Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. There’s also just a little opinion of mine because I can. This week:
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Ferrari FXX-K Evo is coming to terrorize a track near you next year
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Hennessey promises 300 mph top speed with Venom F5
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Ringbrothers win SEMA again with three new restomods
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Ford introduces “Drift Stick” for Focus RS, salvage yards scramble to make room
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The Dodge Hellcat crate motor is happening
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Honda offers Type-R crate motor
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What’s your automotive news?
Ferrari FXX-K Evo
Before we get into the more interesting parts of SEMA, we have to talk about this thing. Unveiled at Finali Mondiali at the Mugello Circuit last weekend, it’s the ultimate version of Ferrari’s ultimate race car version of their ultimate road car. It’s the new Ferrari FXX-K Evo, a new aero and weight reduction package for the super exclusive and super fast FXX-K which is of course based on the LaFerrari hypercar.
This evolution of the FXX-K brings a fully reworked aero package which brings a new fixed rear wing, side fins, a central fin, and six vortex generators (three of which are underneath the car), and a new front bumper featuring canards. Those fixed elements also work with the existing active rear spoiler to improve downforce at both ends by at least 10%.
There’s also new suspension tuning and an unspecified weight reduction thanks to some new carbon fiber construction techniques.
What hasn’t changed is the fire-breathing V12 paired with a KERS-based hybrid system. It didn’t exactly need any updates though. It produces 1,035 horsepower and one outrageous noise.
As with the other XX Program cars, this one is only available to a small group of Ferrari buyers as either an “extremely limited” new model or as an upgrade package to existing FXX-Ks, of which only a couple dozen exist. The FXX-K Evo will see track time next year.
[Source: Ferrari via Autoweek]
Hennessey Venom F5
Filed under: grains of salt.
SEMA is a show that’s all about grabbing attention and few got as much of that this year as Hennessey has with this. They call it the Venom F5 and it’s their second attempt at building their own supercar. Unlike their last car, this one doesn’t seem to rely on anyone else’s chassis and it has a body of their own design. It’s also going to be even faster, if Hennessey is to be believed.
The Venom F5 they showed at SEMA was allegedly not running (it doesn’t even seem to have an interior yet) so all of the figures they’ve given us are goals more than anything. But the numbers they do promise are incredible.
The 2,950-pound car will be powered by some sort of twin-turbocharged V8 with around 1,600 horsepower going through a seven-speed sequential gearbox to the rear wheels. Earth-shaking amounts of power combined with a sleek body reportedly means a 0-186 mph time of less than ten seconds and a 0-249-0 time below 30 seconds.
The number that has everyone talking though is 300 mph, which is the top speed they’re gunning for with this thing. Bugatti is also targeting 300 mph with the Chiron, but according to them the limitation is with the tires. Has Hennessey figured it out? Is this going to be the first road car to hit 300 mph? Will they get it running first? Only time and belligerent forum posts from John Hennessey will tell…
[Source: Hennessey via Autoweek]
Ringbrothers restomods storm SEMA
Once again, the most memorable projects at SEMA come from the Ringbrothers. This year they had three cars unveiled from three different decades and all of them are worth talking about. They worked with an AMC Javelin, a Dodge Charger, and – for their first time ever – a Ford F-100.
It’s the Ringbrothers’ first pickup and it’s already setting the bar pretty high. This 1956 Ford F-100 is called Clem 101 and it’s only old in appearance. Everything underneath the skin is new, including the custom-built boxed frame, the coilover suspension from RideTech, the Baer brakes, and the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 with Ford Performance fuel injection and Flowmaster exhaust. It sits on HRE Vintage Series 545 forged wheels, rocks a custom bed and widened fenders, and is just gorgeous inside and out. Hopefully this isn’t the last truck they do.
Their most radical build of the show is this 1972 AMC Javelin AMX commissioned by Prestone. It’s unclear how much of this car is actually still an AMC, but the engine is the most un-AMC thing on the car. It gets the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 out of the Hellcat but with a 4.5-liter Whipple supercharger upgrade that brings output up to 1,100 horsepower. Ringbrothers aren’t ones to let an engine overpower the chassis, so a more modern suspension setup, a twelve-bolt axle, and bigger brakes were also added.
The third and perhaps the most gorgeous build is this 1969 Dodge Charger they call the Defector. It receives a few changes to the body, but the Charger’s gorgeous shape is more or less preserved. If you didn’t know it was a Ringbrothers car, you’d only see it as a clean Charger with HRE wheels. It’s a totally different story underneath though. It sits on a Detroit Speed Hydroformed Subframe plus brand new suspension and a new 6.4-liter (392) Hemi V8. Not only is it one of their best-looking builds yet, it’s also their first Mopar. I demand more.
[Source: Ringbrothers via MotorAuthority {1,2,3,}]
BLIPS
Ford wants to help make it easier to find a salvage title Focus RS, so they’ve introduced the “Drift Stick”. For $999, you can have an electronically-controlled hand brake for the sole purpose of sick drifts, yo. They say it’ll have the same effect and feel of a boosted hydraulic handbrake you find in drift cars, but it won’t require much in the way of modifications to your Focus RS. This slides over your existing handbrake and plugs into the car so you can lock up the rear wheels without stalling (by engaging the clutch to the rear wheels). You can see it in action above. It’ll be available in December. Recommended supporting mods include a Crown Royal shift boot and at least four Hoonigan stickers.
[Source: Ford]
Dodge is answering prayers and finally releasing the fantastic Hellcat V8 as a crate motor. The supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 with 707 horsepower is now available to anyone with around $19,530 to spare. Two additional packages can be ordered with this which include front end accessories and all the additional hardware and sensors required to swap this into a pre-1976 street or off-road vehicle. If you’re interested, which you should be, head over to www.moparhemicrate.com for more information.
[Source: Dodge]
Call it fan service, but Honda is offering the awesome Type-R engine as a crate motor too. It’s the first time a Type-R crate engine has been offered in the US… it’s made here too so it better be available in America. Honda’s 2.0-liter DOHC direct-injected i-VTEC Turbo four-cylinder produces 306 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and a peak 295 lb-ft of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm. All that can be yours for $6,519.87. Those interested can go to hpd.honda.com/racing-line for more information on how to apply.
[Source: Honda]
What’s your automotive news?
That’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.
Have a good weekend.
[Image © 2017 Hooniverse/Greg Kachadurian]
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