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Grand Prix

batman

Batmobile To Lap Silverstone Alongside Toyota F1 Car

Toyota and Warner Bros have joined forces to promote The Dark Knight, announcing that the Tumbler will make an exhibition lap of Silverstone alongside the TF108 Formula One car this Thursday. More »

racing news

Pit Row Crash Knocks Raikkonen, Hamilton Out Of Canadian Grand Prix

Following in the footstops of Daddy Hamilton, Lewis had an unfortunate accident at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend. Apparently missing the red light as he exited pit row, Hamilton rear-ended Kim Raikkonen just 17 laps into the race. With two of the sport's best drivers out, BMW's Robert Kubica won his first Formula One event, becoming the first Polish driver to do so. Break out the pierogi and golabki, they're still partying in Krakow. (h/t PhkMark, the happy Canadian) [YouTube]

max mosley

Max Mosley Threatens FIA Will Go To Crap If He's Ousted, Officially Channeling Nixon

We'd rather not devote time to Max Mosley and his ongoing attempts to screw up racing like he's screwed up his life, but the story keeps getting crazier and crazier. After being asked to avoid F1 events and, basically, being benched for Monaco, Mosley has issued a letter stating that FIA will be ruined and Formula One destroyed if he's voted out in the big "vote of no confidence" meeting this June. This is basically the Nixon approach. The nation will be ruined and the media, who are blowing everything out of proportion for political reasons, will win. Snippets from the crazy letter discovered by Autosport.com below. More »

max mosley

Max Mosley Turning Tables On F1 Teams, Avoiding Them At Monaco

Remember how that small group of F1 participants (just drivers, staff, team bosses and sponsors) were developing an elaborate system to avoid Max Mosley at Monaco? They were going to hire spies and scouts to follow his movements and make sure that when Mosley tried to find someone they'd have it so someone would say they had just left the place that someone else had said they had just been before. Basically, the Monaco Grand Prix was going to turn into one long Abbot & Costello routine. But then the FIA decided to strip Mosley of his official title, for the event, instead putting Mosley's Deputy in charge. More »

formula one

French Grand Prix Going To Disneyland?

It's no secret that F1 Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone is pulling the plug on the French Grand Prix's current location at the Magny Cours race track. One of the main reasons being the location was way out in the countryside, not an optimal location for international tourists. And as we all know, F1 has become all about makin' money. So the powers that be got to thinking "where do the tourists go?", and came up with— Disneyland. Yes, that's right, there are plans for the most elite form of motorsport in the world to organize a race at the happiest place on Earth in Europe. More »

max mosley

F1 Teams Plan To Avoid Mosley In Monaco

Drivers, team bosses and senior executives from major sponsors are making elaborate plans to avoid meeting or being photographed with Max Mosley during the Monaco Grand Prix. The May 25th race will be the first Mosley will attend since the Max Mosley Sex Video leaked. According to The Times, some teams are even going as far as employing scouts to keep them informed of Mosley's location and movements. More »

senna hits dog

Senna Hits Stray Dog, Ends Day At Turkish Grand Prix

We watched the first part of the Turkish Grand Prix this morning and after the first corner featured some serious car over car accident action and the Ferrari/Mercedes slap fest, we got a little bored and sought out better things to do with our Sunday. Our mistake. We missed the Bruno Senna stray dog destruction derby. Yep, Fido (do wild dogs have names?) and a friend wandered onto the track. Fido's friend escaped but Fido wasn't so lucky, and ended up being struck by Senna's right suspension. Both the suspension and the dog found their end. Yeah, Felipe Massa may have won the race, but we definitely know who lost. Poor, poor Fido. This video is not safe for members of the ASPCA, small children or anyone else with a strong dislike for seeing dogs accidentally run over on a track. [Eurosport and Youtube]

racing news

McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen's Close Scare

There was a scary moment at yesterday's Spanish Grand Prix that may not have been as scary as Stephane Ortelli's car flying through the air with the greatest of ease, but was scary nonetheless. The fear factor began when some part of the front left tire wheel on Heikki Kovalainen' McLaren Mercedes exploded, sending the car straight into a wall. Race stewards at Barcelona worked for about 10 minutes to safely free the Finnish driver from the wreckage who was taken to the track's medical center wearing a neck brace. But all signs point to a full recovery as he gave a reassuring thumbs-up sign to spectators. Mike Utley did that too, right? Kovalainen is said to be in stable condition, which is more than can be said for the shredded McLaren MP4-23. [AP, Axis of Oversteer]

retro

1935 Monaco Trossi Is 16 Cylinders of Radial Engine Awesome

When we showed off the Moto Guzzi version of the three-wheel Blackjack, commenter superstar DoctorNine dropped an image into the thread that had us running for the history books. Built by Augusto Monaco and Carlo Felice Trossi, the 1935 Monaco Trossi is a front engined beast designed to race in Grand Prix, but due to terrifying driving dynamics never did. The engine is an eight bank, 16-cylinder radial air-cooled 2-cycle, 3982cc engine with two Zoller superchargers. The whole shebang was good for 250 HP at 6000 rpm and powered the front wheels.

More »

found on ebay

Berwyn Car Spindle Up For Sale!

