JULY 12, 2023

The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo. 

The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG 

(Porsche)

A 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS has set a new production car record at Road America, bettering the established record set in a 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS. The record-shattering lap was set by Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America veteran Dimitri Dimakos on the freshly paved “America's National Park of Speed.” Dimakos, a veteran of the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America, lapped the 4.048-mile, 14 turn road course in a time of two minutes, 13.8 seconds. Conditions were near perfect, with an air temperature hovering around 75 degrees and a track temperature just above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The lap on the freshly paved classic American race course in the Kettle Moraine country of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, bettered the previous record of 2:15.1 set by David Donohue in a 2019 Porsche 911 GT2 RS in April 2019 by nearly two seconds. The feat is especially remarkable considering the huge horsepower difference between the 700HP prior record holder, and the 518HP 911 GT3 RS. “The biggest thing is not necessarily the lap time, it is the ease at which the car can achieve that lap time and the confidence it inspires in the driver,” Dimakos said. “The car can be driven by someone who is a novice or intermediate level driver and still be very fast and comfortable to drive. The braking is nearly identical to what we run in the 911 GT3 Cup car. I was braking at exactly the same spot. No wiggling at all. The car stopped exactly straight, turned-in great.” The sophisticated active aerodynamics and new Motorsport-based 4.0 liter, naturally aspirated, flat-six engine of the current generation 911 GT3 RS also made it more than 4.5 seconds quicker than the 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS at the same track. The privately owned production-spec road car – which had been delivered to the owner just weeks before – was aligned for the track by an authorized Porsche Center and fitted with optional, road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R N0 high performance road tires size 275/35 ZR 20 front and 335/30 ZR 21 rear, which are specifically developed and homologated for the 911 GT3 RS. The official lap time was logged by onboard VBOX equipment and validated by Goldcrest Motorsports.

(BMW Motorrad images)

When Dirk Oehlerking dedicated himself to the BMW R 18 with his Kingston Custom customizing forge, the result was spectacular: the R 18 Spirit of Passion is a breathtaking creation in streamlined style. And now, the R 18 The Crown goes a big step further. "It is the essence of my creations to date," says Oehlerking, whose passion and creativity have always been for individual and unusual motorcycles. This is exactly what he has been doing with total commitment in the Ruhr region for 30 years now. He loves industrial culture and the proximity to industry and crafts, has a great network and stunning photo backdrops for his motorcycles and himself. To mark 100 years of BMW Motorrad, he has now created the R 18 The Crown, a big boxer motorcycle that has it all. "I started with a new BMW R18 which I then stripped down. As always, I worked with hard foam and cardboard to create the shape, the lines and the design. The aim was for it to look powerful, elegant and fast combined with an innovative look," is how Oehlerking describes his design approach. The design made it necessary to adapt the technology considerably. A completely new front wheel suspension had to be constructed in the form of a double-sided swinging arm with central suspension strut. The 8-litre fuel tank and the body parts were made of 2 mm thick aluminum sheet metal, which was cut, bent and driven by hand. While the engine and rear suspension are the same as in the original, the two stainless steel exhaust manifolds are completely made by hand. Numerous standard components such as the headlight, instrument, switch units and footrest system have been integrated perfectly into the R 18 The Crown. The clutch and handbrake fittings from Magura, the rear mudguard and brackets from Wunderkind and the saddle made from 2 mm thick aluminum sheet metal and covered with genuine leather are all harmonious additions. As the icing on the cake, Oehlerking gave the R 18 The Crown a Champagne Platinum paint finish with mother-of-pearl, complemented by the BMW brand emblem adorned with a small crown. The unveiling of the BMW R 18 The Crown will take place on July 7-9, 2023, on the occasion of 100 years of BMW Motorrad as part of the BMW Motorrad Days in Berlin.

(Lotus)

The quintessential British sports car manufacturer will have a huge presence at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The electric Eletre SUV will be displayed, along with the electric Evija hypercar, but we're most interested in the Emira. Lotus will show the new 2.0-liter version of the Emira (above), along with the V6 version. These cars are supposedly the last ICE vehicles Lotus will produce.

