Friday, June 25, 2010

Auto Salon Aussie Car

While you have to be different to want to modify a car, there are varying levels of "uniqueness" that each person brings to the scene. I mean, it's not the act of a cold, calculatingly logical person to invest tens of thousands of dollars into a means of transport, making it more expensive to run and making it far more uncomfortable and too powerful to drive on the street.

Theo and George Spartalis are not ordinary, and their cars are certainly far from average, often seamlessly integrating show quality build finish to hardcore race-style performance engineering. Both of these very special brothers shine on like crazy diamonds in the coalface that is the tuning scene and this wild S15 is Theo's opus, his toy, his pride and joy. Rather than keeping it placid with big rims, dumped stance, some styling efforts and around 250kW at the wheels, the Spartalis brothers took their inspiration from the most hardcore drag and circuit racing Silvias in Japan.

Theo made a pilgrimage to Japan a few years back, where the sight of the HKS Kyushu S15 running 10.4 on drag radials and using an SR20 pulled the strings in his mind, while it was witnessing the GT300-class C-West S15 JGTC racers (now Super GT) that stamped those formative lustful ideas and dreams into a cold, hard, wanton desire to build his own SR20DET-powered S15, something that could run a number at the drags or blast an enthralling lap out at a local circuit.



To achieve this, he scored himself a 2001-vintage Spec R S15 Silvia import and set about building a car that bridged JGTC circuit influence with some drag racing hardware and a pinch of road car smarts. At first, having spent well over $120,000 and three months in construction, it was a capable all rounder with over 400kW at the treads from its highly engineered SR20 (without nitrous), though it soon copped evolutionary upgrades to assist in its chase for a time slip and the world record for fastest SR20 on radial tyres.

At the start of the original build, Theo wanted the car to blend JGTC and drag styles into a road car and then take it from track to strip to street. However, his desire to run a fast time overcame the short-term circuit aspirations and any shred of road usage for the car, and so it slowly turned more into a strip-focused monster, though Theo reckons it can be re-tuned to smash lap records fairly easily and cheaply.

Before this latest round of modifications to really push it into drag car territory to run a number that Theo would be happy with, it had run a best time of 10.24@138mph on radials and 9.23@148.5mph on slicks, though these passes had been plagued with the kind of teething problems associated with massive feats of engineering like what this car packs. They had suffered all kinds of set-backs, from faulty battery charge warning lights, to shearing billet driveshafts, to a programming glitch on the MoTeC accidentally advancing the timing to nearly 27degrees (which would be enough to kill any normal motor)!

The whole build was excruciatingly difficult as the detail had to be off the clock. It had to be supremely well engineered, but finished to a standard that wouldn't be out of place on a brand new supercar or works-built factory racer. Still, running that first nine second pass made it all worthwhile for Theo, and he's rightfully proud of the advanced workmanship that is packed into the fatter-than-a-sumo two-door, the highlights of which are the seamlessly integrated C West GT widebody, the seam-welded chassis, the R32 Skyline GT-R rear-end, the carbon brakes from the USA and that ludicrously large T51R turbo.


Actually, that monster S13-generation SR20DET (used for simplicity's sake) is one area that has copped plenty of revision and updates over the tenure of the S15's life though most of that work has focused on attaining reliability rather than going for sky high dyno figures. The way the car gets out of the hole (off the line) and how strong it is in the mid-track has more to do with Theo's desire to run an ace time than outright grunt ever will (though that would net him a sweet mph figure).

The first thing most people spot in the engine bay is that monster HKS T51R KAI turbo, the snail pumps 30psi worth of boost into the now-2.2-litre SR20, though that's managed by the HKS 50mm external wastegate, TAL blow-off valve and Blitz Dual SBC boost controller. You can't run such a large huffer without the appropriate preparation being done to the bottom end, and on the GT Autosound S15 there's enough hi-po hardware in there to make a Silvia junkie drool with excitement.

In the block lies a Tomei stroker crank that has bumped capacity up to 2.2-litres and can spin far harder than the Nissan effort, while Power Enterprise bearings now handle the rpm, heat and stress from the manic motor, being able to turn to over 11,000rpm! While shopping at Tomei, Theo picked up a quartet of their matching 2.2-litre con rods to suit the motor as well as a set of oversize 87.5mm pistons that were then also Nikasil coated for extra strength and installed with unbelievably exotic titanium piston rings that are both lightweight and strong. There's also a Trust sump and oil cooler to ensure the motor's longevity.

