Over the past few months, we’ve been happy to bring you our first series of videos from the 2008 IMPA Test Days. On the track, through the mud and even on the streets of the Pocono Mountains we had some fun exploring the limits of cars, trucks and sanity.
This series was put together by our resident Video Ninja, Scott Simmons who stepped outside of his usual role as film editor and into the role of shotgun shooter. As you’ve all had fun watching my skill at decapitating cones, you already know that Scott has nerves of steel joining me at 140 mph!
For our final episode, crank up the speakers, as this one is an auditory delight. Be sure to watch right to the end to see why my kids need therapy.
Vintage race meets have a habit of bringing out the legends and the 2007 VARAC Festival did not disappoint. Canadian racing legend and the last Can Am series Champion Horst Kroll was in attendance with an old friend in tow. Continue reading →
Regular readers here in The Garage know that I’ve got a soft spot for the Nissan’s twisty warrior, the 350Z. In stock form it’s one of the best all around sports cars I’ve ever driven, besting many cars that cost more than double. This season, Nissan is upping the ante with a hi-po version that’s decked out with the full line of Nismo upgrades.
Beginning with the cosmetic stuff, there is a full aero package that was inspired by the factory Super GT Championship winning cars. This body kit doesn’t only look good though, as it provides additional downforce at high speeds that will be most welcome on lapping days.
One of the great things about 350Z owners is that many of them actually do take their cars to local track days. The Nismo is even better equipped for the track, with a tweaked suspension, free breathing exhaust and big Brembo brakes to slow things down. Horsepower is up to 306.
Things are incredibly busy here in The Garage today, so it’s a good time for a video. Oh and what a video. Shell’s upcoming Hooked on Driving DVD is looking like it may be one of the best driver training aids ever produced. Sample clip #3 covers one of the questions most often asked by aspiring drivers, How do I heel & toe and why?
This next clip is just great. The production team has managed to cram a pretty comprehensive introductory lapping lesson into a 4 minute clip. Listen carefully class, as this is the cheapest driving school you’ll ever attend!
Once you’re addicted to this dvd, you can visit the Hooked on Driving site to see pictures, find schedules and join the community.
Here’s one for all you Lotus Elise fans. Those lucky guys over at Axis of Oversteer recently spent the day at Lime Rock Park at an open lapping day. As always, they have some stunning pics of some really cool machinery. It always amazes me how many people there are with a ton of money when you see some of the casual drivers who show up for a lapping day with ultra rare, expensive race cars. Enjoy the full gallery at A of O.
If things have seemed a bit quiet in The Garage over the past couple of days, it’s because life has been pretty hectic around here. I’ve been asked to leave my post as Service Manager at the Nissan store & move to the Mazda store our dealer group owns. It seems that the service department there is having some problems and they are hoping that little ol moi can help solve them. It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s also going to be a lot of fun learning the ins & outs of the new product line.
I’ve already started scanning e-bay for a beat up old miata to turn into a lapping day warrior.
Most people assume that guys in the car industry are car freaks. For the most part, nothing could be further from the truth. Even if cars were the reason they got into the industry, most people in a dealership have lost that spark. I must admit, that after all these years, while I’m still a complete car fanatic, a new car has to be really special before I actually rave about it. I’ve been sick this week & was feeling pretty low, when I heard a ripping noise outside my office. I knew without even seeing it that there was a Porsche of some sort waiting for me to sample & suddenly my spirits came alive. Nothing like a quick shot of automotive adrenaline to cure the common cold! A silver 2006 Porsche Cayman S, just for me!
Silly nicknames aside, I must admit that I was smitten by the shape of the new Cayman when I first saw one. The rear 1/4 view has the look of a muscular cat waiting to pounce. Overall, the shape is undeniably Porsche and I think this will become one of Porsche’s defining models over time.
On first inspection, the large (12.5″ front, 11.8″ rear) brake discs and giant red calipers are visually stunning and really caught the eye. Looking around the car, the fit & finish were excellent. The rear trunk actually looks like you might be able to fit some clubs inside, though your Callaway driver would have to ride shotgun. Sliding into the cockpit, the interior feels quite snug, but there was just enough room for my 5′ 11″ passenger & my rotund frame fit nicely. The driver’s seat could stand to move back about another inch, but the engine compartment doesn’t allow room for that and the seats could be a bit lower to the floor. Owners who run their Cayman at lapping days will want to replace the driver’s seat with a lower profile racing seat, as there isn’t enough headroom for a helmet. One thing Porsche has done a great job of is creating storage space. There are little stoarge cubbies all over, not to mention a large glove box, making the Cayman a good car for real life. It even has 2 cupholders that are so exquisite that they could only have been designed by German engineers, it’s a shame that in the real world, they will likely get snapped off the dash.
A twist of the key and the 3.4 L 295 hp flat six growls to life. In todays world of fuel injected perfection, this engine is a bit of an anomoly. The idle is rough, with all the burps & farts that one usually associates with an all out race engine, not that of a street car. In fact, that rough idle is odd, given that the engine is striking in it’s smoothness once moving. The interior is quiet and calm at all speeds, which is quite a feat given that you are riding only inches from the engine. Porsche claims a 0-60 time of 5.1 seconds and I believe it. With the short time we had with the car, we weren’t able to do any real testing, but pulled off a 0-60 of about 6 seconds without any drama. The car just hooks up and goes. On occasion the PSM (short for Porsche Stability Management) kicked in and is so subtle that many drivers won’t notice it. This is a hero car that will make many drivers feel much more talented than they really are! The top speed is reported to be 171 mph, but in the urban setting we weren’t about to test that number.
There are those who say that the new Porsche Cayman S may be the best handling street car that Porsche has ever built. We should be able to test that out this summer when we join our Data guy at a few local PCA lapping days. For now, I’m going to have to keep jonesing for a drive whenever I can because it’s been a long time since I’ve driven a car that cranked me up as much as the Cayman S did.
