Cobra GT500

I made it out to the Grand Opening of Quantum Performance, 1 of the 3 Shelby Mod shops in the nation to check out the car show, take photos and wander around the shops where they work on the vehicles. The location of the Shelby mod shop is in Farmers Branch, Texas and has some what of an erie feel as it’s about a 1/4 mile from the now bankrupt Unique Performance.

Quantum Performance is housed under two separate buildings for thier various operations with one being for the newer Shelby’s and the other for classic Mustang work. One of the buildings house a few offices, a performance & parts store and a shop where they work on the classic Mustangs. Inside the classic Mustang shop they have several 60’s Mustangs being worked on including an original GT500 getting an engine rebuild. The classic Mustang shop also housed a dynometer to tune the cars they work on and upgrade. The second building which is right next door houses a few offices, showroom and another large shop where they work on the newer Shelby’s. With a rough count there were about 10 07-08 Shelby GT500’s waiting to be worked on with a few still having window stickers. It was definately a sweet site as you will see in the photos below.

The car show featured a wide variety of vehicles including two custom cycles, several 60’s, 70’s era Mustangs, Shelby GT’s, GT500’s, a few corvettes, custom trucks, and a few Ford GT’s.  It turned out to be a nice Saturday morning for the Grand Opening of the mod shop.  For all the photos I snapped check below:

Via CobraMatt

Alright, I admit it, the Lamborghini Gallardo is growing on me. But very slowly!

Due to the recent release of the Gallardo LP560-4, I’m starting to get over my general dislike of the Lamborghini Gallardo. Long-term readers of Automoblog will be familiar with my having always thought the Gallardo was just a trendy, over-priced Audi. Mass-produced in high numbers, no signature scissor doors, V10 engine, and the whole “tuner” feel bothers me.

Lamborghinis to me have always been for the mega-rich. They’re exclusive pieces of machinery only seen in the driveways of mansions, and in the form of a poster on 12 year-old boy’s walls. The Gallardo pretty much crushed that image, allowing any old “Six-figure-making Joe” to own a Lamborghini. That put a major sour taste in my mouth, and really diluted the Lambo image.

But over the years since the Gallardo has been released, my dislike for them has gone down little-by-little. Now here’s a variation that would make me look like a fool to turn up my nose:

Pretty typical for a Lamborghini commercial, except that there’s no overly-tan fruitcake in Gucci sunglasses straight out of GQ Magazine in this one. But I digress…

With a new 5.2-liter V10 pushing out 560 horsepower, this thing is getting up into real supercar territory. This, in addition to lightening the car by 44 lbs allows the LP560 to hit 62 mph from a stop in only 3.7 seconds, and keep going until it hits 201 mph.

Keep going team Lambo, and the Gallardo will be a “Raging Bull” just like the rest of your line-up.

inspiration

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Via Chris

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Via Tony

Sponsored by Honda

Honda launched a new ad campaign for the Accord based on Skydiving. Check out the video above. The video itself doesn’t have any indication of it being from Honda, but only points us to DifficultIsWorthDoing.com, which at first just appears to be a basic blog about skydiving. Take a deeper look though (or notice the Honda logo in the header,) and you’ll see that it’s a build-up for the new Accord.

Recent posts have been showing the making of the commercial, which just aired in the UK. They pulled off a cool stunt with the skydivers spelling out “HONDA” one letter at a time:

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Via Chris

So, for some reason, Daniel McDermon, a reporter for the New York Times decided to take the new Vespa S for a spin down the length of the island of Manhattan.

At first I thought, ‘That’s crazy! A scooter out there with New York city cabbies and what-not?”

And then I remember that I watched “Roman Holiday” last night (my wife has an Audrey Hepburn fixation), and I thought again. Sure, NYC has this rep for bad streets and even worse drivers, but are they really, in the grand scheme of things, that bad? I’ve driven there on more than one occasion, and it can be ape crazy, but it’s better than Boston (for one thing).

And neither of those cities is as bad as Rome, and there’s Vespas all over the place there. Weaving in and out of traffic, blowing through lights, dodging through roundabouts etc. etc. etc.

I went to school in Rome for a while, and when I was there, I didn’t see one accident. Not one.

The closest thing I saw to an accident was when a guy riding a Vespa pulled up to an intersection next to a girl and I (we were waiting to cross the street, coming home from seeing Aida performed in an ancient Roman amphitheater).

He came screeching up to a halt, slamming on the breaks at the last instant, the way every Roman does.

Then he casually reached over and grabbed my companions thigh, the light turned, he took off, and she said, “That guy just grabbed my thigh!”

I could understand it. She was cute (blond hair, blue eyes, stacked; and Italians are just crazy about that type of woman … which always puzzled me when 54% of the women in Italy look like Gina Lolobridgida) and he was Roman.

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Via Tony

Simply stunning.

Those two words pretty much sum it up for the new 2008 Maserati GranTurismo S. This car is simple but gorgeous, and aggressive but elegant— which is a look that only the Italians can magically make happen. American cars are either really cool or really aggressive, but we can’t hit elegant. The Germans give it a shot, but they can’t get it either. The British are the closest (Aston Martin anyone?), but only the Italians can get that perfect balance. The Japanese don’t even try, saving themselves the humiliation of a pathetically failed attempt.

Yep, it’s just the Italians.

And there is no better car to display their magic on than on a Maserati. For some reason, Maseratis have always carried a certain air about them, one that classes them above any Benz or BMW, regardless of price. And this one is the best of them all.

The Maserati GranTurismo S is a true and classical example of a “grand tourer”, or GT. This was a term bestowed on luxurious, but sporty and expensive cars like, for example, a Bentley. The first ever GT was a Maserati as well. Nowadays the term “GT” is horrifically misused, and badged on cars that simply do not live up to the prestige. The GranTurismo S, however, fits the description perfectly:

Now, just because it is a sporty “grand tourer” does not mean that it’s a sports car. This Maserati has a 4.7 liter V-8 engine that cranks out 440 horses and 362 pound-feet torque. That’s not bad, a good improvement over the regular Maserati GranTurismo (4.2 liter V-8 with 400 horsepower and 339 pound-feet torque), but it still doesn’t match up to, say, a Mercedes SL63 AMG, which cost about the same. The GranTurismo S also goes from 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, again, not shabby but not sports car level. Top speed is 183 mph, good, but the SL63 is faster.

My point with all this is that the GranTurismo S is not a hard-edged sports car, so if you can ever buy or get to drive one, don’t expect it to be. For the price it carries, it is not as fast as it looks.

Which is completely fine.

That’s because, when you think about it, why should it be? Maserati is basically Ferrari’s tamer sister, and the GranTurismo S is a grand tourer, not a Ferrari supercar, and it’s built for style and comfort rather than speed.

It may not be the fastest, but it is in my opinion the overall best of its class. I can’t fathom why anyone would choose a Jaguar, Mercedes, or a BMW or this beauty, because even if it isn’t that fast, or that aggressive, or that flashy, it is, in just two words, simply stunning.

Specs

Price: $130,000

Engine: 4.7 liter V-8

Top Speed: 183 mph

Horsepower: 440

Torque: 362 pound-feet

0-60 mph: 4.8 seconds

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Via Will

Installation of post title packages for Shelby and Ford Mustangs has gone into high gear at Quantum Performance, a factory Authorized Shelby Automobiles Mod Shop in the Southwestern United States. Shelby Automobiles, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc., has begun shipping “Super Snake”, CS8 and Terlingua Racing Team packages and components to Quantum, its third Mod Shop location to build high performance versions of current generation Shelby and Ford Mustangs for customers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

“We’re excited to begin cranking out Super Snakes, Terlingua Racing Team cars and other post-title modified Shelbys,” said Ken Northum, managing partner of Quantum Performance. “The demand is very high in this region for these ultra high-performance American muscle cars and the facility has now moved into high gear to satisfy our customers.”

Authorized mod shops support the Las Vegas Shelby factory and modification facility by offering packages that enhance the handling, styling and power of current generation V6 and V8 Ford Mustangs and Shelbys. After intensive training by the Shelby factory team, Quantum’s Shelby Mod Shop is ready to begin installing Shelby “Super Snake” packages for the 2007 and 2008 Ford Shelby GT500, the Shelby CS6, CS8, Terlingua Racing Team and Shelby GT500 40th anniversary packages. Each vehicle will sport an official Shelby badge denoting the origin of all modifications for inclusion in the official Shelby Registry.

Over the past several months, Quantum Performance has been enhancing Mustangs with authentic Shelby Performance Parts. Individual components include upgraded brakes, superchargers, suspension components and cosmetic pieces such as hoods and fascias exclusively designed at Shelby Automobiles. Shelby factory experts were involved in helping the Mod Shop meet Carroll Shelby’s personal expectations for quality and delivery.

