Autoblog

VIDEO: Pastrana practice for record New Year's Eve jump goes awry

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travis Pastrana's practice jump - Click above to watch the video after the break

This is what we mean when we say Travis Pastrana is insane. Generally, whenever the world sees a ridiculous freestyle dirtbike or automobile trick, it goes off without a hitch. It almost seems like a foregone conclusion that the rider is going to execute a perfect jump or flip, wave to the cameras and hug his significant others. There's a reason for that...

That reason? In a word: Practice. Yes, just like your first grade teacher drilled into you decades ago, practice makes perfect. Usually. As you'll see in the video after the break, practice sessions are just as dangerous and death-defying as the actual stunts themselves. In fact, sometimes even more so.

For this particular feat of craziness, Pastrana is actually planning to jump off a ramp at the end of a pier over 250 feet of water to a waiting barge as part of a New Year's celebration. Assuming practice sessions indicate that it's possible... which, well, just hit the jump to watch the video.

[Source: YouTube via Auto-Focus.us]

Continue reading VIDEO: Pastrana practice for record New Year's Eve jump goes awry

VIDEO: Pastrana practice for record New Year's Eve jump goes awry originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIDEO: Old Dirty Bastards - The glory of Group B

Alex Nunez — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:55:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Performance, Videos

The gorgeous insanity of Group B - Click above to watch the video

You know, there's a reason people talk about Group B racing - and the drivers who participated in it - in practically hushed tones. After all, we're currently in an era where motorsports news is just as likely to be about ever-more-restrictive regulatory efforts or the deranged hooker fantasies of the F1 illuminati as it is about, you know, racing. But during Group B's brief, crazy tenure, it was the regulations that fostered the lunacy, giving us unforgettable, insanely-powered cars and legendary drivers.

Of course, immense power and infinitesimal margins for error meant that the dangers were high -- for the drivers, obviously, but also for the spectators, who were, in their own ways, as bonkers as the factory pilots they idolized and flocked to see, forming masses of humanity that routinely spilled onto the circuits as the hyper-powered rally cars flew by. Eventually, those dangers led to tragedy, which, in turn, led to the abrupt end of the Group B era. But it's not easily forgotten, and every so often, someone posts a reminder why.

Follow the jump for eleven minutes of heaven, edited together (miraculously) without a lick of crappy, distracting music. The only soundtrack you'll hear is the one coming from Group B cars engineered to explore the limits, piloted by drivers who routinely (and expertly) exceeded them. It is, in a word, beautiful. Thanks to Danijel for the tip.

[Source: YouTube via MyCarVid]

Continue reading VIDEO: Old Dirty Bastards - The glory of Group B

VIDEO: Old Dirty Bastards - The glory of Group B originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford and M-Sport officially unveil Fiesta S2000 rally car [w/VIDEO]

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Ford

Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car - click above for high-res image gallery

Ford Motor Company and noted rally masters M-Sport have pulled the veil off their latest collaborative rally machine, the Fiesta S2000. It's their first global rally car, and as such will be able to compete in a whole bevy of international competitions ranging from IRC to the S2000 World Cup to Aatos and Aamu's Finnish Tree Bash. Long story short, going by past history alone, this should be one bruiser of a successful rally car.

Right, so let's talk stats. The Fiesta S2000 comes with a naturally aspirated 1998cc I4 Duratec S2000 engine good for 280 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of twisting torque all the while spinning to an 8,000 rpm redline. That mill gets mated to a permanent all-wheel drive system hooked up to a sequential manual transmission with an AP clutch. Sizable Brembos are at all four corners (and like the wheels, vary in size depending on asphalt or gravel). Ready for the best part? It weighs just 2,640 pounds - and that's with the roll cage. And get this - the Fiesta S2000 is "due for homologation in January 2010." Fake, well-produced "spy video" after the jump, gigantic high-res gallery below.

Gallery: Ford and M-Sport Fiesta S2000 rally car

[Source: FiestaS2000.com via 0-60mag.com]

Continue reading Ford and M-Sport officially unveil Fiesta S2000 rally car [w/VIDEO]

Ford and M-Sport officially unveil Fiesta S2000 rally car [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIDEO: 100% NSFW Irish rally footage

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Humor

Irish Rally Team - Click above to watch video after the jump

There are good rally videos, bad rally videos and ugly rally videos. There are even other totally unsafe for work Irish rally videos. But then there's this video. Now, we love swearing. It's like a form of meditation. Dirty yoga let's call it. Speaking of Eastern philosophies, there's an old Taoist saying, "When the student is ready the master appears." Well, we thinks we met our potty-mouthed master.

Meet the faceless navigator of this Irish rally team. Remember that scene from A Christmas Story when Ralphie is beating the snot out of Skut Farkus? I think the line goes something like this, "I have since heard of people under extreme duress speaking in strange tongues. I became conscious that a steady torrent of obscenities and swearing of all kinds was pouring out of me as I screamed." Well, that's about the half of it. And if you think it's a little tame for the first ninety seconds, may we suggest skipping ahead to 1:31? Colorfully NSFW video after the jump. Tip O'the bowler to Ramana!

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: 100% NSFW Irish rally footage

VIDEO: 100% NSFW Irish rally footage originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tokyo 2009: WRX STi Carbon gets a weave

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Hatchback, Subaru

Subaru WRX STi Carbon -- Click above for high-res image gallery

Most people we talked with don't seem to understand the point of the Subaru WRX STi Carbon unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show - but it's a JDM-only car, and frankly, there are a lot of things that outsiders don't understand about the Japanese market.

The carbon-roofed A-Line will come with two choices of engine, but since the model isn't earmarked for America, we probably don't need to worry about it. That said, the powerplants are as intriguing as the car: a 2.5-liter turbo with 296 horsepower, and a more powerful 2.0-liter turbo with 305 hp. Both will operate through the only tranny on offer: a five-speed automatic. If you got past that last sentence, there's also suede inside. So you'll be more comfortable shifting... your automatic. Have a look at it in the gallery of high-res photos below.

Gallery: Tokyo 2009: Subaru WRX STi Carbon

Tokyo 2009: WRX STi Carbon gets a weave originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Spy Shots: First images of Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Spy Photos, Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Ford

Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car - Click above for high-res image gallery

CAR has just published what are believed to be the first pictures of the new Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car. With a few extra mods, it's set to take on all comers as Ford's 2011 WRC contender as well. It makes sense, because Ford has already confirmed (along with Citroen) that plan to enter both classes and they've confirmed that the Fiesta is the car they plan to run.

S2000 cars run naturally aspirated engines generating about 270 horsepower, while WRC cars can be turbocharged and run with tweaked bodywork.

The pics were shot during a shakedown run in Cumbria, England. According to CAR, a second car should be ready by the end of October with full homologation starting in January 2010. M-Sport is once again behind the build for Ford which reportedly took just six months this time around.

Gallery: Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car

[Source: CAR]

Spy Shots: First images of Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

HD Theater to begin screening WRC in October 4 [w/VIDEO]

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

Ford Focus WRC - click for high-res image gallery

"Gentlemen, start your DVRs!"

Anyone that has ever watched a major league rally event knows that this form of motorsports is perhaps the most engaging form of four-wheeled competition in the world. Nothing compares to standing in a forest and watching these high-powered monsters blasting down a dirt road - sideways - at ridiculous speeds. While most people can't head out into the woods for a rally, watching the World Rally Championship on a big screen in the glory that is high definition broadcasting might be the next best thing. That's where the Discovery Channel's HD Theater comes in.

Starting October 4, HD Theater will run 17 hours of fresh WRC programming. In fact, that Saturday afternoon and evening there will be six solid hours of action. Following that, every Sunday night at 8 pm through December, the channel will feature a one hour wrap of one of the season's rallies. Check out the high-res gallery below as well as the full schedule and a video trailer after the jump for more details.

Gallery: 2009 Ford Focus WRC

[Source: HD Theater]

Continue reading HD Theater to begin screening WRC in October 4 [w/VIDEO]

HD Theater to begin screening WRC in October 4 [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Local Motors begins deposit-taking for Internet-designed diesel Rally Fighter [w/VIDEO]

Chris Paukert — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:55:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Crossover, Diesel

Local Motors Rally Fighter - click above to watch the videos after the jump

Would-be automakers Local Motors have announced that they are now taking reservations for their madcap Rally Fighter, purportedly the world's first vehicle designed by Internet committee ("crowdsourcing"). Penned by contest-winner Sangho Kim, the Rally Fighter looks unlike any other street vehicle we can recall, taking the off-road coupe aesthetic shown in offerings like the BMW X6M and putting it on a crash course through Baja, or a Bowler Nemesis on a budget.

Your spot in line for the high-powered four-seater can be secured with a refundable $99 deposit, which will get you a place in line. At some point in the future, you, a number-holder, will be contacted to lock in your build date with a $5,000 deposit against the estimated $50,000 build price. Then, if all goes well, the folks at Local Motors and you will sit down to design your own Rally Fighter, a vehicle that is promised to have 20-inches of suspension travel, be road legal, and achieve 36 miles-per-gallon on the highway (30 mpg off-road!).

In order to get the tube-framed, fiberglass-and-carbon bodied Rally Fighter to meet those goals, the off-roadster will feature the twin-turbo inline-six out of the BMW 335d, an engine that should get them the 265 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque without fiddling, though we can't imagine this is an inexpensive proposition.