(BMW Motorrad images)

BMW Motorrad USA has unveiled the new 2024 BMW CE 02. "It’s electric, designed to appeal to young people and it’s neither an e-motorbike nor an e-scooter," according to BMW Motorrad PR minions. It’s an eParkourer, created for the urban environment; designed to be nimble, practical, tough, and reduced to the essentials." 

With the CE 02, we are striving for something new at BMW Motorrad and want to be pioneers once again. Thanks to its unusual proportions and striking graphics, the new CE 02 is an uncomplicated, youthful form of single-track mobility. The reduced design language stands for lightness and fun. The focus is not on utility, but on emotional appeal, riding pleasure and uncomplicated, almost intuitive use," explains Edgar Heinrich, Head of BMW Motorrad Design. 

The disc wheels are designed to emphasize the proportions. Black is the basic color for the frame, wheels, front fender and triple clamp fairing, and granite grey metallic matt for the motor cover offers a contrast. The optional HIGHLINE package adds forks anodized in gold and a tape design in combination with Petrol as a contrasting color. The 2024 BMW CE 02 will arrive in the U.S. with an MSRP of $7,599 plus Destination.

(Bugatti Images)

Bugatti is celebrating the official centenary of the racing debut of one of its most innovative cars: the Type 32 ‘Tank’. This streamlined racing car was to lay the foundations for aerodynamic innovations in motorsport, earning its nickname not only for its shape, but also for its visible rivets and bolts. The Type 32 debuted at the French Grand Prix on July 2, 1923, in the city of Tours in the beautiful Loire Valley. A huge crowd of 300,000 spectators gathered to see an array of cutting-edge race cars, but the car that attracted the most attention was the bold machine from Ettore Bugatti. What immediately caught the eye of the crowd was the slipstreamed Type 32 and its airplane-inspired wing-shaped body, a result of Bugatti’s conviction that advanced aerodynamics would have an increasingly important role to play in enhancing the performance of racing cars. Although under the skin it was based heavily on the Type 30 – with its 2.0-litre eight-cylinder engine developing in the region of 90 PS – the unusual fairing, relatively short wheelbase and narrow track meant it looked like little else on the grid and caused a stir among the racing enthusiasts present. The Type 32 bristled with numerous innovative engineering solutions, including front hydraulic brakes, and a three-speed and reverse transaxle transmission. In total, five Type 32s were built – a prototype plus the four cars that took part in the Grand Prix – a race consisting of 35 grueling laps of the 22.83-kilometer circuit on public roads, for a total distance of just under 800 kilometers. Of the four Type 32 machines, the most successful was piloted by French driver Ernest Friderich, who finished third, completing the race in seven hours and 22.4 seconds at an average speed of just over 112 km/h. Though it was a creditable finish for the Type 32, the Tours was to prove its only GP appearance, as Bugatti instead focused on developing the iconic Type 35. This legendary Bugatti featured a host of new ideas – including the introduction of alloy wheels – and enjoyed phenomenal success, winning the Grand Prix World Championship in 1926. Despite its short GP career, the Type 32 proved an invaluable exercise for Bugatti, and many of the lessons learned were ultimately to pay dividends. In particular, the belief that aerodynamic efficiency could play such a pivotal, decisive role was proven conclusively in another race car whose streamlined, enclosed body earned it the ‘Tank’ moniker, the 57G. It dominated endurance racing in the 1930s, securing victory in the 1936 French Grand Prix and even more notably at Le Mans in 1937, demonstrating that Ettore Bugatti’s vision, first realized in the Type 32 ‘Tank’ of 1923, had been proven correct. The Bugatti Type 32 resides at Musée National de l’Automobile in Mulhouse, France, and can still be seen competing in action at certain historic races.

