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  • Feel The Power Between Your Legs

    Mission Motors has kept this silent rocket under wraps for a couple of years until today. The high performance completely electric powered bike has finally been unveiled at the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference.

    With a top speed of 150 Miles Per Hour and range of 150 miles, this electric bike is going to set the bar for electric two-wheeled vehicles from this point forwards. With a single speed transmission and 100ft/lbs, this bike is not only seamless, but will provide smooth acceleration up to a top speed of 150 miles per hour.

    Designed by Yves Behar, this bike is very aesthetially pleasing to say the least. I think with the matte black paint scheme and silent electric operation, Ninjas are going to be putting these into service very soon. The first 50 bikes produced will be a special Limited Edition model coming around at a steep $68,995.

  • Turn Your Car Into Furniture

    Ever thought about placing a Motor in the middle of your living room? How about putting YOUR rear end in the rear end of a car?...in your kitchen. In order to get as much automotive paraphernalia as you can in your life, you need to bring some of these unorthodox contraptions into your home.

    National Speed - V8 Coffee Table

    First up is an awesome way to give new life to an old clapped out motor. Forget putting it into scrap, use it as a ‘friggen coffee table! If you intend on doing this yourself, do yourself a favor and use a V arranged motor, as opposed to an inline…that probably wouldn’t do very well, stability-wise.

    Price for something like this? Well, grab an old busted block, clean it up real nice and get a glass slab. There you go. Grab an old Jag V12 and go for broke.

    National Speed - Aston Martin Couch

    Alright, so you got the table…now what? Take a seat and kick back your feet on your Aston Martin Couch. This replica Aston Martin DB6 is offered in multiple color combinations and is brought to you by the Master Craftsmen over at Aston Martin Heritage Designs. Price for this ultimate living-room accompaniment? Only $7,300.

    National Speed - Gearhead Desk

    Last is something really Special. Eccentric, perhaps, but still very cool. Designer Dale Mathis crafted a glass tabletop showcase intertwined with interlocking kinetic gears that all work. While they don’t necessarily do anything but spin, I can’t think of many furniture that function (or rather, don’t function) like this one. This desk art piece conglomeration Thingamajigger can be yours for the low price of $21,000. You can take out your spleen a loan and be the talk of the town!

  • Ecotec Dyno Day and Cruise-In Recap

    On February 10th, National Speed was happy to have the East Coast Cobalts here for a Cruise-in and Dyno Day. Lots of ECOTEC powered goodness was here in various flavors, whether it be Naturally Aspirated, Supercharged or Turbocharged — We had it all. Seriously, you haven’t seen this much Cobalt since the last time you looked at the Periodic Table.

    Around 8-9 Cobalts were in attendance, as well as 1 HHR SS provided by Marine Chevrolet of Jacksonville, NC. The free food started rolling around 11:00 and so did the rollers on the dyno. We served around 75-80 SpeedBurgers throughout the day and kept everyone happy in the rather warm weather.

    Austin Daniels won the dyno competition with 279HP and walked away with a T-shirt, Trophy, and the satisfaction of having the quickest Cobalt in the parking lot. Although…I think that guy in the wheelchair with a Nitrous bottle on the back could’ve taken him. Power/Weight ratio FTW!

    The East Coast Cobalt organization are a great group of folks that show a real enthusiasm for the car culture. We hope to host more events from them soon, and for those in the club that are currently in the Marine Corps, we salute your service!

  • The Black Stig is Back!?

    It has long been thought that the Black Stig was killed off when he dramatically drove off of the HMS Invincible aircraft in a Jaguar XJS and plummeted into the Ocean, never to be seen again. Alas, whether it be from advanced internal sense or just a long nap, the Black Stig has been located on home video, emerging from the murky depths.

     

     

    You silly people should know that it is impossible to kill a Stig, regardless of color. A press release that accompanied the video states: “Until now, the original Stig from BBC Top Gear was thought to have been killed back in 2003, when he drove a modified Jaguar XJS off the end of HMS Invincible aircraft carrier at 109mph. The nation was shocked that the Stig was dead. However, recent footage has been found on YouTube showing that he miraculously survived.”

    Whether it be a miracle or carefully calculated marketing move, The Black Stig has returned. You can’t help but get goosebumps whenever the Stig goes dashing off through the pier, turning the pilings into a Slalom, no doubt on his way to another adventure of vehicular mayhem. Welcome back, Black Stig. We missed you.

  • You Don't Know Jack

    You may have noticed a few staff changes the past few months at National Speed, and with that comes a new sheriff in town…and his name’s Jack Harris. Actually, Jack’s not really affiliated with the long arm of the law, but he does have really long arms so that probably counts for something.

    youdontknowjackFormerly the owner and operator of P1 Automotive in Charlotte, NC, Jack is National Speed’s new General Manager.

