Mission: Future Sportscar. The Endurance of Ideas.

The new Porsche 919 Hybrid. The racing lab of our visions. It appears in three different liveries and with one clear mission: building the sports car of the future. 

TOKYO DIRT

Speedtractor teams up with friends, Animal Boat CC and Iceblock Films to find that there is indeed dirt in Tokyo...you just have to look for it.

TOKYO DIRT from Speedtractor on Vimeo.

4-Wheel Parts Metal Masher Trail Run 2015 Easter Jeep Safari

Rick Péwé Editor-in-Chief, 4Wheel & Off-Road

Photographers: Rick Péwé

When we go to Moab, is for one reason- to 4-wheel! It isn’t the bikini babes, great food, or cold bear, but to spend the days and nights going off road. That includes breaking parts and denting sheetmetal, all while seeing the most awesome western scenery on the planet.

This year we tagged along with 4-Wheel Parts who invited their best customers and suppliers for an awesome day north of Moab doing the Metal Masher trail. This trail has great obstacles like Rock Chucker and Widow Maker. It’s one of the toughest trails in the area, and has an incredible overlook that’s a bit sketchy if you venture too close to the edge.

Naturally our three hour tour turned into an all-day affair due to the traffic and carnage, but we’d recommend this trail to anyone with a penchant for hard core wheeling. Make sure your rig is fitted with bigger tires and lockers than a stock rig, as clearance and traction are a must.

Step By Step

 

The newest creation from Fab Fours caught our eye, and it worked better than many other rides on the trail

Our own Fred Williams, Editor of Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Road and host of Dirt Every Day strolled around in the 2012 Ultimate Adventure Jeep. Fred just swapped in a set of new Dana crate axles and had to test them out on Rock Chucker

 Our ride for the day was John Mears driving Machu, his custom Bronco also equipped with the Dana crate axles. John couldn’t break his set either, although he tried as well.

 Other participants weren’t as luck, as many a sharp edge cause breakage. This Jeep snapped a right front axle, making it a three wheeler pealer. After a quick clearance of debris, the family continued on with some tugging assistance from a friend.

 Among the celebrities in attendance was Cody Wagoner and his dad. While the trail was slow, even Cody cooled his racing background and just enjoyed the ride.

 Brett Riley in the FabTech Dirt Logic JK cruised over the tough stuff, which is why manufacturers love to test out their latest offerings on these runs.

 Corey Bloom decided for the straight ahead approach on this obstacle, and he made it look easy. Many others didn’t have such a good time on this one.

From: http://www.fourwheeler.com/moab-experience/2015/1504-4-wheel-parts-metal-masher-trail-run-2015-easter-jeep-safari/#ixzz3WNCLdpGq
Follow us: @fwmag on Twitter | fourwheelermag on Facebook

LEGENDARY 28-LITRE FIAT S76 DRIVES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 100 YEARS

The Fiat S76,unofficially the fastest car in the world in 1911, has been driven for the first time in over 100 years – tackling the Goodwood Hillclimb during its first post-restoration test run.

The feat is due to be repeated at FOS this year, when the S76 will be one of the stars of a special category of ‘earth-shattering Edwardian leviathans’.

Following a 10-year restoration process, and a static appearance at the 2014 Festival of Speed when we had hoped the car might be ready to be coaxed into life, the S76 was actually fired up for the first time in a century last December – generating huge interest among car enthusiasts worldwide.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL GALLERY

With the mechanical issues that prevented the S76 firing up at FOS last year finally sorted, its enthusiastically ‘hands-on’ owner Duncan Pittaway brought the S76 back to the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hillclimb a couple of weeks ago for its first test run since the restoration, inviting Lord March along for the ride in the passenger seat.

The amazing moment in automotive history was captured by filmmaker Stefan Marjoram who has been documenting the restoration. Watch the video and you’ll understand why the car was known in-period as ‘The Beast of Turin’.

Just two S76s were produced by the Italian manufacturer, with the aim of snatching the records for the flying kilometre and flying mile from the ‘Blitzen’ Benzes. The S76 achieved the mile record with Pietro Bordino at the wheel at Saltburn Sands in 1911 and was officially recorded at over 135mph on a kilometre attempt at Oostenede in Belguim, only to be denied the record as it was unable to complete a return run within the specified one hour.

While one car was dismantled by Fiat after the First World War to prevent rival manufacturers obtaining its technical secrets, the other was purchased by Russian aristocrat Boris Soukhanov and eventually made its way to Australia, where it was modernised and campaigned as a ‘Fiat 

Enthusiast engineer Pittaway (who incidentally plans to drive the S76 to the Festival of Speed from his base near Bristol), brought the chassis back to the UK in 2003 and reunited it with the original 28.5-litre, four-cylinder engine from the dismantled car.

This fabulous machine is indicative of an era in which motor racing was in its infancy and the flat-out and fearless competitors would do battle over hundreds of miles of dusty and cobbled roads with danger never far away.

Among the other leviathans confirmed for the Festival of Speed are huge-engined machines from the likes of Benz, Darracq, Mercedes, Metallurgique-Maybach, Mors, Napier and Sunbeam.

Photography: Tom Shaxson