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nice pics what is this car badged as in SL? is it the new Primera? what's the engine size? its' American cousin (infinity G35) comes with a 298hp engine... http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/7779/114ze.jpg

u gotta point there....I am sure banda & siripala will however lighten the car considerably by taking off all the parts they deem unnecessary (I remember getting a box full of parts once from one guy)...the I6 engine is one of the hardest to tweak...the owner will need a good crew and a black Amex time will tell..

ur right, if the owner of the M3 is skilled as Aravinda and Dinesh, he should be able to be competitive...seems to me like they all have deep pockets, so funding should be similar...however experience (of driver and crew) is the other factor... BTW: I have nothing against turbos or 4WDs, I just think that the RWDs aren't all about spinouts and burnouts in the proper hands Pericles: are there a lot of 350Zs in SL?

Pericles: ur right about the turbo lag......I had an opportunity to get stuck at a red light with an Sti (05 I think) and knowing very well what the outcome would be, I (in my 99 Maxima) still decided to hang in there with him. Surprisingly, I was able to keep up with him until it started to spool (heard the sucking) and then I was admiring his rear end from a distance point being, a turbo'd car can be at a huge disadvantage if the track doesn't allow you to get to the required RPMs...but then again in SL, where ur taxed on displacement, turbo is the only way to get some real bang for the buck. or supe it up...no lag as the Americans say, there's no substitute for cubic inches....I am sure the Saudi's are happy to hear that

we all agree that its an amazing car, I just cant blv that someone would pay that much (as it was rumored) to run the local races. (just my broke-ass opinion) having said that, I think the E46 M3 can give the 4WD cars a pretty good run for the money on dry pavement. Most 4WD cars understeer and have slightly more roll compared to the RWD M3 (stock 2 stock). Plus the M3 hits the high torque band at a lower RPM which means less shifting on slower courses. Also, its way more fun to drive a RWD - IMO there's no question that the M3 would bite the dust on a dirt or wet track.... again, JMHO

Looking at the old pics....It's funny to see the 2 E39s dragging. does anyone know what the engine sizes were? I am assuming they had A/T. thats the only time I have seen E39s at a street drag. Unless those were V8s or M5s, it must've been a slow race

nice pics....cars are nice too any vids? I hate it when when they dim the lights to make the cars/displays look cool...makes it hard to take decent pics w/o tripods

I would like to see that Have you seen pics of the escalade golf cart that funk master flex did for cedric the entertainer? with chrome DUBs and a stereo

thats right, those r golf carts drifting tandem D1 style its gotta be fun and a lil scary...I have tried it but they had speed limiters on, so couldn't get fast enough to have much fun this what I need

about keeping the sport alive... road racing seems to follow the same life-cycle independent of the location. It's all fun until someone has a crash and the cops run everyone off. the only solution seems to be small racing events such as the SOLO SCCA events in north America. These events give the average weekend racers (without corporate sponsorships) an opportunity to have some safe & clean fun driving their cars as well as the all important adrenaline rush. everyone (despite car/budget) can be competitive as long as the events and cars are properly classified. I hope that someone in SL is able to create such an org which is sanctioned by an official body. Other than being just fun these events could produce some world class drivers....after all SL drivers have pretty good reflexes

I am not sure if they have front-impact issues.... yes, it sucks for Rice and Danica...it'll take some time to shake this one off I remember Alex Zanardi hurting his legs (in 2001 I think) (I am also old enough to remember the Senna crash)...those were a sad days. It's great that Zanardi got to come back to racing in 2003 with paddle shifters and other steering controls. I saw him walk (with caines) on the Letterman show....he was saying how his sister died in a car crash and his dad got him a car to keep him away from road racing (ironic) and they ran the first year with one set of tires.... awsome man, awsome story!

