Author: Dustin Driver

Every car nut dreams of building a custom ride, a one-off wonder that reflects its owner’s heart and soul. But not even the fantastic fever dreams of a madman could conjure this. The guys at Hector’s Chop Shop in Santa Rosa, Ca., are building an electric, rear-drive ‘69 Honda N360.

The N360 was a Lilliputian Kei car, a 1,100-pound front-wheel-drive hatch with a 30-hoursepower 600cc twin. The thing was barely 10 feet from nose to hatch and only four feet wide. Forrest Koogle  and the crew at Hector’s scored a pair of the tiny cars, sold one, and decided to convert the other to an all-electric driver/racer. They picked up a massive 60-horsepower D/C motor with ungodly amounts of torque and, well, things got crazy from there.

They planed to mount the motor to the existing drivetrain, but it didn’t fit under the diminutive hood. Then they tried to use an old VW GTI transaxle, but it was too wide for the tiny car. So they cut out the floor pan and stuck the motor/transaxle in the back. Of course, that required hundreds of man hours and tons of fabrication. There’s custom suspension cobbled together from stock, aftermarket, and homemade parts, new wheel wells, and lots of beautiful mandrel-bent steel tubing to reinforce the chassis. Koogle has documented the build at Hector’s site. It’s not quite finished, yet, but it’s getting close. It’s truly an amazing piece of work and well worth the read.

Via: Clunkbucket

Despite its pending sale to Chinese automaker Geely, Volvo is keeping its chin up. Want proof? Check out this promo video for the upcoming S60. Volvo has combined sleek lines and a 203-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four to make one saucy Swedish sedan. I think it’s pretty lust-worthy, how about you?

So you’re stuck with a Civic, but you pine for a 454 V-8. Well, now you can have both. Sorta. The SoundRacer V8 is a gizmo that pumps the glorious sounds of a V-8 through your car stereo. Just plug it into the cigarette lighter (or auxiliary power port) in your car and it’ll monitor your car’s revs and transmit the roar of a V-8 to your stereo via an FM signal. It does a pretty good job, too. Check out this video from Gizmag.

The SoundRacer V8 is currently available at LatestBuy.

Hop on over to the SoundRacer site to see and hear more.

Via: Gizmag

The 525-horsepower Mercedes AMG E63 is simply not fast enough. That’s why tuning house Väth Automobiltechnik bored out its 6.2-liter V-8, gave it new pistons, valves, and camshafts, and tweaked its ECU to give it 605 horsepower.

There’s also a bunch of suspension and brake tweaks and a wicked-looking body kit. The resulting super E63 will hit 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in 4.1 seconds and is good for 211 miles per hour in a straight line. It’s enough to make you want to learn how to speak and read German.

Via: Autoblog, Väth Automobiltechnik, World Car Fans

Armada? But there's only one! And it doesn't float! What's next, the Nissan Battalion?

Today’s announcement of the long-anticipated iPad* got me thinking. Auto companies stick some truly abysmal names on their cars. Touareg. Yaris. Patriot. Armada. And it only gets worse from there. But which company, overall, has the worst names in their lineup?

My initial thought was VW. Besides Touareg, you’ve got Routan, Tiguan, Passat, then Golf, Polo, Jetta, Eos, and New Beetle. Jetta is the only respectable name in the range. The SUV lineup sounds like a Klingon gagging on a muskrat. Yes, I’m aware that Touareg refers to a nomadic tribe from North Africa, but that only makes it worse. Golf and Polo? Because those are two sports that epitomize speed, agility, and fun. Eos? There’s nothing to love about that car. New Beetle? It hasn’t been new in a decade.

I haven’t even gotten to Hyundai or Kia’s naming schemes.

What do you think? Who has the most awful names in their lineup?

*Despite its name, it seems like an incredible device.

