Luca Di Montezemolo, starter of honour of the 2009 “24 HEURES DU MANS”
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first of the 9 Ferrari victories at Le Mans, and to mark the presence of 10 F430 GT Ferraris on the track (the biggest number of cars of the same make in the race this year), Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, current President of Ferrari and the Fiat Group, has warmly accepted to give the start to the 2009 “24 Heures du Mans” on Saturday, 13th June at 3.00 p.m.

Interestingly (all forumites seem to have the same idea at the same time? Food for thought?) I just posted today in another forum about my "Dream Car", hope the ods here do not mind if I share:

[url]http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/518568-post.html[/url] ([url]http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/518568-post.html[/url])

Enjoy (and if you ever hear of one available - broken or not. I can repair anything on it - let me know first, plz)!

Rattler

Henry Surtees: A talented driver, loving son and brother

Henry Surtees died yesterday following an accident in a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch.

Henry, aged 18, graduated to the revived F2 series earlier this year after racing in Formula Renault UK and Formula BMW. On Saturday he claimed his first podium finish of the season after coming third in the opening race of the weekend.

He had raced in karts from the age of eight and won the Super 4 Junior Gearbox Championship in 2005, moving on to car racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2006 in which he finished third.

He switched to single seaters the following year, racing in Formula Renault and the Formula BMW UK Championship with Carlin Motorsport. He finished sixth in the championship overall and second in the Rookie Cup with a win, eight podium finishes and two fastest laps.

Last year he raced in Formula Renault UK finishing 12th in the main championship and second in the Winter Series. He also competed in the final two rounds of the British F3 National Class Championship at Donington Park, claiming a win and a second place.

In a tribute to his son, John Surtees said Henry had just finished his A' levels and was thriving on the freedom to concentrate on his racing.

"Despite bad luck in his motorsport, he had shown himself to be one with the possibilities of reaching the very top, despite his young age. He had shown maturity, technical understanding and speed.

"Most importantly he was a nice person and a loving son and brother.  He will be deeply missed."

Since the early 1920s, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit has resounded with a thousand and one fabulous tales of those heroic times in which they drove on earth roads at the wheel of awesome machines.

Conceived by Liège aristocrats within a magic triangle between Francorchamps, Malmédy and Stavelot, its route through the magnificent scenery of the Ardennes has taken on a force of character that has stood the test of time.

Photo of the trackIn 1939 human imagination gave birth to a unique bend. Raidillon - Eau Rouge was to become famous throughout the world, the cynosure of every driver. As motor sport has evolved, the circuit has always been kept up to FIA requirements in terms of safety over the most prestigious competitions such as Formula 1 and Endurance Sportscar Racing. It has gone back to its roots with the Sports Prototypes. It is looking boldly toward the future and new formulae. At the crossroads of Europe, it is the driving force behind an entire economy and a perfect host site for any promotional activity.

pictures: [url]http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=15596[/url] ([url]http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=15596[/url])

At least 6 of those pics are *exceptionally great* from my (ex) professional POV.

One question: Does biertijd mean what I think it means (time for beer?)

Rattler

ROFL....

Put it into another Cobra, maybe!

Rattler

You don´t get it, the last *real* V8 cars

After writing an article about it´s qualities on another forum ([url]http://hereandnowgroup-hang.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=chat&thread=87&page=2[/url] ([url]http://hereandnowgroup-hang.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=chat&thread=87&page=2[/url])) I have convinced myself I am driving the wrong car: Buying an R4 (my third) on sunday, shot it for 500 Euros, with ITV and lese...

I was just referring to engine sounds...

I also had one...a sand-colour one....the ideal car for a guy who spent half of his time in the pub...the car stood unlocked outside double parked....people used to push it forward and back when they wanted to leave  :D
[url]http://4lteam.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/6653526.jpg[/url] ([url]http://4lteam.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/6653526.jpg[/url])

([url]http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/4/222/1041/38053020001_medium.jpg[/url])

This is the same as the first car I ever owned.  A Pontiac Parisian 1974.  It had a powerful V8 engine and worked like a dream.  I bought it for $400,  it was real expensive on gas though.

