Superstar gets a taste of super speed
Hollywood actor Tom Cruise has driven all sorts of vehicles on the silver screen. He even briefly held a lap record of sorts around the Top Gear track in Britain. But how good a driver is he? Not too bad, say the Red Bull demonstration team. Driver David Coulthard let Cruise get behind the wheel of a Formula One car at California's Willow Springs circuit. Cruise completed 24 laps of the 4km track, recording a top speed of 293km/h and scrubbing 11 seconds off his first lap. Coulthard said he was impressed with Cruise's skills.
Swift highways
Forbes.com lists the fastest United States roads:
5. Arizona State Route 77 - 7.7km long, average speed of fastest 5 per cent of cars is 131km/h.
4. Eastbound MI-5 Michigan Highway - 7.9km long, fastest 5 per cent 131km/h.
3. California State Route 73 - 24km long, average speed of fastest 5 per cent 131km/h.
2. Oklahoma State Highway 33 - 38.8km long, average speed of fastest 5 per cent 134km/h.
1. Northbound Arizona State Route 79 - 28.5km long, average speed of fastest 5 per cent 142km/h.
Three turbos
A BMW X6 M pictured testing at Germany's Nurburgring circuit is believed to have a tri-turbo diesel engine. The same engine is expected to find its way into the X5 SUV range. The tri-turbo works thus: two turbos use exhaust gases and the third electricity. In another world the third unit could be called a supercharger. BMW is expected to equip the next-generation M3 with a tri-turbo petrol straight-six. Total output could be around 335kW, or 27kW more than the 4.4-litre V8 in the current M3. The new 3-Series range goes on sale in here next year with tri-turbo M3 due in 2013-14.
Skoda sets world speed record
A Skoda Octavia RS has set a world 2-litre speed record of 367.8km/h on the Bonneville Salt Flats. It marked the 10th anniversary of its RS performance brand with an initial run of 327.4km/h before blasting past the old mark of 349.9.4km/h. The bodyshell of the go-fast Octavia RS was changed to minimise wind resistance, the tyres were special and the 447kW engine picked up a larger turbocharger and intercooler.
Other than that, the RS was pretty much an off-the-shelf model.
Revised, rediscovered and returned to glory
Edsel Bryant Ford's restored 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster has been on show at the Monterey Concours d'Elegance.
Inspired by a visit to Europe in 1932 and penned by Ford design chief E.T. Gregorie, the Speedster began life as a 1934 Model 40 frame before going under the knife for revisions. Stretched 2.5cm over factory dimensions and saddled lower to the ground, the vehicle boasts a rear-pitched cockpit, long nose and custom aluminum bodywork. A 3.9-litre flathead Ford V8 powers the rear wheels. After Edsel Ford died in 1943, the vehicle made a few appearances around the US before vanishing. It resurfaced at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in 1999 and sold to a collector for US$1.76 million. When the collector died, the car was returned to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House before receiving a full restoration to return it to its former glory.
