Tag: Evergreen

  • Here’s how the ultimate car detailing garage was built

    Ammo NYC founder Larry Kosilla brings an obsessive attention to detail to everything he does, including the space where he works on cars. After outgrowing his home garage, Kosilla set out to build the ultimate detailing garage, a process that took about a year.

    Kosilla started with an existing building, working with an architect on an extensive remodeling. The building is divided into three areas, including garage bays on the ground level, an office, and an editing suite for videos shot in the garage.

    To convert the ground level from its previous function as an art studio to a garage, core samples were taken to ensure the concrete could support heavy vehicle lifts. The lift locations were then mocked up with cardboard, and cuts were made in the appropriate places. Pipes were also installed in the floor for the lifts’ hydraulics, and in the walls for a central vacuuming system that can be used for cars in the garage bays, or to clean upstairs spaces.

    Ammo NYC detailing garage

    Ammo NYC detailing garage

    Kosilla also outfitted the garage with custom-built Moduline cabinets and Prevost air lines, the latter featuring a snazzy blue enamel coating.

    The garage floor got an epoxy coating with a UV protectant and an additional layer to “knock down” the gloss finish, as powerful lights were also installed in the garage bays that could damage the finish, or produce excess glare that would be picked up by camera lenses. Walls, meanwhile, were painted gray to keep the focus on the cars.

    Watch the full video for complete details on this build. It’s part car video, part home-improvement how-to.

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  • The Aston Martin badge is forged in fire at 1,472 degrees

    A lot goes into making the winged badge on the hood of every new Aston Martin. While most automakers have moved to common plastic, each Aston badge is still handmade from metal. This video from YouTube channel MrJWW shows how it’s done, for a special-edition DBX, in this case.

    A 200-year-old British company called Vaughtons has been making Aston badges since the 1960s. The company has also made medals for the Olympics and Premier League soccer, as well as badges for the first-class suites on the Titanic.

    Each badge starts as a metal blank. These blanks are stamped multiple times in a machine press, but because the material will only move so much while cold, it’s also heated to 1,472 degrees Fahrenheit in between stampings (called “blows” in the business) to make it softer. This process, called annealing, brings out all of the detail.

    2020 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe

    2020 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe

    Each badge can go through the press up to 14 times before it’s ready to go on a car, with six rounds of annealing in between. After that, excess material is trimmed off and the badge is sent for finishing.

    With the basic shape achieved, the badge is cleaned using both ultrasound, and an electrolytic process that uses a mixture of soap and cyanide. Badges are then plated and finished, before being sent to the factory to be mounted on cars.

    Aston Martin isn’t the only automaker that treats its badges like fine jewelry. Every Bugatti “macaron” badge is made from 150 grams of sterling silver, and takes 10 hours to make.

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  • How to pull off the perfect lap around the Nürburgring

    The Nürburgring Nordschleife is one of the world’s most challenging racetracks but, because it’s also technically a public toll road, it’s also one of the easiest to get access to. If you’re planning a trip to the ‘Ring, you won’t find a more comprehensive guide than this video.

    Over a run time of nearly three hours, driving coach Scott Mansell (no relation to Formula One champion Nigel Mansell), and Nürburgring 24 Hours winner Adam Christo break down the track in excruciating detail. There’s plenty of in-car footage, and timestamps for specific corners and sections—right down to pit entry.

    Learning a new track always requires a detailed breakdown of things like the correct line and braking points, but with the Nordschleife, there’s a lot more information to take in. The circuit is 12.9 miles long, with dozens of corners. The official total is 73, but other sources claims there are up to 100.

    2021 Mini John Cooper Works GP prototype at the Nürburgring

    2021 Mini John Cooper Works GP prototype at the Nürburgring

    Real-world conditions can also impact a lap. On a circuit this long, weather conditions can vary from one spot to another. Traffic is another consideration. A smattering of cars lapping at different speeds (with drivers of varying skill levels) will be on track at any given time.

    Your results may vary, but the quickest drivers can lap the ‘Ring in well under 10 minutes. The current overall lap record of 5:19.55 was set in 2018 by racing driver Timo Bernhard in the Porsche 919 Evo, a modified version of the automaker’s Le Mans-winning race car. The current lap record for production cars is 6:44.97, set by the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ in 2018.

    If you want to experience the ‘Ring without getting behind the wheel, it’s also possible to hitch a ride in a “taxi” with a professional driver. Jaguar has been providing vehicles for this service for the past few years, including the XE SV Project 8 sedan and I-Pace EV.

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