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Category: Highlight

  • Rare 2014 Falcon F7 supercar for sale

    From Vector to Saleen to SSC, many startups have tried to take on the European establishment with American supercars. One of the most recent was Detroit-based Falcon Motorsports. One of the handful of 2014 Falcon F7 supercars the company built is now up for auction on Cars and Bids.

    Falcon Motorsports started out with body kits and other modifications for the Dodge Viper, before attempting its own car. The F7 was unveiled at the 2012 Detroit auto Show with a $250,000 price tag.

    That price bought a mid-mounted LS7 7.0-liter V-8 tuned to produce 620 hp and 585 lb-ft of torque. The engine drove the rear wheels through a Ricardo 6-speed manual transaxle, while carbon-fiber bodywork and an aluminum interior tub kept the curb weight down to 2,785 pounds. The car also featured a hydroformed tube frame chassis, with Corvette-derived suspension components.

    2014 Falcon F7 (Photo by Cars and Bids)

    2014 Falcon F7 (Photo by Cars and Bids)

    The company quoted a 0-60 mph time of 3.3 seconds, with a top speed of 200 mph.

    Falcon Motorsports planned to build up to 20 cars annually, but ultimately only seven were made, with one subsequently destroyed, according to the seller. This is the third car. It was displayed at the 2014 Detroit auto show, and featured on a second-season episode of the television show “How It’s Made: Dream Cars,” the seller noted.

    The F7 is listed as having just 3,300 miles. The seller said the clutch and an axle shaft were recently replaced, and the engine was retuned. Given its ubiquity, that LS-series V-8 should be easier to maintain than the more exotic engines in other supercars, but you’re still unlikely to see another Falcon F7 at the local cars and coffee event.

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  • Toyota has questions for potential GR Super Sport owners

    Toyota wants to get to know anyone interested in buying the forthcoming GR Super Sport, the road-car counterpart to its Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class race car. Based on a questionnaire first spotted by Motor1 on Friday, the automaker appears to be screening potential buyers before deciding whether to sell them one.

    Toyota would not confirm that the questions represent a screening process. “While a sales process for the GR Super Sport has not yet been determined, we are having preliminary conversations with potential customers who might find a vehicle like this to be of interest,” Toyota spokesman Michael Kroll said in an email statement.

    The long questionnaire asks what performance cars applicants currently own (there’s room for up to 10 entries) and to rank by order from most to least favorite. Toyota also wants to know how much they drive each of those cars, and what performance cars they plan to buy in the future.

    The questionnaire also specifically asks whether applicants currently own a Toyota 2000GT or Lexus LFA, indicating that Toyota will weigh brand loyalty in its decisions.

    Other questions ask how often applicants drive on a track, whether they have an FIA competition license, or whether they own a race team.

    Shown only in camouflaged prototype form so far, the GR Super Sport is a homologation special for the new LMH class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). LMH is the new top class in the WEC, and requires manufacturers to build a minimum of 25 road cars based on their race cars by the second year of competition. That number is expected to be bumped higher for the following years. Given the small number of available cars, we can see why Toyota would screen buyers to narrow down the list of eventual owners.

    Toyota GR Super Sport prototype

    Toyota GR Super Sport prototype

    Toyota first showed a concept version of the GR Super Sport in 2018, using components from the TS050 Hybrid race car designed for the outgoing LMP1 class. That car included a twin-turbocharged 2.4-liter V-6 and an electric motor-generator, making a combined 986 hp.

    However, LMH class rules limit the racing version to 670 hp and doesn’t require a hybrid powertrain. It’s possible the road car will have a higher output, though, as 670 hp doesn’t always cut it for a supercar these days.

    While the road-car concept had an enclosed cabin, the prototype shown last year was a roadster. It’s possible the final version will have a canopy-style roof, in line with a patent application Toyota filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in early 2020.

    Toyota will compete against ByKolles and Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) in the LMH class’ initial season, with other manufacturers expected to join in later seasons. Pre-season testing begins at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps April 26-27, followed by the season opener, also at Spa, May 1. The WEC’s marquee event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has been pushed back from June to August in the hope that the Coronavirus pandemic will be under control enough to allow spectators.

    While Toyota isn’t the first automaker to set up an application process for a new supercar, rival SCG has said it will sell its 007 to anyone with enough cash. The company declared on Twitter Saturday that “we have no lists. We require you to buy nothing but what you want to.”

    Update: This story has been updated to include the quote from Toyota.

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  • 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

    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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