Having experimented with both standard and heavily modified heads, Theo has settled on this expensive, labour-intensive set-up that is reportedly worth around $12,000 and packs exotic, intricate detailing like CNC porting, JUN billet plenum, Tomei valve springs and Manley titanium and aluminium valves. On the front of the motor, there is a Nissan VQ45 V8 throttle body and Tomei cam gears, while ARP head studs have been fitted to stop the top-end lifting off the long motor when that massive T51R gets a'spoolin'.

With the switch to methanol, the Sard 1000cc injectors currently doing duty will be joined by a second set. Theo had been running American-made Rochester units, but found them to be less than reliable on such a monstrously worked motor, something that can spell disaster and tens of thousands of dollars down the drain if it all goes wrong.


There's also twin SX fuel pumps that basically shower the 2.2-litre four-cylinder with C16 race fuel and twin VL Turbo fuel pumps for the nitrous system. Up the front, a custom radiator and cooling system reduce weight and handle the increased pressures in the system, while the whole exhaust was also custom made from scratch to suit Theo's exact specifications. Ignition is handled by twin MoTeC CDI ignitors as well as high-rate MSD coils and leads, ensuring massive amounts of spark get to those plugs and burn the huge amounts of fuel flowing into each combustion chamber, something that will be even more important with the switch to methanol as it takes double the amount of alcohol to provide the same amount of propulsion as conventional petrol.

Helping keep the detonation at bay is the Trust front-mount air-to-air 150mm-thick drag-spec intercooler. This unit sacrifices ultimate long-distance cooling efficiency for almost no pressure drop at all across the massive core, something that Theo's able to cope with seeing how the car's really only running at full-tilt for a maximum of 10.24 seconds at a time.

All that work adds up to 490 rear-wheel kilowatts without nitrous through the auto gearbox (and well over 500 with a manual), but has seen as high as 600kW at the wheels on the bottle, though this was running a very conservative 18deg of timing. Some of the reasons Theo wants to change the to methanol is because alcohol will burn much cleaner than C16 race fuel, run the motor at a much cooler temperature and allow almost 35 degrees of timing, which should add around 200hp to the car's prodigious total!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Perfect cars Saleen s7 latest Images - Y3MBYNGEVMYA

The Saleen S7 Twin Turbo is classified as a supercar, alongside Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and the Bugatti Veryron. It should be classified as a space rocket. The amount of horsepower and torque squeezed from the Ford-based V8 engine (yes a Ford V8 in a supercar), boggles the mind and leaves your stomach suspended in mid-air two miles behind you, where you just were a second ago.

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Looking at the car, you can see that a lot of hard work went into designing an aerodynamic body, but the real miracle sits a few inches behind the driver: the V8 engine. On a common supercar, the engine will be sized anywhere between a V8 and a V16, weigh 600+ pounds, and be loaded down with all sorts of fancy controls and cam shafts. The V8 in the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo laughs in the face of this excess. It weighs in at a slim 440 pounds, is made of aluminum, has only one cam shaft, and only two valves per cylinder, where most engines would have five. Sound too simple? Well, it generates 750 horsepower and 700 lb-ft of torque.

Cadillac XTS Platinum concept


Cadillac has of late been quite successful in ditching its old man’s car image, spearheaded by hip-hop’s favourite SUV, the Escalade, and the sharply styled CTS sports sedan. But some remnants of its conservative past remains in the range, such as the DTS, which looks stuck in the 90s and totally out of sync with Caddy’s new image.


For Detroit, GM’s luxury brand shows off the XTS Platinum concept, a big car application of Cadillac’s “Art & Science” design language which would complete the brand transformation should it replace the STS/DTS. It’s pretty much the big brother of the CTS – carrying the same sharp, angular lines, but with more restraint.



The XTS is powered by a 3.6-litre direct injection V6 paired with a plug-in hybrid system, which is estimated to produce 350 bhp and 400 Nm. The concept uses an AWD chassis. The XTS’ Magnetic Ride Control uses shocks controlled by magneto-rheological tech, rather than mechanical valves, to govern body control and ride comfort.


Like current Platinum Edition Caddys, the concept’s interior is full of hand cut-and-sewn materials. The XTS injects more contemporary forms and themes into the cabin, including the use of Organic LED displays in place of traditional gauges and screens, which contrasts the warm wood trim. “We envisioned this concept as an automotive personal headquarters, using advanced technology to enable new levels of connectivity and luxury,” said Bryan Nesbitt, Cadillac’s GM.

3rd generation Ford Focus



The Ford Focus has always been one of the best-handling C-segment cars I’ve ever driven. The biggest drawback it has for the Malaysian market is that it’s a little small on the inside, being an European product where their C-segment cars are a little smaller. Their Civic is a smaller hatch compared to the large 2,700mm wheelbase version we get here.


And here it is, the latest edition of the Focus. Ford pegs it as all-new, and technically it should be considering that the 2nd generation Focus has already been facelifted. So this is basically the third generation and for the first time the Focus is a world car instead of being two different products for North America and the rest of the world. I had a go at the North American product earlier this week and I can understand why American journos have been calling for Ford to bring the Euro Focus across the ocean. Well, they don’t have to do that anymore – they are going to get this new global Focus as well.



The design is far edgier compared to the outgoing Focus. Ford attempted to add some Kinetic Design elements to the current Focus when it got facelifted but because there’s just so much you can change during a facelift, the end result was not as ‘kinetic’ as say, the new Fiesta or the new Ford Kuga. With this new body, Ford has pulled out all the stops with their Kinetic Design – check out details like the ‘zorro Z’ design at the front wheel arch. The ducktail on the sedan’s boot is also pretty prominent. Some might feel it’s perhaps a little too overdone, especially the details of the front bumper. They look like they belong on an aggressive model like an ST or an RS, but these are just your regular Focus models. But this could also be a good thing for some customers – no mods needed.


Wheelbase has unchanged, though the new Focus is a little longer mostly due to pedestrian safety requirements. This means the overhangs are longer. What this will mean is that the interior space is probably largely unchanged over the 2nd generation. Ford says based on their market research this is a good balance between size and fuel economy but to me, for a world car there definitely will be markets where a larger vehicle will be called for. After all, that is why Honda split the CIvic in two. In these markets, certain buyers will look to other vehicles no matter how good the Focus looks simply because of interior space. The new 3rd generation Focus also differentiates between the sedan and the hatchback variant more than the 2nd generation did. The vertical tail lamps are gone on the hatchback in favor of wider rear glass but the tail lamps remain mounted high-ish.



Changes to the platform between the 2nd generation and the 3rd generation mostly covers the way the suspension subframes are mounted. There has been some changes which are primarily driven by the desire to increase the level of NVH damping of the Focus. Thus you can expect the new Ford Focus to feel a little more refined than the outgoing one. Techniques such as the use of sashed doors, dual plane sealing, more aerodynamic wing mirrors and windshield wipers are used. Ford says the new Focus Global C platform shares only about one third with the new Mazda 3, while the rest are exclusively Ford.


Ford wanted the new Focus to be more refined and more quiet, as quiet is one of the factors that we take into account when our brains process the feel of ‘quality’. Quietness is also a big thing for what Ford defines as the new Ford flavor these days – they are investing alot into ways they can make their cars more silent, as I will show you in an upcoming post.




The Detroit showcar features a new 2.0 liter DI Ti-VCT engine. Those acronyms basically mean the engine has direct injection and dual variable valve timing, both on intake and exhaust. This new engine makes up to 20 horses more power than the current Mazda-based Duratec 20, while consuming 10% less fuel. The 4-speed auto has also been replaced by a new 6-speed Powershift dual clutch transmission. Apparently there is also an active grille shutter system, which shuts off some of the air intakes to improve aerodynamics whenever the extra cooling is not needed.


The new Focus will also debut an EPAS system for the first time. EPAS is basically an electric power steering. Alot of other manufacturers have started using EPAS systems in their cars but most people say an electric power steering is more ‘dead’ and unnatural compared to a regular hydraulic one. But Ford believes that a properly tuned EPAS can actually improve steering precision and feel over a hydraulic one.



According to Ford, there are over 250 parameters and settings in an EPAS that has to be finetuned in detail to achieve a good feel. As the 2nd gen Focus was a great drive, I hope Ford got all the variables right! There’s also a Dynamic Cornering Control system which counteracts slip on the inner wheel during a corner to improve cornering performance and turn-in.


Also new is the MyFord system, which is basically like iDrive. You use a phone-style 5-way button on your steering wheel to control the user interface. MyFord is built on Microsoft Windows Auto. Quite a few companies are basing their new in-car systems on Windows Auto, such as Fiat’s Blue&Me and the new system from Kia. There’s also voice commands, so you can say Call Muthu for the phone to call up Muthu in your phonebook. MyFord is the sibling to the touch operation-based MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch showcased at the CES end of last year.



This is one of 10 cars that will spawn from this new “Global C platform”, as Ford calls it. The first was the new C-MAX and Grand C-MAX MPVs which we saw at Frankfurt last year. Ford plans to put the this new third generation global Ford Focus into production for Europe and North America late this year, with a showroom debut in early 2011. It will be quite some time before it hits Malaysia (only early 2012 optimistically), but let me let you in on a secret – we’ll see an interesting new variant of the 2nd gen Focus here soon. This additional variant to the current generation Focus will feature diesel power!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Ferrari » 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO2011 Ferrari 599 GTO2011 Ferrari 599 GTO
Now accessible are the aboriginal photos and advice on the new Ferrari 599 GTO, an acute V12 berlinetta developed to a specific performance-oriented brief. The Ferrari 599 GTO is, in fact, the company's fastest anytime alley car. It is an absolute bound copy appropriate which, in accurate Ferrari tradition, is a absolutely new concept, admitting aggressive by a assembly car. In actuality the Ferrari 599 GTO is based on the 599XX, the avant-garde beginning clue car, and can be advised about a road-going version.

The Ferrari 599 GTO is aloof for aloof 599 audience who seek the best announcement of high-performance driving. The Ferrari 599 GTO allowances anon from the abstruse alteration from antagonism and set a almanac lap time at Fiorano in 1'24".

The Fiorano lap time provides aloof one adumbration of the abeyant of this car. Aloof as cogent are the abstruse blueprint - 670 hp in a 1495kg car represents a weight-to-power arrangement of aloof 2.23 kg/hp, and ensures a 0-100 km/h dispatch time of aloof 3.35" as able-bodied as a top acceleration of over 335 km/h.

Fundamental to the GTO's achievement is the avant-garde access to anatomy development which, for the aboriginal time on a assembly car, saw the affiliation amid a administration accoutrement acquainted for a akin of admiration that is abutting to the absolute and awful adult cyberbanking controls. The aftereffect is the about complete absence of understeer and a absolutely candid chassis.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Honda Accord Crosstour shows tiny problems in the IIHS rollover tests

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducted rollover tests on several vehicles and the Honda Accord Crosstour was among those that didn’t do well.

Already, many observers expect this model to get an early refresh. The suggestions include a new face and a titanium-reinforced roof. In the latest tests, the IIHS didn’t exactly roll the vehicles. Rather, the IIHS pushed a metal plate against 1 corner of a roof at a constant speed. To get a good rating, a roof must withstand a force of 4 times the vehicle’s weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. To get an acceptable rating, the minimum strength-to-weight ratio that’s needed is 3.25. A poor rating is given to those that have lower than 2.5. Vehicles that did remarkably well are the Grand Cherokee, Highlander, Liberty, and Venza, which all withstood forces of almost 5 times their weights. The Crosstour can withstand 2.8 times its weight while the Endeavor and Pilot can endure only 3 times its weight.

Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini made strong gains in European auto production in April


For the month of April, luxury carmakers (including Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz division, BMW brand, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini and Land Rover) made strong gains in European auto production.

The 2010 results are expected to come out favorably against the April 2009 period when sales dropped due to the global financial crisis and Europe’s incentive program that favored small cars. With the recovery in the global economy and the ending of government subsidies, the factories in Europe are boosting production to fill orders for high-end models. Notably, the April output for the Mercedes S class rose to 6,012 units from 675 in 2009. The Land Rover Range Rover Sport increased by 157% year on year. Production was also boosted for the all-new Rolls-Royce Ghost, according to estimates from J.D. Power Automotive Forecasting. Overall, European production rose by 8% in the month to 1,367,512 and 28% to 5,746,227 through April. It should also be noted that April was the first month when the year-on-year production growth rate was a single-digit percentage (instead of double digits).