Super Cars Sports Cars Info Site

Filed under: Concept Cars, Wagons/Estates, Volkswagen, Misc. Auto ShowsClick above for high-res gallery of the VW R36 Variant ConceptThe Volkswagen and Audi crew are blowing up this year’s Worthersee GTI meet in Worther Lake, Austria, first with the introduction of the A3 TDI clubsport quattro concept and damn-near production version of the TT clubsport quattro, and earlier today with the unveiling of the Scirocco GT24. But VAG isn’t stopping there. They’ve taken the wraps off of an Emeril-inspired Passat design study that kicks the already spicy R36 wagon up a notch.The 300-hp, 3.6-liter V6 remains, but the stock exhaust has been upgraded with a new cat-back unit sporting larger tailpipes. The front brakes have also been swapped out in favor of larger Brembo six-piston units and the wheels are 20-inchers pulled from the Touareg R-Line. All the chrome trim has also been removed and replaced with pieces that match the Passat’s Moonlight Blue hue. Inside, race-ready Recaros replace the softer buckets found on the standard model, and they match the two-tone, black-and-white steering wheel, shift boot and even seat belts quite nicely. Volkswagen has made it clear that the Passat R36 Variant Styling Study is exactly what its name would imply, but don’t be surprised to find some of these custom bits available through VW’s Individual program in the future.Gallery: Passat R36 Variant Styling Study….

The Stig revealed… in Belgium?
Filed under: Etc.Click above to view the video of the supposed Stig.Certain mysteries aren’t meant to be solved, and when it comes to the Stig, ignorance is bliss. But when we got a tip about Top Gear’s top test driver caught walking around without his trademark white helmet, we were simultaneously skeptical and intrigued.The Top Gear crew was caught on one of its legendary crap can races, this time with stripped-out compacts strapped to the roof, when someone wielding a video camera outside of the racetrack caught a glimpse of an unmasked driver wearing what is assumed to be the Stig’s white racing suit and carrying a matching white helmet. The blurry shots appeared on Autoblog.nl (no relation) and the speculative efforts of the Dutch enthusiast community pegged the man behind the mask as ace test driver Tim Schrick.Schrick has had his fair share of publicity, primarily doing reviews for a few German television shows (we’ve posted a video of him caning the Porsche Carrera GT after the jump), and although the screen captures above doesn’t give us a clear view of Schrick (we think he looks a bit older), it’s the most plausible theory available.The question that always pops into our minds when we hear about another spotting of the Stig is whether Top Gear employs different drivers for different segments of the show. Jeremy, May and Hammond were on the set, so it’s conceivable that Schrick is the “real” Stig, but unless other evidence is offered, we remain comfortable assuming that the Stig is part man, part machine and all bad-ass. Thanks for the tip, Laurens!

Source: Autoblog.nl

When you say “super car,” the first things that come to mind are usually either “speed” or “expensive.” With the introduction of Audi’s R8 TDI, that may change to “clean” and “fuel efficient.”

The R8 TDI Concept houses a V12 Diesel power plant that is derived from the engine used in the R10 Racecar. The same engine that has twice run the 24-hour Le Mans. It is slightly longer than the traditional V8 used the R8, but much more potent. The Twin-Turbo V12 makes 500 horsepower and 737 ft/lbs of torque, which is available at 1750 RPM. All of this power is routed through a short-throw 6-speed transmission. A small diameter clutch is used to shorten shift times. Also included, as with most Audi’s, is a Quattro all-wheel-drive system. This translates into a 4.2 second 0-62 mph time and a top speed of over 186 mph.

The real story is how cleanly this power is produced. The TDI’s V12 burns clean enough to pass the strict California emissions standards. Strict being an understatement. This is thanks to a new system that requires up to 5 fuel injections for every cycle of the engine. This is paired with a 3-stage exhaust treatment which includes a small injection of a chemical called “AdBlue,” which helps to break down nitric-oxide. The entire system is guaranteed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. As an added bonus, it produces around 24 miles per gallon on the highway, making it one of the most fuel-efficient super cars on the road.