“Everyone on our team has high-octane gasoline running through their veins and a passion for American muscle cars,” stated Quantum Performance partner Glenn Martini. “We’ve been hot-rodding and restoring cars since we were teenagers, so it’s incredibly exciting to have a relationship with the ultimate American hot-rodder, Carroll Shelby, to bring his personal brand of performance to enthusiasts in this area.”

Quantum Performance was founded on five decades of business and automotive expertise. The team has built scores of high performance contemporary and vintage vehicles, enhanced hundreds of muscle cars and owned dozens of Shelbys. Members of the executive team have many years of experience in business and in participating in all forms of amateur racing. The company also pioneered a service program for vintage muscle cars that keep them in top condition. Quantum constructed a new facility dedicated to the Shelby Mod Shop program including a dyno, first-class showroom and assembly line.

Via CobraMatt

Valvoline is teaming up with Nightshift to give away a custom Mustang GT-V designed by renowned tuner RJ de Vera. The Valvoline Mustang GT-V was custom built by Roush Performance and includes a VeilSide’s D1GT body kit, Roush 427R engine package, H&R springs, Volk Racing wheels, Diamond audio system and a custom suede interior by Street Concepts. The car is estimated to be worth $60K and from the looks it’s worth every penny.

“The overall theme developed for the Mustang GT-V was ‘Modern yet Classic’. Since we were hoping to bridge the gap between different car enthusiasts we decide to create a fusion between the young tuner performance oriented and aggressive ethos with that of classic American muscle feel. I believe we succeeded in producing an automobile that any car nut would love to have in his garage.” said RJ de Vera.

More photos and details on how to enter after the jump…

To enter the sweepstake visit www.ValvolineChallenge.com

Via CobraMatt

I know, this is a blog about cars, but this is just too good.

There’s a bunch of things that makes this great/terrifying.

First off, it’s that they mounted the engine on a bicycle. Not a car, or a truck, or even a motorcycle, but something that looks like a re-done Schwinn.

Next, that’s not your run of the mill jet engine, oh no. That’s a Peenemünde-grade pulse jet attached to to that bike … Sweet Jesus, I can’t believe I just typed that sentence. Seriously, what sort of lunatic would do something like that.

And finally, the claimed top speed: 75 miles per hour.

Rockets on bikes are nothing new (they were playing around with them in the 20s, actually), but a pulse jet?

For starters, those things make an enormous amount of noise. I know from first hand experience (on more than one occasion) that one of this size is going to crank out sound pressure levels way, WAY in excess of 120 dB a good distance away (in the 30 meter range). Whoever is riding that bike better used double earplugs and gun-muffs, or their ear drums will be toast.

Also, they shoot out flame for 3 or 4 times the barrel length, so there’s thermal concerns here … as in, you’ll light the garage on fire if you’re within 50 feet of it.

And, that thing is seriously off the the centerline of vehicle … the rider will be crabbing like crazy trying to make it go straight.

But that’s OK, he won’t have to worry about that for very long. It’ll be a very low altitude, short duration flight.

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Via Tony

I’m surprised, and very pleasantly so.

China is the world’s largest country in terms of population, with around 1.3 billion people, yet they have not produced a single, solitary, good looking car. All those minds, and not one good car.

Which is why I’m so happy to hear about the Geely Tiger GT.

This is, without doubt, the first sexy and cool car to ever come from a Chinese car manufacturer. Its debut at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show caused quite a stir, and it was undoubtedly the star, outshining several entries from Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche.

As for performance, it is rumored to be powered by a 3.5 liter V-6 engine that produces 225 horsepower and 340 pound-feet torque. Again, no concrete details but it’s supposed to have a 0-60 mph time in about 5.5 seconds, and a final top speed of around 155. Not too impressive performance-wise, but it’s the styling that blows crowds away.

With an aggressive cool front— it even has the chrome fangs— the Tiger is a great looking car, with its curvy, sexy lines, and it is proof that Geely is willing to take a risk with an unconventional and radical design. Geely’s most recent car, the Panda, was a laughable little thing that was the subject of much Internet hilarity.

The Tiger, however, is a car I would be proud to own, and if its styling is any indication, then I think that China could make its mark on the auto industry yet.

More images and specs after the jump:

Specs

Price: (not available, but probably rather inexpensive- under $20,000 maybe?)

Engine: 3.5 liter V-6

Top Speed: 155 mph

Horsepower: 225

Torque: 340 pound-feet

0-60 mph: 5.5 seconds

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Via Will