It’s a good year for those of us who lust after German hot hatches. According to VW, the 2011 VW Golf R will be coming to the U.S. The R will come packed with a TSI four good for 265 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of twist. The all-wheel-drive monster will be available with a six-speed manual or a super-quick DSG automatic. It’ll reportedly hit 60 mph in 5.5 seconds (5.7 with the manual gearbox) and run all the way up to a 155 mph top speed. And it’ll carry you, your dog, and a small flat’s worth of furniture.

Hit the jump for more pics.

Via: Autoblog, AutoGuide

Must be that German engineering . . .

Blastolene Indy Special, photo by Drew Phillips, Autoblog

You’d think Patton tank engines were a dime a dozen the way the guys at Blastolene throw them into outrageous roadsters. This is their latest creation, the Blastolene Indy Special. It has the same 1,792ci V-12 M47 Patton tank engine as Jay Leno’s tank car, but it’s mounted in a sleek hand-formed aluminum body inspired by the Watson roadsters of the ’50s and ’60s.

The colossal engine puts out an estimated 910 horsepower and 1,500 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated to an Allison automatic bus transmission. The whole thing weights an astounding 8,400 pounds and is 22.5 feet long.

It’s undoubtedly a work of art and utterly deserving of lust.

Hop on over and check out the gallery at Autoblog.

Here’s the vehicle description from the auction:

When Street Rod builders Randy Grubb and Michael Leeds came across two M47 Patton Tank engines, they immediately bought them and began sketching ideas for cars to build around the massive engines. The 1792cid SOHC aluminum V-12 engine is air-cooled and fed by dual 2-barrel carburetors. Power output is estimated at 910hp and 1500lb-ft of torque. The massive powerplant is mated to an Allison 4-speed automatic transmission that was originally designed to handle the workload of a Greyhound bus. The first Blastolene Special was finished in 2002 and then quickly sold to Jay Leno. This is the second and only other tank powered car built by the artists at Blastolene. The hand-built aluminum body was formed in the spirit of the shark-nosed Watson Roadsters that were very successful at Indy in the ’50s and ’60s, but nearly twice the size. With a 160″ wheelbase and an overall length of 270″, it’s no wonder that this creation weighs in at 8,400lbs. This wonderful piece of automotive art is very capable on the open road and is a thrill to drive.

**TITLED AS A 1952 UUU WATSON ROADSTER**

Everybody already knows everything about the 2011 335is, but BMW officially announced it today anyway. And, as you know, it’s hot.

The new 335is rocks the same twin-turbo straight six as the 2010 335i, but now it packs an extra 20 horses and 32 pound-feet, bringing the totals to 320 and 332, respectively. There’s also a new overboost feature that can deliver 370 pound-feet of twist when you put your foot in it. BMW’s seven-speed Double Clutch Transmission (DCT) and launch control are new optional features, but the six-speed manual remains standard equipment. With the inhumanly fast DCT and computer-controlled launch, it can reach 60 miles per hour in five seconds flat. Top speed is electronically limited to 150 miles per hour. Not bad for a 3,600-pound car.

The 335is coupe starts at $50,525 and the base convertible will be listed for $59,075.

Source: BMW

Model bloat is an epidemic. Cars swell with each generation, gobbling up extra gizmos, safety features, insulation, and mass like a katamari tumbling through a shopping mall. You end up with Yokozuna-weight Toyatas and Hondas and heavyweight Chevys that can go toe-to-toe with their solid-steel-framed ancestors (at least on the scales, if not in a crash test). And weight kills driving dynamics, not to mention performance and fuel economy. Thing is, most people don’t notice model bloat.

Let’s take a look at a car that I have a unique kinship with: The Mazda GLC/323/Protégé/MAZDA3. The first car I can remember was an orange ‘79 GLC five door. The first real car I drove regularly was a silver ‘88 323. My second car was a “mocha frost” ‘93 Protégé LX and my current daily driver is a white ‘03 Protégé 5. Now before anybody goes apoplectic, I realize the Mazda 3 is built on a different chassis than the Protege, but it is a direct descendent and takes up the same spot in Mazda’s model lineup.

