nurburgring

In the U.S., cars like the Camry tend to make Toyota seem boring. But there is another side to the company, the Toyota Motorsports Group (TMG), a division focused on making cars go fast. And this group just set a record lap time on the Nürburgring Nordschleife for an electric vehicle.

TMG built its EV P001 car especially for the record attempt. At just over 2,100 pounds, the EV P001 is heavy for a race car, but 770 pounds of that weight is a lithium ion ceramic battery pack, rated at 41.5 kilowatt hours. That … Read more

What's interesting about the release accompanying the announcement of Toyota's latest hybrid concept is that there's absolutely no mention of the terms efficient, mpg, or eco. No, when Toyota talks about the GRMN Sports Hybrid Concept II, it uses words like maneuverability, stability, and enjoyment. Just what's gotten into boring old Toyota these days?

Set to be revealed to the public at this weekend's Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race, in Nurburg, Germany, the Toyota's concept is a sporty convertible that's powered by a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain. GRMN stands for "Gazoo Racing tuned by … Read more

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, which led its overall classification for more than 8 hours back in May at the Nurburgring 24-hour race, will now travel to the USA and Asia.

Due to its larger range, the GT3 R Hybrid took the lead in the race after the other cars pitted, but left it with less than two hours to go.

This fall, U.S. racing fans will get a chance to see the GT3 R Hybrid at the season finale of the American Le Mans Series. The "Petit Le Mans" on Oct. 2, at Road Atlanta. … Read more

Ferrari mostly sat silent while the coveted Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record bounced between Porsche, Nissan, and Dodge for the last few rounds. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the Italian Stallion threw down the gauntlet with an impressive lap in the ultra-hot, 700-horsepower Ferrari 599XX, the first production car to lap the famous Green Hell in under seven minutes.

Stopping the clock at 6 minutes, 58.16 seconds, the 599XX is sickeningly fast. However, unlike the 911s, GT-Rs, and Vipers that have just had their collective worlds crushed, the 599XX isn't exactly street legal. This raises some interesting questions about … Read more

What happens when you mix a fire engine with a 193 mph supercar co-designed by the makers of Gran Turismo? Well, if these pictures are anything to go by, you get the fastest, coolest emergency vehicle in the world. Apart from Thunderbird 1, of course.

The Nissan GT-R ultra-rapid response emergency vehicle was modified by M&M Automotive to offer some serious firefighting abilities. Its two rear seats were removed to make room for a 13-gallon tank secured by a roll cage, while in the trunk, there's a medium-pressure (20 bars) extinguisher system and winding device for a 65-foot hose. According to Nissan, the car will dispense both water and foam, and can fight fires for approximately two minutes on a single tank.

The car was built specifically to patrol the iconic Nurburgring race track in Germany's Eifel region, where hundreds of amateur drivers try their luck on the high-performance circuit every year. Accidents are, understandably, quite commonplace, so having a fast emergency vehicle on hand is a smart idea. Ordinary fire engines would take ages to reach an accident, but, despite carrying an extra 440 pounds of firefighting equipment, the GT-R can lap the twisty 13-mile Nordschleife circuit in less than eight minutes.

Car geeks the world over will tell you the GT-R is the perfect car for the job. Not only is it ludicrously fast, but it also has all manner of high-tech gizmos to help the driver arrive in a hurry. … Read more

As I write this, the temperature in the City of New York hovers around freezing, though it's expected to be warmer and wetter by the time this post gets published. Not the right conditions for high-performance driving, to be sure, but that won't stop enthusiasts from planning for better weather.

Eager drivers in the area have several new options since this time last year. The Monticello Motor Club, for example, is a 4.1-mile racetrack (a road course, of course, not a mere oval track) that opened last July in Monticello, NY. It's just 90 minutes by … Read more

GM posted this video of the Corvette ZR1 doing a lap of the Nurburgring. It's a cockpit video with a stat overlay, showing the car hitting close to 180 mph on the final straightaway. Put on your headphones and crank up the volume, because the engine and road sounds come through clearly. You can almost feel the car hitting the apexes. Final lap time: 7:26.4.

I should write more here about cars. I certainly talk about cars more than enough with friends and coworkers. I've written for the BMW Car Club of America's Roundel Magazine, but somehow my dream job in automotive journalism never materialized...

Good cars are safe, fast, affordable to purchase, economical to operate, reliable, capacious, comfortable, and attractive.

No, of course you can't get all of those characteristics in one car; each conflicts with one or more of the others. Safe and fast, for example... obviously incompatible, right? Well, no. Not at all. The only thing that makes a … Read more