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Archive of posts filed under the Race cars category.

Renault Twin’Run Concept

Renault Twin'Run Concept

Renault chose to unveil their latest concept car at one of the most famous automobile events in the world, the Monaco Grand Prix. While the race itself takes place on Sunday, the entire weekend is just one big build-up before the green lights come on. Renault’s decision to debut their concept at such a notorious race is an obvious reflection of the car itself.

The Renault Twin’Run might look almost identical to the earlier Renault Twin’Z concept, and indeed both cars are a preview of the next Renault Twingo city car. But whereas the Twin’Z was a mild-mannered electric car, the Twin’Run is a custom built race car based around a motorsport grade tubular chassis. Into this Renualt’s engineers have wedged a 3.5 litre V6 engine borrowed from a Megane Trophy race car. The mid-mounted engine produced 320 horsepower @ 6,800 rpm and 380 Nm of torque @ 4,850 rpm. The transmission is a six-speed sequential unit with limited slip differential. The 0-62 mph sprint takes just 4.5 seconds. The top speed is 155 mph.
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Galag TG1

Galag TG1

As the over-hyped extravaganza of wealth, bad taste, bad driving and unbridled machismo that is the Gumball 3000 got underway yesterday in Denmark, there was one car on”grid” which looked like nothing else. It’s the number 73 car, run by Team Galag from Saudi Arabia (who also brought along a replica of Batman’s Tumbler). It’s called the Galag TG1, and basically it’s a heavily modified Nissan GT-R. However it’s undergone such a transformation, that from the outside the only giveaway is the GT-R’s distinctive roofline.

Now I’m not going to say the TG1 is the ugliest car I’ve ever seen. I remember seeing a Robin Reliant with go-faster stripes and three-spoke alloy wheels back in the ’90s that was probably worse. But that’s about it. The TG1 really is a prime example of the old adage, “money can’t buy taste”.
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SEAT Leon Cup Racer

SEAT Leon Cup Racer

At this year’s Worthersee Festival, May 17-19, SEAT will be showing off their all-new race car. Called the SEAT Leon Cup Racer, the brand new race car gives a pretty good indication of what a SEAT touring car racer might look like. The car is homologated to compete in numerous race series around the world, and is on sale now priced from 70,000 EUR ($91,000).

For your money you get a ready-to-run racer fitted with a 330 horsepower, 2.0 litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine. Power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox which is controlled via paddles on the steering wheel. A special variant of the Leon Cup Racer setup for endurance racing can be ordered with a sequential racing transmission with a shift lever on the centre console and a mechanical differential lock.
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SEAT Formula 1430 Concept

Seat Formula 1430 Concept

The SEAT Formula 1430 is a race car concept conjured up by the Barcelona-based design studio designcube. The concept was inspired by the 1970s SEAT single-seat race cars which tore up the Spanish circuits in the one-make Formula Nacional (later called the Formula 1430) race series.

The original cars were small, lightweight, and powered by the 1.5 litre engine from the SEAT 1430 sedan. And by the looks of it designcube’s concept adheres to the original brief. Albeit with another seat for a passenger/co-driver.
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Tushek Forego T700

Tushek Forego T700

Almost exactly one year ago, Tushek burst on to the supercar scene with the Tushek Renovatio T500, an Audi V8-powered, track-inspired, lightweight road/race car. But at the same time the company also promised something even more special was on the way.

Called the Tushek Forego T700 the new car is significantly more powerful than the Renovatio T500, offering the driver around 700 horsepower from its mid-mounted Audi V8 engine. The car is incredibly light for its size thanks to a carbon fiber chassis and body panels, as well as numerous titanium components. The projected weight for the Forego T700 is 2,200 lbs (1,000 kgs). I say projected because the first car isn’t actually finished yet.
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Video: McLaren P1 undergoing track testing

McLaren P1

If the Borg ever decide to try their collective hand at motor racing, then surely they’ll look to McLaren to provide the cars. The P1 is shaping up to be a cold-hearted megacar, with its clinical, almost OCD level of aerodynamic engineering, and McLaren’s stated goal of making it the best driver’s car in the world on both road and track, clearly this thing is going to be as close to absolute perfection as is possible.

The latest stage of the McLaren P1′s testing has seen it whipped around the clock on numerous demanding roads and circuits across the globe. The typically rigorous testing procedures for the McLaren P1 have seen the development team working closely with a number of partners on bespoke components and developments, including Akebono on a highly-efficient braking system, Pirelli on high performance tires and Mobil 1 on leading cooling, lubrication and hydraulic fluids.
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Audi RS7 Sportback gets rendered as a Group B Rally Car

Audi RS7 Group B Rally Car

Surely when Audi’s designers were putting the finishing touches to the recently unveiled Audi RS7, they never thought it would be the subject of some aggressive rally-inspired photoshopping. But step up Frederic Louis, a Belgian with a soft spot for the insane Group B rally cars of the 1980s.

He created a couple of renders showing what a Group B prepared RS7 could look like for Autofans.be. Of course its all just a bit of fun. The Group B series was cancelled in 1986 after just four years because of the high number of fatalities incurred by both unruly spectators and fearless competitors. And even if it was still around. Audi has far more suitable candidates for rallying in its extensive lineup than the large and luxurious RS7.
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Peugeot XRC Concept

Peugeot XRC concept

When it comes to concept cars the general rule is, the crazier the better. Not always true. But for the most part it’s a fairly reliable statement. The Peugeot XRC concept is case in point. It looks more like an RC car than something that was designed to accept the proportions of a human body. It was created by the Brazilian designer Tiago Aiello, and unfortunately for mankind it doesn’t stand a chance of production.
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Risden Engineering 6R BMW M6

Risden Engineering 6R BMW M6

Risden Engineering, a new and as yet unproven outfit in the world of aftermarket tuners, has just revealed details of their first endeavour. The Risden Engineering 6R is a BMW M6 with some modifications which make it look more suited to track use than road use.

The exterior changes include a full aerodynamic package which is designed to increase downforce and improve cooling to the engine and brakes. To improve performance Risden Engineering will be removing some weight from the car. But they don’t say what features or components will be for the chop. Most likely is a partially stripped interior which matches the car’s racing ambitions. A four point roll cage is designed to provide some protection to the occupants should things go pear-shaped.
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Praga R1

Praga R1

Slovakia isn’t exactly known for its sports car-building prowess. However the Praga R1 might just start to change people’s minds. It isn’t the only sports car from the eastern European state however. The K-1 Attack has been around for over a decade. But the Praga R1 looks like a more polished machine than the kinda kit car-ish Attack.

The race-focused Praga R1 comes in either single seat or optional two-seat configurations. It is based around a carbon fiber monocoque chassis which helps keep the car’s dry weight to a mere 572 kgs (1,261 lbs). The body work is a combination of quick-release fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon fiber panels. The windows are custom made lightweight polycarbonate units.

The base drivetrain of the Praga R1 is a 2.0 litre Renault Sport engine which is mounted in  a mid-longintudinal position. It produces 210 horsepower and 220 Nm of torque. Neither of those are particularly large numbers. But with such a low weight, it’s more than enough for some startling performance. Also Praga state that that’s the BASE engine. But they don’t elaborate on what else they offer.
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