JUNE 23, 2021

(SpeedKore images)
Now this is an Autoextremist-certified machine. The “Hellacious™” Charger, built by SpeedKore, is a road-going version of the movie car used in Universal Pictures’ new Fast & Furious , F9. The “Hellacious™” Charger is the custom car builder’s first mid-engine muscle car. “This Charger is one of our most extreme builds to date,” said Jim Kacmarcik, president and owner of SpeedKore. “After commissioning renowned designer Sean Smith to design the car and working with F9’s picture vehicle coordinator Dennis McCarthy to build the nine chassis and vehicle bodies for the film, we wanted to bring the movie magic of F9 to life. ‘Hellacious’ is a road-going version of the movie car with the functionality of a purpose-built performance car. We couldn’t be more excited to debut ‘Hellacious’ alongside the actual film as yet another unique representation of our design and engineering capabilities as a custom car builder.” The “Hellacious” Charger gets its power from a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 mounted between the rear axles in a custom SpeedKore-engineered frame. The engine’s 707HP and 650 pound-feet of torque make it to the rear wheels via a gated-manual Graziano transaxle from a Lamborghini Gallardo. Both the engine and transmission use Motul fluids for reliable performance. The Hellcat V8 breathes through a custom exhaust fabricated from MagnaFlow components; the SpeedKore-designed headers and dual mufflers are routed high in the chassis to clear the mid-engine powertrain before exiting through downward-facing tips. A front-mount Saldana performance radiator keeps the engine cool while accommodating the mid-engine architecture of the car. At the rear, high-performance intercoolers feed cool air to the 2.4-liter supercharger. The machine features a SpeedKore-designed perimeter frame with double A-arm front suspension from Detroit Speed and an integrated rear cradle with double wishbone suspension from Race Car Replicas (RCR). It is equipped with an Ididit steering column and Detroit Speed steering rack; QA1 shocks with track-focused dampening; Brembo 6-piston calipers up front and dual Brembo 4-piston calipers out back. Custom HRE 18-inch “Hellacious” center-lock wheels with 275/35R18 front and 345/35R18 rear tires complete this purpose-built setup. “Hellacious” is rendered in full carbon fiber like SpeedKore’s previous Chargers but adds a bespoke wide body styled by Sean Smith Designs. Pronounced fender cut-outs, unique body siding and a glass rear hatch to expose the engine compartment complete the aggressive bodywork while BASF Glasurit matte-black paint completes the bad-ass look. Inside, “Hellacious” is equipped with low-back racing seats and Simpson harnesses. Classic Instrument gauges are mounted in an aluminum dashboard, and an integrated roll hoop and rear-facing firewall complete the interior packaging. The SpeedKore Charger uses a vertical-slat grille and factory 1968 Charger hideaway headlights finished with metal brightwork, complimenting the brushed steel front and rear bumpers. Shaved rain gutters and flush-mounted glass present a seamless side profile while a rear fascia with round quad taillights and a bronze stripe keyed to the color of the wheels finish the look. For more information on the 1968 Hellacious Dodge Charger and SpeedKore carbon fiber parts, you can visit www.speedkore.com.

(Porsche images)
The new 2022 Porsche 911 GTS is "m ore powerful and visually distinctive, and with better driving dynamics than ever," according to Porsche PR minions. The six-cylinder boxer engine in the new 911 GTS delivers 473HP, which is 23HP more than the previous 911 GTS. Torque rises to 420 lb-ft. Zero to 60 mph takes 3.1 seconds in the 911 Carrera 4 GTS coupe equipped with the eight-speed Porsche dual-clutch transmission (PDK), which is three tenths faster than its predecessor. A seven-speed manual transmission with a gear lever shortened by 10 millimeters is available for all 911 GTS models as an alternative to the PDK. The 911 GTS is available in five variants for the first time: 911 Carrera GTS with rear-wheel drive, as Coupe and Cabriolet; 911 Carrera 4 GTS with all-wheel drive, as Coupe and Cabriolet; and the 911 Targa 4 GTS with all-wheel drive. Other stuff? A unique Sport Exhaust system and GTS-specific suspension tuning with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), and the high-performance braking system from the 911 Turbo. Driving dynamics can improve even more through the optional Lightweight package, which will be available on the 911 Carrera GTS coupe models for the first time, saving up to 55 lbs. in weight. Setting the 911 GTS apart is black contrasting bodywork elements and darkened headlight housings. Inside, the interior features many of the touchpoints finished in grippy Race-Tex cloth material. The latest generation of Porsche Communication Management (PCM) brings numerous improvements in operation and connectivity as well. And, of course, in true Porsche fashion, there's much more. First deliveries in the US are expected in early 2022 with a starting MSRP of $136,700 excluding $1,350 for delivery, processing, and handling.

FATHER'S DAY.

