Capitalizing off of their immensely successful video review of the McLaren P1 last week, now over 750,000 views, Drive has released the full conversation between the always entertaining Chris Harris and McLaren Chief Test Driver, and extremely lucky bastard, Chris Goodwin. This is some hearty car nerd stuff for sure, but definitely worth the watch if you are into this stuff.
-Nick
I found this drag-prepped Chevy Nova sitting at a shop near where I work. It looked really cool so I snapped a photo of it. It has what seem to be bullet holes in its driver side door, and that just raises so many questions. Apparently this car beat someone so badly that they had nothing left to do but try and shoot it dead.
-Nick
We want to throw out a big congratulations to Hennessey Performance Engineering on their record-setting, 270mph run in the Venom GT. The run was doused with an extra helping of awesome because it was held at the Kennedy Space Center’s 3.2 mile runway… you cannot get more ‘Murica if you tried!
For those unfamiliar, the Hennessey Venom GT is a million dollar hypercar produced in very limited numbers by Hennessey Performance Engineering in Texas. It is powered by a twin turbocharged V8 that makes 1244hp, and only runs on the finest concoction of Freedom and Liberty that money can buy. Computers have said all along that the Venom GT should be able to hit the 270mph mark, but now it has been definitively proven. In fact, Hennessey said that the Venom GT was still gaining 1mph second when it passed 270mph, and that means 280mph could be a possibility with another couple miles of straight, flat tarmac.
Now, they weren’t able to do a conformation run in the opposite direction, so the record doesn’t stand for the Guiness Book of World Records, but let’s all be real here, people, 270mph is 270mph. The Venom GT is now officially the fastest production car on Earth, at least for the time being, so let’s all give credit where credit is due.
I know I have been critical of the Venom GT in the past, and I still am to this day. There is no denying its awesome performance, though, and the scale of Hennessey Performance Engineering’s achievement. For all intents and purposes, what has happened here is a David and Goliath scenario. A small performance shop in Texas has succeeded in toppling the technological masterpiece, and flagship, of one of the largest automotive corporations in the world, Volkswagen, despite their comparatively unlimited resources.
Your move Germans…
-Nick
This beautiful Ferrari 250 GT SWB was at Festivals of Speed: Amelia Island last year. It is a stunning example of this iconic Italian racing car painted in Ferrari’s signature red. This classic Ferrari was one of many stunning cars at the show last year, and we are looking forward to attending this year’s event in a few weeks. I’m sure there will be much more where this came from. Till then, enjoy the photos.
Continue reading Ferrari 250 GT SWB at Festivals Of Speed: Amelia Island 2013
Those of you who routinely follow us, here at Mind Over Motor, may have noticed that my posts last week were a bit light. It wasn’t because I was nodding off, it was because I was going through the process of purchasing my new (but used) daily driver, this beautiful 2012 Volkswagen CC Sport.
I, like many car enthusiasts, am seen as a sort of car guru by my friends and family, who often turn to me for advice on all things relating to automobiles. I’m not trying to pat myself on the back too much here, but they all know that I am quite well informed on many aspects of automobillia, especially when it comes to buying the right car. So when I actually wind up signing papers on a car for myself, I always get a lot of questions as to why I chose the car I bought.
My purchase of this Volkswagen CC is the result of over a year of serious consideration, as well as many years of playing “what if” games on Auto Trader. Given that this blog is largely about documenting our lives as they relate to our passion for automobiles, I wanted to do a post that shows you, the reader, my thought process for the purchase of my CC.
Continue reading Nick’s new daily driver, a 2012 Volkswagen CC Sport
If you watch just one review of the new McLaren P1, make it this one from the Drive Network. I know it is a half-hour long, but Chris Harris takes you through so many of the car’s different aspects, even sitting in traffic in Abu Dhabi. This P1 is clearly a game-changing machine, and if you love supercars, then this video is really worth watching to gain an appreciation for how the bar has been raised.
-Nick
Here we will be discussing the cars from the Pebble Beach Concept Lawn. Now that some time has passed since the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we can see a little more of what has become of some of these incredible machines, or in some cases, more accurately, these cool ideas.
Here is a great first look at the new 2015 Subaru WRX STI from TFL Car. While it certainly seems fun, my question of, “Is the new STI enough?” still very much stands. I’m looking forward to trying one out for myself at some point to see how it compares to my 2004 STi.
Enjoy.
-Nick
While out car spotting during Monterey Car Week, we caught this striking white Ferrari 430 Scuderia prowling the streets of Carmel, California. Naturally, with droves of exotics roaming the streets in the Monterey area, only the creme de la creme of cars stand out enough for us to raise our cameras. This Scuderia was definitely good enough with its custom gray accents. Enjoy.
If the Ferrari California was broken in any way at all, it has now been fixed with a healthy spoonful of forced induction. That’s right folks, you are looking at the first turbocharged Ferrari since the mighty F40, and it comes to us in the package of the “baby” model for the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Well it seems that the baby has grown up because the California T’s new 3.9L twin-turbocharged V8 makes 552hp and 523ft/lbs of torque to the previous version’s 485hp and 372ft/lbs of torque…. if that isn’t a substantial increase, then I don’t know what is.
I drove the original version of the Ferrari California, the one with a measly 452hp and 358ft/lbs of torque, and I never once felt it was lacking for speed. This new California T is a major change, though, and not just because of the raw numbers. The real difference will be in the car’s drivability, now with all that extra torque available lower down in the rev range. It will be a Ferrari unlike any we have seen in quite some time, if ever.
Continue reading Ferrari California T, now with 200% more TURBO!!!
Motor Trend’s Johnny Lieberman takes the new Subaru WRX for a spin to see if it holds up to its lineage.
Enjoy.
-Nick
XCAR goes for a ride with Horacio Pagani in his own personal Zonda. Just watch this.
Mind Over Motor 