Porsche, however, still make a damn fine Rally car, and that’s the 911 GT3 RS with rear-wheel drive ONLY. I don’t know who did this video, I don’t know why, and I don’t care one bit. Watching this kick ass video just makes me want to take my M3 out in the woods and drive like a mad man… until I crash it, which is inevitable.

Enjoy watching the footage of this Porsche 911 GT3 RS Rally.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[Source: RallyeFans03 via YouTube]

Whenever I’m sitting around, bored, with nothing really to do, I start scouring the interwebz for great automotive videos. There are just a few names that come to mind; one of those being Chris Harris of evo magazine.

For those who don’t know a lot about the man, he’s one of the better auto journalists in the world, but also one of the few that can actually tell you all that’s happening with a car because he’s also a racing driver. Having raced for Porsche in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring numerous times now. He’s driven just about every car you can think of, from race cars to road cars. But here he is with the 2012 Porsche 991 911.

Click here to view the embedded video.

All the while he was a racing guy. A professional racing driver of sorts, currently a driver for Aston Martin’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring efforts in GT and LMP1 classes.

Another CEO that holds a certain prowess for motorsport is current Toyota Motor Company Chairman and CEO, Akio Toyoda. Toyoda, the grandson of company founder, Kiichiro Toyoda, and son of former Chairman and CEO, Shoichiro Toyoda, was not originally a racing driver, or much of a racing guy, from what I can tell. He originally started working for TMC (Toyota Motor Company) in 1984, and was elected to the board of directors in 2000, only to become the Executive Vice President in 2005, and CEO in 2009. But it wasn’t until Mr. Toyoda met and started hanging around with Toyota chief test engineer and driver Hiromu Naruse, otherwise known as Nur Meister (One and Only Master Craftsman).

It was through Akio Toyoda’s relationship with Hiromu Naruse that he began to learn the importance of every car’s ability on the race track, not necessarily to become the fastest thing out there, but to just be a good driving car down to its soul. Having taught Mr. Toyoda all of his driving skills, and getting him to race for Toyota, Akio has become a proficient racing talent and spokesperson for Toyota Motorsports.

This is where we finally come to the point of this article. Aston Martin and Toyota put the other’s CEO in their car in a season race at the Nürburgring. Akio Toyoda drove the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, called Zig, and Dr. Ulrich Bez piloting the Lexus LF-A race car.

Take a look at the video below to see how interesting and cool this actually is. I think more car company CEOs should do this instead of playing golf or meeting at auto shows.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Watching the video below is seriously chilling. If the hairs on the back of your neck don’t stand at a Nazi attention, then you’re an ice cold human being, Hitler.

Let’s just get this straight, this is the fastest crash test anyone has ever conducted on a private track. Let’s not try this at home, okay, folks?

Have fun watching Fifth Gear take this older Ford Focus on a 120 mph ride with some special crash test dummies.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can imagine that it’s not easy coming from a paved and dirt track oval to some of the road courses of USF2000 isn’t easy for anyone, especially when you’re used to oversteer, not understeer. However, Shannon has made it look quite easy. I, for one, am jealous, because she could probably demolish me on the race track. She claims that she’s also talented at driving a manual transmission car in high heels… We chatted about this a little in Baltimore, and came to the conclusion that she has to do so in my M3 in order to win a friendly bet. If this ever happens, you can expect a camera in the footwell of the car. Thank God she has nicer legs than I do, otherwise the camera would be forgotten about.

But that’s all beside the point. At the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix USF2000 had two races to end their season, and Shannon was kind enough to give me the video from the GoPro attached to her white #2 Glass Hammer Racing car (pictured above).

Let’s take a ride with Ms. McIntosh as she shows us the way ’round the Streets of Baltimore, shall we?

Click here to view the embedded video.

[Video credit: Shannon McIntosh]

BMW and Porsche have always had an interesting relationship. Not really direct competitors, the M3 fans always like to compare the M3 to a Porsche 911. How do I know this? Well I’m one of them. While the 911 will always be much more of a true sports car, the M3 isn’t far behind it.

