Engine, or motor? This is pretty standard for electric motors, and part of the design revolution that is bound to happen as axles & everything else related to distributing centralized (mechanical) power can be left behind.

Though I feel like I can see myself in a Z-8.

-Eff

AAAhhh, Nope! I STILL want a Duesey!! Just like Gary Coopers Auburn model J Derham Tourster...circa 1930

I saw a very weird looking car while I was waiting for the crosstown bus on 34th Street last night. It was very narrow, as though it tried to pass between two 18 wheelers and didn't quit make it. And I think it only had three wheels. Does anyone know what kind of car that was?

Ahhh... but at 11am Friday the 18th, the NYC Auto Show opens!!! I know I'll be there DIRECTLY after work!!!

Suitable for wallpaper.

-Eff

I don't have a picture of my new honey and me together yet...

Did I just find something I like more than an M3?

I didn't know about the SL55 AMG (5.4L 493 hp supercharged V8 monster) until I drove by a red one on the Cross Island last week.

"How about 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds with strong acceleration to 155 mph when the computer caps the power? Or active suspension that offers the option of how much body roll you'd like?

It isn't magic, it's AMG, and it begins with the engine under that long, graceful hood. Each AMG V-8 is hand-built in Affalterbach, Germany, from pieces balanced and matched to work as a functional family. That alone, plus the stroke increase to 5.5 liters, would be enough to make many drivers happy, but AMG adds a high-pressure screw-type Lysholm supercharger with Teflon-coated rotors to pump out 11.6 psi of boost. Add the air/water intercooler, put the engine through the dyno test and up come 493 bhp at 6100 rpm and sorry, Viper guys 516 lb.-ft. of torque at 2650-4500 rpm.

This is also one of the best-looking supercar performance powerplants strong and splendid with its sand-cast finish and supercharger ribbing.

Mercedes' 6-speed automatic transmission has steering-wheel-mounted shift buttons. SpeedShift has 35 percent faster gear changes than previous automatics (Mercedes' claim), plus an "Optimum Gear Selection" mode that knows when to shift for max acceleration and has the good sense to not upshift in the middle of a corner.

Under the body is the SL's front upper and lower A-arm and rear 5-link suspensions enhanced by ESP yaw control plus ABC Active Suspension that trims body roll by 68 percent and offers the Sport option of slashing it by 95 percent. The vented disc brakes are huge (14.2 in. front, 13.0 rear), the fronts with 8-piston calipers. This is Mercedes' electronic brake system that can vary brake pressure at each wheel for shorter stopping distances.

There is a slight front spoiler change to separate the SL55 AMG from a "normal" SL, but then most drivers will be watching the AMG from the rear as it sprints away. In its passing, note the rocker panels have different sculpturing and there's "Kompressor" badging above the side vents.

In the few seconds before it disappears ahead, you could spot the chrome-tipped dual exhausts on both sides of a lower diffuser with a black mesh grille. It's easy to see the big taillights have tinting in the center section, but you'd need great eyesight to read the SL55 and AMG badging on the tail.

Beneath the 16-sec. up-or-down folding hardtop are the more significant changes, like seats with serious side bolsters, AMG's instruments with silver faces and red needles and a steering wheel with the SpeedShift buttons. The interior is finished in AMG's own leather choices and trims that include traditional wood and "sand-cast" aluminum.

Accelerating the SL55 to 60 is a pure hoot, with a hint of supercharger background sound. We tried the SL55 AMG on Elkhart Lake's Road America Road Course, where you could wind the V-8 out to around 130 mph. The track was slightly damp, so the ESP got a workout, letting the tail out a bit on tight corners before tucking it back in. The overall feeling is of a fast, powerful machine that offers an enormous amount of well-defined handling and security backed up by technical wizardry to help guarantee staying on the road. It can't guarantee a driver won't get stupid, but it will do its utmost to keep him out of harm's way.

While more is better, it's surprising how little extra it costs. An SL500 starts at 85,990, and we recently drove a well-equipped version with a sticker price of just over 100,000. And yet the base price of an SL55 AMG is 113,000. For that you can mix and match no-cost options like the Wood, Comfort or Sport Packages. Extra-cost accessories include such temptations as the Panorama Roof ( 1800), Tire-Pressure Monitoring System ( 630) and Active Ventilated Seats ( 1200), but even if you mark every box, the extra total is just 9675.

The total would be this side of 125,000, well shy of cars like Aston Martin's DB7 Volante and Ferrari's 360 Spyder. As we used to say, that ain't small potatoes, but as always, value is a relative thing. " :O -Eff

http://swr.westside.com/P_Closeup001_Back.view?Item_No=MAIN 20- 20DAVIN 20WHEEL

Enter the 11,500 rim. Oy!

-Eff

Quoted from "FireCityEMT"
where else can you get 300hp out of a 4 cylinder!!

Any of the DSM engined cars. And they're cheap. They were detuned down to about 180hp when they first came out. A design so good, it's <I>still</I> showing up in the Lancer Evo. And you can get 500hp out of the engine easily. Gotta love a car in the low 11's (both for time, and for the amount of money it takes to buy &amp; mod one).

mmmm....lotus. just happened to see one of them, with a V8 on a flatbead while walking into a diner in CT after a dance. We all began to argue as to who's lotus it was. :lol:

During a recent drive. See the Ferrari ahead?

-Eff

Yesterday was a banner day. Made my LAST car payment. Aaaaah...financial freedom.

Any bets on how long before I start jonesing for a new car? :D

Today I drilled an inch hole in the sheetmetal of my new red Miata door to accommodate the cord for the power mirror. Hole drilling is fun As is the smell of burning paint.

Then I removed the dented red miata door, hung the new one. Right now the mirror and speaker works. I'll just need to adjust the door before connecting the black plastic door lining.

Oh and find the lock's retaining clip that I most likely will just shake outta the old dented door.

Man, that thing looks 5,000 times better without the dent! -Eff

Just recharged the K&amp;N filter.

I love the idea of a reusable air filter. I wanna see the dirt when I clean it. I don't throw away filter after filter.

-Eff