The Lamborghini Diablo, a car that adorned the walls in poster form of many 90's kids. A car that still is a show-stopper, 20 years after it ceased production. A car that was so outrageous for it's time (and still is), deserves a centerfold in our digital magazine.
To enter the new millennium, the Lamborghini that replaced the Diablo had impossibly big shoes to fill - enter the Murciélago.
In the 1980s, automakers started turning towards high-tech electronic equipment like on-board computers and digital instrument clusters. Some companies went as far as designing software that actually talked to the driver if a door wasn’t fully closed or if the oil level was low. A lot of the driving aids that we take for granted today were born in the 1980s, even if they didn’t become widespread until much later.
In the 1970s, the automotive industry arrived at one of the most important turning points since its inception. The decade was overshadowed by the OPEC oil embargo that rocked the world in 1973, sending gas prices through the roof and governments all around the globe scrambling to pass strict emissions regulations.
The A/C-based Shelby Cobra made its racing debut at the 1962 Three Hour Invitational Endurance Race organized by the Los Angeles Times, the same event that Chevrolet chose to introduce the then-new Corvette Z06. The Cobra went on to become a successful race car in the United States but it largely failed to make a name for itself on the other side of the pond.
The Society of Automotive Engineers is an entity comprised of more than 138,000 engineers from the automotive, aerospace and commercial vehicle industries which creates testing standards and practices for certifying performance measurements for vehicles. We recently saw SAE involvement in new Chrysler products in regards to the horsepower ratings in the new supercharged engine in the Dodge Challenger and (potentially) the Dodge Charger. Now, Chrysler’s RAM truck division has decided to adopt the SAE’s newest J2807 towing standard across their entire truck line – the only manufacture to do so thus far. However, the real story here is that the SAE has a standard by which manufactures’ trucks can be rated by a universal measurement, rather than ones designed by the manufacturers to meet target numbers under specific conditions.
For those looking to get into some Bavarian wheel-to-wheel racing action, the Spec E30 race class is a fantastic option. Focusing on spec-built, second generation BMW 3-Series coupes and sedans, the Spec E30 class offers an alternative to Spec Miata and Spec Racer Ford classes for those looking to try something a bit different. With relatively low costs to build and run, along with the spec build requirements, Spec E30 rewards driver skill above all else
With nearly 900 chassis delivered across the country and the relatively low operating costs associated with SRF, it’s little surprise that Spec Racer Ford has been one of the most popular classes in the SCCA for nearly three decades.
Developing a successor to the Jaguar C-Type was a daunting task. The roadster had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951 and 1953 so its heir had to be highly competitive, but stiff competition from big names like Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin made winning the endurance more difficult than it had ever been.
The Chaparral 2 was designed as a follow-up to the Chaparral 1, but the two cars shared little other than a name. While the Chaparral 1 was the work of a company named Troutman & Barnes, the Chaparral 2 was largely designed and built by a team led by race car driver and engineer Jim Hall and his business partner James “Hap” Sharp.
Derived from the Palatov D1 sports racer, the D4PPS is a single-seat racecar designed specifically for hill climb competition. The D4 PPS, or Pikes Peak Special, also includes additional rollcage components as well as other reinforcements in order to comply with the unique regulations of the Pikes Peak hill climb.
A look through the pantheon of automotive history reveals car companies have often struck up unlikely partnerships with each other. One of the more obscure tie-ups is an agreement signed by BMW and Lamborghini in the middle of the 1970s that outlined the joint-development of a mid-engined sports car.
The DP02 is the series spec car for the International Motor Sports Association’s Cooper Tire Prototype Lites series. Outfitted with either a 2.0L or 2.3L engine, the DP02 is the exclusive chassis of both the L1 and L2 classes. Additionally, the DP02 is homologated for the SCCA’s P1 class, and can be configured to run in P2 as well.
Maserati put an end to its successful factory-sponsored racing program in 1957 because it found itself in dire financial straits after enduring a challenging decade. Racing boosted the company’s image worldwide, but it also drained precious resources that management believed could be better allocated to developing profitable road-going models.
Honda started toying around with the idea of building a supercar in the early 1980s when it teamed up with famed Italian design house Pininfarina to present a concept called Honda Pininfarina Xperimental (HP-X) at the 1984 edition of the Turin Motor Show. Powered by a 2.0-liter V6 engine, the HP-X was merely a futuristic-looking design study that was never seriously considered for mass production but it showed Honda was already thinking beyond economy cars.
Ride along in the #25 Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 as Tomas Enge battles back from a rough start to take the victory at the Cadillac Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
The new Chevron GT3 marks the British company’s first foray back into the North American market in decades. Set to go toe to toe with the likes of the SRT Viper and Chevrolet Corvette in the NARRA GT Unlimited class in the US and other European rivals in the GT Cup in the UK, the GT3 is Chevron’s most powerful car to date, with a 680bhp configuration of the GT3 delivered to American businessman Harry Blazer and ex-UK racer, Briton Chris Hall for use in the GTU class in the 2014 season.
Introduced in late 1972 as a simple homologation car, the Porsche 911 RS was an instant hit because it was packed with technology gleaned from the automaker’s racing program. The initial production run of 500 units sold out almost immediately, and Porsche ended up building over three times as many cars as it had initially planned.
A joint project between Caterham and Lola, the SP/300.R is a track day car designed for racers who’re ready to move beyond street cars like the Porsche 911 GT3 and into something that is truly built from the ground up to attack road courses at maximum velocity.
Where else can you find Group B rally beasts, Le Mans prototypes, and vintage Ferrari racecars in the same place at the same time other than the Goodwood Members’ Meeting? We’d wager that the list is pretty short.
Generally speaking, the large-displacement muscle car era gradually came to an end in the late-1970s. Consumer demand remained strong but the United States was still feeling shockwaves from the oil crisis that rocked the world in the middle of the 1970s, leading legislators to continuously push for ever-stricter emissions regulations.
The SR3 is the most popular offering in Radical’s racecar lineup, with nearly 1000 examples delivered to customers worldwide. Designed to be fast and agile in the hands of both seasoned pros as well as novices, the SR3 offers incredible traction, light weight, and a wide range of adjustability to suit the driver’s requirements. Since its introduction in 2002, the SR3 has proven itself to be very competitive within multi-marque championships around the world, with a multitude of class wins to its credit. With its two seater configuration and advanced data logging capabilities, it is also an ideal design for driver coaching and instruction. Let’s take a closer look at the Radical SR3, as well as the extensive list of options and services offered by SR3 builders here in the US.
The Pinin Farina-bodied cabriolet that Ferrari introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1957 was not only heralded as a triumph in design for its elegant rear haunches, covered headlamps, and long, shapely hood, but it was also the car that marked a new chapter in Maranello history as the company’s first series-produced open-top model.