Tag: Race Cars

Weekend Rear-view: The Goodwood Festival of Speed

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While I was enjoying my weekend setting off fireworks and napping on a boat in the middle of a lake, The Goodwood Festival of Speed kicked off and some amazing and wonderful cars were revealed! So, to keep up with everything I missed, I’m starting a new blog series: Weekend Rear-view! (Get it? Review / Rear-view? Ok.) So without further ado, here’s my Weekend Rear-view: The Goodwood Festival of Speed!

The Ford GT goes out with a Bang

Photo © 2019 Motor1.com / Ford
Photo © 2019 Motor1.com / Ford

This past Le Mans saw the Ford GT program, unfortunately, end on a low note, as none of the cars took the class victory. Aside from this, the Ford GT program was Ford’s successful reentry into endurance racing since the Matech Ford GTs from more than a decade ago. To celebrate this now legendary car’s swan song, Ford has created a new customer program with a very limited edition, rule-breaking race car: the Ford GT MkII.

The Ford GT Mk II takes the hill.

Designed with the FIA rulebook firmly in the trash bin, the GT MkII makes 400 more pounds of downforce with a revised aerodynamic body, and 200 more horsepower from the 3.5L EcoBoost twin-turbo V6! This monster is even said to be able to drive upside down like an F1 car thanks to its massive downforce! Only 45 of these machines will be built-to-order.

The DeTomaso P72 might be the most beautiful car ever

Oh God, it's PERFECT! Photo © 2019 G.F Williams / DeTomaso
Oh God, it’s PERFECT! Photo © 2019 G.F Williams / DeTomaso

To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. I nearly fell out of the boat when I heard that DeTomaso was making a comeback with what I honestly think is one of the most beautiful cars I’ve ever seen! The DeTomaso P72 made its worldwide debut at Goodwood, probably snapping necks as it went up the hill. Just LOOK at it! It’s like the Spyker C8 Preliator had a baby with The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale, and went to reform school with the Pagani Huayra!

Of course, looks this good comes with a price. The P72 would have a limited production run of 72 units, all priced around $841,000 USD. The car is being built by the same people that brought us the Apollo Intenza Emozione so that glorious V12 sound emanating from the “trumpet” exhaust in the video might be the same 780 horsepower 6.3L V12!

Who would have thought polished copper would look so good?

The Volkswagen ID.R Breaks another record

Hot off the heels of their latest record-breaking run, Volkswagen Motorsport brought out the ID.R electric prototype and proceeded to break the 20- year speed record set by Nick Heidfeld in a McLaren MP4/13 Formula 1 car. That is to say, an 800 horsepower, 1300 pound, V10-powered F1 car. And the ID.R beat it.

It’s kind of hard to explain exactly how fast that is until you see the actual video. That car is FAST. The amazing thing here is that the ID.R actually weighs more and makes less power than the legendary F1 car. The ID.R was better equipped to tackle the hill than the McLaren thanks the crew setting the car up specifically for the hillclimb. Next, I want to see what that thing would do at the Circuit De La Sarthe!

That’s a wrap!

Well, that’s it for the Weekend Rear-view: The Goodwood Festival of Speed! See you next time!

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The Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Continuation is gorgeous!

  • Front view of the DB4Z Continuation.
    The gorgeous Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Continuation. Photo © 2019 Aston Martin Heritage Division.
  • The gorgeous Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Continuation. Photo © 2019 Aston Martin Heritage Division.
  • The gorgeous Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Continuation. Photo © 2019 Aston Martin Heritage Division.
  • The gorgeous Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Continuation. Photo © 2019 Aston Martin Heritage Division.
  • The gorgeous Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Continuation. Photo © 2019 Aston Martin Heritage Division.
  • The gorgeous Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Continuation. Photo © 2019 Aston Martin Heritage Division.

Why don’t they make cars like this anymore!?