This looks like a neat bit of kit, but we'll reserve a large dose of skepticism for the folks at Local Motors until we can learn more. In the meantime, check out the press release and a couple of videos of LM's crew making the initial order announcement and talking about the vehicle's construction, all of which is available after the jump. Hat tip to Mike!

[Source: Local Motors]

Continue reading Local Motors begins deposit-taking for Internet-designed diesel Rally Fighter [w/VIDEO]

Local Motors begins deposit-taking for Internet-designed diesel Rally Fighter [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Prodrive selling very first Subaru WRC car from 1997

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Motorsports, Subaru, Specialty

Click above for a high-res gallery of Prodrive's first Impreza WRC car

Prodrive helped make its name - and a whole lot of World Rally Championship fans - with its race prepped, royal blue Subaru Impreza race cars. Now the very first one of them, piloted by no less than the power duo of the late Colin McRae and Nicky Grist, is for sale. Introduced at the Rallye Monte Carlo in 1997, the car is privately owned now and can be yours for £85,000 (about $123,000). While that's a lot for an old Subaru, something tells us that as the years roll by, this car will prove to be a very large bargain.

The 1997 RDH tarmac version of the Subie wears chassis number PRO-WRC-97-001, and now bears the registration number P18 WRC. It has been thoroughly rebuilt by Ireland's McKinstry Motorsport, since no matter how much you like Colin McRae, Pierro Liatti, and Kenneth Erikkson, you probably don't want to deal with the stressed-out pieces of a steed they have ridden hard. If you're interested, Prodrive has all the details, and the pics are below.

Gallery: First Prodrive Impreza WRC

[Source: Prodrive via Auto Fiends]

Prodrive selling very first Subaru WRC car from 1997 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

WRC switching to S2000-spec car for 2010 season

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

For whom does the cost-cutter's bell toll? It tolls for Formula 1... and for the World Rally Championship. The FIA has announced that from 2010 the WRC will use Super 2000-spec cars, instead of the current championship's Group N racers. As with the FIA's moves in F1 to standardize components in order to help teams save money, the S2000 cars all have third-party-supplied gearboxes and drivetrains, use 2.0-liter engines with 8,500 rpm rev limits, and are prohibited from being excessively modified (if you have some time, check out the FIA-mandated S2000 specs), among other things. Should manufacturers wish to sell their S2000 cars to privateer teams they can charge no more than €168,000. Five time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb has spoken out against an S2000 WRC, saying he won't be interested in rallying if the 2010 regs actually take effect. The Group N cars that drivers like Loeb currently pilot will be relegated to the P-WRC come 2010. We'll find out then if Sebastien Loeb goes with them.

[Source: WRC]

WRC switching to S2000-spec car for 2010 season originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ultimate rally car collection hits the block

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:09:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Europe, Audi, UK

UPDATE: Images removed by request of owner

In the eighties, David Sutton owned the company that prepared rally cars for Audi UK. It turns out he was collecting cars at the same time as he was preparing them, and putting them in his Historic Motors Ltd museum. The assortment includes seven Audis, some of which are Group B monsters, as well as an RS200 Cosworth, a couple of Lancias, a 1944 Volvo, and even a Skoda. Now the lot's being sold, 22 cars in all, through Morris & Welford. It's the kind of collection that, even if you had the time, money, and connections, would probably take you years to assemble individually. But you can have it all, right now... if you have what is likely to be an enormous sum of cash. Check out the other items on offer in the gallery below.

[Source: Motive Magazine]

Continue reading Ultimate rally car collection hits the block

Ultimate rally car collection hits the block originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Subaru Australia offering race-prepped Imprezas

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:27:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Motorsports, Subaru

Those lucky Australians. Subaru of Australia is offering customers the opportunity to be Cody Crocker for a day (or a season) by piloting their own WRX STi spec.C. That is the Group N, FIA homologated racecar which qualifies for the Production World Rally Championship (PWRC). And although very Imprezive already, the base Impreza WRX STi spec.C is just the beginning. The lucky few who get one of these rally cars can spec it anywhere from wild to race. The Subaru base motorsport package starts at $69,990 and ranges up to the full Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) version at $195,000. Those are Australian dollar figures, in case you're wondering.

More after the jump.

[Source: Subaru Motorsport via The Car Lounge]

Continue reading Subaru Australia offering race-prepped Imprezas

Subaru Australia offering race-prepped Imprezas originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Live shots of Colin McRae's R4 rally car

John Neff — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Misc. Auto Shows

Finally some shots of the R4 rally car designed by Colin McRae himself for a single-make rally series have surfaced. The car debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend, but shots from that event have been surprisingly hard to come by. We've already told you about the R4 at length here, but to reiterate it's got a 340-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that's mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox. In that form it can hit 60 mph in five seconds, although more powerful versions of the engine are already in the works. McRae designed the £130,000 rally car especially for a single-make rally race series of which we know very little about at this time.

