Holiday Spirit!

Happy Holidays from Seventhgear Autosport! It's hard to believe that 2010 is winding to a close. Our 1 year Anniversary milestone, Hanukkah, and now Christmas have all passed... and New Years Day is just around the corner. We've got some fun things in store for 2011, and I cannot wait to dive into the new year. One of our New years resolutions is to have more fun with our blog, and with the car culture this year.

There is just so much to follow, in the world of car enthusiasm. The car show circuit is about to ramp up in a major way, as all the major global shows will take place in the next 120 days or so. The North American International Auto Show is scheduled in just a handful of days and there are sure to be some exciting concept cars to come out of that show.

The racing season is just around the corner, and there have been a number of interesting developments in Indycar and in Formula 1. Indycar just finalized a completely new set of chassis and engine design rules for 2012 (turbocharged V6's!), and they have signed 2 new (and Honda is returning) manufacturers with Chevrolet and Lotus. In Formula 1, the off-season shuffle is in full force, and teams are already testing design 'mules' on the track for their 2011 specifications. The KERS hybrid system specification returns too, which should make for interesting racing!

MINI (a car brand close to our hearts) has decided to enter WRC (World Rallye Championship) Racing with a hardcore effort to run the Countryman platform in full race trim. That's huge for MINI, as they have a strong history in Rally racing. Being MINI fans we can only root for them to succeed against the big guns like Subaru, Ford, and Citroen.

Anyway, in a nutshell, we are excited about 2011! Much more to come!

Jenson and Lewis are stuck building it themselves

This is great! It helps a race fan understand how complex these cars are!

Sebastian Vettel is the Champ!

Sebastian Vettel is almost in-human. For you non-F1 fans, pay attention. This guy is a ridiculous sporting talent. Calling him a "guy" is almost aspirational, as he's barely 23. He's more like a boy.

Or a 'man-child'.

His hero is the legendary Michael Schumacher, who he competed against today in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Michael was driving in Formula 1 when Sebastian was just 4 years old.

Sebastian joined the F1 circus full time, 4 seasons ago at just 19! He is the youngest driver to score points in a F1 race (He did so in his first F1 start with Sauber F1). He's the youngest driver to lead an F1 race. He's the youngest driver to achieve an F1 pole position. He's the youngest driver to win an F1 race. You see where I am going with this?

As of this morning, he's also the youngest ever winner of the Formula 1 World Championship.

Some of you might be saying "So what?"

I'll tell you what. Have you ever seen a Football team with a 23 year old quarterback win the Super Bowl?

Given the difficulty in ever making it as a professional racing driver, much less getting through the lower ranks of Formula racing... all the way to the highest echelon (Indycar and to a greater Extent globally, F1). His title as a driver is one of the greatest feats in sports.

There are 1696 players in the NFL. There are 750 in Major League Baseball. There are 432 in the NBA. There are only 24 drivers in the world, in Formula 1. Rare air. To master this sport at all, is a remarkable achievement. To do it by the age of 23, is amazing.

On the surface, F1 racing seems simple. 24 drivers, 24 cars, and a racetrack. Yet, with 150 million live viewers of every race, the scrutiny is immense. With some teams nudging towards a 1 billion (yes, that's with a 'b') dollar annual operating budget to field 2 car/driver combos per season, this is a sport that requires the ultimate of teamwork. It requires team rosters ranging from 300-900 employees (50-75 of which travel to the races) working 24 hours a day to field those 2 cars, all while representing major corporate sponsors . In the case of Vettel that would be Red Bull. The commercial impact of every decision you make as a driver, every mistake, every nuance of your work is scrutinized.

That pressure, he appears almost immune to. Super impressive. Congrats to you, Sebastian!

Ok, lonnnng break... but BACK!

