OCTOBER 9, 2024

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 

(McLaren Images)

This is the new McLaren W1, the successor to the McLaren F1 and McLaren P1 supercars and the latest "supercar of the moment" (at least this week anyway). It was "created with McLaren’s World Championship mindset; underpinned by the principles that define a real supercar," according to McLaren PR minions. It is powered by an all-new hybrid powertrain with 1,258BHP – the highest power output of any McLaren ever. The all-new MHP-8 V8 combustion engine develops 916BHP; it is highest-ever output McLaren engine at 230BHP-per-liter and it revs to 9,200rpm. The power-dense E-module develops 342BHP; integrating the electric motor and control unit for reduced weight and optimized packaging. Most significant? McLaren lightweight engineering delivers a vehicle weight of 3,084lbs, enabling best-in-class power-to-weight ratio of 899BHP/ton – the highest ever for any McLaren supercar. Other stuff?

• Formula 1-inspired ground effect aerodynamics and McLaren Race mode combine to deliver world-first, radical ‘road to track’ character transformation, lowering ride height by 1.46in at the front and 0.7in at the rear and engaging up to 2,205lbs of downforce.
• The most advanced active aero features ever in a road-legal McLaren, with revolutionary McLaren Active Long Tail rear wing that extends rearwards by 11.8in, just one of multiple patents filed for aerodynamic innovations.
• The new W1 is fastest-accelerating and fastest-lapping road-legal McLaren ever; it is quicker than a Speedtail to 186mph in a straight-line and 3 seconds a lap quicker than a McLaren Senna on McLaren’s reference track.
• The numbers? The rear-wheel-drive W1 accelerates from 0-124mph in 5.8 seconds and 0-186mph in less than 12.7 seconds. Maximum speed is electronically limited to 217mph.
• New McLaren Race Active Chassis Control III suspension with Race mode ensures "unparalleled breadth of capability across both road and track."
• McLaren Hydraulic Performance Steering and hydraulic braking is part of the W1 package.
• The gearbox? New 8-speed transmission with E-reverse, coupled with new hydraulic electronic differential.
• Bespoke McLaren Aerocell carbon fiber monocoque and McLaren Anhedral Doors are optimized for aerodynamic performance and constructed using motorsport techniques.
• The Formula 1-inspired front suspension is mounted directly into the Aerocell with externally visible front arms and key components 3D-printed for weight optimization, including the use of titanium components.
• Unique seating design integrated into the Aerocell monocoque for the purest driver connection to the car.
• The pedals, steering wheel and primary controls move to fully embrace the driver within the cockpit environment.
• Almost unlimited bespoke options are available via MSO, including new McLaren InnoKnit tailored interior material.
• A comprehensive warranty is included (4-year vehicle; 6-year HV battery) and a 4-year service plan complements the unique ownership experience.

How much? Pricing starts at $2.1 million, with the final cost dependent on the level of MSO personalization. Just 399 customer cars will be produced – and all are already customer allocated.

(Goodguys/Fuelcurve.com.images)

In the inaugural year of the Goodguys BASF Most Bitchin’ award, Dave Kindig and his team from Kindig-It Design and the TV show “Bitchin’ Rides” swooped in and stole the show with the amazing TwelveAir, a scratch-built custom coupe crafted for Dave and Tracey Maxwell that’s based on a ’53 Corvette concept and powered by an innovative and exotic LS-based V12 engine. The BASF Most Bitchin’ honor is the latest incarnation of a long-running Goodguys Top 12 award. Originally named America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod, the award evolved several years ago to America’s Most Beautiful to broaden its appeal and participation. That appeal was broadened even further this year when the name morphed to BASF Most Bitchin’, and the award became a target for Kindig and his team after securing the Ridler Award earlier this year at the Detroit Autorama, in addition to the Street Cruiser of the Year at the Triple Crown of Rodding. (The pictures and commentary are courtesy of Fuelcurve.com. One of our favorite car sites.)

