The next time you are sitting at the lights at your local drag strip and there happens to be a 2007 TRD Aurion in the lane next to you, don’t say we didn’t warn you because you might be in for a little surprise. While the XR6 Turbo has reached cult status is recent times due to readily available power upgrades with quite impressive results, we can see a similar effect happening with the 2007 TRD Aurion.
While the reasonably heavy front wheel-driver may not be the perfect sports orientated base, that 3.5-litre donk does crank out some 241kw @ 6400 and a torque heavy 400Nm @ 4000rpm.
Over a sprint to the 100km/h mark, the TRD manages to be only a few tenths off a XR6 Turbo flying in just shy of the five-second bracket at 6.09 seconds. The positive displaced blown 3.5-litre seems more than up to the task of scaring some of the bigger boys, and with many aftermarket performance parts manufactures already rubbing their hands together at the untapped potential of the TRD Aurion, keep your eye out for a few 300kw+ torque-steering monsters at a traffic light near you. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
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The first Wodonga Autofest has been officially announced to start early next year in an explosive display of burning rubber and cheering fans.
The event is set to take off on the 23rd and the 24th of February 2008 and is expected to attract between 15,000 and 20,000 people flock through the gates.
Events already planned for the car festival includes go to whoa, motorkhana, show and shine, dyno challenge and a massive cruise track.
Les Adams, the event organiser, believes that the highlight of the event will be the fiercely competed burnout competition.
“We usually get anywhere between 50 to 100 entrants for it,” he said.
Wodonga Autofest will be promoted through Fox 8’s Blood Sweat and Gears TV show as well as 10 EMG Automotive magazine titles.
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If you think you have Australia’s best car, now is the time to prove your worth and step up to the plate. Turtle Wax’s Blood Sweat and Gears is the perfect event designed to put Australia’s top 8 street machines head-to-head in a battle to find Australia’s king of cars.
- The top eight cars will be put through a series of gruelling paces and a number of challenges that will be aired on Fox 8 over an eight week series. Filming of the show will commence at the Springnats car festival in November so make sure you come along and cheer for you favourite street machine.
Entry is limited to anything with four wheels, so whether it’s a high-tech four or a 8/71 blown XD Falcon, everyone is invited. For more information and entry forms, log onto www.turtlewax.com.au
The South Coast Nationals are finally around this time again are set to batter the quite town of Moruya once again. Located four hours south of Sydney or two hours east of Canberra, the event usually attracts around 350 entrant cars eager to turn solid rubber into a state liquid fun. Featuring cool events like Motorkhana go to whoa, sound-off, burnout competition, and of course a massive show and shine, there is something there for everyone.
Spectator’s entry fee:
Day Passes - Adults $15 per day & Kids (5 - 15 yrs) & aged Pensioners $7 per day & Kids under 5 free.. Family day pass $35
Weekend passes: Adults $25. Family weekend pass $55
Family passes include (2 x Adults 3 x kids (5 - 15 yrs).
For more information ring Lee or Debbie Pearce on ( 02) 4474 3761 or 0419 845 890
For those that frequent the awesome facilities at the Western Sydney International Dragway then we would highly recommend you also check out their new look website. Complete with the latest drag racing news, cool video clips and tons of racing information, the website is perfect for those who love their racing.
Check it out at www.wsid.com.au!
The West Australia ANDRA Office has announced the dates for the free tech inspections, meaning you don’t have to pay a cent!
METROPOLITAN AREA
PLACE : Perth Motorplex
DATE : 23rd Sept 07
TIME : From 0900hrs to 1500hrs.
Bookings via terry.jongen@three.com.au
15 minutely intervals
BUNBURY/SOUTHWEST REGION
PLACE : Adrenaline Performance
Gibbons Rd Bunbury
DATES : 29th Sept 2007 & 13th Oct 07
Contact Gary or Sean Arthur for bookings
Gary Arthur email bengerss@bigpond.com
Sean Arthur (08) 9726-2322 business hours
For more information, visit www.ANDRA.com.au
This video is one I thought I must share, even though it sends waves of uncontrollable fury through my arms and legs. In this clip we can see what happens when you hand over the keys of your Cobra to somebody who knows no idea of how to control a car. Personally, I can’t figure out why on earth somebody would give their keys away when they had an idea that she would in fact have an accident, but I guess people have done stranger things.
Sit back, hold your breath and prepare to be very mad.
If you think you have it rough here with speed cameras and the fines that go with a speeding infringement, then think your self lucky that you don’t live in Canada where not only can you be done for speeding, but also street racing even if you are the only one on the road.
Any motorist in Canada that is caught doing 50 km/h or more over the speed limit is automatically booked for, you guessed it, street racing. So what will the Canadian government sting you for travelling 50km/h over the speed limit? Try a hefty $10,000. That’s also not mentioning the possible six months imprisonment that often does come with the street racing title.
