Tag: National Speed

New Godzilla Specs Released [GTR Spec V Specs]

Yep, it’s time folks. For a while now, the GTR Spec V has been speculated on more than Britney Spears or Oil prices. It’s officially official! Nissan released the scoop this week. Unfortunately though, it will NOT be sold in the US.

So what does this Spec V have that the GTR doesn’t? Well first off check out that super sexy Black Opal Paintjob. Next up are those lightweight Forged Nismo Wheels (seen on the Tokachi 24hr Racecar). And sticking with the exterior, they also added a rear Carbon spoiler, grille and brake ducts.

Moving inside, the most obvious change is the removal of the rear seats. The original GTR seats have been replaced with two carbon fiber Recaro buckets (Bucket seats, not literally buckets). Interior trim is now swathed in carbon fiber as well.

Performance-wise there isn’t much in the way over the stock GTR. A Titanium exhaust, Reworked suspension and Carbon-Ceramic Brakes are the main pullers here, as well as a new Overboost function which will increase PSI through the turbochargers for a limited amount of time (thank you, Porsche). I wonder if there’s a way to rig it up to “overboost” all the time.

Alrighty, so you basically got brakes, exhaust and a new paintjob and carbon fiber appointments. With all the weight reduction you figure it should be very planted and menace around the track. So…why do I not hold this GTR in as high regard as the original?

Quite simply, it’s the price. It weighs in at a whopping $169,000. Where in all of those modifications do you see what warrants the price being TWICE as much as the GTR? Sure, they added some neat stuff, but I really don’t see what warrants adding 90k to the price of the original. The reason the original GTR was so loved was for the affordability. For that much cash you’re in the price range of a Porsche GT3 or a Chevrolet ZR1 and could still have money left over.

Perhaps there will be justification for the price hike when the official times come out, but I highly doubt it.

January 8, 2009
HD Automotive Videos: ClashProductions and Format67

Today I felt like highlighting automotive videos shot with REAL Production quality. While the burnout you did in your dad’s Camaro on Streetfire was cool, the fact that it was shot on a cellphone and was so fuzzy you could barely make out your mullet and acid washed attire was not cool.

I suppose the point is, regardless of whatever you’re shooting, if you’re shooting with crappy equipment, it’s going to be crappy. People enjoy things in High Definition, and that’s a fact. It can indeed make a piece of poop look like the most wondrous thing ever beheld. Using this logic, you have to figure if it can make something bad look good, what will it do to something that looks good already?

First up is Format67, based out of Germany. With a team 5 strong, Daniel Michaelis and crew put out their first automotive short in July of 2007. They’ve covered MANY vehicles including but not limited to: A R34 Skyline, AE86, Ford GT, BMW 135i, and the Subaru STi. Music choice and post production is top notch with this group, conveying and capturing emotion in a very powerful way. You can tell there is a lot of storyboarding that goes into each video as there is always a story to keep your attention.

Check out these two, as they are some of my favorites. -Watch in Fullscreen-

Two Imprezas on an Asphalt Playground.

Ferrari F430 playing on the Streets.

Next up is Clash Productions, Based out of the UK. While strictly autosport (Drag/Drift/TimeAttack) and more action based, Clash Productions does a ridiculously good job portraying emotion and capturing the spirit of any event. I swear these guys can make ANYTHING look amazing. Clash Productions has been together since 2005 and has put out some amazing things since then. Although I’m only going to post two examples, I highly suggest you check out their Streetfire Account and watch some other stuff too. The level of post processing skill is ridiculous here. Selective focus also seems to be a favorite technique. I haven’t seen anyone be able to capture the spirit of the event like Clash Productions.

DRIFT GIVES YOU WINGS

TIMEATTACK 2008 UK

January 7, 2009
Turbolestra: Your Once Daily Tablet For Automotive Enhancement

Watch the video below to learn about the greatest breakthrough in medical science since the twelve hour erection. And if for some reason the embedded video doesn’t work for you, click the following link to learn more about Turbolestra.

Hear what customers are saying about Turbolestra!

“Turbolestra is the most mind-blowing experience I’ve had since Ford’s Theatre.”
-Abraham Lincoln

“The best drug I’ve taken this hour.”
-Courtney Love

“Turbolestra is so cool, when it goes to sleep, sheep count Turbolestra.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

“After taking Turbolestra, I drove from New Jersey to California in forty-five minutes and still had time for a seventeen hour tantric sex binge.”
-Sting

Buy Turbolestra now and say goodbye to premature deceleration for just $1.99 (price includes shipping!)

January 6, 2009
Running on Fumes: Automated Parallel Parking

We’re now through the looking glass. The world has changed and there’s no turning back. The machines have won. At this point it’s only a matter of time before Judgment Day arrives and a metallic endoskeleton that looks strangely like the Governor of California comes marching down the street to urge you to vote Republican and punch your spinal fluid. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Why the sudden hatred for all things mechanical?” Simple answer: Ford’s Active Park Assist System.

According to a recent press release, Ford’s new automated parallel parking system will allow owners of the Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT to parallel park their cars with the simple push of a button. I’d like to repeat that as I find it scary and want to make sure you understand how ridiculous this is: Ford has manufactured a car that will park itself!

“With the touch of a button, Lincoln MKS and MKT drivers can parallel park quickly, easily and safely without ever touching the steering wheel,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development.

I don’t know about you, but taking control away from drivers and putting it in the hands (wires?) of an artificially intelligent device scares the absolute crap out of me. Drivers today are complacent and absent-minded enough, the last thing they need is one more chance to talk on their cell phones while the computer parking their car backs over a miniature Schnauzer.

You’ll have to forgive my tired old bones as I climb onto my soapbox but, I remember the days when driving was an honest to God skill and the ability to parallel park was a badge of honor. My Grandfather could parallel park a school bus in New York City traffic if he had to and was damn proud of it. Nowadays you don’t even have to parallel park on your drivers test. What’s the world coming to?

If this automated trend continues pretty soon we won’t even have to drive our cars or clean up after ourselves. We’ll sit idly by as unemployment rates climb, average IQ’s drop, and the machines slowly take over our day to day lives. National Speed won’t even need bloggers anymore. Posts will be written by an automated machine (and probably contain less typos and grammatical errors — so at least that’s a plus).

Perhaps the alarmist in me is getting a little worked up, but I damn sure want to be able to brag to my children that I once parallel parked a Hummer without them asking me, “what’s a parallel park?”

Warmest Regards,

Blogging Automaton #117789-2

January 5, 2009
Worlds Fastest Trailblazer SS For Sale

Tired of getting punked on the way to the Grocery store? Wanting to run 9’s at the dragstrip but take the kids too? Trying to take a weekend roadtrip and smash on a few turbo Corvettes along the way? Folks, if you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, I have your answer.

The LSX Gods at RPM (RyansPerformanceMachines) in Garner, NC are selling their 4 door creation for a low, low price of $97,000. (zOMG!) That’s quite a bit of cash, but what do you get? Well first off RPM started with a pretty neat base, the rather Slept on Trailblazer SS. While coming stock with a 400 horsepower LS2, there is always room to improve. If I try to type out the mod list of what RPM did, I will run out of room on this page so I’ll stick to the most important bits.

427LSX Fully built Motor, cams, 2 stage Direct Port Nitrous, routed through a TH400 with transbrake and a stall. All of this equates to “Enough” horsepower and a 1/4 time of 9.27 @ 145. Woah now. I suppose I forgot to mention that this thing has a full interior and weighs in at a whopping 4625lbs. Regardless of all that weight, it still pulls out a 1.34 60‘ with the transbrake.

What makes this Trailvette(Or is it Corblazer?) awesome to me is the fact that all of the factory options work. Yes that means if you want to blast Micheal Jackson with the sunroof up and windows open while running 9’s, you can. (Please dear God don’t take that seriously, I’m sure the wind resistance at 145mph isn’t so nice.) Not only that, but it has 4 Kirky Fab racing seats with 5 point harnesses so you can charge for 9 second roller coaster rides. I imagine it’s street legal, due to working lights all the way around, but I’m sure street manners with the big stall and lumpy cam aren’t very fun unless you really get on it.

There’s a pretty nasty video of the TBSS in action.

Official Sales Ad Link:

Racing Junk Ad

January 2, 2009
The Last Blog of 2008
As if the title didn’t make it clear enough…this is it, the last blog of 2008.

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been cranking out these blogs since…whenever we started cranking these things out, but its been a lot of fun and we hope you’ve enjoyed reading them. That being said, we hope to take the quality, content, and value of the blog to new heights in 2009. Bigger, Louder, and Uncut.

Things you can look forward to:
- A redesigned, sexier looking blog that’s easier on the eyes but still contains the same typos and bad humor that you’ve come to love.
- Focus on building a community. We want to know what you think. We want your comments and we thrive on open-communication with our readers. As much as we enjoy reading our own stuff we’re not doing this for ourselves…It gets lonely out here and we need a hug sometimes.
- Fresh content daily. We’re talking several articles a day unless it kills us (and if it does we’ll replace the dead bloggers with new ones as quickly as possible).
- More editorial/personal opinion content where you can get a glimpse into the twisted minds of our bloggers (that sounds like we have a dedicated team of bloggers — sorry folks, it’s just me and Greg so you’ll have to be happy with that).
At least that’s the plan…If you have any bright ideas on what you think we could be doing better or what you’d like to see more of (or less of) let us know. Hope ya’ll have a Happy New Year and we’ll see you in 2009!
December 31, 2008
Even MORE Carbon Fiber Stuff

Holy Carbon Fiber Crap, Batman!

Yesterday’s article wasn’t nearly enough to cover the wondrous objects constructed out of this woven greatness. I found a few more things that are a little….out there.

First on this list is something completely unnecessary, yet completely badass if you can afford it.

Carbon Fiber Stairs. Say whaaat? This thing is a giant concoction of glass stainless steel and ridiculously thin Carbon Fiber Treads. I can’t imagine that this is fat people friendly, but Carbon Fiber has come a long way in the past 10 years. While beautiful, I can only imagine that these stairs cost more than you want to even think about. EeStairs created this beast, and it can be yours for a low low price of……..We actually don’t know yet. I don’t want to know.

Next on the list is a ‘Fricken Carbon Fiber Corset. Yes folks, that’s right. Carbon Fiber Lingerie. All of these pieces are a custom one-off deal, which means yes, you have to go to Kyrone itself and get a custom mold made(teeheehee). As of now, only 8 have been made since 2001 so these suckers are limited. As stated earlier, these are $250. I guess that’s not too bad, but I can’t imagine it’d be comfortable. Kryone also makes a lot of other interesting stuff too so be sure to check ’em out.

Now for something even more out there. The Marc Newson Black Hole Table. Usable, sure, but Holy Crap. For the price, I’m not sure if i’d want to use it or be afraid to scratch it with my ogling eyes. This is a one piece three legged concoction of master godliness. Created all as one piece, each on of these 10 limited pieces are estimated to sell at $300,000. You think you are baller? Throw up the cash for one of these and then come talk to me, punk. Good luck finding one to buy in the first place. God knows when and where they go up at auction, but I’m sure it is a sight to behold.

December 30, 2008
Cool Carbon Fiber Stuff

They surely do make everything out of Carbon Fiber nowadays…

I’ve chosen a few products from the guys over at Carbon Fiber Gear Direct to highlight:

First off is CFG Direct’s super ballin’ Carbon Fiber wallet. With a sexy combination of Real Carbon Fiber and Soft Leather, this wallet is built to be durable. The wallet is available in a pretty slick looking Silver weave as well. It’s guaranteed to turn heads when you whip it out (not like that, perv). This is a good gift idea for any car enthusiast you might know, and I’ll be purchasing one soon. Price for both is $49.99

Check it out Here: CFG Direct Carbon Fiber/Leather Wallet

Next up is an interesting one. How about some Carbon Fiber Coasters in a sick looking Stainless Steel Display? Your cups/mugs/glasses/beer bottles/shot glasses/dentures or whatever else you decide to throw on there is guaranteed dyno proven 5 extra horsepower by being placed on these carbon fiber disks of drinking glory. If you decide you don’t want to use these as a coaster, they have been proven to be a viable alternative throwing weapon if all else fails. I cannot think of a more honorable way to die than in a shower of carbon fiber goodness. Price for entering Carbon Fiber Coaster Nirvana? $149.99

Check it out Here: CFG Direct Carbon Fiber/Stainless Steel Coaster

Here’s another one that piqued my interest a little bit. Need a new manly man ring? Forget gold or silver, go Stainless Steel and Carbon Fiber and show your real machismo. Leave a carbon fiber weave imprint on the forehead of the next guy that makes fun of you for wearing a man ring. The rings are offered in a variety of sizes and are really cheap at only $59.95

Check it out Here: CFG Direct Carbon Fiber/Stainless Steel Ring

Last up is easy enough. It’s a Carbon Fiber friggin’ pen. How gangster is that? It’s solid 3k twill Carbon Fiber and it’s of course a ballpoint. Just like the Carbon Fiber Coasters, this can be used a dart or whatever other flying projectile you decide to emulate. This wonderous object of writing desire can be had for the low low price of $39.95

Check it out Here: CFG Direct Carbon Fiber Pen

December 29, 2008
Happy Holidays From National Speed!

On behalf of National Speed we’d like to wish all of our readers Happy Holidays. Stay warm, try to enjoy the annoying presence of scary relatives, talk loud for the older folks, and remember to turn the fire off when Santa tries to squeeze his wide apple-bottom down the chimney.

Good luck to the last minute shoppers out there. I’ll be making my last stand at Wal-Mart this afternoon, so if I don’t make it back in one piece tell my Mom I love her and that I died trying to get her a super expensive DVD player (instead of the crummy pair of socks that I actually bought her).

Keep your head on a swivel, look alive, and die hard.

Best Wishes,

Casey
Senior Blogging Guy

December 24, 2008
Buying a Premodded Car: Not always the smart choice

Most of the time, buying a car with some minor mods isn’t a problem. It’s only later down the road when you wish you would’ve spent the extra money doing something yourself.

It’s not so bad buying a vehicle Pre-modded, but of course that goes into how deep the car has been tampered with before you got it. It’s different if you had a hand in building it or knew the people that built it, and sure you’ll save money by buying Pre-modded…but in the long-run it’s almost ALWAYS better to do it yourself.

Trying to fix something when you have no idea who or how someone else installed something is pretty agitating. At first it’s not too bad, but after a while you start to notice that whoever installed certain things might not have been exactly up to par with what you originally thought.

If anything, the satisfaction of doing something yourself should be worth it. Being able to take a step back, look at your car and realize that everything that’s been done to your car was of your own doing is an awesome sensation. My advice to you is even though you can save money by buying something already built, you’ll have a lot more appreciation for your vehicle in the long run by doing it all yourself.

December 23, 2008