Oh, those Brits. When they're not faking making corn circles they're writing a rally legend's name using 1,086 Subaru Imprezas as pixels. This, of course, was the finale to the weekend long celebration of Colin McRae's life, which saw over 1,100 Scoobys converge on Prodrive's test track in Warwickshire. Precisely how many cars took part in the ensuing 30-mile convoy is unknown, but if you don't have anything better to do right now, you can have a go at counting them in the video after the jump (and look out for the near miss at 6:42). Even the local constabulary showed up in a WRX pursuit car. The half-mile-long sign you see above broke the Guiness World Record for, err, writing signs with cars by a cool 800, but more importantly Colin's fans raised over $80,000 for the McRae family's chosen charities.
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One of our favorite events during the Monterey weekend is the incredible gathering of cars at the Quail Lodge in Carmel. It's by far the most exclusive event, with only a few thousand tickets available, but the benefit is that the limited number of spectators makes viewing the cars much easier and creates a more relaxed atmosphere. The selection of cars is just as exclusive, which makes walking through the assembly of cars an incredible experience. One of our favorite groups was the 12 Hours of Sebring race cars, which included anything from a 1-of-5 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport to a 2003 Ferrari 575 GTC. We also enjoyed the Porsche 959 group that had around a dozen examples on display including one of the three factory cars that raced in the Paris-Dakar rally in 1985. Another favorite was the collection of Lamborghinis shown as a tribute to Valentino Balboni, the factory test driver since the company's inception. We loved the stunning Miuras as well as the rare LM002 SUV. And the list goes on...there were groups for The Great Ferraris, Supercars, Gurney Eagle Race Cars, and more.
The Ford Mustang AV8R is a one-off, aviation-themed Mustang that's been modified with a suite of upgrades from Ford Racing, including the Handling Pack, a Whipple blower, cold air intake, and a new exhaust. Power from the 4.6L V8 subsequently jumps to 400 horses, and the car is further individualized with a custom exterior and interior. Outside, its Satin Silver finish is offset by a black hood and decklid, red accent lines, dark gray side stripes, an Air Force star on each front quarter panel, and an oversized, etched AF star on the glass roof. The faux gas cap on the trunklid also gets a white star motif, and the rear spoiler is black with a red stripe and the AV8R logo in the corner. The front and rear bumpers are swiped from the California Special, while the grille is the same one used on the Bullitt, only with red trim instead of a metallic finish on the lower lip. It's a very sharp-looking car.
Inside, the two-tone leather seats have embroidered AV8R logos, and their brown inserts are reminiscent of an old bomber jacket. Brown hide also adorns the shifter boot. In the video after the jump, we also learn that the interior trim appliqués are pre-production Bullitt units. The car will be auctioned off to benefit the Gathering of Eagles program, which is encourages young people to get involved in aviation.Back in 2006, the first Shelby GT-H brought $250,000 at an auction benefiting the same organization. If you want a shot at the AV8R, you'll need to get yourself out to Oshkosh this weekend. If you're feeling confident, just book a one-way flight. Maybe you'll be able to drive home.
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The undisputed champion of hydrogen fuel cell SUVs at the Nurburgring has been crowned: the Nissan X-Trail FCV. The winning time: 11:58. Of course, it's the winning time because it's the only time -- a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has never ran the 'Ring before.
After piloting the 120 bhp X-Trail around the world for two years, Nissan engineer Frank Eickholt, decide it was time to take it to the track. The €1.3 million X-Trail was apparently hampered by moist tarmac, so you can expect a redo at some point in the future. Just when you thought the 'Ring craze was as hot as it could get, here come the hydro-powered vehicles to... pour some water on it...
Since we're certain there wasn't an Autoblog function at the 'Ring this weekend, we haven't the foggiest what went on. Obsessive checking of the Nurburgring webcam yesterday did show that some kind of debauchery took place. Der Party left behind a whole lot of waste, rotting gently in the bucolic sunshine. Hopping on yesterday, we were expecting to see a barely discernible image of something rare or secret and undoubtedly super cool, but we're a little disappointed that all we got were pictures reminiscent of the aftermath of a raucous birthday party, pinata and all. A quick trip to Nurburgring.com doesn't show anything on the event schedule, either. Maybe Lemmy came down for a private party? What do you think?
The 1996 Toyota Celica is way too small to transport an entire fellowship from Rivendell to the Black Gate of Mordor, even if four of the companions are pint-sized hobbits. That's probably why Frodo and the gang ultimately decided to hoof it, and have you seen how much second-hand Toyotas are going for in Middle Earth? It'd be cheaper to pay an Orc for a piggy-back ride.
Yes, I'm a LOTR nerd, but even I have a hard time appreciating the artwork that adorns this Celica. A guy by the name of Jason created "The Precious" from his perfectly good tuned Celica that already had a nice color-changing paint job with what looks like a yellowy orangish base. Now every time Jason embarks on an epic quest to get more Ho-Hos from his local Quicky Mart, the whole gang rides shotgun. Characters from the Peter Jackson trilogy that make an appearance on Jason's sheetmetal include Frodo, Aragorn, his elvish hottie girlfriend (can't remember her name, so I'm not that huge of a dork), Gandolf the White, Saruman the White, the Witch King of Angmar and Legolas... twice. Who wouldn't want Elijah Wood staring back as you unlock your car door?
Fortunately my appreciation for the automobile supercedes my fondness for fantasy, so you won't find any creations of J.R.R. Tolkein on my car's quarter panels.
For you Cobalt fans, GM race driver and director of high-performance vehicle operations, John Heinricy, gives the 2008 Cobalt SS Turbocharged a sound thrashing on the Nurburgring. Even better, he talks you through it for much of the way. There's an interlude where he gets quiet, and if you didn't hear the car's tires squealing you'd think he was doing nothing more than going grocery shopping. So the car doesn't best the Nissan GT-R's lap time -- the track was wet, see -- but you can at least get a good idea of what the quite-capable Cobalt can do. That is, if you have a professional racer at the wheel. Follow the jump to check out the whole video.
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