American sports cars: better than European ones?

Here in the UK, What would your response be if someone was to say that they had bought an American sports car? Out loud I imagine you would congratulate them on their enormous engine, the straight line speed and the amazing body, all for a brilliant low price? But inside I imagine you would be laughing at their stupid choice: badly made, can't corner, bad economy etc etc...

Don't judge me as one of those people though. Some of my all time favourite cars include the Shelby cobra, original corvette stingray and the ford mustang. In my opinion all of these cars already beat their European counterparts just for the noise they make. However, lots of people disagree with me which is why a lot more people buy European cars. But now it seems that America has caught up with them. Their latest round of sports cars are a lot more europeanised than their predecessors. But are they still wannabes or have they come of age?

The new corvette stingray c7 was recently described as being more economical than a Porsche 911. Can you believe it? It was faster, more economical, more comfortable and (in my opinion) 100x better looking too, and about 20 grand cheaper!! Admittedly the Porsche was described as better in the corners (fractionally) and slightly better made than its American rival. But who cares for 20grand cheaper and a 6 litre V8! In my mind then, a win for the US then. The new dodge viper is also a massive success over the old one, and the time attack version even more of a venemous snake!

So in conclusion it does indeed seem as if the US sports car market really has stepped up its game recently and engaged head-on with the well-established European market. But, to be honest, it didn't matter to me anyway. I've always had a passion for them, now more then ever. I want to move to America right now just to be able to drive one on their amazing roads. Watch out America, I'm coming...

Nev

What do you think? Has America caught Europe? Thoughts in the comments box will be appreciated. Thanks

Dodge viper GT-S time attack (below)

Corvette stingray C7 along with its predecessors (below)

Formula one: the Australian grand prix

The Australian grand prix

 

 

Last Saturday was the first race of the 2014 Formula one season. Due to the big change in the regulations, all of the teams were unsure whether or not their cars were even going to be able to finish the race in one piece. Going in to the qualifying sessions, there was some big shocks in store. The first was the un-forecasted heavy rainfall that came in the middle of Q1. For the cars that were near the pit lane at the time, this was as easy as an unscheduled pit stop to change tyres. For the unlucky ones that had just passed the pit lane, this spelled disaster. The worst affected team was probably team Lotus, who, as a result, ended up last at the back of the grid for the race. Q2 saw the elimination of the current world champion, Sebastien Vettel. this saw the end of his winning streak, something some people were very glad about. the results of the qualifying are shown at http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2014/914/7315/ the race itself saw 11 cars unable to finish, mostly because of problems with the new engines and hybrid systems. However, there was a crash on the first corner involving Filipe Massa and Kamui Kobayashi. The engine problems affected people such as Sebastien Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Filipe Massa. However, it was a miracle that only 11 weren't able to finish. Some of the cars were able to carry on even with problems to their cars, such as Raikonnen's brakes which kept locking up. The race was dominated from the start by Nico Rosberg, followed by Riccardo (later excluded for using too much fuel) and Magnussen. Magnussen had a spectactular performance seeing as this was his first race in a red bull. Results can be found at  http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2014/914/7317/ . The next race, Malaysia, will be on tv 28th-30th March.

Nev

 

Lotus: what is happening?

Lotus: a company that has made amazing cars for a long time. The lotus esprit was favoured by James Bond himself; the lotus Elise was the most popular sports car for a long time. In my opinion, lotus is one of my all time favourite car companies. But what is happening to it now? Since the new lotus exige V6 things have gone quiet. But what happened? Well, when the new exige came out the company was run by Dany Bahar. He had a plan to bring out one new model every year until 2016. The cars themselves were completely remodeled versions of the old ones (eg. new esprit). He believed that, by having so many cars in its model range, Lotus would sell so many cars that it would break into the mainstream and that Lotus would become as well-known as Ferrari and others. The problem was that, with a recession going on, Lotus simply didn't have enough money to expand its range so quickly.For this reason The boss of lotus refused to allow these new cars to be built. Dany Bahar was replaced and since then Lotus has been keeping a low profile. But, having just brought out the Lotus exige V6 cup, it looks as if they may be waking up once more. And I for one can't wait.

Lotus exige V6 s

Lotus evora s (above)

Lotus seven (below)

mclaren p1 vs laferrari vs porsche 918

McLaren P1 vs. Porsche 918 vs. LaFerrari

 

 

So these are the most exciting cars around at the moment. They are the products of what people call the 'hyper car race'. Obviously the looks are controversial. In my opinion the Ferrari is by far the most stunning of all the cars shown above (my friend thinks it is the McLaren. We haven't spoken since), then comes the McLaren in second and the Porsche in last. As you may or may not know, the only one of these cars that hasn't been tested yet (hence the lack of figures in the picture) is the Ferrari. By looking at the figures provided it looks as though the Ferrari (due in  July) will be the lightest and the most powerful. On paper , then, the Ferrari looks like the highest performing as well as the prettiest (no competition!). However, as the Ferrari is not finished yet the numbers on the picture are most likely theoretical numbers and may or may not reflect the actual performance of the car in the metal. However, what we do know is that while the McLaren harnesses the electric motor to accelerate faster than a car with an ordinary fuel burner, and the Porsche uses the electric motor to make itself a lot more economical as its predecessors (such as the Carrera GT), the Ferrari looks from the numbers as if it is only going to be using a very small motor (the Mclaren's and Porsche's are large and powerful) coupled to a very big combustion engine so that the electric motor will fill in the gaps in the mighty V12's rev range. The fact that the Ferrari looks like the lightest supports this suggestion as if the motor is small it wont be too heavy. On paper, and in the metal, the McLaren and the Porsche are very closely matched (recently they tested the two cars on Top Gear). The McLaren's pursuit of speed makes it scary while the Porsche feels more civilised. So here's to hoping the Ferrari puts its money where its looks and name are!

Nev   

So, Maclaren, Ferrari or Porsche? Opinions can be submitted and enjoyed in the comments box. Thanks