Mosler has finally released information on their crushing new hyper-exotic supercar, dubbed the RaptorGTR. If you’re a diehard car nut, you have probably noticed that there seems to be a reoccurring theme with most successful supercars, and the formula is:

Carbon Fiber Shell + Big Block V-8 = Massive Acceleration (about 2.3 seconds (0-60) for the GTR)

One of the key points to this new supercar, is its 838 horsepower, twin turbo, 7.0 liter V-8. Unique to the RaptorGTR is its externally exposed, visible turbo’s, which were inspired by the F-22 Raptor fighting jet. The result of this configuration is one hell of a soundtrack for the driver. There will be a limited number of these ultra rare beasts on the to-build list of Mosler, so if you’ve been really good all year, it just might be worth the effort to put this $700,000 supercar on your Christmas list.

Of course, if you really want your car to be successful, you also have to address a few other necessities, such as power-to-weight ratio, handling, and safety. You aren’t going to enjoy your hypercar very long if you’re dead.

The Raptor has an ultra-light curb weight of just 2580 lbs, which means that its power-to-weight ratio is about 36 percent better than the 987 hp / 4,162 lb Bugatti Veyron. Taking advantage of its low ground clearance, low weight, and Nitto NT05R’s, the RaptorGTR can yield about 1.4 g’s of lateral grip. Mosler has also taken the initiative to incorporate a LeMans Prototype central carbon-fiber safety cell into the chasis, to help absorb the impact of any unfortunate run-in with an inanimate object.

For an extra $70,000 and a green light from a performance driving school, you can purchase an upgrade for the RaptorGTR (CubeyGTR Package), which includes a 1212 hike in horsepower, a newly designed front end, added air ducts to the intercooler, and an additional radiator. There will only be 12 of these special editions produced for 2012, and these will have a 50 percent better power-to-weight ratio to that of the Bugatti Veyron, and that’s at half the price.

Check out the intro video below, set to the release of the new song by Abby Cubey, called, Feel My Fire. If you listen close, you can hear the whoosh of the twin turbo’s that were made into an instrument for this special occasion.

Santa, if you are reading this, please contact J. Todd Wagner at 203 668 3904, and tell him I’ll take the one that comes with Abby Cubey!

The taxpayers have generously given up their milk money to government bully’s, and the kids with spilt milk now have something to dunk their cookie in. Automotive News headlines in June, read, Detroit 3 are Big 3 again. Where the Japanese automobile once reined supreme, the domestic has become a worthy adversary. Some consumers may choose to remember the compact jalopies of the 70s and 80s, such as the exploding Ford Pinto. However, for every quality, domestic compact put on the street today. An embarrassing memory is replaced by one with pride and renewed confidence.

Depending on your political leanings, location, and the car sitting in your driveway, the government bailouts were either a great success or tremendous failure. We’ve seen similar outcomes in battles between good vs. evil, Alien vs. the Predator, and Charlie Sheen vs. his “winning” attitude. We may not have a unanimous victor, but the players have emerged with a common interest. While domestics continue to fancy large vehicles, of which they gain an average of $10,000 more profit per sale. It is in their best interest to focus on their mini-me cousins as a central strategy to their survival.

The situation in Libya continues to create volatile crude oil prices, but from the vantage point of a 16-foot SUV rolling on 22-inch dubs, the problems of middle eastern countries doesn’t seem particularly momentous without the threat of $4/gallon gas. The US consumer’s memory is short, as recent sales of trucks suggests, but nothing changes their mind faster than an empty gas tank. Sales from larger vehicles may have tickled the economy during the first half of 2011, but the small, economy car will maintain profits through the upcoming roller coaster of gas prices.

Domestic manufacturers have listened to the consumer, bringing smaller, better, and more economical vehicles to the table. In 2000, one out of every eight vehicles sold was a compact. Today, these statistics have doubled, increasing their popularity to nearly 25 percent of profits. The playing field has been leveled for 2011, and consumer’s can find a 40 mpg alternative in just about any flavor (excluding Chrysler, although the Fiat 500 comes close).

Chrysler has come a long way since its 1970 Newport (6.3 liters, 4400 lbs, and 0-60 in less than a week). It has restructured their leadership program (Sergio Marchionne), improved product lines (Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango, 300), and managed to win back enough consumer trust to gain third place in US sales for May, 2011. General Motors (GM) has an increased market share in both America and China, reducing its “Government Motors” nomenclature from its previous 61 percent in Federal ownership, to now less than 40 percent.

Ford has been praised by consumer reports for garnishing the same quality standards as Toyota. This has been dually noted by the $6.6 billion in earnings they posted in 2010. The most difficult challenge for Ford will be maintaining momentum as Japanese markets scramble to regain lost ground. Japanese automakers lost a whopping 7.3 points in US market shares in May.

Beyond Mother Nature’s unkind blow to Japan during the March 2011 earthquake, their eroding dominance is also due to a relaxed contentment to build the same vehicles that have wowed American audiences for a decade. The distance between class leaders and their challengers, in terms of quality, has been steadily declining. With such fresh faces as the Chevrolet Cruze and Ford C-max to compete with, the Toyota Camry may be like a freckle you’ve admired on your spouse’s tush for the past 20 years, but even a red hot ember needs a little agitation to maintain the same heat.

