Can A Professional Race Car Driver Slow Down Faster Than ABS?

Scott Mansell, a professional racecar driver and host of the Driven Media YouTube channel, sought to find out if a really good driver could stop faster with feel than a computer can with anti-lock brakes.

In the channel’s last video, the driver was able to accelerate faster with just his right foot and a little bit of care than Ferrari‘s finest computer engineers were able to make their car take off with launch control. And in the new video, Mansell admits that he thought it would be a very similar situation with ABS.

This time, though, the channel decided to add another complication to the test. It is a useful one, because even though everyone with a keyboard and an ounce of overconfidence thinks they could threshold brake better than some YouTuber (Mansell, by the way, raced successfully against the likes of Paul di Resta), we couldn’t. So the channel also puts a stand-in for us regular drivers to see how useful ABS is (spoilers below).

Read Also: A Pro Driver Can Beat Launch Control Through The Quarter-Mile

As it turns out, the technology is remarkably useful for everyday drivers like you and me. In testing, the Mazda MX-5 was able to stop in an average of 34.73 meters (113.9 ft) with a variance of less than one meter (3.2 ft) when ABS was involved.

The normal driver, meanwhile, managed a best performance of 39 meters (127.9 ft). He only managed that on his third of five attempts, though. His first attempt – and let’s not forget that we very rarely get more than one chance to stop in an emergency – was 45 meters (147.6 ft) and his average stopping distance was 42.66 meters (139.96 ft), which is a 7.93 meters (26.0 ft) difference. That’s two full NC Miatas.

So, yeah, ABS is, in fact, a useful safety feature. But what if you were a really good driver? Mansell was also given five attempts without anti-lock brakes to try and prove humanity’s superiority, but just as with the regular driver, his first attempt was worse than with ABS at 40 meters (131.2 ft).

Given the opportunity to try again, though, Mansell was able to improve and managed a best performance of 37.5 meters (123 ft). That’s still 2.7 meters (8.8 feet) worse than the ABS system‘s average stopping distance, and Mansell was very inconsistent. So there you have it: humans can’t really match computers when it comes to braking. Case closed.

SUVs Don’t Get More Luxurious Than This Range Rover SV Autobiography Holland & Holland Edition

The Range Rover has already cemented itself as a staple in the luxury SUV world, and the top-of-the-line SV Autobiography is the crown jewel in the lineup. However, this Range Rover SV Autbiography made in collaboration with firearms company Holland & Holland somehow manages doubles down on the opulence.

Listed for sale on Cars & Bids, the SUV was one of just 30 that ever came to the United States and has 30,100 miles (48,441 km) on the odometer. It also wears an exclusive Autobiography Green paint that pairs beautifully with the tasteful chrome exterior trim as well as the Tan and Espresso interior.

See Also: Don’t Let The Familiar Looks Fool You, The 2022 Range Rover Is Exceptional

But what really made this SUV so special was what the Holland & Holland package had to offer. The biggest change over the “normal” SV Autobiography was the leather-upholstered locking shotgun case in the cargo area. Other touches included special Holland & Holland badging on the exterior, seats, dashboard and door sills. The package also brought some improvements to the quality of materials, such as French walnut interior veneers inspired by the wood on Holland & Holland firearm stocks, wood-veneered power rear tables, Acanthus scroll design-engraved door handles, engraved diamond pattern dashboard trim, and knurled metal switchgear.

Other amenities come in the form of executive rear seats with an entertainment system, a power-operated rear passenger-side calf rest, rear footrests, a rear fridge with glasses, and power sunshades on the rear windows. When it was first purchased in 2016, this package added $45,005 to the cost of the SUV, bringing the total price up to $245,495. However, it just sold for $124,300, which is barely more than half of what it cost new 6 years ago.

Powering the Range Rover is a 5.0-liter supercharged V8, which makes a healthy 550 hp (558 PS / 410 kW) and 502 lb-ft (681 Nm) of torque. It sends that power to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed transfer case, but we doubt anyone would dare take this SUV off-road.

This One Of One 1953 Dodge Storm Concept Could Have Taken On The Corvette And The Thunderbird

Every year a bevy of new automotive concept cars arrive across the globe but sadly, a great many of them end up being destroyed. Either due to regulation or other factors, they can’t be salvaged, but that wasn’t always the case. Back in the 1950s, concept vehicles could be treated like any other everyday production car and that’s how this one-of-one 1953 Dodge Storm Z-250 found its way to the Petersen Museum.

