SuperTunes

The curious tale of the two Nissan IDx concepts that made their debuts at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show has taken another turn. Long thought to have been scrapped as production options, the IDx concepts are now back in the Nissan headlines after the Japanese automaker recently filed a trademark for the name “Nissan IMX.” Now, this doesn’t automatically guarantee the marque is hinting at the two concepts from four years ago, but the filing revealed intriguing items about what the IMX trademark that can be connected to the IDx.

According to AutoGuide, the trademark was filed for a production car that could take in numerous forms, including as an “electric vehicle,” “sports car,” or a combination of the two. Nissan didn’t specify what kind of production model it’s planning for the IMX, but the close proximity of the trademarked name to the one used on the two concepts back in 2013 has caused renewed speculation on the fate of the retrofitted prototypes we saw in Tokyo. Then again, speculation is all that we have to cling on to at the moment. For now, the IDx concepts will remain just that; Nissan itself has said that it’s not planning to build a new sports car until after the current 370Z ends its lifecycle. Seeing as we just saw Nissan release an updated version of the sports car, all talks of sports cars will probably amount to nothing more than speculation. Still, the IMX trademark is intriguing for what it could turn into in the future.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

McLaren Automotive might be a fairly new car maker, but they have a long and glorious history as a boutique manufacturer. And that is what they often tap into to make their new models look cooler and more interesting. This time the outcome is this McLaren 570GT MSO XP Green which features a paint work borrowed form a famous McLaren F1. 

There are clues in the name of McLaren 570GT MSO XP Green as to the identity of the its benefactor. It’s the 1997 F1 XP GT ‘Longtail’ which had a special body work with extended aero pieces and deep bottle green paint finish. That color is now part of McLaren Special Operations unique special commission colors. It is now featured on six examples of the McLaren 570GT going on sale in UK, Germany and the Netherlands. This MSO treatment adds £21,000 to the final price of the vehicle, which itself depends on the options and trims.

So what do you get for that 21 grand? On the outside, and besides the special colors, McLaren 570GT MSO XP Green features Saddle Tan aero pin-striping edging the front aero blades, side skirts and rear diffuser. There is also Union Jack emblem finished in silver-grey and MSO Black exterior components. Inside, you get Saddle Tan leather upholstery with green leather inserts in the seats and green contrast stitching, as well as a dedication plaque mounted on the centre tunnel beneath the infotainment screen identifying each car as one of six in the Collection.

“Any McLaren is a very special vehicle, but we are also seeing an increasing number of buyers expressing a desire to personalise their cars with additional features and options as well as colour and trim choices outside of the core specification offered,” explained Jolyon Nash, McLaren Automotive Executive Director, Global Sales and Marketing. “As well as making it possible for individual McLaren owners to have exactly the McLaren they want, McLaren Special Operations will continue to create limited-volume collections such as these six 570GT models in XP Green, to further extend customer choice.”

The post McLaren 570GT MSO XP Green Has Historic Color appeared first on Motorward.

It should come as no surprise that while in search for a little differentiation for its R8 lineup, Audi decided to develop a special edition model that ditched one of its most important claims to fame: the quattro all-wheel-drive system. And so there it was at the Frankfurt Motor Show for all the world to see. The limited edition Audi R8 officially goes by the name R8 V10 RWS, and according to Audi Sport CEO Stephan Winkelmann, it’s a model that Audi developed specifically for purists with an “appreciation for essential driving enjoyment.”

The special edition R8 V10 is limited to just 999 units and each one of them will ditch the automaker’s famous quattro AWD system in favor of rear-wheel drive. That’s the car’s claim to fame, above all else, and it’s a claim that no other variant of the current-generation Audi R8 has. Beyond the RWD offering, the R8 V10 also features a good amount of exterior and interior changes, as well as significant modifications to its chassis and suspension to accommodate the rear-wheel drive set-up. If it’s hard to imagine what an RWD Audi R8 is all about, think of it as a lighter version of the standard R8 that’s been tuned specifically to put more control of the car in the driver’s hands. Think drifting in an AWD R8 is cool? Well, imagine what you can do with an R8 that sends all of its power in the rear wheels. This is what the Audi R8 V10 RWS is offering, among other things. Better be quick though because only 999 units will be made. Miss out on one and you’re once again staring at the aftermarket tuning scene to get your rear-wheel drive R8 fix.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Jaguar is kind of known for unnecessarily elaborate publicity stunts, whether it’s spending millions on A-list celebrities for a 30-second spot, or staging a drone race just to let you know the long-wheelbase XJ has ample room in the back. That is basically the premise of Jaguar XJ Game of Drones.

You get the feeling they had to green light this stunt simply because they came up with the title ‘Jaguar XJ Game of Drones’ and that sounded too cool not to be used. They must have thought it’ll become a memorable thing, what with the popularity of Game of Thrones. The thing itself, however, does not make much sense. Here’s what it’s all about: high-speed drones piloted by professional racers flew through three cars during the race at Alexandra Palace, on a course marked out with 13 gates the same shape as an XJL rear door and illuminated in phosphor Blue and Red to highlight two of the XJ’s stunning interior lighting options.

The point here is that were it not for the extra five inches of space Jaguar XJ LWB provides, the drones could have traveled so easily at 60 mph through the cabin. From that you have to surmise the car is easy to get in and out of, and that it has big space in the back.

“Quality and comfort are always at the forefront of our minds and this is especially true for the Jaguar XJL. The long wheelbase gave us the space to create a passenger experience that is second to none. We might not have designed it with drone racing in mind, but it’s a fun way to demonstrate the spacious environment we’ve created.”
Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar

The post Jaguar XJ Game of Drones Puts Practicality in Perspective appeared first on Motorward.

