FAIL: 2 Fast, 2 Furious Lancer Evo VII Breaks Free Of Dyno In Peurto Rico [Video]

Dynamometers, or dynos for short, are a useful tool in any racer’s arsenal. By applying some basic physical principles, a dyno can calculate the amount of horsepower and torque being transferred from the wheels to the track, without ever needing to leave the safety of the garage.
So here’s the scoop (according to the posters): some students at Mech-Tech College in Ponce, Puerto Rico were putting a Lancer Evolution VII through its paces on the school’s dyno, when disaster struck. Everything seems normal until 16 seconds in, when the Lancer careens to the left and slides off. Of course, it was all captured on video for our edification.

According to the EvolutionM forum, the vehicle was improperly strapped down. It has something to do with the fitting of a Blow Off Valve (BOV) dump tube which changes the way the vehicle behaves both on the track...and on the dyno. Of course, nobody seems to have taken this into account when tying the Evo down.
Check out the vid and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Evolutionm , Via: WFC

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Audi, What Big Eyes You Have: New R18 is a Diesel Racer with Lots of LEDs

Audi has unleashed its latest LMP1 racer, the R18. After winning the Le Mans 24 Hours nine times since 1999 with the R8, R10 TDI and R15 TDI, the Ingolstadt-based automaker aims for the top spot with a closed coupe again.
“In the future, aerodynamic efficiency will be even more important at Le Mans than it was in the past”, says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “A closed car has clear advantages in this respect. Our computer simulations have been confirmed in the wind tunnel and during initial track tests”.

Unlike its predecessor, which had a 5.5-liter V10 diesel engine, the new model uses a much smaller, 3.7-liter V6 TDI, mated to a modified six-speed transmission.
The R18 features a one-piece carbon fiber monocoque, which saves weight and increases stiffness. Audi says that the chassis and aerodynamics were developed with a lot of know-how borrowed from the previous R models.
The headlights are the most eye-catching parts of the R18. Boasting “optimized” LED technology, they incorporate Audi light designers’ personal touch: daytime running lights shaped like a “1”. According to the press release, this was intended to inspire associations with the brand’s historic logo.
The Audi R18 was given the green light in mid 2009, while engine testing began in summer 2010. The first track test took place at the end of November, with Allan McNish at the wheel.
The Ingolstadt-based maker plans to enter three cars in next year’s Le Mans, run by Audi Sport Team Joest.

By Csaba Daradics

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Your Taxpayer Dollars at Work: DARPA wants a Roadable Aircraft for the US Military

The roadable aircraft is nothing new. It’s essentially an airplane with folding wings and four wheels, allowing it to be driven like a car. It’s so old, in fact, that working examples have been in existence since 1949 in the form of the eponymous Aerocar. Which begs the question: why haven’t we tried to militarize these things? After all, we’ve successfully militarized the motorcycle, the automobile and the airplane.
As anything is possible when you have a defense budget that rivals the GDP of East Timor, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is providing Terrafugia, builders of the world’s only (in more than one sense of the word) working roadable aircraft with US$65 million of funding to build a four-seat roadable aircraft known as the Transformer / TX.

The Massachusetts based firm is teaming up with AAI, a U.S. DoD contractor and builder of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and its Textron subsidiaries to build the TX, which will have a proposed range of 280 miles on land and air, vertical take-off capability and automated flight controls for operation by non-pilots.
Strangely enough, it sounds to me like the same thing Paul Moller has been working on for the last forty years in the form of his M400 Skycar. Somebody ought to give that man a DoD contract just for trying.
The three phase program expects to produce a working prototype as early as Q1 2015, with the TX being pressed into medivac, remote resupply and Special Forces insertion roles sometime after that (you know, if it doesn’t all fall by the wayside *cough* *cough* X-33 *cough*). Though it has to be said: what part of this can’t be achieved with a Bell UH-60 helicopter and a HumVee?
Terrafugia CEO Carl Dietrich is, as one would expect, very excited about the project:
"This DARPA program effectively leverages Terrafugia's core competencies and enables us to grow from a pure [General Aviation] company to an emerging aerospace company with both general aviation and defense development programs. Our strong team of Terrafugia engineers with recent experience designing and building a dual purpose vehicle will bring a unique perspective to the TX program that is highly valued by DARPA and the other contractors on our TX team."
But don’t think that all this talk about militarization will dissolve the dream of the roadable aircraft for John Q. Public; Terrafugia is still committed to producing its Transition Light Sport Aircraft with an expected launch after Q3 2011.