We were all quite sad when we learned that the Cermak Plaza Shopping Center overlords had decided to remove the legendary Berwyn Car Spindle from their property. But now the Berwyn Spindle may be relocated... to your front yard! Yes, it's up for sale on eBay, with a starting bid of $50,000 (and a shipping cost of double that, so you'll probably elect to go pick it up yourself. Make the jump for some video of the Spindle. [eBay] More »

found on ebay

Aerocoupe Grand Prix And Monte Carlo

Always wanted an "Aero Wars" muscle car from the early '70s like the Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird, or the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II, but have never been able to afford one? Well, if you desire an attainable NASCAR homologation special, how about one of these GM G-body specials from the '80s? What we have here is an '86 Pontiac Grand Prix Aerocoupe and an '87 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe, each for sale on eBay. Now, these may not be the most desirable cars right now, but give 'em 20 years and who knows how much they'll be worth.

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super turbo potential

Top Ten Totally Awesome Turbocharged American Cars

We love the '80s and not just for Rick Astley, Members Only jackets and New Coke. All that's well and good, but what we really love can be described in one italicized, chromed plastic-emblemed word: TURBO. The 80's economy forced automakers to use weaker and smaller engines, so to boost power we all turned to MacGyver-rigged turbochargers. With all that super turbo potential out there, it was hard for us to come up with a top ten list of the most totally awesome turbocharged American cars from the 1980s — but nonetheless, we did. Ogle the 80's heart-action, then tell us which is your favorite in the poll below. More »

news

Toyota Grand Prix To Feature DARPA Race

The Toyota Grand Prix, slated for April 18 - 20, will feature more than F1 ChampCar IRL The Tony George Racing League cars hauling ass around the track. As part of the Long Beach festivities, a Robotic Grand Prix will pit three of the biggest, most badass unmanned vehicles against each other. Junior, Boss and Ben are the three robo-racers that will tackle the 1.97-mile 11-turn circuit course. The three completely autonomous vehicles will have to complete one lap of the course and the fastest time will be awarded first place. More »

racing news

Details of Singapore Grand Prix, F1's First Night Race Emerge

They may not be getting new Formula One engines anytime soon, but F1 fans will get to enjoy the first-ever F1 night race in 2008. The Singapore Grand Prix is set to start at 8:00 pm local time, making it the darkest F1 race in history. Italian lighting firm Valerio Maioli S.p.a. will use a state-of-the-art system to create optimal visibility while at the same time reducing glare. Full details below:
More »

racing news

Is this the End? F1 Bans Engine Development for 10 Years

FIA has just announced a 10-year ban on engine development in Formula One. Teams will have to submit an engine to FIA by March 31, 2008, which they will then have to use through 2017. Speaking about the decision, FIA President Max Mosley said, "There is no need to develop an F1 engine any further. The engine runs at 19,000 rpm, which is far faster than any comparable engine. It sounds good, it's reliable and amazingly the six partially frozen engines of the current manufacturers are really evenly matched." More »

drifting

Down on the D1 Grand Prix: Turbocharged Toyota Starlet

Parked on the "concourse" right next to the RS200 was an other eye-catcher. In fact, the same dude owns both cars. That's right, it's a Toyota Starlet all hopped up on goodballs. And by goofballs we mean turbocharged/intercooled goofballs. Those in the know were slapping their collective heads, wondering how on earth the car passes smog. Those with no clue (hi mom!) just stared in awe and marveled.


drifting

D1 Grand Prix: Team Orange and the Winning EVO IX

As we mentioned, Team Orange and Nobushige Kumakubo won Saturday's international drift event at the D1 Grand Prix at Irwindale. They did so in an insanely hopped up Mitsubishi EVO IX. That cold intake pipe looks to be 4". Never mind what's happening on the hot side (i.e. bigger). We would just like to point out that drifting rocks because 20-year-old 1600 cc Corollas compete with 8.3-liter V10 Vipers. Not only compete, the Toyota (which was running nitrous) beat the Viper and about two thirds of the other competition. The Viper was actually Nick "p***y magnet" Hogan's drifter, but Team Shift Into Gear sprayed it black to distance themselves from the mini-Hulkster's jackassery. For those about to embarrass yourself by saying something idiotic such as, "Ricers suck," the fan favorites were without question a Mustang and a Charger. I cheered my ass off for Sam Hubinette and his 600 hp SRT8 and the judges kept awarding Vaughn Gittin's Stang 120 points (out of 100 — that's how rad he was). In the end though, Kumakubo and his rip-roaring, Godzilla spankin' EVO were just too much.


rally

Down on the D1 Grand Prix: Ford RS200

Oh snap, Jalopnik went drifting. We were there live when Japan's Nobushige Kumakubo and his Team Orange EVO won five rounds of Sudden Death! to capture the crown. And we'll get to that, in good time. But, Jalopnik being Jalopnik, our palms got way sweatier looking at this baby than they did watching three hours of choice precision driving. Sue us. Yeah, that's an RS200. Well, OK, it's a replica. But still, it's an RS200. You want details? Click here. You want to drool? Leaf through the gallery. When we asked if the engine was tuned to between 650 and 800 horsepower we were told, "Probably." Snap snap, snap snap.