the new Suzuki Smart GSX-R
love the engine placement, love the burnouts, love the last 10 seconds
Posted by
Grim..., around 2nd March 2006:
Neat =]
Couple of things though - even though they've done some work on the suspension, bugger taking it through a corner fast...
And it's all very cool having the engine in the passenger seat until it overheats and lets go =[
yeah, the passenger would be in a lot of trouble
Posted by
Brock, around 3rd March 2006:
Pretty good fun for burnouts, but not for much else. As Grim says, corners may be an issue. Too much weight too high. Good for a laugh though.
As for the engine blowing, I wouldn't worry. It's mounted transversely, so any bits that came flying out will go fore aft (assuming they got through that aluminium case) so you'd probably be fine. Assuming, as Salti says, you aren't the passenger. Then you'd be in for it...
Talking of projects, I am currently putting one of
these into one of
these...
Bit of a job. It is a steel tubular chassis, so we aren't sure it will handle the torque, and we have a sweepstake on how long the gearbox lasts (it is rated to 250lbft or so, and this engine is already being turned
down to 350 or so)... Still, the customer wants, so the customer gets, innit?
I'll keep you posted. I still have a fair bit to do (gearbox fitting and paddle shift still to sort, wiring loom to fit, plus front/rear suspension build, bodywork fitting and set up to do, and I'm essentially doing it on my own) and we are supposed to be testing Next Friday... Hmmm. I think not, but we'll see. It will be a shakedown at most if we make it, but parts are slow to turn up. Should be a 170-180mph (circuit dependant) race winner if it holds together though...
Posted by
WarHead, around 3rd March 2006:
Did you ever see that customised Rolls-Royce that some guy did about 30 years ago. He extended teh bonnet and put a RR Merlin engine in it. Apparently he had a problem gettign a clutch that could handle the power.
oo, i think i just got engine geeky -- that pic just looks... highly nifty.
moving on, i saw this just beneath the "interview" blurb and laughed:
The VQ was used for the pickup trucks entered in the Dakar Rally, the Skyline GTR twin-turbo engine cars raced in the All-Japan GT Championship (GT500), the Fairlady Z naturally aspirated vehicles entered in the All-Japan GT Championship (GT300)
, then searched down and nearly fell off my chair laughing.
All-Japan GT Championship: Fairlady Z
hasn't the old datsun fairlady moved on!
i'd thought it'd died off YEARS ago. here's what "fairlady" implies in australia, from before "datsun" became "nissan":
hey brock, if you find a gearbox that beats the engine:
i still have somewhere a bottleopener made from my con-rod's stretched-to-tearing big-end. two hammer strokes to close it slightly, et voila!: perfect bottle opener
Heh - A headline by PC Mag through that lego-top-ten site for the Lego PC
Your LEGO PC*
* some assembly required
Nice :)
anyone fancy a motor-unicycle? top speed 57mph. no gyroscope stabiliser...
www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll...
Posted by
Brock, around 27th March 2006:
What I find odd about that one is the following:
The handlebars move. Why? Just to give the illusion of being in control? It's not like it can steer anything (unless it moves the engine weight, which would seem pretty pointless being as you can just move your body much easier and further with no drive linkage issues).
He invented the thing and has been riding them since the 1970's yet he looks about as proficient on that as if he's been riding it a week - particularly when stopping outside the restaurant (?) just before he starts bothering the young girls. Wobbly as fuck.
"You really have to think about it when you're riding it" = "Pay attention at all times, as you are always mere seconds from an accident".
Emergency braking would be completely uncontrollable from anything over 20mph or so, you'd just cartwheel, I reckon. Or break your legs trying to stop yourself cartwheeling.
Nutter. Totally pointless and dangerous thing. That in itself is perfectly ok, but to let it on the road is an interesting governmental decision.
Posted by
Grim..., around 27th March 2006:
I pretty impressed with the engineering involved.
A normal unicycle that you sit on will fall over backwards if you don't lean forward while accellerating (or pedalling), so If you held onto that one's wheel it would probably spin the dude round and round inside it.
Which would be funny.
I saw someone trying out one of these on the gadget show, only it looked a bit more solid than this one. much more "finished", but it was a while back so i could be wrong. It wsa stupidly unstable too though.
A short clip that might amuse you car fans but doubtless you've all done better.
www.bestofgooglevideo.com/v...
Posted by
Brock, around 11th April 2006:
Oooh, no I like that. I have always loved the demon sneak car that looks like a shitter but goes as fast as fuck.
Nice find, Sul.
Posted by
Grim..., 12th April 2006:
Yeah, Ferarri man must be gutted =]
Posted by
Brock, 12th April 2006:
Ferrari man?
Posted by
Brock, 12th April 2006:
Heh. Fuck off and eat your birthday cake...
the last 2 laps of last sunday's Turkish Moto GP 250cc race
3 words
fucking
awe
some
put it this way:
the biggest hit would have been hospital-territory if they hadn't been doing 170mph (275kph) when the wheels came off the ground (go go gadget gyroscopes)
hopefully being replayed on the cable sports channel, or you can see a freakish 4 seconds of it on Watts
Posted by
Grim..., around May 2006:
That's just down the road from where I used to live.
"Pink my ride"
the ultimate Hello Kitty makeover
Street-Legal VW Jet Beetle:
The car is licensed here in California. In California, new cars have bi-annual smog inspections so if you modify the engine, it is likely to fail the inspection and you won't be able to drive it on the street. There are some exempt engine modifications (ex. after-cat mufflers - big deal)
but none that will allow you to add 1350 hp to a new car.
I was thinking of putting it into an import car show but the promoter told me that it looked too plain and recommended that I put some decals on it, lower it, and put on some aftermarket wheels.
…
the car has two engines making the car a hybrid so maybe we can drive in the commuter lanes along with the Toyota Priuses.
…
Jet keeps sucking the rose out of the bud vase on the dash!
"It goes
WOOOOOAAARRRRR!!!!!
WOOOOOAAARRRRR!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
Too much money and too much spare time? Convert a Camry into a remote-controlled car.
more info here
