Leadfoot[YT]

The red accent on the rim fits perfectly. White accents/bright white paint would probably look cool, too. Did you make those rims? -Leadfoot

-- OLD IMAGE REMOVED (imageshack) -- Bam! :cheeky: Kidding, more Loti are always welcome. :) -Leadfoot

This just in (from Jalopnik): It's a backup/support vehicle for a company specializing in BMW motorcycles. Why it's wearing camo, I'm not really sure. Presumably they need to make sure it can work as a support vehicle for high-speed prototype testing. Still, it's crazy cool that it (even just one) exists. :) -Leadfoot

Okay, I personally have a lot of anger towards American industry and the declining state of the country, but do not insult the power of the engine. First of all, it was designed eight years ago by the SRT team seven years ago (*cough*team, Millie*cough* :cheeky: j/k), and as such, I'll provide a list of vehicles that were around during the SRT8's first year of production (~2004) that it had more horsepower than: Ferrari 360 E39 BMW M5 Maserati Gransport Audi RS4 B5 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) Porsche 911 GT3 RS (996) Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage And here's a quick list of present-day cars it's still more powerful than: Audi RS4 B7 BMW M3 E92 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Chevrolet Camaro SS Ford Mustang GT (5.0) Subaru Impreza WRX STI Lotus Evora Chevrolet Corvette C6 Dodge Challenger Porsche 911 GTS Audi R8 4.2 I'll admit, if it were me, I would by no means chose a 300C for that price point (and would be happy with less power), but I can completely understand the appeal. In fact, I know many people who would choose this car over the Ferraris and Porsches listed above. But I wouldn't consider insulting the power of this car (even if you're saying it in relation to engine size). The defining aspect of the car was that it was achievable. Like most modern US muscle cars, it cost a fraction of the sticker on any of the most prestigious vehicles listed above. Sure, they may have been more refined and more connected, but in terms of power? And in a sedan? Also, making the engine huge was a cost-effective way to drop the price. The manufacturer didn't need to worry about squeezing every last horse per liter out of the engine - they just made it huge, rough, and ready. There are tons of kits for this car (and cars like it) that modify the engine in excess of 600, 800, and even 1000 horsepower, but those kits cost money and include parts like superchargers that lower the livability of the vehicle. So, yes, some of us would pick other cars over an SRT8, and you may not recognize the amount of horsepower given the engine size, but 425 horsepower is by no means laughable (or small), even seven years later. :) -Leadfoot

I'll admit, I've always preferred the engine to the car, but you did a nice job converting it. :) -Leadfoot

One might go so far as to call that "s**n". :oook: -Leadfoot

That's a pretty huge project to undertake, and it looks surprisingly good at this stage! Are you basing it on an existing engine, or do you have someone creating the basics from scratch? Hope to see this project follow through! :) -Leadfoot

Ugh... Please tell me that 430 isn't running stretched wheels. :rolleyes: Nice shot, though. -Leadfoot

DBS, Buggy, RT12 - great taste, Ryzza! :) Interesting stripes on that Cat, though. Are they changing color or am I seeing things? :nuts: -Leadfoot

Say what? That's awesome! No wonder it had a free-roam two-player multiplayer mode with police chases, traffic, and varying locations. ;) -Leadfoot

Anything planned for a replacement (like you mentioned earlier)? Sorry you have to see it go. :( Was the transmission the only issue? I see a few E36 M3s around all year, and thought they were strong cars. It seems the SMG is definitely a problem, especially at typical mileage, but did anything else break? -Leadfoot

Anyone else been following the nuclear disasters? I have a strong interest in the field of nuclear energy and solutions, and the situation at the four reactors is a humbling on many levels; the two that partial melted down (at the moment, though no firm solution is in place and it could easily get worse) were rated almost equal to the US's Three Mile Island disaster (the third worst nuclear incident recorded, I believe), and the reasons for it are similar. Unfortunately, the Japanese reactors were faced with a power outage, an earthquake, and a tsunami simultaneously - a combination that will very quickly ruin your day. As a result, they cooled it the only way they could - with seawater. Not only did this not stop the meltdown (though it slowed it), this means somewhere there are now several million gallons of highly radioactive seawater sloshing around. The second issue is that if radiation had been leaked even a small bit, even if it affected just neighboring resident or plant employee, it would make world news headlines. But in combination with the earthquake, tsunami, volcano (yeah...), relief efforts, floods, and manufacturing losses, these nuclear disasters are just now becoming big news. And leaking radiation isn't the only problem; these are power plants, something people need to rebuild the country. Nuclear power plants in particular are hugely important. Powering large areas of land, losing a nuclear plant is like losing the amount of power required to sustain a small US state. But like all disasters, as far away as they may be, there is always the part that hits close to home. For people all over the world who support nuclear power, this was probably a crippling blow, and a turning point in nuclear power. 99% of the time, it's the safest, cleanest, and most reliable source of energy, but it's the 1% that sets people off. Not without good reason, of course (see point two), but it wipes out all debate. The situation in Japan is deep within the worst case scenario for nuclear power, and, unfortunately, it could spell the end for nuclear hopes the world over (and particularly in the US). :( +Rep for that. Also, the volcano (which was considered dormant) just erupted today. It's the Shinmoedake volcano, in case anyone wants to look it up. Here's one video: ^Please note: I watched this without sound, so if there's foul fitting language, I apologize. -Leadfoot

Nice shot! :) -Leadfoot

Nice wheel choice! Of course, I am partial to Civics. :) Could use wheel spacers, though. :cheeky: Those bike shots above are beautiful! :D -Leadfoot

Welcome! :hi: Hope you get your next profile running soon! Always frustrating when that happens. :( :confused: -Leadfoot

Destra didn't fully explain why they can't have both - it's popular belief that part of the Ferrari contract was to remove Lambo from being present at all. This, presumably, includes DLC. I hate to crush your hopes, but it's unlikely that we'll see any Atari-supported Lamborghinis in TDU2. Thanks for posting this, though, and welcome to TDUC! :) -Leadfoot

Unfortunately, it was a school trip (they always have rushed schedules :( ) - otherwise I would've definitely told you. Next time! :) I have some family in Brooklyn, if I go see them I'll let you know. I have actually been to Times Square and Broadway once, a few years ago (coming from an area where pretzels are one inch square, come in a bag, and are stale, pretzel stands are :drool: to me). I'm guessing from experience that supercars are more common on Long Island than in NYC or the neighboring areas. -Leadfoot

It's... whoa. :eek: -Leadfoot

There's a thread like this on Crymod. 47 pages and counting... :) -Leadfoot

True, but IIRC I think there's some kind of business deal that was made for the '07 and later Shelby products that means Ford funds them or something - the Shelby GT500 is a Ford SVT product, IIRC. This is the one I'm least certain about. It's pretty confusing... Anyway, /discussion. :) And since it counts, I like the lighting in the Viper pic. :) -Leadfoot

Way cool. :) -Leadfoot

Got back from NYC today. Unfortunately for car spotting, the group I was with didn't visit the Times Square/shopping areas as much. Fortunately for food, though, we spent a lot of time in Chinatown and then later in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (waaaaay to much for one day). On the way there, however, we saw these: -- OLD IMAGE REMOVED (imageshack) -- -- OLD IMAGE REMOVED (imageshack) -- ^That's the Synergy special edition, by the way. ^Funny story about that X3, there was a Merc ML trying to park in the Porsche's spot, and the old guy who was driving it parked by driving forward until - and I'm not kidding - he saw the Bimmer roll forward. He pushed it about a foot, not kidding. Then he backed up slightly, got out, looked around, and walked quickly away. :cheeky: Notice: The pics are crappy and small because I was unable to bring my T2i. :( -Leadfoot

Wowzah! Admittedly, the SVT Cobra R looks out of place, as do the McLaren F1 (too big) and the Zonda R (too small), but aside from that, that is one impressive picture. :) Kudos for making the standard Diablo GTR fit in so well. ;) -Leadfoot

Aaah! We keep comparing apples to oranges. I'll try to organize this post. Remember, an "in-house tuner" is a TEAM OF PEOPLE whose job it is to enhance existing models and design parts for their company. :) Dodge: SRT is an in-house tuner: it's a team of people in the same company that design enhancements to existing models. ACR is not a tuning branch. It means "American Club Racer" - a name, like SS. Chevrolet: SS is not a tuning branch, as Millie said. Chevrolet doesn't give a name to its performance division, because it plays a role in the design of every version of the sporting models, from Corvette to Camaro. Cadillac: "V" is an in-house tuner. Like Lexus's "F," they enhance cars designed by other people. Ford: Shelby is an in-house tuner. Like SRT, it's a team that designs unique parts to apply to existing models. It's also owned by Ford. GT is not an in-house tuner - like SS or ACR, it's a name. BMW: M-division is an in-house tuner. Mercedes-Benz: AMG is an in-house tuner (they used be a separate company, actually, but then Merc bought them out). Hopefully this clarifies some stuff. :) -Leadfoot