammerhead

photo©Autoblog.com

Now here’s a car that’s straight out of a modern science fiction movie. The Hammerhead can take off and land vertically, unlike the Transition, and is described as being fast, safe, lightweight, and user friendly. The two forward fans on the vehicle can tilt for both thrust and lift. It also seats one person, which puts it in line behind several of the cars mentioned on this list. I think the first truly marketable flying car will need two seats to achieve commercial success. Although The Hammerhead may not be able to fit in your garage and is a few steps behind the other flying cars in production, it’s still a flying car and an incredibly cool looking one at that. My uncle has always been an X-Files fan and tried for years to convince me that aliens and flying saucers are real. I would absolutely love to one day land a Hammerhead in his backyard and see what happens.

The Moller M400 Skycar

photo©Thecarconnection.com

Moller International has stepped into the flying car ring in a big way with their Skycar 400. This sports car looking “flying car” is capable of air speeds over 350mph and runs on ethanol. I also find this design particularly intriguing, as I’ve worked on many muscle cars in the past. This is one of the few flying cars that has a real street car look to it, and I think that will help push it towards commercial success. Moller takes a very pro active feel to their campaign, saying “No matter how you look at it the automobile is only an interim step in our evolutionary path to independence from gravity.” That is a very bold and confident statement coming from a company developing a flying automobile. I like companies that exude confidence and I am anxious to see where this particular project goes.

The Aerofex Hover Bike

photo©Assets.inhabitat.com

Who says it has to be a flying “car”? Although motorcycles that fly might be a bit further off commercially than flying cars, hover bikes have taken a giant leap toward reality in the last couple years. Test flights for the Aerofex Hover Bike have not yet exceeded 30mph, which is still pretty good for a bike that requires no pedaling. Two large fans beneath the bike keep the rider up to 15ft off the ground. Not only does this particular vehicle cost less than any estimated flying car, it satisfies one of the greatest dreams of every single Star Wars fan out there. This looks like the closest you’re going to get to feeling like you’re zooming through the forests of Endor.

Links to blogs about Cars That Fly

Ubergizno.com Blog : Honda Fuz-O

The Car Enthusiast Online : Hibda Fuz-O

Wheels Blog NY Times : Terrafugia Transition

Redorbit.com Blog : Hammerhead

Caranddriver.com Blog : Moller Skycar

Blog.Makezine.Com : Aerofex Hoverbike

By Jeanne Longhorne

photo©Edmunds-media.com.com

Check out more great content at our Official Blog !

Super Speed Friday | 2012 McLaren MP4-12C

Jeanne Longhorne — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:12:36 +0000

Find the Original Post Here: Super Speed Friday | 2012 McLaren MP4-12C

British automakers continue to dominate the ranks of Super Speed Friday with the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C.

McLaren Automotive was founded in 1989 and originally produced Formula One racing cars. They established a reputation early on for knowing speed in a way that not many other car companies did. McLaren’s first car was the F1, a 2 door coupe produced from 1992-1998. In March of 1998, McLaren’s F1 became the fastest road car in the world, setting the record at an incredible 231mph. It would be a decade after that before McLaren unveiled their next supercar, one solely designed and built by themselves. Development of the McLaren MP4-12C began in 2008 and the car made it’s first appearance in 2009. Although the MP4-12C has a very traditional sports car design, the tricks that lay within the frame are numerous and near-revolutionary.

The 2012 McLaren MP4-12C

As brainchild of noted car designer Frank Stephenson, the McLaren MP4-12C introduces some incredible new ideas and concepts to the supercar world. Most notably, the comfortability and handling have been improved in some rather remarkable ways. The number one thing that every reviewer has said about the McLaren MP4-12C is that it’s comfort level is unparalleled in the world of the supercar. In an industry with such strong competition (Ferrari, Porsche 911 Turbo), taking things to the next level is both encouraged and rewarded. When the MP4-12C was in development, McLaren had it in their collective minds to produce an automobile that would appeal to the consumer based on versatility. They wanted the MP4-12C to be seen as the blending of performance and everyday driveability, a car brought from the racetrack to the road.

