Mercedes C63 AMG

      Since we are on the topic of muscle cars, here is what i would say would be the closest thing to a European version of the muscle car would be.  The Mercedes Benz C63 AMG is a 4 liter V8 equipped power coupe with over 500 horsepower and rear wheel drive.  If i didn't tell you that it was a Mercedes, you would have guessed something from America, wouldn't you?

       This is a car that is both refined and then at the flip of a switch, it turns into a track devouring monster.  Whether on the drag strip or road course, there are not many other cars that come this well equipped to keep drivers as comfortable and yet able to go this fast.  Not only that but it just looks freaking awesome.  Let me know what you think but at least for me, this is a future classic in the making right here.

Muscle Cars

       Now, if you are looking for a car that screams america, has absolutely no cornering abilities and is the fastest in a straight line, then the car for you is a muscle car.  The defining characteristics of a muscle car is a big screaming V8 engine, a live rear axle, a very small backseat and a loud exhaust.

      These cars came around in the late sixties with the emergence of the Ford Mustang, and Pontiac Firebird. From there, cars like the Chevy Camaro and Nova, the Dodge Charger, Plymouth roadrunners, Pontiac Barracuda , Oldsmobile 442, Ford thunderbird, and even the Chevrolet corvette evolved into a muscle car.  These cars were the perfect representation of the first golden age of cars in America and set the bar for all following models.  Some of the most legendary and coveted of these muscle cars include the Mustang GT 500's, the Chevrolet Corvettes,  Plymouth Superbirds and Hemi Barracudas.

      Not only are these cars found to be awesome and desired for from the sixties, but there has been a revitalization of the muscle cars in recent years.  Even though the Mustang never really went away, most people just wished they had for some time.  For example the Ford Mustang II with all 74 horsepower coming from four screaming cylinders of fury and freedom (yeah i'll pass, thanks) was quite possibly the worst car ever to be created and whoever authorized the production of such a disappointment to the mustang world was hopefully executed for it.  However, the last 15 years have seen a great number of mustangs that have lived up to that expectation set back in the sixties.  From the Terminator Cobra mustang in '03 and '04 to the GT 500 in 2013 and '14 with well over 650 horsepower.  The newest mustang takes the name to a whole new level however.  It takes a car that is good in a straight line and the engineers finally figured out what that silly contraption called a steering wheel is and they made it good on the track as well.

      Other companies that have been making a comeback in the muscle car world as well include Dodge and Chevy.  They too have begun to meet and raise the bar of expectation on their cars as well.  For instance, the Chevrolet Corvette has begun to rival European sports cars that have dominated the scene on the racetrack for as long as anybody could remember.  The camaro and dodge hellcats look mean as hell and can scare the crap out of just about any driver with power outputs reaching up to 707 horsepower from the factory.  Yeah, 707 factory horsepower.  That's crazy.

      I see no reason for any slowing in the progress that these muscle cars have made and i think that it is safe to say that we will see them around for a little longer this time as well.

Star Wars Power

      Now, I am sure that all of you who will read this blog have seen the new star wars or have seen one of the movies in the past.  Now one of the major features about these movies that is a trademark of it is the us of light speed in their ships.  Now, i want to discuss just how much power it would take to send an object to light speed, or rather if it is even reasonable.
      Now, for you to be able to create enough power to get deep enough into space as to not be affected by Earth's gravity, you would need to have a rocket larger than the biggest rocket ever built, (the Saturn V rocket).  So if you were imagining flying a millennium falcon away from earth then sorry, your're out of luck.  Now, if you had the money and resources to make a rocket powerful enough then that solves the problem of attaining enough power to get you out of the gravitational field of earth.
      While you are building this rocket you are going to want to begin researching for a new source of power for the push to light speed in a reasonable amount of time.  This source needs to be very energy-rich and also able to be stored safely in high amounts.  Once you have found this new magic fuel, you can begin to address the challenges of takeoff.
      You are going to need a full support team and compound to aid in the launch and landing of your rocket on earth and where you are going to. So lets just say that you have the incalculable amounts of money to support the missions to travel the speed of light on more than one occasion then yes it could happen. But sadly it would be a very inefficient use of resources and time for mankind.

