Z Car Zunday

Who Doesn't Love a Healthy Dose of Vitamin Z?

In the same spirit of Ferrari Friday, Turbo or Targa Tuesday, and Maserati Monday, I have decided that Z Car Zunday is a must have. I tried Z Car Zaturday, but that sounds too ridiculous even for me. So here is a gallery of the beautiful Z car from all eras, Datsun through Nissan. Enjoy!

Lotus: Go-Karts On Steroids.

I have always been an admirer of Lotus cars. Their dedication to making light and agile automobiles is refreshing, especially when most American made autos are looking more and more bloated. I understand the attractive aspect of a big, bad, drag strip monster like the new Ford Mustang GT and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat, but take one of those into a windy mountain road and all that weight makes things a bit tricky. And with V8s with oodles of torque on tap may send you into the gravel if you aren’t careful. 

Anyway, enough about American cars, back to the Lotus.

Have a look at this:

Uhhhhh. Windshield? NOPE!

That, dear readers, is the Lotus 311: A windshield-less, single seater, weighing less than 2000 pounds and sporting an engine with nearly 400 pound-feet of torque on tap. Let that sink in for a minute. With an average sized person you are talking about just over 2100 pounds of car and driver with a zero to 60 mph time of under 3 seconds. That is a rocket. That is motorcycle territory.

And for an overweight go-kart, the Lotus 311 still has pretty decent styling! I look at this thing and I immediately think “Hot Wheels”. And boy howdy thats an understatement. This is a track car pure and simple, as if the lack of a roof said anything different. All that is between you and the road is an aluminum chassis on one side, and a roll bar on the other. Plus, for the road version of the 311 anyway, the top speed is 180 mph. I think most people would be satisfied with far less, but leave it to Lotus to crank it to 11. I bet it’s good on gas too, something which most supercars aren’t. And that’s just what this is: A supercar. Small, sure, but just as fast as your Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s, at least until the 400+ pounds of downforce the aerodynamics generate limit the top end. But really, who needs to go 200+ miles an hour? Nobody. Nobody needs to. Sorry Bugatti, I hear you guys are trying to make a nearly 300mph car, but unless I am at the Bonneville salt flats, I am never going that fast. 

The downside? Being a limited production model. That means a price tag of about $130,000 and only 311 to choose from. I bet they are already snatched up, but maybe I can find a second hand one in a couple years for cheap. One can dream!

Read the full article here, and thanks to Road and Track for the news bulletin! 

Turbo Porsche's? Sign Me Up!

Tears of Joy...

For anyone who has even loosely followed this blog, you have to realize that I have a heavy bais towards Porsche automobiles. They are my favorite cars of all time, followed very closely by anything that is rotary powered. Why? I don't really have a reason. I can always remember loving them for sticking the engine in such a ludicrous and, as it turns out with turbos, dangerous place. When your Porsche 930 turbo decides to boost in the middle of a sharp turn, you may as well let go of the wheel and let it happen as your back end breaks loose and you spin round about a couple times. Hopefully that's all that will happen, but those 930s have a dicey reputation...

Porsche thankfully has refined it's turbo cars so that there isn't as much danger in owning one. And technology such as traction control and all wheel drive help to keep drivers of all skills on the road. So for those who love the feeling of boost as it slams you back in your seat, this news will please you all: Porsche is bringing turbo engines to the Boxster and the Cayman!

GIVE ME BOOOOOOOST!

According to the report, the engines in the Boxster and Cayman models will be turbo powered flat fours making anywhere from 240 - 370 hp, replacing the normally aspirated flat sixes that grace the current mid-engined lineup. The only lineup of Boxsters and Caymans that will keep the flat six engines (supposedly) are the top of the line, special edition GT4 models, although that information is far from confirmed. 

Go Go Gadget Boost!

Being mid-engined, the Porsche Boxster and Cayman lineup are ideal for the turbo setup. Balance is key when it comes to cornering and maneuverability on the track, and these two models sport nearly perfect 50/50 balance from front to back. A kick in of boost at the apex of a turn will still be lesss than ideal, but the modern traction and stability control that both models will no doubt sport will help to minimize instances of the back end going where it pleases instead of where you want it to. As an owner of a turbo auto ('91 Mazda RX7 Turbo), I can appreciate the necessity of this technology, even though it may not be nearly as fun or daring.

Check out the full article here. There isn't all that much information but honestly just hearing the words 'turbo boxster/cayman' should be enough to get any car fan excited. Balance + Boost = Driving Nirvana. That's a scientifically proven fact folks, start saving that cash...

Bugatti's 288MPH Hypercar!

The Bugatti Chiron

Bugatti has shown what the future holds with its unveiling of the Chiron: a quadruple turbocharged W-16 engine that supposedly delivers 1,500hp!! This thing will most likely shred through tires like they were tissue paper. 

As for how it looks, well you be the judge:

It's still a work in progress folks so don't judge too harshly! I haven't ever really been a fan of Bugatti styling (that grill style must be awful to design around) but you gotta hand it to them for pushing the limit on automotive technology! This thing is supposedly going to reach nearly 300mph! Put wings on it and call it a personal jet. At that speed you'd better hope  you don't hit a speed bump or pothole.

Here are some more pics:

Sort of like a scrunched up Veyron, right? 

Mean speed machine indeed! Here is the link to the Full Article courtesy of AutomobileMag.com!