The other thing I do remember about it was that it had a 8 track music system and that I taught myself to drive in it.  It's a long story,  but basically  no one was willing to teach me to drive and I couldn't afford the lessons, so I would take it by myself around town.  Eventually I put in for my driving test and passed first time too!  Maybe I should have been a driving instructor?    ;D

The Transition is the brainchild of a group of engineers led by Carl Dietrich. Dietrich, his wife, Anna Mracek Dietrich, and the other engineers formed Terrafugia to develop a light sport aircraft that solves four of the shortcomings of other light airplanes. Carl Dietrich, a low-time VFR pilot, quickly learned that travel by light airplane has many obstacles to overcome, including weather sensitivity; ground transportation challenges upon landing; long door-to-door travel times including shifting between vehicles and moving bags and gear from car to airplane and back to car again; and high cost. The Transition, he says, addresses all four of those obstacles.

As an aircraft in the light sport category, Transition cannot fly in instrument weather conditions, so the pilot solves the weather-sensitivity issue by landing ahead of the weather and then driving beyond it. Ground transportation issues are solved because once you land, you can fold the wings and drive to your ultimate destination; door-to-door time is reduced because bags are handled only once and transition from car to airplane or back takes only 30 seconds; high cost is addressed because Transition gets 27 mpg in the air and 30 mpg on the ground and the owner can keep the vehicle at home in a single-car garage rather than an expensive hangar. Dietrich noted that there is a six-year waiting list for hangars at his airport, Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts. When you can get a hangar, they rent for $1,200 a month.

Of course, all of this comes at a projected price of $194,000 for a Transition when they are scheduled to start deliveries in 2011. That price point certainly puts it at or near the top of the list of light sport aircraft already in the field, but it certainly offers a level of flexibility not afforded a traditional airplane.

The Transition is a two-place aircraft made of mostly carbon fiber. A 100-horsepower Rotax 912S engine sits “under the hood” just ahead of the cockpit. A long carbon-fiber drive shaft transits the area between the two cockpit seats to a fixed-pitch composite pusher propeller in the back. The engine can burn either auto gas or avgas, although it prefers auto gas. A pair of rudders and vertical fins protect the propeller on the ground. However, the propeller is stopped when in ground mode. Then the Rotax powers the vehicle’s front-wheel drive system. Just aft of the vertical fins is an elevator. Out front, a canard also acts as a car bumper. The canard does not move, but it carries an electrically actuated elevator trim tab on the aft chord. The 27.5-foot wings house conventional ailerons; there are no flaps.

In the road mode, the vehicle from the front looks a bit like a Volkswagen Beetle with some additional appendages. Rather than enclosed in conventional fenders, the two front wheels are outboard of the engine compartment in fairings festooned with automotive-style struts, somewhat like the Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler. To switch from airplane to road mode, the vehicle must be stopped. The pilot throws a couple of switches and the wings fold up from the middle and at the root, collapsing next to the aft cockpit to a width of six feet, eight inches. To switch back to airplane mode, the vehicle must be stopped and the pilot must enter a personal identification number on a keypad next to his left knee and then swiftly move a lever on the center console to actuate electrical/mechanical interlocks to deploy the wings. In less than 30 seconds, the wings unfold. The PIN requirement is a security step to help prevent nonpilots from stealing the vehicle and attempting to fly it. Visible wing-root attach points and a bow-tie-shaped wing center joint latch as well as a shake of the ailerons show that the wing is fully deployed and latched for flight.

Inside, the pilot has a conventional steering wheel along with brake and accelerator pedals for ground mode. For airplane mode, he pulls up on a control stick collapsed between his knees and moves his feet outboard to two conventional rudder pedals. Aircraft power is managed with a center-mounted throttle control. In the current proof-of-concept vehicle, the center stack houses a multifunction display, a Garmin SL30 VHF nav/com, and a Garmin transponder. A Garmin 496 GPS sits on the glareshield/dash—handy for ground and air navigation.

