Tag Archives: Corvette

Racing Maloo – HSV Maloo

Two weeks after starting the ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ blog I remember getting a huge thrill from discovering an HSV Maloo on the streets of Bristol and learning that it was the fastest pickup truck in the world.

Last weekend while at the Britcar British Endurance Championship Racing Weekend at Castle Combe I stumbled across another Maloo this time in full race trim including

slick tyres to compliment it’s 400 hp Corvette LS2 engine which according to one passer by in a Britcar T shirt is tuned to 600 hp good for reaching 60 mph in under 4 seconds.

When I got home I was surprised to learn that there is an Australian racing series for Ford and Holden pick ups, where pickups are known as Utes, which is part of a staircase to find talent for the top tier Australian V8 Supercar series.

Even more surprisingly I have found out that late last year an announcement was made by Britcar to the effect that they would organise a debut season for a UK V8Ute Series using only the rebranded Vauxhall VXR Maloo pickup model.

The cars were to be rented from Britcar with the rental cost including entry fees for a full season of races.

The plan was that at each meeting the Maloo’s would take part in three 40 minute races with mandatory pit stops for driver changes.

The projected series is on temporary hold, I look forward to an announcement from Britcar that the series will get a chance to go public and from Vauxhall that the VXR Maloo gets the opportunity to enter the UK market place.

Thanks for joining me on this Antipodean Racing edition of ‘Gettin a lil’ psycho on tyres’ I hope that you will join me again tomorrow ! Don’t forget to come back now !

Exploring The Limits Of Handling and Performance – Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept Car (Replica)

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The 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray concept car was based on the tubular steel chassis 1957 Corvette SS racing car that was abandoned after the 1957 Sebring 12 hours as a result of an agreement between members of the Automobile Manufacturers Association (AMA) not to build factory developed racing cars.

Vice President of GM Styling William (Bill) L Mitchell is credited with designing and building the Stingray Concept Car featuring a fibreglass body which weighed in at 2,200 lbs around 1,000 lbs lighter than a contemporary production Corvette.

The one off concept was entered by Bill in numerous races from at least April 1959 to at least October 1960 mostly for Dick Thompson and a couple of races for John Fitch, by early 1960 Dick had clocked up several class BM wins.

Powered originally by a fuel injected 4.6 litre / 283 cui which was good for 315 hp at 6,200 rpm the car was used as a test bed for a four speed manual transmission once it’s racing days were over. Today the car which resides General Motors Design Center has a 375 hp 5.5 litre / 327 cui motor fitted.

Styling of the Stingray Concept Car heavily influenced the styling of 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray production car. The strong line around the mid rift would become a feature on many vehicles of the 1960’s the Chevrolet Corvair, Alfa Romeo GTV 2000, almost the entire 1960’s BMW range, the Hillman Imp / Singer Chamoise and NSU Prinz to name but a few.

This particular replica which I have seen at Silverstone many times over the years appears to be based on a 1977 Chevrolet (Corvette ?) chassis and is powered by a 5.4 litre 283 cui engine.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s Concept edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Mechanical Orchestra – TVR T350

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The TVR T 350 is probably as close as one can get to a four wheeled motorcycle that will scare a young mans prospective in laws to death, it’s small and according to one journalist in 2004 the engine belongs in an orchestra pit.

The T 350 comes with TVRs own 350 hp 3605 cc / 219.9 cui Speed Six all alloy 24 valve engine that is canted over at 30 degrees so that it fits into the svelte T 350 body that measures just over 13 feet long by six feet wide by 47 inches high.

TVRs under the direction of previous owner Peter Wheeler dispensed with creature comforts like interior lights, air bags and traction control, though these vehicles did come with air conditioning.

Weighing just 2,616 lbs / 1,187 kg performance from rest to 62 mph was 4.4 secs up to 100 mph in 9.5 secs with an official top speed of 175 mph.

Production of the T350 ran from 2002 until 2006 when Russian/Greek/British baby oligarch Nikolai Smolenski took over the company and soon after halted production of all TVR models.

Allegedly Mr Smolenski has announced various plans to restart production most recently with a Corvette powered model which might be built anywhere between Blackpool and Cape Town, here is hoping this hairiest of automobile brands finds its way back to the market soon.

My thanks to the Pistonhead who brought this T350 along to the Sunday Service at the BMW plant back in January.

Hope you have enjoyed todays orchestral edition of Gettin’ a little psycho on tyres and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Sub 7 Second Family ? – Chevrolet Corvette C1

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After a thrilling Aarrons 499 in April ’09, my friends Throttleneckracing and Checkeredflagstilettos kindly took me back to Atlanta and put me up in a hotel using TNR’s loyalty points and we had a great meal at a local Cracker Barrel.

That night my head still buzzing from a combination of jet lag, 3 days of Alabama sunshine and hundreds of laps of 200 mph racing action I found my self watching drag racing for the first time on the Speed Channel.

Despite the fact I was physically exhausted, I was enthralled and fully engaged mentally by the sight of earth shaking top fuel drag cars spitting flames a good 10 to 20 feet into the air.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I met Drag Racer Chris ‘Backdraft’ Hartnell on a Bristol Pegasus Motor Club trip to Race Retro at Stoneleigh and such was his enthusiasm for the sport I am determined to go and see a drag race at Shakespeare County Raceway this year.

If I am lucky I hope to catch site of this outrageous pro modified Corvette C1 run by Ian Hanson and his family team comprising his wife Pauline son Richard, brother Colin, sister in law Karen and nephew Tom.

Chris tells me that Ian’s car has this outsize magneto to deliver charge to the spark plugs in place of a battery which would be run flat by the electrical requirements of this humongous motor.

The blurb on Ian’s motor read something like “8860cc / 540 cui all alloy New Century Chevrolet Big Block, with forged Arias pistons, Brooks alloy rods, Howards billet crank, and Aviade dry sump oil system that is hiding behind an Enderie ‘Big & Ugly’ injector hat and fuel system with an 8/71 Teflon Stage 4 Littlefield Supercharger”.

Last year Ian set a new Supercharged Outlaws UK et record of 7.29 seconds over a distance of 402 meters.

The record was set with the engine in a ‘mild state of tune’ producing around 1,700 (Seventeen Hundred) hp !

This year Ian will be turning up the boost a little further…

and attempt to cover the 402 meters in under 7 seconds.

I am sure you will join me in wishing Ian all the best, with a little luck I’ll be there to see it, with a bit more luck I might just have time to take a photograph.

Thanks for joining me on today’s ‘mild state of tune’ edition of ‘Gettin a lil’ psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Unlimited Grass Track Racer – #SS11 Xtreme Chevrolet

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It is a great privilege to get down and dirty on the 11th Day of Christmas with Adrian Turners eye popping Unlimited Class 10 #SS11 Xtreme Chevrolet grass track racer built in 2009.

State of the art Xtreme Race Car chassis have been built in Somerset by South Somerset Autograss Club founder members and regular race winners John Gay and Russ Shepherd since 2006.

Adrian Turner a building contractor started racing in 1984 and qualified for the 2010 Nationals with this car.

The National Autograss Sport Association (NASA) Class 10 is for open wheel vehicles with motors over 2065 cc / 126 cui with no limits on the tuning. Adrian’s car is fitted with an all aluminium (US pronunciation) 5,665 cc / 345.7 cui LS6 engine more usually found at home in the front of a Chevrolet Corvette.

Lighter than a Formula One car at 600 kgs / 1323 lb and with around 480 hp at the rear wheels transmitted by a two speed gear box the #SS11 Xtreme Chevrolet is capable of over 100 miles an hour on 1/4 mile muddy grass tracks thanks to the grip afforded by 15 inches of rear suspension travel.

Sadly soon after I took my photographs of the #SS11 Xtreme Chevrolet it was badly damaged by crash barriers after a roll while in the hands of one of Adrian’s friends, thankfully no one was hurt. Adrian plans to rebuild the chassis around a smaller engine with a FIAT Seicento body.

I’d like to thank Tim Street of Rebel Racers for his assistance and the last photo in this blog and Adrian for his time, I am sure you will join me in wishing them both the best of luck for the season ahead, I look forward to catching Tim and Adrian at the first grass track meeting of the year at Oak Tree Arena on the 20th of March.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s grass roots edition of ‘Getting a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and that you’ll hop aboard with me tomorrow on the 12th and final day of Christmas for a ride on an icon from London. Don’t forget to come back now !

I JUST WANT ONE ! – Maloo R8 !

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The odd Latvian Lada Zhiguli notwithstanding it’s not everyday I amble along the streets of Bristol and get stopped dead in my tracks on seeing a vehicle and think WTF is that I want one and want it now !

Such was the case with this vehicle, which oozes refinement and speed by the bucket load yet looks like a pick up. Turns out the Maroo R8 is manufactured by Holden Special Vehicles in Australia and has it’s origins in the humble Holden Ute – pick up.

This Maloo R8 would appear to be the latest E series introduced in 2007, which features a 412 hp 6 litre / 366 CUI LS2 V8 from the Corvette parts bin.

This pick up does not just look fast either, it holds the record for being the worlds fastest pick up timed at 168 mph / 271 kph a staggering 13.5 mph / 22 kph faster than its closest competitor the Dodge Ram SRT-10.

I don’t think its a stretch to say the Maloo R8 is a considerably better looker than the Dodge either.

For a long time the 1970 Chevrolet El Camino has been my dream pick up, my dream just took a turn for the Australian outback 🙂

Hope this Antipodean Stunner leaves you in good spirits for the week ahead, Don’t forget to come back now ! Hear ?

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring