Edit: it’s an FXX, not an Enzo.
h/t Mike
Welcome to part 1 (of many) of the Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles. If you’re interested in attending, or just reading up on the event, click Here!
To sum it up, the event was nothing short of amazing. The event’s name is spot on. There was hardly a car (or motorcycle) there that was not notable, let alone literally significant. I just left earlier today, and I’m already looking forward to next years crop of ‘Significant Automobiles’.
Over the series, you will have the chance to become more familiar with a few examples of what the show is all about.
PART 1
Starting off Simple: The Lamborghini Miura
This is Supercar Genesis:
This is the car that started it all. Every modern ‘Supercar’ owes it’s existence to this car. This is the first, the original ‘supercar’. This is the car that introduced the now famous Lamborghini ‘Fighting Bull’ logo.
The Miura Chassis was first displayed at the 1965 Turin Auto show. It was built as a side project by Lamborghini engineers (as Ferruccio Lamborghini did not approve of the concept) after-hours and essentially behind the Boss’s back. The body was styled and the subsequent showing at Geneva in 1966 (albeit without an engine, as they had not yet tried to fit it with the body.) sealed the deal. The P400 (before the Miura name was adopted) went into production that year. This was the fastest production car of its time.
The Miura pictured (from the Glenmoor event, obviously) is a P400s model. This is the second iteration/first update to the P400, built from late 1968 to early 1971. Updates included a bump in Horsepower (from 350hp to about 360hp or so), power windows, and a slightly reconfigured luggage area, among others.
The next set of changes came in 1971, lasting only until 1972 and the end of Miura production, with the Infamous P400SV. This is by far the most widely recognized and most popular version of this car. This revised version got another bump in Horsepower (up to 380hp), a slightly wider rear end, limited slip differential, different tail lights, and a separated engine casting -all previous versions had the transmission and engine blocks cast as one unit. The same 3.9L engine was uses throughout the lifespan of the Miura, and was carried over into the incoming (more on that later) Countach, or LP400.
Below are the production numbers for the above models:
P400: 1966 – 1969 474 built
P400S: 1968 – 1971 140 built
P400SV: 1971 – 1972 150 built
There are a handful of other notable versions of the Miura, including a one-off spyder, or Targa, the P400J (One official car built.), or Jota (More on that later as well) that was the test bed for Lamborghini and racing.
After the Jota was built and tested, and subsequently crashed, orders came in for that specification, and Lamborghini began to retrofit existing Miura SVs with the upgrades. Only 5 examples left the factory as a true P400SV/J, one of which was fitted with the dry sump oiling system of the original Jota. Later, a number of outside companies began fitting the P400 with the Jota spec. updates.
Well, there you have it. Part 1. Cheap and dirty. Be on the lookout for Part 2 soon…
Project JDMVette is complete, running, and race tested but far from over.
Photo courtesy of Chump Car World Series.
Our race team put on a great showing at the Chump Car invitational race at Iowa Speedway. We completed all 25 hours of racing and ended up 19th out of 47 cars after completing over 1,300 laps. Our problems were relatively minor excluding the final hour of the race. The oil cooler in the RF wheel well caught a rock in the final hours of the race. We didn’t have time to protect it with a wire mesh in the last minute scramble to get the car together in time for the race. Simply looping the lines at the motor solved that issue. The motor was also consuming water for some unknown reason, so we had to refill the radiator a couple times in the final hour of the race. We will have to see if the radiator had a pinhole leak or the headgasket went bad and was seeping water into the combustion chamber. The brakes are another area of concern. We are turning way faster laps with the new motor swap and we are exceeding the capability of the stock brakes. The solid front rotors can’t dissipate the heat generated slowing the car from triple digit speeds and become heat soaked in a hurry.
Overall, the car performed extremely well for its first race. An exotic motor swap with zero testing lasting 25 hours in brutal racing conditions is a great building block for a successful racecar in the future.
Oh yes!
It’s gorgeous!
It’s more powerful!
It’s light(er)!
It’s Lotus!!!
Lotus may have gone off the reservation with its plan to be all things to all people (again), but at least a few engineers back in Hethel still seem to have their heads on straight. And here’s proof.
The next generation Exige gets a reworked body and tweaked interior, but the real news is under the clamshell. Lotus has pulled the 3.5-liter, supercharged V6 from the Evora S and slotted it into the back of the Exige S to create a 2,380-pound, 346-horsepower track sled designed and engineered to be, in the words of CEO Dany Bahar, “the ultimate Lotus experience.”
Although the 200-plus pound weight increase isn’t something Lotus founder Colin Chapman could get behind, the performance should be more than enough to make even hardened Lotus aficionados temporarily forget the “add lightness” edict.
Specially-developed Pirelli P-Zero Corsas are fitted at all four corners, while the Lotus Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) system allows drivers to switch between Touring, Sport and DPM Off traction control modes. Option up for the Race Pack, and “Race” is included in the settings, along with Launch Control and a reworked suspension.
Two interior packages – Premium and Premium Sport – will be offered when the Exige S goes on sale next year, but Lotus isn’t giving out performance figures just yet. But considering the current Exige S does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, it’s safe to assume the added grunt will bring that figure down deep into the threes, and have the handling chops to match. Details in the press release after the jump.
