Autoblog

Here's the four wheeled bearded lady of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, courtesy of Kahn Design and (God help us) Cosworth. To us, spending tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle, then affixing a bodykit to it that would make an '88 Grand Am sneer seems a bit nonsensical. Then again, being of means doesn't always translate into having sense. As if that wasn't enough, even Cosworth hasn't coaxed much out of this abomination. The 3.6-liter diesel V8 gets an extra 30 horsepower, for an even 300. We're not likely to see that powertrain in US-bound Range Rovers any time soon, but it'd be a lot easier to stomach if it were wrapped in the Sport's sheetmetal. We can only hope that this kit isn't glued on that well – from the looks of that front bumper, it's not – and we're guessing that it ends up as tire fodder on the Earl's driveway.


[Source: AutoTrader UK]

Until the Mazdaspeed version of the MX-5 makes its debut, those of us looking for forced-induction power from Mazda's NC Miata must turn to the aftermarket. Of all the tuning firms looking to turbo- or supercharge the new MX-5, Cosworth has both the reputation and technological prowess to pull it off sans drama.

According to Eric Hsu, founder of XS Engineering and current Cosworth engineer, despite some setbacks, Cosworth will be releasing its bolt-on supercharger soon. The setup produces approximately 210 hp at the wheels, looks OEM clean and is designed to be legal in all 50 states. But Cosworth isn't stopping there. Hsu says that a Stage 2 version is planned that ups the boost, adds a set of headers and includes some hotter cams. We can't wait to check it out, particularly with the "1G" suspension package offered by Mazdaspeed.

[Source: Beyond the Dyno]

Project Kahn has had its hands into all kinds of high-dollar, high-horsepower machinery over the last few years. Afzal Kahn has made unobtainable exotics even more incredible with kits for the McMerc SLR and the Aston Martin DB9S, along with providing parts for more subdued offerings, like the LR2 and Audi A8, not to mention the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Now, Kahn is teaming up with Cosworth to blend its extreme aero mods with the legendary engine tuner to create the ultimate in road-going rockets. Fortunately or unfortunately, their first joint endeavor will be a tuned version of the Range Rover Sport, dubbed the Cosworth 300. They've only provided a teaser image (right), but expect all the details to be released later this year.

[Source: Project Kahn via WCF]

The fallout from the Indy Car/Champ Car merger has begun to rear its ugly head. First, superpower team Forsythe Racing announced its departure from the scene. and now Champ Car has officially filed for bankruptcy. The disruption of the scheduled 2008 Champ Car season leaves contracts broken and bills to pay, but no event revenue to balance the budget. Bankruptcy court papers reveal that the dying series has a multitude of creditors knocking on its door. One of these is engine supplier Cosworth, which is seeking payment of $1.825 million. The compounded liabilities must add up to quite a hefty sum if the series is still in the negative even after the IRL's purchase of Champ Car's major assets. As part of the deal, Tony George is shoveling out $6 million for mobile support facilities along with a total of $4 million for the promotion and production of the 2008 Long Beach Grand Prix. Once the filing passes through court, the final edition of the contract between Indy Car and Champ Car can be inked.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Click the image above for more engine pr0n from Cosworth.

If you had the good fortune of being at the Cosworth booth in Vegas two years ago, all you'd see is a few Formula One engines and a number of talkative engineers. Oh, how 24 months and a development center in Torrence, CA can change things.

Back in July we told you about the new Farboud AF10 that was shown at the British Motor Show. The new Z06 LS7-powered supercar from Arash Farboud and the rest of the gang at Farboud Sports Cars is still under development, but this item pertains to the company's first effort, the GTS.

The Farboud GTS is perhaps best known to U.S. enthusiasts via PGR3 on Xbox 360. Looking something like a Carrera GT, Exige and Koenigsegg ménage a trois lovechild, the car is finally nearing UK delivery. The company has announced that it hopes to have cars at dealerships by spring. And even better for U.S. fans, the development of the American version has been progressing nicely and U.S. deliveries should start soon after.