With all the revenue raised by catching speeding drivers in Canada, a new high tech plane will soon cover the skies in an attempt to further sway motorists from speeding. Crazy huh?
In what looked to be a drought breaking fall beating Oran Park Raceway over the weekend race results were scattered as drivers searched high and low for any signs of traction in the treacherous conditions. Todd Kelly had early pace over the weekend, scoring pole position for Race one over the Toll HSV Dealer teams Garth Tander. Red almost spanned the first three rows on the starting grid with Holden’s scoring the first top five places on the grid.
With the rain pelting down in Race one, Skaife’s number 2 HRT Commodore received top honours with Rick Kelly’s number one VE Commodore just 2 hundredths of a second behind. Jamie Whin cup was the quickest of the Ford drivers coming in at third spot over Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards.
Race two showed no signs of any rain relief and the constant down pour played havoc with track conditions with many of the top place getters struggling for traction. Skaife’s VE Commodore lacked early pace which saw Craig Lowndes slip through for the race win ahead of Todd Kelly. Ford Performance’s Mark Winterbottom slid in at third position while Lee Holdsworth in the Valvoline Cummins Commodore rounded out the top four spots.
Bad decisions by many of the team’s top runners in race three would see half the field start from pit lane as a result of fitting slick tyres for the start. Blue skies peering through the grey tricked teams into thinking the rain would clear up only to be greeted with another heavy downpour. Making the right decision and sticking to wet weather tyres proved to be the right choice for Lee Holdsworth as by the first two laps had opened up over a 12 second lead on the other cars. Staying out of trouble, the young Holdsworth scored him self his first race and round win of the championship ahead of Toll HSV driver Garth Tander. Russell Ingall squeezed home in third spot with Jamie Whincup and Steven Richards.
While this little news piece has absolutely nothing to do with Fords, I thought it would be a crime not to share it with our readers out there. If only we had more adds on TV like this one, I for one would definitely not be complaining when the next break comes onto the idiot box.
Set in what appears to be an airport hanger, quickly appears a Charger that is way out of shape and continues a control drift through the entire hanger. If you look at the ground before the Charger, you can see that he has had more than one go at sliding his awesome sounding SRT8 powered beast around the aeronautical tin shed. Bravo!
Chances are if you are a petrol head, you would have seen an episode of Top Gear. Arguably dubbed as one of the worlds best car shows, Top Gear employs Jeremy Clarkson’s classic wit with high powered expensive sports cars to create a entertaining recipe for fun.
When thrashing one of their poor test mules within an inch of its life, the keys then get handed to a helmet-wearing fellow known only as ‘The Stig’ to put them in their paces around their own private test course. Lap times are recorded, and the Power List then grows. During the show, we get glimpses of the list and exactly what each beast managed around the course and rather than pressing the pause button to freeze the list to read all the figures, have a copy written below for all to see.
Koenigsegg CCX (with Top Gear spoiler) 1.17.6
Pagani Zonda F 1.18.4
Maserati MC12 1.18.9
Ferrari Enzo 1.19.0
Ariel Atom 1.19.5
Lamborghini LP640 1.19.8
Porsche Carerra GT 1.19.8
Koenigsegg CCX 1.20.4
Ascari KZ1 1.20.7
Mercedes McLaren SLR 1.20.9
Ford GT 1.21.9
Ferrari 360 CS 1.22.3
Porsche GT3 RS 1.22.3
Corvette Z06 1.22.4
Noble M15 1.22.5
Murcielago 1.23.7
Zonda 1.23.8
Koenigsegg 1.23.9
Prodrive P2 1.24.3
TVR Sagaris 1.24.6
Mitsubishi Evo FQ400 1.24.8
TVR Tuscan 1.24.8
Noble M400 1.25.0
Lotus Exige S 1.25.1
Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder 1.25.7
Lamborghini Gallardo 1.25.8
BMW Z4 M 1.26.0
Porsche Cayman 1.26.2
Brabus Biturbo Roadster 1.26.2
Lotus Exige 1.26.4
Chevrolet Corvette 1.26.8
Mercedes CLS 55 AMG 1.26.9
Aston Martin Vanquish S 1.27.1
Aston Martin DB9 1.27.1
Porsche 911 GT3 1.27.2
TVR 350C 1.27.5
BMW M3 CSL 1.28.0
Roush Mustang 1.28.0
Marcos TSO GT2 1.28.2
Dodge Viper SRT-10 1.28.5
MG SV 1.28.6
Porsche 911 Carrera S 1.28.9
Mitsubishi Evo VIII 1.28.9
BMW Alpina Z8 1.29.0
Mercedes CL65 1.29.0
Alfa 3.7 GTA Autodelta 1.30.0
Ford Shelby GT500 1.30.0
Subaru Impreza STI 1.30.1
Vauxhall Monaro VXR 1.30.1
Aston Martin DB7 GT 1.30.4
Golf R32 1.30.4
