If you’ve been keeping a watchful eye on the Jeep brand in hopes of catching cues at the all-new Jeep Wrangler JL scheduled to debut in 2018 — well, take a close look at the five concepts vehicles Jeep and Mopar will be rolling out to the 51st annual Easter Jeep Safari. While the highly anticipated JL continues to be a mystery, there could be clues to the new Wrangler platform hidden in plain sight. When considering the previous concept vehicles, we know it to be true that many small aspects that go into a concept rig can often directly equate to a future production vehicle.

Looking at the assortment of Wranglers on hand, one thing stands out above all others. Not a single one is completely topless. Does this mean the new JL will go without a fully removable top? If so, will it be replaced by an assortment of lighter and potentially easier to manage removable panels?

Another vehicle that is definitely on the periphery of Jeep’s core consumer market is the Compass. While it's not going to be the first choice for anyone looking to do a serious trail, it could be a real player for outdoor enthusiasts looking for an all-wheel-drive compact SUV, but don't want to be associated with the hipsters driving Subarus. Sorry, hipsters.

Solid axles? Check. We’ve heard Dana has been working on new axles for the JL. So, we don't think live axles are going anywhere.

Most of the concept Wranglers appear to have a mix of composite materials and/or aluminum. This could be a big hint that the new Jeep may be shedding some body weight.

How about this for a throwback? A Grand Cherokee ZJ of all things! The Grand Cherokee is still going strong, but could this hint at a more rugged Grand variant being offered in the future? There’s still talk of a Grand Wagoneer said to compete with the high-end Land Rover.

We will be in Moab, Utah, next week to get behind the wheel of each of these concepts. We’re probably the most excited about the one dubbed "Quicksand," but they all look amazing in their own right. Be sure to check back soon for driving impressions and a closer look at Jeep's 2017 EJS concepts.

Check out more first looks of the five concept vehicles in the gallery below. 

With more and more people “cutting the cord” and moving away from traditional cable TV, YouTube has become the primary platform for people (particularly millennials) to catch the latest content. Smartphones have given us the ability to access content anywhere at anytime, and people are taking advantage of this increasingly.

If you’re into cars, you should definitely be subscribing to the following five YouTubers.

1. JAY LENO

Channel: Jay Leno’s Garage

The Car Guy of car guys — Jay Leno’s Garage is an excellent channel to watch with its high quality production, solid variety of cars and meaningful information. Each show is well-thought-out and offers a great summary of each vehicle, which includes a ride-along as well as some history and Leno's thoughts. Considering Leno's caliber, it's no surprise that his content is superb, with TV-worthy editing, sound and imaging.

Check out a recent episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, featuring social media star Ferrari Collector David Lee below:

2. ROB FERRETTI

Channel: superspeedersRob

Rob Ferretti’s channel is a more traditional YouTube channel without all the clean post production of Jay Leno’s Garage. As owner of an exotic rental company, Ferretti has access to some great cars and gives an honest “everyday car guy” take on the usual car review. He’s self-deprecating and has a what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of attitude. Some of his more entertaining videos are “challenges” in which he’ll document the best car he can find for $500 or a few of the ongoing project vehicles he’s been working on.

Here’s a recent episode of someone trying to sell him a fake Lamborghini:

3. TIM BURTON

Channel: Shmee150

Some consider “Shmee” the original YouTube car vlogger, and for the most part I would agree. I first found him on YouTube documenting a McLaren P1 delivery a few years ago. As an owner of several high-end European vehicles, Schmee brings us along on his journey of car purchasing, ownership, rallies and events — but all from the European side of the globe. His content has a very cool perspective that you wouldn’t normally see in the U.S.

Ever wonder what it’s like to drive a LaFerrari? Here’s Shmee’s first drive:

4. BRIAN ZUK

Channel: BrianZuk

If you’re looking for simply amazing-sounding exhaust clips and clean walk-arounds, Brian Zuk's channel is for you. There is no commentary; Zuk lets the cars speak for themselves, if you will — a straightforward approach that some people prefer. Exclusively filled with high-end performance cars, this channel is the one stop shop for pure supercar bliss, without any opinions.

See an example of Zuk's style for yourself:

5. GORDON CHENG

Channel: effspot

Last but not least, Gordon Cheng takes live action car spotting to the next level. ("Car spotting" is defined as observing or photographing interesting, vintage, rare, modified, and/or exotic supercars on public roads.) Cheng’s stuff is raw and authentic to the core, making you feel as if you're right there with him as he visits some of the craziest car collections across the globe. Cheng's unabashed commentary is entertaining and lighthearted — giving us an inside glimpse of what it’s like to see these cars firsthand, for the first time. The kind of content covered by this channel isn't accessible to just anyone, so be sure to check it out; it’s definitely worthwhile.

Case in point — in this episode, Cheng takes us through an insane car collection in Qatar:

Each of these YouTubers bring their own unique flavor to the automotive video scene. Who are your favorites? Feel free to drop a comment below; we'd love to check them out!

Spring is here! Time to break out the drag trucks and head south to Florida. At least, that was the mindset for countless northerners as they migrated down to the Sunshine State for the first Diesel Thunder race of 2017. As any auto enthusiast knows, by March, most of the updates and engine changes that took place during the winter months have been implemented and tested on the dyno, and racers are itching to see how these tweaks play out in the real world.

The host venue would be Emerald Coast Dragway in Holt, Florida, an eighth-mile facility located just 35 miles northeast of Pensacola (the greater L.A., “Lower Alabama” area, as a lot of folks know it). By the end of the day’s festivities, a slew of full-size trucks would blaze the 660 in 5-second intervals, the lightning-quick Scheid Diesel dragster captured a 4.44 at 167 mph on its first outing of the year, and a nasty, LBZ Duramax-powered second-generation Chevy Colorado would grace us with its presence. If this is any indication of the kind of action we’ll see from the diesel industry this year, we can’t wait ‘til summer!

Moonlight Racing

The night before the race, Emerald Coast Dragway was open for business in the form of a test ‘n tune, and a lot of racers showed up to dial things in prior to the big day. Here, several attendees scope out the 12-valve 5.9L Cummins under the hood of Susan Stump’s ’34 Chevy rat rod. Even though it’s equipped with the fuel limited, rotary-style Bosch VE injection pump, at just over 3,000 pounds, it takes less than 400-rwhp for Susan’s Chevy to run a high 10 in the quarter-mile. The next day, she would lay claim to First Place in the Pro Mod class.

Fresh Build

Just a week before the event, Michael Dalton’s regular cab Ram wasn’t even running — but thanks to being given a bay to work out of at nearby Hardway Performance (along with some helping hands) he was able to make the call on race day. And despite having virtually zero seat time in a brand new truck, Michael pulled off a best E.T. of 6.11 seconds and made it to the semi finals in the Pro Street/Super Street class. His fourth-gen Ram benefits from a 5.9L common-rail Cummins put together by Donalson Diesel Performance, sports a chassis built by Wide Open Design, a Sun Coast 48RE transmission, Fleece Performance Engineering CP3s and injectors, custom FASS lift pump and ECU tuning from Hardway Performance.

Always on the Hunt

For years, Matt Maier’s old body style Ford has served as a beacon for what it takes to make a 7.3L Power Stroke competitive in diesel drag racing. Matt is always a tough contender in the 7.70 Index class, and his ’97 F-250 would lay claim to the number 1 qualifier at Diesel Thunder. Unfortunately, he would lose by a 0.003-second margin later on in the day, during the semi finals.

New Owner, Same Mini-Wheat

You might remember when we featured this truck in our “5 of the Fastest Cummins-Powered Rams in Existence” piece. Well, now the lightweight, Pro Street ’14 Ram 1500 belongs to Andrew Tovornik of Midgets Diesel Performance, and it got in on the action at Emerald Coast Dragway. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this truck go deep into the 8’s before the 2017 season concludes.

’66 Nova…With a Cummins

This is what happens when a diesel nut gets ahold of a proven rolling chassis: a ’66 Chevy Nova with a 6.8L common-rail Cummins under the hood. You might’ve seen Ryan Milliken’s now infamous car on some of the highlight reels from Lights Out 8, where the car ran a low 5-second eighth-mile — with its parachute deployed. With 1,500 hp on tap on fuel alone, we suspect that Ryan’s Nova will eventually click off 4’s in the eighth and 7’s in the quarter. Unfortunately, he would red light in the final round of the Pro-Mod class, giving the win to Susan Stump and her ’34 rat rod.

Quickest Diesel on Earth

Scheid Diesel hauled its 300-inch Spitzer chassis, Cummins-powered dragster down to Florida for its first test hit of 2017. The 2,500 hp rail would go 4.44 at 167 mph on a soft launch. While the dragster has been 4.12 at 182 (and 6.31 at 226 mph in the quarter-mile) and is capable of cutting 1.0-second 60-foots, its 4.44 is a good start to what will no doubt be a very busy race season for the Scheid crew. When they aren’t running all Outlaw Diesel Super Series events and select NHRDA races, they can be found mixing it up in the NHRA’s Top Dragster Class.

Where There’s Thunder…

There’s Dustin Jackson’s Lightning. Freshly wrapped and making its first appearance since receiving a major chassis overhaul at Fleece Performance Engineering, Dustin’s triple-turbo, Cummins-powered ’94 F-150 didn’t disappoint. The old Lightning (coined “Old Hustle, New Flow”) would put up a 5.40 at 132 mph in the final round of Pro Street/Super Street to take the win.

