i write about wine | part v

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2012 CHRYSLER SEBRING LANCIA FLAVIA BERLINA

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This is the face of the new Lancia Flavia. It also happens to be the face of the new Chrysler 200, and I'm not sure what to make of that.

If you know me well enough, you know that I lust over Lancias the way most of my generation lusts after Lamborghinis or Ferarris.

Countach? Make mine an HF Integrale, thanks.

If you know me well enough, you also know that I've owned several Lancias, and I've looked back on 1982 (the last year Lancias were officially sold in the US) as a dark year. A tainted year.

Through the lenses of dozens of automotive photographers over the last 3 decades, however, I've watched the brand evolve. I've been mocked and teased by the Lancia gods time and time again. The Alfa 164 and Saab 9000 were almost Lancias, but not Lancias. I made do with my 1975 and 1981 Lancia Beta coupes, but what I wanted was a new Lancia - which is probably why I haven't been able to keep any other car for very long.

When the economy tanked in 2008, though, there was suddenly hope. Lancia's parent company (Fiat) absorbed Chrysler, and announced that it would merge the Lancia and Chrysler brands. It was fantastic news, and I held my breath to see what would happen next.

I didn't have to wait long to exhale, as Chrysler released their version of the storied Delta at the very next Detroit auto show. Sure, it said "Chrysler" on its rump, but it was an honest-to-goodness Lancia on US shores. I felt excited and vindicated.

This news of the Lancia Flavia's return after a near forty-year absence elicits quite the opposite response. The new Flavia is an honest-to-goodness Chrysler, but it says "Lancia" on its rump.

So, is it a Lancia?

The 200, by all accounts, is dynamically flawed. Have there ever been dynamically flawed Lancias? I don't know. In fact, this whole conversation of what makes a Lancia a Lancia and whether this Chrysler is "worthy" of carrying the Lancia shield is the exactly same sort of semantic exercise in metaphysics that I spent several years trying to avoid in college, so I won't let myself get sucked into it here.

What I will let myself get sucked into, however, is the question of whether or not the 200 is worthy to wear the Flavia badge.

This, dear reader, is a classic 1963 Lancia Flavia Berlina.

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MORE VLASSIC THAN CLASSIC

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I know. It looked better in my memory, too.

The Flavia is the "black sheep" of old Lancias, then. It doesn't encourage you to flog it, like a Fulvia. It doesn't beg to run free and fast over the open road, like an Aurelia. It doesn't buzz like an olympic swimming pool of pissed off honeybees, like an 037. It doesn't chew you up and spit you out, like a Stratos. The old Flavia doesn't do much, in fact, except fit four people and carry the same storied shield as its more romantic brothers ...

... which is exactly what the new Flavia will do.

top speed | russia

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Between posting some incredible, techno-tastic video of his Switzer-tuned 997tt tip obliterating most of Moscow's exotic cars and posting pictures with such creative titles as "SPI Bitches UGLY" (above), Mike from TTR is quickly becoming one of my favorite people.

These pics are from a "top speed" event held in Russia this past weekend, where Michael claims he "killed" a any number of tuned Benzos, Vipers, and even a Heffner-built turbo GT similar to the one pictured HERE.

Given this pic (below), I can believe it.

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Keep in mind, Mike's driving a Switzer 700/750 997TT Tip car that, earlier this month, ran a 10.4 second 1/4 mile on 93 octane. On a 10.6 second run stateside, a similar car pulled 1.5 g's at launch.

So, yeah - I'm a believer! You can see more great pics of Russian exotics (and not-so ugly girls) from this event HERE, HERE, and HERE.

bentley barbie

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CarZi recently posted some great pics of Paris Hilton's new Bentley CGT - which has been seriously pink'd by the West Coast Customs guys.

Whatever you think of Paris or pink Bentleys (I'm a fan) you have to admit, she did a thorough job customizing/destroying that car.

The Lady Hilton (HA!) took delivery of the pink GT just in time for Christmas, CLICK HERE for original article (and more pics).

new slr is made of win!

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See that? That super-sexy, extra-long hood over-compensating slice of automotive heaven up there?

It's not a dream. I see it, too.

These press shots are the most exciting pictures (of a car) I've seen in months ... maybe years.

In short: what you see here are Mercedes' first official photos of the new, 650 hp, limited-edition, million-dollar Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Sterling Moss speedster. Named for the famous racing driver who took the original Mercedes SLR to its historic Mille win back in 1955, this new SLR is the lightest, fastest, and most powerful factory SLR to date; and, at 750,000 Euro, the SLR Sterling Moss is also the most expensive car yet from either McLaren and Mercedes.