A whole-airplane ballistic recovery system parachute will be an option on the Transition.

That looks very very nice!
If I were single, I'd think about just living in a trailer.

Design

Compact and powerful: The appearance of the Audi quattro concept makes no secret of its potential. Although the genes of the elegant Audi A5 and RS 5 Coupés are impossible to overlook, the appearance of the show car is far more aggressive and extroverted. Even the obvious differences between the base model and the evolution are more dramatic than between the Ur-quattro and the Sport quattro in 1984.

The concept car’s wheelbase is 150 millimeters (5.91 in) shorter than that of the RS 5. The primary reason for this, of course, was to enhance agility and reduce weight – form follows function.

In contrast to Sport quattro, the Audi designers also shortened the rear overhang by a total of 200 millimeters (7.87 in) to maintain the harmony of the basic proportions. Roof height was reduced by 40 millimeters (1.57 in) for this same reason.

With its exterior dimensions (length x width x height) of 4.28 m (14.04 ft) x 1.86 m (6.10 ft) x 1.33 m (4.36 ft) and wheelbase of 2.60 m (8.53 ft), the Audi quattro concept fits neatly into the sports car segment.

The low roof also reduces the height of the greenhouse and thus lowers the vehicle’s visual center of gravity. The muscular C-pillar is clearly an homage to the design of the Ur-quattro. As with that model, the trademark four rings can be found at the transition to the side of the vehicle, but in this case they are stamped into the sheet metal. Together with the large center-locking, 20-inch wheels in a 7-twin-spoke design, the lines make for extremely dynamic and powerful proportions when viewed from the side.

The wheel wells in the arched fenders are prominently flared – another quote from the design language of the Sport quattro. The same applies to the distinctive air outlet on the right side of the hood, which allows the five-cylinder engine to breathe more freely.

A significant feature of the front end is the stark single-frame grille. The elimination of the chrome frame lends it a functional and technical character. Large, upright air intakes at the corners of the bumper underscore the performance of the power plant.

The top of the grille merges into the flat strips of the headlight modules with their clear glass covers. All light units use ultra-efficient LED technology. The LED elements change their appearance between a horizontal and a vertical arrangement and thus change the character of the front end of the vehicle depending on the lighting function activated.

The strongly molded front skirt includes integrated carbon elements. This lightweight, yet extremely strong material is also used for the rear hatch and the hood, which are unpainted on the inside in order to use the visual quality of the material as a design element. The large spoiler integrated into the rear hatch is also made of carbon and extends automatically as needed and can be adjusted for maximum downforce.

Engines and transmissions

The allure of the five-cylinder engine

High-performance five-cylinder gasoline engines enjoy a long tradition at Audi, powering cars like the Ur-quattro to the head of the pack. Audi resurrected this line back to life in 2009 with the 340 hp, turbocharged FSI engine in the TT RS. The further developed engine in the Audi quattro concept extracts even more potential from this new, state-of-the-art five-cylinder foundation.

Numerous tweaks resulted in a substantial power increase to 408 hp, and its 480 Newton meters (354.03 lb-ft) of torque also leave the base version far behind.

Its basic concept makes an Audi five-cylinder an unusual engine. It has a firing interval of 144 degrees and a firing order of 1-2-4-5-3, alternately between directly adjacent cylinders and cylinders that are far apart.

This produces the distinctive rhythm and musical sound, which are also the result of the intake and exhaust geometry. A specially designed torsional vibration damper at the front end of the crankshaft compensates for the free moments of the engine.

Turbocharged gasoline engines are a traditional Audi domain, and the five-cylinder turbo in the Audi quattro concept is also a high-performance engine. Displacing 2,480 cubic centimeters, it produces 300 kW (408 hp) between 5,400 and 6,500 rpm. Peak torque of 480 Nm (354.03 lb ft) is already available at 1,600 and remains constant through 5,300 rpm. The powerful unit accelerates the Audi quattro concept from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 3.9 seconds.

The 2.5 liter TFSI is extremely compact. Its cylinder spacing measures 88 millimeters (3.46 in); the external main bearings were moved inside. Only
494 millimeters (19.45 in) long, the long-stroke engine (bore x stroke 82.5 x 92.8 millimeters [3.25 x 3.65 in]) is suitable not only for transverse installation in the
TT RS, but also for longitudinal installation in the emphatically short front end of the Audi quattro concept.

Its low weight of only 183 kilograms (403.45 lb) is also a record. It helps keep the total weight of the show car low and also offers significant advantages for the distribution of axle loads and thus for the car’s handling.

The 408-hp five-cylinder engine is surprisingly frugal, requiring an average of just 8.5 liters/100 km (27.67 US mpg). Its high efficiency can be attributed to the combination of FSI direct fuel injection and turbocharging, two Audi core technologies. This TFSI pairing harmonizes perfectly in motorsports, the world’s most demanding test lab: It has powered the R8 race car to five victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 63 victories in 80 other races.

The successful quattro principle

In the Audi quattro concept, Audi uses the latest evolutionary stage of its permanent all-wheel drive system for longitudinal engines – the quattro drive with self-locking crown-gear center differential and torque vectoring. 30 years after the debut of the first quattro at the Geneva Motor Show in 1980, Audi has once again expanded its lead over the competition.

Inside the new center differential are two rotating crown gears that owe their name to the crown-like design of their teeth. The front crown gear drives the output shaft to the front differential, the rear crown gear the propshaft to the rear axle. The connection here is provided by an ambitious construction. The new drivetrain design is roughly 3 kilograms (6.61 lb) lighter than the previous one.

The crown gears mesh with four rotatable pinion gears. They are arranged at right angles to each other and are driven by the differential’s housing, i.e. by the transmission output shaft.

Under normal driving conditions, the two crown gears rotate at the same speed as the housing. Because of their special geometry, they have specifically unequal lever effects. Normally 60 percent of the engine torque goes to the rear differential and 40 percent to the front differential.

If the torques change because one axle loses grip, different speeds and axial forces occur inside the differential and the integrated plate packages are pressed together. The resulting self-locking effect now diverts the majority of the torque to the axle with the better traction; up to 85 percent can flow to the back. In the opposite scenario – if the rear axle has less traction – the same happens in reverse; now up to 70 percent of the torque is diverted to the front axle.

With this extremely broad torque distribution range, the crown-gear center differential surpasses its predecessors – grip becomes even better. Forces are redistributed without any time lag and absolutely consistently. The mechanical operating principle guarantees maximum efficiency and immediate response. Other strong points of the crown-gear differential are its compactness and low weight – at 4.8 kilograms (10.58 lb) it is roughly two kilograms (4.41 lb) lighter than the previous unit.


Like on rails: quattro with sport differential

As a complement to the new quattro drivetrain, the Audi quattro concept also features the sport differential, which actively distributes torque between the rear wheels. When turning into or accelerating in a curve, the majority of the torque flows to the outside wheel and pushes the vehicle into the curve, nipping the tendency to oversteer or understeer in the bud.

The sport differential is a state-of-the-art rear differential. A superposition gear comprising two sun gears and an internal gear was mounted on the left and the right of a conventional rear differential. It turns 10 percent faster than the drive shaft.

A multi-plate clutch in an oil bath and operated by an electrohydraulic actuator provides the power connection between the shaft and the superposition gear. When the clutch closes, it steplessly imposes the higher speed of the superposition stage on the outside wheel. The additional torque required in order to rotate faster is drawn away from the inside wheel via the differential. In this way nearly all of the torque can be directed to one wheel. The maximum difference between the wheels is 1,800 Nm (1,327.61 lb-ft).

Koen, *that* would be a nice piece to drive around town!

