2012 Infiniti M35h/M Hybrid

The Numbers

• 302 hp, 258 lb-ft of torque
• 67hp electric motor
• 1.3 kw 340 volt lithium ion battery
• VQ35HR motor from the EX35
• 4300lbs (est.)
• 5.6 (0-to-60)
• EPA 24 mpg city, 32 mpg highway
• Around $55,000 (est.) 

I have always loved Infiniti's for many reason's. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Infinity is the beautiful omitted from the rear of the G35 and FX35 (3.5 L VQ35HR 306hp V6). I thought it sounded like a high horsepower Italian sports car, it was just cheaper, slower, and uglier. A few days ago Infiniti released their new "fastest" hybrid sedan, and in the commercial they put it up to the test against the $95,000 Porsche Panamera Hybrid. The Infinity destroyed the over priced hump back with a 0-to-60 of 5.5  vs. the Porsches slower 5.9 seconds. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQRLS0i9Qbk

Now to get to my opinion of the M35H's styling. I have never been to much of a fan about the newer M35's, i think Infinity has fattened them up. Everything about it seems too round and bubbly, especially the front end. This is a horrible comparison, but i think the new M35h looks similar to a mid 90's Hyundai Tiburon. Sorry. 

The M35h is already equipped with a 302 hp v6, giving it plenty of power. Then they decided to slap on a 67 hp electric motor where the clutch torque converter or clutch would normally be sitting. The electric motor will allow the M35h to travel gas free up to 60mph, the driver just cannot let their lead foot push the gas pedal more then 20% throttle. The hybrid receives a 6 mpg average increase, but that saving comes at the cost of being 265lbs heavier and much more expensive. Overall, I am happy to see that the performance aspect of cars is not being lost because of the huge pressure to increase fuel efficiency and cut down on emissions. As long as car companies are constantly one upping each other with performance specs, maybe in a few years we will witness competitions like Mustang vs Camaro for the high gas mileage world. Imagine if Infinity put this motor in an even lighter sports car, that would be a perfect world. 

Top Gear U.K. yay or nay?

 

     The Top Gear UK series has been one of my favorite automobile review shows (actually of any show) that I have ever seen. The combination of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond leads to a perfect group of car review gurus. Jeremy Clarkson is my absolute favorite with his extreme humour, and his never ending hatred for almost every American car. I love American cars, but his jokes on the US car industry never get old. The only thing thats bothers me is that he doesn't stick to what he says he likes. The first time Jeremy drove the 638hp supercharged 6.2 liter V8 he said he was "in love". But later on in the series he brought the ZR1 over seas and drove it around their Top Gear track side by side with the 2nd generation Audi R8. Jeremy took back his original positive statement about the ZR1 and only had negative things to say.

      In my opinion the ZR1 and the 5.2 liter Audi R8 are 2 completely different cars. On one hand you have an all wheel drive naturally aspirated 525hp optional automatic transmission luxury car, and on the other you have a supercharged 638hp 6.2 liter real wheel drive 6 speed manual demon on wheels. I agree that both cars are built for performance and as a symbol of status, but in my opinion the cars main volatile variable is the driver. Its hard to mess up driving an Audi R8 when you could throw the keys to a sixteen year old girl and she could drive the car flawlessly. But it takes some talent, patience, and skill to control and be able to fully harness the capabilities of the Zr1.
    I dont like that Jeremy Clarkson and the rest of Top Gear have turned the show into a slight satire, exaggerating and sometimes completely lying about some of the cars they review and drive on the show.  In 2008 the hilarious trio reviewed a fully electric Tesla, but gave a horrible testimony on the car. The cast said the Tesla ran out of battery power after just 55 miles, but the car actually lasts for over 210 miles. Tesla decided to sue Top Gear over the accusations earlier this year.

   I love the show Top Gear, but it seems that it is about pure entertainment more then the actual facts and specifications of the car they have on hand. It also bugs me that Jeremy Clarkson is rarely pushing the cars to their limits by himself. He has video of him driving the cars and acting like a crazed lunatic, but he is having stunt drivers to all the cool exterior action shots. If you have the guts to bash a piece of art that a company has been working on for years at least have the guts to push the car to its limits, and dont lie or change your mind about your opinion later to please your country.