Volkswagen announced today the base price and specs of the new 2018 VW T-Roc as the car gears up for market launch. The already popular crossover starts from €20,390 for the base model with a 1.0 liter TSI engine. That means a decently-equipped version with a big-ish engine is going to be quite pricey. But that probably won’t change how people feel about this cute little thing. 

2018 VW T-Roc has that puppy dog quality to it that European customers seem to love very much. It is compact and smart looking, and yet it offers enough space and practicality to satisfy  the needs of most EU families. Mind you, these are usually not big families. Customers in America may have an altogether different reaction to this recipe.

In any case, the new crossover seems spot on perfect for its intended market. The T-Roc is the first Volkswagen SUV that will be available to order in two-tone paintwork with visually contrasting roof section (including the A-pillars and exterior mirror housings). But visual appeal is only part of what makes this package enticing. You also get innovative digital features (such as the latest generation Active Info Display) as well as flawless connectivity via Volkswagen Car-Net. Available tech features include Front Assist and Lane Assist and Traffic Jam Assist.

2018 VW T-Roc is also technically brilliant, offering a choice of two or four-wheel-drive, a choice of three responsive yet efficient engine options at launch. The base model, as mentioned, gets a 1.0 liter TSI with 115 PS and FWD. You can also go for a 2.0 TSI with 190 PS with 7-speed DSG and 4MOTION all-wheel drive or a 2.0 TDI with 150 PS with 7-speed DSG and 4MOTION all-wheel drive.

The post 2018 VW T-Roc Crossover – Price and Specs appeared first on Motorward.

With the EV war in full swing and every manufacturer trying to prove their dominance in this small but growing segment, it came as no surprise that there were plenty of EV and future concepts display at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show. One such concept was the BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept – a model that previews a production model that will slot between the BMW i3 and BMW i8, and most likely the BMW i5 that we thought for sure was coming to Frankfurt this year. Whether or not this thing is anywhere near being ready for a shift into production remains to be seen, it has a pretty wild exterior design but, as a sedan, it will slot in nicely below the i8. It features a futuristic-like exterior design, along with an all-electric drivetrain.

As of now, details about this specific concept are scant at best. BMW hasn’t even enlightened us with any information about the interior and has given us very little about the drivetrain itself, so this is pretty much a best guess scenario. It’s also one of the 12 promised, pure-electric models that will grace Bimmer’s lineup by 2025 and stand next to another 13 electrified/hybrid vehicles. With that said, it’s time to take a good look at the latest vision concept and see what we might be able to expect from the mysterious and evasive i5 or maybe even an i7 since the i5 could end up being an SUV according to a report back in 2016. So, there are a lot of unknowns here, but that just means we can have fun with it. Let’s get to it.

Continue reading to learn more about the BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept.

The Bugatti Chiron is only a year into its life and yet Bugatti is already making preparations for the supercar’s successor. That much was made clear by no less than CEO Wolfgang Durheimer, who told Road & Track about the company’s plans moving forward at the recently-concluded 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.

According to Durheimer, the business model for the Chiron is already set in stone. It will have a life-cycle of six years and the automaker’s waiting list for the supercar is now stretched out to four years. That means that of the 500 models that Bugatti is earmarking for the Chiron, 300 of them are already spoken for, leaving just 200 units up for grabs in the last two-and-a-half years of its production run. Remember, Bugatti only plans to build 70 Chirons a year, so even customers who recently ordered one aren’t likely to get their supercars until around 2021 or 2022. In the meantime, Bugatti is already looking to answer the question, “what’s next,” and that answer may come a lot sooner if Durheimer has something to say about it. The Bugatti CEO has said that the initial plans for the Chiron’s successor should be on the table by 2019, leaving the company with precious little time (a little over a year) to sift through all of its ideas before making a decision. It’s as definitive a statement as we’ve heard from Durheimer, who also shot down rumors of a lower-end Bugatti to complement the Chiron. “For the time I can oversee Bugatti, it will remain the ultimate product,” he said. “Extremely high-end, very sharp, no compromise. The best materials, best technology, highest price. No rebates.” Sounds like a man who knows what he wants.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Porsche has a history of making absurd vehicles, but this might take the cake – at least for now. It’s the new 2019 Cayenne Turbo and it packs 550 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged V-8 that turns all four wheels while four-wheel steering and active aero bodywork scramble to keep it pointing straight. Think of it as the playboy’s version of the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

Porsche pulled the covers off the new high-powered SUV at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show to a crowd of gleeful onlookers. No doubt people fawn on whatever Porsche attaches its crest too, including tall SUVs and four-door sedans with a hybrid powertrain. Granted, the German automaker generally knows how to screw a vehicle together, but Porsche has certainly been carving out new territory over the last 17 years. As for the new Cayenne Turbo, well, it’s muy caliente, so keep reading for the juicy details. You’ll find it includes rear-wheel steering, a new three-chamber air suspension, and a 48-volt electronic roll stabilization system.

Continue reading for more on the 2019 Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

Truck fans will instantly recognize the Lightning name – it belongs to Ford and its two generations of performance-minded F-150s from back in the 1990s and early 2000s. These were short-bed, single-cab trucks with lowered suspensions and big V-8s under their hoods. Sadly, Ford dropped the F-150 Lightning in 2004 and has since kept its SVT team busy with the F-150 Raptor. That’s left the street performance pickup niche rather cold, with only the 2014 F-150 Tremor showing any signs of hope.

But like in the late 1960s, a dealership has launched its own performance upgrade for the current Ford F-150.

Pioneer Ford in Bremen, Georgia put together an “F-150 Lightning Tribute” that turns a single-cab, short-bed F-150 into a 650-horsepower monster with a side exhaust, 22-inch wheels with street rubber, and a Roush supercharger bolted to that 5.0-liter Coyote V-8. Yep, it’s got the right number of cylinders and none of that EcoBoost stuff under the hood. It doesn’t get any more American than this!

Keep reading for more on the Pioneer Ford F-150 Lightning Tribute.

I think at this point, Subaru is well established as one of the primary movers and shakers in the world of rough, rally-tough performance, mostly thanks to the turbocharged, all-four-driven, race-bred WRX. But while this mainstay of the import enthusiast culture first hit U.S. shores in the early 2000’s, older overseas slideways fans have known the joy of boosted Scoobys for much longer. Probably the most famous old school ‘Rex is the wide-hipped, be-winged 22B, a true icon in and of itself. But I’m not here to sing the praises of the 22B, at least not this time around. No, instead I want to raise awareness of something a little… weirder. Say hello to the Gravel Express, a JDM-special WRX rocking two-tone paint, a raised ride height, a giant bull bar on the nose, and a spare wheel on the hatch.

All you really need to know about this thing is right there in the name. Indeed, this odd Impreza is rocking WRX-levels of power from a carryover turbocharged 2.0-liter boxer engine and the traditional high-performance symmetrical AWD system. Unfortunately, Subaru axed the Gravel Express after just one generation, because apparently, this tasty slice of automotive awesomeness just didn’t sell as well as hoped. But the fact it was made at all is reason to celebrate, no?

On these shores, we got the much-less-interesting Impreza Outback Sport, which neglected boost in favor an all-atmosphere 2.2-liter four-cylinder, but the bones are pretty much the same. Your job, dear enthusiast, is to find an old Outback Sport, drop in a turbo 2.0-liter, lift it up, mount a bull bar up front, and put a spare wheel on the hatch. Once your task is complete, let the gravel be your guide…

Unless we’re in for a surprise in the next coming days, it looks like the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show will only have one major aftermarket tuning company in attendance. It’s a little bit of a surprise, but then again, the tuner that did show up is Brabus, and we all know its place in the tuning hierarchy. Suffice to say, it’s the go-to tuner for Mercedes-Benz models. This week Brabus showed solidified this with not one, not two, but three different programs for three different Mercedes-AMG models, all of which, mind you, received insane levels of power and performance, among other things.

These are the kinds of things that we can expect from Brabus. As a matter of fact, these are the kinds of things that we’ve already expected out of the tuner. I’ve already detailed my thoughts about the Rocket 900 program for the AMG S 65 Cabrio and the 700 kit for the AMG E 63 S last week. But guess what; Brabus wasn’t done. Rather, it followed those two major reveals with another program, the 900PS, for the AMG G 65 V12. All that and the tuner even had the time to build and develop a concept for smart called the Ultimate E Concept and had one of its sub-brands – Startech – come up with an aero kit for the Land Rover Discovery. Those two aside, the three Mercedes-AMG tuning kits are prime examples of why everyone regards Brabus as one of the best tuners in the game today. It may be far from being the only one, but rest assured, if there’s somebody out there with a Mercedes or a Mercedes-AMG in his garage that’s dying to get some aftermarket tuning love, Brabus should be one of the first, if not the first, tuners he should call.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

BMW showed up to IAA 2017, aka the Frankfurt Auto Show, ready to make waves, and make waves it did. There was no shortage of new models to look at, and a few others that we’ve already seen. Highlights included cars like the BMW I Vision Dynamics Concept, the BMW Concept X7 iPerformance, BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo, BMW X3, BMW i3 and i3S, the new BMW M5, and the BMW M8 GTE – the car that previews the future M8. It also brought a couple of special editions in tow along with concepts we’ve already seen like the 8 Series and the Concept Z4. All of this is great, but at the same time, the German marque also announced something much smaller and maybe even a little controversial. See, the brand has decided to separate its “premium” models (is there such a thing as a non-premium BMW?) from the rest of the lineup with a special badge. That’s right; your next BMW might not wear the traditional black, white, and blue badge. Oh, how time changes things, huh?

The logo isn’t a departure from the iconic BMW badge that we all recognize. It’s still the same, except that it’ll be featured entirely in black and white, with no trace of blue. It’ll also feature the words “Bayerische Motoren Werke,” the automaker’s spelled-out name from which the “BMW” acronym comes from. Granted, Bimmer hasn’t specified which of its models will be given the simplified black and white badge, but a quick look at the company’s revamped lineup provides the likelihood that models like the 7 Series and the upcoming 8 Series and X7 SUVs all have the inside track at wearing the new badge. An announcement is expected to happen sooner than later, but in any case, start getting used to this new logo from BMW. It may be more of the same from a design point of view, but for as long as we’ve known and appreciated the black, white, and blue badge, it’s going to take as much time to get used to this new version.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Girls and cars, cars and girls, the usual connection. Some say it’s sexism, others say it shouldn’t be allowed. Well, we don’t agree with them, as long as things are done with respect, any beautiful person (man or women) is a great addition next to a great looking car!

The Frankfurt Motor Show Girls – 2017 Edition contains almost 100 pictures that we’ve compiled from the beautiful girls that starred in this year’s IAA. The video also contains a few pictures from past IAA shows, including 2015 and 2103. Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it.

Have fun and remember to subscribe to our Youtube Video Channel!

The post IAA Girls (Girls of the Frankfurt Motor Show) – 2017 Edition appeared first on Motorward.

With the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show now written into the history books, we have a nice list of superb automotive debuts to look at and feel good about. But unfortunately, as is often the case, you gotta take the good with the bad, and there were a few reveals in Germany this year that didn’t quite cut the mustard. Between less-than-special special editions, lackluster SUVs, and uninspiring concepts, there was actually a good deal to pick from when putting together this list of Worst In Show.

Funny enough, we decided to toss in some controversial picks for good measure as well. That’s right – you may find one entry that managed to appear on both the Best In Show and Worst In Show lists! We here at TopSpeed are still arguing about it, so we want you, dear readers, to get in on the conversation. That means posting in the comments to let us know which cars did it for you and which ones fell flat. Are our opinions correct? Keep us honest! So without further ado…

Continue reading to learn more about the Worst In Show debuts from the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.

We’ve been working on some HD wallpapers over the last few years, usually we use those to illustrate our articles, but since we keep receiving requests from our readers to share the HD versions of those, we’ve decided to compile them all into one place so you can download the ones you like and do with them whatever you want. They’re free for you to use!

Enjoy the video we’ve prepared with all the Car Brands HD Wallpapers and read further down to download them!

All 66 car wallpapers are in 1280*1024 .jpg format.

The post Car Brands HD Wallpapers – by Motorward appeared first on Motorward.

Ram recently debuted a new line of special edition trucks at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois called the Harvest Edition. The package is available on the Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 in Quad, Crew, and Mega Cab configurations with all powertrains but the base V-6. Headlining the Harvest Edition are two paint colors: Case IH Red and New Holland Blue. Other upgrades include a one-inch increase in ride height on 1500 models, on/off-road tires, and other farm-ready accessories.

So, what’s the deal with Case and New Holland? Well, both tractor brands are owned by CNH Global – a holding company that also includes Fiat Industrial S.p.A. Ever notice how all the equipment seen in Ram media photos are Case? There’s your answer. (Too bad John Deere isn’t in the mix – that awesome shade of green would look great on a Ram.) Aside from the corporate affiliations and cross-marketing, the Harvest Edition Rams provide a real-life benefit for customers. Not only are the 1500s lifted one inch and come with meaty tires, all models have a specific list of options that cater to daily operations on a farm.

Continue reading for more information.

Ram recently debuted a new line of special edition trucks at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois called the Harvest Edition. The package is available on the Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 in Quad, Crew, and Mega Cab configurations with all powertrains but the base V-6. Headlining the Harvest Edition are two paint colors: Case IH Red and New Holland Blue. Other upgrades include a one-inch increase in ride height on 1500 models, on/off-road tires, and other farm-ready accessories.

So, what’s the deal with Case and New Holland? Well, both tractor brands are owned by CNH Global – a holding company that also includes Fiat Industrial S.p.A. Ever notice how all the equipment seen in Ram media photos are Case? There’s your answer. (Too bad John Deere isn’t in the mix – that awesome shade of green would look great on a Ram.) Aside from the corporate affiliations and cross-marketing, the Harvest Edition Rams provide a real-life benefit for customers. Not only are the 1500s lifted one inch and come with meaty tires, all models have a specific list of options that cater to daily operations on a farm.

Continue reading for more information.

Back in 1965, the Ford Mustang was one of the coolest cars in America, probably the car of the moment. Everyone talked about Ford’s new sports car and the Dearborn based carmaker was on its way to sell 400,000 units in the first production year, a lot more than the initial estimates of 100,000 units (they sold those cars in the first three months). It was the car every teenager in the United States dreamed about and, as expected, its success didn’t go unnoticed.

That’s why the management of the tallest building in the country at the time, the iconic Empire State Building, would contact Ford about creating an incredible event that would get the media’s attention and that would have everyone talking about it. Finished in 1931, the Empire State Building was not only the tallest building in the United States, but also in the world, the 102 story building standing at 1,454 feet (443 meters) high.

Leury’s idea

Over 50 years ago, it wasn’t that easy to create an event that would go viral, like we see these days. Remember those were times when the Internet didn’t even exist and computers were rare and only scientists had access to. Actually, the expression of “going viral” didn’t even exist and the most popular media outlets were newspapers, magazines, radio and television, the latter being still in its infancy compared to the media phenomenon it is today.

That’s where Robert Leury came in. The vice-president and general manager of the Empire State Building quickly realized that he can draw some of the huge attention the Ford Mustang was getting to the building he was managing. Leury would go on and invite William Benton, a manager of the carmaker’s sales division, to talk about setting up a special event. What followed quickly became an example for advertising events and would be referenced for years to come in the marketing industry.

The idea Leury pitched to Benton was to put together two American symbols, the Ford Mustang and the Empire State Building, by placing a car on top of the building. It was an idea Benton immediately liked and he would immediately return to Dearborn and put together a team of eight Ford engineers whose purpose was to find a way to put a Ford Mustang on the building’s observation deck on the 86th floor. The project was ambitious and required several technical innovative technical solutions.

The first solution they thought of was lifting the car using a helicopter, but they soon discovered it was almost impossible, given the building’s height and architecture. They realized it was too dangerous so they went on and looked for another way, starting with a trip to New York. Here, with tape measures in their hands, they started carefully examining the building. Access doors, elevators, hallways, ceilings, everything. When they were done, nothing was left unmeasured. After making a few calculations on a napkin, the Ford engineers finally found the solution: a brand new Mustang was about to be cut to pieces, lifted using the visitor elevators and then reassembled on top of the building. The only major issue was making sure to cut the car in a way that it wouldn’t hurt its final looks after reassembly.

The Ford Mustang more like a Lego

The team returned to Dearborn and started working on the details. In order to fit the 15 feet car into the elevators, the engineers decided to cut the Mustang in four pieces: windshield, the front part (including the engine bay), the central part and the trunk. To make it even easier, they removed the front seats, the central console and the two doors in the first phase and then the engine, the transmission and the drive shaft. After these elements were removed, they started cutting the car.

The cuts for the main parts of the body were made along the doors, while the windshield was cut together with the frame. To make it easier to put them back together on the Empire State Building, they fitted the parts with several additional support elements. The team also built a special rolling dolly for guiding the pieces into the elevator and for reducing the time required for the entire process. Also, before shipping the parts to the Big Apple, the engineers performed three tests by transporting the parts and fitting them in containers similar in size to the Empire State Building elevators. All they had to do now was choose the date.