Audi S4 1.30.9
Porsche 911 Turbo 1.31.0
Vauxhall VX220 turbo 1.31.3
New Audi TT 1.31.4
Honda NSX Type R 1.31.6
BMW M3 1.31.8
Nissan 350Z 1.31.8
Mazda RX-8 1.31.8
BMW 535d 1.31.8
BMW 130 1.31.9
Ford Focus RS 1.32.2
Mazda 6 MPS 1.32.2
Lotus Esprit V8 1.32.5
Audi TT V6 1.32.7
MG ZT 1.33.0
Noble M12 GTO 1.33.1
Mercedes SL 55 AMG 1.33.2
Volkswagen Golf R32 1.33.2
Cadillac CTS 1.33.3
Holden Monaro 1.33.9
Ford Mondeo ST220 1.34.5
Jaguar XKR 1.34.7
Ford Focus ST 1.34.9
Volvo S60R 1.35.0
Ferrari 575M 1.35.2
Vauxhall Vectra VXR 1.35.3
Alfa 147 GTA 1.35.6
Lotus Elise 1.35.6
Aston Martin Vanquish 1.36.2
Renault Clio V6 1.36.2
Honda Civic Type R 1.36.5
Alfa Romeo Brera 1.36.9
Saab 95 Aero 1.37.9
Maserati 3200 GT 1.38.0
Bowler Wildcat 1.39.4
Bentley Arnarge 1.40.8
Overfinch Range Rover 1.44.0
Aston Martin DB5 1.46.0
A retired Ford employee has just joined the 200 mph club in his Ford Fusion, but what makes this news story interesting is that he did it on the Bonneville Salt Flats driving a hydrogen powered Fusion dubbed the Fusion 999.
Clocking the radar at an incredible 207.297, the fuel cell powered vehicle is the fastest full bodied production vehicle to ever crack the illustrious 200 mph mark and did so after three days of testing in the wide open spaces that Bonneville is famous for.
Ford Performance Vehicles have announced they will be building a limited edition run of 300 special F6 R-Spec Typhoons that feature a new innovative R-Spec suspension and handling package.
Visual enhancements of the base F6 Typhoon will include distinctive R-Spec badging, ‘Dark Angle’ gunmetal accents on wheels and spoilers as well as a unique build and certificate of authenticity.
Unfortunately with most other special edition models, the engine remains untouched from the base F6 but FPV General manager Rod Barrett that the R-Spec handling option will well and truly make up for the lack of power upgrade.
“The GT 40th Anniversary succeeded in fitting that brief, and now for the first time our customers can enjoy the same superior level of suspension and handling on our award-winning Typhoon model.”
For more information, please visit www.fpv.com.au
Here at Street Fords we care about the environment. While some of the machines we drive aren’t the pinnacle of emission standards, we do try to better ourselves buy getting into programs such as our Greenfleet initiation which offsets greenhouse gas emissions by the planting of trees.
A new product has been bought to our attention from Martini Racing Products that also holds the environmental impact in high regards which is the release of the new ‘SintEco’ Carbon-Neutral oil.
Just like the previously mentioned Greenfleet program, SintEco oil is 100% offset against all green gas emissions thanks to a large tree planting program setup by the non profit organisation, www.carbonneutral.com.
By purchasing a 205-litre drum of SintEco oil, one tree gets planted which is enough to ensure that oil remains totally carbon-neutral.
Ever wondered why car batteries are becoming more and more expensive? Well the, main reason behind the massive price hikes has been due to the increased price of lead, which is the main battery ingredient. Lead makes up a 60% chuck of what a car battery costs, so with the global price of lead rising over 300% over the last year alone, the consumer has been forced to bear the full effect of the cost.
A spokesperson for Century Yuasa batteries has commented about the price increase, trying to justify to motorists that the increases aren’t going straight into their pockets.
“The increasing price of lead is a world-wide problem that all manufacturers and resellers face. It doesn’t matter who makes the battery or where it comes from, all parts of the battery supply chain will inevitably need to pass on these price increases to motorists. Unfortunately everyone is in the same boat on this one,” said the spokesperson.
Townsville’s Mayor as well as a large delegation will be heading to Canberra in their attempt to seal the deal on a new V8 Supercar round for the town.
Mayor Tony Mooney has stated that plans included securing the funding and commitments from both sides of the federal politics in the lead up to the up-coming election.
"We've been able to secure a meeting with a senior staff member from the Prime Minister's office in relation to the V8 Supercar event here in Townsville," Cr Mooney said.
Funding of around $15 million has been received from the State Government as well as the Townsville City Councils $2.68 million means the delegation is seeking for a $10 million Federal Government handout to secure the street race event by 2009.