Curator of the Petersen Automotive Museum, Leslie Kendall, took to the site’s YouTube channel to give us all the details about this rare classic Dodge. Constructed as an answer to the European sports cars drawing interest in America after the war, the Dodge Storm Z-250 looks like it would’ve also been a stunning competitor to the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford Thunderbird.

The body was designed by world-famous coachbuilder Bertone and beneath it is a rigid tube frame chassis. Externally, it’s very unique when compared to the Ford and Chevrolet products of the day while maintaining an athletic stance. Initially, Dodge wanted to build the car in a way that would allow the owner to swap the body by removing just four bolts.

Read More: Movie Cars and Lowriders Mix In New Peterson Automotive Museum Exhibits

 

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The concept as a whole was actually created by Frank Zeder Jr., son of one of the designers responsible for the 1934 Chrysler Airflow. Zeder Jr. loved racing and so naturally, a HEMI V8 was a part of the package. After it failed to make it to production, he acquired the car and used it for around 16 years before loaning it to a university for some time.

After the loan was over, Zeder Jr. replaced the engine and continued to drive it until finally donating it to the Petersen Museum. Before fully handing over the keys, though, he took Kendall out for a spin and proved its sporting nature. As Kendall puts it, the car laid down substantial bits of rubber around Palm Springs streets. It sure seems like a fitting name for a future Dodge product at this point though. Maybe one of the electrified muscle cars in the near future could carry on the Storm badge.

What’s The Ugliest Car On Sale Today?

We are fortunate to live in a time when there are few truly ugly vehicles on the road. Sure, not every vehicle will win beauty contests, but it was harder than I thought it would be to find vehicles that, as the British mind say, are right mingers.

Sure, the Hyundai Elantra is bold, and perhaps not to everyone’s tastes, but its proportions are kind of correct, and there is something intriguing about it. And, okay, I admit that the Tesla Model Y looks like a speech bubble in a cartoon, but doesn’t make it exceptionally, extravagantly, or even exquisitely ugly.

There was a time when cars looked truly bizarre, like the Fiat Multipla, or Frankensteinish like the Pontiac Aztec. Cars like the Triumph TR7, the Alfa Romeo SZ, the original Jeep Compass, the 1980 Cadillac Seville, and the AMC Gremlin really make eyeballs sear and faces contort.

Read Also: BMW Design Boss Says “Design Isn’t About Pretty Or Ugly” While Defending 4-Series

As far as cars on sale today go, I can only think of a few that really make me gasp. Then again, there is the recent work of BMW. Intended to be divisive, its big-grilled designs are becoming so widely hated that I’m getting bored of dunking on them. The word “divisive,” then, would hardly seem to fit. But surely cars like the M4 and the XM aren’t alone.

I, frankly, think the AMG SL roadster looks quite bad. I admit that it’s not as breathtakingly bad as the M4, but its proportions seem all wrong to me. And I find it especially disappointing that a car designed almost exclusively to be an object of desire looks like a bar of soap after a few uses.

What do you think, though? What’s the ugliest car on sale today? Bonus points if your answer doesn’t begin with BMW.

Consumer Groups Want Automakers To Use Uniform Names For Driver Assistance Systems

As technology continues to advance, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have kept pace with high-tech features. In an effort to differentiate themselves from others, many manufacturers have crafted fancy names for their individual systems and that has caused some confusion. Now, a group of consumer advocates is calling for standardization across the industry.

First announced by Consumer Reports, it joins along with AAA, J.D. Power, the National Safety Council, PAVE, and SAE International in calling for the change. Take a quick spin around different automotive manufacturers’ websites and it’s fairly easy to spot the issue. As the coalition points out, “the terminology used by automakers to describe ADAS features varies widely, which can confuse consumers and make it difficult to understand the vehicle’s functions.”

They go on to say that some of the marketing language associated with these technologies overstates or misrepresents the features themselves. So not only does it seem like consumers are having a tough time figuring out what features a particular vehicle might have, but they’re also struggling to fully understand just how capable those features really are.

Read More: Feds Likely To Find Tesla’s Autopilot Causes More Crashes Than Other ADAS Systems

The features that the coalition wants to see standardized terms for are collision warning, collision intervention, driving control assistance, parking assistance, driver monitoring, and other driver assistance systems. Those six segments cover just about every type of ADAS. If automakers agreed to adjust it would remove any confusion about what the differences between brands actually are.

For example, Subaru, Cadillac, and Toyota all employ some sort of automatic emergency braking in their vehicles but they each call it something different, and it behaves differently too. That’s to say nothing of the various other systems like lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, or active parking assistance – or, worse, things like Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.

Porsche To Auction One-Off 911 Special Inspired By Cars’ Sally Carrera In August

Back in March, Porsche announced that it would turn to its Exclusive Manufaktur department to create a one-off 911 inspired by the Pixar character Sally Carrera from the movie Cars. That car is now finally going up at auction as part of RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction on August 20.

The car is being built to celebrate the beloved character’s 20th birthday. In the film, Sally Carrera (voiced by Bonnie Hunt) is a 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera and this 2022 model is a one-of-one modern-day interpretation of the movie character.

Featured in all three of the Cars movies, Sally Carrera is the owner of the Cozy Cone Motel in Radiator Springs, and her kindness and compassion are what inspired the charities to which the proceeds from the sale are going to. The winning bidder will be supporting both Girls Inc., a charity that supports programming for girls and young women in the USA, and the UN Refugee Agency, which provides aid to children and families affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Read More: Porsche Partners With Pixar To Build One-Off 911 Inspired By Cars’ Sally Carrera

As mentioned above, the 2022 911 Sally Special is being designed by Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur and Style Porsche, but they received help from the Bob Pauley and Jay Ward, the production designer and creative director of the movie Cars.

“It’s been an honor to start designing a modern-day Sally with the creative icons behind the original character,” said Boris Apenbrink, Director of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur Vehicles at Porsche AG, in March. “The collaboration between Pixar and Porsche is a first of its kind and quite fitting the Co-Creation approach of the recently announced Exclusive Manufaktur Sonderwunsch program that allows customers to realize their dream cars. Whoever gets the keys to this special road car will enjoy many great road trips.”

Although this will be more of an homage to Sally Carrera than a direct recreation of the character, Porsche says it has created several bespoke parts for the project. A sketch released by the automaker suggests that the car could get the pinstripe tattoo that was featured in the movie, custom wheels, a manual transmission, and more.

“My own daughters grew up watching Sally, and it’s wonderful that we can mark a special anniversary with something meaningful that will help others,” said Kjell Gruner, President and CEO, Porsche Cars North America. “Translating the spirit of Sally into a new 911 has been fascinating – this time the sports car is intended for our world, and to be driven and enjoyed – it will have a windscreen you can see out of, and shares its panels with the 911 we know and love. But, like Sally, its purpose is to help others – and that makes it extra special.”

Would You Take This Tuned Ferrari F8 Spider Over A Stock One?

Modifying a car like the Ferrari F8 Spider is always bound to trigger debate among enthusiasts.

Some would argue that messing with a car such as the F8 Spider is tantamount to automotive blasphemy. On the other hand, many people love to customize their cars to suit their tastes and if John Smith can add fake Type R badges and other parts to his Honda Civic, then why can’t the owner of a Ferrari make some custom touches to their car?

This particular F8 Spider has been brought to life by German company Senner Tuning and has been outfitted with a number of upgrades that make it stand out.

Read Also: Ferrari F8 Spider Receives Mansory’s Wild F8XX Upgrade Package

Starting off the changes are a set of new springs that work alongside the factory shock absorbers and help to lower the supercar’s ride height. A front-lift kit has also been installed. Senner then turned its attention to the twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8, outfitting it with the Novitec N-Tronic performance upgrade that increases power from 720 hp and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm) to 787 hp and 650 lb-ft (882 Nm) of torque.

The added horsepower and torque allow the Italian supercar to sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.7 seconds. A Novitec exhaust with adjustable valve control has also been installed.

Elsewhere, a set of Schmidt TwentyOne alloy wheels with a Gloss Black finish have been fitted. These wheels measure 20×9.5 at the front and 21×11 at the rear and are shod in Pirelli P Zero tires measuring 245/35 and 305/25 respectively.

As far as modifying Ferrari models go, we think Senner Tuning has done an excellent job with this F8 Spider. The lowered ride height adds to the street presence of the mid-engined supercar and the aftermarket wheels look subtle enough to be mistaken for a set of OEM wheels.