Larry's Lotus Photoblog #5

[LARRY]

Bugatti.

[Plackslayer]

Bugatti - Marvel...
Pagani - ART!

[LARRY]

Lotus.

[LARRY]

Cool Video.

Click Here:

Fearsome: Noble M600 and Atom V8 at the Nurburgring - CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS - YouTube

[LARRY]

Shelby at Pebble Beach.

[LARRY]

Ferrari GTO at Pebble Beach.

[Notorious]

Originally Posted by LARRY

Cool Video.

Click Here:

Fearsome: Noble M600 and Atom V8 at the Nurburgring - CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS - YouTube

That is one of the coolest videos and the cinematography was top notch. I'm surprised how brutal that M600 was down the straight, hitting 205mph before he decided to back off and have a cigarette to calm his nerves.

The Ariel V8 only managed 158mph but I am guessing a lot of that is also due to the aerodynamics of the open cockpit, open wheeled design not being as slick.

[LARRY]

Thanks. I check out alot of videos before I post any here...

2-Eleven.

[LARRY]

Ferrari
Lambo
NSX
Girl

[LARRY]

Caterham set to thrill at Autosport International.

Iconic British sportscar manufacturer, Caterham Cars, will assemble an impressive array of vehicles at ASI, including its legendary Seven, the SP/300.R sports prototype it launched at the show recently and a Caterham-branded F1 car.

As well as its static display, Caterham will once again demonstrate the dramatic abilities of its Seven on a custom-built indoor drift course, recreating all the noise and speed of its Caterham Drive Experience (CDX) days.

During the four-day show, several thousand show goers will sample a Seven at full-throttle beside one of Caterham’s professional drivers in Hall 4 of Birmingham’s NEC.

James Drake, Caterham Cars' Marketing Manager, said: "Having nearly our full ‘family’ of race cars come together like this is very exciting for us. Only the GP2 car is missing but we’ve so much going on at the stand and at the live action arena that we just couldn’t pack it all in.

“I’m sure that any motorsport fan will be impressed by the growing line-up of Caterham vehicles but Caterham has always been about much more than ‘cars on carpet’ and our live action arena will bring all of that motorsport prowess to life for visitors.”

[LARRY]

The Wiesmann GT MF4-S has been around for a couple years now and features an excellent combination of vintage appearances with a characteristic sporty gecko styling, available in both roadster and GT body types.

Like any of the models in the German car maker's lineup, the MF4-S fits the keywords; retro and sporty. Wiesmann is a manufacturer of purist sports cars, combining the unique design with technology from many major car brands, for instance BMW. Since its foundation by Martin and Friedhelm Wiesmann in 1988, the Wiesmann name has stood for the manufacturing of individual sports cars whose every detail is crafted by hand. The Coupe MF4-S we had for testing was fitted with winter tires and offered a black-on-black combo inside and out.

[LARRY]

Mini John Cooper Works GP review

First impressions of Mini's fastest ever car, the mk2 John Cooper Works GP hot hatch, as we drive it on track.
Text: Stephen Dobie / Photos: Richard Newton
November 2012

What is it?

The new Mini John Cooper Works GP. It’s the second Mini GP, aping its 2006 predecessor with a grey and red colour scheme, 2000-strong production run and hardcore nature. Hitting 150mph, it's the fastest ever Mini, but it heads into the hot hatchback market wearing a plump £28,790 price tag – a sizeable £6000 more than a regular JCW.

Technical highlights?

There are sizeable changes over a JCW too, though, with completely new suspension and brake components. The GP is 20mm lower at the front than a JCW, 15mm at the rear, while adjustable coilover suspension can tweak this further. A new brake setup at the front comprises six-piston calipers and 330mm vented discs.

The tyres are completely bespoke, those four-spoke alloys – seemingly a GP trademark – measuring half an inch wider than normal, so the specially developed Kumho Ecstas they’re wrapped in can’t be transferred to lowlier Minis. The electronic differential gets a different setup and the front camber is increased to accommodate the new rubber.

The steering remains the same, while the engine is simply a normal Cooper Works 1.6-litre turbo four with an ECU tweak taking it from 208 to 215bhp, maximum torque remaining the same at 206lb ft. As with its predecessor, back seats are binned in favour of a strut brace, while its bold diffuser and spoiler contribute to a 90 per cent reduction in rear lift.

What’s it like to drive?

We were limited to half a dozen laps of Mallorca’s Renn Arena circuit (so no road driving), a move reflecting the second-gen GP’s track-focused nature. It’s a fun and complex circuit, and allowed more than ample opportunity to suss out where the GP’s strengths lie.

It’s much better on track than a regular JCW. It’s far less understeer-prone, and while the front will still inevitably wash wide if you push too hard, a new intermediate stability control mode – dubbed ‘GP’ – doesn’t limit power in such situations, so you can pull yourself out of the corner and investigate the limits of grip with no frustrating interruptions. You can also turn the whole system off.

Do this and the GP is far friendlier than a base Works, which can be somewhat clumsy and unpredictable at its limits. Grip is lost progressively, so the snap to scrappy oversteer has gone and the Mini is a much smoother car during committed cornering. The steering is a let-down though; press the Mini’s infamous sport button for the keenest throttle response and the steering gains gloopy, unnatural weight, which is unnecessary on track, where you just want a quick, precise rack.

The engine is as strong and keen to rev as ever; the GP perhaps feels quicker than a regular Works, but with its 0-62mph time just 0.2sec quicker, straight-line pace isn’t dramatically better. The soundtrack is a mix of mechanical roar and turbo hisses; not as characterful as the old supercharged GP, but fun nonetheless. And the brakes deserve credit – strong and confidence inspiring throughout our session.

How does it compare?

Six grand is a huge chunk of cash over an already pricey (and fun) John Cooper Works, but on this brief first acquaintance, the GP feels worth the cash if you plan to go near a circuit. You can easily add £6000 to a Mini with some innocent options box ticking anyway, and we value a set of new springs and dampers more than we do a ‘Media Pack’ and some bonnet stripes.

Anything else I need to know?

Needless to say, we can’t give a definitive verdict until we’ve driven the GP on road. The changes that make it a team player on a trackday could well make it unbearably harsh on a badly surfaced B-road.

[LARRY]

Motor4Toys Charity Car Show - coming to Los Angeles in December!

[LARRY]

Lambo and friend.

[LARRY]

The new Renault Alpine.

[Elige]

This is my favorite place to visit on the internet. Thanks!

[LARRY]

That is very nice. Thank you.

[Notorious]

Love the way they set up the model holding the bag so the blue and orange stripe plays right into the paint scheme of the car.

[LARRY]

From the photographer:

"Had a shoot with a friends Matte White Audi R8 with Stasis exhaust. What a beast of an R8!"

[LARRY]

Another from photographer Trevor Thompson.

"SLS : SLR : Aventador :: Teaser :: ActivFilms.TV"