If you’re a true blue Aussie, you have to love your ute racing. Light rear ends teamed up with loads of grunt up-front make for some quality viewing in my books which is why I’m making sure the TV is free from 1:30pm tomorrow.
Tune into Channel 7 for an hour coverage of the last V8 Ute round that tore up Queensland raceway in a haze of tyre smoke and dust. Beer in hand is optional, but in my case (no pun intended), it’s mandatory after the last two weekends seemed to rob every ounce of spare time they could find. Oh, and don’t even get me started on those grid girls…
Ford Australia has confirmed the arrival date of the Territory Diesel will be well before the Duratec engines hit our shore.
The Territory Diesel has been lurking on the production schedule for some time, and now with a release date in sight potential buyers can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Speculation of the Territories engine of choice has tipped that a 2.7-litre oil-burner will be used that also shares its home with other makes and models such as the Peugeot 407, Jaguar S-Type and Land Rover Discovery. Power levels range between 140kW/445Nm to 153kW and 435Nm.
Price is expected to play a massive role in Fords engine of choice, which pushes limits to the max to squeeze the 2.7-litre variant under the bonnet.
Ford Performance Vehicles are set to shake up the Australian performance car industry by announcing a new reign of performance orientated models.
Tinkering with the Boss range of V8 engines, FPV have announced that a increase of around 12kW is to be expected, bring the grand total to just over the 300kW at a whopping 302kW.
A few weeks previously, Street Fords magazine bought you news of the up and coming special edition Cobra release and it’s tipped that the new 300kW+ beast will first see its release stuffed in between the slithery strut towers.
With no official word yet on torque increases, or how altered the power deliver of the 8-cylinder terrors will be, all we can do is sit back and wait and hope that the changes will be enough that Ford fans have been craving for.
Speaking from a production line view point, vehicle finishing is a very costly step in the production of a vehicle and it’s one that has quite a detrimental effect on the environment around us. Toxic paints not only cost the environment in energy used in application, but storage and disposal are also two key areas in which are in constant need of address.
Ford over in the US has developed a new painting process which is said to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15 per cent. The new painting process is currently being trailed on selected vehicles in the US for real-world durability testing.
The technology combines an advanced chemical formulation of high-solids, solvent-born paint with an innovative three-wet application process that requires a smaller, less expensive and cleaner paint shop than traditional automotive paint facilities allowing substantial savings in all areas.
Joe Hinrichs, vice president, North America Manufacturing, Ford Motor Company said “ Painting vehicles has traditionally been one of the auto industry's biggest environmental challenges," said Mary Ellen Rosenberger, paint manager of Ohio Assembly Plant where the new technology was launched. "Ford has found the solution. It's environmentally sound. It's cost-efficient. And it produces beautifully painted vehicles with long-term durability."
Keep an eye on this new technology to filter through all of Fords vehicle range globally, that’s of course if the tests all go to plan. Fingers crossed.
I admit it. I’m a massive Gran Turismo addict having owned every incarnation of the series to ever hit the gaming store shelves. I instantly fell in love with the freedom to modify your vehicle, the in game vehicle dynamics and of course, the colossal selection of cars to thrash around the track.
With videos like these to start surfacing , you could imagine my wallet would be getting a little scared with the price of the new PS3 console but I think the inevitable may be getting closer by the day. In this short YouTube preview, we can see GT5 will feature the same mountain of available cars while packing some of the world’s best racing circuits. The visuals are nothing short of breath taking, and one can only hope that this clip is a representation of the finished product. By the looks of the starting text, I’d say it’s a safe best to assume that the clip hosted will be the same video used in the GT5 start-up animation.
A Queensland based research company has been awarded the honour of receiving the prestigious DamilerChrysler Environmental Research Award for its excellence in researching the art of recycling old tyres.
Molectra Technologies was awarded the $30,000 cash prize to continually research and refine its previous findings which allow tyres to be recycled costing zero emissions with no waste or residue. One step in the tyre recovery process is to use the hydrocarbon gas and oil extracted from the tyres and converts it to electricity which will be sufficient to power the entire recycling complex.
An estimated 18 million wasted tyres are produced in Australia each year with 57% of those finding their way into landfill. A shocking 13% of all of Australia’s wasted tyres are illegally dumped by the side of the road and in waterways creating a major environmental concern.
This new technology is still being trialled with alleged success so far exciting environmentalists around the globe.
Ford US has posted its first profit in a two year drought after new figures came to light. Shares also boosted overnight and gained over 3 per cent as the news of the profit started to circulate and gain momentum. Ford, who is currently ranked as the number two automaker in the US, are continuing to push forward with the panned restructure which will see up to 45,000 jobs cut with the closing of 16 manufacturing plants to ensure the auto making giant’s future survival.
The official profit figure stands at $750 million which eclipses the previous year’s result of a dismal loss of over $300 million. The profit result is the first profit record for the auto maker since the second quarter of 2005, and it’s the first auto-related profit since the first quarter in 2005.
The BMW M5 is a very quick car, and I can’t see anybody arguing that fact anytime soon featuring 373kW on tap with plenty of torque to match. But how would it look going up against another type of BMW V10, one producing well over 500kW and capable to rev upwards of 18,000rpm. That’s right, the guys (and girls) over at Fifth Gear have pitted a new BMW M5 against the BMW Williams Team Formula 1 race car.
No prizes to guess who reaches the chequered flag first, but I will say that Tiff fellow is one lucky bugger. Click the play button below to cue a whole new breed of envy.
26/07/07 Opinions divided over the future of the diesel engine |
It’s going to be a cold day in hell the day that GM and Ford come to an agreement, and it seems that nothing has changed when both questioned on the validity of harnessing diesel powerplants as the primary future internal combustion engine.
Stated in a press release issued today by Ford Australia’s head honcho Tom Gorman, Ford are setting their sights on further developing the diesel engine to surpass the regular petrol fuelled combustion power plant.
"These are not old, industrial, loud and smelly, you're getting incredible low-end torque, there's great performance feel in the cars," Mr Gorman said relating to the operation of modern diesel powered vehicles.
"Plus a lot of people want to adopt the latest technology, so that's where the growth is coming on the car side at the moment."
With many different emission levels to be met on a global level, GM seem to think the future of the diesel isn’t paved with gold like some want to think. In an attempt meet strict US BIN 5 Tier 2 emissions level, GM’s Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has commented in a YouTube blog that the engineering required to for a diesel engine to comply is getting very close to outweighing any advantage that diesels have over petrol power plants.
Techniques like using a burning process to eliminate combustion byproducts not only add to the cost of the engines actually price tag, but also sacrifice fuel economy dramatically to where the engine is only likely to use 15%-12% less fuel than a petrol burner.
With Holden already offering the Astra and Captiva is diesel guise, and with the Commodore diesel said to getting closer by the day, Ford have already decided to stick their toes into the diesel pond by announcing the release of the Focus and Mondeo diesel variants.
Let’s face it, when buying a second hand car who really thinks about how it would hold up in the event of a serious accident? To be totally honest, not me, and how would you really know how well a EA Falcon would hold up in when things start to go pear shaped?
Thanks to the NRMA, there is now a list which contains many popular second hand models of car dating back to the early 80’s which rates these vehicles based on their safety score, and it even identifies vehicles which are more likely to injure others in the event of an accident. Pretty handy stuff to know which one day could potentially save your life, don’t say we at Street Fords don’t care.
To check these ratings out, click on this link.
In what would have to be one massive blow to Ford, un-masked and totally un-disguised photos of Ford’s new Orion project have turned up in a Melbourne Land-fill site and have found their way into media hands with the new picture being circulated all over the WWW.
The overall shape and design cues remain much the same while the front end has under gone a serious re-designing to accommodate a much more edged theme.
The Orion is still yet to debut in Ford showrooms around Australia in eight months time, so no doubt plant security are going to be receiving a massive shake –up following the leaked images.
Ex feature car Hapkdo was out at Eastern Creek drag way on Wednesday the 18th of July. Piloted by Jeff Booth he managed to run a respectable 10.97 and flew in at 123MPH. Jeff was extremely happy with the time and says that with a little more tinkering and faster gear changes, quicker times are on there way. Unfortunately the WSID officials quickly put an end to the night demanding that the next time they see the car they expect a full ANDRA cage. D’oh!
A full gallery of pics from the night can be viewed in our online gallery located HERE.
Do you ever loose sleep at night as you ponder the damages your modified Falcon is doing to the environment? Do rising sea levels and images drowning Polar Bears cloud your memory day in and day out? Until now, you may have felt guilty for driving say 351 odd cubic inches worth of carbureted Armageddon in a close to literal middle finger gesture in the direction of anything remotely green, however a new report has surfaced which will once again allow you to drive your rolling environmental disaster guilt-free through even the most luscious of forests and national parks.
The Australian Greenhouse Office has released an official report claiming that motor vehicles are not the ecological nightmare they are so often cracked up to be, and that this old notion couldn’t in fact be further from the truth. It is written in the release that as far as Australia is concerned, cars count for just 7% of our total greenhouse emissions, even less than the contribution afforded to us via the flatulence of our cow and sheep population! Hooray! Screamer pipes for all? Perhaps not, however it is some pretty interesting food for thought.
The AGO went on to detail that the biggest tree killer is in fact electricity, with 35% of our destructive emissions coming from the production of the rather handy form of energy. Further development of this topic returned the shocking information that should all 11 million of Australia’s registered passenger vehicles be converted to electricity, the effect upon our greenhouse emissions would in fact be a negative one! Although this sounds ridiculous, it is in fact true, due entirely to the buzzing little eyesores causing more damage through their use of electricity than even some SUVs cause through traditional fuel burning emissions!
Many would consider the ultimate nail in the coffin as far ‘low emissions’ vehicles are concerned to be the fact that their money saving low fuel usage nature isn’t far from being a complete joke, with the report’s calculations proving that it would take 22 years and 10 months of driving at a pretty high rate of 20,000km per year for the Toyota Prius ($37,400) to pay itself off as far as fuel usage vs. initial purchase price is concerned when considered against the good old Toyota Corolla ($19,990), this is assuming that petrol floats around the $1.20 a litre mark.
With all this, it’s no wonder GM dumped their electric car project, a choice that would have no doubt brought smiles to the faces of many of our readers, who would sooner vote for the Gary Myers party than the Greens.
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It was talked about for some time now but it seems the inevitable has finally taken place. Ford’s Geelong engine assembly plant has officially announced it will close its doors in 2010 after exceeding 80 years of service.
A downturn in the larger car sales and tougher new emissions laws has forced Ford to do the unthinkable and axe up to 600 jobs from the closure.
In an interview with Fairfax, Ian Macfarlane told the newspapers that he had expected the announcement today.
"We're certainly conscious that Ford are giving consideration to moving to a V6 engine and that they will make an announcement in that regard tomorrow," he commented.
Despite handouts totaling $80million from the Australian Government, Ford is expected to announce tomorrow that an imported V6 may be powering new Falcons soon than you think. That’s right, you read it correctly, a V6-powered Falcon. While I can’t say I’m thrilled at the idea of our beloved Falcon being powered by a V6 donk, however we would love to hear what all you guys think by posting your comments in our online discussion forum found HERE.
Ripping a nice burnout isn’t as easy as it looks. It takes skill, careful timing and above all, no mechanical sympathy. If you think you have what it takes, why not give it a shot at Drag Tag on Australia’s largest burnout pad while also giving yourself the chance to win over 8,500 is cash and prizes.
All you need to do is give it a good go in any of the qualifying rounds on Thursday and Friday nights between now and Friday the 31st of August.
First place will receive $3,000 in cash and over $2,000 worth of prizes while the second place holder will receive $1,000 in cash plus other prizes. Prize money and trophies will be handed out to all positions from first to tenth position.
So if you love your burnouts, here is chance to show the world your ability and destroy a set of tyres!
Click this link for more Drag Tag details.
What is the Cobra you ask? Well, as much as we would love to tell our loyal readers at this time, the truth is we don’t really know. Rumoured to be one of our beloved Falc’s with a few trick dress-up bits, we can’t confirm nor deny the future existence of such a vehicle. What we can pass on to you guys however is one of our subscribers has just laid down 1,000 big ones on the hope that one day one of these will be parked in his driveway.
The inside tip that the new Cobra is set to be unveiled at this years 2008 Bathurst 1000, but with the Motorshow arriving before the great race, it’s anybody guess as to where the snake will actually make it’s debut.
Don’t believe us? Here is the deposit form that Mr.Lucky had just faxed over to us, proving that Ford has in fact accepted his $1k deposit for one Cobra. Pretty exciting hey?
Everybody wants to bag themselves a world record and when it’s all about going fast, who can blame them. Those crazy guys over at JCB Dieselmax have recently managed to do just that, and shaved over 100mph off the old record the process! The weapon of choice was a 30 feet long, 3.7feet wide and 3.2feet high streamliner fitted with two 5-litre diesel engines and utilizing twin compounded turbochargers and twin compounded intercoolers.
The end result is an impressive 750 hp at 3,800rpm and an amazing 1500Nm of torque at a lazy 2,000rpm. This was enough to propel the 2,724Kg monster to 328.767 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, eclipsing the old record set back in 1973 by the Thermo King Streamliner.
Seems towing is not the only thing a diesel engine can do!
Anybody who is into cars has played a Gran Turismo video game once or twice, and truth be known, I have a few in the collection at home. The massive choice of cars and the sheer attention to detail have made them a winner amongst the lounge room motorsport community and with more and more screen shots being released of the new upcoming GT5, gamers couldn’t be more frantic to get their piece of the action.
The unofficial word from game creator Kazunori Yamauchi is that he doesn’t expect GT5 to be ready until at least spring 2008, with some saying that the date will be closer to Christmas 2008. So for those with PS3’s sitting there in front of the TV eager to unleash pixelated hell on those virtual tyres, the wait looks to be a little longer than expected. Hopefully we won’t see a repeat of the shocking delays that plagued the last release, GT4.
It was estimated that over 11,000 Ford fans swamped into the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds for the 2007 Ford Fan Day held over the weekend which allowed Ford fans to get up close and personal with their favourite Ford driving idol.
Channel 7 V8 Supercar commentator Grant Denyer put on series of intimate interviews with which allowed Ford fans to get a greater insight to their favourite blue oval driver.
“This is an especially unique day for Ford fans, we have really been able to spend quality time with people,” Craig Lowndes said.
“At the racetrack we are often in a rush due to racing commitments, so a day like this gives us the chance to relax and have some fun.
“With plenty of attractions and non-stop entertainment, it’s essentially been a showcase of the best Ford has to offer.”
The drivers battled out all day in a hot of different activities such as remote control car racing, celebrity heads and answering questions about fellow team mates.
The 2007 Championship Results
1. #1 Rick Kelly, HSV, Holden
2. #16 Garth Tander, HSV, Holden
3. #22 Todd Kelly, HRT, Holden
4. #88 Jamie Whincup, T8, Ford
5. #2 Mark Skaife, HRT, Holden
6. #888 Craig Lowndes, T8, Ford
7. #6 Steven Richards, FPR, Ford
8. #5 Mark Winterbottom, FPR, Ford
9. #17 Steven Johnson, DJR, Ford
10. #18 Will Davison, DJR, Ford
When putting on a good solid burnout it’s getting harder and harder to separate yourself out from the rest, especially at an event like Summernats where there could be up to 150 cars entering the pad. Well, you wouldn’t believe it but Kumho has invented themselves a scented tyre that puts on a lovely aroma event when fried up. Currently available in lavender, jasmine and orange scents are soon to flood the market which is squarely aimed at the feminine motorist who stacks rows upon rows of tyres in their living room.
In all seriousness, the tyres are available in any size you like as long as it’s for a 16-inch rim and feature a 60-series sidewall profile.
Ford Performance Vehicles have announced that they have done a few management changes in leading up to a bigger and brighter future for the performance marque. Taking over the performance vehicle facility will be Rod Barrett, an experienced leader with over 11 years of senior management experience. His most recent role was fitting the shoes of Ford Performance Racing’s Commercial Director in which he was a key architect of the team’s commercial and on-track success in 2005 and 2006.
ProDrive Asia Pacific Managing Director Bryan Mears is confident that Barrett’s proven management record and experience is paramount in FPV’s continual ongoing development.
"Rod joins FPV at a time when the company has just recorded its equal second best sales month ever, and he is the ideal person to lead a new FPV team into the next phase of the company's growth.
"Rod will focus on the execution of our sales plans and the delivery of a range of exciting new products as we lead into the launch of a new Ford and FPV line up next year."
This weekend the Shannons Nationals returns to Eastern Creek for the first time in 2007 and features a bumper to bumper program consisting of some of the best racing categories in the country. If you like your racing close and down to the wire featuring plenty of thrills and spills, the Shannons Nationals doesn’t get much better!
The packed out event is being ran over the Saturday and Sunday of July 14 and 15 and features racing from categories such as the Australian Formula 3 Championships, the Supaloc Saloon Car Championships, the Australian Production Car Championships, Commodore Cup, Sports Sedans and the SX Australian Superkarts.
Entry is free on Saturday whilst admission on Sunday is just $20 for Adults, $15 for concession with kids under 13 get in free.
More information, as well as a full program of events can be found at the official Shannons Nationals website at www.thenationals.com.au
Electric vehicles are not something that is going to pop into your brain when asked about circuit racing. There are good reasons for this however, with the track being the least likely place to spot a current sipping silent purpose built racer. As time goes on it seems that there is nothing racers want more than to pioneer new areas, and upset the competition by pushing new boundaries and re-writing the manual on how to go fast.
Meet the KillaCycle team. Even though these guys do it using two wheels instead of four, they’re not afraid to upset the competition using a little brains and technical know-how. Late last year at the All Harley Drag Racing Associations season finale in Las Vegas, the team propelled their electric KillaCycle to an incredible 8.760@152MPH, also setting a new world record in the process. The bike has since run quicker netting the team an 8.16 ET over the standing quarter.
Powered by two 6.7” advanced DC L-91 electric motors, the bike’s estimated power output equates to roughly 350hp, or about 260,000 watts of electricity. Taking around 15 minutes to fully charge, the bike is able to make six full power runs in which cost the team an estimated 7 cents a run.
Turbosmart has expanded its operations even further in the US by opening the doors to its brand new USA office solely dedicated to servicing the North American market.
Turbosmart’s President, Nicolas Cooper, is dedicated in providing the US market with a quality performance range as it does with the rest of the world.
“The US performance market is as vast as it is demanding. In order to service it properly we need to be there in the ground, making sure our dealers and end-users get the same quality of service Turbosmart is renowned for in other regions of the world.”
