Autoblog

Koenigsegg considering a challenge to Veyron SS speed record?

Zach Bowman — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:59:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Luxury, Koenigsegg

Koenigsegg Agera - Click above for high-res image gallery

Few things get the automotive universe fired up quite like a good old-fashioned grudge match, and from the sound of things, we may be on the verge of seeing the battle royale with the cheese of grudge matches. Evidently, Top Gear's Bill Thomas was strolling around the Koenigsegg factory shortly after Bugatti launched the Veryon Super Sport to 267.81 mph.

At the time, the Bug's record-breaking drive was still confidential knowledge, but being the kind of bloke we wouldn't mind buying a beer, Thomas felt the need to share Bugatti's accomplishment with Koenigsegg boss Christian von Koenigsegg, potentially igniting a powder keg of speed and competition the likes of which the production auto world hasn't seen in quite some time.

Apparently, upon hearing the news that the Veryon Super Sport was now top dog of the production car world, Koenigsegg immediately began rattling off possible places to do his own high-speed testing with his newest machine, the Agera. That sounds an awful lot like we can expect a new Swedish sports machine to arrive any time to attempt to whisk the title away from the French. And there might even be a little three-way action from America's Shelby SuperCars. See? Isn't competition fun?

Gallery: Koenigsegg Agera

[Source: Top Gear]

Koenigsegg considering a challenge to Veyron SS speed record? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Buell goes for Fastest Bike on Ice title

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Motorcycle

Buell 1125R on ice - Click above to watch the video after the break

When Buell launched its new liquid-cooled 1125R sportbike in 2008, the brand that Erik built sent a message to the rest of the motorcycling world that it wasn't playing games any more. By all accounts, the 1125's Rotax-built Helicon V-twin engine is every bit the equal to other modern powerplants from Buell's competitors, and it's more than capable of pushing the machine into extra-legal velocities.

To drive that point home, Buell sent stunt rider Craig Jones (no, not that Craig Jones) to Lake Dellen in Sweden to see how fast he could get his 1125R to go. Wait, what... a top-speed run on a water? It seems that the lake in question ices over for a brief period in the dead of winter, which allowed the team to set up a huge expanse of wide-open space to have some wide-open throttle fun.

Jones' 1125R was specially prepared for the stunt with studded tires and a shot of nitrous. After it was all said and done, the Buell managed to hit 148.7 miles per hour (238 km/h). This achievement very well may be some sort of record, though, oddly enough, nobody seems to keep track of this particular statistic. We wonder why. Click past the break to watch the video. Thanks for the tip, John!

[Source: Buell via YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Buell goes for Fastest Bike on Ice title

VIDEO: Buell goes for Fastest Bike on Ice title originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 May 2009 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The top secret Top Secret LF-A that doesn't exist

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Supercars, Lexus, Toyota

Smokey Nagata took a Supra to Nardo to flog it around the track and remind Toyota about what it could be doing with its time. Now, a freethinking designer with some serious rendering skills has upped Smokey's Supra by kitting out an LF-A in a similar garb. The result is this, the TOP SECRET LF-A Nardo 400 Supercar Concept.

Created by Jon Sibal, the car is an LF-A with some "Nagata san flavor," customized graphics, and a hunger for the 400 km/hr mark. We'll take it standing still. We don't know how many more people will need to nudge Toyota before the company will give us a sports car again. But if Toyota asked itself "What kind of bada** statement can we make to get back into the sports car game?", this kind of car could the answer. Toyota? Anyone?

Thanks for the tip, Michael!

[Source: Bespoke Ventures]

The top secret Top Secret LF-A that doesn't exist originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SSC (almost officially) takes top speed record

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

And the award for Top Speed Achieved by a Production Automobile goes to: Shelby Supercars' Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo. Claiming a stretch of public road in Washington State for the effort, the SSC UATT made two runs in accordance with Guinness Book of World Record rules, one in each direction. The first run clocked 257.11 MPH, the second, return one came in at 254.55 MPH. The average: 255.83 MPH. That bests all challengers -- yes, even the Veyron -- by at least 3 MPH.

For comparison, the SSC's V8 packs 1,183 BHP and 1,094 ft-lbs. as opposed to the Veyron's 16 cylinders, 1,001 HP, and 922 ft-lb. In addition to a bigger punch, the SSC also carries less weight: 2,700 pounds versus the Veyron's 4,162. Much of the Veyron poundage no doubt is attributable to its interior, which is a splendid place to be even when you're not doing 250+. SSC still needs to submit the paperwork and get official certification from Guinness before it's run is, as we say, officially official. Intriguing, though, that of all the names mentioned, the one not broached was the previous holder of the top speed record: the Callaway Sledgehammer.

[Source: Jalopnik]

SSC (almost officially) takes top speed record originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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