photo©Motortrend.com

McLaren also continues their tradition of blazing speed with the MP4-12C. It hits a top speed of 207mph, goes from 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds and boasts 592 horsepower, all while achieving the best fuel economy in its class. This incredible performance comes from the car’s twin-turbo 3.8 litre V8 engine. The shifting is controlled with a 7 speed dual-clutch transmission that is called the SSG or “Seamless Shift Gearbox”. This system has a truly unique feature in which the driver may pre-select a gear by gently tapping the shift paddle. I think that features which allow for advanced shifting are truly the future when it comes to the advancement of the supecar. Just as the MP4-12C has pre-selection of gears, the Ariel Atom 500 achieves its blazing speed with it’s advanced paddleshift system, allowing for 5 downshifts in less than a second. Control has always shined as a sought after commodity in the supercar world and it continues to be pushed to new heights.

photo©Caranddriver.com

Such an excellent super speed system is accompanied by an incredible suspension system. The advanced handling of the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C is made possible by a Proactive Chassis Control system (PCC) featuring Adaptive Dampening. This allows the MP4-12C to achieve an incredibly smooth and comfortable ride, along with optimal control, even at high speeds and over the most jarring of bumps. McLaren has also put in place a “brake steer” system. This system was originally used on their Formula 1 racing car, the McLaren MP4-12, but was banned because of it’s performance advantages. Brake steer was developed to improve traction on the MP4-12C and puts the brake automatically on the inside rear wheel while going fast around corners, severely dampening under steer.

photo©2.bp.blogspot.com

The design of the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C is largely traditional to the sports car look. It has a sleek, aerodynamic design, no doubt sculpted to perfection by a company known for such attention to detail. Even the door design of the MP4-12C enters some especially interesting territory. Although I am partial to gull-wing doors, I must admit, I enjoy the MP4-12C’s dihedral door setup. This “butterfly door” design is used often across the sports car world, from it’s induction with the ’67 Autodelta Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 to the 2013 Ferrari LaFerrari. The dihedral door design makes it easier to get into and out of the MP4-12C, yet another example of how McLaren is a master in car comfort.

photo©Streetpea.com

The interior of the car bears the design of a Formula 1 race car. Although, unlike the McLaren F1, the MP4-12C features coupe style side-by-side seating, with the driver remaining close to the center of the car. All of the console controls are easily within reach of the driver, as well as the 7” telematics screen, which features bluetooth connectivity and voice recognition navigation technology. There is also a 4 speaker stereo with a USB port, iPod/iPhone integration, and speed sensitive volume control. Alloy and leather trim decorate the doors and center console, while several different colors and fabrics are available for the hand stitched interior. When I consider all of the points made throughout this post, how could the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C not make my Super Speed Friday list? Indeed, it belongs in the top 5.

Links to blogs about the McLaren MP4-12C

Gfwilliams.net Photo Blog

Carsguide.com.au McLaren MP4-12C Blog

Wheels.Blog.Nytimes Review Of The McLaren MP4-12C

Techblog.com Review Of The McLaren MP4-12C

Carmagazine.co.uk Review

Review-Auto.com Review

Check out more great content at our Official Blog !

5 Things You Don’t Want To See At A Highway Travel Plaza

Jeanne Longhorne — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:20:51 +0000

Find the Original Post Here: 5 Things You Don’t Want To See At A Highway Travel Plaza

Doing freelance work keeps me on the road more and more every year. I try to divide the traveling equally between driving and taking the train, that way neither method gets too monotonous. Whenever driving, I inevitably run into some sort of bizarre rest stop situation or hazard that, at least occasionally, seems right out of the twilight zone. Part of good highway traffic safety is planning for the unexpected. Here’s a list of 5 things you don’t want to see at a highway travel plaza, ever.

#1 : Cops

When you’re approaching a rest area and you get into the turning lane, you’ve usually got a mile or so of clearance to see what services they offer. If at this point you see cops, flashing lights, or any sort of backed up traffic, safely put on your turn signal and get back on the highway. Especially if it’s late at night, as most of my drives home tend to be, you want a smooth ride home. Plan out a few different rest stops that have good services that are along your route, that way you can switch it up easily if you see a situation you don’t want to be in.

#2 : A sign that reads “No Gas Next Rest Stop”

This wouldn’t be such an issue if most of these signs were more than 5 miles before the rest area in question. However, most of the time you’re within a mile of the area and then you find out there’s no gas. This is another reason it’s good to plan out your rest stops in advance, allowing for a safe point that determines when you need to fill up next. Then if that particular station has no gas, you instantly have a fall back position.