Race-Ready Colorado

The Internet sensation that is Enrique Gonzalez’s 6.6L Duramax-powered Chevy Colorado came up from Miami to get in on the action and — as is the case here — everyone wanted a video of it blazing down the track. Originally powered by a 2.8L Duramax, the second-generation Colorado was fitted with an LBZ-code 6.6L Duramax V8 with 15-percent over injectors, a water-to-air intercooler and an 82 mm Garrett GTX4202R turbo, courtesy of The Diesel Shop Miami. The truck is tubbed and back-halved, sports a 9-inch rear axle from Strange Engineering and is shifted via an Allison A1000 automatic. To date, Enrique’s mini-terror has clocked 6.70’s in the eighth (mid-10’s in the quarter).

Reality Check

Diesel Doctor’s Portable Dyno was on hand for anyone looking to find out how much horsepower and torque their ride sends to the ground. The 15,000 series Dynocom unit used in the company’s mobile setup is a popular choice for hot rod, diesel and tuner car shops alike due to its accuracy, repeatability and affordability.

Dialed In

Believe it or not, the flat-bed Dodge in the far lane belongs to one of the best diesel bracket racers in the country: Larry Brown. But not only is Larry’s Ram ultra-consistent at the track, we’re told it’s his daily means of transportation, along with being a full-time farm truck. What’s more is that he ran a 7.33-second dial-in at Diesel Thunder, which equates to 11.50’s in the quarter-mile… His regular cab sleeper would take the win in the Sportsman E.T. Class, running a 7.34 on his aforementioned 7.33 dial-in.

Zombie Killer

Making the trek over from Louisiana was longtime diesel head Danny Elmore and his 6.0L Power Stroke. Nicknamed the “Zombie Killer,” his Super Duty did work in the 7.70 Index category, eventually taking the win due to a breakout in the opposing lane.

1,300-RWHP Second-Gen

One of the nastier four-wheel-drive trucks at the event was Taylor Manning’s common-rail Cummins-powered second-gen. The 6,000-pound Pro Street Dodge — graced with Industrial Injection injectors and triple CP3s, along with a 104 mm Holset turbo from Keating Machine — put up a best pass of 5.97 at 120 mph. With a 9.15-second quarter-mile pass under his belt in the past, Taylor plans to dip into the 8’s this season.

(Photography courtesy of Amy Gilbert at Stainless Diesel)

For those that haven't been to Import Alliance, it is hard to convey the scale of the event. Billed as the largest all import car meet in the country, the spring show has historically been a precursor to the original summer dates, though gauging by this year's vast turnout, it is hard to believe that it is any less popular. For the past several years, IA Spring has been held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, one of the fastest stops on the Nashville circuit. Attendees come out on both Saturday and Sunday, making the meet into a weekend trip, giving way to countless pre-meets, cruises and after-parties throughout the southern Atlanta metro area. 

With a turnout of over 10,000 attendees, one can imagine that there's a rather diverse crowd in attendance. While the event is focused on imports only, no car is turned away. The founders insist that IA is meant to be a meeting of "grassroots car enthusiasts," so the cars vary from first attempts at car modding to vendor catalog cars. To help with organization, however, there is a curated "Showcase" section to corral more complete builds in the same area. 

As diverse as the show is, Honda is still the inarguable king as far as quantity goes. From Civics to NSXs, owners show up to IA sporting a variety of styles, from mild to wild. 

One standout of the Showcase section was this LS-swapped FD RX-7. While calling a V8-powered Mazda understated might seem odd, the car's style was rather traditional compared to the slammed and stanced cars surrounding it. The 360 Forged wheels were covered in a carbon overlap and wrapped in aggressive Nitto Tires. 

Another draw to the Atlanta event is a Drift-O-Rama that allows experienced and novice drifters alike to get in some valuable practice time. 

For more coverage of the Import Alliance Spring meet, browse the gallery below, and don't forget to check ImportAlliance.org for more great meets this year!

Johnson Canyon is one of the fun side trails we mentioned in our Death Valley West Side Road trail review. The 10-mile trail starts 7.7 miles from the northern end of West Side Road. It begins with a slow and tedious climb up the alluvial fan toward the Panamint Range. The trail appears deceptively flat and easy, but with a solid axle vehicle, the first 6 miles up the barren bajada is a teeth-chattering rocky ride. High-clearance is recommended for the first 6 miles, but the last four require 4WD.

We had started the trail the night before while seeking shelter from an incoming storm. After surviving the night of raging sandstorms and high winds at the base of the mountains, we awoke at sunrise to white fluffy clouds. We decided to head into the canyon to find Hungry Bill’s Ranch. My husband’s name is Bill, and he’s always hungry, so it seemed a fitting thing to do.

Down below in Badwater Basin we could see that the storm was still in the area and that we needed to keep an eye on the weather. A deep desert canyon is the last place you want to be during a flash flood.

By the time we made coffee and started heading into the canyon, there were ominous storm clouds hovering around the top of the mountain range. We still had sunshine and clear skies overhead, so after some debate we decided to press on. It was a judgement call, and not the decision I’d recommend to others.

The trail drops down into Johnson Canyon Wash. It is barren and has little plant life beyond a few creosote bushes.

When the trail began to climb higher again, there are some amazing views of Badwater Basin and the Black Mountains.

A 1934 Chrysler Airflow found its final resting place up here.

Deeper into the canyon, the trail gets rocky and rough. There are some embedded boulders that are impossible to avoid.

My Nitto Trail Grapplers were up for the challenge.

Aside from the boulders, the trail is pretty easy going. There are no steep climbs or descents, no ledges, and no off camber sections. Up ahead, we could tell that it was raining at the top of the mountains. We were heading up into the clouds, but we had almost reached our destination.

Ten miles in, we spotted the willows and cottonwoods that told us we had reached Wilson Spring.

The Jeep trail ends here, so we parked and forge our way across the wet spring to a structure we spotted on the other side.

There are two rock walls, a stone oven/stove and a fire ring. It’s a perfect spot to camp as long as you don’t mind hauling your gear across some muddy ground.

The area is lush with flowing water and beautiful plant life. In late autumn the yellow cottonwood trees are magnificent. The perennial stream running through here means you need to be careful where you walk because it can be muddy and slippery.

Water is precious in the desert, and Johnson Canyon was the site of an ancestral Shoshone village. The area was still being used by the Shoshone when William Johnson moved in and built a ranch to provide fruit and vegetables to the nearby Panamint City. When the road to the town through Surprise Canyon was devastated by a flood, Johnson abandoned his ranch. Hungry Bill, a native Panamint Shoshone, reclaimed his family land and continued to expand the ranch. His family continued to live there until 1919.

Our plan was to make the steep 2-mile hike up to Hungry Bill’s Ranch. You can still see stone walls, three arrastras (primitive grinding mills), the remains of a wikiup, wooden corral fencing, irrigation work, apple and fig orchards, and other extensive remains. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans for us. It began to rain, and we knew that we were pushing our luck by remaining in the canyon. The storm was heading in our direction and it was time to head down and try to beat the worst of it.  

On the way down we spotted a wind shelter that we hadn’t noticed on our way up.

It rained intermittently the rest of the way down the canyon; one minute we’d have blue skies overhead, the minute a gray cloud would pass over us and dump some rain.

We managed to get out of the canyon before the worst of it reached us. A few miles into our trip home, it began to pour and the storm followed us all the way home.

When Alex Heilbrunn decided to take the leap from the Formula Drift Pro-Am ranks to the national Pro 2 Series, he knew he needed to have a top-level team behind him. Teaming up with Race Tech Services (RTS) for trackside support in the 2015 Pro 2 Series, together he and the team earned a trio of podium finishes in the four-event Series along with three consecutive top qualifier awards.

While the car had initially been built by another shop, RTS came in with a crew chief, mechanic and spotter to allow Heilbrunn to focus on driving. With that focus solely on the steering wheel and judging criteria, Heilbrunn dominated the Pro 2 series and had the series championship locked up after just three events, which allowed the team to have a bit more fun and gel as a team at the final event. For the 2016 season, Heilbrunn and the RTS team started discussing a plan to refinish the Pro 2 car in preparation for the top Formula Drift Pro Championship Series, and the team got to work just a few weeks after the end of the season.

RTS owner Rick Lamber Jr. and his team decided that the E46 chassis had good bones for the top level of drifting in the U.S. but would need a full refresh to be able to compete at the next level. As a single season solution, Heilbrunn’s Pro 2 E46 chassis was gutted down to the shell and re-prepped with a new stiffer cage, better designed weight balance and tubular front and rear clips to help ease trackside repairs in the event of a collision.

Several cars in the top level of the series are noted for having rear-mounted radiators, but in the interest of reducing the "pendulum effect" of having the weight too far rearward and making transitions unpredictable, Lamber and his team moved the radiator a bit further forward in the chassis. A handful of other changes were made to the weight balance of the car, including lowering the mounting point of the engine by an inch. Every pound of weight was also carefully plotted and planned to keep the balance as central to the car as possible.

Many of the suspension components and geometry from the winning Pro 2 season were kept as-is to ensure familiarity to Heilbrunn as he prepped for an eight-event, seven-month-long season — a substantial step up from the four-event season he had competed in previously. In his first year at the Pro level, Heilbrunn earned his first podium just four events into his career with a third-place finish in New Jersey.

He went to multiple "One More Time" rounds with top Nitto driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. both in Orlando and New Jersey. Gittin Jr. mentioned in one of his post-race interviews that his battles with Heilbrunn were some of his toughest of the entire season, giving some extra motivation to the team in preparation for 2017. Heilbrunn locked up the 2016 Rookie of the Year honors, and just hours after the final event was finished, plans for the 2017 season were put into motion.

