Full Blown Dirt Track Ready Race Car For The Street! A true gearhead can point to some seminal moment when he or she was struck by an unexplainable epiphany. That moment when you knew things had changed and suddenly every motorized creation became a point of interest. It was that one time when you realized you’d never again look at any vehicle of transportation, play or collectability without the quickening of your heartbeat and a shortness of breath.   For Iowan Keith Larson, it was a walk past a car dealer’s lot in the late 1960s where a ’64 Chevelle dirt track car resided, painted up in red, white and blue and sporting all the proverbial race car stuff…full roll cage, stinking big tires, cut out fenders.   The race car didn’t make Larson want to go racing, however. His young mind thought, “Wow, wouldn’t it be cool to drive something like that on the street?” Speed forward 44 years and Larson has his “mechanical symphony on wheels”, but it was an 18 year journey only a gearhead could understand.   A race car on the street? Yup, it’s...

Ariel Atom Racer: Hit the Race Track! By Ben Mozart Photographs by our friends at Moore Good Ink If you're looking to get into racing, the Ariel Atom may be a great way to start. A fairly low cost, great power-to-weight ratio for a fun time, and a good looking package that'll fit my 6'4" frame! Check it out!   Alton, VA: Probably the most significant milestone in the past two years for Sportsman road racers, those who pay their own bills, is the introduction of the Spec:RaceAtom (SRA) which is a race-version based off the popular Ariel Atom 3 supercar. The Spec:RaceAtom (SRA) distinguishes itself in several extraordinary ways, not least by its unusual exoskeleton form. But its mesmerizingly rapid acceleration and its remarkable cornering power are attributes that need to be explored urgently.   Weighing 1315lbs, the SRA is extraordinarily light and having its transversely mounted engine and transmission positioned over the rear wheels ensures massive traction. In steady-state cornering, the car generates remarkable g-forces, measuring 1.7 to 1.8g. In its power-to weight ratio the SRA exceeds many modern supercars.   No wonder former NHRA Top Fuel...

We've got another treat for you guys and gals from Motorbooks.  This time, we take a look at Basem Wasef's "Legendary Race Cars". "Legendary Race Cars" is Basem's Top 25 Race Cars of all time.  I dig how he's chosen cars from all corners of the globe and from all forms of racing.  The book includes an off-road race truck, a WRC Rally Car, a Pikes Peak turbo monster, Le Mans cars from various decades, F1, a Nostalgia NHRA dragster and a few cars from the early 1900's. The pictures and photography are excellent.  It includes shots taken by the author himself as well as old archive photography from the race car's hey-day.  Here's a few examples below of Basem's quality work. You can't have a Top Race Car's list without the legendary Ford GT40 can you? Here's a Jaguar D-Type which won the 1956 24 Hours of LeMans with a 200 HP 3,442 cc Dual Overhead Cam inline 6 cylinder.  The curvy lines of these 50's LeMan's cars are pure sports car perfection. Another legend, the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, winner of the 1965 LeMans race.  The author explains the details...

RM Auction Press Release: Preeminent international auction house, RM Auctions, will celebrate a decade of excellence in Phoenix, Arizona in January with their 10th anniversary ‘Automobiles of Arizona’ event. Returning to the luxurious Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa, the highly anticipated event will kick off the 2009 collector car season in grand style as 125 magnificent vintage motor cars cross the block before an international audience. When the focus of the collector car world returns to Phoenix, Arizona, in January, all eyes will once again be on Canadian-based RM Auctions and their eagerly awaited Automobiles of Arizona auction event. Long regarded as the most prestigious event of Arizona’s famed auto week, the annual multi-million dollar RM sale brings together some of the world’s finest vintage automobiles with some of the world’s most discerning collectors. The grand tradition is set to continue in 2009 as RM celebrates their 10th anniversary sale in Phoenix, January 16th. “We are thrilled to be returning to Phoenix for our 10th anniversary sale and look forward to again welcoming collectors and enthusiasts from around the world to Arizona for what is shaping up to be...

Even if you are only slightly interested in Nissan and Infiniti cars and trucks the Stillen Nissan/Infiniti Customer appreciation open house is a great show to see. Set right behind John Wayne Airport in Costa Mesa, California is Stillen. The performance shop owned and run by the most successful driver in IMSA history, Steve Millen. Steve was a factory driver for Nissan in the 90s and has special place in his shop for Nissan/Infiniti vehicles (Ford too but that's another blog!). Steve had heavily discounted Nissan/Infiniti parts on hand for customers as well as discounted dyno runs and free installation on anything purchased that day. All of the streets directly in front of Stillen were closed down by Costa Mesa PD and opened up for customer cars. Now I am not too good at counting and easily get side tracked when the bright and shiny are in front of me, so I lost track at the number of cars around 150 or so and that was easily only a quarter of the number of vehicles on display. There were vehicles from the last 30 years on display, a first...