Its Coming

… a new video from Stereoscreen showcasing BMW’s touring car racing history.

Beauty Follows Function

Here’s what Porsche has to say about their newest GT3. While I can agree it looks phenomenal, I will have to drive one before I judge the PDK gearbox and updated steering. Until then let’s enjoy the musical note this latest 3.8 liter engine produces.

N24 is Emotion

Need we say more? Now feel the emotion.

What more? See beautiful pictures of the players here – Cars of N24 2014

Ripping Sound

Here’s a car – a race car – that rips through the air. There are few cars today that produce such a sound as this Ferrari 312PB. The screams are produced by a Ferrari developed flat-12 boxer engine. Yup, a boxer engine. This car was developed specifically for FIA prototype racing, especially after losing to Porsche 917 race car in the early 1970’s. This car was unfortunate in claiming victory over the competition but it won over our ears and sensations. Let’s turn it over to Petrolicious who had the opportunity to capture this historic banshee.

Charge Mazda 787B

Yup, its the classic Group C Charge Mazda 787B that we want to share. You’re probably wondering what the difference is between the 787 and 787B. Well it comes down to this: the 787B has an ECU to controlld the action of the telescopic intake for the rotary engine – how cool is that?!

However we are not focusing on how cool this car looks, but rather how GREAT it sounds! This year at the 2014 Spa Classic we found a lad who strapped a GoPro to the inside of the Mazda 787B that he was racing. Enjoy the great video demonstrating how difficult it is to pilot one of these types of cars around the famed Spa Francorchamp Circuit.

Here are some additional sounds of the race winning Mazda 787B, that was restored, and driven in demonstration laps at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans

Oris Artix GT Watch

Sometimes it is not always about having the newest and in this case we are looking at watch that was introduced in 2012. Sometimes the best things fly under the radar until its re-discovered.

Our spotlights is on the Oris Artix GT Chronograph. This particular watch was produced to build on Oris’ motorsport heritage and resemble true classic motorsport through the design of a unique seconds counter that mimics a redline rev limiter. Some people might not know this company; all we can say is they have been around for over a hundred years and are a sponsor of the Le Man winning LMP1 Audi team. Oris has a long tradition of being involved with motorsports and it makes perfect sense to continue that movement with this timepiece.

The Artix GT Chronograph watch is a multi-piece construction with a stainless steel case and a black ceramic bezel that comes with a rubberized edge. The bezel is etched with a tachymeter (minute) scale. The etching and red 12 o’clock triangle provide an easy mark for the user to set the starting point. The rotating bezel is adjustable forward and backwards. Like the face of the watch, the backside of the case has a sapphire crystal displaying the inner mechanics of a fine automatic watch. The inner workings of this watch are provided by a 44mm Valjoux ETA 7750 movement.

The watch face only comes in black, which contains three other dials. Two dials at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock track 30 minutes and 12 hours, respectively. Then the unique dial located at the 9 o’clock position will display the smaller seconds with a mechanism that looks like a building RPM gauge. In the industry it is known as a linear retrograde seconds dial. The watch even manages to squeeze in a date window located within the hour counter at the 6 o’clock position.

Another feature is found on the hands of the watch. These polished hands are finished with a Superluminova inlay that means you will never be left in the dark when you need the time. The watch can be configured with either a rubber strap with folding clasp or stainless steel bracelet. This watch is priced around $2,000 which is what you can expect for a quality automatic chronograph that is versatile for business or pleasure.

Photo credit: Mastersea and Oris

N24

What happens when you take the running time of Le Mans and add the Nurburgring? Easy! You get the greatest GT race in the world. It is that time of year again, we are gearing up for the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring. Because this race takes place on the one of the tightest race tracks, fans will not see any prototype cars out on track. To makeup for that, cars entered will be true GT raced cars, from purebred GT3 cars to European GT4 cars, and finally, heavily modified sports cars (called SP class) from all makes and models to fill out the field. At the announcement of this race there were 175 cars registered for the race.

While it is challenging to get complete information for the race, since it doesn’t have the same level of appeal on the world stage it is our understanding that Porsche’s Manthey Racing team will not be here this year. They have taken on the WEC with their factory Porsche efforts. Therefore the closest team we have to a factory favorite is the Falken Porsche Race Car. Nissan is here again to show the world that their GT3 spec GT-R is worthy enough to win the hardest race. Outside of those listed the favorites continue to be Audi with their R-8, Mercedes with their SLR, BMW with their GT3 Spec Z4 race car and finally McLaren will be running their MP4-12C race car. All of these cars are fielded by well qualified teams so the battle should be exciting. Finally, there will be a few teams running the factory race car program produced by BMW with the M235i Race car. It will be interesting to see how well these cars hold up to the abuse.

  Following links should help you enjoy this year’s race that will take place at the famed Nurburgring.

