Autoblog

Click above for our high-res ZR1 burnout gallery!

Car and Driver recently strapped its test gear to the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and, as expected, recorded some impressive numbers. All eyes have been on the supercar Vette as it enters the boxing ring to duke it out with the heavy-hitting Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, Nissan GT-R and Porsche GT2 (among others), and it looks like the latest Corvette will more than hold its own. According to C&D's trusty electronic gear, the supercharged 638-hp beast knocked off a 0-60 mph time of just 3.4 seconds as it continued towards a blistering 7.6 second 0-100 mph run. The quarter mile was cracked in 11.5 seconds @ 128 mph (Chevrolet claims 11.3 seconds, but the guys at C&D didn't believe in "...that sort of drivetrain abuse" to get lower numbers). The top speed also remains unverified as the team "ran out of room" before they could hit the claimed 205 mph. Under braking, the ZR1 set a new C&D record as it hauled itself down from 70 mph in just 142 feet. Of course, we must mention the obligatory claimed Nürburgring lap time of 7:26 (at the hands of Chevrolet). So you don't have to Google the competition's best-claimed Ring times yourself, here they are: Porsche GT2 - 7:32, Nissan GT-R - 7:29, and the Dodge Viper ACR - 7:22. Of course, we'd like to see all four on the track under identical conditions, and with some digital timing gear!

[Source: Car and Driver]

Mention "Autobahn" to an automotive enthusiast, and his or her eyes instantly light up. That single word represents miles upon miles of traditionally unrestricted high-speed roadways throughout the German countryside connecting major towns and cities.

While sections of the Autobahn have been speed restricted for years, the city of Bremen in northern Germany has just become the first state to introduce a speed limit on all of its Autobahn areas today. While the news instantly sent shudders through our throttle feet, further investigation revealed the state of Bremen has just 60 km (about 37 miles) of roadway within its jurisdiction. Regardless, for the automotive passionate among us, this move is a frightening baby-step for the German Green party (Die Grünen) and the Social Democrats (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands). Both groups not only oppose unrestricted speeds on the Autobahn, but they also share the power in Bremen. Thankfully, German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues to rule out a national speed limit for the Autobahn.

[Source: Automotive News - subs. req'd, Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty]

Click on the images to view in high-speed and high-resolution

Remember the Maybach Exelero? The ultra-premium marque from Merceceds-Benz built it almost two years ago as a high-speed test vehicle based on its Maybach 57 luxury sedan, but unfortunately never offered production versions to the public. To the rescue comes Brabus, those whacky German tuners who give the go-fast treatment to everything produced by the three-pointed star, from the Smart ForTwo all the way up to this 730-hp limousine.

Like the Exelero, Brabus' monster is based on the Maybach 57 and was built in order to achieve the highest speeds attainable. To get there, Brabus tuned the Maybach's twin-turbo V12 to the same standard as the CLS-based Brabus Rocket speed record car: that means boosting power from 550 hp to 730, thanks to an increase in displacement from 5.5 liters to 6.3, coupled with a new crankshaft, pistons, cylinder heads... the works. The turbos were beefed up, and along with the intercoolers, a custom exhaust was installed and the ECU was reprogrammed.

The result is a top speed of 330.2 km/h (205.2 mph in American speak) achieved at the same Nardo test track in Italy where the Exelero was put through its places. A far cry from the 218.4 mph achieved by the Exelero, but not to shabby in its own right. And here you thought the S versions of the Maybach 57 and 62 were obscene enough....

Check out the images in the gallery below, and the press release after the jump.

[Source: Brabus]

Click the Fusion for high-res images from Bonneville

Matt Zuehlk and his team comprised of engineers and technicians from Ford, Roush and Ballard Power Systems finally hit the Bonneville Salt Flats this past weekend after months of preparation and weeks of vehicle integration testing. On Sunday, Driver Rick Byrnes made a qualification run at over 161 mph with the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Fusion.

Now the team will be spending the rest of this week working their way up to over 200 mph as they try to establish a land speed record for a production-bodied fuel cell car. The Ford team is also working with the Ohio State University team who are trying to get their Buckeye Bullet 2 streamliner up over 350mph.

[Source: Ford, via AutoblogGreen]

We tried hard to get a podcast going last week, but it just wasn't good enough. This week, the internet gods smiled on us with solid connections that cleared the way for our incisor-sharp banter. Kicking off #72, we discuss the dual surprise from Ford and GM - profit! The US operations showed losses, but overseas branches pulled in the dough, and as Alex points out "money is money." Moving on to less dull subjects, the MINI Clubman was officially unveiled, and it seems like all of the growth is in its arse. There's more legroom in the back seat, and cargo space gets a boost, as well. In typical German fashion, they took the long way around to achieve what could have been a simple platform stretch. Speaking of Germans - Wolfgang Bernhard is officially in at Chrysler. That is, if Hades 3-headed guard dog can pull it together on the funding side. It's not much of a surprise, and we hope that he can right the good ship Chrysler.

