Autoblog

Rolls-Royce gets into LSR game, backs Bloodhound SSC [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Technology, Videos, UK

Rolls-Royce, the "power solutions" company that makes jet engines and much more (not the luxury motorcar company) has signed on to support the Bloodhound SSC Land Speed Record attempt project. This isn't just a financial tie-up and exchange of engines and tech, though, Rolls-Royce is just as interested as the Bloodhound gang in promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics to children in the UK and around the world.

It will be providing its EJ200 jet engine that powers the Eurofighter Typhoon combat jet with 20,000 pounds of thrust. In the Bloodhound, the engine will be the first stage in the hybrid rocket system that they hope will get the SSC to 1,000 miles per hour. Coincidentally, although Rolls-Royce hasn't been officially involved with Bloodhound before, its engines have been used to break records in the Bloodhound predecessors Thrust 2 and Thrust SSC.

There's a press release below with more details and a video that animates how the hybrid rocket inside the blue streak works.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce gets into LSR game, backs Bloodhound SSC [w/video]

Rolls-Royce gets into LSR game, backs Bloodhound SSC [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch this Audi RS6 go 208 mph... on ice

Seyth Miersma — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:59:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Videos, Audi, Racing

In and effort to promote the high-speed grip of its new Hakkapeliitta 8 winter tire, Nokian threw a set of its new rubber on a race-prepped Audi RS6 and got moving - very, very quickly. In fact, on March 9 on top of the very frozen Gulf of Bothinia near Oulu, Finland, Nokian's test driver Janne Laitinen set a new world record for the fastest speed recorded driving on ice. If you'll recall, this isn't the first time that Audi and Nokian have played this game, either.

Using the guidelines set forth by the Guinness Book of World Records for such things, Laitinen averaged 208.602 miles per hour (335.713 kilometers per hour) over the course of two runs on natural, untreated ice. Another constraint is that the ice speed record must be done using commercial available tires, which is obviously great PR for the new Hakkapeliitas. The press release doesn't make any mention of how the RS6 was prepared to reach such high velocities, but the images of the car make it clear that this is no stock machine. Scroll on below to see the impressive video evidence of the Audi's record run.

Continue reading Watch this Audi RS6 go 208 mph... on ice

Watch this Audi RS6 go 208 mph... on ice originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Confederate X132 Hellcat Combat prototype breaks Bonneville record [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Videos, Motorcycle, Specialty

James Hoegh's mission to go faster than 168.912 mph on a naked bike on the Bonneville Salt Flats has met success. Hoegh traversed the salt during the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials at 172.211 mph, entering the books in the APF3000 class as the rider on the world's fastest big block American V-twin.

The prototype X132 Hellcat Combat ran with the 132-cubic-inch S&S XWedge engine used in the retail Hellcat, given a knife's-edge tune and plenty of performance bits so it could push through the air faster than any other.

There are three ways to follow in Hoegh's footsteps: break the record yourself, buy one of the limited-production-run Combat Hellcats that Confederate says will be coming next year, or become a physical therapist, which is Hoegh's day job. While you decide, there's a video chronicling the achievement below.

Continue reading Confederate X132 Hellcat Combat prototype breaks Bonneville record [w/video]

Confederate X132 Hellcat Combat prototype breaks Bonneville record [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breedlove says he's going back after 800 mph [w/video]

Zach Bowman — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Videos, Specialty, Racing

Hemmings reports that Craig Breedlove is preparing to jump back into the land speed record game in an attempt to break through the 800 mph barrier. Breedlove made a name for himself while vying with Art Arfons for the world land speed record back in the '60s. His efforts eventually landed him the title in his jet-powered Sonic 1, and he would later set a total of 23 FIA speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe. Breedlove was recently named the recipient of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum Spirit of Competition Award, becoming only the third individual to receive the award since its inception.

During the ceremony, the racer announced that he intends to return to Bonneville in 2013 - the 50th anniversary of his first record on the salt flats - with someone else at the controls. Breedlove already has a pair of GE jet engines lying around as well as some of the engineering necessary to put the power units to work in a LSR car. At this point, it's unclear exactly who will pilot Breedlove's new machine or what the design will look like, but a motorsports legend returning to the scene of his greatest triumph is something worth keeping tabs on, even if he isn't in the driver's seat.

For a quick refresher on Breedlove in his glory days, watch the excellent in-period video of a 1963 record-breaking effort after the jump.

