In racing, how fast you want to go is directly proportional to how much money you have to spend. Sure talent and luck both factor in there somewhere, but by and large, speed is a direct byproduct of currency. So it’s no surprise that F1, the pinnacle of motorsport engineering and competition, spends more money than the GDP of most small countries every season. Former...

In 2007 Toyota won the Tokkachi endurance race in Japan using a hybrid race car based on the company’s legendary Supra. To put it bluntly, the Supra HV-R GT made history, giving validity to the idea of an alternative power train in a racing application. Powered by a 4.5 liter V8 putting out 473 hp combined with a brake energy regeneration and drive system, which...

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is currently the only professional green motor sport series that is running here in the United States, which makes it pretty special. Over the course of the 2009 season,  a film crew was present to capture the drivers and teams as they participated in this groundbreaking racing event. Shot completely in high def, the documentary explores...

The trouble about whispering around the water-cooler about new car concept models is that you’ll probably never actually lay a hand on one. Nor will you probably get to the feel the sensation of sitting in a brand new Ferrari 458 Italia, for instance. For those of us who don’t have millions in the bank, settling for a virtual drive in our living rooms is as...

American hybrid with sex appeal By now you’ve had several chances to drool over the Fisker Automotive’s response to the Tesla Roadster, The Fisker Karma and Karma Sunset extended range EV. The Karma is packed with technology and has definite European seductiveness thanks to designer Henrik Fisker, the Denmark born virtuoso responsible for the BMW Z8, Aston...

Audi first brought the e-Tron concept to the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September of last year, and while I was definitely in love with the red paint, the rest of the car left something to be desired. It looks a bit like an R8 from the future by way of 1957. But as with all concept vehicles, there is usually a key factor that makes them important, and with the e-Tron...

There’s an off chance that you haven’t heard of Allan McNish. But then again, if you haven’t then you probably haven’t heard of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, either. McNish has stood on the podium following the hardest race in history more times than you’ve been in line at Whole Foods – and that just barely scratches the surface of the man’s racing career. Along...

Young racers go for the green – and we’re not just talking about cash. By now you’ve probably caught word of Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI Cup. The company with the cutest anthropomorphic spokesbeetle has been slinging diesel-powered race cars around tracks all over the country for almost two years, and the series doesn’t show any signs of letting up soon. The concept...

The Scoop on Formula 1’s Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems. The FIA took a dramatic step towards green racing this year with the introduction of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). Optional in 2009 and slated to be mandatory in 2010, the KERS system scavenges and stores energy otherwise lost under braking to be reused under acceleration. Designed as a move towards...