But this brings us to a far more interesting 21st century battle; BMW’s all-new 1M against Porsche’s all-new Cayman R. The Cayman R has two seats. The 1M has 4. The Cayman R has a hatchback style storage area with the trunk in the front, under the “hood”. The 1M has a traditional trunk. The Cayman R has a mid-engine layout, while the BMW 1M has a front mounted motor. Let’s do the comparison with specifications, though.

2011 BMW 1M

• 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline-6
• 335 hp at 5900 RPM
• 332 lb-ft of torque from 1500-4500 RPM (369 lb-ft of torque overboost function at highway speeds)
• 6-speed manual only
• 3,362 lbs
• 0-60: 4.2-seconds
• Total MSRP (including destination & handling): $47,010
• 10 lb/hp
• Limted to less than 1000 total units/First turbo 6-cylinder M car ever
• Compression ratio: 10.2:1
• Limited-slip M differential standard
• Single piston floating caliper compound disc brakes front and rear
• Brake size front/rear: 14.2 in vented, cross drilled/13.8 in vented, cross drilled
• Tires front/rear: 245/35ZR19 – 265/35ZR19
• 104.7 inch wheelbase
• 13.06 cubic feet of luggage space
• Suspension front: Aluminum double pivot spring-strut front axle with trailing link; small positive kingpin offset: lateral force compensation; brake dive reduction
• Suspension rear: Five-link axle in lightweight construction with drive-off and brake dive compensation

2012 Porsche Cayman R

• 3.4-liter mid-engine flat-six
  
• 330 hp at 7400 RPM
  
• 273 lb-ft of torque at 4750 RPM
• 6-speed manual or 7-speed PDK dual-clutch
• 2,855/2,910 lbs (manual/auto)
  
• 0-60: 4.2-seconds (WARNING .PDF link)
• Total MSRP: $67,250
• 8.6-8.8 lb/hp (depending on transmission)
  
• 121 lbs lighter than standard Cayman S
  
• Compression ratio: 12.5:1
• Limited-slip differential standard
• Aluminum monobloc calipers, ventilated cast iron rotors (carbon ceramic discs optional)
  
• Brake size front/rear: 12.52 in vented, cross drilled/11.77 in vented, cross drilled
• Tires front/rear: 235/35/19 – 265/35/19
• 95.1 inch wheelbase
• 5.3 cu.-ft./9.2 cu.-ft. front and rear luggage space
  
• Suspension front: Wheels individually suspended on wishbones with trailing links, tie rods and spring struts (McPherson type, Porsche optimized)
• Suspension rear: Wheels individually suspended on wishbones with trailing links, tie rods and spring struts (McPherson type, Porsche optimized)

As you can see, these are two totally different cars. While the mid-engine Cayman R is a true all out sports car, the 1M is more of an all-purpose sports car. But man, look at the price difference. The BMW 1M is a full $20,000 cheaper and has damn near identical performance. Granted, we know the lighter weight, more race bred Cayman R will be faster around most race tracks. Let’s take a look at a few pictures to better compare the two, though, and then we’ll look at some video reviews of the two.

So which one would I choose? Well, I love the BMW 1M for its usability and speed all at the same time. So it’s more practical. However, there’s nothing like a good, lightweight Porsche, especially the Cayman R. That amazing 3.4-liter flat-six is such a beautiful sounding motor.

But watch the videos to get a bit better decision.

Top Gear 1M review/drag race:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Autocar review/comparison:

Click here to view the embedded video.

evo review/track comparison:

Click here to view the embedded video.

So BMW 1M or Porsche Cayman R? Can I have both?

The new tires are from Michelin, and as close to the C6.R racing tires you can get for the street. They’re called the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires, and if a recent run on Germany’s Nürburgring is anything to go by, they’re the best tires in the world.

In 2008 Chevy took the brand new Corvette ZR1 to The ‘Ring with Jim Mero, a chassis development engineer for Corvette, behind the wheel for a blistering 7:26. How fast was it this time around the same track with the same driver? 7 minutes 19 seconds. Well, 7:19.63, to be exact. So almost a full SEVEN seconds faster.

Watch the video and be impressed at how good Chevrolet is making the Corvette. Let’s just hope they carry this seriousness into the C7.

Just as a for instance, these are the fastest Nürburgring lap times according to Wikipedia:

Click here to view the embedded video.

How is it? Well, you’ll just have to watch and hear what he’s on about.