He did hit the SAFER wall, but he hit Carpenter's car around 200mph.... most if not all IRL tracks have the SAFER walls installed unlike the NASCAR tracks http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,12088-5577772,00.html

http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6194 sadly it's part of the sport

that's not all that Ohio has to offer....I saw this lil gem last xmas wouldn't it be a kicker if it was actually super charged...

yup, its the great state of Ohio....unfortunately where I live now but c'mon it's a Lowes parking lot, the guy wanted it to look like a camaro but still be able to haul some 2x4s, complete with the tool box and CB antenna...yeeehaw

a concourse d' elegance is where (older) cars are judged on their originality. Modifications are allowed if those modifications are a vast improvement over the OE. Most often these cars have undergone frame-off restorations. Its vital to have all the serial numbers match and the body to be in perfect condition. These shows are held all over the country by various orgs...the most famous being held at pebble beach. other than the car show there's the auction and the new exotic show off. Most of the new exotics are shown off at these shows instead of the so called international auto shows due to a more selectively enthusiastic crowd.

Thanks.. The Spyker gear shifter baffled everyone there, we were all trying to figure out how it works. However, its nice to see a transmission without electronic intervention. The pedals were pretty awsome too (if u can see em in pics). I thought the center of the steering wheel looked like a bathroom faucet..I'd hate to hit my head on that if I had a wreck. The air intakes on the rear hips were nice too I didnt see any of Leno's cars..he proly takes his to the Pebble beach concourse

I actually got real close to the veyron..got to sit in it for a few mins..it was unreal! The Murcielago's red was really unusual...it was nice..photos don't do justice to the color

There were nice 100 point collectibles, super cars and one hyper car. enjoy the pics.. I also have posted the vids from the Detroit auto show on colombobeat.com (click pipeline)

I am sure the 300cs will make pretty good rental cars along with the Buicks and Fords. Its better to put the Hemi in the Crossfire. Your're right about the suspension...feels like riding in a waterbed. Besides, most 300Cs brought to SL will proly have the 2.7L 190hp engine...just dont try to go up-hill in a hurry with 5 ppl in the car. But then again I have seen 520s (E39) in SL...just for looks

Chrysler 300c is actually almost the same length as a S-class & a 7 series (196"). Unlike the Merc and the bimmer, the 300c looks and feels more like a tank. It looks muscular, but the short windows dont provide much visibility.

I dont think the introduction of the H2 has hindered new H1 sales because they are in totally different price/income brackets. However, since the Bush govt decided to give a tax incentives ($6K~) a few years ago for companies that bought heavy SUVs, the H2 sales got a jump start in sales. Which has really hurt the used H1 sales, cos instead of buying a used H1 one can get a new H2. This has caused the H1's resale value to drop like a rock...

Yeah, the price tag is just un-real considering how much H1s depreciate (not in SL) ...but the guys who need an ego boost will spend the big bucks. I think the H3 is the most practical and most bang for the buck. esp with a predator S/C - just my opinion about the pics: It was hard to take pics of the cars with ppl all over them....can't stand the posers It would be nice to get an SLR with a wide angle lens for next time. I also have some video from the show, I'll try and post it soon.. -Hari

Thats the 2006 H1 Alpha. (from Hummer Press Release) "The 2006 H1 Alpha, featuring GM’s Duramax 6600 diesel engine, takes HUMMER performance to its ultimate extension and represents the single greatest advance in the 14-year history of the original HUMMER." Its got a ton of low-end torque, to get going in a hurry - lots of GO-GO in SLOW-MO. Basically this is the monster u want in your corner to pull u out when u get stuck ( which is what most H1s end up doing when they go crawling - pulling Jeeps out of holes) here are the specs Engine - 6.6 liter diesel V8 Aspiration - turbo Torque - 520 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm HP - 300 @ 3000 rpm HP/Liter -45 hp per liter 1/4 mile - 0-60 13.5 seconds

Here are the pictures that I took at the Detroit Auto show in January 2006. While there were almost 700 cars, I took pictures of my favorites. Enjoy... http://harisphotos.photos.gb.net/ -Hari