By Tristan Hankins

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Ford Unwraps Mustang Boss 302S Turn-Key Ready Racecar

With the introduction of the Mustang Boss 302S, Ford wants to offer enthusiasts an affordable way to road race. Based on the street legal Boss 302, the new racer is Ford’s third competition car to be sold through Ford Racing dealers, after the Mustang FR500S and FR500 CJ “Cobra Jet”.

“Ford Racing is excited to add an additional turn-key ready to race car to our stable, which includes the highly successful FR500C, FR500S, BOSS 302R and Cobra Jet”, said Mark Wilson, Engineering Manager Ford Racing. “The enthusiasts who purchase the Boss 302S will be competitive in both the World Challenge GTS and the NASA American Iron Series. We look forward to adding their names to the Boss 302's racing history”.
Developed by Ford Racing engineers, the 302S boasts a 440 hp 5.0-liter V8, coupled to a six-speed transmission of the standard car. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a T2 Torsen differential, while the suspension was beefed up with two-way adjustable coil-over dampers and Ford Racing anti-roll bars. 4-piston Brembo brakes provide stopping power.
As any self-respecting racecar, the Boss 302S comes with a complete aero kit, including a heat extracting fiberglass bonnet, adjustable front splitter and huge carbon fiber rear wing. Every car will come with a graphics package mimicking the original 1969 Boss 302.
The cabin was stripped of any components deemed unnecessary and fitted with a roll cage, race seat with 6-point belt, quick release steering wheel and AIM data acquisition system with GPS.
Built at Ford’s Flat Rock plant in Michigan, the racing-flavored 302S will be available in the second quarter of 2011. MSRP has been set at $79,000.

By Csaba Daradics

Ford Mustang Boss 302S specs
Engine
5.0L BossR engine
Engine oil cooler
FR serialized intake badge
Boss 302 fuel system
Upgraded cooling system

Driveline
5L Boss 6 speed transmission with stock Boss 302 clutch/flywheel
Torsen Diff
3.73 gears
FR1 Muffler

Chassis
Front: coil over struts
Front lower control arms with extended ball joint and delrin bushing kit
FR adjustable front swaybar
Caster/Camber plates
Rear: coil over shocksTubular lower control arms with spherical bearings
FR Swaybar
EPAS with unique Ford Racing calibration
FIA Spec 6 point roll cage

Electrical
Lightened FR wiring harness
AMB Transponder
Switch plate – Start/ignition, aux switches

Interior
AIM data aquisition system with GPS
Recaro HANS Pro Racer seat
Fire system with 2 nozzles
Quick release racing steering wheel
Window net
Safety system triangle nets
6 point racing harness
Master cut off switch

Exterior
FR front splitter
Rear adjustable CF wing
Unique fiberglass hood with air extractors
Hood pins
18X9.5″ wheels
Boss 302S graphics package
F/R tow hooks

Brakes
Brembo race 4 piston front brake system
2 piece 14″ front rotors
2 piece 12″ rear rotors
PFC racing pads
Brake duct kit
Stainless steel brake lines
FR brake booster assembly
Unique FR ABS calibration

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WaterCar Gator: An Amphibious VW Beetle-Based Jeep Lookalike for the Budget Minded

In October ’09 we brought you details and pictures of WaterCar’s US$200,000 Python: a Corvette-engined sea going convertible / roadable speed boat. It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t cheap, but some child-like part of us was enthralled with the sheer absurdity of it. Well, if you're on a tight(er) budget, the company also offers a considerably cheaper model. The Gator is essentially a kit car, albeit an impressive looking one at that.

Inspired by the Myers Manx of the 1960s (and looking like a Jeep Wrangler), the US$29,500 Gator comes with a complete fibreglass body, gear box and transmission, water jet propulsion unit, high torque drive axles, front and rear suspension parts, head lights, steering assembly and various stainless steel parts.
All an enterprising buyer has to do is bolt in the chassis and engine from a Volkswagen Beetle and e viola; you have your very own amphibious automobile. Though one has to wonder: does this make the Python, which costs almost ten times as much, redundant?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

By Tristan Hankins

Link: Watercar

What is included in the kit:
1. WaterCar Fiberglass Body and Hull Assembly
2. WaterCar Patented Gear Box and Transmission Assembly
3. Rear Water Jet Propulsion Unit
2. Hood
3. Doors
4. Deck Lid
5. All Various Stainless Hinges and Door Latches
5. Windshield
6. Left and Right High Torque Drive Axles
7. Front and Rear Suspension Components
8. Head Light Assemblies
9. Steering Assembly (Both water and road)
10. Stainless Steel Hardware
PRICE FOR KIT: $29,500.00

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