In an effort to evolve from the RTS-001 chassis as it was labeled in 2016, Heilbrunn didn’t want to make any major changes to the balance and feel of the car. A new RTS-002 chassis was prepped with some specific changes to car configuration and layout mapped out ahead of time. The rear-mount radiator was moved even further inward, and the engine was lowered an extra half inch for 2017. Both the fuel pump and dry sump setup were configured to offset the driver weight, and the intake for the supercharger was routed under the dash. Airflow, cooling and weight for all components were carefully planned out, resulting in a substantially stiffer chassis with a much cleaner appearance overall than previous cars.

“All of the water, fuel and breather lines are run in a custom channel along the transmission tunnel,” Lamber says. “When you look inside or under the car, you won’t see any lines. We’re pretty proud of the way we set everything up this season.”

Under the hood, RTS built their own mounts for the aluminum 7.4L LSX engine that was assembled by Millennium Motorsports in Temecula, California. The engine started with an RHS high performance block and upgraded with Comp Cams and JE Pistons. Power was bumped up with a Whipple 4.5L supercharger, while cooling was handled via the rear-mounted CSF radiator. All the power is pushed through an ACT clutch, while gears are selected via the RTS 4-speed dog box. The transmission spins a custom Driveshaft Shop driveshaft before the Winters Quick Change rear end and Driveshaft Shop axles push the power out to the rear wheels.

One of Heilbrunn’s longest sponsors has been Enkei Wheels, who provided a full entourage of Enkei NT03+M wheels that were wrapped in Nitto NT05 rubber at all four corners. After all is said and done, the RTS-002 chassis “Monster BMW" pushes out 1,000 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels, which puts Heilbrunn on par with the top cars on grid from a power perspective.

While power is one of the most commonly mentioned components necessary for staying competitive in Formula Drift, suspension has become equally, if not more, important over the past few seasons. Steering angle and forward grip have also become paramount to success in the Series, and Heilbrunn’s chassis is no different. After running an off-the-shelf steering and suspension arm solution for the past two seasons, Heilbrunn and Lamber decided to work on their own solution for the 2017 season.

Many hours were spent modeling potential options in CAD before the final design was selected and machined out of aluminum, but in the end, the RTS-FDE46 suspension arm and steering kit proved to be a far superior design than anything else on the market. Heilbrunn and Lamber plan to co-brand and market the kit together this season, truly showing just how close the driver and crew chief have become.

For the Long Beach round, Heilbrunn only ran the front spindles and steering setup, while a rear spindle setup should be finalized in time for the upcoming Orlando round. Assisting with the RTS configuration, a set of custom-valved Feal 456 coilovers sit on each corner, while the KRC Power steering pump and cooler help transfer the steering inputs from Heilbrunn to each corner. The setup has only been installed for a single event, but Heilbrunn is already raving about the improved steering feel, and the podium finish speaks for itself as far as results go.

Inside the cockpit, Heilbrunn utilizes a full array of Sparco safety equipment, including driver and passenger seat, steering wheel and five-point safety belts. He doesn’t enter the car without matching Sparco fire suit, fireproof gloves and HANS-equipped helmet — all requirements for the entire Formula Drift grid. Throttle inputs are pushed through a Tilton throttle pedal, while braking and clutch inputs are taken care of by a Wilwood pedal box. Wilwood 4-piston brakes sit at each corner of the BMW, including an additional caliper in the rear which is connected to the hydraulic e-brake that is used to initiate drift.

Outside the car, Heilbrunn maintains the same black base coat color that he has used on each of his previous cars, but the body styling has been upgraded this year with a Rocket Bunny / Pandem kit. The boxy flares imitate the style of the original E30 M3 lines that have become synonymous with the Bavarian automotive company, while both bumpers flawlessly merge the distinctive Pandem front and rear bumper openings with the BMW body lines. Kings Auto Body took care of the paint work, and a custom red and silver graphical livery helps accent the sponsors with style.

Overall, Heilbrunn’s Monster BMW is one that is both distinctive and functional. The new chassis has already proven to perform at the top level of Formula Drift, and he believes that the best is yet to come with this car. After the rear suspension upgrades get installed and fine tuned, Heilbrunn hopes to be a championship contender by the end of the season. While his final round appearance in the car's debut at Long Beach, he doesn’t seem to be too far off from that goal already!

Vehicle Specs

2000 E46 BMW M3

Browse through more shop photos in the gallery below.

(Photos: Kristin Cline)

We’re going to go ahead and say it: This is the best Pro-Am drifting has ever been. If you take a look at where some of the nation’s other top Pro-Am drifting series, like Golden Gate Drift or Southwest Drift, were five or six years ago, what you’d find is nothing like what you see here.

Top Drift Lives Up to Its Name

In its first round of competition in 2017, it is clear to see that Top Drift, as it's name suggests, is one of the top drifting competitions to be at. Drifting’s ever-growing popularity, aftermarket support and level of competition over the past several years has today yielded cars (sometimes trucks) and drivers that are more advanced and skillful than they have ever been —  the Pro-Am competition that’s as fierce as ever!

The Big Guns Are Back

Last year saw some Top Drift regulars earn their licenses into the Formula D Pro 2 series, but not without some heated competition from challengers biting at their heels. Today those challengers are back and hungry to reach the next level for themselves.

Sean Adriano no doubt topped the list of eligible contenders in everyone’s mind coming into 2017, after earning a third-place championship standing in last year’s competition and very narrowly losing a few key battles that might’ve had him in first. His #562 Rival Auto Works / Designcraft S13 Nissan 240SX remained largely unchanged from how he drove it last year, but having earned the top qualifier spot and the overall win in this first round, it’s clear that he’s fully grown into it.

Plenty of last year’s big names came out in force for Round 1 including Luke Pakula and his #714 red S14 Nissan 240SX, Rome Charpentier and his #17 green E36 BMW, Shaun Doom and his #213 white S13, Alex Grimm and his #14 “Captain America” S30 Nissan 240Z, and Aaron Parker and his #300 FD3S Mazda RX-7. If you thought Aaron looks familiar, you might be right, as he's a regular working in the pits at the Formula D Pro series, including last year with fan favorite and Nitto Tire driver "Mad" Mike Whiddett. Many had either upgraded or re-tuned machines that looked like something we’d expect more from a Pro 2 field than Pro-Am. Impressive.  

New Challengers Emerge

Adriano came into competition last year virtually unknown, and after a lackluster start at Round 1, finished high in each additional round and threatened to take the whole darned thing. Assuming that role this year appears to be 15-year-old Dom Martinez, who — after a lackluster qualifying performance — dominated his side of the competition ladder and took second place at the first round from behind the wheel of his formidable V8-powered #15 Kouki S14 240SX. Do you remember your driving at age 15, or learning how to drive?

An off-track jaunt late in the game almost cut short his chances for podium glory and hinted that the young gun may still have some experience to find behind the wheel, but his driving exuded raw talent, and his car appeared absolutely solid. He’ll be one to watch out for.

Also impressive was "Rad" Jeff Le and his #122 JZA80 Toyota Supra. If there was a spirit award handed out at this round, Le would’ve earned it with his beaming optimism and all-around good vibes. His driving had noticeably improved since last year, and since his Rad Industries-built Supra is definitely a whole lot of car, we’re betting with a little more seat time he’ll pose a solid competition threat in his own right.

And then there’s Margaritis Katsanidis and his #75 twin-turbo, V8-powered, Alfa Romeo 75. The unique Greek duo might not have had the best season-opening performance, but looked strong nonetheless and only left us wanting more!

New Balcony Configuration

In a move that showed they recognize their competitors' increasing skills, Top Drift management decided to change their Balcony layout this year, stretching Turn 2 out all the way to the wall and giving competitors three chances to either wow fans and judges with wall taps or lose rear bumpers in the process. There’s no word yet if changes will be seen in subsequent rounds, but this was great to see at Round 1.

Anyone’s Game

After a well-deserved win by the odds-on favorite and an impressive threat from a young upstart — as well as a harsh first round for some big names that eliminated them before competition even began — we’re reminded that 2017 Top Drift competition is still very much anyone’s game. Round 2 kicks off at the end of July, and by the end of August we’ll finally know the names of next year’s FD Pro 2 challengers and who will look good for the promotion next time around. As always, stay with us for continued coverage, and visit www.justdrift.com for more information.

Browse through our gallery below for more from Round 1 of Top Drift 2017 at Willow Springs' Balcony circuit.

When "The Fast and the Furious" premiered in 2001, no one could have predicted that the movie — one about modified cars and dangerous manifolds with a plot about an undercover cop investigating a DVD player crime ring fueled purely by bromance and nitrous — would go on to spawn a billion-dollar franchise, with the 10th movie set to release 2021. More impressive, perhaps, is that the fact that these movies launched car culture into the mainstream, reaching millions of people who might have otherwise never gotten into cars at all.  

One could easily dismiss the franchise as a series of brainless action flicks (which it kind of is, yet we love them all just the same) that bring zero social value to the table — but that's far from the truth. Even as the series transformed from the import-centric buddy street racer movies into the big budget car-themed action blockbusters we have today, the Fast & Furious movies have never abandoned their core motif. As Dom puts it in "Furious 7":

Fundamentally, these movies are about a diverse group of people who, through shared history and conflicts, form a familial bond that transcends conventional friendships. The Fast family welcomes each of its members regardless of race, gender, background and nationality. In fact, the Hollywood-defying diversity in casting as well as the film's refusal to force the characters into stereotypical roles are probably what make the series feel exceedingly genuine, despite having explosions and car crashes of apocalyptic proportions every other scene.

