Home / Posts tagged '24 Hours of Le Mans'

• Flat Chat Fever: Audi R18 e-tron quattro Longtail Testing Sounds Amazing [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 2 May 2013

  

  It used to be that racecar builders like Alfa Romeo, Porsche and Ferrari would construct special low-drag “longtail” versions of their sport prototypes for high speed tracks like Le Mans, Daytona and Monza. But as those tracks were reconfigured to reduce vehicle speeds, the need for such extended-rump specials disappeared; the last one we can think of is the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail of the late 1990s. This makes us sad.

  However, the fact that Audi has created a longtail version of its R18 e-tron quattro diesel-electric hybrid (set to debut at this weekend’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps) has turned our frown upside down. And this video taken by Italian racing paparazzo 19Bozzy92 makes our smile even bigger. It shows Audi’s latest LMP racer blasting right past Monza’s tight first chicane and hauling the mail through the long, sweeping Curva Grande at a speed our cameraman estimates to be above 211 mph. And that sound? Just plain incredible! If we close our eyes we can almost picture that 3.7L V6 turbodiesel is wooshing its way through turn 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the back of a Dallara DW12. Oh well, maybe it is in some parallel universe (maybe the one where we’re behind the wheel of it).

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• Nissan and Nismo Look Back at Racing through the Years [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 1 March 2013

  

  Although Nissan isn’t quite as synonymous with racing as, say, Porsche, Ferrari or BMW, the Japanese company does have a long, generally proud history in motorsports. From the pre-World War II Datsun Racer (which looked a lot like an American midget car) to last year’s groundbreaking DeltaWing, Nissan (and its motorsports arm, Nismo) has been competing – and often winning – on some of the racing world’s most prestigious stages.

  To celebrate this illustrious history (and look ahead to the future, with Nismo’s recently-opened new world headquarters and this week’s announcement of a program to enter an electric car in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans), Nissan and Nismo made this very cool video. Granted, it glosses over some notable success stories (BRE’s Trans-Am title-winning Datsun 510 program chief among them), but we definitely get a kick out of seeing the evolution of not just Nissan racing, but the evolution of racing itself. Also: Mr. K. You can’t front on that. Yes, you could try, but you would fail miserably. After all, even if you are 103 years old like he is, you still didn’t sire the Z-car or the aforementioned 510.

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• The Top 10 Gearhead Documentaries of All Time

  In Lists / By Tom Anderson / 19 October 2012

  

  Last summer, we compiled a list of 25 movies that should be required viewing for car buffs. We hope you’ve been able to watch at least some of the movies we named since then, because we’re about to tell you about 10 more movies you’ll want to put on your “must watch” list.

  You see, we pointed out in the intro of last year’s article that we were excluding documentary and non-fiction works. We did that for two reasons: One, to leave more room for fiction movies and two, to avoid being accused of favoring one genre over another. Now, the documentaries finally get their turn in the spotlight. However, since there’s one motorcycle-centric flick on the following list, we’re calling them gearhead (as opposed to car nut) documentaries. Here they are.

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• Le Mans 2012 Preview: Battle of the Hybrids? Toyota TS030 Hybrid vs Audi R18 E-tron Quattro

  In Motorsports / By Andre Ravinowich / 6 March 2012

  

  Earlier this year, we brought you news of Toyota's return to Le Mans with its TS030 Hybrid prototype. Audi has now announced that it too will field a hybrid-powered car at this year's Le Mans race – the R18 E-tron Quattro. Similar to last year's Le Mans winning R18, the e-Tron Quattro will also be powered by a V6 TDI diesel engine producing 510HP. But like Toyota's TS030, it will also feature a hybrid powertrain. 

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• Toyota TS030 LMP1: Not Your Average Hybrid

  In Motorsports / By Andre Ravinowich / 29 January 2012

  

  For the first time in 12 years, Toyota will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP1 category. The team recently concluded its first full test of the car, known as TS030 Hybrid, at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France. The team will be based in Cologne, Germany, at Toyota's old Formula 1 facilities. This will be the first time a hybrid-powered car will compete in the LMP1 category of the 24 Hours.

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