The Garage: Your daily dose of automotive news, reviews and motorsports coverage
Somebody call Robby Gordon and tell him we found out where he was supposed to be born. Sweden. Is there anywhere else that would be more perfect for a hard driving, truck flogging guy like Gordon? Once you’ve watched Formula Off Road Racing from Ba?lsta Sweden, I think you’ll agree with me.
Source: YouTube via Bangshift
I know how much some of our readers love seeing busted up sports and exotic cars, so I thought this one from Poland might be worth sharing.
This is purported to be the first crash of a new Porsche Macan, the company’s sporty crossover vehicle. It seems that this unfortunate porker in Radomierz, Poland was involved in a head on collision with an Audi A4, which caused the Porsche to flip and hit a tree. Polish news reports that the A4 was being driven by a 19 year old male while a 53 year old male was driving the Porsche with a 63 year old male passenger. All three men have been taken to hospital, and there are no reports yet on their condition.
Potential injuries aside, I would have to say that the cabin structure of the Macan performed quite admirably.
Nows Source: kontact24 with files from Wrecked Exotics
Although even the least car focused general public know the name Ferrari, but somehow I suspect that many don’t quite understand the passion that enthusiasts feel for the cars that Enzo built. There are people out there who just can’t grasp why people are so upset about the Ferrari that was banged up in Toronto earlier this week. They just don’t get it. Even young enthusiasts, who get that the car is beautiful, ferocious and rare probably don’t truly appreciate the history behind the car.
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I have finally done it. I have finally become a Porsche owner.
Muscle car prices have been on the rise for a couple of decades, because they are the cars the Boomers dreamed of in high school. Porsche 911 prices have shot up in recent years as rich guys my age who had that 911 Turbo posters on the wall, while other guys lusted after that Lambo door stop. Even though I grew up around a 901 and have always wanted a 911, it was the 944 that stole my heart back then. Today, my kid accompanied me on a short road trip to buy one.
There was something about the 944, with its body styling stolen from the German 924 Turbo race cars I had seen in the magazines that I fell in love with. The muscular stance was intoxicating. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a rabid front engine Porsche fanatic or anything, but to this day I have a soft spot for the car.
I wasn’t really on a hunt for a Porsche. I am just fed up with seeing so many of my American and West Coast auto journo friends having cool old cars that they can drive all year round if they so choose. I have been looking for a cheap old car from the south that I could bring home. My Wife and Daughter could drive it for a few months and then I could flip it for a profit. Say a nice old Beetle or something. We can drive nice old cars here from about April until October, so why not.
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For the recent launch of the new 2015 WRX STI, Subaru Canada took a bunch of Canuck auto journos to Buttonwillow Raceway, where they were introduced to a driver worthy of showing them what the STI is capable of. Tommi Mäkinen. We all get to go on some pretty cool events, but still I can’t help but feel jealous that I was not part of this trip. I mean come on, this is Tommi freakin Mäkinen, a real rally superstar. Watching him catch air in this bone stock, Canadian spec STI is most excellent, but it would have been better in person.
Just a note for some of you young bucks who might think that Mäkinen was solely a Mitsu pilot. Sure, his fame came from his performance in Subaru’s main rival’s machines, but the final two seasons of his career were spent in a Subaru. It is actually kind of frightening to think that the Finn retired fully 11 years ago! It seems like yesterday.
Following yesterday’s destruction of a Ferrari F40 in Toronto, I thought it might be fun to string together a few Ferrari crash videos for your viewing, errr, pleasure.
First up, we have perhaps one of the most infamous Ferrari crash videos, which also happened here in Canada. The scene was Targa Newfoundland and the driver was Calgary’s Zahir Rana. The car was Rana’s FXX, which came to rest in a lake. It was epic.
Any smart racing team these days realizes that the internet plays a huge role in providing exposure for their sponsors. Not only do you have to get content out there, but you have to get it out there before the rest, so that your content isn’t mired in with all of the other teams, many who wait until they are back at the shop to get working on media.
Our friends at Shea Racing do a better job than most of banging out great content after each race weekend. In this teaser video from Barber Motorsports Park over the weekend, we experience the start of a Pirelli World Challenge race front three different spots on the grid. Team owner Shea Holbrook, Paul Holton and Toronto driver P.J. Groenke take the green and begin their battle. Each driver gets a great start, attacking cars ahead of them on the grid. I can’t wait to see the full video.
I suppose that depends on your definition of cool, but as I debate over Suzuki vs. rotary for my Spridget, this guy has taken the bull by the horns and jammed an 8 pot where it was never intended to be: in a Smart car. YouTuber Keith Pufal has posted a video of his buddy’s Smart that has been stuffed full of big block, taking its first pass down the strip at No Limit Raceway in Indiana. The contraption looks kinda slow off the line, but a few tweaks saw it run a 12.2. They are hoping to get it down to into the 10’s.
My kid just looked over my shoulder and told me that there is no such thing as a cool Smart car. He also suggested removing the wheelie bar to create the World’s first self-tipping Smart. The kid might be on to something.
Updated: An industry insider who wishes to remain nameless informs us that the F40 was owned by the dealer and had been sold to a customer. Incredibly, the Dart was a new car that was owned by the same dealer and was being driven by a lot attendant!
Over the years, the lads at Jalopnik have supported a campaign called Save the Enzos, which comes to life every time some hapless rich guy wads up his Million dollar supercar. Today, perhaps we can switch that up a bit to include the iconic Ferrari F40.
Earlier today, a mechanic at Ferrari of Ontario was returning from a road test in an F40. As the mechanic made a left turn, the driver of a late model Dodge Dart ran the red light, clobbering the scarlet machine. The drivers of both vehicles were unhurt, but as you can see from the images, both vehicles sustained significant damage. The difference is that the damage to the Ferrari is likely worth more than the Dart owner earns in a couple of years.
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If you thought the on track behaviour of the amateur Daddy Warbucks drivers at Sebring was bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Meet Vadim Kogay, a Russian driver in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Kogay’s ride is an anything but white bread Ferrari 458 GT. The driver (and I use the term very loosely) took his toy to Monza and proceeded to teach the world what a real racing driver can do. Spinning alone under yellow, blocking traffic and swerving all over the track are just part of the fun. At one point, the guy puts himself off and then cuts back onto the track in front of a competitor, very nearly causing a massive collision.
Even funnier than the on track action is the commentary from the television dudes, who come out with gems such as “And that’s going to go over like a cup of cold sick with the race director”. This cat is going to become an internet star, let’s just hope he doesn’t kill someone along the way.
