Showing posts with label mosler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mosler. Show all posts

17.2.09

seriously, i can do better than this



In the past 10 or 12 years, I've been through quite a bit. I've lived. I've learned. I've loved. I've lost.

Sometimes, though, I don't lose. Instead, everything comes together and I get things right - and on those rare days I really do Know what I am Doing, and I am the best in the business.

The ass-bags at Cerberus, CLEARLY, have never had one of those days.

See, it is in these two pages here, that we see Cerberus' alarming lack of creativity and talent. Here, in pages 1 and 2, of the eagerly awaited "viability plan" that Cerberus' Chrysler hopes to present to this great nation's government as justification - as PLEA - for billions of taxpayer dollars to bankroll the company's continued existence, we can see the problem.


PAGE 1



PAGE 2



Blank.

That about sums it up, no?

Jalopnik's Ray Wert offered that the cover of Cerberus' presentation looked something like a high-school history report cover, circa 1997. I think he was being charitable.

See, in 1997 I was 19 years old, working for Mosler Automotive and generally screwing up my life with crazy debt, irresponsible spending, and other trappings of youth. I was also building websites, I was generating ad copy, I was processing photos, and I was completely Psyched about what I was doing. I was doing everything wrong, but I was Doing it ... and I was learning.

As before: I've grown since those days, but the most important thing I have learned is that success is a product of creativity, talent, and Hard work.

Cerberus, those stock-trading jagoffs who think "buy low, sell high" is somehow equivalent to "hard work", CLEARLY phoned this in. At no point, it seems, did anyone at Cerberus or Chrysler (from the copy boy on up to the CEO) even bother to even read this "viability plan" - arguably the single most important document in Chrysler's history. Arguably one of the most important documents in the great history and Rapidly approaching future of this troubled America.

If they read it, and let it out into the wild - then that is worse. THAT, friends, means that they saw the utter half-assery of the whole thing, the buffoonery and the stupidity, and simply let it slide.

In this, Cerberus has revealed themselves to be a bunch of chumps, fakes, and liars. Chumps, fakes, and liars that, it should be noted, want to continue to play CEO with other people's money, and who darkened the star that Lee himself made shine so bright when similar challenges faced him three decades ago.

May the "men" of Cerberus starve in a soup line, and rot in a particularly nasty and Wiggles-infested circle of Hell.

20.11.08

million-dollar blast from the past



While taking in my morning egosurf, I stumbled across this 1994 press release from Mosler Automotive. I'll let the release - covering the original million-dollar challenge - speak for itself, adding only that Warren Mosler is a sick, sick dude, and the world is a better place for that.


Mosler Intruder Debuts at $1 million Challenge

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (BUSINESS WIRE) - Dec. 13, 1994


The new Mosler V-8 Intruder out paced all challengers at the 3.7 mile Sebring 12 Hour course on Dec. 3, with a lap time of 2:19.77 seconds, according to SCCA timing and scoring officials.

The event was held in conjunction with TrackTime Performance Driving School with all school participants eligible to challenge the Intruder.
Fifth wheel tests of the Intruder produced a 4.1 second 0 to 60 mph run and an incredible 7.9 second 60 to 120 mph time. The quarter mile was covered in 12 seconds at over 120 mph. "These are excellent times, but only the beginning," said Jeff McComb of Mosler Motorsports.

"The production Intruders will be much quicker...with the incorporation of a limited slip differential and some minor suspension adjustments, we expect to meet our performance target of 3.5 second in the 0 to 60 and an 11.4 second quarter-mile time." The Mosler Intruder is intended to be the quickest performance car manufactured U.S. legal.

The Intruder is powered by a mid-mounted, Lingenfelter tuned, Corvette LT-1 V-8. This 383 cubic inch engine produces 446 hp at 6,500 rpm. The advanced composite monocoque construction, pioneered by Consulier Engineering, results in a total weight of only 2,400 lbs. with A/C, power steering, brakes, windows and locks, CD stereo and telephone. Top speed is expected to exceed 175 mph.

In compliance with the agreement with U.S. Electricar, the Mosler Intruder will not carry the Consulier name. It is currently priced at $98,000. Production will take nine months on a one-off basis as orders are placed.

CONTACT: Mosler Motorsports, Riviera Beach

G. Jeffery McComb

dubtastic mt900








I've covered the crazymad Nelson Racing MT900 before (HERE, and HERE) but if there's one lesson we can learn from this twin-turbo hellion, it is this: more is always better.

With that in mind, here is some SEMA-floor coverage from DUB Daily.

Enjoy!

21.9.08

mosler dominates spa






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).




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.

20.9.08

nelson racing engine






I know this is old news by now, but Corvette Mike is building himself a monstrous 1635 hp MT900 to terrify the Veyrons with.

I've covered the car before (HERE and, more recently, HERE), but this is the first photo I've seen of the Nelson Racing ultimate V8 (above).

CLICK HERE for the original World Car Fans article.

11.9.08

short interview






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.

9.9.08

consulier in the wild






The guys over at the Car Domain blog caught this S1 Consulier GTP convertible across the street form their offices - crazy!

Less than 10 of these top-down 2.2L turbo terrors were made, if I remember correctly, so the odds of them catching this are pretty slim ... or maybe not?

Anyone know where their offices are located? If they're less than 5 miles from Mosler's, I call "Meh."

25.8.08

one lap turns 25






Last week, Winding Road magazine published a great article highlighting 25 years of One Lap history. Having been at Mosler for two of their three overall wins ('97 and '99, with the Mosler Raptor - shown, above) I was especially happy to see an S1 Consulier GTP included in the article.

CLICK HERE to jump directly to the Consulier, presented with some fellow One Lap oddballs: a Mitsubishi Fuso box truck and Brock "the Animal" Yates himself.

20.8.08

ha! she said "batsh*t"!








At about 1:25 in to the 10 July episode of "Fast Lane Daily", uber-auto-hottness Alexandra Gizela tells us about the Nelson Racing 1635 hp Mosler MT900 (covered HERE a few days ago).

She says "batshit" at 1:39. HA!


I'm an idiot.

4.7.08

mt900 amerigasm v. ducati italia








I know this is video's a bit old, but it's the 4th of July - a Fantabulous excuse for a red white and blue MT900 Amerigasm!

The clip itself is from Britain's "Fifth Gear" program, and I'm betting Dusty, Freddy, and any other Duc-lovers out there wouldn't mind seeing it again. It's also doubly appropriate since we'll be touring the old Mosler Auto Care Center (MACC) later this week with Tobias (the German intern) and Johnny Temerian, who is responsible for the Privilege Palm Beach Supercar Weekend and numerous other "lifestyle" events in and around South Florida. I'm sure Tobias will take lots of pics, so stay tuned.

14.6.08

mosler mt900 xx






Having spent a few years at Mosler and developing a great working relationship with Rod Trenne and some of the other key players, I have some mixed emotions about the way this car is being put forward (and why now? why not '05?) but those are stories for another day.

Today is Warren's day - and this is far and away the Sikkest bit of all-American kit available anywhere.


(from Autoblog | by Dan Roth)

Warren Mosler has been producing his unique brand of supercar for 20 years now, starting with the unholy ugliness of the Consulier GTP and culminating, at least thus far, with the new MT900 GTR XX seen above. From the quirky-looking Consulier to the much slicker current car, Mosler has never had to make any excuses for his vehicles' performance or advanced construction techniques. They've always been fast, and they've always been on the cutting edge of build science.

This new alphabet-soup Mosler is only available to European buyers, and is essentially a roadgoing version of the MT900 R racer, with the XX suffix designating 20 years of production. The GTR XX is undergoing testing at Florida's Homestead Raceway to dial in the suspension and dynamic tuning of the carbon-fiber-constructed, LS7-powered, scorchingly fast supercar. Once the adjustable coil-overs and swaybars are dialled in, lucky Europeans will be able to put an MT900 GTR XX in their garages.

Mosler fans in the United States will only be able to drool as they gaze across the Atlantic with really powerful binoculars.

1.4.08

super smart smarter than stupid cars






RENNTECH's 722 tuning package for the Mercedes SLR McLaren supercar has been generating a lot of attention recently, as has RENNTECH's appointment as the American agent for the Mercedes-Benz McLaren 722GT club racer and SLR.Club Trophy USA series.

Building on these runaway successes, RENNTECH has released details of an exciting new project called the 7.22. Based on the new Smart ForTwo, the 7.22 is powered by two (2) 1000cc, 3 cyl. Smart engines, each mated to its own 5-speed, automated transmission.

“One engine drives the front wheels, the other drives the rears,” explains Hartmut Feyhl, RENNTECH's president and ex-technical director of AMG North America. “One of my employees, Jo Borras, previously worked with Mosler to build their dual-engined Cadillac TwinStar, and made the magazine rounds a few years later with his own twin-engined Hyundai Tiburon. It seemed like a good idea to try on the Smart, so we went with it.”

