Jeep’s 470-hp Grand Cherokee SRT8 is pretty bad-ass as it sits, all pumped-out bodywork, crushing curb weight, and V-8 rumble, but Chrysler’s Mopar parts division may be working up some performance pieces for the big beast. At Mopar’s SEMA stand, the Grand Cherokee SRT8 that had competed in this year’s One Lap of America event was [...]Scion and Toyota’s in-house performance division, Toyota Racing Development (TRD), are looking into adding a supercharger to the list of upgrade parts available to the FR-S, we’ve learned. Scion’s booth at SEMA this year is packed with several unique takes on the FR-S—included this trio of awesome FR-S customs—and many of the tricked-out sports coupes are [...]Among the many customized machines in Ford’s massive display at SEMA this year, we came across this collection of Ford Racing factory upgrade parts for the new Focus ST hatchback. Ford Racing parts support for the Focus ST is hardly a surprise—after all, the outfit churns out performance gear for most every Ford model. But [...]
Does the image really need an explanation? Surely this is one of the best ever special edition American muscle cars you have ever seen? This is the Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition. “Millions of us grew up playing with Hot Wheels,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “Offering a special production model of [...]
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-class isn’t scheduled to make its first public appearance until January at the Detroit auto show, but the car’s recent visit to Madrid sees the cork popped on this particular bottle of champagne. Autofácil is the source for the photo of the undisguised 2014 E-class you see here, and it serves to [...]The growing presence of imports notwithstanding, SEMA still is a very American affair. Modifying cars has been ingrained in the American car culture for decades. These cars are not as much about sophistication as they are about unabashed power—and the appearance of unabashed power. Few cars are more fitting than Chevrolet’s Camaro and Corvette, which [...]From American Express cards to Ralph Lauren haberdashery to fascist uniforms, the color black delivers a powerful aesthetic message—and in many cases, memorable branding as well. So it’s with special interest that we see Ford has applied to trademark “Lincoln Black Label.” We don’t think it signifies a partnership with Johnnie Walker, but very probably [...]Three months ago, Scion gave three custom-car builders each a 2013 Scion FR-S and a check for $15,000. Rather than spend the money on open track days and a pile of sticky rubber—how we’d spend $15K on a free FR-S—the three customizers decided to do what they do. The final products are making their live [...]Even though Ford allotted just 50 2013 Mustang Cobra Jet drag cars for sale this year, that doesn’t mean the company isn’t hard at work looking for the next big thing for its factory race special. Enter this Mustang Cobra Jet Twin Turbo concept, which as its name implies, features a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V-8. Ford [...]
In 1994, Toyota wrote a love letter to the AARP and called it Avalon. A stretched Camry, the Avalon replicated the classic American car with a vast rear seat, a column shifter, and a front bench seat. Even the name served up a warm bowl of nostalgia, simultaneously conjuring up the old movie house on [...]Hot Wheels have been a hit with kids of all ages since the first models were launched in 1968. Modeled after full-size cars in a more or less accurate manner, they are often characterized by outlandish colors and exaggerated surfacing. Now, for the first time, these toys have inspired a series production vehicle: Chevrolet will [...]
What It Is: Believe it or not, proof of the Alfa Romeo 4C, which we first saw in concept form at the 2011 Geneva auto show. This is a running prototype, and it looks every bit as exciting as the show car. The doorsills are simplified and the rear window seems to have slightly grown, [...]
C/D: With one major detour—getting your doctorate in psychology and becoming a college professor—you have dedicated your life to racing. How did that start? DB: My father took me to a stock-car race when I was eight. It was love at first sight. It was like those stories where a guy meets a girl and [...]By now, BMW’s Frozen [insert color here] limited-edition M3 and their matte-finished paint should no longer be new in concept—the company has churned out several variations of this theme for years. (Remember the 2011 M3 Frozen Gray edition, the Frozen Black edition from the same year, last year’s Competition Edition Frozen Silver M3, and the [...]Every Lexus ever offered in the U.S. has been naturally aspirated. No superchargers. No turbochargers. For the brand’s 23-year existence. This should change, and the Supercharged 2013 GS350 F Sport, which is just an outsourced show car created for SEMA, would be a good starting point. Following the dog-earned, weather-worn playbook that correlates a SEMA [...]It’s Monday, and that means it’s time to present this week’s shifter. You’ll have until mid-day Wednesday to identify the make and model of the vehicle from whence this shifter came. But this isn’t just any Monday—this week marks the 100th Name That Shifter contest, and to celebrate this monumental occasion, we’re giving away a [...]The race cars have been loaded onto trailers, the residents of New England have crawled into sandbag fortresses in anticipation of the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy, and your 24 Hours of LeMons correspondent is typing these words in the back seat of a rented Kia Sorento on the way to the nearest major airport that’s [...]