Herein lies the allure of the franchise: Not only is having a diverse “crew” that goes on automotive adventures together (hopefully ones with less explosions) entirely possible, it’s probably already the reality within any chosen circle of car people. Whether it be an online forum, local car meets or even just a small group of friends, the most wonderful part of being a car enthusiast is meeting people who share your passions and learning their stories. This common ground has the ability to dissolve both racial and social divides and band together the most unlikely of people.

The Fast & Furious family is constantly expanding, and with half of its members either starting out as an antagonist or becoming one at some point in the franchise’s history, it is easy to forget how the family came to be. Therefore, we’ve compiled a helpful list of the protagonist characters with the first car in which they were introduced to the audience.

1. Brian O'Conner: '95 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS

"The Fast and the Furious" (2001)

Played by: Paul Walker

Status: Not returning

2. Dominic Toretto: '93 Maxda RX-7

"The Fast and the Furious" (2001)

Played by: Vin Diesel

Status: Returning

3. Letty Ortiz: '97 Nissan 240SX

"The Fast and the Furious" (2001)

Played by: Michelle Rodriguez

Status: Returning

4. Vince: '99 Nissan Maxima

"The Fast and the Furious" (2001)

Played by: Matt Schulze

Status: Not returning

5. Mia Toretto: '94 Acura Integra Type R

"The Fast and the Furious" (2001)

Played by: Jordana Brewster

Status: Returning

6. Roman Pearce: '71 Chevy Monte Carlo

"2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003)

Played by: Tyrese Gibson

Status: Returning

7. Tej Parker: '02 Acura NSX

"2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003)

Played by: Ludacris

Status: Returning

8. Han Lue: '94 Veilside Mazda RX-7

"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006)

Played by: Sung Kang

Status: Not returning

9. Sean Boswell: '71 Chevy Monte Carlo 

"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006)

Played by: Lucas Black

Status: Returning

10. Gisele Harabo: '07 Techart Porsche Cayman

"Fast & Furious" (2009)

Played by: Gal Gadot

Status: Not returning

11. Tego and Rico: Chevy R3500 Crew

"Los Bandoleros" (2009) – prequel short film to "Fast Five"

Played by: Tego Calderon and Don Omar

Status: Returning

12. Luke Hobbs: Gurkha LAPV

"Fast Five" (2011)

Played by: Dwayne Johnson

Status: Returning

13. Elena Neves: Gurkha LAPV

"Fast Five" (2011)

Played by: Elsa Pataky

Status: Not returning

14. Deckard Shaw: '14 Jaguar F-Type R

"Fast & Furious 6" (2013)

Played by: Jason Statham

Status: Returning

15. Ramsey

"Furious 7" (2015)

Played by: Nathalie Emmanuel

Status: Returning

16. Mr. Nobody

"Furious 7" (2015)

Played by: Kurt Russell

Status: Returning

Find out why Dom turned his back on the family in "The Fate of the Furious" on April 14th. Click through the gallery below to see all eight movie posters.

One of the best things about the car-enthusiast world — aside from horsepower, of course — is that everyone, and every car, has a story. At first glance, Justin Keith’s ’14 C7 Corvette is good looking, but mostly stock. Upon closer inspection, you quickly see some telling cues that this Corvette runs deeper.

It all started on his grandma’s deathbed. No, really. Justin was nearly old enough to drive, and one of her last wishes was to buy the young gun his first car. To ensure her wishes were followed, she had him go get his dad so she could relay her instructions directly. With the pick of the lot, 15-year-old Justin chose a brand-new, red ’99 28 Camaro. If that’s not an equation for a powerful cocktail of trouble and fun, we don’t know what is. “It all spiraled out of control from there,” Justin remembers.

Out of high school, Justin started a job at the local Chevrolet dealership, where he quickly moved up the ranks to service advisor. Working around all those cars helped fuel his passion; as Justin recalls, “I would see all these new cars coming in… I probably owned 35 Chevys before the time I was 30.” With plenty of discretionary income and nothing to tie him down, Justin was living a young man’s dream.

His second Camaro, an ’02 Z28, would become his first project. “I started modifying it and going to car meets and began getting a name for myself.” That reputation continued building as he cycled through more cars, finding reasons to build relationships with aftermarket companies and continuing to impress on the street. “I bought my first Corvette in ’09. I traded it in when the new-generation Camaros came out in 2010. I built that car completely — it made 1,200 horsepower when I finally sold it.” The high-powered Camaro became Justin’s calling card; he was smashing track times and doing more than just becoming Insta-famous.

Eager to build more of a car culture in his hometown of Kansas City, Justin created a Facebook event for a parking-lot meet-up. “About 1,200 cars showed up to our little meet in Kansas City.” Overwhelmed with the response, and with surrounding business owners eager for him to bring in more customers, Justin realized there was an opportunity to build something more — and Street Car Takeover was born. A growing nationwide car-meet-slash-race-weekend, Street Car Takeover has grown from four yearly events to 17 booked in 2017.

When the fully reworked C7 Corvette appeared in 2014, Justin jumped at the chance to own one. Accomplishing everything he’d wanted during his four years owning the Camaro, it was time for a new challenge, and the Corvette certainly provided the perfect platform to promote what Street Car Takeover is all about.

“It’s crazy to think that a new car with a few bolt-on mods can be this fast,” Justin exclaims. While “a few bolt-on mods” may be an understatement, there’s no denying the stock C7 Corvette is one helluva car.

Seeking to bring the Corvette to a new generation of enthusiasts, GM invested much effort in making sure the C7 wasn’t just another old man’s car. Revised styling, the new LT1 powerplant and 460 hp straight from the showroom were all aimed at enticing the younger buyer. You could say Justin Keith is Chevy’s poster boy of an owner. He was impressed enough by the C7’s stock capabilities that he thought he may just leave well enough alone. But when ProCharger called up wanting to put the first supercharger on the C7’s LT1, Justin couldn’t say no.

With the ProCharger system mated and some fueling help from Cordes, paired with entry-level BC Racing coilovers and Nitto 555Rs, Justin’s C7 was smoking other cars at the dragstrip with a timeslip of 9.69 on the quarter-mile at 143 mph. “There is nothing crazy on the car, it just works,” Justin exclaims. As to the 555Rs, he gets some raised eyebrows from drag racers who favor slicks, but he first gave them a shot on his 1,200 hp Camaro and hasn’t gone back. “For that Corvette, the 555Rs are the perfect tire. They wrap around the whole image of it as a street car while also just hooking up. I can daily drive on these tires for a full year, and get stuck in the rain, and I don’t have to change the tires to go to the track and run a 9-second pass.”

While 1,000 hp isn’t unheard of on cars these days, having it in a fully streetable car with A/C that you can daily drive is still something special. All the spirited driving Justin has done in that C7 must have connected to his heart strings, because he’s now owned it for longer than most of his other cars and doesn’t have plans on selling. “I normally don’t get attached to my cars, but I did to this one; I love the car and I honestly can’t picture myself without it at this point,” Justin says. “I am just going to continue modifying it and making it faster.”

Knocked off the top quarter-mile time for a manual C7 last year, Justin recently upped his game by swapping to a new ERL Superdeck 427ci LT engine. ERL takes a factory aluminum block, sleeves it, upgrades the heads and the cam, and adds extra cylinder bolt holes to strengthen the block’s seal — making it bulletproof up to 2,000 hp. Once the new engine was planted, ProCharger stepped in with a bigger supercharger system and air-to-water race intercooler. Next, Nitrous Outlet added even more boost with its direct port kit.

With the car making all that extra power, it also needed more fuel, which is where Cordes excels. Making its own fuel systems and being experts in LS Performance engines and tuning, Cordes dialed in the new engine setup to get it ready to claim back the fastest manual C7 title. With 400 additional horsepower at his fingertips, Justin expects the car to reach into the mid-8s at the strip — all of this using the stock transmission and few suspension upgrades.

“Before Street Car Takeover, dragstrips were considered ‘not cool’ in the circles I run in,” Justin says. “We get guys out that normally would never go to the dragstrip. They’re having fun and trying to best their times and going out and buying parts to modify their cars with.” It seems Justin isn’t just a fresh face for the Corvette but the aftermarket industry as a whole. “I think it’s just going to keep getting bigger,” he predicts.

With manufacturers giving us plenty of performance options to choose from, we’d have to agree the future looks bright for capturing the next generation of enthusiasts.

See this C7 for yourself and join in the fun with one of Street Car Takeover’s upcoming events. Find out more at streetcar-takeover.com.

Vehicle Specs

2014 Corvette Stingray

Browse through the gallery below for more shots of this sinister C7.

(Photos: Cory Mader)

It’s one thing to get a seatbelt recall on your $20K Honda; it’s another to have issues with your supercar. Here’s a look at four of the biggest supercar fails in the past two decades.

1. Porsche Carrera GT

FAIL: Carbon Fiber Yellowing

While the most controversial discussion surrounds its drivability, a cosmetic issue is what initially caught the ire of many owners upon its first two years in production.

An issue with the gel coat used in the production of the carbon fiber for the Carrera GT caused excessive yellowing when exposed to the sun’s UV rays. Just like your skin, prolonged exposure would cause discoloration to the carbon fiber not only giving it a yellow hue, but also dulling the actual finish.

Many owners complained (understandably with a $500K vehicle) and even brought suit to Porsche AG. Well documented on the internet at the peak of car forum use, Porsche held its ground, claiming that this was “normal wear and tear” and expected on exposed carbon fiber parts. It also pointed the finger toward the carbon parts supplier, stating that — while unattractive — it was still structurally sound. 

