I'm a Ford guy for a few reasons: They've never messed up the mustang. In all the years it's been in production, up to the mustang of today, the entire engine is visible under the hood (can touch the bell housing) and there isn't a mustang made that you can't remove the entire engine and transmission in one huge chunk in less than 2 hours. I don't care if it's a 2012 or a 70 fastback, they were designed for ease of tuning. That's probably why no other car in the world has anywhere close to the amount of aftermarket parts for it.

Back in the 60's Henry Ford had a deal worked out with Ferrari to purchase the company. Ferrari backed out. Henry got mad enough, that he called all his engineering support staff together and basically told them to build a car to destroy Ferrari at LeMans. The Ford GT40 won LeMans 4 years straight. Pretty cool for a car company to be as passionate about cars as that. Now you see CEOs for large companies that have nothing to do with the business operations at all. (Potato chip company CEO's taking a job and working for a hand tool company and so forth)

The other reason is quite simply, they've made their tuner car (the mustang) to be easy to make power. There isn't a single mustang made past 1996 (mod motor cars - 2v,3v,4v 4.6's) that won't handle 500RWHP with a completely stock base engine. Depending on the transmission, that's over 600hp at the flywheel. Pretty impressive for an inexpensive car. For a mustang, just buy a blower kit (twin screw whipple, etc.) and have a 10 second car with a simple bolt on and tune. It will get good gas mileage, and drive/idle just like a factory car.

The mod motors (4.6/5.4's) use cracked rod caps (they will not shift EVER), cross bolted main caps, and depending on the block, splayed caps. There isn't a single factory 4.6/5.4 block made, whether it came from a ford truck or ford car (aluminum or steel blocks - types depend on the car/truck) that won't handle at least 800hp from the factory. The steel blocks handle well over 1000hp to give you an idea.

The reason the Ford GT still holds the standing mile record and has for almost 5 years is because there isn't a manufacturer out there that has built their car knowing full well people like me are going to try to get some crazy HP #'s out of it. The Ford GT has roughly 500 flywheel horsepower from the factory. Well here's a stock bottom end (all OEM), stock fuel system (all OEM), with 2 turbo's mounted on it. Well over 1000 rear wheel horsepower (1300-1500 at the flywheel) that's 100% daily driven and reliable. I know they tried to do this to a few vettes (new zr1's) and all of them blew up on the dyno, because the internals are not made to take it. 800hp and kaboom. Those guys at SVT know people like me exist. And for that, I'm very grateful.

But just like you, I like all powerful cars. V8's are definitely my thing though.

Just check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kgK2DlEhZw

Well yeah! It's a fuel injected mustang :) It idles and drives just like a factory car. Heck, it's not really that much louder than one either (until you get on it) I can cruise and get 22mpg without my foot in it. Granted I don't have air conditioning, power brakes, heat/defrost, and much creature comforts anymore. But by all means, it would pass an emissions test and I could drive it across the country without any problems. I still have a check engine light :grin:

Tht's simply awesome. The car looks so great and that number 8.85 is hypnotic to me :-)

You're right... and when that will happen, the Chinese will take us over! :cool:
Let's try to work hard and together fellow europeans.

There it goes my rant of the day...

Cheers
Rick

Don't you like to see "Made in China" or "Hecho en Mexico" on your replacement parts? Why would you want parts made in Europe, where the workers are treated with dignity and can earn a comfortable standard of living, and doing all the manufacturing without poisoning the earth?

getting bored yet?
 

GRAND-AM: Porsche Motorsport Mid-Ohio race report

[Brumos Racing... Hurley Haywood ... 911 ... almost sounds like copy/paste from 1970's :-)]

Jacksonville’s Brumos Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Wins Rolex Grand-Am GT Season Title

Lexington, Ohio - September 17 -- Andrew Davis and Leh Keen finished fourth at the Emco Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Saturday to capture the Rolex Grand-Am GT championship in Brumos Racing’s first season in the GT class. The co-drivers of the No. 59 Brumos Porsche GT3 were trailing Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito, drivers of the No. 70 Mazda RX-8, late in the event. However, Keen beat Bomarito out of the pits following the final pit stop and held that advantage for the remainder of the event.

Their fourth-place finish was enough to overtake the Bill Lester/Jordan Taylor Chevrolet Camaro as Lester spun and lost a lap in the opening minutes, and the team finished eighth. Here are the final points in Rolex Grand-Am GT:

Leh Keen/Andrew Davis 319, Jordan Taylor/Bill Lester 317, Jonathan Bomarito/Sylvain Tremblay 315

“At the beginning of the year, Brumos Racing team manager Hurley Haywood sat us down and told us we were going to race to win races and championships. Winning the championship in our first year shows what Brumos is made of. This championship feels better than my first, doing it the way we did it and how it all unfolded, bringing Brumos back to GT. At first we wanted just to get a podium. Then we kept winning and winning,” said Leh Keen, who was racing for the storied team for the first time this year.

”My stint was very eventful. Coming from the back to the front was a lot of fun. Our strategy helped, but once I was up front, I was able to drive away. It was great to lead a few laps after our disappointment in qualifying,” said co-driver Davis.

Brumos won two races during the season – Watkins Glen Six-Hour and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – en route to the championship in their first year of Grand-Am GT racing since the ‘90s.

Jens Walther, president of Porsche Motorsports North America, Inc., was particularly proud of the Brumos Racing win as their 911 GT3 Cup car as the team’s hard work earned them the Rolex Grand-Am GT championship.

