Tag: Videos

  • Deep dive: Paul Walker’s R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R

    The late Paul Walker was a big fan of the Nissan Skyline GT-R, owning several of them, including this R34 model. This video offers a deep dive into the car’s history from someone who knows it inside and out. Craig Lieberman was a technical advisor for the “Fast and Furious” franchise, and helped introduce Walker to the GT-R.

    An R32 GT-R at a “Fast and Furious” car casting call piqued Walker’s interest, Lieberman said, so he took the actor to MotoRex, a company that was importing and federalizing GT-Rs at the time (this was before the model was officially launched in the United States with the R35 generation). MotoRex then loaned Walker an R34—nicknamed “Blackbird”—for an extended test drive.

    After the test drive, Walker purchased the car featured in this video. It’s a 1999 V-Spec model painted in Sonic Silver. V-Spec models got a few performance upgrades over the base GT-R, including an active limited-slip differential and stiffer suspension. However, it was soon surpassed by the V-Spec II, and later by the even more hardcore M-Spec and Nismo Z-Tune models.

    Paul Walker's 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec

    Paul Walker’s 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec

    Walker later traded the silver V-Spec for a white V-Spec II, according to Lieberman. The silver car was sold to an owner in Hawaii. Intending to make the car into a replica of the MotoRex Blackbird (while retaining the silver color), he installed a C-West bodykit, as well as a carbon-fiber hood and some other performance parts.

    The car was later seized from its Hawaiian owner by the DEA as part of an asset-forfeiture ruling, and sold at auction. It went to an owner in Texas, who kept it for about 15 years, Lieberman said. It was sold earlier this year to JDM importer Toprank. The R34 is one of only 14 federalized Skyline GT-Rs imported by MotoRex (other R34 Skylines won’t be legal to import until 2024 under the 25-year-rule), according to Lieberman. That, along with the connection to Paul Walker, means this car is likely worth about $400,000, he said.

    It’s also worth noting that this car is not the R34 GT-R Walker drove in “2 Fast 2 Furious.” They aren’t even the same shade of silver (the movie car was painted in a non-factory hue from U.S. firm House of Kolor). That was actually Lieberman’s own personal car. It’s currently in the hands of an anonymous owner, and reportedly no longer appears as it did in the movie.

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  • Here’s how the Aston Martin Vantage is made

    The Aston Martin Vantage is the entry-level sports car in Aston’s lineup, but that doesn’t mean it’s built like a Toyota Corolla. This documentary shows how the Vantage is assembled at Aston’s plant for sports cars located in Gaydon, United Kingdom.

    Like other low-volume cars, Vantage production emphasizes craftsmanship over efficiency. While larger automakers brag about the number of robots in their factories, Aston takes pride in the 200 man hours it takes human workers to assemble each Vantage.

    However, some robotic help is used to assemble the Vantage’s aluminum chassis. Pieces are bonded to the main body shell with adhesive, which is applied by a robot. Several automakers use this bonded-aluminum construction, as aluminum is notoriously difficult to weld, and adhesive weighs less than rivets.

    Aston Martin Vantage production (screenshot from Welt Documentary)

    Aston Martin Vantage production (screenshot from Welt Documentary)

    One thing that isn’t made locally is the engine. The Vantage uses a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 supplied by Mercedes-AMG, and built by the automaker in Germany. In the Vantage, the engine produces 503 horsepower and 505 pound-feet of torque, which is sent to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic or 7-speed manual. Aston quotes 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds with the manual, and 3.6 seconds with the automatic, as well as a 195-mph top speed with both transmissions.

    Aston began building cars exclusively at the Gaydon factory in 2007. It also re-purposed its original Newport Pagnell factory as Aston Martin Works, specializing in classic-car restorations and special projects like the “Goldfinger” DB5 continuation cars.

    The automaker also opened a larger factory at another former RAF base, this time in St Athan, U.K. The factory completed its first car—a DBX SUV—in July. Aston had planned to build Lagonda models at the site as well, though falling sales have torpedoed those plans. Aston also announced in June that it was cutting 500 jobs.

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  • Why Ken Block’s Projekt E Series electric rallycross car blew his mind

    The FIA World Rallycross Championship’s Projekt E series is built around electric cars, and Ken Block is one of the drivers making the switch away from internal-combustion power. In this video, Block puts his Ford Fiesta ERX electric rallycross car through its paces at a circuit in Höljes, Sweden.

    “It’s starting from scratch. It’s a whole new way to race a vehicle,” Block says in the video. He’s sampled a couple of electric cars recently, including the Extreme E series’ off-road racer and the Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400, but the Fiesta is the first electric car Block will race competitively.

    Announced last year, Projekt E will act as a support series to the main World Rallycross Championship, which will continue to use gasoline-powered cars for the time being. The FIA sanctioning body originally wanted to add an EV class to the main series, but that was vetoed by automakers. That means separate events for electric and gasoline cars will be held over a given race weekend.

    Ken Block Projekt E Ford Fiesta electric rallycross car

    Ken Block Projekt E Ford Fiesta electric rallycross car

    Block’s car uses the body from an eighth-generation Fiesta ST (which isn’t sold in the United States), but the road-going version of that car isn’t available with an electric powertrain. However, Ford doesn’t have a suitably sized EV in its lineup right now, and the Fiesta has been the automaker’s go-to rally car for several years now.

    Built by Austrian firm STARD, the car boasts three electric motors, producing about 600 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque combined. It can do zero 60 mph in about 1.8 seconds, according to the race team, with a top speed of 150 mph. Each axle gets its own 2-speed transmission, although only one gear is used in races.

    Block says the car feels heavier, though its weight is lower and its balance is better than a car with a combustion engine to give it a more planted, more solid feel. He also says its actually better than a gas car for his signature “hooning” because the one gear allows the wheels to spin faster.

    Watch the full video for more of Block’s impressions on his new, all-electric ride, and for plenty of tire destruction.

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