On August 02, 2019, an almost stock Bugatti Chiron reached insane 490.484 km/h (304.77 mph). Piloted by Andy Wallace, the record took place at Ehra-Lessien.
According to Bugatti’s CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, this was the last speed record for cars from Molsheim. Apparently Bugatti feels that they have proven that their cars are fast…
It started out as a rumor early this year but some time before Le Mans both ACO and FIA confirmed. We’re really going to have hypercars at La Sarthe and other WEC races! So from 2020 onward, we won’t have LMP1 as the top WEC class. The video above succinctly explains what this new class is about.
I’m really excited about this because this new category kind of reminds me of the glorious Group 5 (“silhouette racing”) era and all the g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s cars that we had.
Watch. NOW!
Unfortunately only in German, but if you’re a 917 nut like me, and manage 13 minutes of spare time, watch it. It’s totally worth it! I was blown away by the amount of fabrication that they did in the pits. At one moment you can see the JWA team fitting a nose to the car by adding fiberglass – so it was not just a bolt-on job.
After watching the 2019 race, it’s really bizarre to see how things were done back then.
It’s no secret that I’m a BIG fan of the 959. Come on, Mercury would drive one… So I was happy to stumble upon this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage. It’s 29 minutes of pour entertainment with the God Car.
Today VWs’ ID R did a full lap at Nürburgring in 6:05,336. That’s only slower than Porsche’s 919 Evo ( 5:19,546) and even faster than Stephan Bellof’s 1983 record.
That means I definitively need the ID R in the W-143 Garage… 🙂
Last Saturday, at Rally Chile, Hyundai pilot Thierry Neuville and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul had a bit of a rough time. Both walked away fine from that, but as you can see, the WRC continues insane.
Okay, maybe not Group B-insane, but still bonkers.
Petrolicious just released a delightful video about the XK120, Jaguar’s first car to race at La Sarthe. Not as successful as the later XK120C from 1951, but in my humble opinion MUCH more of a looker.
Handmade with silver, gold, platinum and diamonds, this little jewel is going on auction next month. Looks like bidding with start at US$ 90.000,00, so start saving those dimes and nickles.
A couple of days ago Top Gear posted a video where Top Gear Magazine’s Jack Rix visted Koenigsegg’s factory at Ängleholm, Sweden. The video was shot a few day’s before the unveiling of the new Jesko at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show this March, but it went live this week. It focus more on the Regera than on the new Jesko, but it’s always a delight to see Christian Von Koenigsegg’s passion for his cars.
