Olly Burn est un passionné de sport d’hiver, le frisson de dévaler quelque chose sous la neige ou de la glace n’est pas nouveau. Sur un récent voyage à Leysin en Suisse, il a tiré ces belles images qui capture à la fois la majesté de l’environnement et de la vitesse, l’habileté et l’intensité des sports de montagne.
Même si nous ne sommes pas forcément amateurs d’armes à feu, force est de constater que les clichés de Herra Kuulapaa prenant au ralenti divers détonations et les impacts des balles impressionnent. Davantage de clichés dans le même style montrant la puissance du feu à découvrir en images dans la suite.
At 1,200 horsepower, a top speed of 252 mph that produces 1.4g of lateral acceleration potential and a $2.2 million price tag, there was no chance we were going to turn down the opportunity to cruise around Greenwich, CT in …
Continue Reading…
Ever considered getting into triathlons only to be deterred by the thought of adding a new bike to your quiver? The new Switch Aero System from Redshift Sports allows…
Continue Reading…
Le photographe new-yorkais Brad Harris a réalisé une série de clichés absolument magnifique durant le « World Speed Trials » au Bonneville Salt Flats dans l’Utah, lieu désert où des équipes viennent du monde entier pour tenter de battre des records de vitesse. Plus d’images dans la suite de l’article.
Didier Lafond nous propose de découvrir des images inédites de speed-riding. Illustrant des experts de la discipline dévalant le Mont Blanc, dont Antoine Montant malheureusement décédé l’année dernière, cette vidéo est un bel hommage à ces sportifs de l’extrême.
Copyright Fubiz™ – Suivez nous sur Twitter et Facebook
The first comprehensive redesign of the entry-level Porsche since its introduction in 1996
With a welcome redesign, the 2013 Boxster is once again the sexy gateway model to the rush of owning a Porsche. The brand unveiled the car’s most comprehensive design overhaul since its introduction in 1996 this week at the NY International Auto Show, showing off a 2013 that builds on the iconic 550 Spyder to be lighter, lower, wider and more powerful than before.
The 2013 amplifies the thrill of driving a mid-engine car with a body made from a composite aluminum and steel that reduces weight without compromising strength. The rear wing deploys automatically as in previous iterations but is now flanked by LED taillights. Under the hood the new model’s flat-six engine is available in both a base and upgraded S. This divide reveals output differences of 265hp vs 315hp and a top speed of 164mph and 173mph in favor of the S.
To improve handling the new Boxster is now equipped with Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV), a helpful bit of technology that redistributes torque by internally controlling braking on rear wheels, making the Boxster even more of a roadster than ever. The 2013 Porsche Boxster will be available Summer 2012 with a base sticker price of $49,500.
Learning how to tame Jaguar’s most ferocious cats
by Ryan McManus
Now in its third year, the Jaguar R Performance Academy is a one-day driving school designed to train owners of Jaguar’s “R” vehicles how to get the most from their powerful cars. We were invited to attend the inaugural launch of the Academy at the Monticello Motor Club> in Monticello N.Y. to experience the program and the supercharged cars firsthand.
Our first exercise was piloting the XFR, Jaguar’s handsome supercharged sedan, around a small oval at relatively low speeds. With a 510hp V8 capable of pushing the car to 60mph in 4.5 seconds, finding the right balance of braking and acceleration through the tight course on wet pavement was tough. We then switched to the XKR which has the same engine but in a low-slung coupe, providing a great contrast between the cars’ dynamics.
Next up was the figure eight. Our instructor switched off the XFR’s Dynamic Stability Control to demonstrate just how much correction the Jaguar’s computers were doing to keep us on the course. After a few dramatic spins and some flying orange cones, we started to get the feel for when the rear end wanted to break free and swing out, and a few minutes later we were powersliding around the pavement with relative ease. The R Academy also usually includes a timed Autocross in its curriculum, but ours was cancelled due to a little mishap with one of the fleet cars.
The R Academy instructors are either former or current competitive drivers, including Davy Jones, winner of the 1990 24 Hours of Daytona, and former Formula One driver and Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Roberto Guerrero. Each different exercise paired us with a different instructor who had particular style and philosophy to impart. All were friendly and accessible and eager to share some of their knowledge gained from hundreds of thousands of laps.
As the weather cleared and the track started to dry we headed out in a lead/follow formation around Monticello’s challenging track. An instructor in the lead car talked us through each turn over the radio, pointing out the ideal entry, apex and exit points. Each lap got progressively faster and after a dozen or so our instructor has us switch the car’s DSC to “Track” and handling to Dynamic, allowing for a greater (and more dramatic) driving experience. As the afternoon wore on and we became familiar with Monticello’s myriad corners, we began noticing that the DSC wasn’t correcting us as much, meaning we were actually learning something.