I've covered this car before (HERE, HERE, and HERE) and have to say, MB does not disappoint.

Also not disappointing: I've gotten confirmation that at least two (2) are coming to the RENN for the full 722 hp PKG. I'll post dyno figures as soon as the first one lands.

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EDIT: FUN FACT

Sterling Moss is also the indirect namesake of the SLR 722 (Moss' SLR wore "722" on its doors during the race).

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renntech for gt speed

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RENNTECH has made some changes to its Bentley product offerings with the addition of an ECU software for the Bentley Continental and Flying Spur GT Speed models. The new ECU upgrade boosts horsepower from the stock Speed GT's 600hp to 640hp and 575 lb-ft of torque.

RENNTECH's Bentley Speed ECU flash retails for $5800US.

CLICK HERE for more information.

mosler dominates spa

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RaceXpress just posted news of Martin Short's big win at Spa in this week's Dutch Supercar Challenge race driving one of Warren Mosler's awesome MT900's.

We might have an MT on the RENN's dyno rather sooner than later, so stay tuned for that. CLICK HERE for the original article (in Dutch).

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EDIT: SAME DAY

Ran the Google Translator (too lazy to do this the hard way), so you can read the original article in English HERE.

Also, all I could think of while reading this was that line from Goldmember about not being able to stand people who were intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

A bit random, I know - but I'm not here to win any Pulitzers, anyway.

short interview

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British racing driver and Mosler's UK assembler Martin Short gives Endurance-Info a great interview about his plans for LeMans, and Mosler's plans for GT dominance in the UK.

Always great to see a Florida boy do well overseas!

CLICK HERE for the original article and (P1 heavy) photo gallery.

audi r8 gt on motorauthority

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Audi continues to make its upmarket ambitions known - and with this R8 customer GT car, Audi is taking dead aim at Ferrari's Scuderia and Porsche's GT3. I don't quite understand why someone would buy a gussied-up VW when you could get a genuine exotic? Of course, you could say the same thing about the previously mentioned GT3, but still!

With Audi's current dominance of prototype racing in general (and the Sebring 12 hour, in particular) we'll no doubt have one of these at RENNtech's Florida headquarters sooner than later, and the minute it lands I'll post more pics and dyno runs.

CLICK HERE for the original article and photo gallery on MotorAuthority.

... but jeff is absolutely right

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Once you CLICK HERE and watch the minute-long video of a Ford GT dyno pull, you'll start to get an idea of what I'm talking about in the title.

See, we're a pretty jaded bunch here at RENNTECH - we get SLR McLarens, CL65s, C63s, Ferraris, Porsches, etc., etc. in here all the time. That said, this white Ford GT must be something really special: as you can see from the short video, almost everyone made it out of their bays or cubes or offices to watch the big Ford run - and that is something I have never seen.

Jeff (who can be seen giving Deion the "give it a whorl" hand gesture about 30 sec. into the video) said it best: "You couldn't get all these guys out here if you had a naked girl strapped to the dyno." I'd like to think that would depend on the girl ...

renntech for bentley

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With the introduction of a new, 600+ hp ECU tuning package and digital lowering module, RENNTECH has added Bentley to the growing list of brands it supports.

Best known for its work with Mercedes-Benz and McLaren automobiles, the Florida-based tuning firm is taking the process of introducing new product lines very slowly. Hartmut Feyhl, president of RENNTECH and ex technical director at AMG North America, explains: "We want to be sure that these products meet the high standard set by RENNTECH Mercedes products, which is very high."

RENNTECH has worked under Feyhl's motto of "performance without compromise" since 1989, and every product offered by RENNTECH has to meet Feyhl's strict approval. "Every product has to do something that adds to the performance of the car."

With ECU software boosting the output of Bentley's 552 hp twin-turbo W12 to 625 hp and 565 lb-ft of torque, this is definitely a product that does Something!

In addition to the power-producing ECU upgrade, the RENNTECH digital lowering module for Bentley features microprocessors that constantly communicate with existing on-board systems (unlike other lowering products that "trick" the stock systems and disable the diagnostics).  RENNTECH's lowering module allows owners to set the car 50 mm below the stock setting, with 8 levels of adjustability for each of the front and the rear wheels.  "Customers can lower the car so it is level, or lower the front more than the rear for a 'raked' look.  Some customers might want to lower the rear of the car for more weight transfer at a drag strip.  The lowering module lets them do that."

