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Category: Highlight

  • Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition to deliver quicker turbo spooling, snappier revs

    The Nissan GT-R may be old, but it still delivers supercar performance and Nissan keeps coming up with ways to keep it fresh. On Tuesday, Nissan unveiled the latest update for the GT-R in the form of the GT-R Nismo Special Edition. This model will get an exclusive paint color, unique wheels, revised engine internals, and the automaker’s new logo. It’s the small things that will add up to make the Special Edition special car for enthusiasts.

    The GT-R Nismo Special Edition will be easy to spot thanks to Nismo-exclusive Stealth Gray paint and edition-specific 20-inch Ray’s forged alloy wheels with red accents. The carbon-fiber hood is clear coated but not painted to expose the fiber’s weave. The trunk lid and wheel center caps feature the new Nissan logo.

    Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition

    Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition

    Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition

    Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition

    Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition

    Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition

    Like other GT-R models, the Special Edition model features a hand-built twin-turbo 3.8-liter V-6 that makes 600 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque and sends it to all four wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. However, the Special Edition’s engine internals have been upgraded with weight-balanced parts and tighter tolerances for the piston rings, connecting rods, crankshaft, and valve gear components. These changes create snappier engine revving and quicker turbo spooling, according to Nissan. Each engine bears a build plate with the builder’s name on it, and the plates on the Special Edition cars will be created in an exclusive color.

    Inside the Special Edition is the standard GT-R Nismo interior featuring sport bucket seats covered in black leather and red synthetic suede. The door grab handles and gear selector feature red leather accents, while the dashboard is covered in black synthetic suede.

    Nissan said a limited number of the GT-R Nismo Special Edition cars will arrive in the U.S this fall but wouldn’t comment on how many. The company also hasn’t announced the price or model year for the GT-R Nisom Special Edition.

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  • Will renewable fuel power Bentley to a Pikes Peak hat trick?

    Bentley has set records at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with its Bentayga SUV and Continental GT coupe, but now it’s going for a hat trick, this time using renewable fuel.

    A Bentley Continental GT3 race car modified to run on renewable fuel will race at the 2021 Pikes Peak hill climb, scheduled for June 27, Bentley announced Monday in a press release. Driver Rhys Millen will aim for the Time Attack 1 record, to go with the production SUV record achieved with the Bentayga in 2018, and the production car record scored with the Continental GT in 2019.

    Bentley didn’t provide much detail on the fuel it planned to use, but claimed blends currently being tested could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85% compared to conventional gasoline or diesel.

    The Continental GT3 that will be used at Pikes Peak is a modified version of a car raced in the popular GT3 category before Bentley’s exit at the end of 2020. Bentley plans to work with two race teams—United Kingdom-based Fastr and United States-based K-Pax Racing—to run Pikes Peak, with technical assistance from U.K. firm M-Sport.

    Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak

    Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak

    Itself a modified version of the Continental GT road car, the GT3 will get additional modifications for Pikes Peak, including the largest rear wing ever fitted to a Bentley and an equally massive rear diffuser and two-plane front splitter. Power comes from the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 used in the road car, but it’s modified to run on renewable fuel and produce adequate power at Pikes Peak’s high altitude (the starting line is at 9,300 feet above sea level and the finish line is at 14,100 feet).

    Bentley plans to begin testing the Continental GT3 Pikes Peak race car in the U.K. before shipping it to the U.S. for high-altitude testing. A progress report will be released in May, ahead of the running of the hill climb in June.

    Bentley isn’t the only automaker investigating alternatives to conventional fossil fuels. Porsche is testing synthetic fuel made using methanol in its own race cars, and is working with multiple partners on a pilot plant in Chile to produce the fuel.

    If all goes according to plan, though, renewable fuel will have a fairly short useful life in new Bentley road cars. Bentley plans to launch its first electric car in 2025, and go all-electric by 2030.

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  • Jay Leno looks at a hybrid from 1916

    The Toyota Prius may have popularized the concept, but hybrid cars existed long before the now-ubiquitous Toyota hatchback. The Owen Magnetic featured on this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage dates to 1916—about 80 years before the Prius launched.

    It’s important to remember that, at the turn of the 20th century, battery-electric cars were quite common. But just like today, they were limited by range and charging infrastructure. The Owen Magnetic was pitched as an electric car with a range-extending gasoline generator—not unlike the former Chevrolet Volt or the BMW i3 REx.

    The car is a series hybrid, with the internal-combustion engine acting exclusively as a generator for an electric motor, which actually drives the wheels, rather than a parallel hybrid, like most modern hybrid cars.

    1916 Owen Magnetic on Jay Leno's Garage

    1916 Owen Magnetic on Jay Leno’s Garage

    The Buda inline-6 engine isn’t physically connected to the drivetrain. A horseshoe magnet is attached to the end of the crankshaft, which spins around an armature attached to an electric motor, which in turn drives the rear wheels. In 1916, an advantage of this setup was that it did away with a conventional transmission, making the Owen Magnetic accessible to people who couldn’t drive stick, Leno noted. It also enables regenerative braking, just like modern hybrids and electric cars.

    Leno has had this car for about 30 years, and it was not in good condition when he got it, as it had sat exposed to the elements for decades in Norway. With no reproduction parts available for this exceedingly rare car, Leno’s shop had to fabricate nearly everything. The distinctive angled valve cover with “Owen Magnetic” lettering was replicated using 3D printing. Leno also installed modern Optima batteries.

    Watch the full video to see this piece of hybrid history cruising around the streets surrounding Leno’s famous garage.

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