McQueen Racing

Growing up Steve McQueen was the absolute king of cool. He's a Legend. He's an Icon.

To the mainstream he's most known as an actor, however what stands out most in my mind is his exploits at the racetrack, and his contribution to motorsports with projects like LeMans, Bullitt, and On Any Sunday.

Now, imagine if he was your father ? As a kid Chad McQueen got to sit on his fathers lap driving cars like the legendary Porsche 917 (one of the craziest race cars ever built)! Now that's what I call 'driver education'..

Well needless to say Chad has racing in his blood. Fast forward to the present, and Chad is launching a new venture in collaboration with Troy Lee Designs; McQueen Racing.

TR

Automotive Art III

In this case, the 1971 Mercedez-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 AMG

Who says you can't run a burled walnut dash in a race-car?

TR

Ken Block x Ricky Carmichael

Two gods of motorsport in their own right. Ken and Ricky go out to play..

TR

Fourcast

A new film by Jorli Ricker of Highmark Films.

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Ariel Atom

Less is more. The minimalist Arial Atom is one of the most dynamic cars on the road today (yes, it is street legal to drive on public roads!). This is a great example of functional design - everything you need, and nothing you don't. It's purpose is pure fun. And though it may not look like it, the atom can eclipse the performance of almost every modern supercar made today. Watch the video below and you'll understand why I like it.

Fun stuff.

TR

Porsche 917

Porsche 917 -

Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Check out this year's centerpiece for the Goodwood Festival of Speed(!) That's an R8 doing the moonshot, and a vintage Audi streamliner headed for Mars. The Festival is happening right now, in West Sussex England.

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Ken Block

Rally god Ken Block has taken car control to another level.

I love the smirk on his face when the trailer explodes.

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Rendezvous.

This is an old school classic from 1978. One of the best films ever made. POV cam mounted to the front of a Ferrari 275 GTB, being driven flat-out (illegally) across Paris at 3a.m.! One shot. No music. No lines. No effects. Just the soundtrack coming from the engine. Great ending too.

TR

2006 Ford GT video

If you haven't figured it out by now, it's GT40 week at FYI!

Likely more than you ever wanted to know about a Ford supercar...

This is the last GT post, I promise.

TR

FORD GT / GT Tungsten

Now, fast forward to the 2006 Ford GT. A modern rendition of the original GT40, in both spirit and performance. The GT has a 550hp supercharged V8. It's bigger and heavier than the vintage racer - yet manages to maintain both proportion and capability. An impressive accomplishment considering what the original GT40 represented.

1968 vs. 2006...

This is a mid-engine 200+ mph racecar, that you can buy and drive on public roads. One of the [few] great examples of what an American car company can accomplish when they 'get it right'.

An instant modern classic.

TR

1968 Ford GT40 video

Ford GT40 Top Gear -

Le Mans 1966

The Victory Of GT40 At LeMans 1966 -

1968 Ford GT40

My favorite vintage race car of all time.. the 1968 Ford GT40. The most bad-ass car ever built in America. The GT40 name was derived from the fact that the roof line was only 40 inches (101.6cm) above the pavement! 

Back in the early 1960's Henry Ford (jr) attempted to purchase Ferrari, and in the 11th hour Enzo backed out of the deal. Henry decided to just beat Ferrari at their own game instead. In 1963 Ford set up a special projects group to do just that. This is the Ford that beat Farrari; The pick-up-truck-company that beat Ferrari! The GT40 won Le Mans - the most demanding road race in the world - in 1966, and again in 1967, and again in 1968, and again in 1969. Ending the consecutive dominance of Ferrari at Le Mans.

The 1968 Mark I had a 4.9 L V8 with 425 hp. Although the 4.9L was over 100hp less than the previous 7.0L GT40's that won in '66 and '67, it was lighter and faster. The top speed on the Mulsanne straight was 220mph! Now stop and think about that...

220 mph/350kph on 1968 tire technology, with cowboy aerodynamics - In the rain, in the dark, with the sun in your eyes, AND for 24 hours straight (changing drivers). Now also consider that there was no safety beyond a seat belt. The drivers actually sat with the fuel tank wrapped around them!

TR

Boys and their toys.

Great video...

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FYI- Troy Lee Designs

Today we hit the gym, did bike maintenance, and visited Troy Lee Designs headquarters in Corona California. Super cool office with tons of interesting vintage and modern memorabilia. Not often you come across such a design driven company with so much soul and history.

TR

Audi R15 TDI

The new and improved -diesel- race car..

TR