Head Case Motorsports

[Craig Sawyers]

Bloodhound LSR hits 461mph on just the jet engine. Next is to add the two rockets that will take it from there to 1000mph. Bloody amazing how quickly it gets to speed (and back down to rest too). The driver, Andy Green, is a fighter pilot, and was the guy who took Thrust SSC to beyond the speed of sound in 1997. Bloody awesome!

 

[mikeymad]

 

They are just playing with it now --- some better footage now. 

 

I think that everyone needs to take lessons from the spaceX teams - there is a new standard in filming events. 

 

 

[Craig Sawyers]

Yeah - they are going to do some further runs to "probe the trans-sonic region", whatever that means. After which I guess it is back the the UK to start fitting the rockets and all the gubbins that is necessary to hold the propellents and pump them into the nozzles. They have not said so, but they must have mass dummies in the car for these runs to mimic the weight distribution of the rocket stuff.

The design spec is once lit they should take Bloodhound from 500 to 1000mph in 17 seconds.

We are not the only show in town in the quest for 1000mph. The Aussies have an entirely rocket propelled car using concentrated nitric acid and keronsene, called Aussie Invader SR which is specced to go from rest to 1000mph in 20 seconds. And another in NZ. And another possibly from the West Coast of the US. But there is no evidence that any other of these vehicles has entered the testing phase.

 

[Craig Sawyers]

Bloodhound LSR completes its program for this year with a 628mph run. So back to base to fit the rockets for 800mph+

 

[HiWire]

Here's an Alfa 4C with a proper engine:

 

[mwl168]

As what was said more than once in Top Gear - "you cannot call yourself a petro-head unless you have owned an Alfa". 

I was bitten hard the first time I laid eyes on and sit in an Alfa Romeo Gulietta in the late 70's in a show room. Owned a GTV6 for an all-to-brief one year or so.  I miss that car tremendously after all these years.

[HiWire]

We haven't had the "normal" Alfa Romeo cars in North America for decades (just the 4C and now the Giulia and Stelvio)... I still have a half-baked plan to import an Alfa Romeo GT (V6 manual) someday and modify it for fun:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_GT

 

The only problem with Alfa Romeos is everything:

 

Edited December 1, 2019 by HiWire

[HiWire]

After watching the Ford vs. Ferrari movie, I looked up Ken Miles and Caroll Shelby on Wikipedia.

Superformance makes Ford GT40 replicas and their Future GT Forty is an interesting mashup of the Ford GT40 MkI and the current generation Ford GT race cars:

 

[TMoney]

A country club, but for cars?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/20/your-money/automotive-country-clubs.html

[MexicanDragon]

On 12/20/2019 at 8:22 AM, TMoney said:

A country club, but for cars?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/20/your-money/automotive-country-clubs.html

When you joining?

[HiWire]

The Bathurst 12 Hour race at Mount Panorama (Australia) happened this weekend... very eventful and a surprise winner:

 

Edited February 2, 2020 by HiWire

[wink]

https://www.motor1.com/news/400206/vw-id-r-race-mclaren-720s/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVJpr41zENY

[SeaWolf]

First day in two months the high has been below 55 and first day in almost 3 its snowed. 

Hopefully this bad luck isn't a sign of how things will go with the new toy i just took delivery of.. 

 

[HemiSam]

Nice Viper coupe!  Stick car?

HS

[SeaWolf]

Thanks, it was a really good opportunity for me to get one with very low miles, only 10k.

All vipers are stick, an auto of any type has never been offered. 

 I wanted to get into a car like this now. I just dont see how something like it can ever be made again. Because of emission standards, fuel economy requirements and safety requirements (vipers went out of production due to not being able to meet safety in the USA). 

A normally aspirated 8.4L engine mated to a 3 petal 6 speed with giant rubber at all four corners. It's a dinosaur, in the driver's seat you will never be lulled into thinking you are driving something rationale or refined. That's what makes it special. 

[mikeymad]

dang - I always liked and wanted to drive a viper - looks killer regardless of weather. 

(I always looked for the vipers a le mans)..

[HemiSam]

9 hours ago, SeaWolf said:

Thanks, it was a really good opportunity for me to get one with very low miles, only 10k.

All vipers are stick, an auto of any type has never been offered. 

 I wanted to get into a car like this now. I just dont see how something like it can ever be made again. Because of emission standards, fuel economy requirements and safety requirements (vipers went out of production due to not being able to meet safety in the USA). 

A normally aspirated 8.4L engine mated to a 3 petal 6 speed with giant rubber at all four corners. It's a dinosaur, in the driver's seat you will never be lulled into thinking you are driving something rationale or refined. That's what makes it special. 

They also were not selling. Very low takers in the end. 
 

Interestingly they are number 1 or way up there in cars that get people hurt. I think it’s the typical middle aged but a fast car and assume that you can drive it. Vipers and Vettes...seen too much crazy crap with guys leaving Cars & Coffee and darn near putting them into the crowd. You need a lot of seat time. 
 

What year?  I understand cabin temps were a bit rough in the early models and they got better with time. 
 

