Test Drive With Jay

Alfa 8C in ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ paint

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:12:55 +0000

What do you do when your and Italian guy with too much money and a love of American TV shows? You order a new Alfa Romeo 8C and have it painted like the ‘General Lee’ of course! Though you can’t see it in this pic, the doors also feature the 01 numbers. But the real question is… does the horn play Dixie???

Acura’s NSX Super Bowl Ad

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:02:35 +0000

It’s long been rumored that Acura would be bringing back the NSX. The concept is set (complete with hybrid powertrain) and the first official commercial spot will debut during the upcoming Super Bowl. Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to wait that long…

SRT teases the new Viper

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:45:44 +0000

Chrysler made the official announcement last year that they would be bringing back their Viper in an all new generation car. I took that as both good and bad news. Good news because the Viper was brutally awesome and deserved to stay in production. Bad news because “all new” could mean they would re-invent the car into something different. Rumors swirled that the Viper would be based on a Fiat chassis with a V8 or V6 engine utilizing forced induction. That would have KILLED the Viper for me – and most other Viper fans as well. Good news then – The new Viper is said to have an updated version of it’s old chassis and suspension AND a punched out version of it’s V-10; possibly 8.7 liters!! Above is a ‘teaser’ pic from SRT, showing mostly similar styling for the upcoming beast. The overall shape, emblem, scoop and dipped roof all scream, “I’m still a Viper”, and that’s a very good thing.

Project Torino gets a fuel system upgrade

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:50:56 +0000

Project Torino has had a choking issue for awhile now. Every time I would do a burnout at the track, as soon as I would let off the throttle, the motor would die. Upon restart, black smoke would shoot out the side-pipes. Obviously, something was up in the fuel system. Our buddies at Pony Express Racing suggested looking at the fuel pressure – and they we’re right. After installing a gauge on the fuel rail, the Torino was showing over 9PSI of pressure going to the carb. A quick talk with Holley revealed that the 850 double pumper should be getting somewhere between 5.5 and 6.5.

The solution? A fuel pressure regulator. I ordered a Holley unit from Summit ($44.00 with tax & shipping) and had it within a few days. We tossed the universal bracket that came in the box and opted to make a custom one that would mount on the edge of the intake manifold and line up in the basic path that the fuel line was already at. The install was quick and easy, and after cranking up the motor, it only took a couple quick turns on the adjustment bolt to get the pressure to read 6.5. The car is running great now, and I can’t wait to get it back out to SGMP for some tire melting fun.

Car & Driver’s 2012 ‘Lightning Laps’

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:24:16 +0000

The guys at ‘Car & Driver’ are back to V.I.R. for their 6th edition of the Lightning Lap challenge. 20 performance vehicles (that are new models or at least upgraded in some way for 2012) going head to head on the track. I think the biggest surprises come from the VW Golf-R and the Ford Mustang Boss 302 that both sleigh cars that cost much more. Check out the video below…

Burnout Contest: Z06 vs. CTS-V

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:07:37 +0000

Ahhhhh! I love the smell of burnt rubber in the morning. Check out this burnout contest video from Inside Line featuring a Cadillac CTS-V and a Corvette Z06 Centennial…

Mini debuts new ‘Roadster’ commercial

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:35:45 +0000

I have, on multiple occasion, highlighted Mini’s great skills when it comes to marketing. Having said that, their latest TV spot, that features the new Mini Roadster, is cute… but… not great. If they’re really going for a more performance edge with the new 2-seater, maybe they should have shown how the car ended up on the ledge in the first place.

Nissan’s nasty little Juke-R is REALLY fast

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:41:29 +0000

It was a joke to most people when hearing that, as a design test, Nissan was producing a handful of Jukes with the GT-R powertrain and suspension. The jokes on them! Check out this video of the Juke-R out-running a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, Mercedes SLS AMG, and Ferrari 458 Italia on a small track in Dubai. Sure the result might be slightly different on a track where the cars could stretch their legs, but there’s no denying that the little Juke with a heart of a GT-R is one seriously fast little car.

‘Lee 1′ Dukes car sells for just 121K at Barrett Jackson

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:18:38 +0000

It’s one of the most famous TV cars of all time; the Dukes of Hazzard ‘General Lee’. Sure, there were plenty of cars used in the series and thousands of copycats produced over the years, but this one is known as ‘Lee 1′; the actual car that jumped over the police cruiser in the very first episode. After a 16 month full restoration (it didn’t fair so well after the 82ft. jump!) the car was taken to Barrett Jackson where it sold for a whopping… 121,000??? Ummmm… VERY surprising and disappointing for such an automotive icon. I’ve seen homemade copy cat cars make more than that in auctions.

New OBD plug-in blocks cell phone usage in vehicles

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:37:22 +0000

Using cell phones while driving is both extremely common… and dangerous. The younger the driver, the more common the practice. Parent’s of young drivers will be interested in this new tool called ‘Cellcontrol’ from a company called ‘Scosche’. Essentially, it’s a small electronic unit that plugs into a vehicle’s OBD (On Board Diagnostic) system. Once installed, the Cellcontrol unit will block cell phone signals in the vehicle; including incoming and outgoing calls and text messages. The unit will, however, allow calls if a hands-free device, such as a Bluetooth headset, is detected. At $130, Cellcontrol seems to be a small investment for a big safety addition. For more info, check out their site, HERE.