Group Lotus unveils the next generation Exige at Frankfurt
The 2012 Lotus Exige S
1080kg Lightweight Exige Chassis
+ 350 PS 3.5l V6 Supercharged Evora S Engine
= The all NEW Exige SRaw performance, agility, unparalleled ride and handling and mind blowing drive experience, these attributes are what people have come to expect from Lotus. And we don’t like to disappoint. After months of media speculation Group Lotus is proud to announce the latest addition to the family: the extraordinary new Exige S, the ultimate lightweight high performance sportscar.
Alongside the staggering power to weight ratio, the Exige S has a completely new exterior and interior look and feel. The dramatic styling overhaul sees a completely new look for the Exige including a new front splitter and rear spoiler giving it a strong and aerodynamic profile.
There are two new interior package options available: Premium and Premium Sport. The Premium Pack provides added comfort and style where as the Premium Sport option focuses on creating an internal space optimised for ultimate driver involvement.
Built for the adrenalin hungry sportscar aficionado, the Exige S features high performance bespoke tyre package with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres as standard. A Lotus DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) switch allows the driver to switch between three driving modes: Touring, Sport and DPM off. And if three dynamic settings are not enough, an additional Race Pack option is available which adds a fourth driving mode setting: Race. This setting provides the maximum possible traction out of corners. The Race Pack also features Launch Control and an optimised suspension setting making the car perfect for letting rip on the track.
Commenting on the Exige S, Group Lotus Chief Executive Officer Dany Bahar said: “Anyone who has ever driven an Exige will tell you that it’s not for the faint-hearted. The new Exige S skips a few rungs on the ladder to give the driver the ultimate Lotus experience. Quite simply you can’t get more Lotus than the Exige S.”
Please note: At time of going to print (September 2011) the fuel economy, CO2 and performance figures have not been witness tested. Group Lotus plc will publish these figures as soon as they become available on the lotuscars.com website.
Not that they will sell a million units, but maybe there’s hope for Lotus yet?
More here: Autoblog.com
Koenigsegg claims six records
Koenigsegg claims that it has broken six world production car records with its Agera R – take a look at these insane times!
Some cars out there are really, really fast. Then you get cars that are just stupidly fast, and the Koenigsegg Agera R just happens to fall in the latter category. Last week Koenigsegg claimed that it broke six production car records with its Agera R at its proving ground in Angelholm, Sweden.
The test data was collected by a third party and has been submitted to the Guiness Book of World Records for confirmation.
For comparative purposes, the Bugatti Veyron Supersport, which is the current fastest car in the world, gets from 0-320km/h in 22.2 seconds. The Agera R does it nearly five seconds faster. The weather was fine on the day the run occurred, with a bit of cloud cover, but Koenigsegg said that there was no wind to affect the results.
Here’s the list of records Koenigsegg claims the Agera R smashed:
0-300km/h: 14.53 seconds
0-320km/h: 17.68 seconds
300-0km/h: 6.66 seconds
320-0km/h: 7.28 seconds
0-300-0km/h: 21.19 seconds
0-320-0km/h: 24.96 seconds
More Here: Topspeed
And there is a bit to update:
The Daily driver has not yet let me down. I did however have a few brief “Oh Sh*t” moments over the last few months.
The most severe (if you could call it that) of which was a potential issue with the VANOS bolts on the intake cam. The car developed a noise that, after some research, appeared to be the bolts holding the variable valve timing hub to the intake cam gear. This is an not an uncommon issue, but not as pervasive as some like to make it out to be.
I was able to get myself into an alternate vehicle temporarily (Thanks work!) to allow me the time to tear into the car. I figured I’d best order up the parts and tools I’d need to do the job, and tear into the engine as soon as humanly possible. With the car parked and parts and tools having arrived quickly, I started surgery. All of about 10 minutes into dis-assembly, I found roughly half of the A/C belt laying on the under tray, and the other half frayed and slapping the lower radiator hose.
Prior to removing all the fan shrouding and misc. bits, I counted see a thing that low in the engine bay. To my surprise, the belt slapping the radiator hose made essentially the same sounds as a set of dying VANOS bolts. CRISIS AVERTED! Now all that was needed was a new lower hose, and A/C belt. The lower hose is actually rather complex for simply being a hose. It’s attached to the radiator via a hard plastic keyed coupler that locks into place with a wire clip, very much like a fuel injector clip.
There is also a temp. sender boss in that lower housing with the sender mounted in the same fashion. Sourcing a lower hose, and replacing the belt was all that was needed to address the issue. As a bonus, I now have the tools to address the VANOS bolt concern, and may do so when I go back in for the required valve adjustment here shortly.
The only other loose ends with the car as it stands are a bit of knock from the front end over bumps (Most likely stabilizer links or lower control arm bushings, I still need to investigate that one.), and a weeping rear axle seal. I have already sourced the seal and related parts to sort that issue, and also recently swapped the bolts that mount the rear differential to the subframe with a new ‘updated’ design. IT has ever so slightly minimized the 1- 2 shift “clunk’ that these cars are famous for. Last but not least a a rattle from the interior. I’ve narrowed it down to a few possibilities, the most likely of which, after some investigation, is a module located behind the passenger C-pillar that seems to somewhat commonly come loose from its mounting. We shall see with that one….
With that being said, I’ll leave you with a couple pics of the car as it stands today:
Just a reminder of just how epic the Group B Rally cars really were. Enjoy the ride along with Stig:
