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Seven - Your RX-7 is really coming along nicely. I really like the JDM Aero front end and the CF hood. The factory brakes aren't spectacular but for a car so light they're more than efficient, and i know exactly what you mean about mechanics and shoddy work (especially for the gen 3 RX's). You really cleaned it up nicely, just make sure that everything motor wise is running smooth (get it some quality intercoolers, if you have some money get it some comparable sized ball bearing turbos, and make sure the seals are in good shape), so long as you don't try to get mountains of horsepower out of it, and the motor has a really good cooling and fuel management system, that 13B will last forever.

I've seen both planes the Su-37 and the F22 pull the bell maneuver in videos. Whether or not it was a purposely sanctioned move to pull off is another thing, but my buddies and i at work were bored and wanted to see the limits of the Su vs the 22 and see which one is "better". They both could pull some insane moves, but the Su by all tests had slightly better maneuverability (as inherit in its bird like design) while the F22 could pull the same moves just not nearly as fast, but had more break neck speed than the SU. I'd have to do the research all over again, but I think i could try and find the websites i pulled the info from again.

i'm a big fan of equilibrium so this movie is a definite for me. Though I'm already not going to attempt to hold it to the equilibrium standards, it'll at least be some decent eye candy.

If you were to get an Elise, you should get the Sun International Elise, you get the K20A2 motor which is better designed for force induction (like A1 had planned to do) as opposed to the Toyota/Yamaha 2ZZ that they put in there. Or if you can do what some people have been doing with their 2ZZ's and that's keep the 2ZZ block and take the 1ZZ's crank and rods and create a "3ZZ", a 2.0Liter all aluminum I4 with variable valve timing that is easier to super/turbocharge.

i think you should just drive both, most people buy a 911 because of the name, just take each for a test drive and see which one you feel is the better performer in all aspects.

911's a good car, but for a lot less you could just get the more stylish and practical Cayman.

You haven't driven a daytona coupe, well you're in luck because there's a company out there that will make one for you for barely more than the cost of a Viper with about twice the performance of a Viper. In last months... i wanna say Motor Trend, there is a company that will build you a Daytona Coupe to the specs that it was suppose to be built to (they cut corners due to time and money) and also with a good amount of modern integration (better framework, lightened motor, tremec transmission, etc etc). You have an option of three motors, I can't recall the cubic inches of the first two at the moment, i just know the best one is the Ford Windsor 7.0liter (427cu.in) OHV 2 valves per cylinder producing 500hp/torque and that without a motor shipped it's something like 70 or 80 grand. The motor and trans with installation run an extra like 20 or so. Bob Negstad (427 cobra chassis designer) and Peter Brock (daytona coupe designer) came together to recreate to their original specifications this brand new piece of art work. In the one that motor trend tested, it ran a 0-60 in a little over 3 seconds and a quarter mile in the 11's, also pulling over 1.0g in the skidpad. It comes optional with or without a radio, talk about raw performance, not to mention the car only weighs a smudge over 2900lbs (i'm working from memory, i'll get the printed numbers later). The average driver will still be able to pull a 0-60 in 3.9 and a quarter of 11.9, a great driver much much better numbers.

y'know Suzuki revealed a bike at the tokyo autoshow that had a very similar stance to that of Kaneda's bike, it was the G-Strider uses a 916cc motor with an automatic transmission (didn't state what kind of auto, but my guess is a CVT).

I'm speechless, as that is so fraking awesome and it boggles my mind to have a car so wrecklessly powerful. I want a replica now more than ever... 371115[/snapback] For the same dangerous thrills, try getting a first gen MR2. Those are pretty sketchy in corners. 371124[/snapback] My hardtop turbo gen 2 was the opposite. It would break loose in a straight line, but would completely plant a corner. I could take a curve with more confidence than i could a straight shot, but that was kinda what i liked about it. I know a lot of cars of the 60's were so incredibly light, i understand emissions and safety, but you figure with the heavy uses of exotic materials like carbon fiber, aluminum, and magnesium, our modern sports cars would be much lighter than cars nearly a half century old. It seems like the only sports cars on the road that are under 3200lbs are either Inline 4 go karts, or all aluminum space framed exotics.

you're not kidding, that car got REALLY FAT, the convertible GT500 weighs in at close to 4000lbs (the hard top weighs a LOT less, but still), and the GT weighs in at 3400lbs. As awesome as the car looks and even performs, it's a porker.

That's typical of most drivers, they feel confident in a straight line but not in the corners... wussy.

yeh maybe you're right, i was using "jewed" in the context of them being very frugle and thus is how the european and japanese auto industry is with releasing models in America (and if not models, then the proper motors). There are so many cars (mostly Japanese) and motors (mostly European) that America was skipped out on, but it looks like the auto industry is finally starting to level everything out.

BTW, A1's M3 should have somthing like 240hp and a little less torque, but it depends what year it is because the E36 went from a 3.0 liter with two stage valve timing to the 3.2 liter with continuous VVT (VANOS) with better performance (though HP stayed the same). The European versions that were actually released in 92 to replace the E90's had 286hp (with continuous VVT, not that two stage crap we got) and by 94 when America was just getting the better 3.0liter S50 motor (without continous VVT) they were already getting a 321hp S52 motor linked to a six speed. America really gets jewed on a lot of our Japanese/European car releases.

the cheap version uses the B16, the newest one uses a supercharged K20A2 motor, which makes this even more dangerous and fun than it was before.

maybe i stand alone, but i've never really been a porsche guy, mostly because they don't make sense. They put everything rear engine, and then once they realize rear engine is obsolete, they just cater the entire car around its platform as not to lose face. Then when they create models which are better (i.e.:Cayman) rather than jam the most powerful motor they can and the most advanced all wheel drive, they detune it so it doesn't detract from their original star line up. As I stated previously, get a RUF, you get a REAL Super car with half (or sometimes less than half) of the super car price. I'm just waiting for him to do a RUF Cayman. funk: Yeh, but i absolute love how the car just opens up once you get it close to red line, plus it's different. I actually am a bigger fan of the Caddy motors than the motors GM sticks in their other divisions, mostly because i think Caddy is the only one that seems to be innovative. If GM would allow it they could easily get mountains more power out of the Supercharged Northstar motor they put in their STS-V. Then it could compete with cars like the M5, S55, and A8, but i know they won't because then the motor will have better power to weight than the LS7, and that's just not allowed.

The one Gaijin has pictured is the one i want because the resale value on them is so poor (when they gave it the twin tail pipes and the hood they started to sell better). Then I can talk to my buddy and find the all aluminum 6.2liter Variable Valve Timed V8 out of the new Escalade and throw that in their (for whatever reason, the LS7 isn't VVT, and I live in an area where wrecked Escalades is about as common as wrecked Civics) because i like the smoother wind up and the improved power band. Then leave it cosmetically static and drive it into the dirt. The one thing I noticed in my area is that when it snows/rains/sleets everyone wants to drive within an inch of your bumper, almost like if they don't keep near you, the road beneath them will disappear. It is polar opposite of how people drove in Michigan, where EVERYBODY drives properly and takes all of the necessary actions to prevent a tight situation (since winter is about 3 seasons out of the year). I've seen so many people totally wreck their WRX's because unlike the EVO (and this is good and bad dependent on the driver) the WRX gives the driver more sensory control, allowing you to feel where the suspension is taking you (eventhough the suspension is way cheap, but predictable). But for drivers who aren't acustom or experienced with the signals a car sends you through the clutch, the steering wheel, and just the overall stance, then this pretty much means nothing to them and they lose control of their car (they panic). I can't tell you how many of my friend's who have owned nothing but Civic's and Accord's finally grab hold of an STI and wreck it in the first week. It's really sad how cocky some people are about their driving.

I always thought the Elise/Exige was cool not just for performance but for economy, 31mpg for the Exige and higher for the Elise, that's pretty amazing.

i never realized Kaneda's bike was so slow. 0-60 in 8.7 seconds, there are hybrids that go faster than that thing. The one that the guy built doesn't look proportioned true to the anime and looks like a nightmare to ride. It's a good one off and definitely better than anything most people could build on their own.

It's like the Ariel Atom, but with a Supercharged V8. Just the fact that they were able to get 500hp out of a super small V8 says a lot let alone putting it into a car that weighs nothing. Though I can't imagine this being safe especially in America where SUV's run (or run over) the roads, and a go kart like that is bound to get squished by an Excursion or a Yukon.

I think he ended up just getting another Z4 (not the better 2006 model, a bargained 2005).

The other thing you might find is it's a lot cheaper to just buy an all new motor than to rebuild a toasted (or near toasted) one.

if he wanted to, he could always make a casts of it and make a profit. Then his critics will go from "why?" to "ah crap, i wish i did that"

it's because the leaf suspension is sluggish on the corners, and the hp/torque band is setup to help fuel efficiency (though in a sports car i can't imagine why that'd be a priority). There are a lot of little things that could have been done to the Vette to make it the best it's ever been (like dump the leaf setup) but then the same could be said for the Stang (solid rear) and the 911 (rear engine). I guess when you get down to it, those flaws are what make them what they are, and if you want it different you have to go to a specialist (rousch, RUF, Lingenfelter).

Convertible's are the slowest and heaviest ones; the Z4 is also getting the two magnesium drenched 3.0 liters from the 325 and 330i's for the 2006 model year. The 3.2 M motor is overrated especially with it's variable valve timing problems and maintenance requirements, i'd say that the HO 3.0liter is a better choice as far as motors go. In terms of performance the coupe is the smartest way to go, but i still think the car is pretty ugly. Went to the Mazda dealership today and test drove a new Miata. Definitely is the best Miata of the three generations and magazine pictures don't do it justice. The car has a very masculine presence and very sharp modern appeal, definitely go check one out if you get the chance.

aka a corolla GT-S in America, people who own them usually don't know what they have which is good for enthusiasts since they can nab them pretty cheap.