the horsepower cap

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LOTUS ELEVEN

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Gas 2.0 writer Chris DeMorro wants to ask you a question: What if there was new regulation capping the horsepower output of new car engines at 200 hp?

Check out Chris' original article here, but before you read that I want you to know that I am 100% in favor of capping the horsepower of gasoline-powered passenger cars.

Why?

Take a good, long look at that Lotus 11 up there. The ultra-lightweight Lotus 11 weighed less than 1000 lbs. dry, and was powered by a small (sub-100 hp) Ford engine, yet was capable of speeds in excess of 140 mph and (in the right hands) astonishing feats of bravery in the twisty bits ... with that in mind, DeMorro's suggestion seems more like a reward than a punishment!

Head over to Gas2.0 and let Chris know what you think in the comments.

i write about wine | part ii

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I always knew I'd die at sea.

I've tried to explain the absurdity of human beings purposely swimming in the ocean to dozens of people, dozens of times. I've marveled at the complexity of the various machines required to simply keep us alive as we swim along in a few feet of water. I've pointed out varieties, ravenous multi-toothed beasties more than happy to devour us but by bit - if not whole!

Worse: consider THIS TERRIFYING FACTOID.

Go on, click it. I'll wait.

Did you throw up a little? I sure did ... but what's the point of all this water talk? Do I just have water on the brain, or is it something more?

I'm getting to that.

First, however, I'd like to remind you all about the last time I got overly philosophical about Lancias. In that post, I pointed out a few aspects of my own tumultuous love affair with the brand, not the least of which being my noble struggles against advancing rust, faulty wiring, and Italian "quality", eventually making the point that Lancias, like revenge, are a dish best served with a nice Martini. Maybe on a ciabatta.

None of that makes any sense, though. I am, you see, quite aware of that - but there's not much I can do about it. My brain has just been assaulted. My retinas seared. My hopes and dreams for the future violated beyond measure.

Read these words carefully: eleven-hundred horsepower Lancia speedboat.

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Oh, yes. Do want.

Built for Lancia by Christian Grande & Partners, the lightweight aluminum/inflatable hybrid powerboat is about 45 ft long. Despite weighing in at over 8 tons, the Lancia di Lancia's pair of inboard 6.7 L, turbocharged Fiat diesel engines can propel (ha!) the boat to a top speed approaching 50 knots.

Gorgeous.

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Seriously, all that sexy, sexy goodness shouldn't be allowed to exist in one place, you know? It's like a Victoria's Secret photoshoot, Seat's epic, Cash-fueled bouncy-girl commercial, and that girl what dressed up like Samus Aran all rolled into one.

It is all of that and more. The Lancia di Lancia is but the slightest tickle shy of complete sensory overload ... and it's still only a drawing.

Which brings me back (?) to my main point: that Lancias are nothing but trouble. Perfect, yes. Of course, perfect. Soft, sudden, and perfect - but only when they want to be ... and they NEVER want to be.

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FOUL TEMPTRESS

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Lancias fool you. They lull you into a place of mechanical bliss that most people never knew could exist. Like Ferraris or Bizzarinis, or the hottest Italian women, the great ones are spiteful, mean, and love to hurt you. Your only prayer is to move on to something sensible, like a Porsche, a Benz, or a nice midwestern girl - but once they catch wind of the plan it all changes. The Lancia revs happily to 7000 rpm. The Ferrari's Weber carbs find a magical harmony. The Bizzarini's unobtanium body panels suddenly pop back into shape. The girl takes her top off. All the same. All a diversion.

The Italians export a great many addictive things, but none more so than the cars and the women. Once they have you good and fooled - BAM! The Lancia dies on the side of the road.

This will happen with the boat, to be sure. A Fiat-Lancia is a Fiat-Lancia, ocean-going or no, and it WILL break down when you depend on it most. On the way to the ER with your pregnant wife. In the middle of the ocean, with you and your hot Italian girlfriend surrounded by chomp-chomp-chompity horrors that would chase Ahab back to land.

In short ...

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... thanks for humoring me.

CLICK HERE to read Lancia's full press release, on Italiaspeed.

hp war really really really not over

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Earlier this week, AMG boss Volker Mornhinweg announced that “the horsepower war is over." If this sounds familiar, it's because AMG issued a similar press release LAST JANUARY.

"Last year, it was a coincidence that we were releasing a new, 695 hp performance package for the 65 series AMG cars at around the same time. We sent out a press release that said 'HP War Not Over'," recalls Hartmut Feyhl, president of RENNTECH and four-star General of the horsepower wars. "This year it is the same timing again, and we have something much more extreme to announce for our 20th Anniversary."

