McLaren has a problem. The upstart supercar maker from Woking keeps applying everything learned from the last car to the new one. That may not sound like a bad thing, but what if the new car slots in well below the last one in terms of prestige and price? Case in point: The million-dollar, 904-hp Ultimate Series hybrid hypercar McLaren P1 lapped what was then known as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 1:30.78. The 60 percent less expensive, 711-hp Super Series 720S lapped the newly named WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 1:29.78. On street tires. That’s nearly a second quicker, with about $600,000 in your back pocket. This leads us to McLaren’s latest track day joybuzzer, the 600LT, and to the brand’s current arrow in its Ultimate Series quiver, the Senna. Let’s start first with the little guy.
The McLaren 600LT is the fourth car in the automaker’s [...]
This past weekend’s inaugural Nitro Rallycross event added a healthy dose of four-wheel excitement to the 2018 Nitro World Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. After two days of intense competition, Timmy Hansen of Sweden emerged as the winner of the first-ever Nitro Rallycross.
Held at Utah Motorsports Campus (formerly known as Miller Motorsports Park), the Nitro World Games’ new rallycross event treated spectators to a weekend of wheel-to-wheel action on a purpose-built dirt course complete with huge jumps and obstacles. Competitors piloted specially prepped rallycross cars, which ranged from vehicles you can buy in the U.S. like the Ford Focus RS, Subaru WRX, and Volkswagen Beetle to Europe-only models like the Audi S1 and Peugeot 208.
AMAZING to come up with the gold on what I consider to be the best rallycross track of the world ???? What a week-end, I had a blast! Being the 1st ever #NitroWorldGames RX winner comes, of course, [...]
For the past few years, autonomous electric concepts have been all the rage on the international auto show circuit. These forward-looking vehicles tend to have boxy or egg-shaped designs in order to maximize interior volume. But every once in a while, an automaker introduces an autonomous concept that prioritizes style over practicality. The Peugeot E-Legend is one such concept.
Set to debut at the Paris Motor Show early next month, the E-Legend is a modern interpretation of the 1969 Peugeot 504 Coupe. With its heavy retro styling, it’s hard not to think of the never-built Nissan IDx concept when we look at the E-Legend. Both concepts were inspired by coupes designed in the late ‘60s, so any resemblance between the two can likely be attributed to the styling trends of the era. With that said, the E-Legend looks fantastic. The design is true to the original three-box coupe yet modern at the same time. We [...]
Quick Stats: Matt Iseman, comic/host/MD “American Ninja Warrior”
Daily Driver: 2008 Acura MDX (Matt’s rating: 8 on a scale of 1 to 10)
Favorite road trip: The American West
Car he learned to drive in: Oldsmobile 98
First car bought: 2008 Acura MDX
Since American Ninja Warrior host and comic Matt Iseman bought his 2008 Acura MDX, he’s been nothing but pleased with it. Although he’s had an eye out for other cars, nothing else has met this medical doctor’s criteria for a daily driver.
“I test-drove a lot of things when I was looking at [the MDX]—the Audi Q7, the Mercedes, the BMW X5. The thing I liked about the Acura—it was one of the best-handling SUVs. It handled like a car, which in L.A., as much driving as we do, I wanted something that handled well that didn’t feel big and boat-ish. As far as tech. I think the Acura is ahead of [...]
Ferrari not only launched a new, limited edition duo of supercar barchettas with the Monza SP1 and SP2, but it also launched a fourth pillar of the brand. The house that Enzo built is calling the latter Icona—Italian for Icon—and if the Monzas are any sort of indication, expect to see some radical Ferraris in the future. But I’m jumping ahead. Let’s look at the Monzas.
What Are They?
Barchetta means “boat tale” in Italian, but Ferrari is using the term to mean a vehicle without a traditional windscreen. Both versions of the Monza come with a Virtual Windscreen, a carbon-fiber hoop in front of the driver that diverts air up and over one’s head. You’ll probably want to wear a helmet anyhow, but luckily a custom fit one by Berluti comes with the car. You get a pretty nifty driving suit by Loro Piana, too.
Ferrari’s design [...]