190E (2.3-16 &) 2.5-16 "Cosworth"

Back in the late 1970s, Mercedes competed in rallying with the big V8-powered Coupés of the R107 Series, mainly the light-weight Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0. Mercedes wished to take the 190 E rallying, and asked British race car engineering company Cosworth to develop an engine with 320 bhp (239 kW) for the rally car. This project was known as project "WAA" by Cosworth"[4]. During this time, the Audi Quattro with its all wheel drive and turbocharger was launched, making the 2.3-16v appear over-matched. With a continued desire to compete in high-profile motor sport with the 190, and also now an engine to do it with, Mercedes turned to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) (German Touring Car Championship) motor sport series instead. Cars racing in this championship, however, had to be based on a roadgoing model. Mercedes therefore had to put into series production a 190 fitted with a detuned version of the Cosworth engine. This high performance model was known as the 190 E 2.3-16, and debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September 1983, after its reputation had already been established. Three cars, only slightly cosmetically altered, had set three world records in August at the Nardo testing facility in Italy, recording a combined average speed of 154.06 mph (247.94 km/h) over the 50,000 km endurance test, and establishing twelve international endurance records.

Engine

The Cosworth engine was based on the 2.3-liter 8-valve 136 hp (101 kW) unit already fitted to the 190- and E-Class series. Cosworth developed the cylinder head, "applying knowledge we've learnt from the DFV and BDA". It was made from light alloy using Coscast's unique casting process and brought with it dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, meaning 16 valves total which were developed to be the "largest that could practically be fitted into the combustion chamber".

In roadgoing trim, the 190 E 2.3-16 produced 49 hp (36 kW) and 41 ft·lbf (55 N·m) of torque more than the basic single overhead cam 2.3 I4 engine on which it was based. The 2.3 L 16 valve engine made "185 hp (137 kW) at 6,200 rpm and 174 ft·lbf (235 N·m) at 4,500 rpm, the oversquare 95.50 x 80.25 mm bore and stroke dimensions ensuring that it revs easily up to the 7000 rpm redline"[6]. Acceleration from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) was less than eight seconds, and the top speed was 230 km/h (143 mph)[6].

US-Specification cars had a slightly reduced compression ratio (9.7:1 instead of 10.5:1), and were rated at 167 hp (125 kW) @ 5800 rpm and 162 lb·ft (220 N·m) @ 4750.

The roadgoing version of the engine was reconfigured with reduced inlet and exhaust port sizes, different camshaft profiles, no dry sump configuration and Bosch K-jetronic replacing the specialised Kugelfischer fuel injection. These changes helped bring power down to the required 185 bhp (138 kW) specification, but still resulted in a "remarkably flexible engine, with a very flat torque curve and a wide power band"[5]. The heads for the engines were cast at Cosworth's Coscast foundry in Worcester and sent to Germany to be fitted to the rest of the engine, parts of which were different from the standard 2.3 including light pressed alloy pistons, and rings designed to withstand higher engine speeds, whilst con-rods, bearings and bearing caps were found to be strong enough as standard and left unaltered[5].
[edit] 2.5 model

An enlarged 2.5 L engine replaced the 2.3 L in 1988. It offered double valve timing chains to fix the easily snapping single chains on early 2.3 engines, and increased output by 17 hp (12.5 kW) with a slight increase in torque. For the European market without catalyst (RÜF) the car delivered 204 bhp (150 kW). Catalyst equipped 2.5-16s produced a slightly reduced 197 bhp (147 kW). It is debated whether the 2.5 L engine was developed and built by Mercedes or Cosworth. Mercedes was not keen to broadcast the fact that their most sporting saloon car has an engine developed by a British company. However some cylinder heads from 2.5 L cars are stamped with the Coscast logo indicating they were cast at Cosworth's foundry just like the 2.3s. Cosworth also list the project code "WAB" for the development of the 2.5-16 valve head just as they do for the 2.3-16 valve head. Car program Top Gear predicted this 2.5 model to be one of the future classics in the car world, because of its relatively unknown history and rivalry with the BMW M3.

