Kanye West and Jay Z’s new video for their track Otis is an amalgamation of so many amazing things that it couldn’t go un-posted. Their post-apocalyptic retrofit of a $350,000 Maybach may be the greatest version of the car I’ve ever seen. So much so, I petition that Maybach should really consider releasing this as the Mad Max model. Aside from that, the music itself is tasteful blend of old school and new school featuring the sounds of Otis Redding. And to boot, the inclusion of Aziz Ansari as a backup dancer is one of those fantastic acts of randomness.
To say that modern sports cars lack character is understatement, they have no character. When seeking timeless styling, raw power and the pure driving experience, the sports cars of the 1960′s, 1970′s and 1980′s have unparalleled performance and personality. One prime example of this phenomenon is the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) sports cars of 1970′s. These iconic machines like the Toyota Celica, Nissan Skyline and Datsun Z embody these characteristics and are the passion of Eric Bizek of JDM Legends who restores and sells these gems. Check out the video for a stunning video of these beauties. [Jalopnik]
2012 will mark the introduction of the newest version to the 48 year lineage of the world’s finest sports car, the Porsche 911 (991 model). Just as Ferry Porsche brought to fruition in the first ever Porsche, the engineers in Stuttgart are striving to achieve the highest in performance and reliability by conducting their testing in the extreme weather of South Africa. The video above gives a sense of how tough these machines are pushed and the true personality of their driving style. [Driven]
Bimmer File presents very comprehensive write up on the new CRT (Carbon Racing Technology) version of the BMW M3. Borrowing the weight savings techniques used in BMW’s race cars, they have developed a new manufacturing technology called “carbon fiber reinforced plastic” (CFRP) that makes these high strength light weight components suitable for production street cars. Normally built in limited quantity and reserved mainly for race cars, this new process inserts plastic into the carbon fiber structure simplifying the manufacturing process, allowing the engineers more opportunities to use this technique for other components and the ability to produce them on a mass scale. With weight savings of 25%-50% per part, this technology results in increased performance and opens the door to more efficient automobiles in the future.
The grandfather of all racing circuits and the universally accepted benchmark for competing sports cars companies, the Nurburgring Nordschleife (north course) will hold it’s annual 24 hour race this weekend. As a track with 154 turns over 12 miles winding through the hills of western Germany, it demands a much different approach in regards to technical setup and driver’s mindset than the other 24 hour races held at traditional circuits. This year an american team will be competing in the famed Jim Glickehaus Ferrari P4/5 Competizione, a custom one-off car made for the car collector. Click above to be able to watch live footage of the race day or night. [Jalopnik]
With the transition into the summer months comes the peak of the endurance racing season for the world of motorsports. The most prestigious of these races is the 24 hours of Le Mans which starts Saturday June 11 at 3pm and runs 24 hours straight through to Sunday June 12. With nearly all major sports car manufacturers being represented, this race proves to be the ultimate showcase and battleground for each manufacturers motorsports division. The photo above is from the 1959 race, when they still did standing starts, where drivers had to run to their cars to start the race, photo courtesy of Driven.
Urban Daddy has come out with a new division of their online empire, Driven, presenting the best in all things related to cars and motorsports. The large images used for each post allows the main page act as a visual canvas of the content and a gateway to the posts at the same time.
Amidst the handful of amazing cars that came into my valet lot over the weekend, including the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, Ferrari F430 F1, Jaguar E-Type and 1959 Chevrolet Corvette, the most stunning was surely the 1980′s Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante. First introduced in 1977, the V8 Vantage was heralded as Britains first supercar due to its engine outfitted with high-performance camshafts, increased compression ratio, larger inlet valves and bigger carburettors mounted on new manifolds for increased output. With a design reminiscent of an American muscle car, this British sports car has deceiving stylings. This gentleman’s model was in pristine condition, with vivid candy apple red paint paired with stunning tan leather interior. The two colors have a remarkably harmonious contrast.
With the introduction of the Group B racing class, Rally Car Racing of the 1980′s was defined by very powerful and sophisticated rally cars due to very lenient technical regulations. One of the most iconic cars of this era is the Lancia 037 Martini car, captured in the photograph at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Seen here at the start of a gravel stage, these all wheel drive race cars roar through the hills and countryside at speeds in excess of 80 mph. Click HERE for the full size image. [Jalopnik]
If it wasn’t the best commercial from this year’s Super Bowl, it certainly was the most powerful. Despite it’s recent fall from grace, Chrysler’s poetic and illustrative depiction of the Detroit Motor City brought one of America’s most important and legendary cities back to the forefront of society’s consciousness.
Modern sports cars have lost touch with their roots of promoting pure balanced performance and the raw driving experience. With the exception of a select few, they are becoming more focused on big horse power, aggressive looks and a slew of gadgets and electronics to help the driver handle all this speed. The new BMW 1M has broken away from this uninspired path to build a car that will prove to be one of the most raw sports cars on the street, driven by the most hardcore of driving enthusiasts. BMW has done a complete reversal from their recent M models (the M5, M6 and even M3) by designing a car closer to the original M car, the E30 M3 of the 1980′s (long story short, a car heralded as one of the greatest handling, purest driving car of all time). The BMW 1M only comes in a 6 speed manual transmission, it’s on a compact, light and nimble chassis with a super tuned inline 6, they fitted it with the widest stance and wheels possible and it does not come with an over-abundance of traction control systems. [BimmerFile]
Society 6 has released a collection prints depicting famous cars from TV and movies as a classic 70′s van. From Ghostbusters to Blues Brothers, these designs have a fantastic amount of detail from the original car.