#3 : A sign at the bathroom entrance that reads “out of order”

Seeing a sign at the front of the bathroom that says “wet floor” or “being cleaned” isn’t so bad. Usually those are issues that one can work around. However, I suggest you tread very carefully if you should encounter a sign that reads “out of order”. At that point you really don’t know what you’re getting into. First look down and make sure the floor isn’t wet. If it is, I would think about finding another option. The same thing goes for if you hear or see any leaking pipes. Even small plumbing issues, especially ones pre-empting a close of the entire bathroom, have the potential to become very hazardous very quickly.

#4 : That odd man who has his hands in the chain link of the closed gift shop

You may have already seen this one before. The gift shop is obviously closed, the lights are off, the gate is down, and yet, there is an odd man with his hands in the chain link staring into the emptiness. He may even be muttering to himself. If the gift shop is closed, it’s after 9pm. If it’s after 9pm, it’s dark out. I recommend avoiding oddly acting characters while going into and out of highway rest areas at night. I have met some nice people randomly while in line at Starbucks, though it was always during the day. Perhaps at night everyone is just trying to get home, I recommend following suit.

#5 : A Huge Line At The Only Coffee Place That’s Open

This is another one you may have already encountered. It’s late, at least past 10pm, and you’re looking for some more energy to finish the drive. You stop at a seemingly empty rest area because you need that last cup of coffee to get you safely home. You come through the doors and then you see there’s only one coffee place open, with two people working, and the line is backed up. There may even be soda machines nearby, but that’s a far step from a fresh cup of coffee. Although this is something you never want to see, I recommend waiting in line and getting your coffee. No matter how far you are from your destination, you’re tired and you have stopped. Sometimes it’s simply being off the road for 5 or 10 minutes that helps us finish the journey. So spend those 10 minutes, or 15, waiting in line for a warm cup of coffee. It will always make the ride home that much better.

High Speed And Luxury Car Blog

Check out more great content at our Official Blog !

Super Speed Friday | Ariel Atom 500

Jeanne Longhorne — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:36:37 +0000

Find the Original Post Here: Super Speed Friday | Ariel Atom 500

Let’s make that three weeks in a row that I’m blogging about incredibly fast cars coming from automakers in Britain. This week’s installment of Super Speed Friday features the Ariel Atom 500, from the Ariel Motorcar Company (AMC).

The Ariel Atom 500

AMC is a relatively small car company, and by small, I mean they only have 7 employees. They also makes less than 100 cars every year and the Atom is the crown jewel of their collection. It was first developed in 1996 and has gone through continuous improvements and updates ever since. The car has no roof, windshield, or body work to speak of, simply a tubular chassis that supports it. Basically, the car is an exoskeleton on 4 wheels. Having all of that body work stripped away reduces the weight of the Atom to half a ton. To put it in comparable super speed terms, the Atom weighs less than half of the Pagani Huayra. This massive weight deficit makes the Atom much faster and more agile on the road than most supercars. The vehicle’s original engine was a Honda Civic Type-R. The design of the Type R was first conceived in 1992 as a racing vehicle, which made the engine a perfect fit for the Atom, at least at first.

The Ariel Atom coming onto the market in 2013 has an exclusive V8 under the hood, one designed by John Hartley. John has been designing car engines with his own unique approach since 2007. That same year, as president of a printing machine manufacturer out of Wisconsin, John though that the engine in his four cylinder sports car sounded “unimpressive” and “flat”. He sought to create a new V8 by putting two water cooled motorcycle engines together. Hartley successfully coupled the thunders of a motorcycle engine with the body of supercar. When he designed the Ariel Atom 500′s engine in 2008, he took the same approach and got incredible results. The Atom 500 has a top speed of 168mph.

Let’s talk some more about the power of that V8. The 6 gear standard transmission has a super speed all its own. With the assistance of the “paddleshift” system, the Ariel Atom 500 can achieve 5 downshifts in less than a second. Once shifting is mastered, the Atom can go from 0-60 in less than 3 seconds. Most supercars take at least 5 or 6 seconds to accomplish that goal, but not the Atom. Once behind the wheel, in less than 7 seconds the vehicle is going 100mph. The Ariel Atom also offers varied suspension settings, formulated from one-seat racing cars, that allow it to adhere to almost any track environment.