Top Fuel

      Every gear head in this world has watched at least one top fuel dragster go down the track at one point in time or other.  The fastest class in the fastest sport in the world is the class of the Nitro Dragsters.  These monsters of engineering are one of the greatest automotive achievements around. These behemoths race down the 1,000 foot drag strip in about 3 seconds, reaching speeds of up to 330 miles per hour.  At the beginning of the race, just after the Christmas tree turns green, the G-forces exerted upon the driver exceed 5.5 g's and the noise registers as one of the loudest events in the world (160 decibels), ranking up there with volcanic eruptions and shuttle launches.  This phenomenon is called a drag race. Not the old, teenagers racing their dad's cars on some back road, but full-on professional high stakes racing.  If you want to get into this sport, you are going to want to make sure you have your pocketbook out, it costs over 1,000 dollars a second to run a drag pass with free labor and nothing malfunctions.  To show you more insight into the world of top fuel racing, check out this video. Enjoy!

The safest Ford ever built

      If climbing into the already massive cab of a Powerstroke ford just doesn't cut the mustard any more, I have the solution for you.  It comes in the form of a massively overbuilt and crazy bullet stopping machine called the Terradyne Gurkha.  This thing is a beast.  The windows and body can take up to a 7.62 mm caliber rifle round,  and it is built off of the same spec's as the military and security versions. Just by taking a look at this thing makes you sure of two things.  One, you want one immediately, and two, it is one bad ass machine that eats road barriers for breakfast.  

      For those of you in this world who have the pockets and desire to buy a vehicle that could drive through a brick wall and survive and explosion while being shot at and then drive over a couple cars. This is your choice.  This fortress on wheels will run you about the same money as a 2005 Ford GT, but will come with different options.  Although they both have V8's, one is gas and one is diesel. One is focused on conserving power to weight ratios, and one has more armor than most bank vaults attached to it.  One is built to withstand .308 bullets and one, well one frankly wont stop a .22.  Anyway, if this is something that would float your boat, here is what this beast looks like courtesy of Terradyne's website.

Auto shows

      When car companies have a new car model or technology that they want to release to  the public, or just want to advertise their lineup to the public at an organized event, then they go to these automotive shows.  These are very large events that can draw massive crowds and can result in thousands of people showing up and showing off.

      Some of the major shows of the year for the mainstream automotive manufacturers include the Detroit auto show and the Japan Auto show.  Companies like Ford, Toyota, Honda and GM dominate these shows.  Now, for those smaller companies that don't mass-produce vehicles like Hennessey and other tuners that want to get together and show off what they have been doing for the past year, they go to places like the SEMA auto show in Las Vegas.  Not only are there places to look at parked cars at these shows but you can also go and watch live performance demonstrations of what these cars can do.  For example, Ford had a large piece of asphalt blocked off so that they could run their new mustangs around and show off to the public just what their products can do.

      Like I said before, lots of these big name companies like to wait until these shows to release new cars to the public.  Some of the largest releases of recent years include the folowing.  The Ford GT, Acura NSX, the new BMW M6, the Ford Raptor and Mustang GT350 and GT350R, and the new Nissan Titan.

     I highly reccoment going to one of these shows if you have not already, they have so much new technology to learn about every year and who knows? You might get a chance to see and/or be a part of history.

The stig

      If you are a true gear head, you know who the Stig is.  Some say..... well you know.  Anyway, we finally know who he is. See here for yourself.  He has since been replaced and the new identity of the Stig has yet to be revealed.

Perfect Christmas Gift Ideas for Gearheads

     If you have a gear head in your family or you are a gear head with family asking for gift ideas, here are some of mine.

     Tools- Everyone who like cars probably also works on a car every now and then and the gift of a basic set of tools or a specific tool that they want would be a perfect gift.

     Car Calendar- As a great stocking stuffer, it will help them stay organized along with giving them some cool car pictures.

     Car Seat Covers-  If your gear head had an older car with torn or worn seats and isn't proficient in upholstery repair, then this gift idea is perfect for them.

     Custom Vanity Plates or Plate Cover- This is always a fun and interesting gift that will help give your gear head's car a new and unique look.

     A "this is my shop shirt" t-shirt- Why not? Everyone needs a shirt to get elbow deep in grease and have an excuse as to why it is dirty and has permanent oil or grease stains.

     Hope these help you find that perfect gift for the gear head in your life, and Happy Holidays!

