Searching by my name, I found that I made it on to the hood. Check it out….

..very awesome.

]]> http://www.thekickitspot.com/2012/01/im-immortalized-on-the-hood-of-a-porsche/feed/ 0 http://www.thekickitspot.com/2011/08/audi-rosemeyer-concept/ http://www.thekickitspot.com/2011/08/audi-rosemeyer-concept/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:35:10 +0000 admin http://www.thekickitspot.com/?p=4159 During one of my bi-weekly stops to Costco to pick up groceries, I came upon this Maisto scale model of Audi’s concept car, the Rosemeyer. It was first unveiled in 2000 as a concept. For whatever reason, it never made it into production. Looking at it though, it does a bare a striking resemblance to the Bugatti Veyron; it’s even powered by a similar W-16 engine.

One look, and I immediately had to throw it in the shopping cart.

The local dealership, quoted me $570 to replace the front brake pads. Knowing that parts only cost about $200 retail, I quickly said “Eff that,” to the stealership and decided to give it a go on my own. Admittedly, I’m not a grease monkey, but I do have a father who is pretty good around cars. So, in the spirit of Father-Son bonding, I took this opportunity to spend an hour with the old guy to learn this pretty basic car skill…

I started by ordering factory parts from Suncoast Parts and Accessories Store. They have a great reputation among car enthusiasts for selling genuine factory parts at the lowest cost, even when accounting for shipping. What’s also great is that since they are based in a different state, I paid no sales tax. Score!

The basic replacement parts one needs to get to do this job are the brake pads, a set of brake sensors, and a caliper spring set (optional). The manufacturer requires the dealership to replace the caliper spring sets every time the brake pads are replaced. Though I do have a spare caliper spring set, I chose to reuse my existing set as they were still in good shape…

To begin, I jacked up the car and removed both front tires. Then, I got to work with removing the existing spring caliper set.

close up of the retaining pin..

Step 2, in action.

Then, I unhooked the brake pad sensors from all of the various clips and holds. When getting to step 5, I had to be extra careful with the caliper vent valve cap; it seemed like it could easily tear.

To make removing the old pads easier (and to provide clearance for inserting the new pads), I manually deflated the pistons.

A worn out brake pad (left) next to a fresh one (right).

After inserting the new set, it was a matter of doing the above steps in reverse order. Still, there were a few things worth mentioning:

I found it a lot easier to assemble the two pads and the sensor together prior to inserting them into the brake “house”

For the reverse of step 5) By initially hooking the red cable into the caliper spring, it was easier to put the entire caliper spring set back together.

For the reverse of step 2) When reinserting the cotter pin, I had to make sure that the small hole (for the retainer pin) was visible on the “outside.” Otherwise, there would have been no way to insert that retainer pin. Also, the cotter pin went through easier when I depressed the caliper spring.

The other side was similar.

Cheers!

Links:
Suncoast Porsche Parts
Planet 9: Brake Fluid and Pad Change Tips

It comes with an AMG-built 700 hp 6-L twin-turbocharged V12…FTW! I also really like the side mirrors.

Drooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool.

I look forward to this car being reviewed on Top Gear.

Link: Perana

Read more about it here.

The new Cayenne. Born in Leipzig. You hold in your hands an actual piece of guardrail from the Porsche Leipzig test track. It’s here that the Cayenne became more agile, more efficient and more Porsche than ever. 

If you want, you can sign up for Gilt >here< and get $25 off your first purchase.

Link: Vellum

Despite the enclosed tires, the car functions normally. I’d love to see someone drive this in Gumball 3000.

Link: Delahaye Bugnotti

The 612 Scaglietti seats 4, you know, in case I accidently have kids. This would be my daily driver. With HGTS Package. In black, the color of my heart (how emo, lol). Opt out of ubiquitous Scudderia Shields (the yellow Ferrari emblem on the sides) and yellow center rim caps. Clean as can be.

The 599 GTO is a life size Hot Wheels toy. This will be for the weekend. Pick Historical Racing Livery because most people will not; they’ll pick red. Insides will be covered in Alcantara. I have no illusions that this particular model is a practical car, or even obtainable. Most likely, I will have to settle for the regular non-GTO version and in that case, would get it in black, like the Scaglietti.

Link: Ferrari

instructions. paint, smear, let dry for 2 minutes…

then, wipe away using their pink solution…

enh… looks a bit better… whatevers…

Link: Dr. Colorchip

Source

So, here then, is a list of things I will be picking up after Christmas, when 2 or none of the items pictured here will be on sale.

• Thermos Nissan 14 oz leak-proof tumbler
• Woodlore Cedar Shoe Trees for the additional shoes I purchased this last year
• KidRobot Krunk-a-Klaus 3″ Dunny designed by TADO
• Matcha Green Tea
• Tom Ford criss cross aviators
• Porsche key USB memory stick
• John W. Nordstrom cashmere-lined, black leather gloves
• Art of Shaving Power Razor and Stand for Gilette Fusion
• Kiehl’s Creme de Corps – KAWS limited, special edition bottle
• Top Gear Season 10 on DVD

In celebration of the approaching launch of the Porsche Panamera, we’ve enclosed a special book detailing the incomparable characteristics of the first sports car for four. It’s a rare glimpse at the newest member of the Porsche family.

You have to give props to Porsche’s marketing department. The more I look at the car and read about it, the more I like it. It’s growing on me.

Link: Porsche Panamera

Check out that “Fun to Drive” score. I totally agree.

Here are excerpts from the article (Go to the link at the bottom of this post to read the entire article.)

1ST PLACE: 2009 PORSCHE CAYMAN S PDK

In technical editor Kim Reynolds’ first-drive story of the Porsche Cayman S PDK (March 2009), which marked Motor Trend’s initial experience with Stuttgart’s mid-engine seven-speed-dual-clutch sports car, he made a very bold declaration. “It’s now, in my humble opinion, very simply the best sports car in the world.” Since most of you don’t know Kim, allow us to inform you that he is quite possibly the most humble man on the planet. So when the humblest editor states a humble, albeit audacious opinion, his fellow MT staffers perk up and heed the call. Still, the best sports car in the world? Rightfully so, Reynolds had his skeptics.

Well, after flogging the Cayman S around track and twisties, we have only one thing to say to Sir Kim:You were absolutely right.

“No other car here — not one — delivers the Porsche’s Braillelike road-reading,” says St. Antoine. “You can feel every tire doing its work.” Markus wholeheartedly agrees: “Probably more than any other car here, including the R8, this one feels like an extension of your neural synapses.” And Pobst? Why, the first three words to come from his mouth were, “Racecar. Racecar. Wow.” Translation? “The thing about the Cayman is-gosh, I hope they don’t hate me for saying this — I think it’s just about better than any 911. The Cayman is one of the best-handling cars I’ve ever driven.”

As with any great driver’s car, the Cayman’s supremacy comes in myriad forms, not just a single attribute. First and foremost, the Porsche possesses uncanny poise, thanks in large part to the amidships placement of its symphonic 3.4-liter 320-horse flat-six. “The balance is exceptional,” notes St. Antoine. “Turn-in is sharp, yet the rear end stays planted unless you really kick it in a quick turn. It’s difficult to drive the Cayman S badly.” Much of what makes the Porsche so easy to push is its surgical steering. “Most natural and organic steering here,” claims Markus. “The slower ratio ensures that none of the subtle messages coming through the wheel are lost in the rush to steer from here to there.”

 

Of course, what helps establish this Cayman as the ultimate Cayman are the three letters representing Porsche Doppelkupplung. Says Pobst: “I left the PDK in plain-old Drive and let the computer do the work on the shifting, and it always had the right gear for me. It’s a fantastic transmission-incredibly smooth, quick shifts.” So fantastic was the PDK that it managed to turn naysayers into proponents. “I found the new PDK transmission off-putting at first, almost entirely because the pushbutton wheel shifters are just plain dumb,” states St. Antoine. “But after I put it into ‘Sport +’ and hit Laguna for a few laps, I’m not so sure the PDK needs paddles or pushbuttons at all. The transmission is simply brilliant on its own.”

To finish in front of such stalwarts as the R8 and Miata, the Cayman used a little emotion and a lot of speed. “An emotional favorite that backs up the warm fuzzy feelings (which Miata also creates) with serious cred, like 1.0g grip,” says Markus. “Not as light as the MX-5, but more focused on speed and cornering,” notes Loh. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of my quickest lap times, because of the confidence I had with corner entry,” says Pobst. “It is a car that can be driven very hard, very near the limit, off stability control, and still stay completely under control.” In other words, the Best Driver’s Car. (And, yes, Kim, the best sports car in the world.)