TDI1.1

“We are challenging the final piece of conventional wisdom [about diesel engine cars],” said Audi AG Chairman Rupert Stadler. And they couldn’t have chosen a better platform to use. Audi is hoping the R8 TDI will show that a properly engineered diesel engine can maintain a high level of performance while still being good for the environment.

Source : MSN Auto, http://inventorspot.com

by Donald Willson
A lot of things have changed since I was a youngster. I remember the day when I worked on the corner gas station pumping gas, cleaning windows and checking oil, the last two of which you find very few stations doing anymore. The whole idea of “full-service” is pretty much a thing of the past, however this is a subject for a different article. During those days I had the part-time job at the gas station, the ozone layer was something that astronomers and astronauts worried about and not something that he had to worry about breaking down thereby burning a hole in this beloved planet we live on.

The cost of gas was $.16 a gallon - yes you heard me - $.16 a GALLON! We drove cars that got on a good day 18 miles per gallon and it didn’t break the bank or increase the interest rate on your credit card just to fill up the tank. We would ask mom and dad for a five spot to go cruising up and down the main drag, not the credit card charge of $30 or more that it takes now. It’s no wonder that the old folks (like myself) who are now the parents of children cruisin’ the drag came up with the idea of alternative fuels to try and save ourselves a few bucks at the pump as well as save the planet that we so dearly love and yet manage to almost destroyed the last 30 years or so.

One solution to this has been to make engines smaller, cars smaller and sometimes I even wonder if they’ve made people smaller - because I sure can’t fit in these boxes. I actually saw a car that couldn’t have been more than a lawnmower engine with wheels, which were no larger than the ones I used to make my go carts out of when I was (once again) a kid! The car itself was boxy and it did sound a lot like a lawnmower going down the street but hey - I am sure it got great gas mileage!

Another solution is to change the gasoline we run our cars on. What does this mean? Well, we remove the lead, an anti-knock agent which was needed in the old days because we didn’t have super computers tuning our cars for us as we drive. We eliminated High octane fuel which to tell the truth pretty much killed a lot of the old muscle cars (Ahh.. the sound of a big V8 in the morning!). and then, we added ethanol (grain alcohol) to the gas to try to thin it out and help it run cleaner. A step in the right direction but personally, I always like my grain alcohol with a twist and just a plash of gin!

The other solution we have come up with alternative fuels. So far these consist of been added it to the fuels we’ve reduced or eliminated lead in the fuel which was an anti-knock agent but it did so pollute our atmosphere in which since replaced it with grain alcohol (funny I used to look at that as a kid to drink not to run my car on). The grain alcohol is supposed to reduce emissions while at the same time converting some of the emissions to water vapor that goes into the doesn’t do any good but it doesn’t do as much harm. But this is not the solution.

They did have come out with hybrid cars now which run on electricity the last word a combination of gasoline and electricity switching back and forth between the two is the load on the engine dictates. You have to admit this is a pretty smart idea however and makes for a maintenance nightmare because of the weight of the batteries carried in the car cancel out any real advantage of having a hybrid car in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, it does some good just not enough to make a difference.

You also have the companies and entrepreneurs that are working on pure electric cars. Unfortunately these haven’t made a big impact on the road right now because it requires so many batteries at the car is incredibly heavy and the batteries and the batteries don’t have a long life in the car so they have to be replaced sooner than any engine overhaul would take place. This is a very expensive ordeal as well as you have to find a specialty shop to that would be able to do it for you. They do have one battery that does show some promise -it’s called the “sulfur battery”. The only problem with this battery is it needs a key element in it out in the field to keep sulfur in its liquid state about 300 plus degrees. Not a good thing to have rumbling around in your trunk! Let’s face it batteries just have not made it to a level or place where they can take to the road as well as a gasoline engine.

One of the more exciting things that I’ve seen is called the hydrogen fuel-cell. This unique little device takes water and converts it to electricity by using special layers of chemicals and minerals to separate the hydrogen in the action from each other and causing his chemical reaction that generates electricity between the plates and thereby supplying electricity to whatever needs to be run-in this case the motor in the car. This is probably one of the more exciting developments as come along however it doesn’t create a lot of electricity only creating a few milliamps or a few amps here and there where running cars can take hundreds of amps, especially during hard acceleration. So until they develop this little bit further its out as well.

