New York Motor Club

1 of 1, M5 CSL built by BMW...

A one-off lightweight E60 M5 CSL was unveiled today at BMW's Nurburgring based prototype workshop. CSL stands for coupe sport lightweight so this really should be called SSL (Sedan).  The car was built to commemorate the 5-series 25th anniversary. Albert Biermann, BMW M division's head of development summarized the car as "the M5 CSL we never built" 

Mechanical changes include a heavily tuned version of the M5's 5.0L V10 motor. The V10 motor has been enlarged with a longer stroke result in a total volume of 5.5L, which is the largest displacement ever featured in an official M car. The engine also now features a carbon fiber manifold, increased capacity air box and secondary oil cooler. To feed the enhanced engine, the front bumper features an extra air duct (where license plate normally attaches) to take in more air. The transmission was swapped out for the current M3's 7 speed DCT. 

Official power and torque figures have not been released but Biermann hints the output peaks at “around 580bhp and close to 400lb ft”. That’s up from 407bhp and 348lb ft with the standard M5. No performance claims have been made for the powered-up-and-pared-down M5, but Biermann says it is “comfortably faster the standard M5’s 4.0 sec 0-60 mph.

As part of the car's weight savings diet, the roof is now carbon fiber, which lowers the car's center of gravity for increased handling. The interior has been stripped down for carbon fiber backed race seats up front and the rear seats were removed.

In terms of its suspension the new M5 remains close to the standard specification. “We’ve altered the mapping of the variable dampers but the geometry remains the same,” says Biermann.

The new one-off M5 it has already lapped the Nurburgring in the hands of long-time BMW race driver, Claudia Huertgen, in under eight minutes, making it some 20sec faster around the legendary German circuit than the standard M5.

“It’s a lot gutsier than the standard M5,” says Huertgen, who this year drove the new Alpina M6 GT3 race car in the FIA sportscar championship. “You can sense the added drive out of corners. There’s more bottom end shove. I’m pulling over 180mph under the bridge at the Doettinger Hohe [the fastest point of the track]."

As desirable as this car may be to all of us however, this car remains a one-off and there are no plans for production.

The video above is NOT of the CSL M5, but it is the BMW Ring Taxi lapping the Nurburgring.  M5 CSL Nurburgring video coming soon.  

Morning Vid...

2010 F1, 19 Race Schedule...

With the 2009 season drawing to a close and both the titles already decided, Formula One is heading into the off-season. And that means all parties – teams, drivers, organizers, sponsors and everyone else involved in the sport – will be preparing for next year's schedule.

 
The first step is to set the calendar for next year's championship, and as in years past, that's been the subject of much debate. But it appears the arguments are finally drawing to a close for the 2010 championship, with race organizers in Monte Carlo agreeing to move the Monaco Grand Prix forward by one week in order to give the traveling circus a wider two-week window to get to Istanbul. With Canada slated to return to the calendar, the addition of South Korea and the tentative swap of Silverstone for Donington Park, the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship will consist of a whopping 19 races.

Abu Dhabi and Brazil are working out a deal to switch spots for the season finale, while Canada, Great Britain, Korea and Abu Dhabi remain tentative pending ongoing negotiations. But barring unforeseen circumstances, this is the calendar as we're expecting it to carry for next season

2010 FIA Formula One World Championship

14/3 BRN Bahrain
28/3 AUS Australia
4/4 MAL Malaysia
18/4 CN China
9/5 E Spain
16/5 MC Monaco
30/5 TR Turkey
13/6 CDN Canada**
27/6 E Europe (Valencia)
11/7 GB Great Britain*
25/7 D Germany
1/8 H Hungary
29/8 B Belgium
12/9 I Italy
26/9 SGP Singapore
3/10 J Japan
17/10 ROK Korea*
31/10† UAE Abu Dhabi*
14/11† BR Brazil

*Subject to the homologation of the circuit.

**Subject to the completion of contract negotiations with Formula One Management.

†The FIA has approved in principle a proposal to swap the dates of the Abu Dhabi and Brazil grands prix, pending agreement with the promoters of both events.

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Making Drifting History...

M. Kawabata launches his Nissan 240 SX into the corner, he threw the car around so quickly the rear end enters the turn first -- and then he keeps it under control.  It's being called "drifting history", "the perfect drift" and "the best drift ever.