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Anyone who made it to MotorEx in Sydney last weekend would have seen the massive trade stand the Express Motoring Group had setup with 30 feature cars on display with tons of merchandise and giveaways. For those who entered to win one of three Peoples Choice prize packs by voting for your favourite car, the big moment is here!
The winner of the Street Fords prize pack worth over $650 is Gayle Hill from Ashtonfield. So there you have it, that name could have been yours if you had voted for your People’s Choice award for 2007, so if you didn’t you have nobody else to blame but yourself. So don’t forget next year to vote for your favourite car for your chance to win another stack of goodies.
The Express Motoring Group is proud to announce a new magazine into the performance magazine stable, Xtreme Fords!
Xtreme Fords will be focusing on the tough street-and-strip and drag-only types of Fords with even the other extreme end of the scale being covered, such as full-house concourse type restos. Our photographers will be covering all of the main automotive events over the year, and we’ve got the best in the business it snapping away and making your feature cars something special.
Inside, you’ll also find the usual news and products section, along with calendars listing drag-racing events and car shows that Ford fans need to know about.
So make sure you grab your issue of Xtreme Fords from July 13!
The V8 Ute series is easily one of the most exciting forms of Australian Motorsport you can watch as it’s laden with power slides, panel rubbing and dead-set door to door racing.
If you can’t tell by now, I love my V8 Ute racing so this Saturday you can guess where I’m going to be. That’s right, sitting in front of the telly from 1:30pm on channel 7 for all the highlights from Round Four at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway.
We love rumours here in the office, and when you think about who doesn’t, unless of course the rumour is centered around them and what they did at the last work christmas party. Anyway, moving right along, this latest rumour has been not confirmed or denied, sparking whispers that thanks the massive success of the new Transformers flick, car movies are a sure road to box office success. What are we on about you might ask yourself? Well, to put it quite simply, we are on about the remake of the Steve McQueen classic ‘Bullitt’. If anybody hasn’t seen this movie, for god’s sake get down to the local video store and demand a copy!
The whole movie is centred on a police chase with McQueen driving a 68 Mustang through the streets of San Francisco, chasing a cop killer while letting nothing get in his path. It’s all about action, and who needs a plot when you such a sweet sounding car on full noise sliding around every corner in an attempt to catch the baddies.
It’s been rumoured that Brad Pitt is the new Lt. Frank Bullitt, but as we said early, this is all just speculation and wishful thinking. Keep your eye out for this one!
With the price of petrol costing an arm and a leg it’s no wonder that people are cashing in whenever they can. Hundreds of devices are showing up everyday in various online market places claiming to increase fuel economy running off nothing more than hopes and dreams. The shocking reality about this situation is that these devices are actually being purchased by motorists on the pretences that they actually work.
In a recent test conducted by the EPA’s Ann Arbor laboratory, almost all of the 93 ‘fuel saver’ gadgets tested had absolutely no effect of the vehicles fuel consumption which most were found to either increase emissions or in extreme cases, damage the engine due to fuel contamination.
While many people look to these miraculous cures for some wallet relief, often the simplest fix proves to be the most effective. Vehicle maintenance is said to be the best fuel saver of the lot, offering the best gains for the amount of money spent. Simply changing spark plugs, oil and oil filer and petrol filters can have a large effect. Also wheel alignment, tyre pressures and in-necessary vehicle weight all adds to how often your car hits the bowser.
Cruising for charity is a great idea that benefits not only charities and keeps car owners happy, it also helps show the general motoring community that car owners actually do care. So whatever you do, make sure you are at Homebush Bay car park 5 from 9am on 26th August and take part in the 2007 Live Life Cruz that is all about raising money for the Leukaemia Foundation.
Entry is only $10 per car with all proceeds going straight to the Leukaemia Foundation, so feel free to dig deep and donate even more. There will also be a raffle on the day giving all entrants the chance to win some fantastic donated prizes as well as greatly helping a charity out.
More information can be found on their MySpace page by clicking HERE.
As most of you guys would know, the Meguiar’s MotorEx was held at Sydney Olympic Park over the weekend and contained some of Australia’s best show cars all held under the one roof. The Express Motoring Group, responsible for Street Commodores, Street Fords and many other motoring publications, held a huge trade stand which saw hundreds of show goer’s pop in to visit and check out the large range of magazines and stacks of merchandise.
On display were over 30 ex-feature vehicles from the Express Motoring Groups library such as Gary Pope’s awesome BLO-402 and Shane Dunn’s stunning 1TUFXF which attracted a massive crowd all weekend. Held through out the weekend was the EMG People’s Choice awards which enabled punters to choose their favourite Street Commodore, Street Ford and Hot4 from the event with Zoltan Bodo’s HSV Senator taking out best Street Commodore, AGROGT for Street Fords and BUZDBY took out the Hot4’s Peoples Choice Award.
Stay tuned and keep checking our ONLINE GALLERY for photos from the event.