Comparisons to Bentley's own Continental GT Speed (itself offering 600 hp and 553 lb-ft) might seem natural, but RENNTECH is quick to point out that the GT Speed option is not available on the Flying Spur sedan or the GTC, and there are no waiting lists and no dealer markups to contend with (sorry: "market adjustments").

RENNTECH's Bentley ECU software upgrade is available now for $6400US for Bentley Continental and Flying Spur, and $6800US for the GT Speed coupes. RENNTECH digital lowering module available now for $1395US. Contact RENNTECH for more.

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Original photo by John Neff (Autoblog).

722gt brochure online

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Lake Park, FL - When RENNTECH and RML announced that the fearsome Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722GT track car would be made available in the US back in December, the two companies made reference to a one-make series for the ultra-exclusive cars modeled on the SLR.Club's European SLR.UNLIMITED events.

This morning, RENNTECH posted a full PDF brochure on their 722GT mini-site that offers more details on these events while going into more details about the car itself, with some additional technical specs and exciting pictures from 722GT trackday events at the Nurburgring and Paul Ricard.

SLR.Club Trophy USA events promise 5-star accommodations and a chance for owners to drive the incredible 680 hp, 2900 lb. SLR McLaren 722GT cars at speed on some of the country's historic race tracks. Events will also include driver training from world-class drivers (and SLR.Club members) like David Coulthard and Jochen Mass, as well as "special guests" to be announced later.

The SLR.Club Trophy USA events will take place in 2009. Dates and schedules will be announced this fall. You can find the digital version of the brochure at renntechmercedes.com, or jump directly to it by clicking here: VIEW BROCHURE.

Interested parties should take note: of the 21 being built, about half have already been sold.

722 gt, now available at renntech

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While Mercedes' ultra-exclusive SLR McLaren 722 GT track car has been making rounds in the motoring press for several weeks now, a few key questions remained unanswered - including "How much?" and "Where can I get one?"

We can answer the "How much?" question rather easily (795,000 €, or about 1.2 million USD), it's the "Where can I get one?" question that's more interesting.

As of Monday, Dec. 17, 2007, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT will be made available to the North American market exclusively through RENNtech, the Florida-based MB tuning house owned and operated by super-tuner Hartmut Feyhl, who also lists "technical director, AMG North America" on his resume. "It's been a very exciting project to be involved in," explains Feyhl.

Similar in concept to Ferrari's Enzo FXX program, the 722 GT is built specifically for track use by renowned British motorsports specialists at the RML Group to be the fastest possible on a track. The SLR 722 GT offers impressive power and cornering and delivers exactly the kind of motorsports experience one would expect from a competition car - and, with only 21 examples of the hyper-exclusive track cars being offered for sale, driving one is sure be a special occasion.

RENNtech will be organizing several on-track events (to be announced) throughout the US, beginning in 2008.

The SLR 722 GT trackcars will be set-up and maintained by RENNtech, which will have specially trained technicians and engineers on hand at each of the planned on-track events, which will follow a format similar to the SLR.Club SAFETY & SPEED ACADEMY track weekends in Europe. Participating customers will receive a mix of on and off-track instruction by trained instructors and professional drivers (including Jochen Mass, David Coulthard, and others), as well as some track time in RENNtech's Aixro SLR.Karts - to get a good feel for each track before going out in their SLRs.

Feyhl explained that the concept is to deliver to SLR McLaren customers a true and authentic motorsports experience in a competitive and reasonably safe environment.

If it is RENNtech and Mercedes' goal to deliver "an authentic experience", the SLR McLaren 722 GT is a great place to start - compared to the road-going SLR, the 722 GT gets the full FIA GT treatment from RML: more than 400 redesigned components, FIA spec. safety equipment, fully adjustable suspension, full-on competition brake hardware, a no-nonsense interior, and a track-only exhaust system that bumps the 722 GT's output to well over 670 hp. The real game-changers, however, are the 722 GT's towering rear wing and drastically reduced weight. At 1390 kg, the 722 GT weighs some six-hundred pounds less (!) than the stock 722, and the rear wing (in conjunction with the car's front splitter) provide more than enough aerodynamic downforce to tackle the fastest turns with confidence.

The 722 GT also benefits from years of wind-tunnel and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) experience at RML and McLaren, making the wings and body mods much more than an aesthetic package. Everything on the car, every vent and louvre, is fully functional - a terrific enhancement to on-track performance.

With more power, less weight, and dramatically improved handling, the limited-edition Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT, one thing is certain: if you love cars, love racing, and have the money (but not the time) to campaign a full-on race series, the 722 GT is your ticket.