I believe that 2006 F1 cars had at least 800 hp, as it was before the 18,000 rpm rev limit was imposed. The best 2005 F1 cars produced 980 hp from their 3 liter V10s, and they were the most powerful F1 cars ever raced. Turbo cars may have qualified with more hp at one point, but they raced with far, far less.

The Bora can just about justify the expense of being used. The Merak not so much. It is too bad, as they're good looking cars with decent engines. Unfortunately, the quality was quite bad and some of the engineering was of Shitroen quality.

I dropped a cigar in my lap during an acceleration run once and wrapped the tach needle well past 8,000 rpm in my FIAT 124 Sport Spider with racing cams before I managed to recover the cigar. I don't know if it did any harm or not, because one of the front lower control arms freed itself from the chassis soon after.

Just to confuse matters, the object is actually to open the throttle fully, minimizing pumping losses. By flooring the car but shifting at the torque peak instead of HP peak, you keep engine speeds down which really determine how much fuel and air are burned while minimizing pumping losses and getting into higher…

Had to be said.

Williams-Renault tested an F1 CVT back in 1993. It was the way forward from a performance standpoint, as the efficiency of infinite ratios and running the engine at peak output allowed maximum performance. The rules were then changed to limit the number of available ratios and ultimately to force driver 'control'…

Anything without door handles is crack-pipe, unless it is so old that it also doesn't have side windows.

It really does look like it is a function of the narrow-front, wide-rear architecture that is exacerbating what would be minor contact. Chances are that putting a full grid of these cars on track would only make things worse, since they're so wide at the back. I'd be willing to bet that a car with a conventional set…

Manuals also weigh less, deliver better mileage in the hands of a good driver, and are far more durable. They also aren't a marketing contrivance meant to mimic a feature that was regulated into auto racing. When F1 cars got sequential gearboxes, they were very quick to institute fully-automatic, computer selected…

Agreed. The Four-Cylinder building rules, even if the cars have lost the plot.

Paddle shifters are marketing driven BS. Formula 1 cars only use them because the rules say that they have to. Williams successfully tested a CVT twenty years ago, and every F1 car would use one had the rules not been changed to ban them. Paddles are the biggest joke played on the dual-clutch automatic puppets.…

Paddle shifters are marketing driven BS. Formula 1 cars only use them because the rules say that they have to. Williams successfully tested a CVT twenty years ago, and every F1 car would use one had the rules not been changed to ban them. Paddles are the biggest joke played on the dual-clutch automatic puppets.…

Maybe. I guess there have been some changes to the rules since I stopped paying attention, as a decade ago a great deal of importance was placed on transitions between the step plane, the reference plane, and the plank all being at right angles to prevent this sort of feature.

I'm curious what the purpose of the contours on the sides of the step between the plank(5) and the floor is.

Does it matter that the largest plurality of professors consider the Prius to be the perfect professor's car? There's something uncomfortable about assuming that one group knows what's better for another than that group does itself. The world would be such a better place if people could resist this temptation.

I nominated the Prius and the Outback, since that is what actually fills professor parking lots. I'd guess that there are 50,000 professors driving Priuses for every one in an MG, and the ratio to Nissan Leaves isn't much different. My parents are retired professors, and the short commute comment doesn't ring true at…

The ad says the other 2 BMW wheel inserts are in the trunk. That sounds like trim pieces to me, not matching wheels. What size are the after market wheels? Is this thing running 16s on the front and 15s on the back with a torque splitting center differential? That's a recipe for disaster, as is a BMW automatic with…

You're about right on the lease price, which is still low compared to buying most cars new. It is also carefully structured to be so cheap, with non-subsidized leases of in demand cars much higher. My company looked at a Jetta TDI wagon with DSG and a hideous tan vinyl interior that looked used in a car with 17 miles.…

Schumacher absolutely won 7 championships by only completing 50% of opening laps. Damn, you're comprehensive in your inability to recognize the world around you.

Grosjean should try desert truck racing where he won't find it as easy to run into other competitors.