The road less traveled, the snow well-conquered
Given the chance to ride motorcycles in the winter, a sane rider might politely decline, but what’s life without a few two three-wheeled thrills? On a recent invitation by Ural Motorcycles we did just that, responding “yes, please” (pronto) while simultaneously reaching for our bags, and multiple changes of underwear. Next stop, cold and soggy [...]
Socialist or not, this car is bitchin'
The name Renault in American minds mostly conjures up memories of that horrid little Le Car that came to our shores in the 1970s and 80s. But Renault is hugely successful in Europe and produces positively wonderful cars like the Mégane Renault Sport hot hatch. Just announced, the French automaker has pulled the covers off [...]
You say you want a "revolution"
Sometimes, we get so used to a certain product that no true changes are ever really made for years, decades even. Toilet paper comes to mind. Another is the pneumatic tire. Sure, the modern tire is a wealth of technology and high grade materials such as synthetic rubber, sulfur, carbon, steel, etc. Heck, recent years [...]
The one, the only
The MX-5 is the quintessential roadster. Balanced, tractable and compliant, it’s a true driving purist’s car. And Mazda churns out special editions of their venerable little roadster like the Alien Mother pops out face huggers. Perhaps the most significant permutation of the MX-5 is the Mazda MX-5 Super20, a one-of-a-kind version that first bowed at [...]
Love it or hate it, the new 2012 BMW 335i (internally, F30) makes a bold statement. A continuation of BMWs design language found in the current 5 and 7 series, especially in the completely reworked front fascia with its exposed kidney grilles and elongated headlamps, the 335i makes no bones about what it’s here to [...]
It'll probably scramble your eggs
Triumph Tridays is a huge motorcycle event taking place every year in Neukirchen, Austria. The all-grass 400-meter scramble means you’ve got to have traction, stability and robust but manageable power. This year, you’ll see the Triumph Tridays Rumbler have a go at it. On the technical side, Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler (say that ten times) of LSL [...]
No more Alfredo sauce
If you’re a car nerd like some of us here at GP, you can spot mid-cycle changes made to an automobile with just a cursory overview (when sober). These mid-cycle refreshers are common in the industry but not so much for Ferrari. The Ferrari California is an exception, and the changes are welcomed. Though plenty [...]
A big green vision for the deep blue sea
Every so often, your average citizen does something remarkable. But dreaming big and actualizing that dream don’t often happen unless you’re Sir Richard Branson or James Cameron. In the case of Switzerland’s Raphael Domjan, the dream has become a reality no one could have forseen. The Tûranor PlanetSolar was birthed from a vision by Domjan. [...]
Naked in the dark
The BMW F800R is a phenomenal bike in its own right. Nimble, responsive and powerful, the F800R is a rider favorite due to its great naked bike looks and fantastic performance. So, how do you make it better? You send it to Russian tuner, Vilner and let them have at it. The stunning result is [...]
British Excess
No question, the Aston Martin DBS is a looker. Good enough for James Bond, good enough for us (even though Bond could’ve saved Her Majesty a cool $100K by using a V12 Vantage with the same output as the DBS). Well, Aston Martin’s svelte darling will soon say farewell after five years to make way [...]
Curved for your pleasure
Admit it. If your wife/girlfriend was cool enough to let you put a hulking driving simulator in your living room, you wouldn’t hesitate for a nano-second. Well, if you do ever get the green light (good luck), behold the bank draining option that is the Motion Simulation TL1 Driving Simulator ($18,600). Built in collaboration with [...]
Be my Valentino
After more than 40 years as a test driver for Lamborghini, Valentino Balboni retired. In place of a gold watch the Italian supercar maker crafted a limited edition model (only 250) in his honor: the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni — yes, it’s a mouth full. That very car birthed two beautiful descendants. Our [...]
One-wheel drive
We can all agree that the morning commute is broken for many. With no fix in sight, mechanical engineer Chris Hoffman of Ryno Motors has proposed a solution that turns more heads than it does wheels. Meet the Ryno Single Wheeled Electric Scooter. Looking like Segway’s one-legged cousin, this self-balancing electric scooter offers riders even [...]
Getting the van back together
Any musician worth his Gibson knows that the best way for a band to turn a profit is through touring. That’s easy enough for Maroon 5, but a bit harder when you’re not bringing in Moves Like Jagger swagger. Touring buses are unwieldy and expensive to operate, (though it hasn’t stopped John Madden) and regular [...]
Built for speed... and production
A couple of months ago, news of the Nissan Juke-R Concept hit the web. Nissan execs Jerry Hardcastle and Paul Wilcox gave the project the nod and approached the minds at Ray Mallock, Ltd. in the UK, who subsequently chopped at Nissan GTR by 250 mm and saved the all-wheel drive system, suspension and beefy [...]