Research suggests the effects from the Massacre of 2008 is slowly recovering, while other opinions claim the effects could have been much worse. According to a study by the University Of Michigan, the damage to automotive reliant states have plunged income levels by as much as 8 percent in some counties. However, the Center for Automotive Research (CARS) suggests 3 million jobs have been spared thanks to government bailouts, accumulating to nearly $97 billion in personal income between 2009-2010.

The good news for many states, is they can expect an upswing in industrial positions over the next five years, adding 34,000 new jobs nationwide. In the negative front, the wages and benefits of these jobs will be reduced from pre-2008 standards, increasing the threat of worker loss, should the economy offer greater opportunity elsewhere. All in all, the auto industry is reminiscent of past mistakes, poised for change, privy to new technology, and ready to make one hell of a comeback in 2012!

In the mid 80′s, with rednecks and underpowered Mustangs and Camaro’s roaming the drag strips, the Acura name began to receive some well received attention for quality, but no respect for its performance. In those days, the Acura enthusiast living in mid-America would do their best Rodney Dangerfield, “I tell you folks, I get no respect, no respect at all—I roll into a Sears Automotive Service Center with a hole in the muffler, and they pull up in a Craftsman ride on lawn mower and tell me my car’s ready… badum-bum.”

Some twenty years later and in comes Matt Piercey’s Acura NSX-T to give a different take on the performance potential of the Acura with his modified NSX 3.2 liter 6-cylinder. Today, the NSX has the potential to stand up on the average blacktop, wrapped in nothing but Michelin PS2 street rubber, against a supercar such as the Porsche 911, Subaru Sti, and Skyline GTR—and those underpowered Mustangs and Camaro’s… Fagitaboutit!

In complete stock form, the 2002 NSX aluminum, 90-degree DOC, 3.2 liter has 290 hp @ 7100 and 224 lbs ft @ 5400, a 6 speed transmission, a 3100 lb curb weight, and can bang out a 0-60 in around 5.0 seconds. The 3.2 was the largest motor for that year and right out of the box included a (VVIS) Variable Volume Induction System, basically a second air intake plenum. The VVIS is located beneath the intake manifold and opens on demand between 4600 and 4900 rpm, creating a sonic pressure wave that boosts the relatively small displacement engines low-end torque and high-end horsepower.

Now we’re talking about turbo and high performance, so you know Matt couldn’t have left good enough alone. To let loose the potential of the NSX VTEC, he had two obvious choices… a supercharger or turbo. The supercharger presents a whole new attitude to the NSX; improved low end torque, superior launching power, 420+ horsepower, and quarter mile times in the mid 12s. Matt really wanted to take advantage of the NSXs rpm capability, so a high flow Comptech turbo was his weapon of choice. A tightly plumbed turbo can get you in high 11s on the track with 550+ horses at your disposal.

The car was built primarily as a light track car that would also serve as a reliable daily street driver and promote his dealership, Planet Acura, in Newport Beach, California. “When we bought the Acura store,” says Matt. “I saw the opportunity to buy one of my all-time dream cars.” Matt no sooner found the car on a lot in San Fransisco, and a Comptech turbo complete with “the works” was already on order. Matt followed up with full Comptech exhaust system (including headers and Spugen test pipes for track days).

The Spugen pipes offer a bit more performance at the expense of noise, but if you like a little music to go with your VTEC, you will no longer need the radio to get your groove on. To take advantage of those new pipes, Matt also installed a Cantrell air scoop, ARC induction box, RC flow tested fuel injectors, and the maestro, a Comptech “black box” to pull everything together and conduct the new orchestra.

The Cantrell inside fender air scoop provided the perfect companion for the wide mouthed ARC induction box. While ARC boxes are known to alter MAF readings, if you’re planning an extensive build, it can be a potent combination. Of course, you won’t be going anywhere fast if you don’t also improve a few parts of the drivetrain and Matt chose an Exedy (225mm) Hyper Single Clutch to facilitate quicker shifts with less heat, wear, and tear. To get power to the blacktop, Matt adopted a front pair of 18 inch Volk LE-37 wheels and rear LE-37 19s.

The NSX is known for its tight sport suspension, but there is always room for improvement. Eibach Sportline springs, Comptech adjustable anti-roll bars, and an NSX-R chassis brace wedged into the engine bay was all that was needed to give stability. The Eiback Sportlines dropped the NSX over an inch and provided a substantial increase in corner firmness, while the Comptech high-grade 6150 steel anti-roll bars helped keep both wheel planted during high speed maneuvering.

Matt didn’t just want a performance sleeper. He upgraded the exterior as well, using a few down home touches, such as a Seibon hood, Dream Sports “R” Wing, and a fresh coast of OEM Spec Silverstone Metallic. The engine bay received its share of due respect with the addition of a Dali Racing coolant tank, fuse cover, Bolind oil cap, and the three most obvious and outstanding features of the NSX’s engine bay… the Comptech strut brace, aluminum cross brace, and engine cover.

The interior, while already stylish in stock form, now has a 2” lower drivers seat, Simpson five point belt, and Comptech harness bar. To keep an eye on things, Matt installed a black face Defi 60mm boost gauge, link meter, and control Unit II. Up to 7 gauges can be used with the Control Unit II via the patented Defi-Link System that runs off a single “daisy chain” wiring system. A sunvisor built-in V1 radar detector and Honda Homelink garage door opener finish off the custom conveniences along with a JDM navigation pod and Eclipse DVD/Navi head unit. To ensure a hearing aid would be in his future, Matt also installed Pioneer 6 ½” PRS speakers backed by Phoenix Gold Amps.

So, what other cars does Matt currently have to tickle his performance itch? A 2006 BMW 530 Xi wagon, 1991 240 SX track car, and about 2,000 Honda and Acura’s (at his dealership). “Come buy some, please!” pleads Matt.

Got anymore NSXs Matt?—cha-ching, bada-bing!

(Story originally written for Turbo & High-Tech Performance)

“I was 5 when my dad drove the car into the driveway, all I can really remember about it was saying, Cool,” reminisces Ryan about his Honda drag racer back in its days as a daily driver. Keep in mind, this was back in the 80′s when the phrase, ‘There is no replacement for displacement’ was still very truthful. Today, we know that a Garrett turbocharger can change the rules of small displacement engagement with just the turn of a few bolts. But Ryan, who was ahead of his time, knew what a gem he would one day inherit and kept a close eye on Honda engineering for the next couple of years. But Ryan would never realize the actual true potential of the car until a skiing accident left his leg in a cast and eyes buried in the pages of sport compact tuner magazines.

Ryan began to plot the resurrection of the faithful daily driven Honda before he could even drive. As many young tuners, Ryan began his quest with a simple body restoration to rid the Civic of body rot, and has found himself where he is today, with a 568 WHP fire breathing dragon, puffing 34 psi through its renowned GT35R turbo. It was not an easy road to reach the 500 WHP goal he had set for himself. In fact, his first build only produced 260 horses, leaving the remaining 240 ‘combustionally’ challenged ponies suffocating in the Honda’s stock iron block until RLZ Engineering introduced a better ‘head’ onto the Civic’s shoulders. But that’s getting a little ahead of his story.

Ryan initial Civic tuning was comprised of an Apexi turbo, 3” exhaust, homemade boost controller, and mostly stock tranny. Ryan’s Honda Civic could run 13′s all day long at the track with this concoction. Add in a pair of K-Sport Lower control arms and Progress Custom Valved Drag coilovers, and the Honda was able to see 11.9 @112 for the first time. This is when the need for speed really hit Ryan and he decided to transform his street racer into an all out drag queen (of the tuner variety).

Using basic hand tools and his driveway as a garage, he installed a Garrett GT35R turbo as the base power from which he would build upon the rest of his transformation. Unfortunately, a flatulent monkey hopped on his back when the installation was complete and the Civic became bogged down with a waning power band that ceased to produce the numbers that Ryan had hoped for. Ryan can still remember staying up days in a row trying to get prepped for a dyno, only to be set back to square one if the Honda refused to rev over 3,000 rpm.

Thanks to a set of extensively machined RLZ heads and a few tweaks of the Honda’s AFC tuning, the cars disappointing 100 rpm power band leaped to 3,000 rpm and the car scorched the rollers at a very long awaited 568 WHP. This is all with the single cam mind you, and over two years of trial, error, sweat, and blood to pull out such huge numbers from a relatively stock engine block. Life on the black top is not always a Kirkey racing seat of roses, as Ryan can attest to.

Even with the impressive gains that Ryan has achieved thus far in his build, the fat lady has yet to of sang for him. The Honda is far from done in Ryan’s opinion. In fact, he didn’t even have the car back in its driveway before beginning plans to break into the 600 WHP barrier. How could he possibly achieve more horsepower out of an EG single cammer you ask? By putting the mighty Civic on a diet of less fatty plastics and metal and more nutrient dense nitrous oxide of course.

Ultimately, Ryan would like to take the Civic to professional ‘Hot Rod’ status, matching up with the big dogs running in access of 800 WHP. He would also like to own a race team, with a field of cars to choose from. But for now, Ryan is just glad that he grew up in a family who is supporting his dreams and preferred Japanese imports over the inferior 80′s domestics. “That’s why I don’t have a sister named Bobby Sue and a Mustang,” thankfully exclaims Ryan.

For those of you EG fans who would like to build up a similar ‘not-so… mellow yellow Honda’, we took the liberty to fill out your Santa’s list for the coming year (a.k.a. specification sheet)—hope you’ve been ‘nice’…

Engine Internals:

D16z6 block

Darton MID Sleeves

Golden Eagle Headgasket

Pauter Rods

Weisco Custom 76mm pistons (Tom Cote Coating)

Moroso Oil Pan

Knife Edged Crank

OEM Main Cap De-Burred

ARP Head studs

OEM Bearings

Zex 59500 Camshaft

Zex/Comp Cams Valve Springs and Retainers

Ferrea 1mm oversize valves

Crower Adjustable cam gear

Extensive Headwork by RLZ Engineering

Turbo Setup:

Garrett GT3567R Turbocharger .82 A/R

Custom Top Mount Manifold

4” Stainless Downpipe

2” Stainless Wastegate Dumptube

Custom Intercooler using a Garrett Core

FAST 85mm Throttle Body

Golden Eagle Intake Manifold

3” Aluminum Piping

Tial 44mm Wastegate

Tial 50 mm BOV

Vibrant Silicon couplers with T-bolt clamps

Cold Fusion Direct Port Nitrous setup

Transmission/Drivetrain:

GS-R transmission (Out of an Integra)

-Quaife LSD

D-series to B-series transmission swap kit

-Quarter Master Twin Disc Clutch

-12.5 lb flywheel

Mazworx Scatter Shield

Drive Shaft Shop 5.9 Axles

Full-Race Traction Bar

Skunk2 Short Shifter

Energy Suspension Shifter bushings

Suspension/Wheels and Tires:

Progress Custom Valved Drag coilovers

K-Sport Rear Lower Control Arms

Brembo cross drilled rotors

Axxis Ultimate Ceramic Pads

Poly-Urethane bushings

Weld Import Magnum 13”x8” Wheels

Weld 1-piece polished 15”x3” Skinnies

Mickey Thompson 24.5” x 9” x 13” Slicks

M&H 24” x 3.5” x 15” Skinnies

Fuel Management/Ignition:

AEM Fuel Management

Precision 1000cc Injectors

BDL Industries Fuel Rail

Aeromotive Eliminator Fuel Pump

Aeromotvie FPR

Aeromotive Fuel Filters

Earls Fuel lines and fittings

-10 Feed/-8 Return

NGK spark plugs

Driver Aids/Informative Instruments:

Stewart Warner 5” Tachometer White face w/Black outline

Autometer Phantom series gauges

-Boost

-Water Temperature

-Oil Pressure

-Nitrous Pressure

-Fuel Pressure

AEM UEGO Wideband Controller

Turbo XS Manual Boost Controller Currently

World Electronics TBC-1 or Innovative MSBC-1 Boost Controller over the course of the season

Interior/Safety:

Simpson Platinum Series 5-point harness

Mark Williams Quick Release

Sparco Mugello Steering Wheel

Kirkey Racing Aluminum Drag Seat

Carbon Fiber Sunroof Plug

Black Suede Headliner

10-Point Roll Cage by Kalani Gohara in Pennsylvania

Custom Window Net by Stroud

Wheelie bar

Simpson Skyjacker Parachute

(Story and photos originally appeared on Turbo & High-Tech Performance Magazine)

A Hennessey VelociRaptor APV that you could drop a grenade under and still make it home for dinner in one piece.

Hennessey has released some details of its fully armored F-150 SuperCrew “War Wagon” that will be available in 2012. While not quit as tweaked as the VelociRaptor 600 with 622 horsepower, the supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 of the APV does get a tuner upgrade worthy of 575 horsepower. Combine that with its 6 to 8 seat configuration, satellite television, and high speed Internet access, and road rage never looked so appropriately delicious!

(Photo via Hennessey Performance Vehicles)

The teaser photo of the Canadian-built Kestrel, shows it lurking in the early morning shadows with glazed headlights, perhaps a bitter taste within it’s front grille, and probably a hell of a case of the munchies

The Kestrel (a.k.a. Cannabis or Hemp Car) has been designed to revolutionize the electric car market, using industrial hemp composite (won’t make you high) to mold the outside of the vehicle, rather than steel or fiberglass. What exactly are the benefits of a vehicle made from hemp-based materials? Well, it’s light, flexible (bounces back into shape), strong, and is a cheap resource to grow (less water and pesticides) and synthesize.

It’s nothing new that hemp fiber has certain properties that make it a perfect base for automotive applications, but this is one of the first times in history it has a chance to make it into mainstream vehicle production. Henry Ford built a car shell out of hemp back in 1941, but steel was by far the preferred material back then, so he chose not to rock the boat.

With today’s green movement in force, buyers are not only open to electric motors, but also new materials not previously used in the mainstream production. The Kestrel has had its hemp composite body shell put through crash testing, and the results were well within current automotive safety margins.

The Kestrel will be unveiled in Toronto this year, with its first commercial models coming out sometime within the next year. Powered by electric motors, the Kestrel will surpass NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) 35 mph standards, featuring a top speed of 56 mph. It is also expected to cover 100 miles per overnight charge, which is well within current daily commuting averages, even in the wide open spaces of Canada.

Of course, having a vehicle made of hemp has left itself wide open to a slew of jokes, which comedian/talk show host, George Lopez, has already made a Thursday evening monologue out of.

“A company in Canada is making a car completely out of cannabis. It goes from zero to 60 in three hours. It tops out at 420. 420! That – 420 – is my membership number at my golf club. I don’t golf, I just joined for the number. Good luck remembering where you parked your car. And it pulls right over to the drive-thru all by itself. If you have this car made completely of cannabis be careful, because Snoop burned his lip on the tailpipe. If you’re concerned about the environment, don’t worry, it’s a hybrid… half Cheech, half Chong. The GPS sounds like Cheech. When you take it to a mechanic, he’s gonna say, I know the problem. The whole bong’s gotta come out. Can’t we just change the water?‘ Nope.”

(Story and Photo via Reuters)

Aerosmith may have thought having sex in an elevator was something to sing about, but what about in a green vehicle. Today’s quest for low emissions and high efficiency has brought us yet another obstacle to overcome. The obstacle of sex in one of the new, smaller, green vehicles, such as the Smart Fortwo, Chevy Aveo, or Mini Cooper.

These vehicles are great mind you, but how can a loving couple fit so much love into one of these small vehicles? They are generally narrow in the cockpit with an obtrusive shifter in the center, the head height is not as generous as we’d like, and the seating, while roomy, if you try to maneuver too much out of the seated position, you’d find they are not quite as roomy as they advertise. They didn’t design these vehicles for this purpose after all.

Well, the first things you need to think about, is that you are probably not going to want to begin this venture on a full stomach. You are going to need to be fairly flexible and not be wearing over two layers of clothing. Being these cars are quit generous with windows, you are probably not going to want to be outside the drive-thru at your local slurp and burp, unless you want an audience.

Assuming you are still game to try something new, here are four eco-conscious sex positions designed specifically for the ultra small vehicle:

Passenger Seat Cowgirl

(works great with front seat only vehicles, such as the Smart Fortwo)

You are not going to get very far in the drivers seat with that steering wheel in your way. You could try to pull it back as far as it can go, but it probably still won’t leave you enough room. The guy involved with this venture is going to need to be seated in the passenger seat with the seat back dropped back to about 45 degrees. Without the seat tilted back, she is going to have very little headroom while seated upon his lap and will probably get one heck of a crick in her neck, which can really spoil the moment.

We are getting a bit ahead of ourselves here, because unless she is wearing a convenient outfit, such as a dress or miniskirt, she is going to at least have to get partially undressed. This will quite honestly be easiest to do while standing outside the vehicle, but if she doesn’t feel comfortable enough with that, the backseat can work well to get her knickers off. To keep the mood sexy, it is easiest to swing around the seat (left leg first) onto his lap once ready.

Mission Missionary

(only works on passenger seats with maximum decline capability)

You may be wondering why all these positions are focusing on the front seats, while the more traditional car adventures have been taken from the back seat. Well, if you think about all the reviews of autos today, most of them report roomy front seats and rather cramped backseats. So, unless you are a rather small couple, you can actually achieve more head room and maneuverability for many positions in the front seats.

Getting back to our position, this one is done with the woman seated in the passenger seat slid back as far as it will go, with the seat also tilted back as far as it will go. When finished setting up, the seat should practically be laying on the backseat bottom cushion. Next, she can slide herself up the seat back slightly to give the guy a little extra leg room as he will need to climb in the seat facing her. If necessary she may need to use a few articles of clothing to position her neck and/or back comfortably. This makes for a great excuse to strip each other down a bit more.

Once she is comfortable, he can enter the passenger seat, resting his knees on the bottom cushion, and supporting his upper body by placing his hands on the lower backseat cushion. She can then arrange her legs comfortably on top of either the dash, arm rest, or entire drivers seat area. Finish arrange yourselves however necessary to get a proper connection, and once there, you will both find you actually have more room to play around with than you would have thought.

Note: This position also works in the backseat, but as narrow as these cars are, you will actually have more room to stretch out going from the front seat to the back, rather than across the length of the rear seat cushion, but to each their own.

Passenger Seat Spooning

(for front seats with minimal decline)

For those folks whose seats do not decline enough to accomplish the mission missionary, you should at least be able to partake in a round of passenger seat spooning. This position opens up with the woman draped comfortably over the passenger seat, face down. She can rest her chin on the head rest and place her hands on the back seat cushions in order to give herself extra support (not to mention the ability to push herself up and around for access to kissing and eye contact with her partner).

The man gets in much the same as the mission missionary, placing his knees on the bottom passenger seat cushion and then drapes his body over top hers. He can also use the bottom rear seat cushion to support his upper body. Once in this base position, there are many other variations that can be worked out using your own creativity.

The ‘When All Else Fails’ Missionary

(must have a back seat)

When you’ve tried front ways and sideways and back ways, and you still can’t find a working position, your next best option is to position yourself in the center of the vehicle. The woman begins by seating herself in the middle of the back seat, positioning her hips as far forward as possible. Tilting both seats forward (in position for rear seat passengers to exit the vehicle), she should be able to rest her feet comfortably on the seat backs.

The man then climbs over the center console, placing his knees and or ankles on the seat backs for lower body support. He then stretches himself forward over his partner. From here he can use the rear seat backs to support his upper body.

Note: A sparkling glove (as shown) may provide the needed gripping strength for the more creative maneuvers that lay ahead.

With this particular position you are taking full advantage of the extent of space that these little green cars have to offer. The next best area you would find beyond the center of the interior would be either on the hood or on top of the roof, but that’s a whole different article all together!

(Originally featured on Treehugger.com)

How is a great idea born? Certainly not from the blood boiled, cholesterol stuffed human products of child therapy, voice placement lessons, and intensive yoga retreats. Cell phone microphones glued to their ear and a Big Mac wrapper stuck to their heels. If you do not recognize the visual signs of these types then perhaps is would be easier to follow the sounds of griping, groaning, and complaining these individuals tend to make during a typical day. I must make it rather clear here that word Complaining is not meant to be confused with the word complaint, as complaints are notably at the forefront of many a great idea. Take Ferruccio Lamborghini’s life’s accomplishments for example.

In 1945, Ferruccio Lamborghini was a middle-class Italian farmer who built several tractors in his garage out of leftover army surplus from the residuals of World War II. The gospel soon spread throughout the near-by towns of the powerful, high quality tractors he was producing. The orders for his tractors sky-rocketed, leaving no choice but to expand his production space again and again until he became one of the wealthiest men in Italy.

Ferruccio’s newfound wealth eventually sparked a taste for high dollar, high-performance, highly sought after vehicles. In time, Ferruccio gathered a rather impressive collection of GT automobiles. Mercedes SL300, Jaguar, and Ferrari were among his most notable. During an inquisition to the Ferrari manufacturing plant in Modena to confront Enzo Ferrari himself about an issue he had noticed with the Ferrari’s clutch. Ferruccio was appalled when Enzo Refused consideration to any of his advice, and basically told him to get bent along side a stallion rhinoceros bull during the height of mating season, in so many words.

Some of you Yupsters may be speculating Ferruccio ran home to his mommy, called an emergency session with his psychiatrist, and then filed suit for heinous disturbance to his already battered inner child. Hell no, he built his own damn GT… the infamous Lamborghini GT. This was not out of spite however. This moment simply opened his eyes to the need for a higher quality, high performance vehicle in the market. Becoming a rather painful burr in the side of Mr. Ferrari as his fame and Lamborghini line flourished… priceless. Speaking of burrs…

In 1948, during a rustic hike into a mountainside, two men on opposite sides of the globe with accompanied canine companions with coordination issues fell victim to a vicious patch of burrs. These men were known as John W. Leech Jr. and George de Mestral. When John returned home from his hike, he spent three hours combing the burrs out of his dog; then another four hours complaining to his wife, three children, neighbor, milkman, and seamstress.

Unfortunately for Georges’ unlucky Fido, he was walked long and put away thorny, so to speak. George had other things on his mind on that particular day when he returned home; notably the difficulty in removing the stubborn invading burrs that Fido had passed onto his pants. Curiosity overtook him as he began to inspect this phenomenon under a microscope. He found tiny hooks on the burrs enabling them to cling to the tiny loops in the fabric of his pants. Describing this phenomenon as a combination of the two words velour and crochet, he called it Velcro.

Multi-millions of dollars later for George and three bypass surgeries later for John, Fido got in the mix and patented the Burr-Eliminating Lycra doggy body suit. This fabric would later be reformulated into sexy disco attire for drunken college students. Okay, so the last two sentences may be stretching the truth a bit.

In time, every moment must at some point come full circle, and with this article we have gone from exotic cars to sticky fabrics, which leaves us no other choice than to continue back around to the Post-It-Note. Why the Post-It-Note you might ask? Because it represents the first stage of most any life-changing idea… failure! It was Dr. Spensor Silva who was the originator of the notes glue formula; its failed formula I should say. Designed to paste together items such as Aunt Mildred’s dismembered Rudolph to her favorite ceramic fruit cake plate; the glue fell flat. I should rather say that the trial items they glued fell flat… flat on the floor!

One of Spensor’s colleagues, Art Fry, noticed that as the items fell apart, they remained tacky, and could be momentarily stuck back together time and again. This mishap gave Fry a revelation. What if the glue was used on something light, such as a piece of paper? He sampled some glue onto a piece of paper… and presto; a reusable, non-slip bookmark that later developed into the most popular method used today for leaving notes in the office and laboratory.

When life hands you bull crap… You take the bull by the horn, and make sirloin!

What was the defining moment that first began our love of motion? During the fleeing of a blood thirsty Tyrannosaurus Rex or the flirtatious cave-mating skip turned all out sprint to escape the advances of an ugly caveman. Perhaps it begins during our friendly competition for life as a tiny sperm with an organic 289 cubic inch short block, hemi four-speed running on high sugar octane fuel. To be sure, the first automobile race held in Chicago in 1895 was a big factor in the fast and furious mentality that we see today.

In 1885, “fast and furious” was considered to be just over 7 mph; something most kids can achieve today on a souped up go-cart or runaway tricycle! Today, the Barabus TKR is challenging the Bugatti Veyron as the fastest car with its impressive 1005 horsepower twin-turbocharged 6.0 liter V-8. These numbers supposedly can propel the TKR to 60 mph in just under 1.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 270—nearly 20 over the Veyron. But whichever automobile you want to claim as the fastest, we are talking an impressive increase of over 250 mph in a production car over the past 100 years. This brings tingles to the spine just thinking about what the next 100 years could produce.

I’m already setting up my contacts for Gerital and Viagra (okay, so the Viagra is to pass the time more enjoyably) in hopes of living the extra years to plant my withered rear-end in whatever we come up with. But, whoa there my future leather skinned space cowboy, you better hold your automatronic, biologically engineered horses for a minute. With an average yearly cost of $9,000 for your typical $12,000 shoebox econo-wagon according to AAA studies, what will it be in the year 2107 for a world-class super car? Designers are saying that lean, fast and flexible are going to be the automobile of the future. So if flexible is referring to how far we’ll be flexing the mighty dollar rather than flexing disposable door skins, I might not have to develop the cure for baldness just to test drive one after all.

Interestingly, in our future, we might just see the re-emergence of “stick” steering according to recent photos of the Mercedes SCL600. This is not a first for this design. Back in 1905 the Autocar came complete with a “tiller” steering mechanism. Much like steering a fishing boat, the driver would maneuver the tiller stick from side to side in order to steer the vehicle. The new Mercedes is thus much far advanced to this primitive engineering but still offers the same lack-luster video game approach to driving that will bury the dreams of us high school drag racers who still reminisce of one hand on a leather wrapped Ricaro racing wheel and the other on a pistol grip shifter. For 2107 it will be one hand on the joystick and the other up the nose. But I am sure that I am simply showing signs of minor hostility and disappointment to the later generations that have learned to do almost everything with their fingers and two imposable thumbs!

I may be lazy, but I still want to drive my car using my whole body; my feet, legs, arms, hands and brain. But thanks to technology, motion will soon become a calculated and statistical response rather than a purposeful and cognitive one. We are talking automated parking, lane change warning systems and self applied braking systems that can detect when traffic slows. It won’t be too long before we can’t even scratch our own rear-ends without a robot beating us to it. At least we still have roller coasters and there is not much that can be taken away from us there. For those who have ever complained of their eminent danger, might I offer the praise from a friend of a shell shocked veteran who tells the story of a veteran who hadn’t spoken a word for six years. He accompanied his friend on the Coney Island Cyclone and upon exiting, staggered off into restroom mumbling “I feel sick.” Not to mention that if you are ever short on Christmas gifts, the underside of such roller coasters makes a dandy spot to find wallets, change, brassieres, glass eyes, false teeth and even fake arms and legs.

The two fastest roller coasters in America run at about 80 mph and both reach for the heavens at 250 ft into the sky. These are the Steel Force in Dorney Park and the Desperado at the Buffalo Hills Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Desperado is said to tug at its riders guts with about four Gs. Keep in mind that many fighter pilots can experience a gray-out at about six Gs. This is enough force to transform the average riders hot dog, cotton candy and soda pop content into airborne projectiles within the first few seconds of descent. It is not necessarily the amount of Gs that makes the ride, but the rise and fall of g-force. Just ask any NASA trainee that has experienced the weightless zero g-force feeling on-board the U.S. “Vomit comet”, or as NASA understandably prefers, the Weightless Wonder. Some people like the feel of altering motion of roller coasters, others prefer the steady pull, while the rest of us find the most pleasure in watching the grimace faced coaster patrons waddle out in a desperate search for the nearest bathroom facilities.

Humans have been obsessed with motion for so long now, that most of us can’t even sit still without tousling an ankle or twitching a finger. We have been pumping our kids with so much Ritalin while at the same time taking them monster truck rallies, jet car races and every Fast and Furious movie from A to Z. Has anyone stopped to think that people are adapting just as fast and furious as the rest of our ingenious creations of technology. In effect, the whole world is moving and developing quicker than it ever has. Our kids are reaching sexual maturity quicker, technology is advancing faster than human cognition and male channel surfing has become an anomaly for even still-time photography to keep up with. To all this, I say stop for a brief second; look around you. Is it you that is passing before the world or the world passing before you?

Life is not a race and the finish line is not always for the winner. Beginnings are frightening, endings are sad; it is what our life with substance is in between these moments, which grace our spirits with happiness of reflection. The next revelation of motion for human advancement will not be how much faster we can sail through time and space, but at what point is the motion we enjoy simply a means to an end rather than the beginning of an adventure? At what point can we saturate the speed of motion with quality of life and see that it is in fact the exhilaration of change that is what truly “moves” us? So go ahead and slip into that new Mustang Shelby 500. You only live once (according to some beliefs) and what better way to pass the time than moving at speeds faster than the earth itself can evolve!



What do you get when you cross a tiny British roadster with a Ford 427 cubic-inch big block? You get a Gorilla in a boxing ring that refuses to get out until at least somebody takes a beating. The 2009 Shelby S/C Cobra is brutal, aggressive, unforgiving, and uncompromising. There are not many vehicles that could stand up to a Cobra in its top form. With approximately 535 horsepower (750 with a supercharger) waiting on tap behind a mere 1,116 kilos (2,460 pounds) of steel, fiberglass and/or aluminum, the S/C is really nothing more than a glorified adult go-kart.

I have personally watched S/C Cobra’s take down Ford GTs, Dodge Vipers, Turbo Porsches, and quite an array of other supercars twice its price. The old saying goes, you get what you pay for, and with the 2009 S/C Cobra, $50,000 US goes a long way. There’s no traction or stability control, tire pressure monitor, cupholders, computer adjustable struts, air conditioning, side windows or hardtop for that matter. If you get hot in a Cobra, you go faster. If you lose traction, you’re not driving it right. If you’re wondering if that left front tire seems a bit low, you better get out and check it. If you need a cupholder, well, then bring a friend along for the ride. It’s just that simple.

The 2009 Shelby S/C is one heck of a deal for those who want to experience all the explosive raw power of a traditional supercar, but with none of the frills that tend to weigh down the traditional price tag. The life of a CSX 1000/4000 begins at the Shelby plant where they assemble the body and chassis (suspension, brakes, differential, electronics, etc.), leaving the engine as a separate component for the customer to fill in later. This way of doing business releases Shelby from the responsibility of crash testing their vehicles, but as importantly it allows the customer a lot of say in the build process.

There are only 100 S/C Cobras assembled each year. They come as either a CSX 1000/4000 (427 big-block) or CSX 7000/8000 (assembled in preparation for a 289 small block). Now the 289 maybe quick, but the 427 is an absolute monster. A well-built 427 Cobra can get into such numbers as 0-60 (96.6 km/h) in 3.6 to 3.8 seconds, and the quarter mile in just 11-something seconds (depending on the tires and driver).

The seats of the Cobra are a standard bucket vinyl (leather optional), and while not the most comfortable they get the job done. The interior dash layout is nothing spectacular either (speedometer, gas, rpm, etc.), but if you’re driving a Cobra the way it was meant to be driven, you won’t find yourself admiring the inside near as much as watching the blur of the world go by on the outside. A 427 big block is not a subtle engine as you can imagine, and it made quite a bold statement everywhere I went. There is really no need for a stereo or voice navigation system, as the chances of hearing either of these would be slim to none.

Even among the overabundance of fame and glitter on the streets of Las Vegas where I tested my 427 S/C, it made itself an attraction everywhere I went. Off the strip and onto the open Nevada highway, the Cobra was exhilarating to drive to say the least. Just a slight twitch of the right foot sent the Cobra on an all-out rampage down the blacktop. The open air experience was wonderful at inner city speeds, too. On the highway, the wind whiplash darn near took my head off, but that’s all part of the experience of driving an original Cobra. They weren’t exactly built with aerodynamics in mind. The windshield offers just enough protection to keep the bugs out of your teeth, but when it comes to throwing around its light and nimble frame, the weight savings are worth the inconvenience.

When making the decision to purchase a Cobra, you will also have the option of going with any number of reproductions available. The Cobra body style is one of the most imitated in history, but if imitation is a form of flattery, the S/C is practically the Elvis of production vehicles. While purchasing an imitation may be fine for some folks, others will want nothing to do with anything but an original. The 2009 Cobra is still made in much the same way as back in 1962. The curvaceous roadster body style comes standard in hand-laid fiberglass, but true Shelby aficionados will prefer the hand-formed aluminum body, which is imported from either England or Poland. It is then shipped over to Las Vegas for final assembly and inspection.

At Shelby, the body is sanded, painted, and placed on its 4-inch diameter (3-inch for 289 engine) tube steel frame. The suspension (dual A-arm, independent four-wheel, coil-over shocks) and steering are bolted into place along with the brakes (11” dual piston Baer), differential (Dana 44 gears, 3.54 standard ratio), bumpers, fuel tank (87 litre standard, 159 litre optional), seats, carpeting, electronics, 15-inch standard wheels, exhaust (dual headers, side pipes), and the all-important “427 Ford Cobra” emblems.

Once the 427 is dropped between the fenders, all that is left to do is initiate yourself with the traditional forehead sunburn that comes from a two-hour test-drive, which inevitably will turn into an all day driving marathon. In my book, there is nothing quite like the driving experience that a 427 S/C Cobra can offer. Sure, an original 1966 AC Cobra might be the cat’s meow, but when they are going for over $1.2 million US a pop, the purr of a 2009 S/C is the perfect combination of originality and affordability.

The car I drove was a fiberglass-bodied 427 (non-supercharged) CSX 4000, priced at $119,999 US (the equivalent of $132,661 CAD at the time of writing), engine and transmission installed. The base S/C “Roller” with the fiberglass body and no engine or transmission is $49,995 ($55,260 CAD), while the aluminum body is $114,995 ($127,115 CAD), also without engine and transmission. I can’t really give estimates of the engine and transmission combos since these are completely up to the customer, although Shelby has said they can certainly help steer customers in the right direction, they really don’t get too involved in the project once it “rolls” our of their parking lot. Still, if you’ve got a spare small block in your garage, less than $50k is reasonable money for the car of your dreams.

Who says that average, hard-working, middle class folk can’t own a supercar? Certainly not Carroll Shelby…

(Photo via Shelby)