• Time table of race events Spotters guide (semi-complete; may not be up to date)
• Top 30 Cars Qualified for the Race
• WIGE live timing
• Live vehicle tracker
• Official Race live stream
• English Race Radio Broadcast
• Aston Martin Race Team
• Subaru NBR Factory Team
• Nissan Factory Team
• 24H Race Technical Document

An Australian Obsession With Porsche

Autohaus Hamilton, a Porsche specialist service shop located north of Sydney, worked to put together a film aimed at sharing their passion for one of Germany’s most iconic sports car. The result of the special project is below. The film was created with the help of SoDUS Films as they followed the team and their customers around for 8 months to understand the obsession with a specific form of German engineering. How can anyone argue with a film that discusses Porsches and happens to captures some of these classics in their proper element?  Can you feel the obsession?

How About a Flyback

Following Tudor’s repatriation to the United States means we are showing off new watches headed our way. Specifically we will have the opportunity to purchase their newest line of watches designed for the motorsport enthusiast.

Shortly after the introduction of Tudor Heritage Chrono, Tudor has done it again with their newest racing inspired collection: the Grantour, where one watch even comes with a flyback feature. This watch collection was produced in association of their sponsorship for the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Grantour collection brings three new watches that share race-inspired features, but the one that has caught our eye is what Tudor calls the “two-register” automatic chronograph, representative of the two smaller dials at the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions. This chronograph provides the wearer a true flyback feature, not found on the other Grantour watches. What this means is when the 4 o’clock pusher is pressed the second hand will whip back to the 12 o’clock position to start another timing interval. The flyback feature acts like a true stopwatch, where the user does not need to stop and reset the second hand for each additional measure through a series of pushes; it can all be achieved in a single push.  This is especially useful for those wanting to measure individual sector times, during a single lap. It is this feature alone that truly makes a chronograph worth owning.

Other accents for this piece include the date function located at the 6 o’clock position. The fixed outer bezel has fairly large arabic numerals ensuring time does not get misread in the split second glances at this face. Other special features include the ability to lock the pushers to prevent the accidental starting of the chronograph when the user is driving or reaching into their pockets. Locking of the pushers is achieved with a simple quarter turn.

The 42mm chronograph flyback comes in three distinct colors: black face, white face or two-tone black face with 18k rose gold. The watch can be configured with a black leather band, steel bracelet or two-tone steel and 18k gold bracelet. The automatic movement is handled nicely with an ETA 2892 while a sapphire crystal protects the hands and face from the elements. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but the steel bracelet is estimated to be priced around $4,725 to under $5,000 USD. If there is one watch worth considering we would say this is it.

Photo credit: Tudor

Caterham Delivers a One-Two Punch; Deadly Right Hook

After experiencing the lower end of the horsepower spectrum, it’s time to dive into the other end. Here we will serve nothing but raw, and we mean raw, horsepower.

The next number called is 620R. Again, meaningless without attaching the word Caterham, but this time it comes with a punch. Feast your eyes on the Caterham 620R – supposedly the hard-core of the hard-core Sevens. Choosing to drive this machine takes a minute to look in the mirror and convince yourself that you are man enough to drive the beast. Why is it a beast? Because the driver pilots a version of Caterham that has more horsepower and torque than what is necessary for this weight of car. Then the driver will be faced with the element as a wide open windscreen (or lack thereof) with full carbon seats pair with racing harnesses exposes the driver to all of what the road has to offer. Sitting behind the wheel is much like getting a ring with a heavyweight boxer when you only weight 150 pounds. The driver will see the same momo steering wheel as found on the 160. To make things easier since these seats are pure racing, the steering wheel is removable and there are plenty of switches to help achieve racing greatness. Every switch serves a purpose and can even provide an instant motor start.

Before getting into the car we have to admire the car from the outside. The 620R provides the same look as the traditional Caterham chassis but with a few add-ons. Mainly a few enhancements on the front and bonnet in the form of upgraded aero package and cooling management. Just beyond the signature seven a carbon fiber dive plane is fixed, assuring the high rate of air is pushing the front to the road for more grip. Then the bonnet has two openings to suck in cool air for both engine cooling and air supply to feed the supercharged motor. The car delivers all its fun through a supercharged 2.0 liter Ford Duratec motor.

Whereas the other 160 was unassuming, this 620R is very assuming. It wants to be heard, seen and possibly smelt. The 2.0 liter motor producing a whopping 310 horsepower and 219 lb-ft of torque. The closest thing I can think of is a maybe 350Z that weighs next to nothing. If someone thinks they can manage this car at the track, at least it comes with a piece of mind. Yes, this engine comes with a dry-sump oil system and a sequential gearbox. I’m pretty sure that should read – race engine.

The power is all delivered through a limited slip diff and de-dion rear suspension – not like the 160 which has the live axle. The front comes with an uprated coilover system and stickier tires. Pretty much all you need to go fast and not think about anything else. The only thing to keep in mind when driving, no matter the weather – rain or shine – there’s no turning back. The wind, the noise, and the elements will really test how manly you are for this car. Oh and the good news is, this car is available for purchase here in the states. Visit Caterham for more details.

Here is Autocar having a go at this beast of a machine

Then there’s Kamui Kobayashi showing drivers how its done