(Rolls-Royce images)

The Spectre is the first fully-electric Rolls-Royce ever made. It also represents an epochal technological and intellectual shift for the marque: by the end of 2030, its entire product portfolio will be fully electric; Rolls-Royce will not produce a new model with an internal combustion engine again. The Rolls-Royce Spectre is fitted with two Separately Excited Synchronous Motors (SSMs). The front electric motor produces 190kW/365 Nm, with the rear motor delivering 360kW/710 Nm. In performance terms, this equates to an internal combustion engine of 430kW (584HP) with 900Nm of torque. In terms of acceleration, Spectre achieves 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds). The confirmed range is 530km (329 miles) on the WLTP. Charge time from 10-80% is 34 minutes using a 195 kW (DC) fast charger: this will also produce sufficient charge for 100km in around nine minutes. Editor-in-Chief's Note: How much? It starts at $420,000 but needless to say, it will easily be $500,000 - and up - before you get your hands on one. And the thing looks like it weighs 9,000 pounds. (It actually weighs 6,371 lbs., but still, wow. -WG)  -PMD

The AE Song of the Week:

There's somethin' wrong with the world today
I don't know what it is
Something's wrong with our eyes

We're seein' things in a different way
And God knows it ain't his
It sure ain't no surprise

Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge

There's somethin' wrong with the world today
The light bulb's gettin dim
There's meltdown in the sky

If you can judge a wise man
By the color of his skin
Then mister you're a better man than I

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself at all
Livin' on the edge
You can't stop yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge (everybody, everybody)

Tell me what you think about your situation
Complication, aggravation is getting to you

If chicken little tells you that the sky is fallin'
Even if it wasn't would you still come crawlin' 
Back again
I bet you would my friend
Again and again and again and again and again

Tell me what you think about your situation
Complication, aggravation is getting to you

If chicken little tells you that the sky is fallin'
Even if it was would you still come crawlin' 
Back again
I bet you would my friend
Again and again and again and again and again

Something right with the world today
And everybody knows it's wrong
But we can tell 'em no or we could let it go
But I'd would rather be a hanging on

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself at all

Livin' on the edge

You can't stop yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge (everybody, everybody)

Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself at all
Livin' on the edge
You can't stop yourself from fallin'

Livin' on the edge

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself
You can't help yourself
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself at all

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself
You can't help yourself
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself
You can't help yourself
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

"Livin On The Edge" by Aerosmith, from the album "Get A Grip" (1993).* Written by Joe Perry, Mark Hudson and Steven Tyler. Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Original Music Video here.

*This song talks about how the world is a crazy place, but people remain stuck in their routines and refuse to change. According to the Aerosmith autobiography Walk This Way, the song was inspired by the Los Angeles riots of 1992, which took place after the white police officers accused of beating the black motorist Rodney King were acquitted. Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith wrote this song with Mark Hudson, who has had one of the more intriguing careers in the entertainment industry. Hudson was a teen idol in the '70s, starring with his brothers on a kid's TV show called the Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show. The Hudson Brothers charted three times with songs they wrote, including "So You Are A Star," which became their biggest hit. In the '80s, Mark hooked up with the producer Phil Ramone and did songwriting and production work in addition to some acting roles (he was on a short-lived TV show with Geena Davis called Sara). Mark got the gig as bandleader on Joan Rivers' late night TV show in 1989, and continued working on the program after it morphed into The Arsenio Hall Show. When Aerosmith started writing for the Get A Grip album, their record company sherpa John Kalodner set up a session with Hudson, which is where they wrote this song. Kalodner was a proponent of outside songwriters, which he felt was key to keeping the band's sound fresh. Other songwriters who wrote with Perry and Tyler on the album include Jim Vallance, Lenny Kravitz and Desmond Child. According to Steven Tyler, those three big drum hits that you hear near the end of this song were made with the bass drum he stole from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, New York, where he was in the marching band. Tyler was kicked out of the school after an undercover cop posing as a student busted him for drug possession. He walked off with the drum after his band played the Roosevelt senior prom. This song won the Grammy award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal; the band performed the song at the 1994 ceremony. It was just Aerosmith's second Grammy - they won the same award in 1991 for "Janie's Got A Gun." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG