VF Engineering knows power. By strapping superchargers on everything from Porsche 911′s to BMW M3′s, they know how to give an otherwise stock car a major power increase without compromising any other part of the car. We’ve sampled all their Supercharger packages at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, and we filmed mini-segments with each of them. This is the 560 horsepower, Supercharged Audi R8 4.2. Video below.
VF Engineering Supercharged Audi R8
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010VF Engineering Supercharged Wide Body E92 M3 620HP and Supercharged Porsche 911 Carrera S
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
The Smoking Tire heads out to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, where VF Engineering has provided us with an entire fleet of supercharged sports cars. Matt Farah takes a 510hp blown Porsche 911 and a 620 hp blown wide-body M3 out on the track to see what 30% more power does to two already great cars.
Video after the jump.
Video: Win a Trip to New York for the Bullrun Rally!
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Last year, The Smoking Tire went on the Bullrun Live Rally from New York to Austin, Texas. We drove the first production Ford SVT Raptor right off the assembly line, 10 hours to New York city for the start, and made a video each day, which can be found on Black Magic’s YouTube Channel.
This year, you’ve got a chance to come party with us in New York City for the kickoff of the 2010 Bullrun, and design our Shelby GT500! Hit the jump to find out how.
Video: 2011 Shelby GT500 Posts Uber-Fast Lap at VIR
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Ford’s on a real roll with their 2011 Mustangs. The 412 HP Mustang GT is being compared to the M3, a car that costs nearly twice as much. Their V6 is the first car in history to come back from rental-car-dom. The new 2011 Shelby GT500 has been on a diet, dropping 120 pounds from the nose by switching to an aluminum engine block, and adding a few extra ponies as well, bringing the count to 550 hp.
As we’ve shown on The Smoking Tire, Ford is about more than straight-line performance; Mustangs need to go around corners. As this video shows, the new 2011 GT500 does that pretty well too. The Shelby’s weight trimmings and tweaks have helped shave 9 seconds per lap off what the 2010 GT500 ran at Virginia International’s “Grand Course” last year, surprising even Ford’s own people, who only expected a 3 second improvement.
The GT500′s 2:58.5 second lap time would place it 7th overall (according to Car and Driver, see chart below), behind such cars as the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Viper ACR, but ahead of the BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, Audi R8, and, ahem, the Ford GT.
Here’s the best part: The Smoking Tire is going to be doing a 5,000-mile road test of the new GT500 in the 2010 Bullrun Rally from New York to Las Vegas this July. And you have a chance to win a trip to New York to come party with us for the kickoff party (and yes, test drive the car.) Go to Black Magic Shine to find out how.
Hit the jump to see the video and lap time spreadsheet.
[Source: YouTube via Jalopnik]
Supercar Showdown: Lamborghini Balboni vs. TT Ford GT vs. Supercharged Audi R8
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010The Smoking Tire heads out to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in a 370Z Roadster to find out which car can attain the highest speed on Spring Mountain’s 2.7 mile road course. Can Matt Farah, driving a Lamborghini LP550-2, outgun a Twin Turbo Ford GT and a Supercharged Audi R8? We will see.
Next Episode Sneak Peak: Ford GT TT, R8 SC and Balboni
Sunday, February 14th, 2010
They say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We’ve all heard that line, and if you’re like me, it’s an infuriating thing to hear. It’s always said to you after something horrible happens. Perhaps an earthquake knocked down your garage…onto your new car…with Megan Fox inside.
This week we had a Nissan 370z Convertible to review. What better environment is there for a convertible sports car than a road trip? So we drove it to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, in Pahrump, NV. We had planned to pit a Ford GT against a Nissan GTR and use a radar gun to see which could reach the highest speed down the back straight.
The radar gun never came.
Had life given us lemons? For a moment we thought our episode was lost. But then a very nice man from Lamborghini of Las Vegas said 7 very exciting words to Matt, “Would you like to drive the Balboni?” No, life had not given us lemons. In this case, life felt bad about the lemons, so it took them and made us lemon sorbet, which it fed to us while giving us a back-rub.
The momentarily-dark day turned into one of the best yet. The key players? A Lamborghini LP-560-2 Balboni Edition, a 1000hp Ford GT TT by Heffner Performance and a VF Engineering-Supercharged Audi R8. Check back Tuesday to see the incredible footage, and find out who was the fastest. For now, enjoy the behind-the-scenes pictures.
TST Exclusive: Inside STILLEN
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Today was a good day. Today I got to meet one of my racing idols, Steve Millen, and get a behind the scenes tour of Steve Millen Sportparts, aka STILLEN, his extremely successful aftermarket business. If you don’t know who Steve Millen is, stop reading this now and click on his BIO. If you aren’t completely blown away by a racing history like that, well then you aren’t a car guy anymore. Steve has raced nearly every type of vehicle conceivable; if it has four wheels and an engine, chances are, Steve has driven it fast enough to scare the crap out of anyone brave enough to ride along. He’s arguably the winningest sports car driver of all time, and has been tuning street cars for nearly 25 years.
A 500hp duo-charged Elise; imagination realised.
Friday, December 11th, 2009
When you think of the perfect Lotus Elise, what do you see? I see exactly what rolled out of the factory, it’s incredible, just with more power. In fact, whenever I see a car I like, I almost always say, “If you just did _____ it would be incredible.” Its why guys put V8s in WRXes or think Ford GTs need double the stock hp. Automakers give us what they think is best for us, like the cautious parent giving their kid a bicycle over a dirt-bike. Silly parents. We’re just going to build a rickety ramp and prop it up on the roof…
Radical Rides and the Optima Ultimate Streetcar Invitational
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009The Smoking Tire heads out to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch for the Optima Batteries Ultimate Streetcar Invitational, where SEMA Showcars get the crap kicked out of them on the race track. While there, host Matt Farah not only gets to test out the track himself in a Lotus, but also gets a ride from a pro driver in a Radical SR3.
Audi R8 4.2 Supercharged, Faster than V10 FSI?
Monday, September 7th, 2009The Smoking Tire takes to the track in the baddest R8 yet, Project Raptor by Performance Outfitters and PES Tuning. Host Matt Farah puts the Raptor through its paces at New Jersey Motorsports Park to find out if a supercharger makes for a faster car than a couple of extra cylinders.
