Sub5zero

 
Ken Block is one of the fastest growing faces of an American in motorsports today. After making it big in the skateboarding world selling sneakers and apparel, Ken quietly decided to get into rally racing. In the past few years Ken has helped bring that electric type of racing to the mainstream, winning X Games medals, performing all kinds of amazing stunts and becoming a YouTube sensation along the way. Next year he moves up to the big leagues to race in the WRC and compete against the world's best. So how does Ken relax before a big season of sliding through mud at 100mph on a road as wide as a shoelace? He drives his Subaru Impreza WRX STI to Utah for some snowboarding. You see, to Ken Block, an STI is a Swiss Army knife. It can rally, drive a snowboard park, clear 100 foot gaps and run a Gymkhana course. His probably even has a slot for tweezers.
 
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Veteran BMW driver Franz Engstler had a nice surprise when he rounded the corner outside of pit row at FIA World Touring Car Championship at Pau 2009. The safety vehicle decided to veer outside of the exit lane, cross the white line and drive directly into the path of race cars turning the bend at high speeds. Obviously, the safety car driver missed the part of the pre-race meeting where it was strongly encouraged that ALL vehicles stay within the white lines. Check out the video after the jump.
 
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Theme parks like Disneyland create entire worlds of wonder. But most of these expansive play grounds are lumbering giants filled with aging rides and tired dress-up characters. They need a shot of adrenaline. Enter Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. On a site adjacent to the F1 Grand Prix marina circuit on Yas Island, Ferrari has been constructing an amazing 200,000 square meter indoor theme park, the largest ever created. The building was designed by renown architectural firm Benoy and features a double curve side profile reminiscent of the classic Ferrari GT. It also sports a signature 215-foot tall Ferrari logo, the largest of its kind.
 
Under the giant red steel roof will be housed the world's fastest roller coaster simulating an F1 car, a g-force tower that extends past the 150-foot high roof into the sky, various racing simulators, a flume ride through a massive 599 GTB engine as well as driving and racing schools. In addition to the 20+ rides, there will be plenty of shopping, including a new Ferrari flagship store, along with tons of hospitality options. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi will open its doors next year and will sure to be a huge draw.
 
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There are car videos and then there are car videos. Specialty production crew Bandito Garage produced this tremendous video featuring the BMW M3 to showcase their technical chops and increase business. Entitled "Living in the Lights" and directed by Mouse McCoy, winner of the Baja 500 and Baja 1000, this video is 2 minutes and 20 seconds of pure adrenaline. Driver Greg Tracy works the wheel while the beautiful model Niki Huey works the heart.
 
Bandito Brothers is a "one-stop shop that refines the process of producing industry-leading content for commercials, content footage, branded entertainment, and product placement by servicing all of these needs under one roof." In the case of this video, the company shot the BMW M3 from 15+ different angles using camera cars and gyros cranes. Inspired by the by the 1976 Claude Lelouch short, "C'était un rendez-vous," this short film is a great advertisement for the Ultimate Driving Machine. 
 
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Last week's episode of Ultimate Factories on the National Geographic Channel was terrific. We got a great behind-the-scenes look at how the stellar Porsche 911 is put together. This week's show stops at the Chevy factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where production of the 2010 Corvette Z06 takes place. Be sure to tune in on Thursday, October 29th, at 8PM ET/PT. Check out the video highlights and show details after the jump.
 
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The floodgates are starting to let loose on video footage of the production model of the new Lexus LFA supercar. Many media outlets are starting to get a crack behind the wheel and we have put together some of the best videos available to date.
 
The 2011 Lexus LFA features an all-new 4.8L V10 with a lofty red line of 9,000 rpm. This powerplant delivers 552 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. Amazingly, 90 percent of the LFA’s torque is available between 3,700 rpm and 9,000 rpm. Check out the following reels of Toyota's most expensive production vehicle ever.
 
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Last week's episode of Ultimate Factories on the National Geographic Channel was spectacular. We got a great look behind the scenes of the Chevy Camaro SS being built inside one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the world. This week's show features Porsche and the production of their world class 911 sports car. Be sure to tune in on Thursday, October 22nd, at 8PM ET/PT. Check out the video highlights and show details after the jump.
 
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IND Distribution recently delivered a "one-of-a-kind" BMW Individual Atlantis E90 M3 to a special client looking for extreme personalization and not afraid to take some risks. Myke ordered his M3 with an Atlantis Metallic paint job, the only on in the world, which actually  "shifts from Estoril blue to Avus blue to shades of green and teal" depending on the viewing angle (which you can see in the video). This BMW is also the only E90 M3 in the world with a full replacement carbon fiber roof. 
 
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This week marks the third installment of Ultimate Factories on the National Geographic Channel. The first episode showcased the stellar Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce and provided a unique glimpse at the inner workings of the production lines in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. The next episode featured the Rolls-Royce Phantom with stops along its production lines in Unterhallerau and Dingolfing, Germany, and Goodwood, England. And now we are back in the good 'ole US of A for a peek inside the 10,000,000 square foot manufacturing plant where the reinvigorated 2010 Chevy Camaro SS is stamped out. The show starts at 8pm EST/PST on October 15th and you won't want to miss it!
 
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This past weekend, the record for world's fastest gasoline-powered land vehicle was set by Spectre Performance's 1900 hp SpeedLiner. Powered by a twin-turbo 1970's Cadillac engine with 1200 ft-lb of torque, this speed demon, nicknamed Infidel, blitzed its way to an amazing 330.7 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah at the hands of driver Kenny Hoover. The Infidel was built by hot-rod accessory manufacturer Spectre Performance at the behest of founder Amir Rosenbaum, who has vowed to keep pushing until they reach 400 mph.
 
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Sharks are a formidable foe, often unseen until it's too late when they unleash their fury and force with devastating affect. And that image is perfect for a tuning company that has quietly been lurking in the community of Fresno, CA. For a few years SharkWerks swam under the radar, building custom exhaust systems and putting out short teaser videos to showcase their sound. Then they built some lethal Porsche turbos, including one for New York Giants receiver, and Super Bowl veteran, Amani Toomer. They did such a good job they are licensed to install parts from TechArt, Cargraphic, and Evolution Motorsports. So they were circling the auto world, just a fin coming up out of the water from time to time. But this summer they showed what they're all about by building a killer "bored and built" 3.9L 500 HP Porsche GT3RS.
 
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Last week's episode of Ultimate Factories on the National Geographic Channel was absolutely phenomenol. We got an amazing inside look at the building of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce. This week's show features Rolls-Royce and the production of their flagship Phantom supercar. Be sure to tune in on Thursday, October 8th, at 8PM ET/PT. Check out the video highlights and show details after the jump.
 
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What could be better than a drag-race showdown between two Japanese powerhouses with one top dog pulled from the automotive realm, the 'Zila, and the other an absolute beast from the motorcycle world, the 'Busa? Well, how bout the fact that it's not just an ordinary Nissan GT-R tearing up pavement but a Switzer P800 putting down 800 horsepower at the crank? For those not hip, Switzer Performance makes bolt-on modification packages for the R35 Nissan GT-R which puts the car in another class altogether.
 
Dubbed the "P800 Package," based on its ability to perform amazing feats of horsepower running on pump gas, Switzer's tuning upgrades include bigger turbos, stronger wastegates, a custom-made “Monster” intercooler and new piping. Watch the Switzer P800 Nissan GT-R in action against a Suzuki Hayabusa in the Motherland. The results speak for themselves. Check out the video after the jump.
 
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Behind the scenes footage is always fun to watch, especially when we're talking about photography and video production involving fast moving high-performance cars. In this unique look at the making of the Ferrari 458 Italia Movie, we get a glimpse of the work director Alexander Paul and his crew performed in order to make their dazzling promo clip. We all know it takes plenty of planning and perfect execution for a shoot like this but it's amazing to see the vast amount of equipment that is required as well as additional lead-follow vehicles.
 
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Usually when you think of National Geographic, lions and tigers and bears come to mind. However, this band of amazing cinematographers and documentary film makers have turned their attention to the industrial complex and will be applying the same skilled approach that have made them a household word. Uncharacteristically, they will be covering Ultimate Factories throughout the world. Lucky for us, their first stop is the Lamborghini factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. This shop is responsible for building Lamborghini's fastest car ever.
 
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As humans become lazier and lazier, society has seemingly decided that it is important for technology to facilitate our increasingly sedentary lives. Many people want to exert themselves as little as possible. And for those individuals there is a burgeoning industry of personal mobility devices. We are not talking about bicycles and such but electronic gizmos that whiz us on our way like the Jetsons. (Ok, so this isn't a high-performance product yet with blitzing acceleration, but we still like to keep you up-to-date on the latest trends because in five years these things may actually zing...)
 
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Tucked away in the quaint hamlet of Oberlin, Ohio - home to the eponymous college whose stellar music and arts programs attract students from across the globe - is an unlikely neighbor. Sitting quietly off Route 20 in a small nondescript industrial complex lies Switzer Performance Innovation, a tuning outfit that puts out supercars with tire-vaporizing horsepower.
 
On a recent warm September afternoon, I took the 45 minute drive from Cleveland, where my folks live, to meet with Jo Borras, the sales manager, and Tym Switzer (pronounced Swy´tzer), the owner and resident guru, and look at their operation. I had known the company by reputation only and was aware that they were a skilled mod shop, but was not expecting to be awestruck by what I found.
 
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The 2010 Chevy Camaro is white hot right now, handily outselling the Ford Mustang and becoming one of the most popular and competitive tuning platforms out there. I can only imagine what kind of amazing transformations will be showcased at the SEMA Show this year. But for now, there's an arms race to equip Chevrolet's reinvigorated pony car with the biggest and baddest engines and performance rigs possible.
 
Lingenfelter is offereing five levels of power with outputs rated at 550,570,650,750 and 800 horsepower. Fesler-Moss is serving up three levels of performance using the following engines: LS3 (430 hp), LS7 (505 hp) and LS9 (620) hp). And Geiger Cars is producing a Camaro SS Compressor featuring a high performance supercharger kit that boosts engine output to 568 hp and 799 ft-lbs of torque. This is only scratching the surface...
 
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When all of the official still shots of the new Ferrari 458 Italia came out we were caught staring but stayed composed. When we saw the real life red and yellow 458 Italias sitting on the platform at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show we were in awe and started to catch feelings, but played it cool. When the video, hosted by Formula 1 Champ, Michael Schumacher, showcased the new cockpit, we felt a little more intimate connection but still wanted to take things slow. But now, there is some ridiculously awesome footage of the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia in action and we are fully emotionally committed and can honestly start tossing out the L word!!
 
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Ken Block is a man who liked to go fast, go sideways and have fun... Lately his escapades have picked up with the release of Gymkhana 2.1 with Rob Dyrdek and his recent antics making passengers sh@tfaced at the launch of DiRT2. Now, we have some footage of Ken at Team O'Neal's Rally School in New Hampshire, where, along with WRC pro Chris Atkinson, has a blast ripping up the roads in an old school Euro-only-spec .
No surprise here, but Block actually owns this ride, which he uses for practice and will be showcasing at various events such as Rally Defi. This vintage Ford features a 4 pot Millington engine putting out 280 BHP mated with a sequential gearbox operated via paddle shifters. The Escort was converted over from right-hand drive to left.
 
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