Autumn has been my favorite time of year for as long as I can remember. There’s something refreshing about the days getting shorter and the weather colder, particularly in the American Southwest where the winter is pretty mild. The fall also signifies the end of the motorsport season and with it one event that I [...]The post WHERE ALL IS GOLDEN, PETIT LE MANS 2012 appeared first on Speedhunters.It was a long Saturday race session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with many lead changes, a few car-crippling crashes, and the usual assortment of engine parts on the tarmac. When the checkered flag waved, several familiar teams stood at the top of the standings. Remember what we wrote about the reliability record of the [...]The last time we came to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, in May, we were floored by surrealism of the self-towing trailer race car. This time, we’re bewildered by the combination of fall weather in New England, disturbing Halloween costumes, and the biggest arsenal of LeMons-style potato cannons we’ve ever seen. The team that brought this [...]
Like superheroes, supercars don’t have a typical life cycle. The Audi R8 may be showing just a hint of gray around the edges—but it’s still a looker. Launched initially with a 4.2-liter V-8, a V-10 was added, then a Spyder, and finally the lightweight, limited-production, and loud R8 GT. Audi also has toyed with the [...]Toyota and its luxury-arm Lexus aren’t exactly known for their outlandishly styled and tuner-friendly lineups. But that hasn’t stopped them from bringing a handful of modified cars and trucks to Las Vegas for the 2012 SEMA show. The vehicles vary from a sport-tuned Lexus LS to a Tundra that looks like the inside of a [...]
In SUVland, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is a curious genetic offshoot. While its competitors evolved from enclosed trucks to car-based pseudo-wagons, aping the Jeep’s unibody construction along the way, the Grand Cherokee holds on to off-road credentials long-since forsaken in pursuit of the lucrative lacrosse-mom market. But the GC also offers comfort, extending Jeep’s go-anywhere [...]Fiat’s range of bantam 500s is set to grow even larger this November, with the company debuting an electric 500 and a convertible version of the Abarth at the 2012 L.A. auto show. Chrysler and Fiat didn’t make the announcement, but the L.A. auto show’s official newsletter, sent out this week, talks about the pair’s [...]
: スピーd ハンターs News Car Features Modified Time Attack Drift Stance VIP Retro Dub Scene Street Drag Performance Classic Supercar Grand Touring Super Saloon Hot Hatch Sport Compact Classic Race Hot Rodding Muscle Hot Rod Lead Sled Sleeper Lowrider Gasser Dragster Event Coverage Drift Formula D D1GP Gatebil BDC International Grass Roots Motorsports Formula One Rally-Rallycross Endurance-GTs Time Attack Land Speed Touring Cars Hill Climb Drag Oval Shows Festivals International Tokyo Auto Salon SEMA Meets Japanese Modifieds Rod Customs Dub Scene Historics Special Features IAmTheSpeedhunter FeatureThis Week in Pictures Weekly Poll Build Car Builder Collectables Dream Drive Museum Retrospective Speedhunting Temple of Speed The 101 Speedhunters Crew Drivers Fredric Aasbo Vaughn Gittin JR DarrenEach week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. I have driven the Audi R8 many times, and I appreciated the opportunity to drive it [...]
The lowly pushrod has been a favorite fall guy for bad engine design. When any cam-in-block mill fails to produce adequate power, rpm, or fuel economy, how the valves are opened comes under scrutiny, in part because pushrods date to antiquity. More than a century ago, four-stroke engine pioneers Daimler, Benz, and Maybach used push- [...]
This is the new LT1 V8 engine that will power the next generation Chevrolet Corvette. Not only are the normal stats good (upwards of 450hp and a 0-60 time of about 4 seconds), but the technology that has gone into this engine should mean it is more efficient and economical than ever before. The new [...]
If you’re thinking about buying a sports car then you need to consider if it will suit your lifestyle. Sports cars are not for everyone. If you have kids or spend a lot of time in the car on the commute or for work, then maybe it might not be the most suitable car. But [...]
Week in and week out the #FeatureThis inbox and Instagram feeds continue to fill with images of you guys enjoying your vehicles across the planet.
Today brings us yet another solid group of machinery from Skylines to vintage Chevys, and even a Lowrider Toyota MR-S. Check it out!The post #FEATURETHIS: THEY KEEP ON COMING appeared first on Speedhunters.
So what do you do when times are tough? When manufacturers are pulling out left, right and centre and the international rule makers seem to be adopting a head-in-the-sand policy, pushing ahead with rules changes that by their very nature can only increase costs? You do what’s right for your teams and drivers: you go [...]The post BTCC TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION appeared first on Speedhunters.
The seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf opens for ordering today, with prices starting below those of the previous model, at just £16,285* (RRP OTR) and rising to £24,880. The latest Golf is lighter, safer, more advanced, more spacious, more efficient and better equipped than previous generations of Europe’s best-seller, of which over 29 million have been sold [...]