The BMW 1M packs a twin-turbo, inline-6 motor making 335 hp with 332 lb-ft of torque, with a 369 lb-ft of torque overboost function.

The Porsche Cayman R is a lighter version of the Cayman S, weighing in at 2,849 lbs with a mid-engine 6-cylinder making 330 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque.

[Source for photo and video: evo.co.uk]

Volkswagen Group have talked about potentially putting one of their top car makers into the sport of F1, whether it be VW, Audi, Porsche or Lamborghini. But Audi says they’re not leaving Le Mans, and they aren’t going into F1.

In a quote taken from CAR, Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Motorsport for Audi, said:

“There’s a very good reason why we are not in F1, There’s no relevance to the road. Audi has always been engaged in motorsport that’s relevant to our customers such as rallying and touring cars, which brought quattro, FSI and TFSI to our road cars.”

I find it very interesting that Formula 1 tech doesn’t correlate to the road, according to Audi… Due to Formula 1, as well as other types of racing, lightweight technology has become far more prevalent in sports cars. KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) works in F1 cars to help regenerate braking power into horsepower. BMW will be introducing this technology on their latest M5, the F10 chassis code. BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, and the like, have long used Formula 1 to help make their engines better.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For instance, the 5.0-liter V10 in the 2006-2010 E60 M5 and E63/64 M6 BMWs was derived directly from their V10 F1 engine used in the Williams-BMW car of that time -some say it was the most powerful and fastest engine of that period. Ferrari and BMW have both adopted sequential gearboxes nearly identical to the ones they’ve used in their Formula One cars. Mercedes-Benz, McLaren and Ferrari have used the carbon ceramic brakes from their F1 programs to better the stopping power of their exceptional sports cars. The Porsche Carrera GT used a special V10 motor that was supposed to go into an F1 Porsche, but the company opted out of participating in Formula One to focus more energy on Le Mans series racing. But they still offered the V10 in a road car to give us all an amazing love for what they could, and should, have done.

To keep it going, the traction control systems from BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda, etc. have all been studied and updated a lot via F1 traction technology.

Now I don’t want to sit here and bash Audi, but it’s a little annoying to hear them say that about F1. While Le Mans has been, without a doubt, the best bet for them, especially since they’ve taken home 9 of the last 11 winning trophies for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, There’s no doubt they could learn a lot from F1. The current Formula 1 cars use V8 powerplants, and Audi could greatly benefit from this for their S5, RS5, R8, and potential return of the RS4. Their 4.2-liter V8 is fantastic, but I’m sure could be better in some ways. But it comes down to, is it really worth it for them? No, not really. If they were building high-end sports/super cars, then yes. Ferrari needs Formula One. The same with McLaren. The only thing that Audi would benefit from it, like I said, would be the engines.

Another quote from Dr. Ullrich:

“Let me show you how – at Le Mans, one of our cars will cover 325 miles more than an F1 car will cover in an entire season, our average speed including pits stops will be 20mph higher than an F1 car and we will use 42% less fuel. You cannot argue with those figures.”

That’s all true, especially with Audi and their TDI racers. And a 24 hour race is an amazing feat and accomplishment (again, especially for Audi, who just keep winning), but Formula One is more technical in some ways while Le Mans is more technical in others.

So while Audi is right in some ways, he’s wrong in others. You can’t compare the two together as they’re very different. Both are still awesome to watch, however.

Audi also made a very cool video to showcase their love for Le Mans series racing, entitled “A Day in the Life of an Audi Driver” with Allan McNish, two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[Source: CAR via Autoblog]

[Audi Photos: DTM, Young Man Blog]

So in honor of Fast Five hitting the theaters recently, I thought I’d show you a timeless comedic video I posted here on RawAutos July 29, 2008. It’s by a very funny guy by the name of Mike Merryfield, and well, you can see for yourself the hilarity of the video.

Thanks to all the ricers out there that continue to make us real car guys laugh and laugh all day long. There’s one thing I still don’t understand, though. Paul Walker is actually a licensed racing driver. He’s also a real car guy and loves his Porsches, so much so that he recently purchased a 1973 Carrera RS… Why if you love cars that much do you continue doing Fast and Furious movies? I guess they pay that well.