Sure, it looks like KITT, and is probably shorter in person, but this 1987 Pontiac Trans Am is no movie star.
No, it’s more akin to the stuntman that shows up, gets the job done, and then goes home to the family without expecting any kind of star treatment.
That’s because this rather stock looking car (when the hood’s down at least) from Polly Motorsports of Norway is officially Europe’s fastest street-legal car, with a verified top speed of 252 mph on the Papenburg test track in Germany. Plus, according to the builders, it was just getting warmed up when they set that record, and they expect to see speeds in excess of 270 mph once they have a chance to stretch its legs back in the US.
Power comes from an 8.9L V8 that has been supercharged to produce 1407 horsepower, and the result (in addition to the top speed) is a 0-62 mph time of just 2.23 seconds.
A custom-made coilover suspension keeps things planted, a 9” Ford axle tries not to explode when the go pedal is pressed, and 14” brakes slow everything down once the fun is over. Other than the hood scoop though, the exterior looks rather civilized, and it’s only when you pop the hood of the best do you realize that it’s no ordinary Trans Am.
No need to worry if you see this car in your rear view mirror though, because it probably won’t be there for long.
The Cobra GT-R from Germany is a little light on the details (right now I think it’s just a paint job and some new wheels) but I love the way this car looks in matte black, so I’m bringing it to you anyways.
Reprogrammed engine electronics, increased boost pressure, modified air intake with sport air filter, and a free-flow stainless-steel high-performance exhaust system brings the power up to 550 hp, with a 620 hp Race Performance version in the works as well.
Three-piece, 21-inch wells fill the arches, and eight-piston brake calipers squeeze 16-inch rotors, and a coil-over suspension handles the handling.
Sure, it’s all the basics with nothing fancy, but when you’re working with a car that’s as potent as the Nissan GT-R, there’s not much that’s needed to go from good to great.
TCHO is a very interesting chocolate company. Founded by a Space Shuttle technologist turned chocolate maker and a grizzled industry veteran who set up chocolate factories for 40 years from Costa Rica to Germany, TCHO takes a decidedly tech approach to the chocolate making process.
As such, they released a ‘beta’ version of their chocolate over a year ago, and have encouraged their customers to help develop the products through limited run, “beta editions” of the chocolate ever since.
The enthusiastic ‘beta testers’ quickly moved their way through 1026 iterations of the chocolate, and after a solid year of very hard work, “Chocolatey”, “Fruity”, “Nutty” and “Citrus” flavors have all arrived and are ready for a “gold master” release, including new packaging and a finalized formula.
TCHO’s chocolate formula might have just graduated out of beta, but their factory certainly has not, as it’s been designed to produce more than 4,000 metric tons of chocolate per year, which makes them one of only a dozen other major chocolate manufacturers in the US.
In addition, TCHO has a social mission as well, and intends to move beyond just Fair Trade, and actually help farmers by transferring knowledge of how to grow and ferment better beans so that they can escape commodity production and become premium producers.
“In the end, there’s only one way to truly understand this story. Just put it in your mouth.”
In Germany, speed cameras are set up to capture both the license plate of the car in question as well as the drivers face, while blurring the identity of the passengers for privacy purposes, because “The number plate is not enough. We need clear evidence of who is driving the vehicle too.”
Apparently one British driver (whose driver’s seat is conveniently on the opposite side of his German counterparts) has discovered this system, and is taking full advantage of it by placing a stuffed Muppet in the driver’s/passenger’s seat as he flies by the cameras.
So far he’s got the authorities fooled, but as soon as they can figure out which Muppet is going along for the ride, they intend to fully interrogate him until he reveals the identity of the clever co-driver.
The Pagani Zonda F is a special kind of sexy; with miles of carbon fiber covering the outside in a way that just screams speed.
The Nurburgring is an often public racetrack that is tucked away in the heart of Germany, and is used as a test track for some of the automotive elite.
Combine the two, [...]
Take your Audi TT, put an extra engine in the trunk, and what do you get?
244.2 MPH of crazy good fun, that’s what.
MTM demoed the power of their TT BiMoto beast by top speeding it at the Papenburg test track in Germany, and you don’t need to speak German to know that nearly 250 MPH [...]