Follow the jump for more or click a link below to download the show.

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Continental has entered the Guinness Book of World Records with a top speed of 242 mph (388 km/h). We're definitely not talking about the behemoth Bentley, as powerful as it is. The record now officially belongs to Continental Tires for its ContiSportContact Vmax, which has been officially certified by those stout-chugging judges as the world's fastest production road tire.

The rubber was tested on the 9ff-modified Porsche 911 that took the world record for the fastest street-legal road car. A custom 9ff cabrio also took the record for the world's fastest convertible with a high end of 237.8 mph (380.5 km/h). Both cars are owned by 9ff chief Jan Fatthauer, and the top speed runs were certified by Guinness.

If you're thinking that the Bugatti Veyron (and the purpose-made Michelin rubber on its wheels) can hit a higher speed, you may be right, but the Veyron has yet to try for the official record, and its tires were specially made for the Bugatti, while the Continentals are offered to the public as standard production road tires. As much as the car's own capabilities, how it makes contact with the road (i.e., its tires) often dictates a car's limits. Just keeping the tires from melting (as they do on the Veyron after just 12 minutes at its 253-mph top speed) is a feat in and of itself.

[Source: Motor Authority]

The highlight of the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the 1.16-mile hillclimb. Nearly 200 cars in various classes, grouped by theme, race up the incline 9-turn incline and then parade down the hill in groups to line up for the next assault. The Festival is no stranger to Formula 1 cars or drivers (Nick Heidfeld holds the record for the hillclimb in a Mclaren MP4/13 at 41.16 seconds), but this years event will feature F1 drivers on bicycles. The bicycle challenge is called the Goodwood Organic Milk Race, and celebrates Britain's cycling event called the Milk Race, and the fact that the Goodwood Estate at Home Farm has introduced its own brand of organic milk. The uphill time trial will feature F1 racers paired with professional cyclists in 2-man teams. Former drivers will include Damon Hill and Allan McNish. Anthony Davidson, Jensen Button, Mark Webber are among the current pilots participating. And based on the state of their respective F1 teams, Goodwood could be the best chance for them to take home some silverware for a while.

[Source: Fourtitude]

Britain's installation of more speed cameras and the swap to digital means they'll catch even more speeders. That's good for the treasury. According to British insurer Swinton, it isn't good for the points system that insurance companies use to set premiums -- there are too many people getting more and more points to make it a useful criteria. So Swinton says it will no longer automatically raise premiums if drivers get points due to speed cameras, saying "points alone can no longer be used as a yardstick for driver evaluation." Currently in Britain, getting 12 points means losing your license. With 6,000 cameras nabbing two million speeders annually, and mobile phone infractions earning three points, Swinton says "a few years ago insurers might have assumed that a motorist with six or more points on their license was a reckless driver, but that is no longer necessarily the case." With the suggestion that drivers with 6 points could be viewed as "standard," six could become the new zero. We can't wait for that kind of sense to make it this way. Allstate? You listening?

[Source: Daily Mail]

Finally, someone's fighting back against the fleecing of the general populace. Famous for liking things big, Texas lawmakers have laid the smackdown on red light and speed cameras in a large manner. HB.922 states "A municipality may not implement or operate an automated traffic control system with respect to a highway under its jurisdiction," which means that cameras, automated radar or laser, or anything else designed to snag an image of a car, driver, or license plate and record its speed is now forbidden. The even larger racket of red-light cameras have had the brakes applied by HB.1052, which requires giving motorists notice of the devices at least 100 feet out.

These bills have passed through the legislature and are awaiting Governor Rick Perry's inscription. If the measures do make it into law, we hope that other states follow suit. Ticketing egregious speeders and actual red-light scofflaws is one thing, but the systems have been calibrated in a cynical manner to generate loads of revenue (and kickbacks) for the companies that sell and administrate the systems for municipalities. Rather than keeping people safe, random ticketing amounts to a tax, and that really sticks in our craw. We're pleased beyond words that Texas has taken up the motorists' cause, and we hope that the new legislation can stand as a precedent.

Thanks for the tip, Dylan!

[Source: caradvice]

When Bentley wants to open a new showroom, they don't do it by half measures. In honor of Istanbul, Turkey's first Bentley dealer on the Bosporus, the marque is putting on a 2,500-mile rally from London to Turkey. Called the Bentley Calista Rally -- because it ends at the Calista Luxury Resort in Belek -- seven Bentley Speed Sixes and seven Bentley 4.5-liters will make the trek across The Continent.

The participants are invited members of the Benjafield's Racing Club, which was founded by Bentley Boy Dudley Benjafield. Back when W.O. Bentley was making what Ettore Bugatti called "the world's fastest lorries," the group of men who were winning races like the 24 Hours of LeMans and beating trains from Calais to London were called the Bentley Boys. In that spirit and in their honor, the ten-country Calista Rally will combine some of the world's most wonderful engines with some of Europe's most wonderful destinations. We're sure Walter Owen would be proud.

[Source: Winding Road]