July 31st, 2010 at 03:55pm Under Computers
People started a long time ago to study the world they are living in. It all began with the thirst for knowledge and soon expanded to a need for understanding the earth, its composition, and how does it manage to keep us all alive.
Even from ancient times, people began observing the importance of water, and other liquids. Soon they moved on to studying its compo… (read more)
By Moris Add comment
July 31st, 2010 at 03:55pm Under Cars
Filed under: Aftermarket, Classics, Coupe, Porsche, Humor, Specialty
This author will be the first to admit that he’s not exactly overflowing with love for the Porsche 944, but don’t expect any amused looks from this camp about seeing this car degraded into a stumpy rendition of Tim Burton’s Batmobile. Sadly, that’s just what seems to have happened with this particular 1985 944. According to the seller, the car still boasts the stock 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a five-speed manual cog box, so you won’t be outpacing baddies anytime soon. A NOS Sniper system has been installed on the car, but thankfully, it’s never been used. We’re guessing hitting the go-go juice would be a heckuva lot of fun - but probably just once.
A few of the movie car’s more outlandish traits have made their way to this poor Porsche, including those wild batwing fins and a pair of replica .223 machine guns that light up for effect. The car does feature the kind of sound system you’d need to drown out the riotous laughter of those in traffic around you, so that’s a plus. The seller says that the front fenders need to be finished, and as such, you can get this puppy for a song. Asking price is a mere $6,500. You can check out the full listing here. Thanks for the tip, Kris!
Gallery: 1985 Porsche 944 Batmobile Tribute
[Source: Kijiji]
Online Find of the Day: Holy Abomination Batman - It’s a customized 1985 Porsche 944! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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By Mikel Add comment
July 31st, 2010 at 03:55pm Under Cars
Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Pontiac
Matt Farah and the crew from The Smoking Tire just can’t seem to get enough of the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible they had for this year’s Bullrun. With the cross-country party over and nothing but a mountain of citations looming in the distance, The Smoking Tire set out to give the big Blue Oval one last goodbye. Of course, they couldn’t spend an entire episode pouring over every last detail of a vehicle that regular viewers know all too well. Instead, the show lined up a quick stint behind the wheel of the Classic Design Concepts Firebreather.
Think of it as what the 2010 Pontiac Firebird would have looked like if the Poncho had survived the GM apocalypse and the company’s designers had been on acid. If you can get past the wildly rear sheet metal and the drooping front fascia, there’s a supercharged version of the 6.2-liter V8 in the Chevrolet Camaro on which it’s based. The whole concoction is good for 600 horsepower, and while the car was originally worked up for an Exodus Productions movie, Classic Design Concepts will be selling genuine Firebreather models to the public. Hit the jump to see Farah wrangle the car through a canyon or two.
[Source: The Smoking Tire]
Continue reading Video: The Smoking Tire gets to play with the Firebreather
Video: The Smoking Tire gets to play with the Firebreather originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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By Mikel Add comment
July 31st, 2010 at 03:55pm Under Racing
The next session of the weekend is the third practice session. If you want your predictions to count make sure you get them in before then.
Enter your Hungarian Grand Prix predictions here.
Here’s today’s round-up:
Team orders would make me quit, says Button (Reuters)
“You’re here to win, you’re here to be the best, and you should have equal opportunity to the next guy that’s sat alongside you in the same car. He should also get every opportunity otherwise it’s not a drivers’ sport any more, it is a complete and utter team sport. Formula One is a team sport, but when you cross the finish line you are the person that wins the drivers’ championship. For me, if it wasn’t down to the individual, I wouldn’t be interested in racing any more.”
Will Texas fall in love with F1? (MotorSport)
Beaky Simms: “Bernie’s discovered how much money there is in Texas – in Houston and Dallas. There are plenty of wealthy and successful Texans who are falling over themselves to do business with Mr Ecclestone, and the track is going to be a proper race track with fast corners and elevation changes. I think this race in Austin is going to be a big success.”
The Austin GP press conference
Part one of six. Find the rest here: part two, part three, part four, part five, part six.
McLaren query ‘flexible’ Red Bull front wing (BBC)
Martin Whitmarsh: “It’s difficult for us to imagine how with any form of linear deflection you can be in any danger of those [endplates] hitting the ground. Obviously there are [cars with] endplates that have skids, which would suggest they are making contact with the ground. We are trying to clarify that with the FIA because it seems unusual to us.”
History Repeating Itself (Viva F1)
“Today is the 37th anniversary of the death of Roger Williamson during the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. [...] It was therefore a shock to hear that another driver died today, on the same circuit and in an eerie reminder of the Williamson’s death, fire was the culprit although no prior accident is reported to have caused it.”
Hungarian GP – Conference 2 (FIA)
Christian Horner: “I think we’ve made it very clear that we let both of our drivers compete for that championship, so rightly or wrongly, we’ve let our drivers race. We will continue to employ that strategy, but you do have two championships and Drivers’ and Teams’ both carry the same significance, I would say.”
Here’s how Eric reads the practice times ahead of qualifying today:
If Vitaly Petrov can get to fifth, then Robert Kubica could be right up there, i don’t think he has showed his hand yet.
McLaren have still a lot of work to do, this type of track just doesn’t suit there car.
Red Bull are looking good for one-two finish, which will just let Hamilton hold his lead for the long break if he can finish in sixth or better.
Eric
Lots of people are enjoying Karun Chandhok on BBC Radio 5 Live
Happy birthday to EGC!
If you’ve never heard the bizarre story of Hans Heyer’s antics during the 1977 German Grand Prix you’re in for a treat.
Modern rules means that drivers don’t have to qualify to take part in a Grand Prix – witness Fernando Alonso’s situation at Monaco this year.
That was not the case at the Hockenheimring 33 years ago today, where only 24 of the 30 entrants were allowed to start. Having only set the 27th fastest time in qualifying, Heyer was out.
But he wasn’t prepared to let a minor inconvenience like failing to qualify keep from racing on home ground. As the race started amid some commotion – first, the starting lights failed, then Alan Jones and Clay Regazzoni collided with each other – he slipped out of the pits and onto the track in his Penske.
Heyer completed nine laps before his gear linkage broke. It was his one and only Grand Prix start – regardless of whether or not the history books consider him an official starter!
By Mikel Add comment
July 31st, 2010 at 03:55pm Under Racing
Cypher Group, the American team entered to compete for the thirteenth spot on the 2011 Formula1 roster has withdrawn its entry. According to an Autosport article quoting a press release from the team, “after much deliberation we have decided that the budget we have is not sufficient to allow us to pursue the project in [...]
By Mikel Add comment
July 31st, 2010 at 03:55pm Under Racing
Force India had stacked their drivers during a pit stop in Germany. They made a rapid tire change on each car but unfortunately had placed an errant tire on each of it’s cars. One soft with three hard compounds and one hard with three soft compounds. This is illegal by FIA regulations and so they [...]
By Mikel Add comment
July 31st, 2010 at 03:55pm Under Racing
Consider the following a public service. There are two intended audiences, which should — should — cover just about everyone reading. Audience No. 1: North American motorsport fans. Audience No. 2: Non-North American motorsport fans. My words for both regard this blog post at ESPN, by a guy, Ryan McGee, who I think we can [...]
By Mikel Add comment
July 31st, 2010 at 03:55pm Under Racing
Renault have had a busy practice day in Budapest with new parts, different configurations and tire comparisons. The interesting point from their daily update is that they were using Friday’s free practive sessions as a veritable testing session. That’s nothing new for anyone who follows F1 but perhaps intriguing as it does signify just how [...]
By Mikel Add comment
July 31st, 2010 at 03:55pm Under Racing
Richard Branson on Friday announced he is launching a film and television production company, Virgin Productions. Virgin will co-produce two or three films per year as part of its deal with Relativity Media’s Rogue Pictures. Hollywood watcher The Wrap has the brief bit of news. Here’s the Branson statement: “Entertainment has long been a focus [...]
By Mikel Add comment
July 31st, 2010 at 02:00pm Under Racing
Join us below to follow Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying live.
Qualifying – Hungarian Grand Prix
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By Mikel Add comment