Author Archives: Will@FluxAuto

Mugen CR-Z GT Shakedown Footage

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The video footage to accompany the pictures I posted earlier has hit YouTube courtesy of the Car@Nifty channel. There’s a few interesting things I picked up on while watching the video. First, the engine definitely sounds turbocharged. Second, the car is able to leave the pit garage in pure EV mode. Third, the mechanics torque both of the front wheels simultaneously by hand. The car isn’t front wheel drive like the street version of the CR-Z, but Honda has confirmed that the car is indeed a racing hybrid. I’m guessing there could be an electric motor on the front axle for regenerative braking purposes. I don’t think JGTC cars are allowed to be all wheel drive, so the electric motor would only work in one direction. If the car does have an electric motor on the front axle, its drive train will actually be very similar to the new NSX.


Source: Car@Nifty on YouTube

Ford Shelby GT500 vs. Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 – Chris Harris

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Here is yet another comparison between the top representatives of the modern muscle car era, the Ford Shelby GT500 and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Normally I would wait a little longer to post this after the Motor Trend comparison, but I thought Chris Harris offered some fresh insights into these cars. He’s from the UK and spends most of his time driving cars in Europe, so he hasn’t had as much exposure to American muscle cars. Between the two comparisons, you get a really complete picture of what the two cars are like. Harris spends time in both cars driving them around Manhattan at slow speeds and then takes them the track at Monticello to see how they perform at high speeds.


Source: DRIVE on YouTube

Helicopter Physics – Smarter Everyday

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If you enjoy figuring out why the things in the world around you work the way they do, you should subscribe to Smarter Everyday on YouTube. The host is named Destin and he has set out investing money into these YouTube shows so that he can educate the masses and put the proceeds from ads and donations towards his kids’ college funds. He’s a Mechanical Engineer by trade and education and he has a knack for making engineering interesting. For the last couple of months, Destin has been posting a series about the physics that  makes helicopters work. It’s really fascinating because they’re capable of a lot of mind blowing stunts and the way they work is different from how you probably intuitively think they do.

Part 1: Introduction
Destin introduces us to the series and his buddy Carl Groover who flies remote controlled helicopters for the Curtis Youngblood team. Watching Carl at work is a pretty eye opening experience in terms of what a helicopter can and cannot do.

  Continue reading →

Mugen CR-Z GT

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Jon Sibal posted these pictures of the Mugen CR-Z GT testing at Twin Ring Motegi. The car is slated to compete in the GT300 class of the Japanese Grand Touring Championship. The people who saw the car in person said the engine was relatively quiet, so it’s probably turbocharged. Honda has already stated that the CR-Z GT has a racing hybrid system. Honda likes to put their racing campaigns that use possibly risky drive train technology under the Mugen name in case they’re not as successful as they hoped it would be. The same thing happened with the Mugen Shinden electric motorcycle. Head over to Jon Sibal’s Blog to see the rest of the pictures. The CR-Z won’t be the only hybrid in the GT300 class. Toyota is also campaigning a Prius hybrid race car.

2012 X-Games Rallycross

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The same YouTube user who uploaded the first two rounds of the Global Rallycross Championship also recorded the entire coverage of the Rallycross competition at X-Games. It’s all the GRC guys with the addition of Sebastien Loeb. It’s all pretty crazy, possibly even too crazy. A couple of guys, including Marcus Gronholm, were hospitalized after mishaps on the gap jump during practice. Either way, enjoy the coverage:


Source: YouTube user WRCforeva