Meet Jim McCrady. Jim works as a machinist for Holley and he built this Frankenstein of a 1941 Ford Sedan 2 Door Hot Rod. He bought the body off of an old man who sold fresh eggs and then put it on a Chevy S-10 chassis and then powered all of it with a stroked Chevy small block being force fed by a Weiand blower and a Holley double pumper carburetor.
Between his role as “European Correspondent” for Car and Driver and this review for evo, Jethro Bovingdon is quickly becoming one of my favorite car reviewers. He takes Ferrari’s newest front engine V12 monster for a spin around Fiorana test track and then on Italy’s mountain roads. Jethro also brings along a 599 GTO as a benchmark comparison for the new car.
Usually when we see Formula Offroad footage here in the US, it’s a crazy highlight reel of gratuitous power. We often times forget that it’s a legitimate championship series. Just like any other racing championship, you have to set the car up for each location and perform consistently excellent to win. That’s why I thought this video of Christian Austad was pretty interesting. It follows him as he competes in all of the events of the 2011 Formula Offroad season. He’s definitely immensely talent and brave.
Motor Trend stopped by the Monster Miata shop to chat with Martin Wilson about what has made is company so successful. Long story short, they build what is essentially a modern day Shelby Cobra. Take a lightweight rear drive roadster and stuff a Ford V8 into the front of it. The only difference is Wilson’s team has decided to start with a Japanese roadster instead of a British one. Monster Miata offers a kit that includes everything from engine mounts, revised suspension and a Ford 7.5 inch rear end to Monsterize your Miata. Turns out they’re also working on an LSx kit. Can’t wait to see that one.
This is probably my favorite of the hardcore minimalist track cars that you can register on the street. It’s the Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) Mono. It’s powered by a 230 horsepower 2.3 liter Ford Duratec that’s been tuned by Cosworth. The carbon fiber body work is stunning and is probably significantly more aerodynamic that an open wheel formula race car. Steven Sutcliffe of Autocar takes it for a spin and does a great job relaying what it’s like to drive and what makes it special. Turns out it’s street legal (at least in the UK) and has a friendly suspension setup that doesn’t punish you for flirting with the car’s limits.