Reason has ceased to be a part of my conscious being. Clearly, since I’d rather be seen in this than a new Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari famously said “there are Ferrari owners, and there are Ferrari drivers” and nothing rings more true today as I can’t remember the last time I didn’t see a complete dolt behind the wheel of one. Instead plastic made to look like wood is quite appealing in my eyes.
Apart from illegal Californian road rallys and eighties Group B, it’s hard to think of any other billion dollar motorsport that allows fans such access and closeness to the racing as NASCAR. I absolutely understand its appeal to the working man.
Simple and proven technology is what powers these cars. No telemetry can be used during racing and only the most basic of electronics are allowed since the ignition is mechanically timed. The engines even have carburettors and pushrods! The roll cage act as a space frame chassis and is covered by sheet metal. The V8 is 358 cubic inches, about 5.8 litres and develops around 850 bhp without restrictor plates and is capable of revving in excess of 10,000 rpm. However, due to safety and cost concerns, the rev-limit is controled by the NASCAR gear rule stating that the highest gear ration must be 1:1. A NASCAR engine at 9,000 rpm has a piston speed of 24.75 m/s, roughly that of a Formula 1 engine!
Brakes must be of steel and the only aerodynamics allowed are the front splitter, rear wing and NACA ducts in the windows.
There you have it. I’m a fan now! And, standing so close to a NASCAR going 300 km/h tickles your balls in a very pleasant fashion.
Stop at Athens Coney Island for a Coney dog the weekend before the Woodward Dream Cruise and you’ll see plenty of nice classics. Starting out as a fundraiser for a local football field, the dream cruise has grown into the largest automotive event in the world and one of the most important exhibits of classic Americana.
Unfortunately, I missed it by a week, but next time I come for the Carfax race weekend, I’ll be sure to stay on for another week!
The guys at Axis of Oversteer write one of my favourite blogs. I just ripped this one off of them!
“This one couldn’t punch its way through a wet Kleenex”
I can’t remember the last time I wanted a car as badly as I want the Boxster Spyder. It is really all I need: two great bucket seats, a wheel in each corner, a flimsy top barely describable as a roof and a chassis that never stops giving.
Take the Nissan GT-R for instance. It is such a silly car! You know the story about the bumble bee? The GT-R can’t go really fast around corners, but it doesn’t know it can’t, so it does it anyway. The computers in the GT-R will flatter you way beyond your abilities but the Porsche does that without computers. It is so well balanced that any trouble you get yourself into, you can easily sort them out, even with the PSM turned off. News travel fast in the Boxster Spyder and your hands, butt and feet get it the moment it happens so you really just have to react to something small and nip it in the bud before it develops into anything more serious. It even allows you to slide in the infamous Porsche corner at Ring Knutstorp! Just perfect.
Few things embody NASCAR quite like an ice cold Bud. They even have their own race team! Actually, most things at NASCAR is about drinking beer. Or carrying it. Or storing it. Or chilling it.
Click through for more pictures.
The once so proud motor city of America is dying and has been for quite some time. I would’ve just loved to have seen this in the fifties. Now there are abandoned buildings everywhere. Entire blocks have gone from being well-kept Victorian mansions to only two houses left with the rest burned down or rotting away ready to be torn down any second. Imagine being one of those still living in what’s left of a once proud neighbourhood.
What a fantastic little car. My friend Lina fell in love with a picture that turned out to be the real thing. She drove 1500 kms to get it back home and then she takes me for a ride. Now I’m in love too!
I love it when you write me an email and tell me something. It means that someone is actually reading what I write and that makes me tremendously happy. It’s been a while since I had a guest blogger on here, but Gregorio Baracchi was kind enough to write a story for publication, so without further ado, here ’tis:
Having a Maserati is like having a nice and rare watch that doesn’t stand out easily. The Maserati Granturismo is a car that if you want you can drive on an every day basis. Unlike many other exotics the Granturismo is a car that can be driven down the street without attracting too many eyes.
GT3 CLIMB from Will Roegge on Vimeo.
See for yourself!
Great Grand Prix Racing Heroes, coming soon apparently.