    Coming to us with a BS in Electrical Engineering and APEXi Power Excel Tuner and AEM EMS Tuner certifications, Jack is a force to be reckoned with. Seriously, the legal name on his driver’s license is force to be reckoned with. Look it up.

    thisismygoodsideNo stranger behind the wheel, Jack was the 2002 NASA Honda Challenge Champion, as well as a high speed driving instructor for 12 years. He also worked as an event coordinator for Car Guys and has 15 years of autocross experience.

    In his spare time, Jack is an amateur radio operator and licensed NC steam engineer, which basically means if you have a locomotive he can fix it. He also enjoys long walks on the beach and juggling. Just kidding about those last two…

  • Aston Martin’s New V12 Vantage

    Aston Martin’s New V12 Vantage

    Aston Martin, purveyors of the auto I’d most like to have sex with, have decided to take their oh-so-delicious Vantage and add 4 more cylinders. The New 6.0 V12 pumps out 510 horsepower and 420ft/lbs of torque and utilizes a Carbon Fiber Driveshaft mounted to a 6-speed manual gearbox.

    With all that grunt from the new motor, Aston didn’t slack and gave the new Vantage some real stopping power. This sex kitten on four wheels gets 6-piston calipers clamping down onto a massive 398mm carbon ceramic disk for the front, and 4-piston calipers gripping onto 360mm rotors in the rear.

    The wheels are something serious here and are staggered like crazy. The front wheels measure 19×9 inches, wrapped in 255/35 Pirelli P Zero Corsas and the rears are a wide 19×11 with 295/30’s putting it to the ground.

    Continuing with the exterior, the 6 liter monster gets all new front and rear bumpers, front splitter, sills, rear diffuser, hood and trunklid as to not be confused with its lower powered sibling.

    Inside, Carbon-kevlar seats, personalized sill plates, premium 700w audio system, and carbon fiber door pulls are optional. Carbon fiber is used in the hood vents and diffuser to try to reduce some of the load of the new motor.

    Aston Martin hasn’t released pricing info yet, but expect a pretty hefty sum. Grab ’em quick, because they only plan on Producing 1000 of these V12 powered monsters. I’ve always had a soft spot for these machines, and this one only makes that stronger.

  • Top 5 Worst Cars To Pick Up Girls With

    I spent the first eight years of my driving life behind the wheel of a 1988 Dodge Caravan with baby poop brown interior, no air conditioning, and wood paneling duct taped along the side to hold it all together. I looked like the serial killer from Silence of the Lambs out for a Sunday drive in search of burly females to wear as a suit. In other words, chicks weren’t digging my ride.

    Unfortunately, this was the only vehicle that I had to work with, and surprisingly I still managed to get dates (it’s amazing what five dollars can buy you in Tijuana). Some of you out there might not be so lucky, however, which is why I present to you the Top 5 Worst Cars To Pick Up Girls With. Take my advice and avoid these suckers like the plague.

    5) El Camino The automotive equivalent of a mullet: business up front, party in back. That being said, the ladies are not a fan of the El Camino. From my experience, women don’t like it when you show up at their doorstep in a vehicle missing back seats. It sends the wrong message…or so I’ve been told.

    4) The KIA Sportage You might as well wrap up your genitals and stick them in the freezer. You won’t be needing them. Possibly the least masculine car since the VW Bug. Speaking of which…

    3) The Redesigned VW Bug Odds are, if you see a man driving one of these, he’s either borrowing his wife’s car because his is in the shop, or he’s on the way to the doctor’s office for the next step in his sex change operation.

    2) Vespa Better known in these parts as the DWI bike, or if you’re a video game fan, the Faggio. Ten points and a pat on the back to whomever can tell me what game that’s from.

    1) The Segway It takes a lot to make something as silly and female as the Vespa look badass in comparison, but the Segway does it rather easily. All the rage in corporate America, the Segway is the ultimate toy for people too lazy to, you know…walk. Bring one of these on a date and begin your lonely ride of shame in style.

  • The Art of Sound – Aural Automotive Pleasure

    There are some sounds that just hit people the right way. Whether it be the sharp, raucous bark of a Porsche flat 6, the whine of a ported Eaton, or the low thrum of an STi, there’s a sound for everyone. Here’s a list of my favorites, but please note I didn’t do this just for fun. We want to hear back from our readers with their choices as well. Note: yes, I know that some of these cars may or may not be modded.

    A personal favorite of mine is the exhaust note of a Terminator Cobra. The 4.6 liter DOHC topped with an Eaton sounds mighty fine in my book. With enough bite to back up the bark, termie Cobras always give me aural pleasure (get your mind out of the gutter, sickos — I said AURAL, not oral).

    Next up is one of the only cars that you can throw a cat-back on and actually have it sound good — the Subaru Impreza. The unique exhaust note is considered to be caused by the unequal length header design. Either way, no matter how it’s created, it always sounds damn good to me. You’ve gotta love the way they rumble. Videos never seem to do the sound justice, but give this one a shot.

    Coming up next is something off the wall for most people. The Mazda 26B 4-rotor. I’ve always been impressed by the way that the 26B sounds. Think of a cammed, big block loping at idle, and then think of that same big block revving to 10k in a second, sounding like a streetbike or F1 car. Mazda essentially put two 13B’s together and came up with this 700hp monstrosity. The 26B was used in Mazda’s legendary 787B racecar.

    Rounding out the list is an Italian V12 that can turn to 8500RPM! Regardless of what you just muttered behind your screen, I say the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 sounds good enough to be on this list. The original Italian bull was quick enough with 571 Horsepower, but Lamborghini decided to step it up a notch and increase displacement from 6.2 to 6.5 liters, raising power to a stout 640. Emitting pure emotion out of the center tailpipes like only an Italian machine can, the LP640 is good enough to be here.

    I could probably list 20 more cars that I want to be on this list, but alas, I have no more room. Instead I’d rather hear what makes all of our readers tingle, so be sure to respond with what engine sounds give you aural pleasure (keep it clean folks, my mom reads these blogs).

  • Audi Travolution: Never Stop For Red Lights Again!

    Audi is working on a new technology called “Travolution” which allows for drivers to tell when the stoplight will change. Think of all the times you are rolling up quickly on a stoplight trying to decide whether or not the light will turn red by the time you get there. Thanks to Audi’s Travolution system, you’ll be able tell exactly what speed you need to go in order to hit all the green lights in sequence.

    Audi has spent the past two years developing this technology, and test trials just ended on the streets of Audi’s home town, Ingolstadt, Germany. The Travolution system was tested at 46 traffic lights equipped with a communications module. The communications module sent the time for the next green-light phase to the car’s on-board computer, which then informed the driver of exactly what speed they should travel to drive through the intersection without stopping.

    I understand the concept of this technology, but I can’t imagine that it would do very well. For one, all the stoplights in America would have to be outfitted with a communications module. What would you do if you were rolling up on a stoplight and someone blew a redlight going across traffic? Another disadvantage to this system is only specific model Audi owners would reap the benefits, which I imagine isn’t very cost-effective. Perhaps Audi will make it worth their while, but for being such a large project, I see lots of red lights in sight.

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of a Rotary Engine

    What the hell is a Rotary Motor anyway? What’s all this about rotors and NO PISTONS!? Blasphemy! Actually, it’s quite simple really. As opposed to a piston motor which has a Compression and Ignition phase for each cylinder, the Rotary does it all in one rotation of the triangle shaped rotor.

    National Speed - Rotary Gif

    Advantages

    The Rotary Engine is very simple. It’s a motor design that utilizes way less moving parts than it’s piston counterpart. The 13B-MSP Renesis (from the RX8) has the highest horsepower per displacement of any naturally aspirated motor produced from the Factory in America. For it’s size, the rotary packs a punch. For reference, the 13B from the RX8 is a 1.3 liter, and produces 232 horsepower. That equates to a ridiculous 178 horsepower per liter. In Theory, that would be equivalent to a 6.0 liter LS2 (from the Corvette) producing 1068 horsepower N/A from the factory.

    Unlike Piston engines, Rotaries are almost immune to catastrophic failure. In a piston motor, you can have a piston seize and cause all kinds of damage, but in a Rotary motor, while the engine will lose power, it will continue to produce a limited amount of power until it finally dies.

    Rotaries will also rev to the moon and still make power. For instance, A RX8 redlines at 9k and that’s where it makes peak power as well. Needless to say, the Rotary likes to stay high in the RPM range.

    National Speed - Rotary Face

    Disadvantages

    Some main complaints of the Rotary are gas mileage and burning oil. One of the most common misconceptions is that the Rotary engine burns oil out of fault, this is not necessarily true. The Rotary uses oil squirters that take small metered amounts of oil and mix it into the fuel to lubricate the seals. Gas mileage is very Mehhhhh at mid 20’s (supposedly….much less in reality.)

    Rotaries also tend to produce about as much torque as a screwdriver and seals tend to be a big problem after a while if you live in a colder climate. Parts are generally expensive and since it’s a Rotary, you have to take it to rotary mechanic or dealership to get it worked on when something goes awry.

    Rotaries sometimes have a problem flooding with fuel on cold starts as well. This generally only happens with older 13B’s, so it’s necessary to let the motor warm up to operating temperature before you decide to take off.

    National Speed - Brandon FC Flame

    All in all, the rotary has it’s ups and downs, just like everything else. Nothing can really match the sound of a 26B sounding like a huge cammed V8 at idle and then revving up like a streetbike. Hopefully this article was informative and cleared up some misconceptions. Rotaries may be different, but they’ll always have a place in my heart.