A night to remember

The event was scheduled for October 20, 1965 and the eight Ford engineers, dressed in white overalls, started doing their thing at 10:30 pm, after the building’s working and visiting hours were over. They unloaded the car from the truck and started cutting it to pieces in front of a few curious bystanders.

And like all great stories, something always gets messed up and doesn’t work according to plan. Despite all the planning, an error apparently slipped by and one of the parts proved to be a quarter of an inch (6.5 mm) wider than the elevators’ door. But after a few attempts and a little juggling, the piece finally fitted in and was lifted to the 86th floor. One by one, all the parts were brought up to the observation deck and the team started assembling them, despite a 37 mph (60 km/h) wind blowing and making their task more difficult. But everything was finished by 4:30 am and they even had time for a coffee before the news helicopters started arriving.

By 11 am, the car was photographed by every reporter in town and it was once again dismembered and moved inside the building, on the same floor. It was a surprise for the 14,000 people that visited the Empire State Building that day and to many more to come, because the Mustang was displayed there for several months.

Today, not many remember about the advertising stunt pulled by Ford and the Empire State Building’s management, but at the time, it was these events that contributed to the Mustang achieving the legend status it has today. It also had a great impact on sales, because only a year later, Ford sold an amazing number of 607,568 Mustangs. By March 1966, the Mustang was removed from the Empire State Building, and at that time, Ford was already celebrating the millionth unit sold.

Modern remake

In 2014, the Ford Mustang celebrated its 50th anniversary and what better way to mark this moment than to recreate one of the best advertising events in history. So Ford decided to lift a full sized Mustang on top of the Empire State Building once again, 49 years after the team of eight engineers did it for the first time.

You’d think that 50 years later, technology evolved enough to make the task easier, but Ford decided to do it the same way they did half a century ago and instead of using a helicopter to lift the car, they cut it to pieces and used the building’s elevators. However, they did take advantage of modern technology and even though the car was cut into several pieces, the vehicle that was used looked more like a car from the Transformers movies. Unlike the previous Mustang, the new one was cut into five pieces, because the car is also bigger than the first generation and the team was made of only six Ford engineers, not eight. Another difference is that this time they were able to use scale models of both the car and elevators to make sure they won’t repeat the mistakes made in the 1960s.

More thorough planning was required because what was more difficult than the first time was that right now, Ford and its partner DST Industries, had less time for the whole thing. They had to cut, lift and assemble the car between 2 am and 8 am, the only time when the building was closed to the public. But after countless training sessions, everyone was ready and everything worked as planned, so by 8 am, the Empire State Building observation deck was opened to visitors who were able to admire the modern Ford Mustang standing in the same place where the first one made history.

The post The Story of the Mustang on Top of the World appeared first on Motorward.

While some have protested that a fast Nurburgring lap time is inconsequential in the grand scope of performance standards, it remains more or less the benchmark. And for good reason – with a mix of high-speed and low-speed corners, huge elevation changes, and plenty of opportunities to get it completely wrong, the Nurburgring is one of the most technically challenging and dangerous race tracks in the world. But that didn’t stop Subaru from building a race-ready WRX STI specifically for domination at this iconic track, and now, we’ve got some onboard footage of its record breaking run from the driver’s perspective, complete with data.

Subaru announced that it broke the ‘Ring record for sedans a few months back, besting the previous record set by the Porsche Panamera Turbo by a whopping 41 seconds. However, this is no ordinary STI – as you can see in the video, the interior is completely gutted with just a single race bucket, digital gauges, and a roll cage in place to keep it safe. Making the go is 2.0-liter turbo boxer four-cylinder at full WRC-spec, pumping out in excess of 600 horsepower. So it’s not exactly production status, but either way, watching this thing attack the ‘Ring from the hot seat is a delight all the same.

During Formula One’s 64 year history, the World Championship’s fate has been decided in the last race on 26 occasions. And while most of the times the winner was the driver who was favorite before the race (the one who was leading the Championship), on 10 occasions things went a little different and the title was won by the driver who started the last race of the season with the second and even the third chance.

Amazing success stories were offered by drivers like Kimi Raikkonen, Giuseppe Farina or Alain Prost which reminded us once again why we are so thrilled to be fans of such a wonderful sport. The last time this almost happened was two years ago, when Fernando Alonso was extremely close to winning the 2012 Championship in the last race even though he was second before the start, but eventually lost it by just three points.

So let’s take a look at some of the most exciting Championship “finals” in history:

Giuseppe Farina – 1950 (Alfa Romeo)

1950 was Formula One’s debut season and it offered a thrilling end to the season. Before the last race, the Italian Grand Prix held at Monza, Juan Manuel Fangio was leading the Championship with 22 points, securing his lead with a victory at the penultimate race, the French Grand Prix. In 2nd place came Luigi Fagioli, with 24 points and Farina was 3rd, with 22 points. Out of the three, Fagioli had the most constant run, with four 2nd places, Fangio had previously finished only three races (but won them all), while Farina won two races, came in 4th in Belgium and 7th in France and was forced to retire in Monaco.

After qualifying, Fangio took pole position, Farina 3rd place, behind Alberto Ascari, with Fagioli only managing a 5th place. However, Fangio’s Alfa Romeo failed him once again and he was forced to retire twice, first due to a gearbox problem and then due to engine problems (back then, rules allowed drivers to change cars and the Argentinian took PieroTaruffi’s car after his gearbox failure). But that didn’t matter, because Farino managed to do an almost perfect race. He took the lead early on and except for a few laps when he was overtaken by Ascari, led the entire race, winning the World Championship with a three point lead over Fangio.