RANDY SAYS: “Man, hard to pick. The Audi felt more valuable, it felt more expensive. The sounds coming out of it were finer, more refined. The Cayman was a little bit more of a race car, in comparison. It made great noises and a lot of noise, but good noise, like a screaming-six-cylinder-exhaust noise.”

Our pick for Best Driver’s Car doesn’t jump out at you from the Vehicle Dynamics Scorecard, though hints of its specialness can be found in its best Laguna lap. A car with the sixth-best top speed, yet third-quickest lap time has more than simply good grip going for it. Confidence counts too (check out our subjective ratings graphic). And closely inspect the Laguna lap trace: The Cayman has an extraordinary ability to stretch its lateral g well around many of the corners. One notable idiosyncrasy, though, is its unusually heavy steering effort.

FINAL ANALYSIS
In the end, you’ve got to get a feel for it

What’s most striking about the Porsche Cayman S Vehicle Dynamics Score is that it doesn’t appear to be remarkable at all. It took turning off our elaborate test equipment and simply wrapping our hands on its steering wheel to finally get the picture. After driving all 10 of our contenders on an impromptu road course, we scored them in six, driver’s-car-illuminating categories. And when the results were compiled, our affection for the Cayman S became starkly apparent.

While the Audi R8 and MX-5 Miata — cars at virtually either end of the group’s performance spectrum — impressed us too, subjectively, the Porsche scored even better. It’s as though the Cayman S simultaneously distills most of the R8′s intense performance and mid-engine balance, with the Mazda’s sprightly, and endlessly likable personality. And that’s a potent recipe for our Best Driver’s Car.

PORSCHE CAYMAN S
DRIVELINE: Mid engine/3.4L flat-6/320 hp/273 lb-ft/7-sp twin-cl auto/RWD
SUSPENSION, F;R: Struts, coils, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coils, adj shocks, anti-roll bar
BRAKE DISCS/CALIPERS, F;R: 12.5-in vented, drilled/4-piston; 11.8-in vented, drilled/4-piston, ABS
CURB WEIGHT (DIST F/R): 3176 lb (45/55%)
TIRES, F;R: 235/35R19 87Y; 265/35R19 94Y Michelin Pilot Sport

Link: 2009 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car (18 pages).

Link: Bugatti

Anyhow, once in a while, I like to hit up the local Toys R Us to see what kind of cool cars are available. Most often, I am just looking, amused at the manufacturer’s 1/64 scale rendering of real life automobiles. Usually, nothing really wows me, so I just smile to myself and head on my way. 

Today, however, I came across something you do not see everyday, something special…

Just below eye-level, chilling amongst a dark blue Aston Martin V8 Vantage, a Ford GTO, and some make-believe car, was a Ferrari 250 GTO!!! WOW!!! Not only was it a mini-version of one of the most awesomest cars in the world, it was also black. It was an all-the-stars-are-aligned moment.

As a die hard Ferrari fan, I had to have it. I’m not one to leave it in the packaging and stare. I need to touch it and roll it around on my desk! =)

With only 36 of the 296hp V12-powered Ferrari GTOs in the world, and the last one exchanging hands in 2008 for $28.5 million, the 250 GTO is among the most covetable of the prancing horses.

Designed by Sergio Scaglieti, the 250 GTO has the classic racing lines that modern cars still use as a benchmark.

Back in the 1960s, the 250 GTO dominated over everyone at the World Sports Car championship.

This car is so amazing that every five years, French champagne maker Moët & Chandon sponsor a get-together for current 250 GTO members. The last one took place in 2007 at Infineon Raceway, here in California!

Above photo by: Moët & Chandon / Stephane Foulon

Famous current owners of this legendary car include designer Ralph Lauren and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.

According to the Hot Wheels wiki, there is also a red version.

Links:
Ferrari
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels Wiki
Infineon Raceway
Moët & Chandon
Toys R Us

Built with the intention of garnering “the ultimate performance at the racetrack without any implications of rules, except for safety,” this fine-looking piece of machinery is limited to only 16 in the freakin world.

Quite the stunner. 

Strictly business inside the cabin:

 I can dream.

 Link: Pagani website

Video of Walter Rohrl unleashing the beast within.

Link:
From the inner sanctum – The new 911 GT3, Porsche