Rams Eye The Track Guy

I know this isn't a video of a 488GTB but bear with me. This is a video by Motor Trend of a 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia. It shows a very brief review and hot lapping at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the 2011 Best Driver's Car (BDC) feature. Play the video, skip to 0:42 and listen. Once you get to about 1:00, you should rewind back to 0:42 and let it play again to 1:00. I did that a few times. That's what the Ferrari 458 Italia sounds like, with a screaming 4.5 litre V8 that revs all the way to 9,000 rpm, where it produces peak aural pleasure and power. Rev matching downshifts are awesome. What an engine. What a noise. Sadly, the replacement of the Ferrari 458 will almost certainly not sound like that.  The 488 GTB will replace the 4.5 litre V8 with a 3.9 litre V8 that makes peak power at 8,000 rpm and will probably redline at the same point like the last one, which would mean a drop of 1,000 rpm. A pair of turbochargers ensure what's left of that hig

In an unprecedented move, Cadillac chose to unveil a brand new car (one that is currently going to sit at the top of the lineup at that) in an Oscars commercial instead of a car show or press release. Meet the CT6, completely unveiled, although we'll have to wait until the New York Auto Show for the official debut with all the details and get a better look at it from different angles. I think it's a very smart move, capturing an unexpected moment and a lot of excitement, but only time will tell if it will pay off in sales. I've always been a fan of Cadillac's Art and Science design language and this is no exception. I think it looks great and elegant. What's even more important to me in this segment is looking substantial but not bulky and demanding presence. I think it hits all the right marks. As far as mechanical details, so far it's expected to receive 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6 and an optional plug-in hybrid powertrain that should get about

Over 1,000 hp V10 engine, in a RWD car with a six speed manual. This car also happens to be a Viper, one of the most charismatic cars on the road. This is the work of RSI Racing Solutions through their RSI Twin Turbo Race Systems kit. Starting from $89,950 on top of the price of a Viper, the kit brings Precision 72 mm turbos (76 mm are optional) with custom associated plumbing, cooling, intake and exhaust. The kit also brings built forged block and internals with a 528 c.i. (8.7 litre) stroker kit. The heads and valvetrain, fuel system and clutch are also upgraded to handle the newfound horsepower. The transmission, clutch, differential and axles can also be built to handle the added grunt. If that's more than you'd like, you can forego the built block and heads and go with smaller, 62 mm turbos along with their plumbing and cooling and upgraded fuelling which starts at $44,950. This kit, called RSI Twin Turbo Systems is good for over 850 hp at the wheels. Awesome. Ch

When will Lexus spare the world from this terrible design language? A commenter on Motor Trend Wide Open Throttle's post said:  " What a hideous, deformed, loud-mouthed, inside-out, upside-down terror is this?!?!? This...this "thing" is an utter disgrace. Wait, I'm sorry! That statement was a disgrace to "things" everywhere! I weep for Lexus enthusiasts everywhere (except BD, he probably deserves this)! Where did they get the inspiration for this monstrosity??? From a deep sea angler??? C'mon, Akio! What happened to the people who designed the FRS?? Were they mysteriously wiped out by an asteroid one night while working on this vehicle, so you decided to hire a bunch of teenage metal-heads who spend their days playing Zombie Apocalypse finish the design??? Oh man, if only there were enough negative adjectives to describe this horrible...this horrible....phenomenon. I heretofore refuse to call whatever this ill-conceived hunk of metal is

This "Momkhana" video commercial is a spoof of Ken Block's Gymkhana videos. A second generation Toyota Sienna minivan has had its stock engine and drivetrain thrown out and replaced with a small block V8 and RWD. This is how minivans should come from the factory. Imagine pulling up next to this at a traffic light and hearing it. If at least one manufacturer made an optional trim/package for a production minivan of this caliber or close to, even if it's a turbo V6 with a simple FWD-based AWD system, minivans will be cool again. They probably won't sell well or make money for the manufacturers so it'll never happen. 

"True, the Evo MR is an aged dog. Its equipment is antiquated." Who would have thought this would be how to describe an Evo? It has basically been unchanged since its introduction. In fact, the pictures posted here are from Mitsubishi's website. A link that takes you to a flickr Mitsubishi account where the pictures are titled 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.  The Lancer Evolution has always been a performance bargain, offering performance that nothing in its budget did but, with a starting price that's as close as makes no difference $40,000 and no updates since its introduction, that's no longer the case. You can get Camaros, Mustangs and Challengers that are faster and quicker now. Many people now know that a Camaro SS 1LE or a Mustang GT Track Pack are hugely capable on a track and can easily beat an Evo but would struggle to believe that a Challenger would beat an Evo on the track but during Car and Driver Lightning Lap features, a 2011 Challenger S

Meet Juns Subaru BRZ. If the traditional power adding methods like forced induction or dropping a small block V8 aren't your thing, this may be it (although I imagine swapping a small block V8 into something small is typically a North American - and awesome - solution, but I digress). This one does have a V8 but it's a very different kind of V8 and, at $70,000, it will cost you a multiple of that but you will no doubt have something very unique. The engine is based on two Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R engines and has a displacement of 2.4 litres. Power? 356 hp at 10,680 rpm, a whopping 156 hp over stock, although torque gets a much more modest jump to 199 lb-ft, "only" 48 lb-ft over stock. This frankenstein engine is the work of Synery Power in New Zealand, which developed the engine for midget car speedway racing but they have wanted to put it in a street car. I would imagine the experience might be similar to a rotary engine, making a lot of power but all very h