USF1 wants NASCAR's Kyle Busch...

F1 drivers have left the grid to go to NASCAR, so why not have a NASCAR driver make the leap to Formula 1? USF1's Peter Windsor reportedly has his eye on NASCAR bad boy Kyle Busch to pilot the team's single-seater in next year's championship. The 24-year-old Busch is said to have massive talent, and he's tallied a fair number of wins in his five years of racing in three NASCAR series.

We like the idea of an American pilot who isn't from IndyCar, especially considering the record of American drivers with that background, Mario Andretti excluded. It's still surprising, however, that Windsor, who well knows the crucible that is Formula 1, would want to put an F1 rookie in a brand new car for a brand new team. Pilots with years of F1-specific grooming and success in feeder series like GP2 have burst like melons on concrete when elevated to F1 (Piquet, Jr. and Grosjean, anyone?). If USF1 does make it to the grid, we hope they've got drivers who can help them show well.

Pure Car Porn, So Hottt...

 Watch this in Full Screen, in HD and Volume up...

1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger

Legendary suspension tuner Hotchkis took a 1970 Dodge Charger with a 340 six-pack and built themselves an autocrosser. The list of modifications is not only the stuff of which jealousy is made, but exhaustive. Though, Hotchkis claims the E-Max isn't so wild, "Even in Auto-Cross trim, E-Max is a relatively stock vehicle compared to many of the auto-cross competitors." Good to know. That said, it's still a long list.

 
Here's some of it: Custom Moroso oil pan, Be Cool aluminum radiator, Red Line synthetic oil, Optima Battery, MSD ignition, Classic 5-Speed Tremec TKO, Flowmaster exhaust, Stoptech brakes, Forgeline wheels and Yokohama tires, Sparco Milano 2 seat (as in just the driver seat), Hurst Shifter. Not bad, right? Then you got all the Hotchkis stuff that lies beneath, including tubular A-arms, front and rear sport sway bars, subframe connectors, sport springs, adjustable steering rods with a fancy Flaming River power steering unit and adjustable strut rods. Says Hotchkis of their handiwork, "The bolt-on system creates a proper negative camber curve, sufficient positive camber for high speed stability and full bump and droop travel without bumpsteer. Prototype Hotchkis-Afco adjustable stocks provide high performance damping."

Climbing into the sport seat and buckling the lap belt brought me back. I've been here before, strapped inside old Detroit iron. But something is different. I can't put my foot on it – until I did. These are not your father's muscle car pedals. The clutch feels light and modern. The throttle is, well, responsive. And instead of the boot-in-mashed-potatoes feeling that most old Mopars give off, the brake pedal is firm and reassuring. Oh boy. Tooling around the 'hood a bit I'm slightly amazed at how much the bright yellow Dodge feels like a go kart. A gigantic go kart, but a go kart nonetheless. Blame the teeny diameter steering wheel, tight shocks and instant torque. Oh, and I never for one half second stop smiling.

Time to check out a car's handling on curvy part of the 110 . What was going on here? This is a near 40-year-old American car. Where's the waft? The body roll? The wallow? The bad behavior? All of it is just absent. The big yellow Hotchkis car rides hard and its rear end makes some peculiar sounds over bumps, but this is unbelievable. Turn in is crisp, it goes where you point it and there's even a minor sensation from the steering wheel resembling feedback. Couldn't be, could it? Could they have done this good of a job? Let me also point out that every driver on the freeway is starting at me. Er, at the Challenger. And you'd better believe I'm still smiling.

 
The charm this E-Max exudes is intoxicating. Not only that, but it makes the driver feel incredibly special. Again, just look at it (and I wish you could listen to it). No matter what car pulls up next to you, your ride is cooler. End of story, there simply is no competition. And on a certain level, that's really what the muscle car zeitgeist is all about. Just cold cruising down the boulevard looking better than everyone else and feeling great while doing so. You simply don't get that sensation with the bulk of modern cars.

The Hotchkis Challenger is no faster than say a WRX, but the excitement, the pleasure, the sheer titillation of the Mopar makes the Subaru feel like a busted Segway.  The sounds, the sensations, the electricity – it's simply overwhelming.