Over 10 years later, current pre-owned Carrera GT examples still show this yellowing, with prominence of those that have seen an excessive amount of sun.

2. Ferrari 458

FAIL: Cars on Fire

The Ferrari 458 launched worldwide in mid-2010 with an added amount of unwanted media fanfare due to multiple cars catching fire. Later discovered to be an issue with the wheel arch assembly glue used to hold on a heat shield catching fire at high temperature, 1,248 cars were recalled within the first few weeks of launch. Not the best marketing for a brand new model.

Ferrari offered complete vehicle replacements to those early cars that were complete losses and recalled the remaining vehicles to repair under full warranty.

3. Ford GT

FAIL: Cracking Arms, Oil Leaks and Dead Batteries

Ford’s modern day version of its legendary GT40, the Ford GT was a culmination of some of America’s best tuners (engine by Roush, design by Ford, assembly by Saleen) back in 2005. With dealers charging $80K markups, early owners were shocked to receive a recall that included verbiage to not drive their vehicle at all until the necessary replacements were made.

Cracks found in suspension control arms were a result of inadequate parts utilizing a new production method that wasn’t properly vetted. If that wasn’t enough, other cars were recalled for a battery drain due to defective electrical components. Even the highly touted engine was subject to recall when an oil leak due caused by an improper finish on the crankshaft. The leak on recalled cars was repaired with a rubber sleeve traditionally used to lengthen the life of rebuilt engines.

4. Dodge Viper

FAIL: Side Exhaust Burns

In 1992, Dodge came up with the ultimate throwback American muscle car: the Dodge Viper RT-10. It featured a giant V10 motor (Lamborghini-built, as it was owned by Chrysler at the time), no windows or roof and classic hot rod Americana side exit exhausts.

About those side exit exhausts: They looked cool and aided performance, but boy, did they get hot. Burned legs were common complaints, along with deformed paint from the toasty exits. They also tended to heat the cabin quite well, which might have been great since windows and a top were optional, but caused for some concern when that heat came along with a burning smell. Dodge removed the side exit exhausts with the next generation of the Viper, going with a more conventional rear exit format.

No formal recall was ever recorded, although many owner fixes have included removal of cats, swapping out with high flow-cats, lengthening exit pipes or wrapping/insulating the exhaust internally.

Whether the failures are performance or cosmetic, take your pick; even supercars have issues, so don’t feel bad the next time you hear a rattle or get a recall. It could be a lot worse.

After reading this, would you even trust automatic parking assist?

Editor's Note: This article reflects the unofficial standings based on its publish time. *See end note for official results and penalties.

He stepped out of his father’s shadow two years ago, but Wayland Campbell cast his own shadow this past weekend — a big, long, West Texas shadow as he took his first Ultra4 Racing victory in the dusty border town of Sierra Blanco. After almost 200 grueling miles in the closest thing to Baja racing Ultra4 has ever delivered — along with a string of “almosts” through the years — Team Nitto driver Wayland Campbell stood tall and proud at the top of the podium.

Only eight seconds separated third-place finisher and two-time King of The Hammers Erik Miller, and fourth-place finisher (also a two-time King of The Hammers) Randy Slawson — eight seconds... out of 15,730. That’s a flinch in wash or a “goose it” in the rocks of a difference — over 186 miles and more than four hours. In another close finish, only 11 seconds separated eighth and ninth place between Dustin Isenhour and Andrew McLaughlin, respectively. The race was scored on total elapsed time, so the one-minute offset of cars from the start/finish line meant you were racing other cars and the clock.

Fan (and driver) favorite, as well as former U.S. National Ultra4 Points Champion and former Ultra4 Europe Points Champion, Levi Shirley made a welcome return to the podium, earning a hard fought second-place finish. To say that Ultra4 drivers continue to push the envelope of competition and consistency would be an understatement. Steady, consistent and fast, Levi added to his seventh-place KOH 2017 finish, setting the stage for a very interesting season points race with Wayland and Erik for 2017. Every race matters, as made evident in last year’s dramatic finish to the Ultra4 points series.

Texas Charm

The setting for the 212 Performance Gloves Vaquero 212 was almost as dynamic as the race itself. Teaming up with TORRA (Tejas Off Road Racing Associate), Ultra4 Racing held the opening round of the Western Series about an hour and a half southeast of El Paso in Sierra Blanca — West Texas' inaugural Ultra4 event.

“I just checked something off my bucket list that wasn't even on it!” driver Chris May said — a statement that seemed to sum it up for many others. If driver and team feedback is any indication, it won’t be the last. Complete with an involved and engaged sheriff, inmates in stripes hanging banners and Border Patrol right down the street, the adventure wasn’t just on the course.

Course Masters JT Taylor and the incomparable “Texas Jesus” Matt Fallis took full advantage of the diverse terrain. The morning race consisted of one 93-mile lap, while the 4400 Unlimited Class completed two laps in the afternoon race. Starting in the heart of town, Ultra4 racers let loose with big burnouts down Main Street before heading to the desert.

“Every time you adjusted to the terrain and started wanting something different, you got it!” exclaimed driver Andrew McLaughlin.

Cars reached top speeds over 110 mph down high-speed dirt tracks, squeezing between narrow cattle guards and fighting dust for the first 15 miles. Near RM 16 the course abruptly dropped into tighter canyon roads that allowed room to pass, but you had to be on your game as the course twisted and turned towards the 3-mile rock section before turning back to town. While not as big or painful as the Johnson Valley rocks, it was a “real” rock section that caused damage and forced drivers to switch into rock-racer mode before changing gears once again into switchbacks and long stretches beside the Rio Grande, within a stone's throw of Mexico.

A highlight of this section of course was Indian Hot Springs and the tribute to the fallen Buffalo Soldiers. The final 30 miles of course was a wide and fast wash that also allowed for a full pit stop at the designated pits. Crossing under I-10, racing in dirt tracks beside a two-lane highway and then pulverizing a silt bed before re-entering town made for an impressive, challenging and entertaining course.

Main Race

The Main race looked like it was going to be a familiar story in a new setting. Friday night was Qualifying for starting position, with 2016 National Points Champion and Team Nitto driver Jason Scherer once again owning the pole position.

A mere fraction of a second behind Jason was perennial powerhouse and fellow Nitto driver Loren Healy in the Red Dragon. Three-time reigning King of The Hammers Shannon Campbell in the Dragon Slayer rounded out the top three off the line. All told, four Kings were in the top five, with Nitto drivers taking the top five spots in Qualifying. A battle was brewing in the desert! 

By the end of the first lap, two things were clear: Pole sitter Jason was having vehicle issues, while Loren and Shannon led the tight pack of top drivers into an epic battle into lap 2. After Shannon experienced some mechanical issues, Loren was the rabbit for a group on the hunt which included Wayland, Levi, Randy and Erik... and hunt they did. Wayland and Levi closed the gap coming into the last 20 miles as they battled each other for position and to close on Loren, giving themselves some space between Erik and Randy.

With 15 miles out of 186 remaining, the heartbreak happened: Loren lost steering in his car. After a disappointing result at KOH 2017, West Texas seemed like the best place for redemption, but it was not meant to be. Wayland crossed the line in physical first place, followed by Levi, then Loren. Erik crossed fourth with Randy Slawson coming across fifth. Making adjustments for the offset start, it was announced that Erik was third, besting Randy by eight seconds and pushing Loren back to fifth for the day.

At the End of the Day

The race started with over 40 cars battling it out in the West Texas sun; by sunset, only 25 had officially finished (Cody Addington finished only 10 minutes out of time and deserves an honorable mention for a hard fought day and completing both laps for the 26th spot). Despite the punishing conditions in a race that was as long as a KOH course, drivers and fans alike were looking forward to coming back to the sleepy little town of Sierra Blanca just off Texas' I-10.

While a few teams headed home, most packed up and headed north to Moab, Utah, for the 2017 Easter Jeep Safari. Despite different destinations, everyone left with a smile on their face and a desire to come back and tackle this new jewel next year. The biggest smile of all, however, was on the face of Wayland Campbell, your 2017 Vaquero 212 winner and newly admitted member to the Ultra4 victor club. Congratulations on your first Ultra4 win, Wayland!

Ultra4 hits the road and will crank back up May 19 for the Eastern Series opener Ultra4s @ Davis in Davis, Oklahoma — another new venue for Ultra4.

*UPDATE

After reports that nearly every driver exceeded the speed limit in controlled zones, Ultra4 decided that further assessment was needed to determine speeding penalties. In the end, this resulted in major changes in the standings, including the podium. Wayland Campbell still remained in official first place even with his 5:43 penalty, while Erik Miller was issued a penalty of 9:33, pushing him back to sixth from third place. Levi Shirley received a 4:26 penalty and was replaced on the second-place podium by Loren Healy, formerly in unofficial fifth place.

Official Top 25 Standings

Congratulations to Team Nitto for claiming the top two podium spots at the 212 Performance Gloves Vaquero 212!

Learn more about the official results and time penalties at Ultra4Racing.com.

(Photos: Doug Dienelt)

The 212 Performance Gloves Vaquero 212 commenced at a new venue in West Texas for the first event of the 2017 Ultra4 Western Series. With nearly 200 challenging miles of new, dusty terrain to cover, drivers battled it out on dirt, rocks, silt and pavement, some reaching high speeds of over 110 mph. Also new this year was the placement of speed controlled zones in which drivers had to follow local traffic laws on the pavement section, as well as ensure the preservation of other roads.

Over the years Ultra4 racers have developed a commendable reputation for their consistent displays of sportsmanship while remaining fierce competitors. At Vaquero 212, however, their innate need for speed pushed the limits of the speed zones, forcing Ultra4 to make an unprecedented assessment after the race and issue all drivers respective speed penalties — majorly affecting the official standings, especially the podium.

After two second-place finishes at the 2017 King of The Hammers in the UTV Race and 4400 Main Race, Nitto driver Wayland Campbell finally satisfied his hunger for victory in West Texas, claiming his first official career win despite a nearly six-minute time penalty. Team Nitto ended up taking the No. 2 podium spot as well, with Loren Healy bumping up from fifth to second place after the speed penalty assessment. Also in the official top 10 were Nitto drivers Erik Miller and Bailey Campbell, respectively in sixth and eighth place.

See our photo gallery at the top for snapshots of the action.

The takeaway? This is shaping up to be an exciting season, and we can probably expect more dramatic finishes from some of the toughest off-road racers on the planet.

To get a more complete picture of what really went down at Ultra4 Texas, check out our race recap with official results and time penalties.

(Photos: Doug Dienelt)

We’re all enthusiasts at Driving Line, so tinkering and tweaking with cars until they bark a little louder and accelerate a little faster is something we look at as a necessary part of the automotive life. Often the easiest and most direct path toward rebooting a car’s fun factor is swapping out the engine. Dropping a high-horsepower V8 into an otherwise placid vehicle goes right back to the roots of hot rodding.

Today, engine-swap choices are better than ever. Big-power motor conversions from GM, Ford and Chrysler have been joined by more exotic BMW and Toyota V8s. Of all of them, two options stand out from the rest as the most widely available V8 options; not only can these both be built up for a reasonable cost with plenty of aftermarket options but they both hammer out more than 400 hp in a standard tune. The GM LS and the Ford 5.0 Coyote offer accessible reliability and power, whether you’re building something for the street or the dirt. Let’s take a look at what sets each of these popular swap choices apart.

GM LS 5.7/6.2

The GM LS Series first appeared in 1997, and their compact aluminum blocks, 300-plus horsepower and 25-mpg fuel efficiency seemed, at the time, almost too good to be true. There are plenty of 5.7 LS1-powered Corvette and Camaro/Firebird donor cars out there, as well as countless iron-block truck motors.

A more recent GM performance motor, the 6.2 was first offered as standard in the ’08 Corvette and is a favorite among LS fans. This 430 hp beast can turn almost any vehicle into a reliable dominator anywhere you choose to take it—all you have to worry about is keeping it on all four wheels. Shannon Campbell’s LS-powered “Dragon Slayer” usually takes the abuse of an entire ULTRA4 season without having to so much as pull off the cylinder heads.

Shoehorned into everything from street-going Mazda RX-7s, late-model muscle cars, competitive drift whips and trophy trucks, LS engines have massive aftermarket parts support, making it relatively inexpensive to adapt to almost any street or off-road use.

On the streets, racetracks and in the deserts, the LS is everywhere — making it too common a choice for some enthusiasts. What can’t be argued is that the reason for the engine’s popularity is its amazing combination of compact size, power and reliability.

Ford Coyote 5.0

In an early engine-swapping inspiration, Carroll Shelby squeezed the small-block Ford 289 into the sporty British AC roadsters and the classic Shelby Cobra was born. In the ’80s, the 302 would become the popular 5.0 of the Fox-body years. Ford shifted to a modular 4.6 V8 in the ’90s in search of better fuel economy and more horsepower. A direct evolution of the early Ford small-blocks, these 4.6s were good enough for the time but could only rev as high as the old 302. As soon as GM dropped the all-new LS on the motoring world in ’97, Ford was pushed firmly into second place. Ford loyalists had to cope with decent horsepower, delivered at a low redline.

It took until 2011 for Ford to unleash a true rival to the Chevy LS. It was called “Coyote” to honor the great hard-charger A.J. Foyt, who used and developed the Ford V8 Indy engine in his Coyote Indy cars — one of which gave him his fourth Indy 500 victory (the first driver to achieve this milestone).

The Ford 5.0 Coyote pounded out an impressive 412 hp with factory tune, finally enough to compete with the 6.2 LS. Immediately becoming the go-to modern swap for street rods and muscle cars, the new Coyote powers vintage Broncos through the desert and classic Mustangs on the asphalt. It’s a high-revving motor looking for a challenge.

APPLES-TO-APPLES COMPARISON

With so many variations and options, it can be difficult to get an objective view between these two engine choices. Landing on a popular variation, as well as a feasible junkyard pull, the ’12 Camaro and Mustang show some interesting factory specs:

LS3 Camaro 6.2L

• Horsepower: 426 at 5,900 rpm
• Torque: 420 at 4,600 rpm
• HP/Liter: 68.7

Coyote Mustang 5.0L

• Horsepower: 412 at 6,500 rpm
• Torque: 390 at 4,250 rpm
• HP/Liter: 82.4

On paper, the LS3 makes more torque and power than the Coyote, but it needs an additional 1.2L to do it. If the stock Coyote was built as a 6.2L, like the LS, it would make a whopping 510 hp.

Physically, the smaller-displacement Coyote is larger, due to its dual overhead cams. The DOHC and variable-valve-timing design can withstand extremely high rpm, allowing the engine to rev higher than the LS and providing serious hot rodding options if the budget can handle it. For reliability, the LS comes out on top, with less moving parts than the Coyote. For most of us, the sky’s the limit on modifying either of these and both have been built up beyond 1,000 hp.

The LS and the Coyote powerplants are marvels of engineering, efficiency and adrenaline. They are true world-beaters. Take a look at whatever you have leaking all over your driveway and imagine what a big-horsepower swap could do for your automotive cred. Wrecking yard or crate, swapping in one of these Detroit growlers will transform anything they can be mounted in. Your challenge is to keep the rubber on the road.

Next, learn some more engine swap basics.

The main reason we started our Take 5 series was to find an easy, unique way to show off the great builds we find on Instagram. You may scratch your head when you realize the questions we ask the owners are not really about their build (except for the "favorite mod" one). Why do we do that? Because you can find all that out on their Instagram. While we sometimes get a glimpse of their family, friends, food or the occasional selfie, it's mostly their build that project car owners post about — its progress and whatever new modification they've added — right?

Well, we wanted to know more. It's interesting to find that an American muscle car owner and an import owner share the same favorite car movie, or to see that one truck owner likes to listen to country music on his drives while another prefers rap. The diversity within each supposed car group as well as the similarities across them all are why we love the automotive world so much.

Moi  |  @blkh4wk

2014 Honda Civic Si

1. Best mod to your vehicle:

The TE37SL Black Edition 2 VOLK RACING Wheels, Buddy Club Racing Spec V2 Coilovers and Nitto NT05 Tires. I like the grip on the NT05s. I bought them once and have kept buying them ever since.

2. Favorite driving music:

Slipknot – "The Negative One," "The Devil in I," and "Surfacing," to name a few.

3. Favorite car movie:

"Need for Speed."

4. Favorite road to drive:

Angeles Crest Highway.

5. Next automotive adventure: 

I'm not done with my car yet, so for now, my Civic adventure continues.

It's about time to switch things up a little. Do you have any suggestions for new Take 5 questions? Let us know! Leave a comment or email us: editor@drivingline.com.

D1 Grand Prix started off at its usual spot in Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan: in a parking lot. While parking lot layouts might not sound like the most appealing venue, it's a central location for Odaiba and convenient for Tokyo residents to attend; and with a lot of nearby attractions, it is great area for family outings. Plus, it adds a level of unpredictability for drivers and spectators. Anyone who has participated in a parking lot event, whether autocross, gymkhana or drift is probably familiar with all the unevenness of the pavement.

This year was the first time we can recall the opening round ever having rain. This added an additional level of anxiety and anticipation, depending on who you were. Combine this with the characteristics of a parking lot, and it led to water collecting in certain spots of the track and exasperated any traction loss resulting in loss of control. For the 45 drivers registered to compete, it was definitely an interesting way to kick off the season.

Tanso 

The first runs of the day reduced the field from the top 24 qualifiers down to 16. These runs, called "Tanso," are solo runs where each driver gets two passes in order to secure a top 16 position and thus making it to the quarter finals. During these runs, Takahiro Ueno had an unfortunate accident and found the wall at the turn one entry. This left the front left side of his Toyota Soarer pretty damaged and ended his day early. Hideyuki Fujino would take the No. 2 position in his Nissan 180sx, with Masato Kawabata taking the No. 2 position in his Nissan Skyline GTR R35.

Brackets to the Final Four

Competition shook out during the top 16 with only two lower seed upsets, including a battle of S15s between #4 Kazuya Taguchi and #13 Akira Hirajima (remember that name: Hirajima). Speaking of remembering names, #15 Daigo Saito might sound familiar as a former competitor in the U.S. Formula D Pro series. Unfortunately for Daigo fans, he hit the wall early with the rear of his Chevrolet Corvette C6 on the entry of turn one.

In the quarter finals, #13 Hirajima continued his reign of upsets taking out #5 Kenji Kiguchi and his Nissan Laurel C33. While #2 Masato Kawabata and his Nissan Skyline R35 made it out easy after #15 Saito's crash, Kawabata took himself out after hitting #7 Masanori Kohashi, causing his Nissan S15 to spin out and thus award him the upset victory to the semi finals.

The semi finals put #1 Hideyuki Fujino, who had been dominating in his Nissan 180sx, against #13 Hirajima, who had been setting upsets all day. Unfortunately for the fans, we will never know if Hirajima still had some magic in him that day because he suffered a mechanical failure and was forced to withdraw. #7 Kohashi would join Fujino in the finals after defeating #6 Masashi Yokoi and his Nissan S15. Yokoi is another competitor who spent a year abroad in the U.S. Formula Drift Pro series last year. Because of Hirajima's withdrawal, Yokoi was automatically awarded the third place trophy.

The Final Battle

The rain let up as we headed in the finals and lead to an exciting battle with #1 Fujino seemingly able to out speed #7 Kohashi. The first pass with Fujiya leading left a large gap between him and Kohashi. The second pass, with Fujino's speed, had him closing the distance and pushing Kohashi. 

Highlights 

Best tandem award went to #6 Yokoi vs. #7 Kohashi during the semi finals. Even though they only were able to get one run in, it was the best tandem of the day.

Saito's new Corvette C6 looked amazing and the sound was just incredible. Definitely unique in a crowd of primarily inline, turbo-equipped engines. 

Saito wasn't the only one running American muscle. Kohashi's Team Orange Nissan Silvia S15 was rocking an LSX. It seems some of the U.S. drift setups are making their way to Japan. 

Tetsuya Hibino was supposed to be running his new Honda S2000 but we were only able to see it parked on display. Hibino still did well in his Supra from last year. 

Kazuya Matsukawa's AE85 has fitted a twin-turbo 2GR-FSE V6. Normally found in Toyota sedans, it makes for a pretty tight fit into the small engine bay of the AE85. Producing over 700 horsepower in this car that weighs so little means we have high expectations. 

Check out the gallery below to see more from the first round of D1 Grand Prix 2017. Make sure to check back soon for Round 2 coverage and the rest of the 2017 season. 

One of my earliest memories watching motorsports was seeing '90s WRC (World RallyCross) cars flying through the air and sliding through hairpin turns in the dirt. Since then, I have always dreamt of having my own rally moment. The closest I had gotten to rallying was back in college, tearing through empty construction sites in the middle of the night in my WRX (not recommended and probably illegal). When I saw that my local SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) RallyCross was kicking off their season opener, I jumped at the chance to finally live my dream.

I registered blindly. With no idea what exactly I was getting into, I tried tapping into the internet database of knowledge: YouTube. That turned out to be not much of a help, as most videos were of prepared rally cars, and I had signed up to compete in a stock front wheel drive sedan. Early the next morning, I grabbed my helmet and some tools, loaded up my borrowed Nissan Altima and hoped not to break anything.

My day started ham-fisted and hard on the brakes as I fought against the physics of dirt. Driving like an angry ex-girlfriend on a shortcut through a field to her ex-boyfriend's house definitely wasn’t the fastest way around the track. After a few laps I got my “Scandanavian Flick” down, along with better, smoother driving while maintaining my speed through the corners. By the end of the day, I was able to shave nearly five seconds from earlier laps.

Now that I’ve lived through it, here are a few things I learned from my first SCCA RallyCross event.

1. Think you got the handles? Think again.

RallyCross is essentially autocross on a dirt field — a track outlined by cones on dirt. Unlike autocross where the handling on asphalt is more predictable, the uneven and soft dirt means earlier braking points, more understeer or oversteer and really getting familiar with your car's power and weight.

2. Prepare yourself for an ever-changing road surface.

As the day goes on and more cars hit the track, the surface changes. As cars dig deeper into turns, berms get bigger. Rocks get moved, creating dips in what was a flat track surface. When the water truck goes to wet the track (to help keep the passing cars from kicking up dust), its passing smoothens out the track surface, once again. Your times will vary depending on the track surface.

3. Don’t expect a Ken Block moment.

Unlike Global RallyCross, there is no Joker Lap to jump over, and the road surface doesn't have sharp tree-lined hairpins like in WRC. You might catch some air going through a dip, but it's more likely to find your suspension is fully extended and tires are still on the ground.

Kicking up dirt through a corner? Yes. Catching “sick air”? No, bro.

4. Expect to see the unexpected.

Being that this is a rally event, Evos and Subarus dominate the dirt. Surprisingly, you will also see some unexpected competitors. When was the last time you saw someone race a Toyota Camry, Hyundai Accent or Subaru Forester? RallyCross is open to everyone on four wheels to compete in either the stock, modified or prepared 2WD and AWD classes.

5. It's not all about horsepower.

Since everyone’s car handles differently on dirt, it’s a whole new playing field. A skilled driver behind the wheel of the least suspecting car can be highly competitive. Horsepower helps, but at this level of racing, driving experience and knowing your car will allow you to outperform more powerful cars. Some of the fastest cars I saw in the 2WD stock class were an Acura RSX and Toyota Camry. Some of the fastest 2WD stock cars were faster than turbo AWD vehicles with less experienced drivers behind the wheel.

I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun behind the wheel. Each run gave me an ear-to-ear smile, lap after lap. My first SCCA RallyCross wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be, and it definitely won’t be my last. 

See the rest of the day's action in the photo gallery below, and learn more about CalClub RallyCross at CalClubRallyX.com.

One of the best things about owning a Jeep Wrangler is having the ability to strip it down to the bare minimum. In less than an hour, you can fold the windshield, remove the top and pull the doors. This less-is-more approach is one of the reasons the Wrangler platform is so popular for recreational and hardcore off-road enthusiasts. After all, the less material left on the Jeep, the fewer the components that can be damaged off-road.

Over the years, we’ve become accustomed to enjoying the benefit of a tube door for when we hit the trail. For Jeeps with full doors, it not only helps shed weight, but it also prevents the very costly doors from being damaged off-road. Even factory half doors can be pricey to replace. On Wranglers such as ours that are lacking the niceties of air conditioning, the tube door can really help with air flow.

With spring finally here, we sprang (see what we did there) for a new set of doors for our TJ. While there’s an assortment of tube-style doors to choose from, we opted to get a set of Elements Doors from Bestop. Beyond the basic needs of being lightweight and well-made, we like the fact that we can easily upgrade the element doors with gear bags, door surrounds and even uppers if we wanted to go down that road.

While the video above offers insight into the ease of install, we’re highlighting more about the Element Doors in the article below.

For the ’97 to ’06 Jeep Wrangler TJ, you’ll simply unbolt the stock doors from the factory hinges. Once the doors are unbolted, remove the strap that’s securing the door to the tub. Bestop sends the Element Doors in nice foam packaging, which we found made for a great base to set our stock doors down so they wouldn’t be damaged in storage.

The Element Doors slide into the stock TJ hinges and come with a keyed door latch which you’ll bolt to the door.

You may need to adjust the door striker for the Element doors to shut properly. Our TJ required us to move the striker just slightly to achieve proper alignment.

To ensure your doors don’t swing out wildly and damage your Jeep (or the vehicle next to yours), Bestop uses straps to keep them in place. The small bolt-on bracket above is used to depress the door lamp indicator, so everything works just as it did stock.

If you’re going to use the doors on the street, you’ll be glad to know that you can bolt up your stock mirrors. We’re using Bestop’s High Rock 4x4 replacement mirrors. These are a tremendous upgrade from the old-style Wrangler mirrors and much easier to adjust and see out of.

The complete install took less than 30 minutes for both doors. While we can upgrade the Element doors later if we want, for now, these offer the extra airflow (and arm resting point) we were looking for.  

Check out more Wrangler ware for the TJ.

Formula Drift makes us all wait at least a month in between rounds, but not the D1 Grand Prix. For two consecutive days, Odaiba, Tokyo played host to the two opening rounds of the series. While Round 1 was a rain-filled event with a lot of sliding and a couple accidents, there was not much speed or smoke. Round 2, on the other hand, was the exact opposite with no rain, moderate temperatures and a return to drifting that we all associate with D1 Grand Prix. 

Tanso  

Taking the top 24 qualifiers from Round 1, the day started off with the Tanso session which are solo runs to narrow the field down to the top 16. Each driver gets two passes in order to try to secure a spot in the tandem battles. 

In Round 1, Takahiro Ueno had an unfortunate accident with his Toyota Soarer and was unable to qualify. With only 24 hours in between rounds, Ueno was able to make repairs in time and qualify into the top 24. Seimi Tanaka in his Nissan S15 took the top seed while teammate Masashi Yokoi took the second seed. Team D-Max was looking to make it a one-two finish. 

Brackets to the Final Four  

A big upset in the opening tandem battles was only a tease of things to come. #1 Seimi Tanaka in his Nissan S15 was defeated with some very aggressive driving by #16 Kazuya Bai. Bai is definitely looking to make a statement this year in his Nissan 180sx. The rest of the top 16 was full of upsets with five of the eight tandem battles going to the lower seed. This included Round 1's top qualifier and eventual winner, #14 Hideyuki Fujino and his Nissan 180sx, making it past #3 Tetsuya Hibino and his Toyota Supra.

In the quarter finals, Fujino continued his run to back-to-back podium finishes by defeating #11 Tsuyoshi Tezuka, piloting a Toyota 86. Fellow Round 1 podium finisher, #2 Masashi Yokoi, was also still in the fight with his Nissan S15 our drifting #10 Yoichi Imamura who was also piloting a Toyota 86. On the other side, Bai continued to be aggressive, but his Cinderella story would come to an end after being a bit too aggressive, making contact with #8 Kazuya Matsukawa's Toyota AE86. 

The semi finals saw two of Round 1's podium winners battle it out with Yokoi topping Fujino this round. #5 Masato Kawabata was looking poised to take top place on the podium but had to withdraw due to problems with a left front link in his Nissan Skyline R35. This allowed Matsukawa and his Toyota AE85 an opening to podium.

While Fujino was unable to repeat with another first place finish, he was able to easily return to the podium and claim third place. A free run is all he needed to complete due to Kawabata's earlier mechanical issues.