Big Power

      Now, there is a percentage of the motoring world that believes that the key to a cool car is found directly underneath the hood.  Now, there are a few different ways that these massive amounts of power can be created in a variety of combinations.

      Big Motors:
The most logical and common way to create more power from a car is by simply putting a larger motor in the car.  This can mean either a larger cylinder block displacement, more cylinders, and best of all, both.  The best example of an automaker going for the biggest displacement can be found in the Dodge SRT Viper, at a mind boggling 8.2 liter V10.  This car claims the title for the biggest motor in a current production car.  And this was a success, at making well over 640 horsepower and 600 lb/ft of torque it ranks as one of the most powerful as well.  Now, the prime example of a production car with an immense amount of cylinders belongs to the Bugatti Veyron.  Boasting 16 cylinders in a w formation (like 2 V-8's with one row of cylinders stacked on top of the other), 64 valves, 4 turbochargers and well over 1,000 horsepower.  This motor is so complex that it is likely that no other car manufacturer will ever attempt to re-create Bugatti's masterpiece.

     Forced Induction:
When simply putting in a larger motor will either not work due to engine bay restrictions or not enough money to afford an engine and transmission swap, then forced induction is another, less expensive way to boos your car's power.  Forced induction is the term used for any system that aids the engine in helping increase the amount of air being put into the cylinders.  A naturally aspirated engine will only take in as much air as the pressure of the outside air will allow.  When you add a means of drawing in more air and compressing it into the same space, you increase power.  Denser air = more power.  The most common forms of forced induction are supercharging and turbocharging.  Superchargers are a compressor powered off of a pulley that draws from the rest of the engine.  Now, what this allows for is almost instantaneous power boosts off of the line due to the compressor generating power from the direct increases in engine rpm's.  However, this compressor draw can sap some engine efficiency as the rpm's increase.  A normal supercharger draws air in from the engine's stock intake system, but if the stock system is not providing enough air to keep the compressor from maximizing, another intake route is available.  This alternate to stock intakes is called a blower.  What a blower does, is it is an air intake that comes out of the hood of the car directly over the supercharger and draws all extra needed air down to the supercharger when needed through the opening of valves.  These blowers are so effective at drawing more air into the supercharger that they can add power boosts of immense proportions.  Turbochargers on the other hand are operated through utilizing the pressure of the exhaust.  Turbochargers have two housings, both that hold a set of rotors within them.  One housing and set of rotors is connect to the other. This first housing is connected to the exhaust pipes just after they connect from the headers and the fan inside is turned by these exhaust fumes. The higher the engine rpm's, the more exhaust fumes produced, thus creating more pressure and spinning this fan faster.  The second fan and housing, is connected to either a high flow air filter or is open to the outside air in a cold air dam.  What the function of this housing is, is that it takes the spinning power produced from the first housing, and it spins the second fan, that draws in and pressurizes the outside air that is then piped into the engine to create more power.  The advantages to having a turbo instead of a supercharger is that it provides a wider band of boost through the rpm's,and it doesn't draw away power directly from the engine pulleys.  The one major and probably apparent drawback to turbocharging is that it takes longer to build up the needed exhaust pressure to build  considerable amounts of boost at low rpm's.  The easiest solution to this problem is to either keep the engine rpm's high when expecting to need a power boost, but this can cause lots of wear and tear on your drive train and i would not recommend doing it very often.

      Precision Cylinder boring and Pistons:
A rather new but very effective way at producing immense power in any engine size requires some high tech approaches.  With new advances in cnc machining and precision machines similar to that, engines with almost the exact same cylinder and piston dimensions have become common technology in many different race classes.  The understanding around this is, is that before, a large amount of energy was being lost when the combustion was occurring and energy was escaping around the piston faster than the piston could move.  Now, these new engine blocks and their pistons are so close in measurement, that when the engine is cold, they are physically one piece.  The only way for racing teams to make use of this technology is to circulate pre-heated engine fluids through the engine hours in advance to firing the engine in order for it to work.  As the block heats up, the cylinders become just wide enough for the cylinders to move when firing the engine.  This new technology is a large contributor to the reason that the tiny 1.6 liter v6 used by formula 1 right now, produces well over 600 horsepower and how NASCAR engines can produce an astonishing 900 plus horsepower while being naturally aspirated.  Unfortunately, unless you drive a race car to work every day with a means of heating your engine block, this form of gaining power is somewhat out of reach.  For now at least it is.