Italian coachwork plus British engineering and motoring sensibilities; the stuff car nerds dream about. I’ve already mentioned my love for Zagato cars. I’ve now just learned that Aston Martin is making a DB4 Zagato continuation!

The history of the Zagato DB4 dates back to October 1960 at the London Autoshow. Originally designed to go racing, the Zagato DB4’s (or DB4Z) featured a new lightweight body, perspex windows, and bumper deletes. The DB4Zs also featured aluminum components, and it’s 3.7-liter straight-six engine produced 314 horsepower. The car was capable of 154 miles per hour.

The production history of the car is quite interesting too. In addition to the original production run from 1960-1963, the Zagato factory built their own continuations utilizing unused chassis called the Sanction II and III cars. There’s even a cottage industry for DB4Z replicas, thanks in part to the high prices the original cars can fetch at auction.

Now, Aston Martin’s Heritage Division is reviving the DB4Z with some modern touches. The body is still hand-rolled aluminum and built to vintage FIA specification. Also included in the car is an FIA-approved roll cage and carbon fiber bucket seats. It’s pretty clear what this car is meant for!

The biggest improvement, however, is the engine. Instead of the venerable 3.7-liter engine, Aston Martin has bored and stroked the engine out to 4.7-liters. The new engine now makes almost 400 horsepower, which is more than enough to propel this lightweight British missile past the finish line!

Aston Martin is planning on producing 19 continuation DB4Zs; in reference to the original 19 DB4Zs from 1960-1963 and Sanctions II-III.

Do you think they’ll take I.O.U.s?

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The Volkswagen ID R is a monster!

The Volkswagen ID R tackles the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
The Volkswagen ID R tackles the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Photo © 2019 BILDAGENTUR KR√§LING

The ID R isn’t your Dad’s golf kart.

I just learned that the Volkswagen ID R electric concept/race car just broke another record. It’s not surprising since the car looks like a cross between a Group C race car and something Daniel Simon could have designed. Truthfully, the car was designed to take the electric car record at the world-world famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb. However, this latest record proves that electric cars are the ultimate evolution of motorsports: The ID R just broke the Nürburgring Nordschleife record for electric cars at 6:05!

To understand exactly how fast that is, first, you have to understand how big the Nordschleife is, and how fast a racecar can go around it. The original “Nordschleife” or “North Loop” was built in the 1920s around the town of Nürburg, in the Eifel mountains. Also nicknamed “The Green Hell”, the Nordschleife is almost 13 miles long, with 73 turns and massive elevation changes. Sports car manufacturers often use the Nordschleife to develop their cars, and it’s not uncommon for a car maker to boast about its cars’ lap times.

The Volkswagen ID R successfully makes a run. Photo © 2019 Volkswagen Motorsport

How fast is six minutes and 5 seconds?

A “fast” car can make the loop at around 8 minutes. The Alfa Romeo 4C did 8:04 back in 2013. A “very fast” car like the Ferrari 458 Italia can do it by roughly 7:30. An “extremely fast” car like the Lamborghini Aventador 770-4 SVJ can do it in under seven minutes. These are just production cars though, and the Volkswagen ID R is clearly not a production car.

The previous record holder for the fastest electric car was the Nio EP9, which made 1000 kilowatts or 1,361 horsepower equivalent. The EP9 was only a shade slower than the Lamborghini Aventador 770-4 SVJ at 6:45, which we already knew was “extremely fast.”

The Volkswagen ID R did it 40 seconds faster than a 1,300 horsepower electric car. That is insanely fast!

What’s more surprising is the fact that the ID R makes less power than the previous record holder. It “only” makes around 700 horsepower, but the car has an incredibly lightweight body weighing only 1,100 kilograms or 2,500 pounds. In addition, the ID R sports a very low-drag and high-downforce body, meaning that the car could take the Nordschleife’s 73 turns at a much higher speed.

Just imagine; in a few years, electric race cars like the ID R will be making insane lap times at our favorite tracks like the Circuit de la Sarthe, or even WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca!

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