A dealership network including outlets in Maine, Oregon, New York and Michigan is in place and the first year production of 50 cars has already been allocated. Getting the car to comply with U.S. regulations and establishing warranty and service protocol have extended the initial delivery estimates, but it won't be much longer now according to the company.

Similar to the Nobles, the GTS is powered by a Cosworth tuned Ford V6, minus the turbo. In the Farboud the engine produces 275 hp, or 375 with the optional supercharger fitted. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but the last figure on record was just under £50,000. We can't wait to get our hands on one of these and see how it stacks up against the aforementioned Noble and other competitors.

Thanks for the tip, Mark. Cool site!

[Source: CoolBrit.net]

American motor racing has been steadily moving towards "Spec", that is, each team racing the same car with the same engine and other components. The Indy Racing League runs Dallara chassis powered by Honda engines. (Although NASCAR technically uses a few different cars with different engines from different suppliers, they all look pretty much the same.) Now the latest spec racing cars for the Champ Car series – IRL's rival formerly known as CART – have just been delivered.

The new Panoz DP01 has been received by ten Champ Car teams, the first ten before the entire field makes the switch from the previous Lola-built cars. The new chassis will use the same turbocharged Cosworth V8 engines, the now independent engine supplier owning majority rights to the series and having involuntarily withdrawn from supplying engines in Formula One. They all run on spec Bridgestone tires, just as Formula One makes the switch next season.

Constructed primarily of carbon fiber, the new cars weigh an impressive hundred pounds less than their predecessor Lola counterparts. The chassis were delivered unpainted and all-but-identical to the teams who'll be adding their own team and sponsors' livery. We're looking forward to seeing the new cars in action.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

Spyker-MF1 has struck a deal with Maranello to use Ferrari engines for the 2007 Formula 1 season. The team formerly known as Midland and before that as Jordan was recently purchased by a consortium lead by Spyker, the quirky Dutch exotic carmaker. Autoblog previously speculated on the likelihood of such a deal, as an Emirates crown corporation owns a stake in both companies.

The announcement comes out of Shanghai, where the Chinese Grand Prix weekend is currently underway. The heads of the Spyker team met last week at Ferrari headquarters to strike a deal, but until Saturday, there was still a possibility that they would stick with Cosworth engines for next season.

Ferrari is also expected to provide engines for one of the two Red Bull teams (either Red Bull Racing or Scuderia Toro Rosso), leaving the other to possibly use Cosworth engines or the Northampton, England-based firm could be forced out of F1 without a team to supply.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

The radical rule changes in Formula 1 for 2007 and beyond aren't just affecting the racing - they're having a dramatic impact on the highly specialized industry that supports the most technically advanced racing series in the world. The announcement late last week that legendary British engine manufacturer Cosworth is planning to lay off 40 percent of its staff at the end of the season signalled the beginning of a dramatic restructuring on the engineering side of the sport.

Cosworth commercial director Bernard Ferguson predicts that a wave of layoffs will sweep through Formula 1 as a result of the new rules that have greatly restricted engine development and supply, saying, "Perhaps we've anticipated it and are reacting to it earlier than anyone else, but I'm sure others will follow."

The chief architect of those rule changes, FIA president Max Mosley, defends the changes as necessary to ensure the future viability of Formula 1, which in Mosley's mind means slashing the costs of running a Formula 1 team. And that means that jobs must go, with employment costs (the largest expense category for a team) rumored to be as much as $375 million annually for top-spending teams.

[Source: Crash.net]

British specialist automaker Caterham, stewards of the legendary Lotus Seven ultra-minimalist sports car, have announced a wholesale switch to Ford powerplants from the Rover K-Series engines that have been the mainstay of the marque for the last 15 years.

With MG Rover's closing, the clock was ticking to find a new power source before the current K-Series supply ran out, and What Car? reports that Caterham looked at 18 manufacturers before settling on Ford's 1.6-liter engine as it's K-Series replacement.

The company's top-line models, the CSR and the newest edition of the R400 (pictured), are already offered with Ford-Cosworth 2.3-liter and 2.0-liter  powerplants, respectively, the latter propelling the superlight R400 from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds.

[Source: What Car?]