: FeatureThis News Car Features Modified Time Attack Drift Stance VIP Retro Dub Scene Street Drag Performance Classic Supercar Grand Touring Super Saloon Hot Hatch Sport Compact Classic Race Hot Rodding Muscle Hot Rod Lead Sled Sleeper Lowrider Gasser Dragster Event Coverage Drift Formula D D1GP Gatebil BDC International Grass Roots Motorsports Formula One Rally-Rallycross Endurance-GTs Time Attack Land Speed Touring Cars Hill Climb Drag Oval Shows Festivals International Tokyo Auto Salon SEMA Meets Japanese Modifieds Rod Customs Dub Scene Historics Special Features IAmTheSpeedhunter FeatureThis Week in Pictures Weekly Poll Build Car Builder Collectables Dream Drive Museum Retrospective Speedhunting Temple of Speed The 101 Speedhunters Crew Drivers Fredric Aasbo Vaughn Gittin JR Darren
Sitting in the lines of traffic on the way to the finale of the 2012 British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch, it struck me that I hadn’t been to a BTCC for race for over two years – a shocking statistic for someone who used to regular attend at least two or three rounds [...]The post FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS: THE BTCC FINALE appeared first on Speedhunters.
: , 55SHズ News Car Features Modified Time Attack Drift Stance VIP Retro Dub Scene Street Drag Performance Classic Supercar Grand Touring Super Saloon Hot Hatch Sport Compact Classic Race Hot Rodding Muscle Hot Rod Lead Sled Sleeper Lowrider Gasser Dragster Event Coverage Drift Formula D D1GP Gatebil BDC International Grass Roots Motorsports Formula One Rally-Rallycross Endurance-GTs Time Attack Land Speed Touring Cars Hill Climb Drag Oval Shows Festivals International Tokyo Auto Salon SEMA Meets Japanese Modifieds Rod Customs Dub Scene Historics Special Features IAmTheSpeedhunter FeatureThis Week in Pictures Weekly Poll Build Car Builder Collectables Dream Drive Museum Retrospective Speedhunting Temple of Speed The 101 Speedhunters Crew Drivers Fredric Aasbo Vaughn Gittin JR Darren
: ゼンカイ News Car Features Modified Time Attack Drift Stance VIP Retro Dub Scene Street Drag Performance Classic Supercar Grand Touring Super Saloon Hot Hatch Sport Compact Classic Race Hot Rodding Muscle Hot Rod Lead Sled Sleeper Lowrider Gasser Dragster Event Coverage Drift Formula D D1GP Gatebil BDC International Grass Roots Motorsports Formula One Rally-Rallycross Endurance-GTs Time Attack Land Speed Touring Cars Hill Climb Drag Oval Shows Festivals International Tokyo Auto Salon SEMA Meets Japanese Modifieds Rod Customs Dub Scene Historics Special Features IAmTheSpeedhunter FeatureThis Week in Pictures Weekly Poll Build Car Builder Collectables Dream Drive Museum Retrospective Speedhunting Temple of Speed The 101 Speedhunters Crew Drivers Fredric Aasbo Vaughn Gittin JR Darren McNamara
Of all the venues the Speedhunters team travels to in pursuit global car culture, Famoso Raceway in California may be the least notable. To be frank, this quarter mile dragstrip located amid farmland about 20 miles north of Bakersfield is a pretty boring place. There are no famous corners. There is no beautiful scenery. There are no plush pit facilities. It's a dusty old place in the middle of no where, but I love it.The post MEMORIES & MAYHEM AT FAMOSO appeared first on Speedhunters.
Gordon Shedden left the world-famous Kent venue of Brands Hatch as the newly crowned 2012 BTCC Champion. Shedden, from Fife, becomes the first Scottish driver to lift the most coveted prize in UK motor sport since his own hero, John Cleland, in 1995. Andrew Jordan collected the Independent Drivers’ Trophy, Honda/Dynamics the Manufacturers/Constructors Championship and [...]
In their first season back in the DTM since 1993 BMW have won a clean-sweep of the 2012 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Driver, Manufacturer and Team crowns, with Canadian Bruno Spengler taking not only the race win but also topping the Driver’s points table after the final round at Hockenheim. Spengler won four times during the [...]The post BMW M-POWER TO THE TOP IN DTM appeared first on Speedhunters.
The time attack scene in Japan is just about to begin. As the summer’s scorching temperatures begin to fall, as hazy humidity gives way to crispy blue skies, race tracks begin to populate with a special breed of enthusiasts. Shooting for the ultimate lap has become somewhat of a way of life for some, Scorch [...]The post TIME ATTACKER: PRO STOCK RACING SKYLINE GT-R appeared first on Speedhunters.
With fall in the air around much of the world, this photo of an AE86 kicking up some leaves on the streets of Japan seems like a fine way to open up this week's edition of #FeatureThis. Besides the usual selection of machines of Japan, we've also added some really cool submissions you guys have sent in via the #FeatureThis hashtag on Instagram.
お待たせしました。日本のSpeedhuntersファンの愛車紹介#FeatureThis第8弾です！The post #FEATURETHIS: JAPAN & THE ‘GRAM appeared first on Speedhunters.
We all love our cars right? Sure there might be some things that we'd like to change, but I'm sure we all enjoy a sense of pride about our beloved motor vehicles. However, I have to ask you this - do you love it enough to keep it for say, the next twenty years? The post A CAR IS FOR LIFE – NOT JUST ANOTHER FORD ESCORT appeared first on Speedhunters.