7/02/2012

TopSpeed Daily Update

Terrafugia "Flying Car" Passes Test No. 1
Video: Hot Wheels&#39; double-loop record hits all the right spots
Mazda Flairwagon
2013 Mustang GT500 vs 2013 Camaro ZL1 - Florida Heat Beats the ZL1
Video: Jay Leno drives the 2013 SRT Viper GTS

Terrafugia "Flying Car" Passes Test No. 1

Posted: 01 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT

The Terrafugia Transition is more of a drivable plane than it is a flying car, but it is a trailblazer in the industry nonetheless. At 225 inches long, 80 inches high, and 90 inches wide, it is a little bit awkward. The length is a little bit shorter than your average four-door pickup truck, as is its height. At 90 inches wide – 11 inches wider than a Ram 1500 – it is really not suited for cruising down a country road.

All of that said, this is still an innovative vehicle and it looks like it's close to finally bringing us to the reality of cars that can fly. The Terrafugia Transition has been under development for what seems like forever, and it is finally undergoing FAA testing. Just recently, it passed the first round of in-flight testing, leaving just five more test rounds to go, then it needs to pass driving safety regulations.

From the looks of things, the Terrafugia Transition is a sure thing, as the company is already taking $10,000 reservations for it, and is saying that it anticipates a one- to two-year lead time until it is delivered.

Like we said, this is not your daily driver car, it is something that will be convenient to drive to the airport and fly somewhere, as opposed to having to store it in a hangar. This is, however, a solid step in the right direction of flying cars. Given the automotive world's copycat nature, other companies will be quick to take Terrafugia's technology and find out how to make it more compact and drivable, once all of the testing is complete.

Now, will we ever be able to flip our wheels inward and take off Back to the Future style? Probably not in my or your lifetime, but one day it is possible and they will look back on this Terrafugia as the car that spawned it all, given it doesn't fall out of the sky on one of its tests.

gallery: Terrafugia's Transition: the flying car zooms (...)

Terrafugia "Flying Car" Passes Test No. 1 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 1 July 2012 12:00 EST.

Video: Hot Wheels&#39; double-loop record hits all the right spots

Posted: 30 Jun 2012 11:00 PM PDT

Over the weekend, Hot Wheels’ own version of the double-loop record was attempted by stunt driver Greg Tracy and the one-and-only Tanner Foust. You remember Top Gear Live’s version of the double-loop record attempt last month?

Well, Hot Wheels’ has seen their hand and is raising with their own version. The stunt was attempted at the X-Games in Los Angeles, and true to expectations, the attempt was successfully executed.

Greg Tracy hit the double loop first followed shortly by Tanner Foust. Once both drivers successfully completed their double-loop run, they decided to finish with a flurry and do a pedestrian on-ramp jump much to the delight of the fans in attendance.

Check out the video of the attempt and tell us if this attempt was more impressive than the one Top Gear Live pulled off a month ago.

If you haven’t seen it, you can check out the Top Gear stunt after the jump.

Video: Hot Wheels' double-loop record hits all the right spots originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 1 July 2012 06:00 EST.

Mazda Flairwagon

Posted: 30 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT

While Mazda of America is busy working on its SkyActiv system, back at home in Japan, it is hard at work creating a new micro-mini vehicle. This latest micro-mini to hit the Japanese market is the Mazda Flairwagon, which is a relatively appropriate name given this new wagon has plenty of flair to show off, with its odd-shaped body.

Underneath all of the Mazda badging is a car that is not even related to Mazda in any way, as this new micro-mini wagon is really nothing more than a Suzuki Palette with Mazda badges. Unlike other rebadged cars like the Cavalier and Sunfire, Mazda didn't really bother changing anything but the badges, which is pretty strange. Then again, this Suzuki also prowls the streets bearing the Nissan Roox name. In the Roox's case, Nissan at least changes the headlights a little to separate it from its Suzuki donor.

Is this compact and odd-looking wagon something that will actually sell and will it ever find its way outside of the Japanese market? To find out the answers to these questions and learn all about this "new" micro-mini by Mazda, click past the jump.

Mazda Flairwagon originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 30 June 2012 23:00 EST.

2013 Mustang GT500 vs 2013 Camaro ZL1 - Florida Heat Beats the ZL1

Posted: 30 Jun 2012 03:59 PM PDT

We have seen the competition between the 2013 Mustang GT500 and the Camaro ZL1 get exhausted in the last few weeks, so seeing yet another comparison doesn't really interest us much. Then again, if that competition is happening live on a public track and it is between two competitors that have been jawing at each other via forum flame posts, well, we suddenly become extremely interested.

So the story begins with us taking a short trip from the TopSpeed offices down to the Miami Homestead racetrack for a day full of watching various cars tackle the track. We stumbled upon this situation of a stock 2013 GT500 with under 1,000 miles on its clock and 650 ponies under the hood, and a Camaro ZL1, which was modified by Torq and is touted as a true racecar, ready to go head-to-head to settle their online feud of which is better.

The Camaro ZL1 admittedly had supercharger overheating issues in the past, so Torq installed a high capacity water pump to help aid in the cooling. Apparently, Torq overestimated the capacity of the new pump before heading to Miami and the blazing hot South Florida sun resulted in the engine overheating. Yeah, Torq forgot an important fact, if you install a high-capacity water pump, you need to raise the amount of coolant stored in the cooling system — Oops. Even a 1993 Metro could have easily beaten the almighty ZL1 on this race day, given it could have made its way around the track without dying.

Ironically, Torq is quoted as saying that pitting the GT500 against this modified ZL1 is "like bringing a knife to a gun fight" and we agree, because the GT500 is better known as a drag-style car and the ZL1 truly is a better road handler. Then again, if the gun misfires, the guy with the knife wins every time. Let’s see if Torq can rectify this issue and get us a good race to see.

Moral of this story: Always make sure your car runs cool before getting into a forum-flame-based race. There’s nothing more embarrassing than breaking down at the starting line.

gallery: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

gallery: 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

2013 Mustang GT500 vs 2013 Camaro ZL1 - Florida Heat Beats the ZL1 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 30 June 2012 22:59 EST.

Video: Jay Leno drives the 2013 SRT Viper GTS

Posted: 30 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT

Jay Leno had the pleasure of being the first civilian to drive the new 2013 SRT Viper GTS in the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage. Beth Paretta and Mark Trostle were also on hand to offer a few more details on the one, the only, the pinnacle Viper pilot car, and the star of the new SRT lineup.

Leno’s review includes a side-by-side look at Vipers throughout the years, and he gets under the hood of the only new one in existence! So, what do you think: was he pleased with the new Viper, or does he still prefer the older generations? Watch the video and find out!

As a reminder, the new Viper is powered by a new 8.4-liter all-aluminum, V-10 overhead-valve engine that will deliver a total of 640 HP and 600 lb-ft of torque. The new engine is mated to an improved Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission.