The Americans have created a new weapon of terror. The difference between a rocket and a bomb is that a bomb releases all of its energy at once, in all directions. A rocket releases its energy in one direction over a period of time.
Behold the newest North American rocket: The Raptor. American tuner and automaker Saleen, the producer of the awesome S7 and S7 Twin Turbo, snatched the covers off of its most maniacal experiment at the recent New York Auto Show.
Powered by a ravenous engine that thumps out 630 pound-feet of torque and 650hp, the Raptor concept is “designed for the premium performance market.” Saleen estimates an asking price of $185,000, which sounds like a relative bargain compared to the S7 Twin Turbo’s dizzying price of $600,000 (Just a side note, this time last year my house was worth more than that, now, not so much).
Trasmission: standard six-speed manual, directed through 20-inch wheels and tires. The rubber footprints are Yao Ming sized at 275/35 at the front and 315/35 at the rear.
The curb weight theoretically stands at just under 3400 pounds, with 44 percent of the tonnage allotted to the front axle.
Top speed is claimed to be north of 200 mph. Zero to 60 mph slaps you in the face around 3.2 seconds, and from the Christmas tree to the quarter-mile mark will cost you 10.9 seconds.
Saleen says this is just a concept, but it looks too close to production to buy that bluff. Ironically, the chances I’ll ever drive one are about the same as me fulfilling my fantasies with Natalie Portman, but even if they’re 1 in a 1,000,000 at least there’s a chance.
Here’s my dilemma. I can’t justify keeping my Cayman. I don’t have a job, but have some cash saved. I’m paying $50 bucks to fill up the car every week, plus increased insurance, registration, and $1000 a year on tires is too much. I was making good money in the mortgage business but that popped and it’s time to move on. Plus I really enjoy just hopping in a car I don’t care about. That piece of trash I had in high school still gives me fond memories.
I’ve had my car listed for two months, priced right where Kelly Blue Book says it should be, and haven’t had even a nibble of interest.
I know that the most rational and logical car to buy is a used Honda Accord. It has everything I’d need plus it will run every day for the next decade. But as much as I am a practical person I feel that I’m too young to be so practical. I’m 27, I live with my girlfriend and a dog. I feel like I have one foot into marriage and then that means that there’s probably a litter of little Jon’s in the future, blah, blah, blah.
So help me out here. I want a fun car, but also know I should be practical. I don’t want a sports car unless it’s bad ass, and I’m willing to spend at most $20,000.
Top Gear is an awesome show. If you haven’t seen it yet, check your cable listings. In Southern California, I get it on the BBC channel.
I wish there was a show like this in the U.S. but it really doesn’t matter. I’m just happy I can watch it.
The show takes 3 blokes that range from small medium to large and puts them in the most usual and unusual cars with an excellent sense of dry British humor. Jeremey Clarkson is the biggest chap and the show’s star. Each episode usually has a main theme, like racing an airplane against a Veyron from Italy to England or a homemade amphibious car challenge. Around that main theme there are smaller stories, like testing driving everything from a Peugeot to a Koenigsegg and F1 Renault.
Celebrities of all shapes and sizes routinely come on the show for a quick interview and a hot lap around the track in an economy car, complete with an onboard camera watching their face. To be honest I only recognize half the celebrities since it’s a British show.
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When they get their hands on hot cars like an R8 or Gallardo, they do a proper exam on a track and regular roads and the turn the keys over to their anonnymous, “tame” racing drive who does an all out assault on the track. They throw the lap time on a board ranked fast to slow.
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The best measure of a true sports car isn’t it’s ¼ mile or knot to 60 time, it’s how fast can it run a racing lap compared to other sports cars and the Top Gear challenge is a consistently good test.
On top of all that, the footage, camera angles and picture quality kick ass. If you want to see what it’s like going balls out in an Atom, this is as close as you’ll get without a helmet on.
There are two negatives. 1) Clarkson doesn’t appreciate Porsches, which is a bunch of bollocks! 2) The show is British and true to the country’s stereotype the arrogance can be obvious at times, but hey who am I to judge. Half my country is fat and drives SUVs that never go off road.
Overall, great show! Two thumbs up. I watch it every week.