Somehow, in the crazy, zany world of ours I managed to neglect the blog. So here I am.... ready to chat again about all things 'auto'. Stay tuned for thoughts on Sebastian Vettel and his winning of the F1 World Title, a new Lambo in the offers, the end of the Murcielago, the insanity of 'Ferrari World, and many other random musings.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Out from under a rock!

Ok, so I took a little time off from blogging. Like... 2 months. This spring and summer has just flown by... so FAST! We've been busy selling cars and growing our little business at Seventhgear Autosport that I've not taken the time to sit and talk about cool car related stuff.

Welp... gonna change that right about now.

So stay tuned for some random musings! Coming SOON.

Happy Memorial Day!

First, let me say Godspeed to all our fallen veterans.

Without their sacrifices throughout the history of this nation, our populous would not be able to enjoy the fruit of liberty and freedom that we often take for granted.

Blessings to those that stand in harm's way, to represent a thankful nation of individuals, many of whom would never have the courage to do the same.

I salute you.

Dinosaur Bones, Electricity...and Racing. The Final Chapter

Ok... I'm going to first say..."droooool". The Germans are at it again....

Just look at this car. It's fabulous looking.

Better still, it's disturbingly FAST. It can reach speeds of nearly 200 mph.

Even better still, it's extremely powerful. It can clock a 0-60 time in a blistering 3.2 seconds. (That's about as long as it takes to drop something, then bend down and pick it up off the ground, btw.)

The ultimate? It can lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in a ridiculously fast 7 minutes and 29 seconds. That's faster than the Porsche Carrera GT supercar.

The the ultimate "topper"? It can achieve 78miles per gallon. That's right, nearly 80mpg.

How in the world is that even possible? Thanks to the megaminds at Porsche AG, it is.

Introducing the Porsche 918 Spyder. They should've just skipped the typical Porsche numerical model designation and called it the "Porsche Answer"

Combining a traditional V8, and useful plug-in hybrid technology (consisting of two powerful electric motors, and a regenerative braking/battery system), this beautiful beast is good for about 718 horsepower. Yes, you read that right. Over SEVEN HUNDRED horsepower.

No sooner did I anoint the BMW Active Hybrid Concept as the "second coming of the supercar" in my mind, than Porsche decided to unveil this piece of art and magic in Geneva, at the 2010 Auto Show.

Looking at this shift to hybrid powered cars over the last few years, I've witnessed a range of emotions as a "car guy". I'm excited to see symbols of innovative thinking like this, continue in the world of automobiles. This innovation is what has brought us everything from the seat belt (and later the airbag), to the turbo charger and active suspension systems. The Porsche 918 Spyder is yet another example of the march of progress and innovation into the future.

Conversely, like many who cling to the familiar, I'm fearful of the loss of what I have grown to love. There is nothing like the sound of a fabulously tuned, high revving V12 internal combustion engine. Nor is there anything like the music that a 7 liter 427 Cobra makes. It's music to my ears. These things are still enduring symbol of mechanical power, technology, and an aspiration to greatness in times past. These things have also become a symbol of the greater question, that asks if they are now just symbols of 'dated' ideals. I'd like to think not, as I see them as historically significant, but one can argue the contrary.

So where does that leave us?

There is a will now, to explore the frontier of new energy. For example, Sugarcane derived Ethanol powered all the cars in the Indy 500, over this Memorial Holiday weekend. This is a true potential energy source that is clean burning, and is renewable. That's one example is a litany of proposed alternative solutions to the global thirst for energy. However incomplete, flawed and imperfect all of the world's solutions are to energy source change, there is no disputing that all are measurable steps toward a better future.

Behaving like a company with a vested interest in this outcome, Porsche is stepping into the fray to offer something exciting. Something to whet the 'appetite of possibility' for auto enthusiasts around the world. Again, enter the Porsche 918. It is a concept that is both fascinating and admirable. It's a feat of engineering. It's a feat of ideology.

It says to this world that fast, and exotic can be exciting while being mindful.

To read more about this fantastic car, go here:

The Porsche 918 Spyder