It was an exciting finish to Formula One’s first ever season and it was also the race that set an interesting record. Surprisingly, it was not set by one of the drivers fighting for the Championship, but by PhillipeEtancelin. The 53 year old French driver finished 5th and scored one point which made him the oldest driver to ever score Championship points in a Formula One race.

John Surtees – 1964 (Ferrari)

The 1964 Formula One season was under British domination, with three legendary drivers fighting for the Championship: Jim Clark, John Surtees and Graham Hill. Before the last race of the season, Hill was leading the Championship standings by 5 points, following a win in the United States, with John Surtees coming in 2nd and Jim Clark 3rd, 9 points behind. Hill had a great start of the season, with a win in Monaco and three 2nd places in France, Britain and Germany and he would’ve probably secured his Championship title if it weren’t for two abandons, in Austria and Italy. But after the American victory, everyone was betting on him in the final race of the season, the Mexican Grand Prix. Surtees on the other hand, didn’t have the most reliable car that year, his Ferrari failing to finish in four races (that’s almost half of the entire season). However, he did great in the races he did manage to finish, winning two races, two 2nd places and a 3rd. And even though he was five points behind, the battle wasn’t over. As for the third driver involved in the battle for the Championship, Jim Clark, odds weren’t quite in his favor, as he needed to win the race and Hill and Surtees to perform terribly.

So everyone was anticipating an exciting last race, but what happened exceeded all expectations. After qualifying, Clark took the pole position and kept his lead after the race started. He was followed by Dan Gurney, with Hill fighting with Lorenzo Bandini for the 3rd place. Surtees was fifth and was completely out of the Championship battle. However, a contact between Bandini and Hill forced the Brit to spin and lose a few places. And if that wasn’t difficult enough for him, his exhaust was seriously damaged, causing the car to lose power for the remaining of the race. This was good news for Clark who was now World Champion.

But with a little more than one lap to go, Clark was hit by unbelievable bad luck when his engine blew and forced him to retire, thus losing the Championship. And while Hill’s position was awful, he was still Champion, with Surtees only 3rd, behind Gurney and Bandini (the latter was his teammate at Ferrari). Realizing the situation, the Italian team signaled Bandini to let Surtees pass, which he did, making the Brit World Champion at the end of an incredible race, with just one point in front of Hill.Ferrari also won the Constructors’ Championship over BRM, even if the British team was leading the standings before the last race. An interesting fact is that by winning the Championship that year, John Surtees become the only person in history to be World Champion on both two and four wheels, having won the 500cc motorcycle Championship four times (1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960).

James Hunt – 1976 (McLaren)

The 1976 Formula One season is regarded by many as one of the most thrilling seasons in the sport’s history, thanks to the incredible rivalry between James Hunt and NikiLauda. The season was also the inspiration for the exciting movie “Rush” that was launched last year, starring Chris Hemsworth. The first part of the season was dominated by NikiLauda, who was reigning World Champion. The Austrianwon five of the first nine races and finished 2nd in two other races, leading the Championship with almost twice as many points as the next driver, Hunt.

But then camethe terrible race atNurburgring in Germany, where the Austrian was involved in a serious crash, being pulled out of his burning Ferrari by three other drivers. Lauda was left with serious burns and was unable to enter the following two races, in Austria and Netherlands. However, despite doctors advising him not to, he came back only six weeks later, at the Italian Grand Prix. Enduring severe pain, Lauda wasn’t able to drive at full capacity and only managed a 4th place in Italy, 8th in Canada and a 3rd place in the United States. But he was still leading the Championship, with only three points in front of Hunt, before the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix. Everyone was thrilled about this, as it was one of the most disputed Championships in years.

During the race weekend, the weather was extremely wet, especially on race day. There were actually talks to postpone the race, but the organizers decided to go ahead, making many drivers unhappy with this decision, including Lauda. The Austrian, who confessed of being absolutely petrified when driving, following his crash in Germany, decided to play this one safe and retired after the second lap, when he was 3rd. Hunt led most of the race, but was overtaken by a few drivers once the track started to dry. But with only three laps before the finish he overtook Alan Jones and Clay Regazzoni and became World Champion, with only one point in front of Lauda. It was an incredible season and while everyone appreciates Hunt, there are many voices saying that he wouldn’t have dreamed of winning the Championship if it wasn’t for Lauda’s crash. And to further fuel these controversies, the Austrian won the Championship the following year, proving he was one of Formula One’s greatest.

Nelson Piquet – 1981 (Brabham)

Another season when the World Champion was decided by just one point was the 1981 season. Before the last race of the season, the United States Grand Prix, Carlos Reutemann (Williams) was leading the Championship, with 49 points, followed by Nelson Piquet with 48 points. Jacques Laffite was 3rd and also had a shot of winning the Championship, but he needed extremely favorable circumstances.

The two main contenders, Reutemann and Piquet, were both coming after a couple of mediocre results (Piquet finished 6th in Italy and 5th in Canada, while Reutemannwas 3rd and 10th). During qualifying, Reutemann got the pole position, followed by Alan Jones who was the reigning World Champion and the Argentinian’s team mate. Even though Jones said he would not do anything in particular to help Reutemann, everyone saw the Argentinian as a favorite to win the race, especially with Piquet only qualifying 4th. But the race started awful for Reutemann, which was overtaken by Jones, Gilles Villeneuve, Alain Prost and Bruno Giacomelli in the first lap. Piquet wasn’t going to well either, finishing the first lap in the 8th position.