Finally, at the end of the day, we got to sit shotgun in an XFR as Chief Instructor Chris Munro took us around the track for a few “hot laps.” As we flew around a long sweeping turn at over 80mph, rear tires breaking loose, it was abundantly clear that we had a long way to go before we’d be spraying champagne on anyone.
Jaguar is currently touring the R Performance Academy in New York, Las Vegas and Miami. The Academy provides the cars, safety equipment, meals and hosts a reception dinner the night before. Participants are only responsible for their travel and lodging. The basic course is complimentary with the purchase of a new Jaguar XFR or XKR (no word on if the XKR-S is included), and for the first time is open to non-owners at a cost of $1,850.
The British luxury sportscar maker’s “power suit” answer to the muscle car
by Ryan McManus
Recently announced at Geneva, the Aston Martin Vantage S is the newest incarnation of the luxury automaker’s smaller, welterweight sports car, falling in between the base V8 and the V12. With the letter “S” indicating everything from a totally reworked, sublime driving experience to a couple bits of carbon and an oversized spoiler, we were curious to find out how Aston defined this upgrade. We had the opportunity to find out when invited to the “Two Hearts, One Soul” launch, where Aston unveiled the Vantage S and the new Virage in Ronda, Spain.
The Vantage S is like a Vantage V12 but with a V8 engine, impressively adding 10 brake horsepower more than the base model. The result is a lighter car that’s more balanced, but benefits from all of the Vantage V12’s good looks, tighter steering and throttle progression. Upgraded from an oil-cooled six-speed gearbox, the air-cooled seven-speed by Graziano translates into weight savings, a livelier gear ratio and more usable torque through the range. Carbon fiber is applied in places that makes sense, like lightweight bucket seats that were stiff but comfortable (and unfortunately not available in the States).
Driving the Vantage S Volanté convertible around southern Spain, the car was relaxed and poised—as easy to pilot through tight streets in town as it is on long curving country roads. Simply pressing the “sport” button, holding down the DSC button for four seconds and engaging the paddles transforms this car from a laid-back GT into a growling rocket. The luxuriously comfortable interior (though taller drivers will find the headroom snug) had an optional 1000W Bang and Olufsen stereo with iPod integration that provided an impressive soundtrack—when we didn’t have the volume down to hear the throaty V8.
The Vantage S is brash, addictive fun and you find yourself wanting to push the throttle open just to hear the exhaust reverberate through the countryside. A stripped-down sports car, the model is a near perfectly weight balance with a mid-mounted V8 up front driving the rear wheels.
After a quick lesson from Simon Dickinson, lead Performance Driving Instructor at Aston Martin, we took the Vantage S Coupé on the track and through the paces at Ascari. Braking hard into a corner and turning the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, you feel the bespoke Bridgestone tires bite in. Down-shifting into second using the column-mounted shift paddles, when you hit the gas the car hurtles down a straight, leaving you smiling like a total maniac.
The unmistakably gorgeous car combines the original Vantage’s classic beauty with the V12’s aggressive curves. This is not a flashy machine (at least not when compared to its Italian counterparts) but it is brawny. At some angles, it even recalls the golden era of American Muscle fastbacks like the Mustang Mach 1. If the original Vantage was a charcoal gray suit, the Vantage S is a double-breasted pinstripe—it’s extravagant, but pulls it off nicely—and more like our current 007 than the Bond of yore.
There are faster, more capable cars for the money, like a Porsche 911 Turbo or an Audi R8, and the Vantage S will likely never top this category on numbers alone. The GPS unit is a 2010 model, not the Garmin-designed one available in the Virage, and it’s sub-par by even the most generous standards. The interior can go from subtle to boy racer really quickly if you choose the wrong color combinations, and it unfortunately doesn’t have a manual transmission as an option. The seven-speed auto-box is fine, quick enough for most people, but it doesn’t replace the driver interaction of manipulating a stick.
These flaws are part of the point of owning an Aston Martin, however, and what makes the Vantage S such a rewarding car. It’s not the perfect machine or the popular choice, but it is a supremely rewarding alternative, a statement that one’s interests lie not in pure performance numbers or pure status, but in a mix of history, style, design and performance. The Vantage S is—in a single word—gratifying.
The Aston Martin Vantage S Coupé will retail at $132,000, or $151,000 for the convertible Volanté. Contact Aston Martin for purchasing details.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