Feyhl founded RENNTECH in 1989, and the company has since established itself as one of the world's premier tuning firms and the foremost authority on Mercedes-Benz performance tuning. 2009 marks the company's 20th year in business, and the company intends to celebrate by releasing a small number of extreme, limited edition performance vehicles, beginning with the 777 hp, RENNTECH 777 shown here.

"This 777 concept is really an all-new car that makes use of the advanced carbon fiber chassis of the SLR McLaren. It can be described as a street-legal track car, or something closer to what the enthusiasts were hoping for from the SLR, originally - which is more a successor to the McLaren F1."

RENNTECH heavily revised the SLR McLaren bodywork and aero package using some of the same technology the company used to develop the the GLK Hybrid Rally Racer for Mercedes-Benz, including advanced CFD software to develop the aerodynamics for improved downforce. Even with the big wing, splitters, and skirts, a top speed in excess of 210 mph is well within reach for the 777.

The 777 is much more than lightweight bodywork, however. The 5.5 L supercharged "Kompressor" v8 engine is heavily revised, with internal and external performance upgrades and a significantly upgraded cooling system.

Getting that power to the ground is the job of a fully redesigned suspension and driveline, with a heavily reinforced transmission sending power to RENNTECH's revolutionary new limited-slip differential. Built for RENNTECH by Japanese supplier OS Giken, the recently-released differential allows for 100% locking between the drive wheels for unsurpassed mid-corner traction. Aggressive Nitto NT-05 ultra-high performance tires wrapped around extremely lightweight, 1 pc. center-locking wheels round out the street -legal handling package.

"The 777 will be a very special car," explains Hartmut. "The first example is being built now, and will be ready this Spring. We intend to build a few different extreme vehicles like this for our 20th anniversary, with each one being strictly limited to 20 units. They are all very exciting projects, and we will be announcing them throughout the year, as they approach completion."

Contact RENNTECH for information and RENNTECH 777 SLR McLaren package pricing.

switzer sledgehammer

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In the classic Simpsons episode "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", Homer demands a car that is "powerful, like a gorilla", and insists that when he start the engine, children cry and women think the world is coming to an end.

It may not look like the Homer, but Tym Switzer's awe-inspiring 997 Turbo Sledgehammer is every bit an awesome, power-mad silverback in a sea of chimp-tuned Porsches.

I've written about Tym before (HERE), but this is the first time I've been able to post one of Switzer Performance Innovation's official press releases (below).

Enjoy!

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Oberlin, OH - Switzer Announces SLEDGEHAMMER 1000 hp Porsche Conversion Package

Tym Switzer has been quietly running Switzer Performance Innovations (SPI) in Oberlin, Ohio for several years, building show-quality exhausts and bolt-on performance products for twin-turbo Porsche 996 and 997 models.

With his latest project, Tym and the crew at SPI wanted to test the limits of what would be possible with stock 997 internals. “When the customer first came to me with his 997, we talked a lot about about pushing the limits the new engine and what might be possible using stock internals. I had already been inside the 997 turbo engines, and felt that 700 wheel horsepower seemed well within reach on pump fuel, and that we might be able to go a bit further.”

That “bit further” eventually led to what Switzer calls the SLEDGEHAMMER. Named after candid comment from an SPI tech, the SLEDGEHAMMER is a bolt-on performance package for 997 twin-turbo Porsches that delivers over 850 all-wheel horsepower on race fuel. That's over 1000 hp at the crank!

Getting Bugatti-baiting performance figures from a bolt-on prepared 997 is no easy task, though. Switzer explains he and his crew “have always prided ourselves on attention to detail and delivering exactly what we promise to our customers. We have a saying around here: performance, not excuses. So during the original SLEDGEHAMMER build we looked at every part of the system, constantly metering and testing every component, on our in-house chassis dyno.”

A finished Switzer SLEDGEHAMMER is certainly an amazing car. Switzer reports that (despite backing off the throttle early) the first SLEDGEHAMMER went almost 195 mph at the Texas mile. Additional performance figures read like the stuff of legend: consistent 0-60 times in the mid 2's, less than 5 seconds to go from 60-130 mph, and 9.8-second quarter mile elapsed times with trap speeds regularly in excess of 145 mph. “With performance like that, these cars really speak for themselves - I have another one on the dyno now, and expect to post the results of those runs shortly.”

In addition to extensive ECU tuning, the SLEDGEHAMMER package includes SPI's in-house developed headers and sport exhaust, as well as SPI's MONSTER intercooler package and SPI-massaged GT30R turbos. More details on Switzer's SLEDGEHAMMER conversion can be found on SPI's website. The SLEDGEHAMMER package retails for 49990USD, and is available through SPI.

Contact SPI for more information.