Nissan AMS Alpha 12 GTR

     I live in downtown Chicago and today I saw and heard a piece of human engineering that sent shivers down my spine, a 2012 Nissan GTR with the AMS Alpha 12 package. I usually ride my single speed bicycle all over the city, taking notice to every cool car and every automobile that looks as if it has been taken care of and worked on by their owners.
     I have seen plenty of GTR's in the city but this one was noticeably different. An extremely aggressive stance that made the car look like a stalky pit bull, making it appear as if it were going mach 2 sitting at a red light. The ridiculously wide street slicks and were obviously not put on for every day use, or for your wife to run errands with. The spoiler was gone which i have to say makes the Alpha GTR look unbelievably sleek and aggressive. But what surprised me the most was the sound of this pure performance machine. When I rode up next to it I new it wasn't stock, but i had no idea the owner was sitting in a 1500bhp beast. The car had the slightest purr at idle, giving the average person no hint of what this masterpiece is capable of. Then the light went green and i heard the driver put the 6 speed dual clutch transmission into 1st with the loudest metal on metal sound i thought a car shouldn't make, but a transmission capable of holding together with over 1500bhp has to be bulletproof.
    Once this beast was in motion you could feel the power on your chest, like being at a rock concert feeling the bass compress your body. The sound of the car at 3,000 rpm was enough to give me goosebumps and have every pedestrian stop and stare in envy. This GTR was so incredibly loud, and i could feel the air being sucked to the front of the car, fueling its sensation need for air. 1500hp is  a number the average person doesn't even understand, even the stock cars performance is something most car enthusiasts couldn't handle.
   A little over a year ago i saw a video, that i will put a link to, that showed a Nissan GTR with 770 awhp (all wheel horsepower) that was able to stay almost neck and neck with the almighty 1001hp Bugatti Veyron which is capable of speeds over 253mph. That Nissan had over 700 less horsepower, and much slicker tires. Imagine what this 1500bhp and over 1350awhp Nissan could do to the $1.7 million Bugatti, im pretty sure it would be a joke and make the cocky Bugatti owner second guess his huge investment in a car that was embarrassed by something less the 25% of the price. I would give anything for the opportunity to drive an AMS GTR, actually just to drive a GTR.
     Another company to keep an eye out for is Switzer Performance, they are known for their work on Porsche's. Switzer has a a car called the Switzer GTR R1K which puts down an amazing 1250awhp and runs a 9 second quater mile. This sounds unfathomable when you think about the $2 million Bugatti SuperSport that does the quarter mile in 9.8 seconds. But what is even more impressive is that the AMS GTR broke a world record when it ran a 8.9 second quarter mile at 169 mph.

Here are a few links to some amazing Nissan GTR's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNoo2r1q_0A


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHtzXCTV87c&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D7wA3shjuP-Y


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_RJMc0hD58


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbYlZ18r4gU&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_inRdoMdqg&feature=related

 

Underground Racing

       Underground racing is a small aftermarket performance company for high end exotic cars. I check youtube and streetfire.com daily to see if any new cars or aftermarket companies have made a new car that pushes the concept of speed. It seems that every already fast car is getting a pair of turbo chargers slapped onto it and pushed to its limit, and this seems to have started with the work done on the Ford Gt's. The 2005 Ford GT had a supercharged 5.4 liter V8 that produced 540bhp, a lot for the time. But one crazy owner of a Ford GT
decided to get rid of the supercharger and slap on 2 enormous turbochargers. After a few months of work Joes Ford GTtt was complete, and pushing well over 1,300whp, or 1,495bhp if there is a 15% drivetrain loss. This is an incredible gain in power, and it was the start to the insane world of high horsepower street legal cars.
      Underground Racing is based out of Charlotte, NC. I remember the first video I saw of their Lamborghini and my jaw hit the table. I thought that Lamborghini's stock 5.2 liter V10 with 540bhp was plenty, especially with how light the car is. But some people just wont settle for that number. Underground racing offers many different upgrade packages ranging from 770awhp all the way to a mind boggling 1,550awhp. There are many videos online that will leave most car enthusiasts speechless, and they all give proof to the quality and pure power of these cars.
      The fastest thing with a motor and wheels that i new of was the Suzuki Hayabusa, capable of a sub 10 second 1/4 mile and speeds over 180 mph. Now imagine that bike with 317whp, lots of carbon body work and a trained rider. The combination sounds almost unbeatable, but UGR's (UnderGround Racing) Lamborghini puts this bike to shame.

Watch this and be in awe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxTAbxIAMU4&feature=related

The Ultimate Car Showdown

A few years back Car & Driver had a shootout with the best of the best. The magazine rented out a airport runway and had a race from 0-200 mph, a feat unimaginable a few years prior. These were the contenders:

• 2006 Lingenfelter Z06 Twin Turbo
• 2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
• 2007 Heffner Lamborghini
• 2006 Hennessey Venom 1000 TWIN TURBO
• 2006 Heffner FORD GT1000TT

None of these cars had over 1000whp, and almost all of the cars had technical problems during the run. I think that the Car & Driver needs to have another 0-200mph shootout with the amazing cars that are out today. This is my dream list:

• AMS Alpha 12 GTR-1350awhp
• Twin Turbo Lamborghini Gallardo from Underground Racing-1550awhp
• Twin Turbo Ford GT-1900whp
• Bugatti SS-1200bhp
• SSC Ultimate aero 2 Tuatara- 1350bhp
• Switzer R1K GTR- 1250awhp
• Ultima GTR- 1000whp
• Koenigsegg Agera- 910bhp

Who do you think would win to 200mph?