Click above for a few more shots of the ABF Performance MINI
MINIs have a long history of racing, though most of the iconic hatch's focus has been on its slot car-like handling than its prowess down the 1320. That's set to change with the collaboration between MINI and ABF Performance to create the world's quickest Cooper. How quick? In a taped performance for an upcoming episode of the show Pinks on Speed TV, the Cooper in question, which is an S model from 2002, scored a 10.48 second quarter-mile time while reaching a trap speed of 135 miles per hour. That's seriously quick, especially for a car driven by the wrong wheels. Powering the beast is a 1.6-liter engine that's had its stock supercharger thrown out in favor of one very large Garret turbocharger. A new computer from Motec keeps things running smoothly and allows the 650 horses to be unleashed to the front wheels.
Look for more coming in the near future from ABF, including some cool mods and parts at the SEMA Show in November. For some extra fun, watch this MINI run down a couple of hard-charging classic muscle cars on its way down the track after the break.
It's got the preposterously huge wing, and race-burlesque stripe job; could this Viper spotted at the Nurburgring possibly be a Viper ACR? The red and black Viper was nabbed on one of the 'Ring's cameras, and there's also reports of a black Viper with graphite stripes tearing around the German racing venue. While the pictures showed up on the Viperclub forums, nobody's got any lap times, unfortunately. Could the ACR turn laps as fast as the scorching GT-R or ZR1? Who knows, but there's no doubt that it'll be fast. That big, silly wing is acceptable in this instance, as it will actually work to enhance downforce on the drive wheels. It'd be the first thing removed for street duty, were we the owners of a Viper GTS. Alas, we're not Viper ACR owners, though the idea of an astoundingly fast car that can kill you if you don't know what you're doing just seems right in these days of electronic safety nets. Cowboy attitude aside, we hope that this Viper owner managed to not stuff it into any hazards, and that his lap times eventually bubble to the surface. Thanks for the tip, Gustavo.
Click image above for huge high-res gallery of the AB team's pics from the track
The 35th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races presented by Toyota at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a long title for a spectacular event. Saturday was actually day two of the Historics, which will conclude on Sunday. While the races are exciting and the action very real, the results are slightly less important here than just witnessing the spectacle. The sounds alone are worth a trip to Laguna Seca in August. Saturday's action featured the Toyota Race of Legends, with several other classes having their day in the sun as well.
We had photographers all around the track capturing glimpses of the action, so make sure to click through the gallery to see what you are missing. After witnessing Mario Andretti throw the checkered flag for the Legends and then completing what seemed like dozens of "demo" laps in his old Lotus F1 car, we thought we knew what makes this event so special. And then we saw Patrick Dempsey getting some demo laps in an old Chrysler, and we had to rethink our theory. Okay, Dempsey is probably a bit more maligned here than he deserves, but he does seem to be featured here a lot lately. Personally we were happy to see the Keno twins of Antiques Roadshow fame just as much.
Look through the gallery and you will see some of these encounters and dozenz of pics of the great cars you practically trip over in the open paddock. It's just sick how many of the greatest cars from throughout automotive history are here and being driven as they should be. Saturday's classes included the finals for Pre-1940 Sports and Touring Cars, 1925-1950 Racing Cars and Indy Roadsters, 1950-1960 Sports Racing Cars, 1966-1972 Historic Trans-Am Cars, 1966-1974 Historic Can-Am Cars and 1964-1975 FIA Sports Racing Cars. We also got to see some of the cars that will be running Sunday as their owners tweaked them for the final day of competition. If you make it out to the track on Sunday you'll likely catch the featured Alfa Romeos as well as 1955-1966 Production Sports Cars, 1967-1978 Historic F-1 Cars, and 1972-1983 Historic IMSA Cars. If you can't find something you like in those groups, you're not trying.
Press release after the jump with results and quotes from Saturday.
Click image above for high-res gallery from Laguna Seca
This year's edition of The Toyota Race of Legends looked to be another exciting race, giving fans a chance to see former racing greats mix it up in identically prepared Scion tCs. Basically they are the same cars that are used in Long Beach for the Pro/Celebrity Race. The lineup of drivers included last year's winner, Derek Bell, along with other former F1 and sports car racers like Eddie Cheever, Danny Sullivan, Johnny Herbert, Alan Jones, John Watson, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Patrick Tambay, and Alain de Cadenet, as well as current Toyota F1 hot shoe, Timo Glock.
As a bit of a twist in the proceedings, local tuner and sometime racer Bruce Canepa had won a spot on the grid during a charity auction. Bruce quickly promised to beat the pants off the pros, citing his experience at Laguna Seca (his shop is just down the road), his prior racing experience (he has teamed with Bobby Rahal and Rick Mears at the Daytona 24 Hours and was on the Porsche AG 935 factory team), and his recent Scion tC track training.
Alain de Cadenet, for one, wasn't about to take that challenge lying down. He told us as much on Wednesday night at the Jet Center. A little friendly rivalry could only add to the fun. The stakes were raised when the officials held the draw for starting positions. Wouldn't you know it, Canepa landed the pole. Well, the gauntlet was thrown down and when the flag was waived, it was time to put up or shut up. Follow the jump for a brief rundown of the results.