1979 Mazda GLC

Since the 1979 model year, the GLC/323/Protégé/MAZDA3 has gained more than 1,200 pounds (544 kg). That little orange hatchback I grew up with only weighed 1790 pounds (812 kg). The 323 I drove tipped the scales at about 2,000 (907 kg) pounds. The ‘93 LX had a 2,359 (1,070 kg) curb weight and my current ‘03 Protégé 5 weighs 2,750 (1,247 kg) pounds dry. The first MAZDA3 hatchback weighed 2,900 (1,315 kg) pounds and the current MAZDA3 is a portly 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg).

My 1993 Protege LX, photo by Dustin Driver

Don’t get me wrong, each weight gain has been accompanied by an increase in power, making the current MAZDA3 faster than any that came before (save maybe the ‘93 LX, which hauled). The car has also become much, much safer. That tiny orange hatchback would crumble to bits in an accident while the MAZDA3 gets a five-star safety rating. It has also gained some interior space, though you’d be surprised by how many people and how much crap you could cram into that GLC.

My 2003 Protege 5, photo by Dustin Driver

But increased power cannot make up for lost driving feel. My ‘93 LX was a blast. It danced through corners like Barishnikov (wearing clogs, but still) and just felt fast. There was little insulation to keep the scream of the DOHC 1.8 four from filling the cabin and it skipped over rough pavement. My Protégé 5 would deftly out handle the LX, but its added weight and subdued feel make it less thrilling. The new MAZDA3 is heavier and cushier still, making what should be a rousing hatchback more like a family hauler.

The MAZDA3 is by no means the worst offender when it comes to model bloat. In fact, it’s one of the best-handling and most fun front-wheel-drive cars on the market. Still, it has grown too pudgy. Even Mazda recently acknowledged that its entire model lineup needs to shed some pounds to enhance performance and increase fuel economy. And when Mazda admits that one of the lightest and exciting cars out there is too fat, you know there’s a problem.

If manufacturers really want to increase fuel economy and actually make their cars fun to drive again, they’ll shed weight from their lineups. Will it happen? Mazda says it’s working on making its cars more light on their feet, but other manufacturers seem to be focused on cramming more technology into their cars to achieve the same goals. What do you think?

The Citroën SM was by no stretch of the imagination a rally car. It was heavy, luxurious, and big. It’s Maserati-derived V-6 only put out about 175 horsepower and its self-leveling hydro-pneumatic suspension and speed-sensitive power steering were complex and fragile. Still, that didn’t stop the mad Frenchmen at Citroën from fitting it with some Cibie lights and entering it in one of the most grueling rally races in history, the 1971 Rallye du Maroc in Africa. And despite its plush ride and complex engineering, it won.

What we have here is a later short-wheelbase rally racing SM. It’s a souped-up SM that’s been cut down to make it lighter and faster. It also has a wicked Kammback “breadvan” style rear end for improved aerodynamics. No breadvan SMs were ever sold to the public, but an industrious builder could replicate one with a Sawzall and some serious metalworking skills.

Checkout more pics of the SM breadvan at Serious Wheels.

It’s two-stroke, is direct-injected, has variable valve timing, doesn’t need a spark plug, and has a variable compression ratio that maxes out at an incredible 40:1. Oh, and it’s also at least 10 percent more efficient than a conventional gasoline engine and can run on virtually any liquid fuel. It’s the Omnivore, a super-efficient prototype engine by Group Lotus, and now you can see how it works in real time thanks to a slick Flash animation.

Group Lotus has been working on the Omnivore for a while, but now they’re really gaining momentum. In recent testing they proved that the two-stroke mill is 10 percent more efficient than similar-sized direct-injeciton gasoline engines, and it burns cleaner to boot. That’s thanks to a free-floating “puck” that slides up and down at the top of the combustion chamber to vary compression ratio based on engine load and type of fuel. It also has a Trapping Valve on the exhaust side that varies duration.

Check out Group Lotus to see for yourself how it works. It’s an incredible design that could eventually lead to 500cc auto engines cranking out 150 horsepower while returning 50-plus miles to the gallon.

Sources: Jalopnik, Autoblog