TopSpeed Daily Update |  |
- Why do we have to slow down to a crawl on the freeway?
- Honda NSF250R Moto3 Bike
- Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG by McChip
- Lexus CT 200h Race Car by Gazoo Racing
- BMW M3
- HBH teases new mid-engined Aston Martin V12
- Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe
- Lamborghini Estoque
- Infiniti readying new sports coupe for 2012 Geneva Motor Show
- Video: Fernando Alonso drives 458 Italia at Fiorano
| Why do we have to slow down to a crawl on the freeway? Posted: 24 May 2011 09:00 AM PDT
Here’s another helpful infographic for all to ponder. Ever been hightailing it on the freeway when all of a sudden brake lights start lighting up like the Griswold house around Christmastime and you wonder why in the heck everyone has decided to slow down? It’s called a shockwave by traffic planners and it affects just about everyone at some point in time. It starts off when one driver takes a bit too long to get into their lane or when something in the road catches their eye and they slow down to see if they should swerve or run over it. That minor change in one driver’s pattern begins a ripple effect that affects everyone behind them. All of a sudden, that driver is going 5mph slower than they were, making the person behind them slow down by 10mph to keep a safe driving distance. The more cars involved in this effect, the slower they have to drive to adjust to the change in flow. By the time everyone reaches the point where the original driver slowed down just a bit, there is no evidence as to why the change occurred and angry drivers chaulk it up to rubbernecking or bad driving. It’s comparable to water flowing through a funnel. A slow drip flows smoothly down and exits freely; add a sudden rush of water and that funnel is now filling up and spilling over. Just something to think about next time you’re out on the freeway and are convinced some idiot just ruined your day. Check back with us to find more interesting tidbits as part of our Car Infographics series. Why do we have to slow down to a crawl on the freeway? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 16:00 EST.
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| Posted: 24 May 2011 08:15 AM PDT
Honda Racing Corporation has decided to unveil their long-awaited NSF250R 4-stroke bike at the Catalunya race circuit in Barcelona on June 2, 2011, just in time for the future Moto3 class that's set to take the place of the current 125cc category of the GP125 class of the FIM Road-Racing World Championship. The new NSF250R 4-stroke bike bears striking similarities to the bike it's replacing, the RS125R. Incidentally, the RS125R was ridden by both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso to their respective World Championship runs. In developing the NSF250R, Honda Racing Corporation wanted to build a bike that took the same high-performance, lightweight, and compact elements of the RS125R. "We want users to ride with the same sense of comfort and inherits important elements from the RS125R such as the ability to learn the basics for moving up from entry level to the MotoGP," HRC explains. The bike is scheduled to have its official press face time on June 2nd at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona with a public demonstration by Alex Criville happening a day later on June 3rd followed by another demo lap right after the warm-up session of the MotoGP race on Sunday, June 5th. Those of you interested in keeping tabs on the new Moto3 class of MotoGP, you might find it worth your time to check out the bike that's being groomed to contend in the new series beginning in 2012. Honda NSF250R Moto3 Bike originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 15:15 EST.
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| Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG by McChip Posted: 24 May 2011 08:00 AM PDT
If we had a beautiful Mercedes C63 AMG sitting in our garage waiting to get pimped out, there are plenty of tuning firms the world over that offer programs for the AMG-powered sports sedan, including others that we’ve featured in the past. But if you want something a little more fresh, German tuning firm, McChip, has something special for you. For the C63 AMG, McChip addressed the C63 AMG’s performance capabilities by introducing a new kit that they’re calling ’Stage 3’. As part of this program, McChip carefully remapped the car’s ECU, optimizing it and improving the performance figures that come with it. On top of that, the German tuning firm also gave the C63 AMG a new Cargraphic exhaust system which, combined with the ECU optimization, bumped up the vehicle’s output from 451 horsepower and 443 lb/ft of torque all the way up to 575 horsepower and 510 lb/ft of torque with a top speed of 193 mph. The package costs €10,000, which is about $14,200 based on current exchange rates. The whole thing takes three days to finish and if you’ve got an extra €7,474 ($10,600) in your pockets, you can dress up the C63 AMG’s profile with a set of matte black 19" alloy wheels with Michelin tires. Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG by McChip originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 15:00 EST.
