Show car builds are meant to be eye candy. Some of the lengths that builders will go to in order to satisfy judging requirements would even make Liberace cringe. On the other hand, manufacturers work with tuning shops to build demo vehicles that take the “Best of Show” cars and […]
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SR-Powered AE86 Makes An Impact In Formula Drift’s Arena
The banked turn that seemed a fair distance away closes rapidly as the engine roars to redline. In an instant, a clutch kick, yank of the hand brake and full lock counter steer makes the bank viewable through the side window instead of the windshield. Today, a lack of restrictions […]
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407 WHP Turbocharged NSX Under Pressure | Highway to the Danger Zone
Aircraft pilots live for thrills on a different level. Some individuals like Bob Fahnestock enjoy flight both on and off the ground. Fahnestock has logged numerous hours in the air and has taken his passion for flying to another level. He’s been involved with aviation for over three decades, establishing […]
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Innovation Delivers a Tame Infiniti G35 that Turns into a Monster on Command
Show cars rarely demonstrate mechanical creativity delivering both form and function. Engineering innovation is traditionally bred within motorsports in the name of edging out the competition. Street car tuners typically adapt, rather than pioneer, racing equipment for enthusiast use. However, some “show cars” that actually see time on the street […]
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HAIL TO THE KING | The Super GT 2009 GT300 Champion is a Lexus IS350?!
“Challenge to the world.” This loose Japanese translation embodies the mission statement of the Super GT racing series. For those unfamiliar with Super GT, it’s practically the national motorsport of Japan. It started as the All- Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) in 1993. Like America’s NASCAR, Super GT captivates […]
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Supercharging Takes BMW M3 Power To The Next Level
Inspiration and aspiration can be drawn from a variety of sources. How many would cite Jeremy Clarkson, Jason Dawe, Richard Hammond, James May and “The Stig” are an entirely different situation. For Ricky Kwan, these entertaining and talented drivers who star in the popular television program Top Gear UK made […]
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Part 15 PROJECT RH9 GT-R | 834 WHP at 35 PSI of Boost Pressure
As we close out this November issue, we look ahead to the next opportunity to bring our GT-R to the dragstrip. If you remember from last issue, our GT-R managed a 10.34- second elapsed time. While this accomplishment is extraordinary on many levels, we have still not reached our primary […]
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Part 14 PROJECT RH9 GT-R | Into the 10’s with 9’s Not Far Away
Photos by Sami Sharaf // Text by Michael Ferrara Wednesday, July 20th, 2005 During the weekly DSport magazine meeting, it is decided that we will try to get as many vehicles race-ready for an upcoming import drag racing event at California Speedway in Fontana, California. Our plan is to have […]
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Part 13: PROJECT RH9 GT-R | 10-Second Power, 11-Second Timeslips 11.25@ 133.7mph
“Should have…could have…would have…” Our most recent trip to the strip with our Project GT-R proved to be full of both trials and tribulations. While many questions were answered, a number of new questions and concerns surfaced. Text & Photos by Michael Ferrara Persistence Pays The original plan was to […]
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1014 Horsepower, 9-sec EVO VIII
Imagine a world without boost. High-performance street engines would make around 100 horsepower per liter. Racing engines would only be able to squeeze out 130 horsepower per liter. In this boost-free world, a five- hundred horsepower streetcar would need an engine that is over five liters in displacement. Heavy, large- […]
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Part 12: Ported & Flowed: Part 3 | Computer Models Versus the Dyno on our RB26 GT-R
In our last installment of Ported & Flowed (October 2004), we mentioned that our next step would be to put the computer model to the test. This test would occur when we installed the ported cylinder head along with the camshafts on our GT-R. Then we would optimize the fuel […]
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Part 11: Ported & Flowed: Part 2 | Flow Numbers, Flow Velocity and Horsepower with our GT-R
You’ve probably been told or heard from someone that “an internal combustion automotive engine is just a sophisticated air pump.” Here’s the truth. What you have been told isn’t entirely accurate. First, a pump is a device used to move fluids and it operates at relatively low pressures. Air is […]
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Part 10: PROJECT RH9 GT-R | Pump Gas: 505whp Attained, 600whp Possible?
Last issue, we said “when we get back on the dyno, we won’t be surprised to see 500-plus horsepower on 91-octane with a boost and power curves that we never believed possible with turbos so big. As predicted, we accomplished our mission with 505 horsepower registering on the dyno after […]
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Gran Turismo Subaru STi | Virtually Built In GT1, Now A Reality
Driving games have gripped gamers and racing fans since the early 80’s with the release of Pole Position in video arcades. This led to the development of more realistic driving games that pinnacled to the revolutionary Gran Turismo video game for Sony’s Playstation in 1998. Touted by Sony as the […]
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Part 9: Project RH9 GT-R | Test & Tune
Giant peak horsepower figures made on race gas make for great headlines. Just the mention of a “1000-horsepower Supra”, “740-horsepower WRX” or “500- horsepower EVO” draws attention. While peak horsepower numbers are real and exciting to any enthusiast, these high- caliber numbers tend to distort the total performance picture. This […]
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