Each of the Smart's drive units exists in its own subframe, complete with its own ECU and electronics, making the process fairly straightforward. Feyhl explained that once the steering mechanism was integrated into the engine's cradle, the resulting subframe mounted directly to the existing safety cell, using the same mounting points as the original. Feyhl admits “the hardest part was getting the 7.22's new plastic bodywork 'right'.”

Interestingly, since each engine and transmission assembly is completely isolated, there is no need to synchronize the two. Feyhl informed us that “each engine and ECU finds its job suddenly easier, and simply acts as if it were going downhill or carrying a lighter load.”

Never ones to leave well enough alone, however, the crew at RENNTECH set to work on their pint-sized terror ... but even putting out a string of 750 hp SLR McLarens and 900 lb-ft bi-turbo AMG cars didn't prepare them for what happeed next.

The boys at RENNTECH were surprised (“shocked” might be a better word) by what happened when the software engineers cracked the Smart's Bosch electronics and removed the engine's rev limiters. “It revved like a liter-bike,” says Feyhl, “and none of us expected anything quite like that!”

Using the Triumph Speed Triple motorcycle's torque curve as a guide, RENNTECH's software engineers began massaging the Smart's fuel maps until they achieved a totally unbelievable result: 91 raucous, twitchy horsepower at a stratospheric 11,800 rpm.

That's right, kiddies. Ninety-one peak horsepower at eleven-thousand, eight-hundred rpm from each of the two Smart 3 cylinders ... and the new, RENNTECH-imposed rpm limit? An absolutely SCREAMING 13,200 rpm.

The end result is a twin-engined, 182 hp AWD street machine that zips from zero to sixty in an astonishing (and terrifying!) 5.1 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 138 mph.

Getting all of the RENNTECH Smart 7.22's newfound power to the ground are a set of specially-designed 17” RENNTECH forged Monolite wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot sport tires. Hard, fade-free stops are made possible by RENNTECH's 14” 2-piece rotors and Smart-specific 4 piston calipers, while RENNTECH's new “Go-eco” exhaust system makes use of futuristic technology to ensure that the 7.22's only emissions are a blend of pure oxygen and a potpourri of fresh lilacs and honeyuckle.

The RENNTECH Smart 7.22 is available today for $39,990. Contact RENNTECH for more (please check today's date before ordering).

18.1.08

namesakes






This is the cover of the March 2001 Car and Driver, and happens to be the cover blurb that inspired this little corner of the blogosphere into existence.

The car pictured is, of course, Warren Mosler's revolutionary MT900 - one of the meanest, nastiest, snarliest little monsters ever let loose on public roads. That the thing was immediately shunned (if not outright outlawed) from the OneLap of America events was not surprising ... that no lap dogs shot Warren on sight was.

Mosler's MT900 is the 19 year old ringer on your kid's little league team, and big-dollar efforts from guys like Ron Adee, Peter Ferrell, and even my current patriarch at RENNtech found that out the hard way, lining up one by one to be buried by the featherweight MT.

Designed by Rod Trenne - who saved weight by using the same state of the art materials NASA did to make the space shuttle's potty - the MT900 took it's name from the initials of the principals involved (Mosler and Trenne, respectively) and the car's weight: 900 kg.

Is it any wonder, then, that the RENNtech boys started building 1000 ft-lb. twin-turbo V12's and Ferrell gave up the business altogether (presumably to harass hundreds of otherwise innocent web forum noobs)?

No.

No it isn't.

This was the big nuclear atom bomb that was supposed to turn Mosler Automotive into the American Ferrari (and they might still be on their way - but probably not), and - much like nuclear fallout - the thing probably glows in the dark and cackles/crackles at the Geiger counters whenever they get too close. Like the Consuliers and all-conquering OneLap Raptors before it, the message from this sikk puppy was clear: this car is DANGEROUS, and your car is slow.

16.11.07

sub_lime mosler






Warren Mosler builds these MT900's a few blocks down the road from RENNtech in Riviera Beach, FL. The MT is the original "Sunshine Supercar" this 'blog gets its name from, having been called that on a 1999 Car and Driver cover story (not as catchy as "Bad-Ass Benz!" but still ... ).

In any event, I've been begging W to build (me) a Mopar sub-lime car since he was still pushing Intruders in the latter 90's, and it looks like someone finally got to him (or wrote a check, you can never tell).

You can see more pics of this awesome, 500 hp, 900kg car after the jump. Key lime Mosler gallery.