You do get the full muscle car experience. Our location is over 30 miles away and we're in a four-decades-old car in late afternoon heat on a not exactly glass-smooth surface. There's nothing even resembling air coming out of the vents and with the windows down, I'm unable to talk without shouting. Windows up and it's really hot. The rumble from the 340 is just outstanding, however, and I find myself downshifting into fourth just to hear it scream a little. And at modern freeway speeds, even with all the good chassis stuff underneath, this Challenger's a bit of a handful.

Check out the Gallery.   Courtesy

Weekly Vids...

This is what happens when the sunroof comes open at 224.711+ mph. 

 

Beautifully produced and utterly hypnotic video of an M3 and E90 meandering the streets and highways of Hong Kong, by Felgenoutlet.de.

 

National Geographic’s Ultimate Factories show is airing a documentary about the Porsche factory which should be amazing as always since the show is better than almost everything on TV. Tune into the National Geographic Channel at 8 PM Eastern tonight to watch the show. A teaser clip is below.

 

Great slow-motion racing compilation.

Lexus LFA Revealed @ the Tokyo Auto show...

4.8-L V10, 552 bhp, 354 lb-ft tq., 0-60 in 3.6 sec., 202 mph top speed, 3,263lbs., Rear wheel drive,  6-speed sequential gearbox, $375,000.

 
The production version of the LFA is finally here at the Tokyo motor show, and it is glorious. All of which makes it harder to stomach that the car shown here isn't expected to reach customer garages until early 2011.

Of course, we can't help but make comparisons to the current reigning Japanese supercar, the Nissan GT-R. At just 3,263 pounds, the LFA easily has a better power-to-weight ratio, but that hasn't seemed to stop the all-wheel drive juggernaut before. Then there is the small matter of cost to consider. Unlike the GT-R, which is considered a performance bargain, the LFA will be exclusive – and costly. Only 500 units will be produced and despite the colossal price tag, we hear that Lexus expects to take a loss on each one.

Will the LFA be worth the high cost?

Additional SPECS;

- Torsen limited slip differential
- 65% of the body is carbon Fiber
- 3,263 pounds with a 48/52 weight distribution
- 15.4" front carbon ceramic rotors with six-piston monoblock calipers up front, 14.2" rear

- Redline at 9,000 RPM
- 4.8-liter 72-degree V10
- 553 hp @ 8,700 RPM
- 354 lb-ft of torque at 6,800 RPM
- Titanium valves, connecting rods, exhaust manifold, forged aluminum pistons,
- Dry sump oil system

643 hp and 600 lb-ft tq. of Cobra Bling...

After years of labor, Kirkham Motorsports has completed the All-Billet Aluminum Cobra "cost-is-no-object" roadster.   

The only constraint placed on the team at Kirkham was there must be no changes to the overall body shape, everything else was fair game. So they set out by building the car digitally first, using CAD and finite element analysis to design the highest possible performance vehicle underneath the body's packaging constraints. The result is a 100% machined billet aluminum frame, SLA suspension with inboard springs and dampers, and a hand formed all-aluminum body mirror finished body. The combination of old-world craftsmanship and computer era precision is unspeakably beautiful.

 
But why aluminum? They could have just as easily built it from carbon fiber and kevlar or a tube frame? We'll let them explain:

A solid block of aluminum demands to be carved into something useful, something beautiful. Though a simple block of aluminum will suffice to make a seemingly insignificant bracket, what would happen if that bracket were given to an engineer to make it lighter, stronger? What would happen if that engineer then exercised strict weight discipline to make it even lighter still-say, to the extreme? What would happen if we then gave the engineered bracket to an artist who could transform harsh engineering edges into a graceful genesis of beauty? The world has never seen a billet chassis.

 
And the genius only begins there. This car's frame isn't in fact welded, that would change the physical properties of the heat treated aluminum. Instead the chassis is pinned together with high strength bolts and dowel guides, just like a connecting rod or a cylinder head. Utterly brilliant.

Each part is in itself a work of art, mechanical parts machined from a solid block of aluminum which regularly required 90% of the original material to be removed. The body is a masterwork as much as the chassis. Hand formed, and fitted, stretched over a hand built support frame, it's the essence of ultimate coachwork. Looking through the pictures you see the team of skilled craftsman carefully honing the aluminum into shape, not settling for anything but perfection. There is no body filler or primer or paint to hide even the slightest of flaws.

The entire process was carefully documented and collected in a book.  The content contained inside is available for free in a series of 23 PDFs at the Kirkham website.

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