Click image above for high-res gallery from Concorso Italiano 2008
The festivities continue around the Monterey Peninsula. We've already shown you pics from Gordon McCall's party and from the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance, but today's coverage picks up an Italian accent. The Concorso Italiano is one of the largest annual gatherings of all things Italian, be it music, cuisine, fashion, tourism, and of course cars. Previously held at the nearby Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course in Monterey Bay, this year's gathering took place at the Marina municipal airstrip. Just like the past 20-something years, this year's Concorso brought out some stunning examples of Italy's finest, cars designed with passione and intended to be driven con brio. And just like in previous years, a few non-Italian cars that bring that same driving thrill were invited in for the party.
While the tarmac didn't offer the same soft picnic grove as the golf course, the organizers tried their best to make up for it with plenty of shady tents to visit filled with vendors, food and fun. Concorso has always been more laid back than some of the other judged events during the week, and even with the slightly more rigid airport setting there was still a feeling that you were at more of a car club meet than a genuine concours. Check out the gallery by clicking one of the images here and you'll hopefully see what we mean. The usual Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, and Alfas were joined by a bunch of Lancias, DeTomasos, Fiats, and a smattering of "others" that included German, Japanese, American, and British cars. Our favorite stop was the supercar lineup that featured two MC12s, two Veyrons, an Enzo and an F50. We even spotted Valentino Balboni, Adam Corolla and Jay Leno while we were there. Click away and enjoy.
The motor racing world was bereaved this week to learn of the passing of Dino Toso. The former director of aerodynamics for Renault F1 was diagnosed with cancer back in 2004, but continued to work until two months ago.
Toso came from the aerospace industry and started his career in motorsports in 1995 with BMW's GT program before being picked up by Jordan Grand Prix in 1997. He then moved with Mike Gascoyne to Renault in 2000, where he remained until this year, playing a central role in the back-to-back drivers' and constructors' titles which the team won in 2005 and 2006. He was named Aerodynamicist of the Year in 2005. In a statement released earlier, fellow Italian Flavio Briatore noted, "His contribution to the team, both through his results and his courage in the face of illness, are an inspiration. He will be missed enormously and the immediate thoughts of the whole team are with his family."
Dino passed away at the young age of 39 on Wednesday morning. Our condolences go out to his friends, family and colleagues.
Click image above to see our huge gallery of pics from the '08 Pebble Tour
Because so many collector car fans refer to the seven days in August as Pebble Week, it should come as no surprise that the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is still the cornerstone of automotive nirvana here on the Monterey peninsula. The ultra-exclusive Concours staged on the Pebble Beach Golf Links, providing classic car buffs the ultimate venue to see automotive history staked out on the greens. While dozens of supporting events have surfaced to fill the entire week with automotive happenings, Pebble itself has diversified to include a free event for spectators: the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance.
The Tour is open to all Concours entries and those that participate earn tie-breaker points in the Concours judging on Sunday. All but the oldest cars drive 50 miles up and down the hills along 17-Mile Drive and PCH from Pebble Beach to Big Sur, before heading back to the Polo Grounds at Pebble. Most of the participants also make a lunch stop in Carmel which clogs the streets for most of the day. Nobody can blame fans for trying to get a glimpse of these great cars for free rather than shelling out the big bucks for the Concours tickets. While the Sunday show offers truly spectacular vistas, getting a chance to see, hear and smell these museum pieces in action is really special too.
While Formula One has been a relative constant for the past several decades, the various feeder series running up the ladder to the pinnacle of international motorsport seems to always be in flux. The FIA recently announced plans to revive the old Formula 2 series with a new low-cost format to compete with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone's contemporary GP2 championship, but Bernie isn't about to let himself be dominated by Max Mosley without putting up a good fight.
To that end, Ecclestone is now reported to be working on launching a new GP3 series. The new feeder series would sit one step below GP2, which itself has supplied a crop of new talent – including Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Timo Glock – to the F1 grid every year since its inception in 2005. GP3 would compete directly with the fractioned Formula 3 – under which separate series operate around the world without a single united championship – and swallow the International Formula Master's series established last year. While Mosley's discredited vision of a low-cost Formula 2 would cap annual budgets at 200,000 euros per car (compared to the 800,000 euro cost of the F3 Euroseries), GP3 could keep things down to the more realistic 450,000 euro budget required in the aforementioned IFM.
Bottom line: there's a war of racing series going on between Mosley and Ecclestone, and racing fans could stand to benefit from the competition.
With both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa contracted with Ferrari through next year, reports are circulating that the Scuderia may bring on board both Fernando Alonso and Robert Kubica for 2010.
After Kimi and Felipe, and with Lewis Hamilton firmly in place at McLaren, the pairing of Alonso and Kubica in Maranello would provide a formidable team against the rest of the field. Alonso, of course, is a two-time world champion and one of the only drivers to repeatedly beat Schumacher to the title, while Kubica has proven himself a competent driver of the highest degree. Whether the reports are accurate, and whether Ferrari would just dump Kimi and Felipe like that remains to be seen.
It's no secret that running a motorsports team is a lot of work, but probably most of us don't know how much time and effort it really takes. Just building the race cars can take hundreds of man hours, as evidenced by this stop-motion video created by the U.S. Subaru rally team. Starting with a stock 2008 WRX STI, the team strips the car down to its frame by removing the engine, drivetrain, interior and even the windshield. The complete transformation takes an amazing 800 hours of labor. Knowing that makes us cringe even more when we see one roll end over end. Follow the jump to watch the video.
The motor racing world was bereaved this week to learn of the passing of Dino Toso. The former director of aerodynamics for Renault F1 was diagnosed with cancer back in 2004, but continued to work until two months ago.
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