Jones dominated the race and led from start to finish, but everyone’s attention was turned to the duel between Reutemann and Piquet. The Argentinian was having a lot of trouble with his car (there was a gearbox problem that left him without the fourth gear) and he was overtaken by Piquet soon. After the race, the Brazilian said he saw Reutemann having serious difficulties in driving his car and tried to stop him by braking very early during a corner, hoping that Piquet will run into him. But he didn’t and after that the Brazilian drove impeccably, even though he was physically exhausted from the high temperatures (he had some problems with the heat during qualifying too). Actually, after he managed to pass Laffite and John Watson and was in 5th position, he was so visibly exhausted that everyone was concerned whether he would be able to finish the race. But he held onto that 5th place and won the two points he needed to become World Champion, because Reutemann was overtaken by Laffite and Watson and only finished 8th (the first six positions received points). It was Piquet’s first Championship and was followed by two more, in 1983 and 1987.

Nelson Piquet – 1983 (Brabham)

The Brazilian is the only driver that is twice on this list. Two years after winning his first Championship against Reutemann, Piquet won his second title after a tight battle with the legendary Alain Prost. This time, the last race took place in South Africa and before the race Prost was leading the Championship standings with 57 points, followed by Piquet with 55 points. In theory, Rene Arnoux also had a shot of winning the Championship (he had 49 points), but he had to win the race while Prost had to finish 6th or lower and Piquet 4th or lower.

Piquet qualified 2nd, Prost 5th and it seemed like it would be an extremely interesting race. The Brazilian had a great start and took the lead in the first lap, overtaking Patrick Tambay. In the ninth lap, Arnoux was forced to retire by a problem with his engine and he was out of the Championship battle, while his abandon allowed Prost to climb one position. The French driver soon got into the 3rd position but Patrese, which was Piquet’s team mate at Brabham, did a great job holding the Frenchman behind him and preventing him from challenging Piquet. Unfortunately for Prost, things ended badly for him when turbo failure on lap 35 forced him to retire. Without the pressure, Piquet, who was leading the race, paced himself and even though he was overtaken by Patrese, de Cesaris and Lauda, finished in a comfortable 3rd place after the Austrian retired with electrical problems.

Prost had all the reasons to be extremely angry for losing the title, since he dominated a large part of the season. But the last four races were a total mess for him, retiring from three of them: Netherlands (where he collided with Piquet and both had to retire), Italy (turbo failure) and South Africa (turbo failure once again). The only time he managed to finish being the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch.

Alain Prost – 1986 (McLaren)

The second time Prost was involved in a Championship deciding last race things went better for him. This last race of the season took place in Australia and three drivers were fighting for the World Championship. The favorite was, by far, Nigel Mansell, who was leading the standings with 70 points, followed by Prost with 64 points and Mansell’s team mate, Nelson Piquet, with 63 points. Like we said, the difference was quite big and all Mansell had to do was finish third or higher or for the other two not to win. Another advantage the Brit had was that Williams cars (Mansell and Piquet) proved to be far superior to the McLaren driven by Prost and only the Frenchmen’s consistency allowed him to be a title challenger until the last round. A proof of the difference between the cars was that Williams had already won the Constructors’ Championship, having a 48 point lead over McLaren before the last race.

Things seemed to be even clearer when Mansell won the pole position during qualifying, followed by Piquet, Ayrton Senna and Prost in 4th. Everyone was extremely delighted with this last race and around 150,000 spectators attended the race on the Adelaide circuit. And they sure did have what to see, because the race was extremely dramatic. Mansell was overtaken by Senna on the second corner, then by Piquet and KekeRosberg. By the end of the first lap, Piquet was first, but lost the lead to Rosberg only six laps later. The Brazilian also had an incident on lap 23 and spun, losing a few places. Several laps later, Prost had a problem with a punctured tire and was forced to do an unscheduled pit stop, dropping to 4th. On lap 44, Piquet passed Mansell and the two were followed by Prost. This meant that all three title contenders were in 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions. Rosberg, who had managed to build a significant gap between him and the rest, was forced to retire on lap 63 due to a tire failure. The Finn, who was Prost’s team mate, later told the press that he wouldn’t have won the race anyway, since he promised the team and Prost that he would do anything possible to help the Frenchmen win the Championship.

So now Piquet was leader, Mansell 2nd and Prost 3rd. But almost immediately after Rosberg retired, Prost overtook Mansell for 2nd place, without the Brit putting up any fight (3rd place was enough for him to become Champion). But with less than 20 laps to go, bad luck struck Mansell on lap 64, when his rear left tire exploded at around 180 mph, forcing him to retire. Williams feared that Piquet might have the same fate and called him in for a tire change, giving the lead to Prost, who took advantage of this opportunity and never gave it up until the finish, despite Piquet closing the gap by 10 seconds in the last two laps. Another amazing fact was that Prost drove so to the limit that his car ran out of fuel a few tens of meters after the finish line, putting an epic end to an epic race.

It was Prost’s payback for what happened in 1983 and by winning the Championship he became the first driver to win back-to-back Championships after more than 30 years (the previous one was Jack Brabham in 1959 and 1960).

Jacques Villeneuve – 1997 (Williams)

Before the last race of the 1997 Formula One season that took place in Spain, at Jerez, Michael Schumacher was leading the Championship with 78 points, just one point ahead of Jacques Villeneuve, who was only in his second year of driving in Formula One. The race was coming after a controversial result in the penultimate round, in Japan, when Villeneuve finished 5th but was disqualified for ignoring yellow flags on two consecutive laps during practice.

But that controversy was nothing compared to what would happen during the last race. Actually, the entire weekend was amazing. First there was qualifying, when, for the first time in Formula One history, three drivers set the exact same fastest lap time (1:21:072): Villeneuve, Schumacher and Heinz-HaraldFrentzen. According to regulations, the final order was dictated by the order in which the drivers set the times, which meant Villeneuve won the pole position, Schumacher was 2nd and Frentzen3rd. What’s interesting is that the pole position almost went to Damon Hill, who had the fastest intermediate times but had to slow down on the last part of his lap due to an incident involving Minardi’s Ukyo Katayama.

