2013 Scion FR-S Sport Coupe by txGarage

Like I mentioned, we’re in Vegas, but not on the strip. Toyota/Scion put us up in a hotel right on the west edge of Vegas. Looking out east from our hotel room, we saw all the lights and excitement of the “strip”. Looking west, there was nothing but desert and mountains. After hearing a lot of marketing and technical talk from the team at Scion, we finally headed out to the front of the hotel where we were greeted with our ride. Looking at the FR-S, you already know what this car is about. It’s small, shorter than a 370Z, and it becomes more apparent the closer you get to the car. The FR-S is also very low to the ground; you’re butt sits just over a foot off the ground. The styling of the body is made to exude sportiness, but also be functional with low drag and good visibility. The arches over the front wheels stick up above the hood, and are purposely larger so you really can see where your front wheels are hitting the road.

I sat down in the first car that was ready to go as most of the other journalists were still mingling and procrastinating; I was ready to hit the road! Sitting in the FR-S, the first thing you notice is the bolstering in the seat. They’re large, yet quite comfortable, and as we’re headed to the track, I immediately realize that they will really come in handy later in the day. Next, I started paying attention to the detail of work and materials used within this car. Jumping into a Scion usually means hard plastics and unpleasant fabric. To our delight, the FR-S has a great interior. There is only one place on the dash where they used hard plastic to break up the dash, but it’s really done well. The steering wheel is wrapped in leather and has a good width and grip points. Directly behind the wheel, I noticed paddle shifters. I took a second look at the gearshift, and sure enough this was a FR-S equipped with an automatic transmission. The shifter is a little deceiving as it looks like it would be a manual. No worries, it’s time to see how this thing drives!

After the safety talk, we went back outside. Using the same group of cars we’d arrived in a few minutes before, we headed toward the track; only this time, I found one with a 6-speed manual transmission. We took 4 laps following the track instructors to help us get down the lines and braking points. This was good as the track had many late apex’s and a few hard braking turns.

It was now time to see how well rounded the FR-S really was. We already had a great time on normal road driving, but could this car go straight from the road to the track and really perform? I was in the FR-S with the manual transmission, so I reached down and pushed the traction control button twice to disable all driving aids. Now it’s just me, a steering wheel, clutch, shifter, and rear-wheel drive. Off the line, the 200 horsepower from the 2.0-liter boxer-4 wasn’t quite enough and didn’t feel very fast. Once you get into the higher rev’s, though, you never really feel a lack of power. You can feel the balance of the car, though. It has a very low center of gravity, only weighing 2,758 pounds, and has a weight distribution of 53% front and 47% rear. If you push hard into a corner, you’ll feel the understeer, but using your braking points correctly and turning tight into a corner, you can feel this car gripping, and if anything, it’s ready to give up the rear-end. When you do lose the rear end, which we did on occasion, purposefully of course, it’s easy to control and bring back into line. This car was designed for fun, sideways driving and it shows.

The controllable chassis gives you so much confidence; you’ll be running faster and faster lap times each run. We didn’t record lap times on the big track, but I could feel myself improving each run and it was all made easier by this well-balanced car.

2012 Ford Focus Electric

“Ford research shows the majority of Americans would consider buying an electrified vehicle but do not yet understand the different technologies,” said Mark Fields, president of The Americas. “Highlighting the Focus Electric as a pace car is a fun way to educate consumers about the kinds of benefits our electrified vehicles deliver and show people our commitment to provide Ford customers the power of choice for leading fuel economy in the vehicle that best meets their needs – from EcoBoost-powered gasoline vehicles and hybrids to plug-in hybrids and full electrics.”

“Our fans are customers,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “And just like in racing, they expect both fuel economy and performance from their daily drivers, and that’s what Ford is delivering.”

The all-new Fusion range, which includes EcoBoost, a hybrid and the Energi plug-in hybrid version, is the best example of how Ford is giving customers true power of choice for fuel-efficient vehicles.

This year, Ford will offer nine vehicles reaching an anticipated 40 mpg or more. Plus, the company is building six new electrified vehicles by the end of this year.

Ford will offer fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines in 11 vehicles in 2012, up from seven in 2011, tripling the production capacity of EcoBoost-equipped Ford vehicles. This expansion of fuel-efficient offerings will be led by the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine in the high-volume Escape compact utility vehicle and Fusion sedan.