Honestly I believe that at this point in time since we don’t have anything else to run our cars are than gasoline, I believe the hybrid engine is the way to go. But electricity doesn’t really seem the way to go to me and additives to the fuel make it inefficient or simply don’t exist at this time. There has been one promising area that I believe should be pursued…

The idea of hydrogen being injected into an engine is a good idea-they actually came up with this some time ago running an engine completely on hydrogen. Do have to admit it was pretty much a rolling firetrap if it ever got into an accident the hydrogen itself is very explosive in very small quantities so great care has to be taken in its care and handling.

Now comes the idea I read about. What if one were able to use water as a fuel? It’s plentiful it’s everywhere and it’s a renewable resource. “How is a renewable” you ask? Well it’s car word to runoff water were some component thereof it’s only product coming out of the exhaust pipe would be any guess? Water! The water goes up in the air, and comes down as rain. It’s renewed! It’s a wonderful idea and a few people are working on exactly that idea. Personally, I’m hoping some big corporation picks up on the idea and runs with it. It would be the best possible thing for a planet and face it possible thing for us as a race!

Artical Source : GoArticles.com

by vikram kumar
Speed and power are two of the most highly desirable qualities in racing cars and high-performance sports cars. More power, more speed, more excitement, more danger seems to be the motto of car owners who install a turbocharger and a turbo kit in the engines of their most prized earthly possession. And why not? Cars are as much a personal statement of who you are and what you stand for as clothes and personal adornments do. If a turbocharger installed in your engine will further stress the point then purchasing a turbo kit is the best decision you will ever make in your automotive career.

But before embarking on the very important and radical decision to purchase a turbo kit, which gives you the right to boast that your car has a very expensive turbocharger, educate yourself about the pros and cons of these high-tech thingamajigs. If you think that a turbocharger can enhance your macho image (well, it does), then you had better brace yourself for the physical and financial demands the purchase and installation of a turbo kit requires from anybody. Technically speaking, a turbocharger is a turbine-driven forced induction compressor powered by pressure from the engine’s exhaust system, to quote the ever-reliable Wikipedia. If that is still too technical a definition for the common layman, a turbocharger simply converts a waste product, in this case exhaust or air, into more horsepower and therefore more speed. Think of it as recycling with a powerful purpose; if you are an environmentalist who likes hard and fast drives, a turbo kit would satisfy both your likings. A turbo kit, on the other hand, is composed of the turbocharger itself, the exhaust manifold, the wastegate and blow-off valve, the oil supply and the intercooler. But I digress. The pros of having a turbocharger installed include attaining more power (and again, more speed like the Batmobile or the Knight Rider) with the same engine volume. Also, a pre-configured turbo kit is smaller and lighter that other forced induction systems like a supercharger and it is easier to install. Even if you are not using your turbocharged car for its speed, you can still benefit from better gas mileage. Now, the environmentalist in you would love this feature. However, the cons in a turbocharged car include over-steering and under-steering, as well as wheel spin; these are factors in most fatal car accidents. A turbo kit can be very expensive, too. This is not even taking in the cost of maintenance as extensive upgrades are often necessary. Furthermore, the complexity of the technology can cause do-it-yourself headaches. Besides, you need a dyno machine to make sure that everything is working perfectly. Thus, taking on a DIY turbo project is best left to experts. Fortunately for us automotive idiots, there is Vivid Racing to tell us about turbochargers and turbo kits. It is a company in Chandler, Arizona famous for its aftermarket modifications to cars, with services such as exterior and interior works, painting jobs, electronic car products, engine parts and a whole line of turbochargers and turbo kits for almost every car make and model imaginable, among other products and services. Vivid Racing can take care of finding the right turbo kit for your car, its installation in your car (with dyno testing) and the maintenance necessary to keep the turbocharger in tiptop shape.