Hyundai has teamed up with Gogogear Racing to develop a high performance racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe that will be unveiled next month at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Gogogear Racing Genesis Coupe has been developed to illustrate the Hyundai Genesis Coupe’s “racing reliability and high-end performance capabilities” to “not only match the best from Asia, Europe and America, but beat them” according to Ali Arsham of Gogogear Racing.
Two cars from the Honda stable stand out for me, and probably for most people as they were the cars that made car enthusiasts sit up and take note. I’m talking about the Honda NSX supercar and the free reving Honda S2000 roadster. Sadly, due to the economic disaster that is the credit crunch, most car manufacturers have laid off plans to build performance vehicles, and Honda is no exception. Having withdrawn from Formula One and from MotoGP, Honda also shelved the development of several next-generation vehicles, including the 2010 Honda NSX and the Honda CR-Z convertible. Sadly, Honda also announced the end of the Honda S2000 after a 10 year production run.
The S200 was initially unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995 and was released in 1999 as a limited-edition vehicle to celebrate Honda’s 50th anniversary. It harked back to Honda roadsters, such as the S500, S600 and S800 from the 1960s. However, the success of the S2000 resulted in an extended production run that would last 10 years! Throughout its the production, the S2000 remained true to the original model with only two model variants: the AP1, which was the initial model; and the AP2, which was designated to vehicles produced after mid-2003.
Nissan is to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Datsun 240Z’s first SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) National Championships in the U.S. with the release of an Anniversary Edition Nissan BRE 370Z. Forty years ago in 1970, the Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) racing team successfully campaigned a Datsun 240Z to the first of two SCCA C-Production class championships, making the 240Z, the first Japanese car ever to win a national championship in the USA. The Datsun 240Z, followed by the Datsun 260Z and the Datsun 280Z would retain the SCCA C-Production class championship for the rest of the decade but BRE turned its attention to the SCCA Trans Am 2.5 class where it campaigned a Datsun 510 to consecutive championships in 1971 and 1972. BRE disbanded in 1973 when the SCCA Trans Am 2.5 class was canceled.
Renault has recently confirmed its intention to relaunch the Gordini badge from next year exclusively for European market. In March this year, Renault’s Director for Global Marketing, Stephen Norman, revealed that Renault plans to relaunch the badge at a performance level above that of the Renaultsport! The first vehicle to receive the Gordini treatment will be the Renault Twingo Gordini RS, which will make its debut at the L’Atelier Renault in Paris on 25 November, followed by the Renault Clio Gordini RS, which will be launched early next year. A Renault Megane Gordini RS coupe is also in the pipeline.
Porsche and Nissan are at it again, trading (unofficial) lap times at the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit. Nissan claimed a time of 7:29.03 for the Nissan GT-R in April last year, which Porsche subsequently disputed when they could only achieve a lap time only 7:54 with a U.S.-spec GT-R! Porsche were testing the 911 Turbo, which achieved a lap time of 7:38, and the 911 GT2, which achieved a lap time of 7:34. Nissan of course offered Porsche some driving tips.
Another performance car that made its U.S. debut at the Los Angeles International Auto Show this week was the all-new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. The next Lancer EVO X had made its world debut last month in Japan and features a new high-performance 2.0-liter turbocharged MIVEC engine.
Sharing the stand at the Los Angeles International Auto Show were two Mitsubishi Lancer rally cars, the 1981 Lancer 2000 Turbo and the 2005 Lancer World Rally Car (WRC 05), that represent the Lancer EVO X’s long rally heritage. However, a forth Lancer, the WORKS Speed World Challenge (SWC) Lancer represents the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X’s assault on the race track!
Here’s a little news just to add to the anticipation around the all-new Nissan GT-R. Earlier today Nissan began their pre-launched activities for the release of the GT-R on October the 24th by launching the official GT-R website, www.gtrnissan.com. The website will provide information on the car, including latest news and specifications, in Japanese, English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Dutch.
The new GT-R will be known as the “Nissan GT-R” in all global markets and goes on sale in Japan in December starting at around ¥ 7.8 million. That makes it about $68,000 or more than $65,000 more than I have saved up so I’ll be accepting donations towards a purchase soon! 
[Source: Nissan]
In the 16 years after the C110 series Skyline GT-R, the Skyline went through three more generations; the C211 series, which appeared in 1977, the R30 series, which appeared in 1981, and the R31 series, which appeared in 1985. The C211 series saw the release of the turbocharged Skyline 2000 GT-EX (KGC221) in 1980. The Skyline 2000 GT-EX was seen as the replacement for the PGC110 Skyline GT-R that featured a turbocharged, SOHC 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder L20ET engine that produced 145 bhp and met emissions restrictions! The R31 series Skyline saw the introduction of Nissan’s 4-wheel steering system, the High Capacity Active Steering (HICAS) system, and the RB-series of six-cylinder engines. Both would become key features of future Skyline GT-R models.
