ALMS Eye Candy

Did you miss the American Le Mans race that took place at Lime Rock Park this past Saturday?  If you did, go look up who won.  Then come back and look at these pics of what you may have missed.

Sunoco Sponsorship

When you can say you've been associated with Penske, McLaren, Donohue, Porsche, Audi, and Ferrari you're kind of a big deal.  While Sunoco isn't much of a team sponsor these days, choosing instead to put their backing into being the title fuel sponsor of NASCAR, they still were one of the iconic liveries of the 70's. In fact, they were so closely linked with the Camaro Trans-Am program that when the Camaro was relaunched, they were a part of the first Grand-Am Continental Tire Series GS effort (along with the matching #6 as well).  Enjoy!

Photos By Jay Bonvouloir

Photo By Wayne Lamport

Photos By Louis Galanos
Also check out a couple of Mr. Galanos' stories (1969, 1971) on historic races including the story of the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona in which the winning Sunoco sponsored Penske Lola was later stolen and chopped up!

Photo by Nancy Nally

Photo by Bo Nash

Force Fed Friday

Alliteration is a great device to use when telling anecdotes to a group of friends.  It can turn an awful storyteller into an amazing one... or at least make the words more interesting to hear.  I don't think a story about a partially petrified paleolithic pancreas is that interesting but it's fun to say!  Sorry to all the archaeologists out there!

Where was I?  OH!  Alliteration!  Yes, it's fun.  In fact, this being the weekend, make a drinking game out of it.  At a wedding reception, we, the wedding party, all had to take a drink every time a word started with the letter "L."  We were soon talking about litigious lesbians loving lipsticked lawyers.

You should convince your friends to give it a shot.  You can use words that start with "F" but try to use innuendo more than cussing and swears.  I'll start you off with Force Fed Friday.

Incidentally, that sounds like a great title to use for a bunch of videos about turbo and supercharged cars too!  Enjoy these somewhat artsy, kind of informational, partially awe-inspiring videos.

Fragile females fracture forearms from falling. Drink! (responsibly and don't drive)

Happy Friday!  Feel free to add your own alliteration or video in the comments!


Streetgasm Top Secret Twins - RPM Online from Seifer Chimera on Vimeo.



MRC WIDEBODY S4 - THE SEQUEL 204.4MPH from MRC Tuning on Vimeo.

Automotive Coelacanths

Human beings have been on this planet for a very small part of its existence.  As a result, there are still millions if not billions of species that have come and gone without man having ever seen it living.  Once in awhile, nature throws a curveball and creatures who have no right to still exist are found in the oddest places.  Like a the lobe-finned coelacanth fish that was found in a fisherman's net in 1938, there are still automotive technologies out there that are being served up way past their due date.

Rotary Engines

Rotary, or Wankel, engines have been around for less than a hundred years but have garnered the attention of almost every major manufacturer.  Used in many types of cars, motorcycles, boats, and even airplanes, the incredibly smooth power unit built a reputation for its compact size, simplicity of design, few moving parts, and high power to size ratio.  Unfortunately, the Wankel never won any popularity contests in the US, a country that prides itself on copious amounts of torque and happens to be the biggest consumer of the car until recent years.  However, Mazda, a company that never made anything that resembles a muscle car, stuck with the Rotary first in its Cosmos then RX series of sports cars.  It also won the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

Like anything that doesn't have a large gene pool to choose from, the Wankel is a shadow of its former self.  With CAFE laws constantly increasing the efficiency of motors, there's no place for this relic which uses oil as a seal.  Hopefully, Mazda can evolve the design and show everyone the second Loch Ness monster.

Four-Wheel Steering


Back in the 90s, money was flowing, turbos were spooling, and the Japanese R&D machine was churning out cars with four-wheel steering.  Nissan had its 300ZX twin turbo.  Mitsubishi countered with its 3000GT VR4.  And Honda said,"Sure, why not" with its Prelude.  In theory, these systems were glorious inventions.  Low speed maneuverability and high speed handling were both enhanced with the penalty of a little added weight for the system.  However, these steering systems were not consistently used by all manufacturers.  Additionally, some systems only aided in low speed maneuvers while others catered to high speed driving.  These inconsistencies would leave drivers wondering how they ended up rolling down a mountainside instead of sticking to the apex as if it were a tar pit.  Some manufacturers like BMW and Nissan still offer this technology as an option but it will most likely end up on the endangered species list.

Continuously Variable Transmissions


Invented by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1400s, patented by Mercedes Benz in the 1800s, driven by the apathetic in the 2000s.  At inception, the continuously variable transmission seemed to be the perfect transmission for the foreseeable, miserly, fuel starved future.  Its variable gear ratios allow a motor to work at its optimum rpm for max torque and therefore max mpg.  It's just too bad that an engine operating in one part of the rpm range sounds AWFUL!  Oh yeah, it wasn't mainstream until the 90s and everyone is accustomed to the feeling of normal cogs.  Yet, Nissan has kept with this technology and it would seem that CAFE laws and the need for ever increasing fuel efficiency are helping this rare transmission survive.  It may end up being the cockroach of the automotive world.  It's not the sexiest thing but may outlive us all.

Rear Engines

Nothing really needs to be said about this.  Porsche has been the most stubborn car company and kept the motor aft of the rear axle since primordial times.  That being said, the 911 has been around for over 50 years and has won races that whole time.  Yes, it's bizarre and doesn't make sense but the same can be said about the platypus and it's still around.

Live Rear Axles

When thinking of live rear axles, two really sweet rides come to mind.  No, one of them is not a Conestoga wagon.  In no particular order, they are the Roman chariot and the Ford Mustang.  While the chariot helped the all conquering military defeat barbarian hordes all over Europe, the live rear axled Mustang is proving a worthy adversary for the best European muscle including the M3.  Tuned to perfection over the course of a few millennium, the solid axle can duel at the dragstrip as well as the road course barring any alligator-like ripples in the pavement.

The TransAm Series

We're all guilty of teasing muscle cars from time to time. But if you told Mark Donohuen that muscle cars could do nothing more than go in a straight line, the joke's on you!

Check out how they slide sideways at corner exit!


One of the top comments of the video (28 thumbs-ups, no less) asks, "why dont we have a racing series like this today??? wtf!" Well... we do... and we don't. Thanks to trusty ole' Google, I found that the SCCA TransAm series is still operating. I can't tell you much more than that, though. The romance, the racing stars, the fans, it's all gone. What's left is just too dreadfully dull to hold my attention.

That said, I'd love to be proven wrong. So to any current Trans Am fans out there, feel free to share some of your enthusiasm with us! Especially in the form of awesome race footage!

Hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend!

Lime Rock Park and ALMS

Ever since I got into racing, I promised myself that I would make it to at least one race every summer.  It didn't really matter what cars were racing either.  I just wanted to experience anything and everything that I could afford and/or could actually find time to get away for.  For the most part, the promise has been kept.  There have been some memorable international series like MotoGP at Laguna Seca and Indy along with some homegrown racing such as Nascar up in Loudon and IRL at Watkin's Glen.  However, there is one particular Sunday from a few years back where I remember the track more than the racing.  That track was Lime Rock.

So with an engineering degree, a bad job market, and a lack of funds, I've decided to forgo the plane tickets, get back to basics, and return to what was such an inspirational place.  And what a return this event will be.  Since the serene beauty of the track is expected and won't broadside me like last time, I will be able to focus on the actual racing, a series that I have never seen before but I hope will be a precursor to many future adventures.  The American Le Mans Series, what some people say is the pinnacle of relevancy to street cars in motorsports, will hold its third race of the season at Lime Rock Park.

The meandering 1.5 mile track will play host to about twenty ALMS cars in both Prototype and GT classes including Aston Martin powered Lolas, Mazda powered Lolas, Ferrari 458s, Corvettes, GT3s, and XKRs.  Additionally, there will be a Porsche GT3 Cup race and a Prototypes Lite race. With no monolithic structure containing the racetrack, it should prove to be an amazing juxtaposition of nature and technology existing in harmony while we, the viewers, benefit with amazing racing set against a striking backdrop.

Here are the highlights from last year:

I along with Danny Choy will be at the races on Saturday.  They start bright and early at 9am.  Please feel free to seek us out and chat.  My phone will be on and receiving e-mails for the address listed on my profile.  More information can be found below.  We hope to see you there!

Lime Rock Park
American Le Mans Series
Tickets

The Reason Behind Porsche Ownership

Even with all the 911 variants and all the magnesium pieces in the new 911 GT3 RS 4.0, the Porsche 911 C2 still stands as the simple and pure everyday sports car. Here, TennXX, who regularly shares a number of automotive short films shot in Thailand, has convincing demonstrated why an honest 911 can be the car for Goldilocks. It's just right!


The Road is Calling. from TennXX on Vimeo.

Freak of the Week: Chris Harris' Kermit 911

There are two schools within the general field of automotive journalism. Actually there are more, but let's keep it at two for the sake of simplicity. The first school is those who write with number-centricity; laying out straight line performance data as well as cornering speeds, lateral g, etc. The second school is sensation-centric where the overall driving "experience" is of paramount. How does a car make you feel inside?

Porsche.

It seems as though Porsche has become this week's agenda here at Flappy Paddle Heads. And while Danny Chin was busy with the air cooled era 911s, he kindly left a bit of room for me to talk about this.

Porsche - Cold, Calculating, Precision-Built Porn

I'm going to be honest with you right now.  I'm not a fan of Porsche.  Yes, I respect the engineering, the racing pedigree, and the history behind the marque but they just don't tickle me in any particular way.  I guess you could say Porsche is like "Sex Panther" cologne to me.  "60% of the time it works, every time."  Today, I'm in that 60% zone...

Porsche 918 RSR Concept on autoblog.com

Bass Ackward but Amazing (Caution: nerdy ramblings ahead)

autoworld.files.wordpress.com

This year Porsche released their GT3 RS, which pumps out 450 horsepower from a 3.8 liter flat 6.  This is the latest version of Porsche's horizontally opposed 6-cylinder range.  It has evolved over the years more than a Pokemon.  Any motor that produces 100 horsepower per liter of displacement is a marvel of engineering.  Complete this thought with the fact that this motor doesn't have forced induction or direct fuel injection and this motor seems to be the pinnacle of Porsche's legendary engineering pedigree.  Although, I can't help but think that the limits of the iconic 911 may be drawing near.

Porschefest

Porsche owners at Porschefest... like brothers of a strange fraternity.