The air-cooled Porsche 911 has become the poster child of a receding age of cars with driving character. And the prices are reflecting buyers’ excitement. Should you get your hands on one now, any way you can, or is there a Porsche 911 bubble waiting to burst?
The Corvette costs the same as the optional extras fitted to the Porsche. And it still does 190mph.
C7 Corvette – Yes, it Really is That Good
A 300-mile test drive of the new C7 Corvette Stingray with Z51 package. It’s so good it’s practically unbelievable, and for the first time ever, Corvette owners won’t have to make excuses.
Check out this great collection of “Vetygud” Corvette License Plates
Here’s a list of the 10 fastest street-legal cars of 2014.
The Strati can reportedly travel up to 40 mph and has a range of 120 miles on a charge.
PHOTO BY LOCAL MOTORS
Local Motors 3-D prints electric roadster in 44 hours
Local Motors, the crunchy, crowd-sourced, Phoenix-based automaker that brought us the Rally Fighter, built a 3-D printed car that actually drives. The electric two-seater was revealed at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago.
The design for the Strati (meaning “layers”), was chosen from more than 200 entries submitted to Local Motors in a contest earlier this year. The winner of the design challenge was Michele Anoe of Italy, who will receive $5,000 in cash for the honor.
Local Motors partnered with Oak Ridge Labs, which fitted a large laser printer with a 3-D extruder, according to Mashable. The second part of the build was done by a Thermwood Corp. routing machine, which smoothed out the look of the open-top, outboard-wheeled buggy.
The printing took 44 hours, but milling it took another full day. Eventually the entire process could be shaved to two days, Local Motors’ Jay Rogers told Mashable.
The Strati can reportedly travel up to 40 mph and has a range of 120 miles on a charge. For comparison, the Volt only has a 40-mile range, but can actually hit freeway speeds. Still, for a first effort, the Strati is a pretty good product. Local says the car still needs plenty of testing before it’s sold to the public.
The battery, motor, wire and suspension were sourced from a variety of manufacturers; the powertrain comes from Renault’s Twizy.
Local says this vehicle proves the viability of 3-D printing in the automotive industry. It plans to launch production-level 3-D-printed vehicles in the next several months. Prices could range from about $18,000 to $34,000, according to Local Motors. That’s not quite as cheap as we were hoping, but like all new technologies, prices should go down as usage increases.
Nissan GT-R Driver Hangs on After 200 MPH Tire Blowout
This GT-R driver was lucky enough to tell the tale of what to do in the event of a high speed blowout, after his Nissan GT-R – modified to deliver 800 horsepower thanks to the twin-turbo engine being bored and stroked to 4.3 liters – blew a tire while travelling at 203 mph. At the 25-second mark, the right front tire loses pressure, disintegrating and sending shrapnel into the HID headlights and destroying the front quarter panel.
The next 30 seconds is a lesson in how to bring a car to a stop safely, lifting off the throttle, gently applying the brakes, and holding the car steady. Remember this lesson and stay calm if this happens to you.
German tuner GeigerCars has had a chance to upgrade the C7 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, adding a supercharger and other goodies to significantly boost power output – BUT with a price or $145,000 why would anyone get this and not a Z06
The Eaton blower promises to add an extra 130 horsepower and 93 lb-ft of torque, for a grand total of 590 ponies and 558 lb-ft of twist. The numbers aren’t too far below the factory flagship Z06 build.
Aside from the forced induction, Geiger also added new coilover suspension that allows the owner to drop the front and rear ride height. The ‘Vette is lighter than stock, thanks to a carbon-fiber body kit that accommodates wider 19- and 20-inch wheels.
Some of the carbon fiber is left bare, highlighting the front splitter, side sills and rear spoiler, among other components.
Qualcomm has released a promotional video showing BMW’s i8 getting flogged around, burning rubber! Formula E driver, Nelson Piquet Jr. took Qualcomm’s Edward Van Boheemen and Pat Kusbel out for a few hot laps, and apparently uncomfortable interviews, at the Donington Park racing circuit.
Piquet doesn’t hold back in the Qualcomm Safety Car, which was outfitted with the company’s wireless-charging technology. The session was filed with plenty of oversteer, powerslides and burning rubber.
The i8 is positioned as BMW’s flagship tech platform, pairing a 231-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine with a 131-pony electric motor, propelling the car up to 62 mph from a standstill in just 4.4 seconds. Unlike some other performance-focused pure-electric sports cars, the i8 has a relatively high top speed of 155 mph.
Qualcomm’s Halo wireless-charging technology is not available for the current production i-Series lineup, but it is expected to make its way to the market as early as 2017.