Then, in 1987, with Nissan moving back to motorsport, the R31 series Skyline saw the introduction of the Skyline GTS-R coupe, which was built to meet the homologation requirements for Group A Touring Car racing. The Skyline GTS-R coupe was powered by a turbocharged, DOHC 2.0-liter, 6-cylinder RB20DET engine that produced 210 bhp. Nissan was moving back towards the Skyline GT-R but after the demise of the PGC110 Skyline GT-R, the Skyline had become a bigger and heavier vehicle and lost much of its sporting heritage. All of this was to change in 1989 with the release of the eighth generation R32 series Skyline!
Fiat recently resurrected the legendary Abarth badge when they displayed the Fiat Grande Punto Abarth at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. As you probably know, the Abarth badge has been synonymous with Fiat’s endeavors in the field of motorsport since the 1970s when it became part of the Fiat group. Previously, Abarth had been one of the most successful tuners in Italy. After its acquisition by Fiat, Abarth became the car manufacturer’s racing department and were responsible for Fiat’s rally cars, of which the Fiat 124 Abarth and the iconic Fiat 131 Abarth were most prominent. In fact the Fiat 131 Abarth won the Manufacturer’s World Rally Championship in 1977, 1978 and 1980, and won the Driver’s Championship with Markku Alén in 1978 and Walter Röhrl in 1980. In the 1980s Abarth became a performance badge for cars such as the like Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130 TC before disappearing in the 1990s.
Through its various incarnations, from the R32 of 1989 to the R34 that was last produced in 2002, the Nissan Skyline GT-R has become an icon of modified car enthusiasts and is one of the most sort after car for modification projects, despite being sold exclusively in the Japan Domestic Market (JDM).
However, the Skyline GT-R emerged almost two decades before the arrival of the R32, and wasn’t always produced by Nissan! In fact the first series Skyline was produced and sold by the Prince Motor Company, which had evolved from the Tachikawa Aircraft Company that produced the Japanese Zero fighter planes during World War II. After the war, the Tachikawa Aircraft Company diversified into manufacturing electric vehicles under the Tama Electric Car Company which changed its name in 1952 to the Prince Motor Company in honor of the crowning of Prince Akihito. The Price Motor Company produced petrol powered cars using engines produced by Fuji Precision Industries. In 1954 the Prince Motor Company and Fuji Precision Industries merged with the Prince name falling away until 1961 when Fuji Precision Industries changed its name to the Prince Motor Company.
The first series Skyline, the ALSID-1, was introduced in April 1957 and featured a 1.5-liter OHV GA-30 engine that produced 60 bhp at 4,400 rpm and reached a top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph). The first series Skyline was upgraded in 1958, when it became the ALSID-2 and featured a more powerful 1.5-liter GA-4 engine that produced 70 bhp at 4,800 rpm. In 1961 the first performance derived Skyline was released, namely, the Skyline Sport (BLRA-3) that was available as a coupe and a convertible. The Skyline Sport featured a 1.9-liter OHV GB-30 engine that produced 96 bhp and 113.5 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately the Skyline Sport proved too expensive to produce and was discontinued in favor of the S50 series Skyline that appeared later in 1961. The S50 Skyline became one of the most desirable cars in Japan in the early 1960s and was powered by a 1.5-liter OHV G-1 engine that produced 73 bhp and 87 lb-ft of torque.
In 1964 the legendary Skyline GT-R was born when Prince built a modified a S50 Skyline for racing purposes, designating it as the S54 Skyline GT. The Skyline GT featured a longer front end to accommodate a six-cylinder 2.0-liter OHC G-7 engine and was raced in the GT-II class at the 2nd Japanese Grand Prix. The Skyline GT managed to finish 2nd through 6th in the GT-II class, being beaten only by a race built, mid-engined Porsche 904 GTS!
Following its success, Prince created a street version of the Skyline GT. Two versions were built: the Skyline GT-A and the Skyline GT-B. Both were powered by a G-7 engine but the GT-A featured a stock G-7 engine with a single carburetor and made 106 bhp, while the GT-B featured a high compression G-7 engine with three Weber 40DCOE-18 carburetors and made 127 bhp! The latter also featured a limited slip differential and a 5-speed, close ratio manual transmission. The Skyline 2000 GT-B production continued into 1968 during which time in garnered quite a few race victories and is considered by many to be forerunner to the Skyline GT-R.
Meanwhile, Nissan and Prince merged in 1966 with the S50 Skyline appeared as part of the Nissan range for the first time. Two years later the third generation C10 series Skyline appeared, and in February 1969 the first Skyline GT-R, designated the PGC10, appeared! The PGC10 Skyline GT-R was powered by a DOHC 2.0-liter S20 engine that produced 160 bhp, the same horse power as the Porsche 911 of the time! Not surprising as the S20 engine was basically the same as the GR-8 engine that powered the Nissan R380 racecar to victory over the Porsche Carrera 6 at the 3rd Grand Prix of Japan in 1966! The GR-8 engine was a race developed, multi-valve, DOHC engine based on the G-7 engine. The PGC10 Skyline GT-R was initially available as a 4-door sedan with a 2-door coupe, designated the KPGC10, being added to the range in March 1971. The KPGC10 Skyline GT-R was even lighter than the PGC10 Skyline GT-R and featured a shorter wheelbase. Both the PGC10 and the KPGC10 had great success on the race track, notching up 50 race victories in one and a half years of the C10 series Skyline’s production.