"We’re very well aware of it and we’ll be monitoring what’s going on."
That’s what one California Highway Patrol spokesperson told the LA Times…and yet Day 1 of the 2008 Gumball 3000 - which ran from San Francisco to Buttonwillow Raceway Park to Hollywood, CA - ended last night with what appears to be one of the slowest, lowest-ticketed grids in Gumball 3000 (if not modern "rally") history…at least according to our friends and allies actually on it.
About the only thing crazier than actually paying for a million dollar re-bodied Lamborghini Murcielago (i.e. the Reventon) is this Canadian guy’s re-bodied Pontiac Fiero. From many angles, Woody, the creator, did a fine job of mimicking the Reventon’s proportions…until you see the profile: the back end seems a tad short. Maybe it’s the lack of a properly sized wheel in that shot.
Woody also ripped out the the stock engine and stuffed a twin-turbo, small-block V8 into the engine bay. Mad props to Woody, but unless he’s a skilled chassis engineer, that much power in an antiquated chassis sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Cory Welles and Adam Bedient - Team Polizei’s friends over at the 32 Hours 7 Minutes Production Blog - have just released a fascinating new video of a conversation I nearly forgot ever took place…way back during our research into the 1983 U.S. Express record. Check out their post and video for yourself…
Thanks for the post, guys!
…But it’s not clear whether or not he was driving or a passenger when the F430 test-mule/prototype went off the Nurburgring track and into a guardrail at 155mph on the Schwedenkreuz corner. Schumacher reportedly called his publicist to say "We have crashed the car but are going to continue with another one," leaving out the identity of the driver. Some reports said Schumacher’s son Mick was in the passenger seat while Schumacher was at the wheel and others say that a driver named Raffaele De Simon wrecked it with Schumi riding shotgun.
Want to know what it took to join the U.S. Express back in 1980? Organizers of similar underground illegal races today sure could learn a thing or two from Express organizer Rick Doherty and the boys. Check out 32 Hours 7 Minutes Assistant Editor Adam Bedient’s production blog, then take a look at the acceptance letters…
Oh yeah…I almost forgot. Cory Welles has suggested - maybe - and I’m praying this is true - that the U.S. Express logo depicted above will make its way to the official 3207 movie T-shirts sometime. Soon.
Click to read Post 1.1 @ The 32 Hours 7 Minutes Production Blog…
Team Polizei’s West Coast Operative Davey Johnson adds some metallic flavor to yesterday’s Fast Lane Daily. Topics include: the Ferrari California in Gran Turismo, Mexico’s Maretta MXT, bad news for NOPI fans and Subaru’s leaner WRX STi Spec C.
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Something HUGE is brewing at Top Gear, and I’m NOT talking about the confusion over at NBC’s we-hope-will-be-even-half-as-good-as-the-UK-version-but-can’t-be US version of Top Gear.
And we’ve seen Top Gear’s smoking gun pitch. Yes. That is, if it’s real. I think it is. Maybe. Probably.
Think Top Gear on ice. Almost. Yes. It’s true.
After a quick and delicious pizza lunch in Maranello, we hopped in our cars and headed out to the Lamborghini Headquarters. About a forty minute drive gets you from from the Maranello to the Lamborghini factory in Sant ‘Agata, Bolognese. The drive up takes you through Modena
Continue reading ‘David Maher’s Italian Trinity Tour - Part 3 - Lamborghini’
After a dinner at the Ristorante Cavalino directly across from the Ferrari factory and good night sleep at the Planet Hotel (also across the street), our next stop on the agenda was the Ferrari tour which began at 10am. We arrived at the Ferrari factory where we were greeted by our guide, Kim and another hostess, Daniela. The greeting was more business-like than cordial and included the surrender of our camera equipment in exchange for our guest badges. We were escorted through the famous arch under Enzo’s old office where we boarded the Ferrari Bus. It wasn’t an actual Ferrari, but it was painted red with a large prancing horse emblazoned in front and Its interior was decorated with carbon fiber accents and more prancing horses embroidered in the headrests.
Continue reading ‘David Maher’s Italian Trinity Tour - Part 2 - Ferrari’
Former Jalopnifuhrer-Ost, Team Polizei ally, 31:04 archivist, contributor & oooold friend David Johnson’s Maserati GranTurismo piece went live last night over at MotiveMag. I could have blogged it before Damon at Autoblog and Instapundit, but that would have been kinda insidery…no?
