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Author: Olly

ASTON MARTIN SAFETY CAR REVEALED

Aston Martin has revealed its all new safety and medical car ahead of the start of the 2021 F1 season, with it now sharing duties with Mercedes at race events.

The introduction comes as no surprise given Mercedes and Aston Martin’s relationship has developed strongly over the past year or so. Within that time frame, Mercedes has increased its stake in Aston Martin to 20% while also allowing Aston Martin to raid its powertrain and electric/electronic architecture departments amongst other technologies.

The new safety car is an Aston Martin Vantage, which features a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine from Mercedes-AMG. Here it’s been given a spruce up with an extra 24hp, bumping its power to 528hp. A new vane grille and front splitter generate as much as 155kg of downforce at 124mph, which equates to some 60kg more than the regular Vantage makes at the same speed.

Instead of the single infotainment screen, there are now two digital displays, one with a live television feed of the race, the other with vehicle statistics, lap timing of the F1 cars and where their positions are on the track.

A variety of other tech is on board, this includes controls for the LED lightbar, siren and radio communications, as well as the FIA Marshalling System, telling the driver which sections of the track are flagged.

The medical car comes in the form of the Aston Martin DBX. Using a version of the same twin-turbo V8 engine, it produces 525hp and will hit 181mph. On board is a whole host of medical equipment, fire extinguishers and a defibrillator.

Live vital medical information from the drivers gloves is also fed to the medical car in the event of a collision to help diagnose the condition of the driver.

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “We are very pleased to announce our new partnership with both Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG to provide the Official Safety and Medical Cars to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.”

Tobias Moers, CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda, said: “Together with the whole company, I am extremely proud of the Aston Martin brand’s return to Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport, for the first time in more than 60 years and represents the start of a significant new era for Aston Martin.

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March 8, 2021
2021 Ram 1500 TRX strapped to dyno, puts out 583 hp at the rear wheels

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX boasts a factory-quoted 702 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque, but that’s as measured at the crank, not the wheels. Hennessey Performance Engineering tried to measure how much power the TRX makes at the wheels by strapping one to a dyno, but only ran numbers for the rear wheels.

The dyno test showed 538 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. That represents around 17% driveline loss, which isn’t unusal for a pickup truck. Hennessey previously recorded 20% driveline loss at the rear wheels when it tested a 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor.

The TRX is full-time four-wheel drive, so you might be wondering how Hennessey got dyno results for the rear wheels only. Company founder John Hennessey told Motor Authority that four-wheel drive was temporarily disabled by disconnecting the front driveshaft.

2021 Hennessey Mammoth 1000 1500 TRX

While the TRX was designed for off-roading, the amount of power produced by its 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V-8 makes this truck pretty quick on pavement. Ram says it will do 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds.

Inevitably, that wasn’t enough for Hennessey. The company has developed more powerful versions of every Hellcat-powered vehicle, and it’s doing the same with the TRX. Dubbed the Mammoth 1000, Hennessey claims its take on the TRX will boast 1,000 hp, will do 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds, and run the quarter mile in 11.4 seconds.

To achieve those numbers, Hennessey plans to equip the Mammoth 1000 with an upgraded supercharger, pulley, and air intake, stainless-steel headers, high-flow exhaust piping (retaining the catalytic converter), and new engine mapping. The price for the complete truck is $135,350, and Hennessey only plans to build 200 this year.

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March 7, 2021
2022 Volvo C40 Recharge, 2021 Porsche Taycan, 2021 Honda Legend: This Week’s Top Photos

By 2030, Volvo will have a fully electric lineup and an online sales model just like Tesla. However, we won’t have to wait until then for new electric vehicles from the Swedish brand as it will already have seven available by the middle of the decade. One of the seven was revealed this week in the form of the 2022 C40 Recharge.

2021 Aston Martin AMR21 Formula One race car

Aston Martin is returning to Formula One for the first time since 1960 and has a multiple world champion signed as a driver. We’re talking about Sebastian Vettel, who will be driving the new Aston Martin AMR21 together with Lance Stroll.

2021 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

Porsche this week launched its first soft-roader wagon in the form of the 2021 Taycan Cross Turismo. It reaches dealerships this summer and will cost you only about $1,500 more than the equivalent Taycan sedan.

Ferrari Special Series test mule spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

One of the cars we spied this week is likely to be the successor to the LaFerrari. It’s also likely to be the car Ferrari enters in the new Le Mans Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship in 2023.

2023 Maserati GranTurismo test mule spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

Another upcoming vehicle we spied this week was the next-generation Maserati GranTurismo due on sale next year. Maserati is testing the new mechanical package under the makeshift body of an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio to keep prying eyes away.

2021 Honda Legend (Japanese spec)

This week we learned that the Acura RLX is alive and well in Japan, only it’s known as a Honda Legend over there. The latest version sports some new electronic driver-assist features rated at Level 3 on the SAE scale of self-driving capability.

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 008 “Mini Boot”

America’s Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus provided an update on its 008. The 008 is a kit car that’s best described as a jacked up, off-road-ready version of SCG’s 004 supercar.

2020 Audi SQ8

And finally, we had a chance to test the 2020 Audi SQ8. The Lamborghini Urus’ German cousin delivers performance and utility in a no compromise, understated package.

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March 6, 2021