Continue reading Breedlove says he's going back after 800 mph [w/video]

Breedlove says he's going back after 800 mph [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bloodhound Gang: Full-scale model of supersonic car unveiled in UK [w/video]

Zach Bowman — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:24:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, UK, Specialty, Racing

Bloodhound SSC show car - Click above for high-res image gallery

It looks like the Bloodhound project has reemerged from the ether of the internet, this time with a full-scale model of the team's actual world land speed-record hopeful. If you dust off the way-back synapses, you might recollect that the Bloodhound Education Program is a ploy to get school-aged kids into the sciences by showing them exactly what Algebra can do. You know, like launch a hunk of metal to 1,000 miles per hour on land. As a show of progress, the team has unveiled a 42-foot-long life-size replica of the machine that it hopes to use to obliterate the standing world land-speed record of a little over 763 mph.

So far, construction of the rear section of the machine is slated to begin in the second quarter of next year, and the team claims that it's in talks with another organization to begin building the front half right now. That means we could be hearing reports of shakedown runs by the end of 2011 or the beginning of 2012. From there, it's a short hop to the Hakskeen Pan in South Africa for the real trial. Get excited, people. Hit the jump for a video of the car as well as the full press release. Thanks for the tips, Carlos and Mark!

Gallery: Bloodhound Supersonic Car

[Source: Bloodhound Project]

Continue reading Bloodhound Gang: Full-scale model of supersonic car unveiled in UK [w/video]

Bloodhound Gang: Full-scale model of supersonic car unveiled in UK [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Turkish singer sets blind land speed record at 182 mph in Ferrari

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:59:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Europe, Ferrari

A Turkish singer just set a land speed record, making him the fastest man on the planet when his Ferrari F430 averaged 182 miles per hour during a record run down a runway at an airport in eastern Turkey. Now, if 182 mph doesn't sound fast enough to set a world land speed record, know that the driver was blind... and alone in the car. Metin Senturk became the fastest blind man driving solo with his Guinness-verified speed of 292.89 kilometers per hour (182 mph).

Senturk was followed down the runway by his driving coach, former rally driver Volkan Isik, who relayed instructions to Senturk via radio. The driver is a pop singer in Turkey who has been blind since the age of three. He said that the record run, "was really hard, like a dance with death." When Senturk emerged from his borrowed car, he was told by the Guinness people that he had bested the old record of 284 kph, held by a British bank manager.

In case you were wondering, this unaccompanied record is about 20 mph slower than the record set by Hein Wagner of South Africa, who had his coach riding shotgun when he drove a Mercedes-Benz SL65 Black Series to a tick over 200 mph last October.

[Source: Reuters via NBC Sports]

Report: Turkish singer sets blind land speed record at 182 mph in Ferrari originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tony Fox "Proud American" and "Bonneville Boss" Rocket Truck

Frank Filipponio — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Classics, Performance, Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Work, Specialty

The Proud American and Bonneville Boss - Click above for high-res image gallery

Before our favorite weekly Southern California car gathering this Saturday, we had been told by a friend that he'd be bringing his new rocket truck. Rocket truck? What the heck's a rocket truck? Visions of rocket-powered pickups and semis running the quarter mile immediately came to mind. Did some drag racer sell Tom his race truck? Is that what he was bringing to the show?

As soon as we came around the corner we knew he hadn't. We knew this with absolute certainty because we saw a giant nosecone towering above the treeline. There was, in fact, a rocket-powered land speed record (LSR) car positioned at a launch-worthy angle atop a most amazing truck. Rocket, truck... Rocket truck. Makes sense now. But what was this thing and where did it come from? You can read the whole wacky story after the jump.

Gallery: Tony Fox "Proud American" and "Bonneville Boss"

Continue reading The Tony Fox "Proud American" and "Bonneville Boss" Rocket Truck

The Tony Fox "Proud American" and "Bonneville Boss" Rocket Truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Cadillac-powered Spectre SpeedLiner sets world record for gas-powered, wheel-driven vehicles

Noah Joseph — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Cadillac, Specialty

Click above to watch the videos after the jump

Different automakers seek out different bragging. The same goes for tuning houses. The bogey in question may be the quickest lap time around a given race track (usually the Nürburgring), a particular horsepower figure, a performance benchmark, or, in some cases, a world land speed record. That's what Spectre Performance was after with their SpeedLiner, and that's what they got. Well, one category of LSR, anyway.

The Spectre SpeedLiner is a purpose-built speed record car powered by a custom Cadillac V8 measuring 529 cubic inches (8.8 liters) in capacity, boosted by a pair of intercooled 88mm turbochargers, custom forged rods, solid roller cam, ported heads and oversized valves. The result is somewhere near 2000 horsepower, give or take. And on Sunday, the SpeedLiner clocked a 330.7 mph top speed on the Bonneville Salt Flats, claiming the record for the fastest wheel-driven, gasoline powered vehicle in the world.

Reports indicate that Spectre is looking to hit 400 mph, so this may very well not be the last we've heard from the SpeedLiner. In the meantime, you can check out a trio of videos after the jump.