Although the outside of the car takes a minimalist approach to automaking, the dashboard is ripe with options you would find in the best supercars. A display allows the driver to flip through any information one would want to have when driving such a speed machine. Everything from the oil pressure to the traction controls, and even wet/dry settings, are available through the navigation of the in-dash LCD. Although, the Atom does lack a stereo. I do think that every great automobile needs a stereo, especially one that falls into my super speed category and can go over 150mph.

Within minutes of researching this particular car, it became evident that it needed to be added to my Super Speed blog list. Although there are cars out there that can best the Atom by 50mph or so overall, those same cars can’t go from 0-60mph in under 3 seconds. That type of jump speed is lightning. If you wanted to own an Ariel Atom 500, well, you can’t. Ariel is producing only 25 Atom 500s and they are all pre-ordered. Perhaps that’s why they keep their company so small, less overhead, and the cars always sell out.

Links to blogs about the Ariel Atom 500

Caranddriver.com Blog

Super Car Blog

Project Cars Videos Blog

Caranddriver.com Flying Spur Road Test

Check out more great content at our Official Blog !

Super Speed Friday | Bentley Continental Flying Spur

Jeanne Longhorne — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:22:02 +0000

Find the Original Post Here: Super Speed Friday | Bentley Continental Flying Spur

The Bentley Continental Flying Spur

This week’s addition to Super Speed Friday comes to us from renowned British automaker Bentley. I originally didn’t want to blog about two British cars back to back, but this automobile is so fast that it merits being skipped ahead.

Let’s start at the beginning though, shall we? Bentley Motors Ltd. Was founded back in 1919 and has been putting out remarkable automobiles ever since. Before he ever built or designed cars, founder W.O. Bentley built rotary aero-engines in London during World War One. These engines were used in various airplanes during the war, most prominently in the Sopwith Camel 2F.1. Bentley’s first several automobiles performed remarkably well at the 24 hours of Le Mans races, winning first place 5 times between 1924 and 1930. In 1931, Rolls Royce bought Bentley and moved production out of London. Almost 67 years later, Bentley was purchased by Volkswagen (VW).

The Bentley Continental Flying Spur came onto the market in 2005 as the four door alternative to the GT Coupe. Each flying spur is built by hand and a striking example of custom luxury combined with blazing speed. It was also only the second car to be released following VW’s purchase of Bentley in 1998. The Spur’s platform is that of the Volkswagon Phaeton, VW’s “premium class” vehicle that has been in production since 2002. The platform is significantly heavier when compared to it’s competitors. However, the sheer engine power put into the platform, combined with a shorter axle ratio, overrides that handicap and levels the playing field. The spur also features Yokohama Advan Sports tires, shock absorbers, and air springs, which all combine to create an incredibly smooth ride even at fast speeds.

Under the hood is a 6-litre V12 twin-turbocharged engine which can not only go from 0-60mph in 5 seconds, it can also achieve speeds up to 194mph. A speed version of the car was released in 2009, that one can go up to 200mph. Speeds of this nature are easily comparable to other cars I have put on the “super speed” list. However, unlike those other automobiles, the Bentley retains all the elegance and class of a 4 door sedan while harnessing the speed of a power sports car. Additionally, the Spur has a built in system to increase the stability and reduce drag at it’s highest speeds. It accomplishes this by automatically lowering the ride height as you approach 200mph.

The interior of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur is absolutely beautiful. Some critics think that there are too many switches, or that the in dash computer is a bit too complicated. I say, read the manual. I do not consider a complicated in dash computer to really be anything other than an ideal tool for driving entertainment and efficiency. Seeing as how this particular computer is also accompanied by a 12 to 15 speaker system, I’d say the combination is ideal and lends itself very well to the luxury driving experience.

In the world of super speed cars, Bentley continues to step up the game and push it to new heights. The Flying Spur compares quite well to other cars that can achieve a similar driving experience, yet it separates itself in one quite basic way. Put simply, the Flying Spur seats four. Most sports cars are two seaters, reserving the luxury for the driver and one passenger. Now, when you purchase a super speed car that is also a shining example of luxury, you can take more people along for the ride. The more people ride in this car, the more I’m sure will want to buy one. It seems Bentley isn’t just a maker of incredible automobiles, but they build the marketing into their machines as well.

Links to more information about the Flying Spur:

Autoblog.com Flying Spur Updates

Germancarblog.com Flying Spur News

Blog.autoshopper.com Flying Spur News