16v differences

Due to their performance, the 16 valve cars were different from the other 190 models. The body kit on the 2.3-16 and 2.5-16 reduced the drag coefficient to 0.32, one of the lowest CD values on a four door saloon of the time, whilst also reducing lift at speed. The steering ratio was quicker and the steering wheel smaller than that on other 190s, whilst the fuel tank was enlarged from 55 to 70 L. The Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox was unique to the 16 valve and featured a 'racing' gear pattern with 'dog-leg' first gear, left and down from neutral. This meant that the remaining 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th gears were in a simple H pattern allowing fast and easy selection. The gearchange quality was, however, noted as "notchy, baulky"[6], criticisms which weren't levelled at the BMW M3 (E30) which shared the same gearbox. The pattern is also unusual in that the driver engages reverse by shifting left and up from neutral, as for first gear in a conventional pattern. This was satirised in a Top Gear episode (S15E02) where James May took a 190E Cosworth and repeatedly pretended to confuse reverse and first gear. An oil cooler was fitted to ensure efficient oil cooling for the inevitable track use many of these cars were destined for.

The strictly four-seater interior had Recaro sports seats with strong side bolsters for front and rear passengers. 3 extra dials - an oil temperature gauge, stopwatch and voltmeter - were included in the centre console. The 190 E 2.3-16 was available in only two colours, Blue-Black metallic (Pearl Black in the US), and Smoke Silver. The 2.5-16 added Almandine Red and Astral Silver.

All 2.3-16 valve 190 models are fitted with a Limited Slip Differential (LSD) as standard. They were also available with Mercedes' ASD system which was standard equipment on the 2.5-16v. The ASD is an electronically controlled, hydraulically locking differential which activates automatically when required. The electronic control allows varied amounts of differential lock from the standard 15% right up to 100%. It is not a traction control system however, and can only maximize traction rather than prevent wheel spin. Activation of the ASD system is indicated by an illuminating amber triangle in the speedometer.

The suspension on 16 valve models is very different from the standard 190 (W201). As well as being lower and stiffer, it has quicker dampers, larger anti-roll bars, harder bushings and hydraulic Self-Levelling Suspension (SLS) on the rear. This allows the rear ride height to remain constant even when the car is fully loaded.

At the inauguration of the new, shorter Nürburgring in 1984, a race with identical cars was held, with former and current F1 pilots at the wheel. A rather unknown young driver named Ayrton Senna took First Place in that race.

Private Teams such as AMG later entered the 2.3-16 in touring cars races, especially the DTM. In the late 1980s, the 2.5-16 (never released in the United States) raced many times, against the similar BMW M3 and even the turbocharged Ford Sierra Cosworth.

Who wants high revs? For me just a lack of cylindrage and a waste of technical assetts...  hdbng

LOW revs & torque is my way for cars!

Rattler

If I see this last vid right, he does not even have leather seats?

 >:(   :drama:  wtf2  angst2  :flirt:

TA

See? Q.E.D. ! :D

TA

Q.E.D., from the Latin quod erat demonstrandum, used at the end of a definitive proof -snip-

Impressive.

What I dont understand is how long it took to scramble units in the first vid,  I imagine /and have understod form the comms) that those thugs shooting at the helo were given top prioriy some 3 minutes into the vid, still it took 15 minutes to scramble re-inforcements on the ground.

Had the guys been wicked they would have abandoned in the tunnel and gotten out on foot through the emer exits w(o a problem, not an optimal setup from the Belgian Police Forces.

Am I missing something?

Rattler

AMG will replace, next year the naturally aspirated 6.3-liter V8, with a brand new 5.5-liter V8 twin-turbo engine. This confirmed Daimler Research and Development board member Dr. Thomas Weber in an interview.
Dr. Weber also said, that the move towards downsized engines with turbocharger, won’t be isolated to AMG. The plan is to downsize all Mercedes-Benz V8 engines in 2011 and switch to smaller turbocharged V8 engines. This helps AMG and Mercedes-Benz to reduce the fuel consumption and the CO² emissions.