Great looking ride...mean!  Congrats!

HS

[HiWire]

Congrats – I want one of those too. It's definitely a throwback car – not a lot of electronic nannies or even nods to basic ergonomics in the first couple Vipers.

[SeaWolf]

4 hours ago, HemiSam said:

They also were not selling. Very low takers in the end. 
 

Interestingly they are number 1 or way up there in cars that get people hurt. I think it’s the typical middle aged but a fast car and assume that you can drive it. Vipers and Vettes...seen too much crazy crap with guys leaving Cars & Coffee and darn near putting them into the crowd. You need a lot of seat time. 
 

What year?  I understand cabin temps were a bit rough in the early models and they got better with time. 
 

Great looking ride...mean!  Congrats!

HS

Yes the low production numbers is why a redesign is not worth it. 

Some types of cars attract stupid people, the viper seems to be one. It's the drivers not the cars. 

Part of the reason they have their reputation is that they didn't get airbags, abs or traction control until the features were mandated by the government. 

Combine that with cars that aren't driven much which causes the tire compound to expire. Even if there is good tread on low miles cars or bikes always check tire date codes. 

So combine a subsect of people who buy vipers with no or little aids and rock hard tire compound.. Shit happens

Mine being a 2014 has everything but even with the electronics on "full wet" I spun the wheels a bit going up the incline of my drive way. 355 summer tires plus cold and wet equals no grip and 600lbs of torque is what it is.. But if you drive the car mindfully and pick your times it's great. 

I grew up driving sports cars as a kid and I did things away from other cars and pedestrians to have fun with friends. I don't have anything to prove on the street. If people want to race me, let's go carting. 

That's not to say I'm amune from being unlucky but I try my best to limit that. 

[n_maher]

This discussion of drivers that get hurt by their cars reminds be of my trip home from a basket ball game this weekend.  We were on the interstate, in heavy traffic, going along at maybe 30mph.  I saw a guy in a Shelby GT500  a few cars up and a lane over. A gap opened in front of me and I flashed him to let him know he could move over if he wanted. He spiked it a little and the back end stepped out 6" or so before he backed off with a noticeable shimmy that we'd call a tank slapper in the motorcycle world.  He still moved over and I'd wager he was looking for a clean pair of shorts but there was no more shenanigans from him for the 10 miles or so that I followed him.

[HemiSam]

Power to weight...especially torque is a deal.  

The Demon I owned for a year and half or so was powerful, but nowhere near my turbo car.  Tires were important and I rarely drove either in damp conditions unless the random Houston shower reared its head.  Super soft compounds on both were critical for managing the power and even then they'd easily get sideways if you didn't know what you were doing.

Corvettes and Vipers...that and earlier 911's.  Potential train wrecks abound.  Not the only ones, but boy they do seem to ring a bell statistically.

vroom vroom....  Love me some RWHP.

HS

[SeaWolf]

I got to see a demon at a dealer a while back. Love the look of that car, it's especially mean with the skinnies mounted. 

 

[HemiSam]

Great straight line car.  Not so much for turning....LOL.  The suspension was like an old brass bed.  I was getting ready to modify it when it occurred to me that it is a perfectly well engineered vehicle to do exactly what it is supposed to do...run 1320 ft in a straight line.  They are not that common....why mess with it so I sold mine.  Wasn’t difficult, especially with the black and Demonic red leather interior.

I’m now modifying a perfectly fine Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (hellcat based motor).  Why not mess with one’s DD...LOL

HS

[SeaWolf]

My friends father has had a track hawk for a few years. He really likes it. 

I looked at the SRT Durango but at altitude here it's just not that quick. For the price I just couldn't do it. Idk why they haven't put the hellcat motor in a Durango yet.. Id buy one for sure, I love the look of the Durango and the SRT ones drive really nice. 

[HemiSam]

4 hours ago, SeaWolf said:

My friends father has had a track hawk for a few years. He really likes it. 

I looked at the SRT Durango but at altitude here it's just not that quick. For the price I just couldn't do it. Idk why they haven't put the hellcat motor in a Durango yet.. Id buy one for sure, I love the look of the Durango and the SRT ones drive really nice. 

There have been articles suggestion just that...the HC motor will end up in the Durango.  The SRT version sold well.

I loved my Jeep SRT.  If someone didn't hit it while my poor wife was driving it home after picking her father up from hospital (she was A-OK), I'd probably still have it.  I wanted the TH so it was only a matter of time, but I was trying to hold out.  Jeep only had 26k miles on it after 4 years.  Great commute I have...with purpose.

To be frank, the technology in all the HC based vehicles (and most MOPARs) is old as hell.  No reason the block should not be aluminum...along with several suspension components.  But...they love the V8 (as do I) and they throw power at them to overcome weight.  They are roomy and I can modify them relatively easily to extract a good bit of incremental power (calibration stuff is a bit of a nightmare but I have a good man I've worked with since 2010).  So I buy them.  And...the Scandinavian cow, carbon fiber and Harman Kardon stereo in my TH are yummy.  I'm old and high maintenance I figure.  Apparently I also love depreciating assets...

HS