MotorKicks - new stories

Scientists create bacteria that eat junk, produce oil

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:00:15 GMT

The "bugs" can be fed a variety of feedstock, from politically sensitive corn to Brazilian sugar cane to California wheat straw to Southern wood chips. The result is the same: crude oil that is almost ready to pour into your car. What's more: the enterprise is carbon negative, putting out less CO2 than the operation requires. At the moment it takes a 1,000-liter fermentation machine one week to make a 40-gallon drum of crude.

EDO Competition tweaks Ferrari Enzo to 700 hp - Autoblog

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:14:30 GMT

Edo began by replacing the intake with a revised ram-air system and a set of high-flow air filters, then worked its magic downstream with a set of headers similar to those in the FXX, along with a duo of high-flowing cats and a new exhaust system with remote-controlled, butterfly valves that allow the sound levels to be adjusted on the fly. All those bits are tuned through a modified ECU to produce 700 hp and 527 lb.-ft. of torque, which is sent through a heavy-duty clutch and on down to a retuned stock transmission that replicates the shift times of the FXX.

Hayabusa-powered go kart redefines the term overpowered

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:54:04 GMT

Anybody who's ever strapped themselves into a shifter-kart can attest to the fact that they are one of the most exhilarating rides available, and their capabilities are much higher than first expected. That being the case, when swapping the 125cc engine from the go kart with a 1300cc engine from a Suzuki Hayabusa, the resulting machine is nothing if not overpowered.

2008 Yamaha R6 - first 600 to break 170 mph

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:29:18 GMT

These changes have allowed the R6 to break the 170 mile-per-hour barrier, a first for a 600cc machine.

Rally champ Sebastien Loeb gets speeding ticket at Swedish Rally

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:16:13 GMT

It's pretty straightforward for most of us: drive above the speed limit and risk getting in trouble with the fuzz. Racing drivers usually get away with it - if only because they're on closed circuits - which makes it all the more interesting when the same fate befalls them as applies to the rest of us.

Irish politician wants country's drivers to move right

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:59:49 GMT

this is one of those ideas that is both stupid and amazingly stupid... Mind you, there are probably 1, maybe 2 good points... i cant think of them at the moment, but they could be there...

Officially Official: Mercedes-Benz unveils 2009 SL63 and SL65 AMG

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:17:45 GMT

SL63 AMG, which uses AMG's naturally-aspirated 6.2L V8 making 538 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes also brings back the SL65 AMG, whose turbocharged V12 cranks out 604 horsepower and a BRABUS-like 738 lb-ft of torque.

G-Power Hurricane M5 takes the crown as fastest, road-legal BMW

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:09:14 GMT

The M5's V10, which normally produces 507 hp, was tweaked to the tune of 730 hp through the use of the firm's Evo II twin-supercharger setup. The duo of belt-driven compressors huff around seven pounds of boost into each one of the cylinder banks, and partnered with a higher differential, the G-Power crew maintains the Hurricane could have reached 250 mph if rain and light snow hadn't caused traction issues.

CarList.ie

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:53:05 GMT

from the guy who brought you the software that runs MotorKicks, comes CarList.ie. ITs a car buying and selling site, and its pretty impressive! already has 3,500 cars for sale! Congrads on the launch Gavin!

BMW Dial testing

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:54:29 GMT

testing the dials on my 523i BMW. Hold down the check button for a few seconds till test 01 shows up, click check to get to test 02 and click reset.

Rogue deer snatches victory from Pastrana at 2008 Snodrift Rally

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:48:59 GMT

All was well as they made their way through the forest roads and fresh powder until one of God's creatures decided that now would be a good time to cross the ice-covered stage road. As the 2007 WRX STI careened down the road at over 60 mph and Bambi colliding with Pastrana's left front bumper, causing irreparable damage to the engine and ending the team's race as the Subaru coasted to a stop.

BMW rolls out 5 millionth 5-Series - Autoblog

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:47:40 GMT

"Get out the beer steins and lederhosen: the Bavarians are celebrating! Yesterday the 5,000,000th BMW 5-Series rolled off the production line" I am on my Second 5 Series, an E39. both have been E39s and both have been 523i's. Congrads to BMW!

Speed bumps are bad for the planet

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:42:57 GMT

The findings correlate with those of the country's Transport Research Laboratory, which reported that "carbon monoxide emissions are increased by as much as 82% and nitrous oxide levels by 37% on roads with speed bumps."

Major air - Ken Block and his flying Subaru

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 20:56:12 GMT

Mother of pearl, a Subaru rally car flying through the air at a snowboard park. How is that even possible?

Private Dancer: Tina Turner's Mercedes-powered Lambo LM002

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:10:59 GMT

So Turner bought an LM002, the Lamborghini of sport-utility vehicles, and had the original Countach V12 ripped out and swapped for a V8 out of a Mercedes E500 with an automatic transmission.

Details emerge about BMW's new flagship sedan

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:10:13 GMT

The Gran Turismo would slot in above the 7-series, being both longer and wider than BMW's largest sedan, and is likely to pack either a V8 or V12 powerplant. CSM Worldwide pegs production of around 15,000 units annually with a cost of around $150,000. That puts it in the same realm as Porsche's soon-to-be-released Panamera, Audi's rumored A7 and the Aston Martin Rapide, all of which will create a new class of high-priced, high-powered sedans that have yet to be proven in the marketplace.

Detroit 2008: Live reveal of BMW's 335d and X5 xDrive35d - Autoblog

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:55:38 GMT

The 335d and exceedingly awkwardly named X5 xDrive35d are getting BMW's dual turbocharged 3.0L inline six diesel starting this fall. The 265-hp, 425-lb.ft. torque monster will make these vehicles among the most fuel-efficient and best performing vehicles in their class.

Detroit 2008: Audi unleashes its diesel monster, the R8 V12 TDI

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:48:51 GMT

Today Audi brought some more of its Le Mans-conquering technology to the street in the form of the new R8 V-12 TDI. The R8 V12 TDI is a concept that melds the 6.0L V-12 diesel from last years Q7 concept with the award winning R8 sports car.

Detroit 2008: Ferrari's ethanol-powered 430 Spider Bio Fuel - Autoblog

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:48:03 GMT

Labeled as the 430 Spider Bio Fuel, the roadster runs on the familiar mix of 85% natural ethanol and 15% gasoline, which reports suggest yield a modest 2% increase in power. That's enough to bring the 4.3-liter V8's output up to 500 from the standard 490 with torque rising 4% and fuel economy improving by 5%.

What $2,500 buys in India: Tata Nano unveiled

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:17:43 GMT

Tata has pulled the wraps off its long-discussed and highly-anticipated 1-lakh (around $2,500) car. The orb-like Tata Nano was unveiled at the New Delhi Auto Expo today, boasting a 30-horsepower 624-cc engine; a four-speed manual transmission; a disc/drum brake setup; room for five (based on the above photo); and claimed fuel economy of 54 US miles per gallon.

Detroit 2008: Audi R8 V12 TDI video leaked!

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:16:38 GMT

today we see video of the R8 V12 TDI concept has been posted on a Russian site. The Detroit-bound car is said to make 500 horsepower and 737 lb-ft (1000 Nm) of torque while boasting fuel economy of over 23 US mpg (10 liters per 100 km). Zero-to-sixty reportedly takes 4.2 seconds and the car should have a top end of 300 km/h, or around 186 mph.

G-Power Hurricane M5 claims mantle as fastest BMW with 730HP

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:07:32 GMT

The result: half a second off the M5's already supercar-like 0-60 time, now down to just 4.2 seconds. With all that extra power and the electronic limiter removed, the aptly-named Hurricane is claimed to hit a top speed of 340 km/h - that's over 211 miles per Autobahn-storming hour.

CarDomain Find of the Day: V8, mid-engined Ford Festiva

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:24:34 GMT

Festiva, mid-mounted V8 - okay, we're with you. Front wheel drive? Uh, sounds like a fine way to blow a lot of dollars adapting components in order to send the power to the wrong pair of 13-inch tires.

eBay Find of the Day: Vampire jet car that almost killed the Hamster

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:24:01 GMT

Talk about a project car. For sale on eBay UK, for approved UK-only bidders, is the actual Vampire jet car crashed by Richard Hammond.

Top Gear drives the M3, C63, and RS4

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:23:27 GMT

Top Gear drives Germany's three small super saloons... well, in the M3's case, it's a coupe, but you get the picture The cars go against each other, as well as Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus F1 racer that won the 1972 World Championship, and has the same horsepower as the sedans.