[Source: SpectrePerformance via Auto-Focus.us]

Continue reading VIDEO: Cadillac-powered Spectre SpeedLiner sets world record for gas-powered, wheel-driven vehicles

VIDEO: Cadillac-powered Spectre SpeedLiner sets world record for gas-powered, wheel-driven vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: South African man sets speed record for blind - in 200 mph SL Black Series!

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Etc., Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black - Click above for high-res image gallery

Looks like Luc Costermans (a.k.a. the Blind Belgian) is no longer the world's fastest sight-challenged driver. The latest person to snatch the world land speed record for the blind is South Africa's Hein Wagner. Wagner, who has been blind since birth, pushed a borrowed Mercedes-Benz SL65 Black Series to 322.5 km/h, just a tick over 200 mph. That puts him in the Guinness Book of World Records, ahead of Costermans, and it's not the first record for Wagner, though.

This is the same man who became the first South African to set a world land speed record, sighted or not, back in 2005 when he pushed a Maserati to 167 MPH. The deposed champion, Costermans, can take consolation in being the first blind man to break the 300 km/h barrier. Wagner himself might have to be content with being the first to break 200 mph, as previous record holder Mike Newman hopes to take an 1,800-hp Keating TKR supercar well past that figure later this month. In fact Newman is going after the overall production car speed record of 257 mph currently held by the SSC Ultimate Aero.

For now at least, the record belongs to Wagner. His record run was achieved on the runway at the Upington International Airport in Northern Cape, South Africa, with copilot Ray Wakefield of Speedrecord SA riding shotgun. Wagner has always had an adventurous streak, having previously run the New York Marathon (in 4:27!), skydived (skydove?) from 10,000 feet, completed the Construction du Cap bike race solo, competed in the Cape-to-Rio yacht race, and he has even climbed the ten highest peaks in the Western Cape. Wagner is raising money for his Vision Trust organization, which makes technology more accessible to the blind.

So what's up next for Wagner? He plans to fly a Boeing from London to Johannesburg -- with passengers. It was probably hard enough to find one passenger for the drive in the Benz, getting a full load of passengers for the flight might take a bit more persuading. But what the heck, it's for a good cause, right? Thanks for the tip, Dean!

Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series

[Source: News 24]

REPORT: South African man sets speed record for blind - in 200 mph SL Black Series! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: Art Arfons' Green Monster LSR car

Frank Filipponio — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:54:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Auctions

Art Arfons' Green Monster - Click above for high-res image gallery

Are you the kind of guy who thinks top speed is everything? Want car that can be called the fastest thing on wheels without exaggerating? Think a Veyron is fast? How about a Top Fuel dragster? At 320 mph, nobody would call one slow, but it wouldn't be half as fast as the car we have for you today. It's a genuine Land Speed Record (LSR) car that has done 650 mph! Is that fast enough for ya, slick? Well, it was fast enough for one guy named Slick, who topped 650 mph with the car at Bonneville in 1978.

Based on the Green Monster that the legendary, jet-engine-pioneering Art Arfons built and raced in the '60s, this eBay Motors offering was built from the pieces of that three-time record holder after it was crashed by Arfons in 1966. Art had already run 576+ in the car but crashed trying for more. After rebuilding the Green Monster, minus its adjustable front wing, Arfons never raced it again, instead selling it to Slick Gardner who ran it frequently, ultimately topping 650 mph in 1978.

According to the listing, it features a 15,000-pound thrust, 17,500 horsepower General Electric J-79 jet engine from a B-58 Hustler bomber that Arfons bought for $5,000. When Arfons repaired and tested the engine, it "rattled windows over a wide area and incinerated his chicken coop." It has a padded cell for a cockpit (but no straightjacket as far as we can tell) and it rides on LSR grooved steel wheels. The car currently resides in the parking garage at The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and the the bidding so far has failed to reach the reserve at just $51,100.

Gallery: Art Arfons' Green Monster

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: Art Arfons' Green Monster LSR car originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit 2009: Faster Pussycat - Jaguar XFR pounces on Bonneville, hits 225 mph!

Chris Paukert — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Motorsports, Sedan, Etc., Jaguar

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Jaguar XFR Bonneville car

In its spare time while reinventing the company and settling in with a new owner, Jaguar's boffins somehow found time to take their new XFR to the Bonneville Salt Flats for a top speed run last November.

The Paul Gentilozzi-driven XFR had been modified with the appropriate safety gear (roll cage, fire suppression system, etc.), along with a sizable low-mounted rear spoiler and a derestricted ECU that allowed the supercharger to yield around 600 horsepower thanks to a bit more boost. So-equipped, the 503-horsepower sedan blew through the double-ton to top out at 225.675 miles-per-hour, solidly trouncing the previous Jaguar land speed record of 217.1 mph set by an XJ220 at Nardo back in 1992 with Martin Brundle at the wheel. For reference, the standard XFR is electronically limited to 155 mph.

