Posts Tagged ‘Racing’

Recap: 2010 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance

June 13th, 2010

1957 Corvette

2010 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance – Click above for high-res image gallery

The first weekend in June is always circled on our calendar, because that’s when the annual Greenwich Concours d’Elegance goes down in tony Greenwich, CT. So, instead of catching some rays at the beach, or mowing the lawn, or tending to the vegetable garden, we drop the top and head down Interstate 95 to spend the better part of two days gawking at cars exotic and otherwise, always ready for whatever surprises are on hand to add a little variety. Follow the jump for a quick recap of this year’s show, after which you can hit the galleries to ogle the staggering variety of metal that the organizers assembled.

Continue reading Recap: 2010 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance

Recap: 2010 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:20:00 EST.

This is what the first-ever Porsche 911 Turbo looks like today

June 12th, 2010
1973 Porsche 911 Turbo Factory Prototype
1973 Porsche 911 Turbo factory prototype

Some people attending the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance last weekend walked past this Porsche 911 Turbo, giving it nary a glance. After all, it was tucked a little out of the way, and even with its tweaked bodywork and decals, if you’ve seen one 911 Turbo, you’ve seen them all, right? Well, no. Anyone who paused long enough to read the info card owner Murray Smith placed front of the car learned that, in fact, this Turbo is more special than others. You see, it was the prototype – the first factory-turbocharged Porsche 911 road car, period.

As the story goes, it began life as a regular ’73 911S company car driven by Porsche chief engineer Helmuth Bott. From there, it won the Porsche genetics lottery when it was sucked into the automaker’s experimental program to serve as the basis for the Turbo. As such, it became the first roadgoing Porsche 911 to get the turbo engine, along with the now-famous widebody treatment and whaletail.

Once its developmental role was complete, it became the 911 Turbo display car for the Paris, Frankfurt, and Tokyo motor shows, but the story doesn’t end there. Following a subsequent factory RSR conversion, this 911 Turbo was raced by Aussie Porsche importer Alan Hamilton during the mid-1970s. The icing on the cake for us came at the day’s conclusion, when we got to hear the car fire up and get in line for the procession past the podium. It sounded like God on speakerphone. For a 911 with this provenance, that seemed entirely appropriate.

Photos by Alex Núñez / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

This is what the first-ever Porsche 911 Turbo looks like today originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:03:00 EST.

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Derek Ramstrom Looking To Get Back On Perfect Path In Super Late Model At Thompson International Speedway

June 8th, 2010

On May 27 at Thompson International Speedway, Super Late Model division Derek Ramstrom saw his perfect record at the track in 2010 ruined in a crumpled mess against the turn one wall at the track after a hard fought battle for second place with Rick Fuller late in the division’s feature.

Ramstrom adjustments in car.jpgThe wreck knocked Ramstrom, who had won the first three Super Late Model division events of the season at Thompson, out of the points lead in the division.

“I was just fighting for that fourth win, and I really shouldn’t have been pushing that hard,” Ramstrom said in a release from his team. “I probably only had a second-place car, but I was really trying to push Rick Fuller. I had a really bad vibration in the rear brake, so bad it was making the car hop, and it got me extremely loose. I got crossed up going into [turn] one and it unloaded the car on me and went straight into the wall.”

Sunday’s Chatty Joey Logano Muted By Joe Gibbs Racing Officials The Day After Much Publicized Dustup At Pocono

June 8th, 2010

In span of just under 90 seconds Joey Logano went from looking raged to seemingly on the brink of a tears during a heated and emotional post-race interview Sunday following the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 at Pocono Raceway.

Joey Logano Waist Up.jpgLogano spun coming to the initial white-flag of the event after contact with Kevin Harvick in a battle for fifth place. Following the conclusion of the race Logano parked his car on pit road next to Harvick’s and proceeded to have a verbal exchange with Harvick and his crew members.

Moments later Logano met with TNT reporter Ralph Sheheen.

In his post race interview the normally reserved and mild-mannered Logano used the fact that Harvick’s wife DeLana wears a fire suit during races to take a dig at the couple, complained about the number of Richard Childress Racing crew members on pit road that kept him from confronting Harvick and also said that Harvick is “apparently stupid.”

Spy Shots: Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge

May 24th, 2010

Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge – Click above for image gallery

The crew at the Axis of Oversteer have managed to snag what could be the first images of the upcoming Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge, and while no one’s claiming that this is the real McCoy just yet, it’s certainly packing the right kit.

