Rams Eye The Track Guy

The current (and outgoing) BMW M3 upset quite a few purists when it switched to turbocharging to boost power from a long line of naturally aspirated engines. It looks like the upcoming G80 M3 based on the new G20 3-series is looking to buck the tradition again by being the first ever M3 to offer AWD/4WD. That's right, it looks like the next M3 will send power to all four wheels according to a report by Auto Express. Of course, it won't be the first ever M-car to offer AWD. That honour goes to the current M5 which was the first M sedan/saloon car, so perhaps that should have been a sign of things to come. It makes a lot of sense, given the competition. Fast Audi have been AWD for several generations and recently, AMG announced that the future of AMG is four-wheel drive. Tough Competition Audi is nearly synonymous with AWD and with AMG now switching to AWD, a RWD M3 would (unfortunately) be quite handicapped in terms of traction and objective performance. Competition

I'm sure there are some out there who would think that messing with the iconic 911 shape is blasphemy. But for the rest of us, this 911 may just be the prettiest 911 ever made. The reason you probably have never heard of it is because only one was ever made and it was built over 50 years ago. Back in the early 911 days (i.e. 1960's-1970's), Porsche didn't make a 911 Cabriolet. The engineers in Stuttgart didn't think they could design a convertible version (or perhaps feasibly build one) that would meet the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rollover safety regulations, which is part of the reason the 911 Targa exists. Since the American market was quite important to Porsche as far as sales and profitability of the 911, a convertible wasn't built back then. It wasn't until 1981 that Porsche showed the world a concept 911 Cabriolet at the Frankfurt Motor Show and a production version didn't come out until late 1982 as

Whenever I hear of an outlandish 911 build, I always wonder what hardcore 911 would think. In my experience, they tend to love tradition and preserving the 911 legacy. This car breaks two of the holy trinity of classic 911's; rear engined, flat-six, and air-cooled. It is still rear engined but it uses a V6, water-cooled engine. But I can't imagine a single 911 fan being upset about this. You see, this isn't just any water-cooled V6 engine. It is a Formula 1 twin-turbocharged 1.5 litre V6 out of a McLaren MP4/3 F1 car. Further preserving the Porsche-ness of this build, the engine was built by a partnership formed between Porsche and TAG to provide engines for McLaren F1 team. Porsche was responsible for the technical burden of design and engineering and TAG financed the effort and stuck its name on the engine as "TAG turbo" since McLaren didn't want Porsche's name on their F1 car. Lanzante first revealed the car in October last year shortly after the

Ford has been promoting its EcoBoost engine options for quite some time now, replacing larger engines with smaller, turbocharged EcoBoost engines in all of its offerings. The Mustang wasn't safe in the 6th Generation redesign (code named S550) when it debuted in 2014 for the 2015 model year. It gained a turbocharged 2.3 litre 4 cylinder EcoBoost engine making 310 hp. The previous base engine, a 3.7 litre V6 making 305 hp was down-rated to 300 hp to create a larger gap and position the EcoBoost firmly as a mid-range engine. But since the refresh for 2018, the V6 has been dropped all together, leaving the Mustang lineup with only two engine options, the 4 cylinder EcoBoost with 310 hp and the upgraded 5.0 litre V8 making 460 hp. But It seems like Ford may be ready to insert another option in the 150 hp valley between those two options as a mid-range engine. Hagerty recently discovered a document filed by Ford to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in

Cadillac sedans aren't dead after all, as evident by the brand new CT5 just revealed this morning ahead of its formal debut at the upcoming New York Auto Show. The reveal was done using "a social media campaign designed to stimulate the senses using autonomous sensory meridian response, also known as ASMR."... whatever that means. Cadillac says that the videos are meant to trigger a physical response such as a spine-tingling sensation, which is great I guess if you're into that sort of thing. Unfortunately, the video seems to very light on detail, but at least some critical bits are revealed. Design For starters, the current newest sedan in Cadillac's lineup is the CT6, which looks ancient now next to the CT5. I'm a big Cadillac fan - which shocks most people considering that I am a Mustang guy. But I like what they have been doing, particularly their V-series models. I also liked their "Arts & Science" design language and was wo

And by 'Watch', I really mean listen. The M4 may be a bit quicker and lighter and the Alfa has a Ferrari-derived engine... but how can you argue with the bark of a twin-turbo AMG V8? Just listen to it! For comparison, especially since Sport Auto tend to be a bit slower than manufacturer tests, the M4 GTS did it in 7:37 when tested by the same Sport Auto driver, Christian Gebhardt. Although to be fair, the M4 GTS is a track-special and was on much stickier Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, so it would actually be a lot closer to the AMG with similar tires. The absolutely magnificent 981 Cayman GT4 did it in 7:42 on the same PIlot Sport Cup 2 tires and the same driver. The AMG's time is actually a very respectable time for something that isn't pretending to be a race car. And it's the last old guard in its segment still firing on 8 cylinders. Follow Ram's Eye The Track Guy on Facebook and Instagram! View this post on Instagr