The Final Battle  

Back-to-back podium finishes, but with better results — Yokoi always does well at Odaiba, and today was no different. His consistently fast entries and smooth driving allowed him to edge out Matsukawa. Their runs were the best of the day as they were awarded the Best Tandem Award.

Highlights

D1 Grand Prix 2016 champion Daigo Saito seems to be having some teething problems, but we are sure the team will get everything sorted out soon. 

Kawabata also seemed to run into bad luck in Odaiba — first running into Kohashi during the Round 1 quarter finals, and then today suffering the mechanical failure. Nevertheless, he still earned enough points to be third in the points race. 

Matsukawa and his V6 powered AE85 were able to put the huge power-to-weight ratio to use, securing a second-place finish. He is now in fifth place in points. 

Fujino was able to win Round 1 and place third in Round 2, resulting in a tie for first after Yokoi finished third in Round 1 and first in Round 2. 

Quietly consistent during the first two rounds was Tezuka and his Toyota 86. Placing seventh and sixth nets him fourth overall in points. 

Check out more photos from Round 2 in the gallery below, and stay with us as we head to the legendary Tsukuba Circuit for Round 3 at the end of June.

Rally Raid is not a term familiar to most American motorsport enthusiasts. Perhaps you have heard of the Dakar, a prime example of a rally raid event that currently takes place in South America yet has deep roots on the African continent. Darren Skilton and Scott Whitney, both Dakar veterans, have brought rally raid to North America in the form of the Sonora Rally. When we heard about the Sonora Rally, now in its third year, we grabbed our passport and headed across the border to Puerto Peñasco in Sonora, Mexico, where the race was about to begin.

About Rally Raid: What You Need to Know

Rally Raid is an off-road endurance event spanning over several days (sometimes weeks) and the terrain that the competitors traverse is much tougher than that of conventional rally racing. The vehicles used are purpose-built off-road vehicles rather than modified cars with a few exceptions such as the Sonoran Rally’s Safari class. The competitive special sections are off-road, crossing sand dunes and other desert terrain. The “specials” are timed stages that vary in length, whereas the “liaisons” are transfer sections usually on pavement between the special stages and are not timed but must be completed in a given amount of time.

Each day a “bivouac” is set up that serves as the base of rally operations. Competitors and crew stay in the bivouac each night. Food is served, pits and camping sites are set up and any needed maintenance from the day’s stages is performed all in the bivouac.

A major difference between rally raid and desert races such as the Baja 1000 and King of The Hammers is navigation. In rally raid there are no marked courses, no line to follow on a GPS and prerunning is impossible to do. Instead, competitors are given a road book the evening before each stage to study that describes the course with symbols, arrows, kilometer readings and compass headings. In place of a GPS, electronic compasses are allowed that show headings which are used in conjunction with the road book and digital odometers that keep track of distance. Waypoints along the route are logged in a rally tracker which also alerts the navigator to their approximate location once within a certain radius. Missing a waypoint results in time penalties.

Puerto Peñasco and Back

Forty competitors took the start — a mix of motorcycles and four-wheel vehicles. One by one they left the bivouac and into the beautiful Sonoran desert. Desert roads, washes and small dunes would make up the two stages with three small liaisons between. Black Pearl Racing from Canada brought their 1978 Chevy Prerunner down for the rally and charged hard going into the small dunes toward the end of the second stage on day one.

Todd and Kyle Jergensen finished the day leading the four-wheel category with their truck. The bivouac for the night was right alongside the Sea of Cortez where a feast of freshly caught fish was served.

The following day the race would return to Puerto Peñasco using a different route, while the navigation increased in difficulty. Part of the allure of this race is the fresh terrain that is different from Baja and has not been raced on. The desert was in full bloom, the cacti towered towards the blue skies and the mix of sand, dirt, gravel and hard pack made up the terrain that Nitto Ridge Grapplers would shine in.

A tricky waypoint just a few kilometers from the end caught many off guard. Todd Jergensen rolled and then, after self-recovering, got stuck in a rocky ravine giving up a few hours of time.

Kraut Racing from New Mexico raced in the 2016 Sonora Rally and instantly got hooked on this form of motorsport. They brought out their 1988 Mercedes Benz G-Wagen, which looked right at home in the rally raid environment.

James Opel, driver of the G-Wagen, surveyed the terrain ahead while stopping to help a fellow competitor’s team. Outside assistance and chasing are not allowed, so competitors look after each other while out in the desert — a true sign of sportsmanship.

The Altar Dunes

Day three and four of the rally were spent traversing the Altar dunes, the largest dunes in North America. The navigation would become even trickier and would separate the top competitors. The motorcycle class began to spread out as the top riders jumped to a healthy lead, but the four-wheel class competition was just getting started. Eric Pucelik picked his way through the massive dunes in his Predator buggy.

On day four, the Jergensens would roll their truck more than eight times down a dune, but they landed on their wheels and kept charging. Eric Pucelik would win the class by a mere 10 minutes over Todd Jergensen after nearly 800 miles of specials and liaisons.

The Safari class in the Sonora Rally was a place for near-stock vehicles to get a taste of rally raid and learn navigation. Russell Sandquist drove his Ford Raptor through the dunes and the rest of the rally specials to pick up the most waypoints along the Safari route and win the class.

Start polishing up on your navigation skills, and maybe we will see you there next year! For more information head over to the SonoraRally.com.

Hypercars don’t make sense, and they don’t have to. When Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren introduced the last round of hybrid hypercars in the late 2010s, the industry was elevated into a whole new bracket of performance, and the general public’s perception of hybrid cars was redefined. However, not everyone was impressed.

Toward the end of 2016, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin and (oddly) McLaren let out a collective “meh” and decided that those three cars are entirely too mundane and something more extreme must be built. While details on the upcoming rounds of “F1”-inspired hybrid hypercars are scarce, we’ve compiled some information to create a clearer picture of what to expect from them.   

1. Aston Martin Valkyrie

Formerly known as the AM-RB 001 ("AM-RB" denotes the collaborative relationship between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing), the Valkyrie is poised to become the fastest road legal car not only in top speed but also in its dynamic capabilities. Aston Martin will be handling the customers, sales and exterior styling, while Red Bull will leverage their racing expertise to give the Valkyrie Formula 1-level aerodynamics and suspension kinematics.

The carbon fiber monocoque will be constructed by Aston Martin’s long time technical partner Multimatic Engineering, who was responsible for the design and production of the chassis on the AM One-77, AM Vulcan and the 2017 Ford GT. A wholly Cosworth-designed, naturally aspirated V12 will be supplemented by a F1-style KERS system to generate a combined output greater than 1,000 hp. Significant weight-saving efforts have gone into every component in pursuit of a sub-1,000 kg (~2205 lbs.) curb weight to give the Valkyries a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio.

At $3 million apiece, production will be limited to 175 cars, with 25 of them being track-only variants — performance on par with the current generation LMP1 race cars.

The new name “Valkyrie” certainly sounds heroic and fits well within Aston Martin’s naming convention of “V” names like Vulcan, Virage, Vanquis and Vantage. However, naming a 250-mph land missile after the Norse grim reaper that ushers fallen warriors to Valhalla might be more morose than the company had intended.

Mercedes-Benz Project One

Many manufactures had built road cars that featured a Formula 1-derived engine to emulate the F1 experience: Ferrari’s F50, Porsche’s Carrera GT and Lexus’s LFA, just to name a few. But no one has had the audacity to use an actual F1 unit in a road-going car. Until now.

Celebrating AMG’s recent dominance in Formula 1, Mercedes’s hybrid hypercar will pack a civilized version of the championship-winning PU106C 1.6L single-turbo V6 power unit paired with two electric motors for a combined output of greater than 1,000 hp. Expect the rev limiter to be set beyond the fabled 10,000 mark.  

To make the car more approachable at the limit, electric AWD and torque vectoring will be added to the front axle via the two electric motors, and the gasoline-powered rear axle could receive rear the wheel steering system from the AMG GT R.

While the hot-V turbo engines have been around since the '80s — where turbochargers are packaged within the hot valley of the engine — the PU106C-equipped Project One will be the first road car to feature an engine that is sandwiched between the two turbines of a turbocharger.

Mercedes planned for a production run of 275 cars at $2.4 million apiece. To further enhance the authentic F1 experience, AMG recently announced that the engine of the Project One will need to be rebuilt every 31,000 miles.

McLaren BP23

"BP 23" stands for Bespoke Project 2, 3 seats. All 106 units of the $2-million F1-inspired “Hyper-GT” have already been spoken for. Technically, the “F1” here isn’t referencing Formula 1 racing but the legendary McLaren F1 instead. When the P1 came out in 2014, many diehard McLaren enthusiasts didn’t see it as a true successor to the F1. The P1 didn’t have the F1’s signature center driver 3 seat, the long-distance cruising comfort, nor did it have a record-shattering top speed. (The McLaren F1 still holds the record for the fastest naturally aspirated car.)

According to McLaren, instead of building another hardcore track machine, the BP23 will be a low drag, high efficiency speed cruiser that combines the highest level of speed potential and driver engagement with unsurpassed level of refinement, luxury and comfort.

Technical details have yet to be finalized for the BP23, but it will combine hybrid elements with the 720s' generation 2 carbon tub and the 3.8L twin-turbo V8. The car will also have a roof-mounted dihedral door. In terms of performance, expect nothing less than 1,000 hp and a top speed greater than 240 mph.

(Photos courtesy of the manufacturers)

Each of these hypercars are uniquely extreme in their own way. Which one is your favorite? Drop a comment below.