“Leh Keen and Andrew Davis never quit during the season, including today when they had to start from the back of the pack. The Brumos team worked hard to keep the car on the track, and it paid off in a championship. We are proud of all our Porsche customer teams, and we are so happy for owner Dan Davis and the entire Brumos Porsche organization,” said Walther.

Since the Rolex Grand-Am championship was initiated in 2000, Porsche drivers have won the GT championship eight of the 12 years in the Porsche 911 GT3 R, GT3 RS, and GT3 Cup cars. Brumos Racing had previously won the Daytona Prototype title, but this was their first GT championship.

http://www.motorsport.com/#/grandam/...o-race-report/

Too bad the rest of the "Canned Ham" series is so pitiful.

The "Daytona Prototype" spec racers are the most hideous contraptions ever put on a road course.

But that's what happens when NASCAR people get involved with road racing. They hate it and continually try to make it go away, just like they have done with their buy out and control of AMA PRO motorcycle racing.

The fans stayed away from the Mid Ohio AMA PRO weekend in droves. It used to be the second or third highest attendance race weekend on the Mid Ohio calendar, but not any more.

NASCAR is the death of real racing.

Be sure.

Flying Lizards Take Last Lap Laguna Win
 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6015/...e5880b20_b.jpg
#45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR [always did love the livery on this team's 911's]

Monterey, Calif. – September 17 – Patrick Long (USA) and Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) have led their #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR to the American Le Mans Series GT class victory on the last lap at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca each of the last three years, and this year’s ModSpace ALMS event was no exception.

Also, running for the just the second time in the North America, and only the third time outside of Germany, the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid racing lab made its West Coast debut this weekend. Not eligible for points, the flywheel-equipped 911 GT3 R started from the back of the field, but finished ahead of all the GT class entries by virtue of turning the fastest race laps along with just three pit stops, compared to five or more for the other GT competitors.

“The drivers like to say it’s about the power – the four-wheel-drive and 200 extra horsepower generated from stored braking energy, but the Porsche hybrid racing system is much more than that. It’s generating those things with fewer pit stops and more efficiency. Beating this world-class field of factory GT cars is really something special for us,” said Romain Dumas, French-born Porsche factory driver and former ALMS GT and LMP2 champion.

In GT, Long and Bergmeister swapped the top spot with the leading Ferraris and BMWs during the entire six-hour event, with Joerg making the final pass with less than 500 yards to go as the leading #62 Risi Ferrari ran out of gas just before the checkered flag. Last year, it was Long passing the #56 BMW late in the race, and, in 2009, it was Bergmeister edging the #4 Corvette right at the finish line.

After being the class champions the last two years, 2011 has been a disappointing year for the pair with only one podium finish (Lime Rock) to their credit, so this first win of the season was a satisfying one, according to Bergmeister.

“We have had a very good car on multiple occasions, only to have something bad happen, either our fault or someone else’s,” said Bergmeister, who also won the GT championship in 2008 with Flying Lizard Motorsports and co-driver Wolf Henzler.

“We hope to have a similar result at Petit Le Mans, and have some momentum going into the 2012. It is also important that we have a good finish so Porsche can gain maximum manufacturers points,” said Bergmeister.

Long pointed out that the Lizards’ strategy for this race was to protect the car and stay away from the pushing and bumping that had been creeping into the class, but it just didn’t work today.

“During Joerg’s opening stint, there was rough driving right from the start, and we laid back, choosing to let the officials handle the consequences. When things didn’t calm down, we just tried to stay on the track, race hard, and be there at the end, and we put ourselves in position to win with the right amount of fuel, good tires, and a fast car,” said Patrick.

After the race, the #62 Risi Ferrari was penalized 90 seconds for avoidable contact with the Lizard Porsche, which pushed them from third to sixth place.

The other Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs did not have such a good day. The #17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with Bryan Sellers (USA) and Wolf Henzler (Germany) aboard was hit by a GT Challenge car early in the race, shattering the water pump, crushing the airbox, and bending the chassis. The second Lizard Porsche (Seth Neiman/Marco Holzer was ninth, and the Paul Miller Racing Porsche of Sascha Maassen/Bryce Miller was tenth after shearing the pins to the wheel in the left rear upright.

Although the Dirk Mueller/Joey Hand BMW clinched the driver’s championship, Porsche is still in the running for the top spot in the manufacturers championship.

In GT Challenge, there was another last-lap pass for the win. For this victory, it was the #66 TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Spencer Pumpelly/Duncan Ende/Peter Ludwig edging the class points leaders Tim Pappas/Jeroen Bleekemolen/Sebastiian Bleekemolen in the #54 Black Swan Racing Porsche to take the win. TRG took a chance on a green flag pit stop late in the race to get new tires and fuel, losing almost a lap to Black Swan, but a yellow flag with 11 minutes to go closed the gap and Pumpelly was able to get by Bleekemolen using the advantage of fresh tires.

Pappas has a 21-point lead going into the last event at Petit Le Mans, with 30 points available for the win.

Click HERE for race standings (PDF)

http://www.motorsport.com/#/alms/new...a-race-report/

if you had more brass than sense, which car would you buy?

I'd get me one of this: not the best performance, but it looks and sounds like god having an orgasm

http://www.motorauthority.com/review...c-competizione

This...

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/111...erlinettat.jpg

Ferrari 250 Tour de France.

I'd have a custom built street legal 917 coupe using one of the 16 cylinder engines that Porsche developed in 69 - 70 as an alternative to the turbo 12, but never used. I don't really care so much for the 800 HP, but the sound of an air-cooled flat 16 behind me could be quite amusing. Not to mention the possibility of laying rubber at 180 MPH.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...cyl_engine.JPG