The standard coupe’s five-lug wheels have been nixed in favor of a single lug units, with each nine-spoke, lightweight hoop framing massive carbon ceramic stoppers. The Challenge appears slightly lower than stock and includes some revised aero bits in the form of longer, wider side skirts, a revised fascia and a bonnet sporting a set of hood pins.

Out back and inside, things appear to be slightly rough around the edges, so it’s safe to assume this is just a prototype for the time being. However, the roll cage, plastic windows and deeply bolstered race seat are all sure to make the cut when the Challenge debuts later this year.

One thing we do know: The launch of the 599 GTO is going on this week in Italy, so it’s likely that journalists are getting a sneak peak at the Challenge between making runs in Ferrari’s Enzo-beating GT. That being the case, expect all the details to be revealed shortly.

[Source: Axis of Oversteer]

Spy Shots: Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 May 2010 14:30:00 EST.

2010 One Lap of America: No. 3 Porsche 911 GT2 outlasts all comers

May 10th, 2010

2010 One Lap of America – Click above for high-res image gallery

This year’s running of the One Lap of America wrapped up this weekend after a tidy 3,480 miles, and after a one-year absence from the top spot on the podium, a Porsche 911 has emerged victorious. The No. 3 GT2 (shown above) of Doug Wilks and Leh Keen outlasted all comers, including the No. 4 Nissan GT-R of Catesby Jones and Jose Collado that finished in second place, and the No. 5 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 of Danny Popp, Todd Rumpke and Jeremy Herzberg.

As you may recall, a GT-R took the checkered flag last year, but persistent spark plug issues in the orange-and-gray #1 prevented a repeat performance in 2010. The massively tuned No. 39 BMW 325is of Anthony Magagnoli and Kevin Kreisa was impressively consistent, coming through in fourth place after the carbon fiber-bodied #23 Corvette Z06 of Danny and Kyle Corcoran suffered catastrophic engine failure on a transit stage to drop out of the top five. The failure was particularly unfortunate for Danny Corcoran, known as “Mr. One Lap” to his fellow competitors, as he was participating in his 20th – and likely final – event.

Other standout performances included the heavily modified #54 Honda Civic Si of Jonathan Weir and William Chan, with that car beating out far pricier machinery to finish eighth overall, winning the Econo Car class in the process. Also posting solid results was the No. 124 Mazda5 of Richard Fisher and Jason Saini (ringing up in 15th place) and the No. 20 Porsche Panamera Turbo of Bill and Todd Treffert. The bone-stock Panamera was but a couple of weeks old and barely broken in, yet it turned in a robust performance, including a launch-control aided quarter-mile time of 12.08 seconds in Tulsa, the sixth quickest time among all cars.

This year featured a robust crop of first-time One Lappers, suggesting that, despite America’s continued difficult economy, America’s toughest road car challenge has a bright future ahead of it.

For full race results, check out OneLapOfAmerica.com, and for event-by-event coverage, visit our friends at MotorTrend.com.

Photos by Chris Paukert / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

2010 One Lap of America: No. 3 Porsche 911 GT2 outlasts all comers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 May 2010 16:55:00 EST.

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa unveiled at Villa D’Este

April 24th, 2010

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Zagato-designed Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa has been unveiled at the Villa D’Este concours, and frankly, it’s spectacular. Driven by the Alfa 8C Competizione’s V8, the TZ3 is very much in keeping with its 60s-era predecessors, the TZ1 and TZ2, sporting similar detail elements and the same near-breadvan profile. Also like the originals, this is a legit racing car. Unlike its forbears, however, the new machine wears aluminum bodywork stretched over a tube frame and carbon-fiber chassis. Power, as indicated before, is also of thoroughly modern origin.

Zagato says the TZ3 was commissioned by German collector Martin Kapp as a special celebration of 100 years of racing from Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Corse, Autodelta, and Scuderia Zagato. On that “special” bit, we think it’s safe to say, “mission accomplished” – with class and panache to spare. Official PR pics are in the gallery below, and a full live gallery is posted at OmniAuto. Be sure to pay them a visit as well. Thanks for the tip, Claudio!

[Source: Zagato (PDF link) via OmniAuto.it]

Continue reading Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa unveiled at Villa D’Este

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa unveiled at Villa D’Este originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Apr 2010 09:13:00 EST.