[Source: Autocar

Live shots of Colin McRae's R4 rally car originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Jul 2006 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Peugeot reveals new 207 Super 2000 rally car - UPDATED

Alex Nunez — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 21:03:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Europe, Hatchback

Peugeot has revealed its new rally car, the 207 Super 2000.

The 207 RCup concept at last March's Geneva Motor Show hinted at what was coming, and now that the initial development phase is complete, Peugeot has decided to show it off and reveal the tech specs. Appearance-wise, it's an aggressive little package, with its wide body, rooftop intake, and top-mounted rear wing.

Underhood, there's some giddyup to back up the looks. Powered by a 1998cc four-cylinder, the Super 2000 generates 280 horsepower without the use of any forced induction. A six-speed sequential gearbox sends it to all four wheels. The Super 2000 engine is based on the one found in the company's 206 GTi 180 model, but is tuned to produce an additional 100 ponies.

The car is still under development and additional tweaks will likely be made as they perfect its dynamics. Once finalized, privateer teams will be able to purchase and campaign their own 207 Super 2000s. This, incidentally, is why the car's engine does not use turbocharging to generate more power. Super 2000 regulations (we're talking about the rally class, now) prohibit the forced induction systems and other electronic trickery found in the WRC. Doing so makes the cars less expensive to operate and maintain, making the idea of fielding a team far more palatable to individuals looking to get into the game.

Thanks to Peugeot's Ian Sedgwick for the clarification regarding the nature of the engine.

(Release, tech specs after the jump)

[Source: Peugeot]

Continue reading Peugeot reveals new 207 Super 2000 rally car - UPDATED

Peugeot reveals new 207 Super 2000 rally car - UPDATED originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Jul 2006 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Colin McRae-designed rally car to debut at Goodwood

John Neff — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 11:03:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Misc. Auto Shows

One of the most successful drivers in rally history, Colin McRae, has designed his own rally car that will be put into limited production after its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend. The Prodrive Subaru Impreza rally car pictured helped make McRae a household name, along with the videogame Colin McRae Rally that has graced all manner of game machines.

4Car reports that the car was designed with the privateer in mind and will feature four-wheel drive, a 2.5L engine and a unique spaceframe chassis. Not much else is known about the rally car, like which partners McRae has collaborated with to produce it or where the financial backing comes from, but we'll get our first look at the car this weekend at Goodwood, and hopefully more info to fill in the gaps.

[Source: 4Car]

Colin McRae-designed rally car to debut at Goodwood originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Jul 2006 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video: Prodrive P2 handles so well, even Clarkson loses his lunch

Chris Paukert — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Etc., Europe, Videos, Subaru

Alright... so you've openly lusted after the performance envelopes of road-bound rally cars like the Subaru WRX STi and Mitsubishi EVO IX MR, but you can't get around their frump four-door roots, or their look-at-me aerodynamic addenda. So what's keeping the two firms from building a lighter, more lithesome coupe? Mitsubishi has little excuse, as it already has the rumptastic (if overweight) Eclipse in its fold, a car that was once upon a time known for its turbocharged hooliganism.

Subaru, however, doesn't have the same luck-- the last time it did a two-door coupe, the interestingly-styled SVX, it was an overweight, slow-selling cruiser, not a true performance car. So while enthusiasts have waited around for some time for the boys and gals at Fuji Heavy to pack their winning mechanicals in something smaller and sexier, it's taken the WRC wizards at Prodrive to deliver.

Seen here is the P2, a car that's been hinted about for some time, and Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear is the first scribe we know of to drive it... as well as suffer its ill-effects.

Based on Subaru's diminutive R1 supermini, but packing the drivetrain from the WRX STi with a bigger turbo, and the attractively 'New Edge with chunk' styled P2 puts 345 brake horsepower worth of smack down. The net-net? 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, and a top speed of 174 mph.

Better still, Clarkson figures, is the handling. The engineers at Prodrive have not only figured out some sort of indescribably complex anti-lag system for the turbocharger, they've gone and developed a driver-adjustable active center differential. While the latter trinket doesn't sound terribly different from a bog-standard STi's piece, the Subaru's is essentially a mechanical system, while the P2's is supervised and informed by all manner of sensors, including yaw, throttle position, and so on. The end result is a coupe that can be neatly tailored for the demands of the road and the driver-- safe as houses understeer, or tail-out antics. It all works so well that it makes Clarkson sick-- literally.

Sadly, according to JC, ProDrive has no plans to put the P2 into production.

[Source: TopGear via YouTube]

Video: Prodrive P2 handles so well, even Clarkson loses his lunch originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jun 2006 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments