This years Goodwood festival of speed was a buzz with some of the most interesting machines to grace tarmac. We had not one, but two, LaFerrari as well as a whole host of legendary racing cars. It really was a vintage year and one that shouldn’t have been missed! However, if like me you are a bit disheartened about missing the show (don’t feel too sorry for me as I was on holiday) we have a fantastic photo gallery coming up. One of the stars of 2014 was the all-new Ford Mustang as the Blue oval let it rip up the hill.
Driven by precision driver Paul Swift, a V8 Mustang gave those famous hay bails something to think about. Roaring past the crowd and wooing passersby whilst stationary, this taster of what will soon hit UK roads is more than enough to get us salivating. Available in the UK as a 2.3 litre 305BHP contender or an almighty 5.0 litre V8, the all-new Mustang promises to appeal to even the most sceptical European pallet. We look forward to snagging the keys and finding out for ourselves in the future.
The whole Porsche/VW saga was an interesting one, but the end result is that the former now belongs to the latter. With other members of the Volkswagen group taking part in motorsport and Porsche who have always done so, the question of the authenticity of rivalries comes to mind. Porsche have joined the World Endurance Championship this year with a top-flight LMP1 car. The problem being that Audi dominate the LMP1 class and are also owned by VW. Does the same company battling itself make sense? The Volkswagen group think so and they have promised a fair fight between the two. Audi Taunts Porsche before Le Mans.
Audi has produce a video taunting Porsche before their historic return to the Le Mans 24 hour race. Taking the new 2014 Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro onto public roads, the racing car causes quite a scene. Past schools, and members of the public, the growling endurance racer is on a mission, but what? After passing a classic Porsche tractor, a clear jibe, the R18 ends up outside of a Porsche building. Doughnuts proceed with the skid marks spelling out “welcome back.”
It is good to see genuine humour between the two, but we can’t wait to see Porsche try to take their revenge on the track.
The signature of the Porsche 911 is that its engine is mounted at the rear. That fact is what makes its DNA so unique in the world of sports cars. Engine placement influences its shape, its handling and its appeal. The 911 has always been rear engined throughout its history, or has it? On a few occasions people have pondered the possibility of a mid engine Porsche 911, but obviously the German company would never put something such as that into production as it corrupts what a 911 is. However, that doesn’t mean they never built one.
Hidden away in the archive of the Porsche Museum in Germany are some very unique cars. Everything from historic racing cars to a one-off bullet proof 911. A recently published video shows that a mid engined Porsche 911 exists and was actually built by Porsche as a test mule for the then up-and-coming Boxster. The prototype car disguised various comments that would make it into the Boxster including its engine in the middle which replaced this 911’s rear seats. A darkened rear window prevented snoopers from revealing the development of such a car before the company.
Check out the video below to find out more about this secret mid engine Porsche 911.
Cosworth are legends amongst those who know their onions when it comes to cars. The power to the people brand brought their racing expertise from rallying and Formula One to some of the most notable road cars of the past few decades. The Ford Escort and Sierra Cosowrth, Mercedes-Benz 190 E Cosowrth and Subaru Impreza Cosworth are all biblical. Now the British team are turning their attention to the Toyota GT86. Cosworth readying Toyota GT86.
The Toyota GT86 is an excellent car, but almost every motoring journalist agrees that it has more potential and could do with a small bump in power. Cosworth may have the answer after teasing a car codenamed FA-20. This performance package has yet to be detailed but from the video an aggressive aerodynamic upgrade and what sounds like a turbocharged engine are set to be in the mix. Other revisions that we expect to make an appearance are uprated brakes, suspension and a race inspired interior.
“And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.” A quote from arguably the worlds most legendary racing driver, Ayrton Senna. If ever a man had a god given talent to do something, his was to drive. His style was pure and focused, almost as if he was bolted directly to components of the car. Watch this man dance with hundreds of horse power as if playing a piano, a true maestro of extracting every ounce of performance from not only the car, but also himself. You want to see the Brazilian at his best? Monaco 1988 is often regarded as the greatest lap in Formula One history. Ayrton Senna recalls an almost outer body experience as he beat his team mate, the great Allan Prost, during qualifying by a staggering one and a half seconds. The world has never seen a lap in a racing car that impressive since.
However, we all know this story has a sad ending. On 1st May 1994 Ayrton Senna crashed at Imola at speed. On that day the worlds most gifted driver, a man who clocked up 65 pole positions and three Formula One world championships, lost his life. Motorsport morned his loss and in his home country his death was a national tragedy.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death and I can’t help but wonder what he would have achieved had his life not been cut short.
Last year the world was treated to an event that usually only happens once a decade. A new hyper car was born! However, two more joined the party and all of a sudden we were faced with the most competitive year for top flight performance cars in the history of motoring. The Porsche 918, McLaren P1 and LaFerrari all push the boudoirs of what is possible for a road legal machine. Each has its own unique flavour and the thought of all three going head to head is mouthwatering. Some motoring journals have already tested the 918 and P1 which only leaves one. How Good is LaFerrari?
Autocar were lucky enough to be invited to be one of the first to drive LaFerrari in Italy and as the embargo dropped last night, this brilliant video was published. Veteran motoring journalist Steve Sutcliffe takes to the road and track in the 950BHP V12 hybrid Ferrari flagship and is absolutely overwhelmed by its composure and performance. Drifting and burning rubber, it is quite the spectacle! What car out of the three comes out on top? Autocar want all there on the same piece of British tarmac before they decide.
With a new generation of games consoles comes a new generation of games. The virtual world has long been a place for many petrol heads to escape the reality of their Fiat Punto and instead put a Ferrari F40 through its paces around Spa. The games have become more and more realistic mimicking not only the visual beauty of their four wheeled protagonists, but also their handling characteristics. Project Cars aims to utilise more of its platforms potential than any of its competitors. I think after seeing this video even the developers of Gran Turismo and Forza 5 would be impressed. Project Cars VS Real Life.
Although this example is clearly running on a very high specification PC, all variations for Xbox One and PS4 look mighty impressive. Here Project cars is put to the ultimate test as a side-by-side compression sees the virtual game take on real life. The result of these BMW’s running around Laguna Seca is nothing short of breathtaking. Graphically Project Cars is almost flawless and at some points even makes you question what side of the screen is reality. Take a look and be impressed. Project cars arrives in stores November 2014.
The latest car on offer from Legendary British company McLaren is the 650S. This more driver focused machine is their answer to the Ferrari 458 Speciale, a car that is no slouch. With a mid-mounted 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged engine producing 641BHP, this 650S is capable of 0-62MPH in 3 seconds flat and 0-100MPH in just 7.7 seconds. Carbon brakes and a 7 speed dual clutch gearbox comes as standard on this car that is based upon the successful 12C. Available as a coupe and Spider, competitors should be worried. Chris Harris Drives McLaren 650S Sensibly… Nah, He Drifts It!
It was only a matter of time before sensationally sideways Chris Harris got his hands on the new metal. Whilst proving that the rain in Spain doesn’t always fall on the plain, McLaren’s latest supercar finds itself going sideways for the camera. A technical walkthrough of the car also provides an insight into the mechanical changes and just what McLaren have learnt from the P1 project. Although not as easily as Harris would have liked… Check out the video below of the bright orange Spider bellowing its V8 chorus and burning rubber. Volume up ladies and gents!
The Land Rover Discovery is 25 years old this year, so Happy Birthday to you! This strong go anywhere vehicle has been climbing mountains, crossing hostile wastelands and providing the perfect balance between work and play for decades. Its nameplate has spanned four generations each growing in their capabilities. For the cars impending fifth generation it would appear that something revolutionary, not evolutionary, is coming. New Land Rover Discovery to be revealed at New York.
To make its debut at the New York motor show, the all-new Land Rover Discovery will be previewed in the form of a concept car. This model will launch a new Discovery family that is set to spawn several variations. A teaser video has been published and from the silhouette on display it is clear that the new Land Rover Discovery will sport a steeply raked profile with signature wrap-around rear window. The 2015 incarnation has been described as “bold” by its designers and so we wait with much anticipation to see what this legend has for us. As the video below mentions, this is a “new age of Discovery” and so we should expect to see a host of new technologies being incorporated into what is already a capable machine.
Announced at the Geneva motor show, the Koenigsegg One:1 is potentially the worlds fastest road production car. With a top speed of over 270MPH and series of advanced aerodynamic features, this is Sweden’s answer to LaFerrari and the McLaren P1. As the name suggests there are two key factors to this cars astonishing performance figures. One:1 is symbolic of the cars one to one ratio of power to weight. The second in Drive’s video series looking into the making of this biblical cars focuses on how it produces its 1,360HP.
There is an interesting point in the video where the company’s founder argues the case for a pure supercar, unlike the hybrid assisted engines of all three big rivals; the Porsche 918 and the aforementioned LaFerrari, McLaren P1. Christian Von Koenigsegg also talks about how all of his cars engines are made entirely in-house, an amazing achievement for a brand that produces such niche products.