And, as everyone was anticipating, the race was fascinating. Schumacher took the lead by the first corner and continued to lead the race for the first 40 laps. Villeneuve was also overtaken by Frentzen at the start, but Williams ordered the German to let Villeneuve pass, which he did on lap 8. Nothing changed after Schumacher made his first pit stop on lap 22 and the Canadian a lap later. The order didn’t change also when they made their second pit stops on laps 43 (Schumacher) and 44 (Villeneuve), but the gap between the two was reduced and by lap 48 it was less than a second. It was during this lap when Villeneuve made a move to overtake Schumacher, he took the interior, but the cars collided, with Schumacher being forced out of the track and onto the gravel, where he got stuck and retired.

Villeneuve’s Williams, even though it was still in the race, suffered damage and the Canadian was slower than the others. He was soon caught up by both McLarens (Hakkinen and Coulthard), but he didn’t put up a fight, since all he needed was three points (that was 4th place) and managed to finish the race and become World Champion. Hakkinen finished 1st, winning his first ever Formula One race. The collision between Schumacher and Villeneuve sparked a lot of controversy as everyone saw that Schumacher deliberately tried to take out the Canadian (he admitted to the mistake a few days later, during a press conference). Following an investigation by FIA, Schumacher was disqualified from the Championship, losing his second place but keeping his wins and pole position records.

Mika Hakkinen – 1999 (McLaren)

In 1999, Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher continued their rivalry from the 1998 season, when the Finn became World Champion. After half of the season, Hakkinen was leading by 8 points but then came Schumacher’s horrific crash at Silverstone, when the German broke his leg and was unable to race in the next six races. But that didn’t mean Hakkinen had an easy time winning the Championship, because he had to fight until the last round.

Taking advantage of Schumacher’s injury, Ferrari’s second driver, Eddie Irvine, had a great series of results, including three wins, while Hakkinen retired on three occasions, Britain, Germany and Italy. So before the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, Eddie Irvine was leading the Championship standings with 70 points, four more than Hakkinen, who was second. This meant that in order to become Champion, Hakkinen had to win the race, otherwise hope for a poor result from Irvine.

But the Irish had an awful weekend. First there was qualifying, when he only managed to rank 5th, while Hakkinen started in 2nd, behind Schumacher who was at his second race after the comeback. In the race, Hakkinen had a great start, taking the lead from Schumacher from the beginning and then comfortably leading the entire race. Irvine finished 3rd, one and a half minute behind Hakkinen and Schumacher, losing his only chance of ever winning a World Championship.

Kimi Raikkonen – 2007 (Ferrari)

The 2007 season was probably one of the most exciting ones in recent years and the last race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, offered a thrilling fight. Before the race, three drivers were battling for the Championship title. Favorite was Lewis Hamilton, who was in his debut year in Formula One and was leading the standings with 107 points, followed by reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso with 103 points and the outsider KimiRaikkonen with 100 points. However, judging by recent form, the Finn had the best run in the second half of the season, winning two races and finishing on the podium each time. It was the first time three drivers had a real chance to the title since the 1986 season we spoke about earlier, when Prost became World Champion, so everything indicated a hot weekend at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo.

Things got even hotter after qualifying, when Hamilton got the 2nd place, Raikkonen3rd and Alonso 4th, with Raikkonen’s team mate, Felipe Massa, in the pole position. Things were becoming really, really interesting. The two Ferraris had a great race start and Raikkonen quickly overtook Hamilton. On the next corner, the Brit was also overtaken by Alonso. While defending his position, Alonso braked hard on the next corner, forcing Hamilton to lock his brakes and slid off track. Hamilton rejoined the race in the 8th position and had a lot of work to do to get back in the game. In six laps he had already gained two positions, after passing JarnoTrulli and Nick Heidfeld but then bad luck struck. He had a gearbox malfunction that got him stuck in neutral for about 30 seconds and by the time the issued was fixed, he was already in the 18th position.

In front, Massa was leading, followed by Raikkonen and Alonso. However, while the Brazilian and the Spaniard were making their pit stops, Raikkonen had a great run for about three laps which made him the race leader after his pit stop. Nothing changed until the end of the race and even though Hamilton managed to get into the 7th position, it wasn’t enough and the new World Champion was KimiRaikkonen with 110 points (followed by Hamilton and Alonso, both with 109 points).

Sebastian Vettel – 2010 (Red Bull)

Before the last race of the 2010 Formula One season, in Abu Dhabi, the Championship was led by Fernando Alonso, with 246 points, 8 more than Mark Webber and 15 ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Lewis Hamilton also had a mathematical chance, since he was 24 points behind Alonso, but the shots of him winning the title were only theoretical.

After qualifying, Vettel took the pole position, followed by Hamilton, Alonso, Button and Webber, so everything pointed out to an extremely interesting race. If Vettel won the race, Alonso needed the 4th place to win the Championship. However, Ferrari made a huge strategy mistake: they were confused by Webber’s early pit stop due to fast tire wear and decided to call in Alonso to change his tires. This made Alonso get back in the race in the 8th position, stuck behind VitalyPetrov with just 18 laps gone. The Spaniard kept trying to overtake Petrov, but the Russian resisted until the end. Vettel won the race and with Alonso only finishing 7th and Webber 8th, the German won the Championship with a 4 point lead over Alonso and 10 over Webber. This also put an end to speculation before the race that Red Bull might use team orders to influence the result, because the poor performance by Webber didn’t make that necessary.

By winning the Championship, Vettel became the youngest Formula One Champion ever, breaking Hamilton’s record by 168 days, and also starting an impressive dominance that would lead to four consecutive Championships, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

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