Kurt Ernst, Contributor
Articles
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For months there have been rumblings that the 2013 Grand Prix of America, set to run on June 16 in Weehawken, NJ, would be postponed until 2014. While a specific reason wasn’t cited, F1 czar... -
Supercar Builder Gumpert Saved By New Investor: ReportThis year has not been kind to sports car or race car manufacturers. In August, boutique German sports car builder Melkus announced it was filing for bankruptcy, followed a week later by word that supercar specialist Gumpert was also insolvent. In October, we learned that niche sports car...
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Jost Capito Wants More High-Performance VolkswagensJost Capito joined Volkswagen in May of 2012 as the head of Volkswagen’s motorsports division. Prior to this, Capito worked at Ford, where he was head of its Global Performance Vehicles group, and ultimately the man responsible for products like the Ford Focus RS. In other words, he knows a...
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Chris Harris Compares The BMW M135i And Audi RS3: Forbidden Fruit VideoGerman automakers seem to have two absolute rules: there is no such this as “too complex,” and Americans don’t buy hatchbacks. We can’t comment on the first point, but as for the second, well, that means we miss out on some of the best compact cars Germany has to offer. Case...
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Kimi Räikkönen Announces New Sponsorship: VideoWe’ve all been there: one minute you’re kicking back, sipping Dom Perignon from the navel of a “relaxation specialist,” wondering if her fee can be counted as a business expense on your taxes, and the next you’re wearing a black hood in the back of a clapped-out...
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Ford Partners With Formula Drift For 2013In light of declining global sales and the increasing cost of motorsports, many manufacturers have cut back on racing involvement. BMW has pulled MINI out of the WRC, and Ford announced it was ending its WRC efforts as well. Dodge cancelled its NASCAR program after losing Penske for the 2013...
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The European economic crisis is having a serious impact on car sales there, and 2012 is likely to end with the biggest single-year sales decline in 19 years. Faced with shrinking sales in Europe and... -
Onboard Footage Of The Nissan DeltaWing Crash: VideoYesterday we brought you the news that the Nissan DeltaWing racer had been involved in its second at-speed crash, this time colliding with a GTC Porsche 911 in practice for Saturday’s ALMS Petit Le Mans. At this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the experimental car was take out of contention by a...
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Toyota Working On Turbo Hybrid Drivetrain For 2014 Lexus ISThe next Lexus IS is set to appear in late 2013 as a 2014 model. We’ve seen spy photos of the new car in testing, and we’ve previously reported that the car will be both sportier and more upscale than the version it replaces. We know that a hybrid version is in the works, too, although...
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Huet Brothers Coupes One Step Closer To ProductionLast month, we brought you an update on the progress of the Huet Brothers coupes, which will be built in both road and race trim. Designed as no-compromise sports cars, the HB Coupe and the HB Coupe Race will be the least-expensive carbon fiber monocoque cars on the market when they hit the streets...
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Legendary Tuner And Engine Builder Cosworth Shops For A BuyerIn recent weeks, it seems like the Cosworth name seems to be everywhere. For SEMA 2012 alone, the storied British tuner is collaborating on variants of the Ford Focus ST, the Hyundai Veloster Turbo and the Hyundai Genesis. It’s involved in Formula One, too, providing engines to also-ran teams...
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Watch A Porsche RS Spyder Lap Bathurst At Speed: VideoIn 2005, Porsche returned to sports prototype racing after a six-year absence, debuting its RS Spyder in the American LeMans Series LMP2 class. In 2006, its first full season, the Porsche RS Spyder dominated the ALMS LMP2 class, easily taking home the class championship. The car was so good that it...
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Tony Stewart and Lewis Hamilton don’t have a lot in common, aside from being sponsored by Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil. Stewart drives for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,...
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A New Take On The Car Versus Aircraft Drag Race: VideoIt seems that pitting a supercar against a jet aircraft never goes out of style. Depending upon the length of the course and the vehicles involved, sometimes victory goes to four wheels, while other times it goes to two wings. Car versus rotary-wing aircraft (aka helicopter) throw-downs are a bit...
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Nissan Working On Next-Generation Hybrid Drivetrain For InfinitiIf you want to buy a hybrid automobile from luxury manufacturer Infiniti today, your only option is the performance-oriented M35h. The big sedan can reel off a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds (on par with the range-topping M56), yet it's still rated at 27 mpg around town and 32 mpg on the highway...
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Infiniti To Get Steer-By-Wire Technology In 2013: VideoConventional steering systems provide a mechanical link from the steering wheel to the front wheels, which is generally power-assisted via hydraulics on modern automobiles. For decades, this delivered a reasonable blend of handling and ride comfort, even if it came with certain trade-offs in...
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Fisker Karma Gets Cameo In Upcoming Thriller 'Paranoia'Product placement in movies and television shows is a huge business these days, and with the potential rewards for the right pairing, it’s no wonder why. Whether the product is an energy drink, sunglasses or even an automobile, getting exposure to the right audience can result in big sales...
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Jaguar Land Rover Pushing Dealers To Dual Brand ModelJaguar builds luxury sedans, coupes and convertibles, but no SUVs or crossovers. Land Rover builds luxury SUVs and crossovers, but has no sedans, coupes or convertibles in its current range (and yes, we’re not counting the two-door Evoque and Evoque Convertible concept). That’s becoming...
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In August of 2011, Cadillac announced it was building its own extended-range electric car, based on the Converj concept and utilizing an evolved (but not yet second-generation) version of the... -
Ford's Oldest Known Survivor Sells For $264kLast month, we told you that a rare 1903 Ford Model A Rear Entry Tonneau would be crossing the block in mid-October, at the RM Auctions sale in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Built in the first batch of cars to come from Ford’s Mack Avenue plant, this Model A is believed to be the oldest surviving...
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Porsche Busy Hiring F1 Crew, But What Does It Mean?Porsche has taken overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans some 16 times, including a winning streak with the 936, 956 and 962C that lasted from 1981 through 1987. The last time the Stuttgart automaker stood atop the podium was in 1998, and since 2007 only Audi and Peugeot have sponsored...
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Felipe Massa Re-Ups With Ferrari For 2013Felipe Massa could well paraphrase the words of Mark Twain with the statement, “the rumors of my departure from Scuderia Ferrari have been greatly exaggerated.” Ending what seems like months of speculation, Ferrari’s F1 team has just announced the re-signing of Felipe Massa for...
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Ford Bringing Five Tuned Focus ST Hatchbacks To SEMA 2012When Ford announced it was showing four tuner versions of its new Fusion sedan at SEMA, we were a bit concerned that the automaker had forgotten about its other products of interest to enthusiasts, likes its new Focus ST hot hatch. It turns out that wasn’t the case, since Ford has announced...
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Vaughn Gittin Jr. Tours Ford's Flat Rock Plant, Sideways: Video
From a profitability perspective, hiring a pro drifter to run factory tours probably isn’t the best idea. Even a driver like Vaughn Gittin Jr. (who just finished second in the 2012 Formula Drift championship) occasionally misjudges distances, meaning that a car or two will need to go back to...
Kurt Ernst