AutomotiveAddicts

Big Muscle Visits The Lingenfelter Collection: Video

When we grow up, we want to be Ken Lingenfelter. Not only does he own Lingenfelter Performance Engineering (which was founded by a cousin, John Lingenfelter), but he also has one of the most impressive car collections in the United States. How many cars are in the collection? Even Ken doesn’t know for sure, saying “about 200,” since he’s afraid to give an exact count.

While the collection is heavy on Corvettes (which make up about 40% of the total), there’s something for everyone. Want a Ferrari F40, a DeLorean DMC1, a Vector, an Opel GT, or a mid-seventies Pontiac Can-Am? No problem. A Bugatti Veyron or an original AAR ‘Cuda? Yeah, they’re in the collection, too.

This episode of Big Muscle centers on one of the most significant cars in the collection, which host Mike Musto refers to as “ground zero” for hot rodders. Lingenfelter owns the Duntov Test Mule EX-8, which was the first Corvette to be tested and evaluated with a small-block V-8 engine. Without this car and its small block Chevy V-8, the Corvette may never have survived beyond the first generation, and hot-rodders may never have embraced a Chevrolet V-8 engine.

Mike spends some time in a Lingenfelter-tuned 1993 Corvette ZR1, too, capable of producing upwards of 600 horsepower. It’s got a rather unique valet key, and unlocking the car’s full power is akin to twisting the two keys needed to launch a nuclear missile. It’s as subtle as an artillery barrage, and makes an impressive statement on how much power was possible from a street-legal car, even back in 1993.

KTM X-Bow Misses The Target

I’ll admit to having a jones for all things KTM. I’d have a 990 SMT supermotard bike parked in my garage right now, except for this thing called “disposable income” that I lack in any appreciable amount. If money were no object, I’d also consider adding a KTM X-Bow (pronounced “crossbow”) to the same garage, since you can now buy them in the United States. At least I would have considered buying an X-Bow, until British Racing Group LLC announced rolling chassis prices for the U.S. market. Sans engine and transaxle, the Austrian oversized go-kart starts at the same price as a well-optioned Z06 Corvette. Ouch.

If you want specifics, the base “Street” model starts at $88,500 for a rolling chassis, designed to take a 2.0 liter Audi turbo motor and Audi transaxle. Step up to the “Clubsport” and the same roller sets you back $103,500; opt for the “Superlight” and the price jumps to $134,500. If you want the best X-Bow that money can buy, you’ll need to pony up for the GT4, which will empty your bank account of $139,000. Remember, you still need to add an engine and transaxle, plus labor if you’re not inclined to turn your own wrenches. By KTM’s own estimates, a base Audi motor and gearbox will set you back another $7,900 plus installation and tuning. Let’s round up and call it an even $10,000, which makes the price of the cheapest KTM X-Bow $98,500, or just a few track days shy of the $100k barrier.

That’s a hell of a lot of money to spend on a car you can’t even drive on the street. In fact, that kind of money would buy you a whole bunch of track day toys, ranging from an Ariel Atom through spec racers and even formula cars. At half the amount, I get the appeal, but at the prices British Racing Group LLC expects, I’d call this particular X-Bow way off target.

Source: Autoblog

Car Salesman Stacks Evo, Kills Passenger

File this one under “senseless, preventable tragedy”: a Pennsylvania man was killed, and his son badly injured, when they car they were in lost control and hit an embankment. At the wheel was Michael Hershey, a car salesman who wanted to show off the handling capabilities of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution his dealership was selling. It turns out that Hershey had been drinking prior to the accident, and also tested positive for marijuana use. A blood test showed a BAC of .06, below the .08 level for impairment in Pennsylvania, but still more than is advisable for demonstrating the handling limits of a car to potential buyers. Read more…

Walter Röhrl Shows How To Loop A Porsche 904

Those lucky bastards from Autoblog: not only do they get invited to the world launch of Porsche’s Cayman R in Mallorca, Spain, but they also get two time World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl to take them on a hot lap in a priceless, irreplaceable Porsche 904. In case you don’t know the car, it was only built in 1964 and 1965, and Porsche cranked out less tan 130 copies. In 1964, Porsche built 106 904s, each with a 2.0 liter flat four engine good for 198 horsepower. By 1965, Porsche had upped the ante and built a few 904s with the flat six from the Porsche 911; these cars were known as the “904/6”. The car in the video is a 1965 904/6, owned by a member of the Porsche family. Since only a handful were ever built, binning this pristine example wouldn’t be a good thing at all. Read more…

The Mazda 6, Arachnophobia And You

Do you have a fear of spiders, known medically as arachnophobia? Chances are there’s no good reason for it, since very few of the eight legged critters found in the U.S. can do you much harm. Sure, we’ve got the black widow and the brown recluse to worry about, but both pale in comparison to spiders found in Australia. Take the Sydney funnel web, for example, whose fangs can penetrate the leather of a shoe and whose venom is perfectly capable of killing a human (or making him wish he was dead). In the United States, though, there’s no good reason to fear spiders, unless you own a 2009 to 2010 Mazda 6; in that case, a spider really can kill you. Read more…

Saab’s IQon Brings The Android OS To Your Car

Wouldn’t it be cool if your car was just like a big version of your smartphone, complete with internet connectivity? If you could upload apps that would enhance your driving, navigation or ability to communicate behind the wheel? Even better, what if these apps could automatically update when new data (or bug fixes) were available? What if your car could schedule it’s own service appointments, or send telemetry data to a dealership the second a problem was discovered? Those features, and more, will all be part of a new Android based infotainment system developed by Saab and currently in beta testing . Called IQon (pronounced “icon”), the technology may be the first truly user-friendly infotainment and telematics system on the market. Read more…

Mitsubishi To Focus On EVs, Kill Off Evo

Where, I wonder, did Mitsubishi go wrong as an automaker? The brand that once had such promise has fallen on hard times, and finds themselves forced to create a new global identity. Instead of focusing on performance and racing (a natural, since the three-diamond brand dominated both Paris Dakar and WRC for years), Mitsubishi is trying to be a kinder, gentler car company. Jumping on the Green bandwagon, their new focus will be on establishing themselves as an “environmentally sensitive” automaker. To that end, Mitsubishi will launch eight new EV or hybrid vehicles by 2015, with their primary focus being the reduction of CO2 emissions from their vehicles. Read more…

Nissan Esflow: An EV For Enthusiasts?

As of this writing, there is one electric car in the world of note to enthusiasts, and that’s the Tesla Roadster. The price of admission starts at $109,000, but if you want the best power and handling you need to step up to the $128,500 Tesla Roadster Sport 2.5. The difference really is academic, since very few consumers can afford to drop either amount on a topless sports roadster, even one that potentially saves the planet. The Nissan Leaf is quite a bit more affordable, but that’s not exactly a sporting ride. Why can’t a manufacturer build an EV that appeals to both Greens and Gear Heads of more modest means? Read more…

2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution SE Review & Test Drive

‘A MORE DISCREET AND LESS EXPENSIVE RALLY RACER FOR THE STREET’

The all-new Limited Edition 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution SE (Special Edition) combines the best of the GSR and MR while saving you more than $3,000.00 off the price for a comparable MR model.  The all-new SE slots nicely between the GSR and MR, and like the new MR, loses the high rear wing in favor of a more discreet rear lip spoiler for downforce enhancement.

The all-new EVO SE features the signature EVO MR ‘shark nose’ front fascia, HID headlamps, foglamps, large side airdams, aggressively styled sloping aluminum hood with air scoop and heat extractors, side fenders with heat extractors, deep lower side extensions, boxed fenders, a working rear air diffuser with dual, 4in. wide polished aluminum exhaust tips, and special SE badging on the lower right trunk panel. Read more…

2012 VW Golf R: The U.S. Loses Again

The 2012 VW Golf R. Image: Volkswagen

Have your heart set on a 2012 VW Golf R? Don’t worry, the car’s still coming to this side of the pond, and there’s a good chance you’ll be able to take one home in time for Christmas. That’s the good news, but as you may have guessed, there’s bad news as well. In EU trim, the 2012 VW Golf R will be good for 270 horsepower and 258 ft lb of torque, but in U.S. trim, the car is reduced to 256 horsepower and 243 ft lb of torque. If you’d hoped for VW’s outstanding DSG dual-clutch gearbox, I’ve got more bad news for you: VW is only bringing in manual transmission versions of the Golf R.

The 2012 Golf R will be powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder, and as with previous Golf R models the power gets sent to all four wheels. To keep things simple for the U.S. market (thus reducing VW’s expenses), buyers won’t have a lot of versions or options to choose from. The car will come in both two and four door models, and a premium package will give buyers a sunroof, premium audio and nav systems. Autoblog, who broke this story as part of their Geneva Auto Show coverage, tells us that pricing is expected to start at $33,000, which is comparable to where the last generation Golf R model began.

I’ve always been a fan of the Golf R, and nearly bought the first U.S. version with the VR6 motor in 2004. Even though the pricing for 2012 models isn’t expected to be substantially higher than the 2008 models, that’s still pretty lofty territory. If you want luxury and performance, a few dollars more buys you an Infiniti G37 Coupe (or sedan). If it’s just speed you’re after, that money buys a well equipped Ford Mustang GT, complete with the 412 horsepower Coyote V8. If it’s AWD and performance you want, the Subaru Impreza WRX gives you comparable horsepower for about six grand less than the VW Golf R, and the WRX STI gives you more horsepower and (potentially) better handling at the same price. Both cars also lack the VW’s superb interior, something that helps differentiate the Golf R from other cars in the market. Is it worth the money? I’ll let you know as soon as I have a chance to drive one.

Source: Autoblog