Delivering up to 20 percent better fuel economy than conventional engines, EcoBoost uses smaller overall size combined with turbocharging and gasoline direct injection to bring customers the power they want and the fuel economy they need.

Ford was also first to use a hybrid to start a NASCAR event when the Fusion Hybrid served as pace car for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2008 making this yet another groundbreaking marketing campaign for Ford and NASCAR.

Update: New Images of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric Pace Car

Ford Focus Electric

[source: Ford]

Scion FR-S Speedster

We’ve actually seen a lot of manufacturers and tuning shops looking back at those roots as well with cars like the Mercedes-Benz SLR Sterling Moss, the Callaway C16 Speedster, the Mazda MX-5 Speedster concept, and track day cars like the Arial Atom. You also have attempts like the Porsche Boxster Spyder that isn’t really a convertible; it’s made to be driven with no roof. I love all of these cars and would love to drive any one of them as much as the next.

When I see another manufacture showing off what they are toughing as a true speedster sports car, it perks my ears right up. The Scion FR-S hasn’t even hit showroom floors yet and we already have a one-off. Built in conjunction with Iacona Design and Cartel Customs, this Scion FR-S Speedster was made to embody Toyota’s years in Indy Car racing.

They will be showing this car at the 38th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. It will be on display in the Lifestyle Expo lobby and will only be driven as a parade vehicle. We might actually get an up-close and personal look at the FR-S Speedster in a few weeks as it’s supposed to be attending an event we’re attending. Getting seat time with this car is very unlikely though.

And that’s the big problem with a speedster/roadster. They are almost always one-offs or concept cars or they cost a ton of money. Also they can’t really be everyday cars. They are always going to be a gimmick car or a toy car for the person that has enough money to own a third or fourth car for the fun of it.

Let us know what you think about this car and Speedsters/Roadsters in general. Do you like the idea of manufacturers building these? Do you like them? Would you just rather have a coupe? Let us know in the comments below.

Scion FR-S Speedster Specifications

Length: 166.7 in.
Width: 69.9 in.
Height: 40.2 in.
Wheelbase: 101.2 in.

Powertrain:
Flat 2.0L boxer engine
6-speed transmission
Maximum output: 200hp @ 7,000 rpm
Maximum torque: 151 lb.-ft @ 6,600 rpm
TORCO Synthetic SR-5 Racing Oil
ACT Clutch
GReddy SP Elite Exhaust System

Chassis / Suspension:
KW Suspensions Clubsport Coilovers (independent rebound and compression adjustability)
Wilwood SUPERLITE 6-piston radial mount calipers in custom red on 13”
SRP drilled and slotted two-piece rotors & BP-10
Wilwood Smart Pads

Wheels & Tires:
Front: 18 x 8.0 Forge Line center lock wheels
Back: 18 x 9.5 Forge Line center lock wheels
Front: 225/40/18 TOYO Proxes R888
Back: 245/40/18 TOYO Proxes R888

Fuzzy's EPS Logo White

Fuzzy’s will transform the look of the infield café – formerly known as Hot Rod’s Café – with the chain’s traditional décor, complete with its signature 14-foot sailfish that is featured at all its locations. Fuzzy’s President Chuck Bush, Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage and members of “The Great American Sweethearts!” unveiled the giant sailfish as part of the special announcement during media day.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop at Texas Motor Speedway – which will debut during the March 16-18 Goodguys car show – will feature a specialized menu complete with its usual favorites that include breakfast tacos, Baja tacos, jumbo burritos and chips sprinkled with its signature Fuzzy dust.

“We see racing as a continually emerging sport, much like Fuzzy’s is a growing restaurant concept,” Bush said. “We are thrilled to be a sponsor of Texas Motor Speedway and to serve the dedicated fans that come out to the exciting events here.”

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop’s infield café location is part of the restaurant’s rapid growth that now boasts 52 stores in 11 states. The operation also has more than 100 additional restaurants on the books to open across the country in the coming year.

[ Author:TMS Media Relations]

GAINSCO 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype

Texas based GAINSCO has been testing it’s new 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype racecar for the coming Grand-Am series.

Check out their photos and page on facebook!

Austin F1 - Circuit of the Americas

That’s right. All the news we are getting now confirms that the track in Austin and the race will happen.

If you have been following along, construction of the 3.4-mile track was halted when the Texas comptroller’s office refused to put up the $25 million it pledged to pay for the F1 sanctioning fee. It seems now that an agreement between F1 and Texas and the date has been set for the Austin race next year.

So construction continues and we hope to he having a big F1 party next year! Keep up to date with more from Austin and the track right here.

txGarage on the infield track at Texas Motor Speedway for the SRT Track Experience

Last week, we were invited to come out and experience the SRT Track Experience put on by the SRT division of Chrysler and the Richard Petty Driving School. This is a member’s only experience, hence to be involved, you must first purchase a SRT product. None of the staff at txGarage own any SRT products, but luckily, it’s more about who you know.

Let us first talk about what SRT stands for. SRT stands for Street and Racing Technology and is the high-performance divisions of Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge. When you purchase any of these SRT products, this SRT Track Experience is included into the price; so if you don’t attend one of these events after buying your car, you’re definitely missing out.

The run down:

The event is held at Texas Motor Speedway. We pulled up following the long road that leads underneath the massive track and parked just to the left of the infield track where we’ll get the opportunity to run some SRT products to their potential. To our left was the Media Center building in the middle of the oval. Checking in with the SRT guys, they handed me a badge with an attached flash drive. Each car is equipped with a camera system to record the driver and out the front of the car. All you have to do is pop in your flash drive and it records strait to it. It’s a pretty slick setup and the video turns out pretty good.

Next, the instructors come out to welcome everyone, get us all familiar with the concept of what we’ll be doing, and lay out some short ground rules. As quick as that, we’re splitting into teams and heading to the infield track. The lineup of SRT products we were able to drive was unfortunately mostly the 2010 lineup. They did have some 2011 Charger R/T’s and the 2011 392 Challengers on hand. Nonetheless, walking out to that track seeing a large group of high performance V8 cars just waiting to be thrashed around the track was a great feeling.

As you could imagine, the lineup isn’t that massive. The SRT brand is pretty exclusive for Chrysler with only a hand full of vehicles making the cut. Lined up on pit-row was a group of 2011 Charger R/T’s, 2010 Chrysler 300 SRT8, 2010 Challenger SRT8, and the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. Now we’ve driven the 2011 Charger R/T and the 2011 Challenger 392 out on this same track before during the Texas Auto Roundup. This time though, we’ll be following in the tire tracks of professional drivers. If you want, or need a little more help, you can ride shotgun with one of the instructors at anytime to get some quick tips on what you should be doing.

You start off running 2 laps at a slow pace getting comfortable with the lines and braking zones of the track. Hop out of whatever car you were just in, hop in another SRT and back out. This time for 2 more laps running a little faster and a little harder on braking and exit speeds. Do another car switch and back out. The pace has increased even more and you’re now doing some hard turning, hard braking, and turning 3 laps now instead of 2.

I easily made it through the entire lineup and even got the chance to make two passes in the SRT8 Grand Cherokee. I also had time to run a few laps sitting shotgun with one of the instructors. Everyone out there was extremely nice and willing to talk and help where they were needed.

Just as we finished up on the infield track, we crossed the street and headed to a parking lot full of cones. This was a time-attack event using the SRT8 Challenger. We got our instructions and pep talk; this was a competition event versus the other team by the way. I was first up for our team and was already nervous knowing there was no way I could keep that big, heavy car from smothering every cone on the course. I jumped in, got a few more words of encouragement from the SRT team leader and off I went. Smash the peddle to the floor and spinning the tires off the line with just enough time to get right back on the brakes hard for the first corner. After coming to a screeching halt back in the box, my time was 35.something seconds with 2 cones knocked down. Not a great time but I get to make another pass. My second pass was a little better, running in the low 34-second range, but I made it through the course without hitting any cones so I was pretty happy with myself. After everyone had their 2 passes in the Challenger, we had the chance to redeem ourselves taking on the same course with the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was insane to think about taking this same tight track with this bigger SUV, but the AWD was now working in our favor. My time in the Jeep was about the same as my second run and amazingly I hit no cones!

Next was lunch and more time to talk with the SRT staff. This is a great bunch of guys that are dedicated to what they do and travel the U.S. for most of the year to bring these events to a town near you. After lunch, it was back out to the infield track for more fast running, taking the lessons we learned in the first 2 events and applying them back to track driving.

The last event we were in was another competition event called head-to-head. Back out in the parking lot full of cones, they had 2 identical tracks laid out where 2 competitors could run against each other to see who was the fastest and more importantly who was the most accurate. All 4 of my runs in this head-to-head challenge I managed to hit no cones and not accrue any penalties. I was undefeated in my first 3 runs then lost my last run, being a little slower than my competitor who also hit no cones.

After this last challenge, we were all feeling good about our skills and accomplishments throughout the day. As a parting gift, we went once again to the infield track to ride shotgun with the instructors doing what they do best. With no one else on the track but professional drivers, the instructors were unleashed to run all out and really show us what these cars were made of. The distance in skill from what we were running and what these professionals can do is always nice to experience.

All in all, it was a great event and I’m extremely appreciative to the team at SRT for giving me the opportunity to take it on. These events are a great way to really experience what your car can do without having to thrash your car around these tracks. It also helps people develop their skills so they know how to handle their car and get the opportunity to feel the balance and weight shifting of the car. In my mind, all manufacturers should offer something along these lines included in the price of buying a performance car. Even non-performance cars can surprise you when you get it on a track in the hands of a skilled driver. We look forward with working further with the SRT team, Chrysler, Fiat, Dodge, and Jeep in the future and seeing what great products they have for us in the future.

Winners 1, 2, and 3

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302

I wasn’t alive in the 60’s and 70’s, a time that most call the golden era of American motorsports. I never had the opportunity to watch the original Boss 302 race in the Trans-Am series and win, yet it’s a car I’ve heard of many times as this American classic certainly has a reputation that precedes it..

It’s been a long time since the Boss 302 rose to glory, and the Mustang has gone through many changes. When I first heard that Ford was considering bringing the Boss back, I was actually worried. Would it just be another dressed up Mustang with a graphics package and fancy wheels? The only real track worthy Mustang to date has been those branded with a Roush badge, so would this be more of the same?

Ford’s VP of global marketing, Jim Farley, made a pretty bold statement that made me hope for the best. He said “My dream for the car was that it would make a lot of money for a guy street racing. It should be a car that winds up on YouTube doing something illegal. I’ve been waiting 20-plus years to launch a car like this.” Now you see why this statement gave me hope!

Not a nostalgic machine:

On the outside, the Boss is basically a 2012 Mustang. The front grill sports the Mustang pony badge with red, white, and blue stripes behind it. It has a more aggressive and race-inspired front splitter. The graphics are all nostalgia with the iconic C-stripe on each side and black on the hood come straight from the ’69 Boss 302.

We all really liked the overall styling of the Boss. It wasn’t overdone; it’s pretty straight forward and race inspired. We couldn’t agree though on the best color scheme. The Boss only comes in five colors including the Performance White, Race Red, Competition Orange, Kona Blue Metallic, and Yellow Blaze Metallic. I really like the White/Black car we were reviewing while Toby thought the Orange/Black was a better fit. Actually I like pretty much every color scheme I’ve seen on the Boss.

Inside The Beast:

There isn’t much as far as options in the Boss, and that’s a good thing. You can’t get a sat-nav with SYNC and you can’t get heated/electric/leather seats. The option that is available, and you’ll want to get, are the Recoro seats. These are heavily bolstered, but incredibly comfortable!

The rest of the interior is your basic Mustang, which isn’t as bad as it used to be. A few track-themed items are scattered around you including an Alcantara steering-wheel, a retro cue-ball shifter, black gauges with a tach that stretches to 9,000 rpm, and some “Powered by Ford” door plates.

It’s a basic, business only interior and we loved it!

Powering the Boss:

The Boss 302 carries around the 5.0 liter engine like the current GT Mustang. For those of you hearing nostalgic numbers, that’s 302 cubic inches. It’s the same engine, yet it’s been tweaked and reworked to push out 32 more horses. This was done with an all new intake manifold with runners resembling velocity stacks, new cylinder heads with stronger alloy, camshafts increased lift, the intake valves grew larger, and the bearings are replaced with race-spec bearings. All this jargon equates to 444 horsepower at 7500 rpm. Yes, that’s 7500 rpm on a Mustang.

Revving the Boss up to 7500 takes a little getting used to. If you are familiar with driving Mustangs, you don’t expect to keep your foot on the throttle that long, but it keeps going. This car doesn’t just push you back in the seat, it rockets you seamlessly to where you need to be. With over a 100 hp disadvantage to the GT500, the Boss is only 0.2 seconds slower 0-60.
The horsepower numbers aren’t the big kicker with the Boss, though. It goes without saying that a 32 hp gain isn’t that substantial, but there’s so much more to this engine and car than peak horsepower.

On the track and on the street:

No matter if you’re on the track or on the street, when you hit a corner, it’s time for this Mustang to shine. One of the first things I noticed when I got behind the wheel of the Boss is how different the steering felt compared to other Mustangs. It was lighter, but not in a bad way. It felt very direct, but made the car feel lighter on it’s feet and much more nimble. The chassis feels overwhelmingly balanced as you don’t get the feeling of a heavy front end like you do in the GT500. This, in turn, inspires confidence in the turns.

To step up the Boss’ suspension, Ford gave it stiffer springs, a fatter stabilizer bar, 5 way adjustable shocks, and new bushings. You ride on top of 19-inch Pirelli P Zero tires which are 9.5-inches wide in the rear. The tires alone give you so much grip that it inspires you even more so.

Getting ready to stop this bad boy are some 4-piston Brembo brakes resting on 14-inch rotors, vented for better cooling. The pads tucked in these Brembos are close to race-spec compound, but give minimal squeal.

Everything about this car came to life once we got it out on the track at Texas Motorsport Ranch. The track is full of elevation changes and tight cornering. The Boss just took it all in and spit it all out. I’ve been out on a few tracks in a few different cars, but this track and this car were definitely the peak of my track driving experience.

Yes, how much:

The price of the Boss isn’t that outrageous. In terms of power and performance, on paper, the Boss falls nicely in between the Mustang GT and the GT500. The price is no different. You can get a base Boss 302 tor $40,995; throw in the Racaro seats and Torsen limited-slip differential and only add another $1,995 to that price. If you are worried about fuel cost, it is a high-performance track-ready car, well don’t be. We easily averaged in the mid 20 mpg range throughout our week of everyday driving. For a weekend racer as competent on the track as the Boss is, that’s quite a bargain. Ford will be producing only 3250 Boss 302s and 750 Laguna Seca editions totalling out at 4000 total examples.

We had this car out at Texas Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, Texas for almost the entire day. The day before they actually delivered a Boss 302 Laguna Seca S to a customer from Houston to this very track. Ford brought the car to the MSR track and had the Ford engineering team tune it and fit it to the driver. While we were there in our review car, we not only received many looks but were told on many occasions how much people loved this car. Those came from Porsche owners and even a guy who just purchased a new GT500 who told us he should have waited and bought one of these. I can see why this car is so popular at the track. It really is more than just a Mustang, it’s a great track car. It’s a Boss 302 through and through.

Video on YouTube:

Check out the full photo gallery of the 2012 Boss 302 on Facebook or Google!

Laguna Seca:

Just a little extra about the Laguna Seca edition. We had the chance to do a Quick Drive review of this car a few months back, but we were not able to get it for a full review. As I stated above, the Laguna Seca is a special edition of the Boss 302 that Ford will only produce 750 examples of total. What makes this better than the standard Boss 302? The Laguna Seca implements the “less is more” attitude. No rear seats, just a fancy tubular-steel X-brace where the seat should be. The front end has an even more aggressive front splitter that looks like it’s taken strait off a Grand-Am car. The springs are refitted with an even higher-rate. The rear wheels are up from 9.5 to 10-inches wide in the rear. You get brake-cooling ducts, an
under-body air scoop, a rear anti-sway bar, and inside the cabin you get extra gauges for oil-pressure and water-temperature. The R-compound Pirelli’s fitted to the Laguna Seca are so slick and track ready that it’s not really advised to drive it in the wet. If you are serious about trackday driving, you can’t go wrong with this car and at a $6995 premium over the standard Boss, the Laguna Seca still comes in way under any other trackday dedicated car out there.

Laguna Seca Photos

Audi R18 TDI Le Mans Race Car

There have been many rumors circulating that Audi would be jumping into Formula 1. To set the record straight, Audi has come out to say that it isn’t, and won’t be considering such a move. According to the company’s motorsport boss, F1 bears “no relevance to the road.” The point has been made that in one 24 hour race, one car can cover as many miles as a car doing an entire F1 season. Le Mans, it seems, is the place to be for really developing technology for road cars in Audi’s eyes, and we don’t disagree. Not to mention that Audi is pretty dominant in La Mans racing.

[source: autoblog]

Hennessey Venom GT

The Goodwood festival of speed is an annual celebration of cars and speed that attracts gearheads from around the world. Because of its roots in Europe, it’s not often that American cars make big news. But this year we are! Not just an American company, but a Texas company, Hennessey. That’s right! The Hennessy Venom GT will be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Check out more form Hennessey and the Venom GT HERE.