Incredibly, the Bonneville run was completed on stock Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, and the Rocketsports-prepared XFR was still registering a bit of wheelspin at that speed. Check out the high-res, high-speed gallery below and the press release after the jump.

UPDATE: Video of the XFR in Bonneville added after the jump.

Gallery: Jaguar XFR Bonneville Salt Flats Racer

Gallery: Detroit 2009: Jaguar XFR Bonneville Salt Flats Racer

Live photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Jaguar]

Continue reading Detroit 2009: Faster Pussycat - Jaguar XFR pounces on Bonneville, hits 225 mph!

Detroit 2009: Faster Pussycat - Jaguar XFR pounces on Bonneville, hits 225 mph! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEMA: Genaddi LSR Roadster

John Neff — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 09:54:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Convertible, Chevrolet

The Genaddi LSR Roadster is not for the faint of heart. Only those strong in constitution would tear into a perfectly good Corvette Z06 to create something unique like the LSR. Designed by Wisconsin-based coachbuilder Mark Gerisch, the LSR eschews the Corvette's composite and carbon fiber body panels for ones made of aluminum. While doing so, Gerisch tweaked the Vette's rear end so it kind of looks like an Enzo's with "afterburner" style taillights. We think it falls short of a flattering imitation, but you can decide for yourself. Though nearly every body panel has been recast in aluminum, for some reason only the back half appears altered. The front half looks for all the world like a production Z06, except with a hood scoop and vents that run up the front fenders. The LSR uses the Z06 engine and adds only a "chip" that increases horsepower to 545 according to a representative. We're not sure if we had a Z06 that we'd trade it in for a Genaddi LSR Roadster, but we can't deny that it draws a crowd.

Continue reading SEMA: Genaddi LSR Roadster

SEMA: Genaddi LSR Roadster originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Nov 2006 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brit team plans to break record with 200mph head of steam

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 17:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

We never suspected the Brits would use boiling water for anything nobler than steeping tea, but it's full steam ahead for the British Steam Car Challenge project that is attempting to break the land-speed record for a steam-powered vehicle that has stood for over 100 years. According to a Telegraph article, a small group of would-be record breakers will head to South Africa's Northern Cape early next year where they will try to achieve 200mph in their steam-powere car, thus shattering the previous record 127.659mph that was set in 1906 by Fred Marriot's Stanley Steamer. A man named Bob Barber actually surpassed that mark in 1985 by clocking a 145.607mph pass, but then his steam-powered car burned to the ground. He was therefore unable to complete a return run, which is required by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) to qualify for a land speed record.

Read on after the jump...

[Source: The Telegraph via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Brit team plans to break record with 200mph head of steam

Brit team plans to break record with 200mph head of steam originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Oct 2006 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JCB Dieselmax speedster clears 200 MPH mark

Eric Bryant — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 12:19:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hybrid, Etc.

JCB's Dieselmax land speed record vehicle has recently passed the 200 MPH mark in testing, which is a major step towards beating the current diesel record of 235 MPH.

While each of the vehicle's two 5.0L turbodiesel powerplants were recently certified at 750 HP during dyno testing (neatly matching the engineering estimates), they were dialed back to a mere 600 HP for the purpose of these trial runs. When the vehicle finally unleashes all 1500 HP - expected to happen later this month at the Bonneville salt flats - it's estimated that it will exceed the 300 MPH mark. When producing maximum power, the two production-based engines consume a stunning 3.3 tons of air per hour.

The plan is to make the record runs using low-sulfur pump fuel, and the vehicle will also employ particle traps to keep the exhaust smoke-free. LSR veteran Andy Green will be manning the Dieselmax; his job qualifications include the current world land speed record run of over 763 MPH in 1997.

[Sources: JCB, Diesel Forecast]

JCB Dieselmax speedster clears 200 MPH mark originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Aug 2006 12:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HSV Maloo R8 Ute breaks production pickup truck speed record

Eric Bryant — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 09:08:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Marketing/Advertising, GM

If your slow-ass pickup truck is making you late for work, perhaps Holden's HSV tuner division can offer a solution in the form of the Maloo R8 Ute. With 400 HP courtesy of a General Motors GenIV LS2 small-block V8, the almost-a-truck ran a two-way average of 168.66 MPH on a 0.6-mile course, in compliance with guidelines established by the Guinness Book of World Records. This beats the 154.58 MPH record previously established by the Dodge Ram SRT10. Yes, it is fair to call into question the utility of either vehicle, but we wouldn't suggest challenging either vehicle to a race.

The record was set as part of Mobil's "Drive Around Australia" promotion, where a Maloo R8 Ute was driven for 25,000 miles without an oil change to demonstrate the company's Mobil1 synthetic product.

[Source: Car.co.nz]

HSV Maloo R8 Ute breaks production pickup truck speed record originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jun 2006 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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