SDHQ Eco-Raptor

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Ford has got a serious jump start on GM and Chrysler with their EcoBoost technology. Their monster 3.5 liter twin turbo direct injection V6 outperforms the naturally aspirated V8’s in almost all areas while delivering significantly better gas mileage and longevity. It’s a no sacrifice win-win situation brought about by good engineering. Unfortunately sales to the masses don’t always follow proper logic. Ford knew they had a good engine, but they weren’t sure it would be accepted by their core customers. The EcoBoost V6 has seen good sales in the F-150, but Ford was hesitant to pair it with their halo-model Raptor. I think that’s also the reason why we have yet to see an Ecoboost Mustang (though that would be incredibly awesome). The fear was that too many people associated Ford performance with V8’s, but hopefully that will start to change.

One argument for the paradigm shift is this SDHQ built Eco-Raptor. The truck started life as an EcoBoost F-150 whose frame and body got swapped out for Raptor parts. Apparently it was cheaper to do it that way since an EcoBoost crate engine is $17,000. It seems like a lot of work, but the results speak for themselves. The DRIVE crew use a regular 6.2 liter V8 Raptor as the camera platform for this video and they got 11.6 mpg while the EcoBoost equipped truck got 16.8. That’s more than 5 mpg difference with the EcoBoost model making more power while having equivalent offroad capabilities. Like I said, it’s a win-win no compromise situation. More power with less fuel. It is possible to have fun, save money and be environmentally responsible all at the same time. You know we are fully behind these types of movements here at Flux Auto.


Source: DRIVE on YouTube

2013 Porsche Boxster S

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When Porsche first introduced the Boxster, the concept was for the car to be an inexpensive entry level model for the lineup. Turns out a reasonably priced mid-engine Porsche was a great formula for success. That being said, the Boxster had some shortcomings having to work around hand-me-down parts and Porsche’s mandate to keep its performance level significantly short of the bread and butter 911. Now that the Boxster and Cayman have proven themselves as strong sales successes, Porsche’s attitude towards them has reversed. The twins now get their own designs and parts in order to have the top of the line S models have almost identical performance stats with the base model 911. Motor Trend’s Carlos Lago also reveals that being the entry level model has the benefits of tuning focus. What I mean is that the Boxster is under less pressure to deliver specific 0-60 or Nurburgring times than the 911. The result is chassis balance that makes dialing in some oversteer more of a priority than outright grip. Cars tuned for fun are starting to become a rarity these days, but I’m glad to see some people still get it.


Source: Motor Trend

Local Motors Rally Fighter

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The Local Motors story is a fascinating one because they’ve decided to take a new approach to building cars. They cater to niche markets with small, specialized runs of cars. Normally this isn’t a profitable business case because small runs means barely being able to pay for the expensive tooling required to produce something as complex as an automobile. Local Motors used the internet to build a community to crowd source a lot of the engineering and design development on the Rally Fighter. They use engines produced and EPA certified by established manufacturers as well as a host of accessories like the lighting and door handles to further cut costs. Having the owners come to the factory and assemble the cars under the supervision of Local Motors employees makes the cars exempt from crash testing. The Rally Fighter is an incredible success story of the power of open source communities in probably one of the most difficult industries to innovate in. The president of Local Motors stops by Jay Leno’s garage so Jay can check out the specific details of the car and how the company works. Check it out.


Source: Jay Leno’s Garage on YouTube

Seamus Connelly and Gary McCrudden – Entertainers of the Year

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Seamus Connelly and Gary McCrudden just received the Flyin’ Finn Motorsports Entertainers of the Year for 2012 based on their efforts to rally a Levin AE86 in Ireland. Here is a 14 minute year in review with in-car and bystander footage of their campaign. They definitely look like they’re having a ton of fun out there. One of the hairy saves has a big of *NSFW* language.


Source: Flyin Finn Motorsports on YouTube via AE86 World on Facebook

2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7

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Now that the 2014 C7 Corvette has been officially unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, Automobile Magazine was able to post this video from their photo shoot of the car. In addition to a good look at the new Stingray themed exterior design, we also get up close with the much improved interior. Interviews with the designers and engineers of the car reveal that GM really stepped up with a clean-sheet design for the C7. They really paid attention to the shortcomings of the C6 that everybody complained about (parts bin pieces, horrible seats and interior quality) and did their best to make the C7 what everybody expects it to be. You really get a sense that the designers took serious pride in maintaining Corvette as America’s premiere sports car.


Source: Automobile Magazine on YouTube