By Tom Pease

Beverly Hills. On Father’s Day, for the past several years, the shopping area of Rodeo Drive is closed off to traffic to have the Rodeo Concours d’Elegance, a car show that I had written of in this space more than once. It was cancelled last year due to Covid, and since no one knew what the situation would be here by Father’s Day it was decided that if the throngs couldn’t come to three short blocks, then they could certainly spread out on a three-mile-long route. Thus, the 2021 Beverly Hills Tour d’Elegance.

This year the event was put on in conjunction with, and starting from, The Petersen Museum, recently reopened on Museum Row in the Miracle Mile district. From there, the procession went west on Wilshire and north on San Vicente to Burton Way, where it passed me, camped out in a “Kojak spot” at the corner of Oakhurst and in front of the action. While it was a smaller event than the last several years with fewer cars, what was there was interesting and eclectic, perhaps due to the influence of the Petersen. Vice Mayor Lili Bosse was piloted in a brand-new Bentley convertible (and was nice enough to yell out “Happy Birthday” to me as she passed), while behind her was a gorgeous red Dual Ghia. Vintage Rolls, Hudson, Cadillacs, and Ferrari were mixed in with some of the Petersen’s Hollywood collection, including the “Back to the Future” DeLorean, as well as some hyper-local oddities like Tommy Kendall’s “El Gallo Grande,” an eye-searingly yellow 1973 Olds Ninety-Eight with a giant chicken head. (Really, I thought they could have completed the LA-ness of it with appearances by the Tail o’ the Pup hot dog, Dennis Woodruff and Angelyne, but that’s me...)

Even some of the spectators decided to join the fun: leading the pack was a cherry red (and cherry) ‘51 Studebaker that was definitely not part of the parade. Several people were running their vintage Corvettes and Porsches as well as new Lambos and too many Telsa (Teslae?) to count, but since the latter are ubiquitous they’re hardly worth mentioning. 

For me the highlight of the parade was the appearance of an ultra-rare Imperial Parade Phaeton, one of three built in 1952 as gifts for the Cities of New York (black with grey interior), Los Angeles (cream with rose interior), and Detroit (metallic green with natural pigskin interior). This was that Detroit car, now in white with red interior, having passed through several private collectors to end up in the capable and loving hands of the Petersen. I hope the BH City Manager knows he got the ride that outdid the Vice Mayor.

I did hear via FacePlace that next year, unless another virus importunes, the show will be again on Rodeo Drive, and I will look forward to seeing it. First thing in the AM before the crowds get too thick.

The AE Song of the Week:

Been beat up and battered 'round
Been sent up, and I've been shot down
You're the best thing that I've ever found
Handle me with care

Reputations changeable
Situations tolerable
Baby, you're adorable
Handle me with care

I'm so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Won't you show me that you really care?

Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on

I've been fobbed off, and I've been fooled
I've been robbed and ridiculed
In daycare centers and night schools
Handle me with care

Been stuck in airports, terrorized
Sent to meetings, hypnotized
Overexposed, commercialized
Handle me with care

I'm so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Won't you show me that you really care?

Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on

I've been uptight and made a mess
But I'll clean it up myself, I guess
Oh, the sweet smell of success
Handle me with care

"Handle With Care" by The Traveling Wilburys from the album "Volume One" (1988)*. Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy K. Orbison and Tom Petty. Publisher: BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC; Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Official Video here. 

*This was the first single released by The Traveling Wilburys, who were a supergroup created by George Harrison and Jeff Lynne. Initially an informal grouping with Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, they got together at Bob Dylan's Santa Monica, California, studio to quickly record an additional track as a B-side for the single release of Harrison's song "This is Love." This was the song they came up with, which the record company immediately realized was too good to be released as a single "Filler." They also recorded "You Got It" at the session, which helped convince them to record an album together. Petty explained to Mojo magazine January 2010 what it was like co-writing a song with Bob Dylan. Said Petty: "There's nobody I've ever met who knows more about the craft of how to put a song together than he does. I learned so much from just watching him work. He has an artist's mind and can find in a line the key word and think how to embellish it to bring the line out. I had never written more words than I needed, but he tended to write lots and lots of verses, then he'll say, this verse is better than that, or this line. Slowly this great picture emerges. He was very good in The Traveling Wilbur's: when somebody had a line, he could make it a lot better in big ways." The title "Handle With Care" came offhand when George Harrison saw the phrase on the side of a cardboard box in the studio. Tom Petty's Heartbreakers bandmate Mike Campbell was originally asked to play the guitar part on "Handle With Care" that George Harrison eventually performed. He recalled to Uncutmagazine: "They didn't have the slide intro. I setup my amp, and Tom, Jeff and George are there. I'm trying my best, but I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I'm playing the guitar in front of a Beatle!' I played pretty good but I said, 'I really think George would be better on this, his fill would be much sweeter.' So he used my amp and I handed him my guitar. He came up with that beautiful guitar part." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)