Are you like me and prefer classics over that, mostly revolting, stuff they call cars nowadays? Then GT Racer is something for you. A two season documentary series covering such classics as the Six Hours of Spa, Le Mans Classic, La Carrera Panamericana and many more.
Here’s the trailer for La Carrera Panamericana:
Sometimes love fades, and as with any break-up, I still have feelings for her. However, time has come to say goodbye to my beloved Polackette, Katarzyna. She has served me well and catered to my every need however impossible the outlook may have been. The reason for the dumping is the clutch; it needs changing and I simply can’t be bothered. If you want to take over this, otherwise perfectly running, little machine, you’re more than welcome to come with an offer. Please note that this is pick up only as she’s temporarily stationary.
Here you can find the entire story of the Katarzyna adventure: http://www.thecartorialist.com/?m=200911
Facts:
Engine: 650 cc, 2 cylinder
Power: 23 bhp (new, probably 20 left)
She has a brand new exhaust system and oil cap. She was completely serviced some 3000 kms ago with new battery and all the brakes checked out. No oil leaks what so ever.
The odometer is a little shy of 170,000 kms, but let me tell you, never once has she acted up. Read this and you’ll understand: http://www.thecartorialist.com/?p=5248
Send me an email if you’re interested: jens @ thecartorialist.com (remove the spaces around the @)
I’ve started working with Carfax in Sweden so naturally my first gig for them will be to cover Carrera Cup and team Xlander. However, then things are heating up! I’ll be flying to Detroit to cover the Carfax 400 NASCAR race on August 15. Awesome!
The pictured Carrera 3.2 will be tested on Monday.
When leaving Le Mans after the race, it’s like a piece of you goes missing. I definitely understand all the fans coming from far away to share the experience. 238,150 motorsport enthusiasts were in place for the 78th installment of the 24 Heures du Mans since 1923. It’s an amazing experience and 24 hours is far longer than you actually think. It’s comparable to 13 consecutive Grand Prix! And there a four different classes of cars on the track going at it at their own pace. The flat out Audis and Peugeots dominate and there’s a considerable difference in speed down to the LMP2 class, however, then there are two GT classes as well: GT1 and GT2 consisting of an Aston Martin, a Lamborghini, Ford GTs, a Saleen, BMWs, a Jaguar, Corvettes, Porsches and Ferraris. In other words, if you’re racing, there are another 55 cars on the track going at different speed that you have to look out for. Some are faster, some are slower so the level of concentration is unbelievable.
In endurance racing it’s not about who is the fastest really, but who can be the most consistent and reliable. The amount of different cars on the track also means that you rarely get to choose the perfect racing line. Either you’re overtaking someone or being overtaken so it’s a constant battle of keeping the car planted while going as fast as possible and, at the same time, keeping it out of the way of the others.
I have an immense admiration for the drivers and teams that go through this as it’s one of the most grueling tasks you can get yourself into.
Another thing about Le Mans is the lack of women present. The ones that are here either work or have been dragged here by their motor mad boyfriends/husbands. There is also an immense amount of alcohol being ingested. When I was walking around at 4 am trying to get some night shots, most everyone I met was drunk out of their mind. I guess you have to drink yourself stupid if you live anywhere near the track as the roar of the cars can’t be explained. You can feel them going past, the sound is that incredible. Like vibrations in your chest. Absolutely fantastic. But it also makes it rather hard to sleep.
Along the track there are fans sleeping in whatever they brought with them, like sleeping bags, foldable chairs and someone had even brought out a cot and placed it on a hill, about 50 metres from the Dunlop esses.
On my way to Arnage on foot to get some great shots, I ran in to obstacle after obstacle. Everywhere I tried to go, I was told to go back and around. Finally, I ended up at the Porsche curves instead. At 5 am I didn’t have much stamina left and I had probably walked, in excess of, 20 kms already.
Next to me, in two foldable camping chairs, are what looks like two large larvae in cocoons sleeping. I notice movement and one of the larvae is breaking out of its shell, looks around and reaches down into the cooler for a beer. This is a little after 5 am! Turns out that it was a Danish camp. No wonder then.
The Danes really turn up in force. They have, at least that I noticed, two entire camping sites to themselves. A Danish journalist I spoke to estimated 50,000 Danes and I believe him. I could also tell by the trail of empty beer cans; they don’t sell Faxe anywhere but in Denmark.
I have lots to learn about media accreditation when it comes to Le Mans. Turns out that the media pass I was granted just gives me access free of charge, it doesn’t really allow me in anywhere. Good thing Aston Martin has such a splendid lounge next to the Maison Blanche section of the track that lets me see, and take proper pictures. Some stewards at the grand stand have been nice enough to let me in to take photos but otherwise I’m pretty much just hanging where the regular folks are. I’ll be heading to the Mulsanne straight in five minutes time and then I’ll spend daybreak at Arnage.
Reminder for next year: bring some form of foldable bicycle as distances are way too long for walking. The track is 13,62 kilometres long so I’d spend most of the 24 hours walking if I wanted to see every corner. Another thing that bothers me is that there’s a very high fence surrounding the entire track which means that most photos contain chicken wire. Apparently, Arnage and Indianapolis have none of this.
It’s past midnight now and most people in the lounge has gone home. My decision to stay up all night remains unaffected. There are plenty of parties around also if one would ever feel like venturing out to the tent sections. Like Glastonbury but with cars racing instead of bands playing, even though they have performances of artists here as well. Not that I care.
Yesterday, I flew down to Frankfurt to pick up an Aston Martin DBS that was going to take me to Le Mans for the annual 24 Heures du Mans. Overnighting in Paris to pick up a friend, I am now in a house 7 kms east of the Mulsanne straight. I actually drove on the Mulsanne straight in the DBS today, however only averaging about 50 kp/h with the occasional bull run acceleration to please the waving and cheering onlookers. At this time, it is 13 hours, 45 minutes left to start.
OK, so I have spent a full two days with the DBS now and I can truly say that it’s a fantastic car. It looks gorgeous first of all. It’s like driving around in Dountzen Kroes. Heads turns, people whistle and clap. In a DBS, I automatically become a star. That’s also probably why some people buy it.
Let’s talk power. The DBS has an abundance of it and it’s the kind of power you normally only associate with the nuclear arsenal of the US or Russia. 20 bombs are enough to blow the entire world to smithereens, yet they both have several thousands of them. That’s what it feels like flooring the throttle on the DBS. Like I’m about to extinguish the world. A normal overtaking procedure is over and done with in less than 3 seconds and by the time I have passed whatever it was I passed, I’m averaging 170 kp/h.
The Touchtronic gearbox is a splendid tool for most anyone but me. I like a proper gear lever and three pedals. I’m not chasing tenths of a second on paper but care more for the feel when driving. I like heel toeing, I like blipping the throttle for crowd pleasing and being able to choose to stay in gear when hitting the redline. However, for rolling around Paris for an entire day while Putin’s entourage had half the city closed off for traffic, I was pretty satisfied with having an automatic.
Hitting the kerbs in the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight!
Arriving at Le Mans was slightly chaotic but absolutely wonderful. Cars and fans galore and what cars. People sure bring their best when coming here. I can’t name a car I haven’t seen today, totally amazing. The Danish contingency is very strong and there are emply Faxe Kondi cans everywhere. Tom Kristensen has sure made an impression. Actually, it seems to be mostly Danes and Brits here.
This evening, Aston had a BBQ and I happened to sit next to Aston’s head of design and we had a very interesting chat about everything Aston Martin. More on that later. I also had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Ulrich Bez. I kind of feel sorry for Aston Martin Europe’s Manager of Brand Communication, Manuela Höhne, as I keep badgering her to drive every single car Aston has, including the Rapide that competed in the Nürburgring 24 hours. She has only said no on the One-77 so far but that’s because Aston doesn’t have any to test drive. I’d have to know an owner to get behind the wheel of one of those.
To get hourly reports, and pictures, follow me on Twitter, http://Twitter.com/TheCartorialist.
And I’m complete!
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