Built in secret over a nearly five-year period at Kindig-It Design, the TwelveAir is the culmination of Kindig’s many years of design, fabrication, and custom car building experience. It’s based on a clean-sheet design inspired by the Chevy Corvair concept car – a fastback version of the first-generation Corvette that never saw production. Kindig’s version also incorporates other innovative design elements from the era, like a double bubble roof similar to those found on vintage Ferraris and other Italian sports cars. And while it shares some design cues with Kindig’s CF1 production roadsters, the Twelve Air is a true one-off design with a hand-built aluminum body and monocoque structure.

The car is not based on a conventional frame, but instead uses a floor and base structure built from reinforced 6061 aluminum sandwiched together to create a monocoque/unibody structure to which the drivetrain components are directly attached. The front and rear suspensions are inspired by Formula 1 designs, with single horizontally mounted coil-over shocks and custom control arms. A C7 Corvette transaxle serves as the foundation for the rear suspension. Modified Wilwood brake calipers and custom stainless steel rotors are used at each corner, and everything rolls on one-off 20×8- and 21×12-inch aluminum wheels designed by Kindig, machined and assembled by EVOD Industries, and plated by Ogden Chrome.

Seeking a power plant that’s as innovative as the rest of the car, Kindig worked with Australia-based Race Cast Engineering on the 9.2-liter (561c.i.) V12 engine, which is based on the GM LS engine platform. The engine is capable of 1,000HP but has been tuned to about 650HP, which is more than enough for this very special lightweight Corvette. It features an elegant-looking 12-stack intake, one-off valve covers, custom stainless-steel headers, and other obsessive details. An extended torque tube connects it to the rear transaxle.

The car’s hand-shaped body was crafted from 3003 aluminum shaped over a custom buck. Virtually everything is one-off, from the custom bumpers, grille, headlight bezels, and trim, to the mirrors, lenses, and exhaust outlets. Even the windshield and back glass were custom built to Kindig’s specifications. The body was ultimately bathed in a gorgeous ruby red finish called “Infrared” from Kindig’s Modern Classikk line of paints from Akzo Nobel.

Dave Kindig and his masterpiece. Again, thank you to Fuelcurve.com for the pictures and commentary. 

(Mercedes-Benz)

The Mercedes-AMG ONE had already been the fastest production car on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife since October 2022. Now, Mercedes‑AMG brand ambassador and DTM driver Maro Engel has significantly improved the lap time he set previously. With an officially measured and notarized time of 6:29.090 minutes for the 12.944-mile (20.832-kilometer) track, the hypercar with Formula 1™ technology beat its own record for production vehicles by over five seconds. This makes the Mercedes‑AMG ONE the first road car to beat the magic mark of 6:30 minutes. It is also the only series hybrid hypercar to date to have taken on the world's most demanding racetrack and is the undisputed leader in the super-sports-car class. The Mercedes‑AMG Hypercar brings Formula 1™ hybrid drive technology from the racetrack to the road for the first time. With one combustion engine and four electric motors, the E PERFORMANCE hybrid delivers a total of 1,049HP (782 kW), with the top speed capped at 218 mph (352 km/h). The other motorsport technologies range from the carbon monocoque and carbon body to the engine/transmission unit as a stressed member, and active aerodynamics to the pushrod chassis. The two-seater Mercedes‑AMG ONE features fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive with a hybrid-driven rear axle and electrically driven front axle with torque vectoring. "Two years ago, the conditions were not ideal, and some sections of the track were still a little damp. We knew we could do more, and we wanted to show that. Today we were able to demonstrate the maximum potential of the AMG ONE. Many thanks to the whole team from Affalterbach for the trust they've placed in me. It was a great pleasure and honor to be able to drive this record lap with such a unique car," commented Maro Engel, Mercedes‑AMG brand ambassador. Watch the video here. Editor-in-Chief's Note: The bragging rights at the country or motor club will be HUGE. -PMD

The AE Song of the Week:

Take the ribbon from your hair
Shake it loose and let it fall
Layin' soft upon my skin
Like the shadows on the wall

Come and lay down by my side
'Til the early mornin' light
All I'm takin' is your time
Help me make it through the night

I don't care who's right or wrong
I don't try to understand
Let the devil take tomorrow
Lord, tonight I need a friend

Yesterday is dead and gone
And tomorrow's out of sight
And it's sad to be alone
Help me make it through the night

Hmm
Hmm
Lord, it's sad to be alone
Help me make it through the night

Hmm
Hmm
Lord, it's sad to be alone

"Help Me Make It Through The Night" by Kris Kristofferson from the album "Kristofferson" (1970).* Written by Kris Kristofferson. Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson perform it live here. 

*Kris Kristofferson was born into a military family in Brownsville, Texas. He was a star football player at Pomona High School and was considered a "straight arrow" by his friends. He told Charlie Rose in 1998 that "football was more important to me than music" and he wanted to be a football player and a writer. He also was an avid boxer, but a series of concussions derailed his plans to be an athlete.

Kristofferson was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in 1958 shortly after winning an Atlantic magazine short story contest. He admired the poet William Blake, who he described as a "life ring," and went on to graduate summa cum laude from Oxford University in London with a Bachelor of Philosophy in English literature. While at Oxford, he performed country and folk music under the name Kris Carson.

His mother was terribly disappointed when he left the military to take up a career as a country singer, and according to Kristofferson, she never got over it, telling him that she'd rather have a gold star in the window than a son on his career path. The gold star was something households of soldiers who were killed in battle would put in their windows.

Kristofferson was a captain in the Army and wanted to go to Vietnam, but that request was denied because he had been assigned a teaching position at the United States Military Academy in West Point. He never got to West Point because he fell in love with Nashville after spending time with writers such as Mel Tillis and Tom T. Hall. After shaking Johnny Cash's hand – while in uniform – Kristofferson said he was "mesmerized."

He became known as a singer and songwriter with a "country outlaw" reputation. Some of his best known hits include "Sunday Morning Coming Down," recorded by Johnny Cash, "Me And Bobby McGee," featured on Janis Joplin's Pearl album, and "Help Me Make it Through the Night," which earned Sammi Smith a Grammy for Best Country Music Female Performance and Kristofferson a Grammy for Best Country Song in 1972.

He didn't get along with his mother and his father wasn't home much, so a nanny named Juanita took care of him when he was young. Kristofferson stayed in touch with her throughout his life, and said she "probably saved my life."

Barbra Streisand selected Kristofferson for the role of John Norman Howard in the movie A Star is Born, for which he won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor. Streisand wanted Elvis Presley to play the role of Howard, but Colonel Tom Parker was angry that Streisand did not approach him first. He also insisted that Presley receive top billing over Streisand. Kristofferson appeared in several films after A Star is Born, including the critically acclaimed Lone Star and the colossal box office flop, Heaven's Gate.

Kristofferson is known for his left-of-center political views, which he attributes to his mother. He recalls his hometown as being discriminatory against Mexicans and when a Mexican World War II hero returned home from Europe, a parade was held in his honor. Kristofferson and his family were the only Anglos in attendance. He claims his political leanings contributed to a decline in his film and music career, claiming that he did things that made him "unmarketable," like "hanging around the Sandinistas," the left-wing Nicaraguan political party. Kristofferson's career also suffered because of his battles with drugs and alcohol.

Fellow country singer Rita Coolidge married Kristofferson in 1973. They collaborated on three albums in the 1970s, winning Grammy awards in 1974 for the single, "From the Bottle to the Bottom," and in 1976 for the song, "Lover Please." The couple went through a much-publicized divorce in 1980.

In 2009, at the age of 73, Kristofferson released Closer to the Bone, a two-disc set featuring acoustic versions of previously unrecorded and new songs written by Kristofferson. The raw, stripped-down work showed what many critics described as a new vulnerability to Kristofferson's music.

Kris Kristofferson was misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's in his late 70s. He experienced a complete reversal of symptoms when he was treated in 2016 for the tick-borne illness Lyme Disease.

Kristofferson grew his famous beard while spending a week in hospital with pneumonia. After he was discharged, a magazine printed a photo of him under the headline "the new face of country music," so he kept it. Kris Kristofferson died last week at the age of 88. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

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