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| Lexus CT 200h Race Car by Gazoo Racing Posted: 24 May 2011 07:00 AM PDT
Just when you thought the Lexus CT200h wasn't going to get another race-inspired version, the people over at Gazoo Racing have unveiled their own racing version of the compact sports hybrid. Seems appropriate considering that Gazoo Racing isn't a stranger to Lexus race cars, counting the LF-A supercar as one of the racers in its stable. As for the CT200h, Gazoo Racing will be entering it into the SP4 Class of the Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy - a six-hour endurance race at the Nurburgring that will be attended by around 200 other cars. Piloting the Gazoo Racing CT during the endurance race will be the three-man team of Kumi Sato, Masahiko Kageyama, and Minoru Takaki. To give the CT200h the proper race specs, Gazoo Racing went to work on the car's performance attributes, opting against using the 1.8 liter VVT-I petrol engine that comes with the standard version of the CT200h and instead using a much larger 2.4-liter version with an electric motor, a generator, a high performance battery, a power control unit, and a power split device. During start-ups and braking, the CT200h will only use its electric motor, saving all the energy expended by the VVT-I engine for higher speeds. Even more impressive about the car is that it will require less fuel and will emit less carbon dioxide and NOx gases compared to all other race cars of its class. Lexus CT 200h Race Car by Gazoo Racing originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:00 EST.
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| Posted: 24 May 2011 06:00 AM PDT
August 1985. This is the day BMW announced the most powerful 3-Series they have ever built. And in its 25 years of history, the M3 has seen four different generations and evolved from a 2.3 liter inline-four cylinder engine with 200 HP to an impressive V8 hitting 420 HP. It may not be the best sports car out there, but it is surely one that combines most of the virtues required from a sports car: an extraordinary look, great performance, the best class handling, and a luxurious interior. In 2013, the sports car’s history will move on to its next chapter as BMW will be set to reveal the new generation M3. This time, the model will only be offered as a coupe and cabrio - the sedan version will be dropped - and will feature a twin-turbo 3.0 liter straight-six engine for the first time. This engine will be bumping up the M3’s horsepower to 450. UPDATE 05/24/2011: According to M3Post, BMW has four different engines under consideration for the next generation M3. The first is an S65 V8 Biturbo that will most likely be used for the Z4 M and X3 M. There is also a modified N54 engine that seems to be the natural choice for the next M3, a modified S63 engine for use in the next M5, and a V6 engine based on the S63. These engines are already being tested in four separate E9x M3 prototypes, but according to numerous rumors, a 6-cylinder engine is the most likely choice. Hit the jump to read more about the future BMW M3. BMW M3 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:00 EST.
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| HBH teases new mid-engined Aston Martin V12 Posted: 24 May 2011 05:00 AM PDT
With the recently launched Aston Martin V12 Zagato Concept drawing the auto world’s attention these days, a new development out on the Danish front could make for an interesting new coachbuilt Aston Martin V12. A Danish coachbuilder that call themselves HBH is reportedly working on a new concept model based on the V12 Vantage, the exact same model the Zagato Concept is based on. Details behind this new coachbuilt V12 Vantage are still murky at this point, although there seems to be growing sentiment that the people behind the project - Jesper Hermann, Christian Brandt, and Torben Hartvig make up the brain thrust of HBH - are looking into giving the car a bespoke chassis. The car is expected to be a one-off model that will be built for a single customer similar to Michael Stoschek’s New Stratos. No word yet on when the car is going to be ready to make its first appearance but fortunately, HBH was nice enough to roll out a teaser image of this new mystery coachbuilt Aston Martin V12 Vantage supercar. HBH teases new mid-engined Aston Martin V12 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 12:00 EST.
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| Posted: 24 May 2011 04:00 AM PDT
Back in 2008, Mercedes was looking to expand its market to include the younger population and they decided that the best way to do that was to offer a C-Class Coupe alternative. That project led to the birth of the CLC whose success in the market was more lackluster than bedazzled. Now, Mercedes is at it again with a much more simple approach to meeting the needs of the younger generation. This simple - in the best sense of the word - vehicle is the C-Class Coupe, and Mercedes is even taking a stab at an AMG version. This is certainly a good thing because, well, the BMW M3 Coupe needs a real competitor, right? The new C63 AMG Coupe will join the current AMG Coupe and will be put on sale this July in Europe, while on the US market sales will begin in September 2011. The first units will be sold as the "Edition 1" and will be offered with exclusive equipments. UPDATE 05/24/2011: Mercedes has unveiled a new video of the C63 AMG Coupe in action. The car in the video is painted in Palladium Silver and has been tested around a race track. Enjoy! Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 11:00 EST.
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| Posted: 24 May 2011 03:00 AM PDT
Lamborghini doesn’t usually build a concept car without it getting put to some kind of use in the future. It’s never happened, and we’ll place bets on the fact that it won’t ever happen. Try as they may to deny the fact that the Estoque would not see the production line, this concept vehicle stood a fantastic chance at becoming the third model in Lamborghini’s line-up. To prove our theory, we bring you this. In a recent statement Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirmed that the company is indeed preparing a third model, and that this new model is not an SUV as people have speculated, but a four-door luxury sedan. "We have opportunities outside the supercar business, and we showed that with Estoque. It had a more enthusiastic response than we had expected. It was the right time to see if the brand could go outside of supercars. Even now, people are still emailing me about us making the Estoque." And if the strong demand for a production version of the Estoque doesn’t make them actually build it, the recent success the company has been having on the Chinese market may just give Lamborghini the final push they need, especially since luxury four-door sedans are in high demand over there. UPDATE 05/24/2011: Here’s a bit of good news for Lamborghini owners that feel a little silly dropping their kids off at school in their new Aventador LP700-4; the company has just revealed plans for a third model in their lineup that will fulfill the need for a daily driver. Lamborghini chief executive Stephan Winkelmann said, "We are going to have a third model. It has to be an everyday car. We want to have a car which is able to be used on a daily basis." Could this be the production Estoque we have been waiting for? We think so. Hit the jump to read more about the production version Lamborghini Estoque. Lamborghini Estoque originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 10:00 EST.
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| Infiniti readying new sports coupe for 2012 Geneva Motor Show Posted: 24 May 2011 02:00 AM PDT  Auto Express has reported that Infiniti is readying a new entry level sports car for Geneva next year. The compact two-seater sports car is expected to slot in just below the Infiniti G-line and will come with sporty engines, a rear-wheel drive set-up, and a Lotus-tuned suspension system. For now, information regarding this car is still thin, but you can definitely expect more news regarding what appears to be Infiniti’s answer to the Mazda MX-5 Miata in the coming months leading up to next March’s Geneva Motor Show. Nissan’s upper-echelon brand has released some interesting concepts over the past few years and we wouldn’t be surprised if this new sports coupe takes some of the design language of say, the Essence or the new G37 Coupe, and translates it into a production version. Whatever the case may be, we’re getting excited thinking about what Infiniti has in store for us with this car, even if it isn’t scheduled to be unveiled for another 10 months. Infiniti readying new sports coupe for 2012 Geneva Motor Show originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 09:00 EST.
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| Video: Fernando Alonso drives 458 Italia at Fiorano Posted: 23 May 2011 02:00 PM PDT
Seeing Fernando Alonso behind the wheel of a Ferrari model is no real surprise. After all this is what he is paid for. But his latest "conquest" was the Ferrari 458 Italia as a celebration of the extension of his Formula 1 contract with Ferrari to 2016. He tested the car at the Fiorano track and seems to have all the fun in the world behind the wheel. After all why wouldn’t he? He is driving an amazing car and more than that he is making more money than the entire world while having fun. The only question coming to our mind is who is the passenger next to him? Can you make a guess? And if you do please share your thoughts with us. We will be very curious to see who do you think he is? Video: Fernando Alonso drives 458 Italia at Fiorano originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 23 May 2011 21:00 EST.
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