JULY 19, 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)

Porsche unveiled the Porsche Vision 357 Speedster at the famed Goodwood Festival of Speed. In design terms, the concept is an homage to the Porsche 356, but technologically, the all-electric Porsche Vision 357 Speedster is based on the 718 GT4 e-Performance. The electric motors and battery technology come from the Mission R and the chassis from the 718 GT4 Clubsport. Following its world premiere at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the design study will be on display at this year's Rennsport Reunion in the United States at the end of September. The Vision 357 Speedster concept car has the shortened windshield that is typical of a speedster. Spanning the right side of the car is a tonneau cover of the type once common on open-top sports cars. The driver’s headrest appears suspended in the air due to the technically designed carbon fiber roll-over element behind it. Behind that is the charge port door and the anchor for the classic speedster top. The 20-inch wheels are made of magnesium and are equipped with carbon fiber hubcaps and center locks. Visually, they also recall a legendary Porsche wheel: the 356 A and 356 B with drum brakes had rims with the notably large bolt circle of 205 millimeters.

(BMW Group Images)
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Triumph Motor Company, Triumph returns with an all-electric sports car concept, the TR25. A collaboration between BMW (which owns the Triumph Motor Car name) and London-based automotive design house Makkina, the single-seat TR25 was inspired by the classic Triumph TR2, which launched in 1953 and was the first TR (Triumph Roadster) model. Specifically, the single-seat TR25 concept was based on the famous Jabbeke TR2 - the car that broke the world production car speed record in 1953. The TR25's chassis and body panels are made entirely from carbon fiber, but the vehicle shares the same layout as that of the Jabbeke TR2, to “emphasize the fact that this car is about pure driving pleasure,” according to the official announcement. Removing the top panel also reveals an additional flip-out jump seat. The exposed-carbon rear buttress contains a backup camera, and the car’s tiny fly screen serves as (very minimal) weather protection. The TR25 is built on BMW's i3S platform, which features a 42.2kWh battery pack and 184bhp electric motor. Weighing approximately 2414 pounds, it is considerably lighter than a standard i3S and thus considerably faster, too, going 0 to 62mph in 5.2 seconds, and boasting a maximum range of 190 miles. All reports indicate that the TR25 is strictly a concept car, with no plans for production, but it sure seems like a very cool way to bring back Triumph and ground it firmly in the electric future.

(Photo Couresty of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, Gaydon)

The Triumph Jabbeke TR2.

(Chevrolet)

The all-new 2024 Chevrolet Traverse has been redesigned from the ground up. Four distinct trims will be offered: LS, LT, Z71 and RS. All models are powered by an all-new 2.5L turbocharged engine that delivers a GM-estimated 315HP and GM-estimated 317 lb-ft of torque. That's more power and a 19% increase in torque. It is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and available all-wheel drive — including an off-road-capable twin-clutch AWD system unique to the Z71. When properly equipped, the new Traverse has a max trailering rating of up to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg). The all-new 2024 Chevrolet Traverse will be available early 2024, with production to take place at GM’s Lansing Delta Township facility in Michigan. Additional details, including pricing, will be announced closer to the start of production. 

(Hyundai images)

Hyundai's next-gen 2024 Santa Fe has been radically transformed. The all-new midsize SUV’s exterior and interior are aimed at a "lifestyle-based design typology that maximizes rear cargo capacity," according to Hyundai PR minions. The features? H-lights harmonize Santa Fe’s front and rear, creating a differentiated presence on the road; the large tailgate and spacious interior offer best-in-class "terrace-like space that’s great for urban life and even better for the outdoors," Hyundai's PR minions continued. The all-new Santa Fe is scheduled to make its world premiere in August via Hyundai’s YouTube channel.

(Dodge images)

Dodge operatives are directing dealers to submit orders for the 2023 Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger by the end of July. Customers are encouraged to act fast to locate and order a specific Dodge “Last Call” Challenger or Charger model of their choice. Production of 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger vehicles will end no later than December 31, 2023. For complete information on the Dodge Horsepower Locator, visit DodgeGarage.com.

(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.

The AE Song of the Week:

So you think you're a Romeo
Playing a part in a picture-show
Take the long way home
Take the long way home

'Cause you're the joke of the neighborhood
Why should you care if you're feeling good
Take the long way home

 
Take the long way home

But there are times that you feel you're part of the scenery
All the greenery is comin' down, boy
And then your wife seems to think you're part of the furniture 
Oh, it's peculiar, she used to be so nice

When lonely days turn to lonely nights
You take a trip to the city lights
And take the long way home
Take the long way home

You never see what you want to see

Forever playing to the gallery
You take the long way home
Take the long way home

And when you're up on the stage, it's so unbelievable
Oh unforgettable, how they adore you
But then your wife seems to think you're losing your sanity
Oh, calamity, is there no way out, oh yeah
Ooh, take it, take it out 
Take it, take it out
Oh yeah

Does it feel that your life's become a catastrophe?
Oh, it has to be for you to grow, boy
When you look through the years and see what you could have been
Oh, what you might have been
If you'd had more time

So, when the day comes to settle down
Who's to blame if you're not around?
You took the long way home
You took the long way home
Took the long way home

You took the long way home

You took the long way home, so long
You took the long way home
You took the long way home, uh yeah
You took the long way home

Long way home
Long way home
Long way home
Long way home
Long way home
Long way home

"Take The Long Way Home" by Supertramp, from the album "Breakfast In America" (1979).* Written by Rochard Davies and Roger Hodgson. Publisher: Capitol CMG Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group. Lyrics licensed and by LyricFind. Watch the Original 4K Music Video here.

*At the press meeting when Breakfast In America was presented, Roger Hodgson explained that this song is about a guy who thinks he's really cool ("So you think you're a romeo, playing a part in a picture show"), but it seems that he's the only one who thinks that. This implies that our hero avoids getting home because when he's on the road he has a few more moments of being alone with his dreams, and in his dreams he's a superstar. Written shortly before Supertramp went in the studio to record the Breakfast In America album, Hodgson said the song was "a last-minute surprise." He added that the song operates on two levels. Said Roger: "Talking about not wanting to go home to the wife, take the long way home to the wife because she treats you like part of the furniture, but there's a deeper level to the song, too. We all want to find our home, find that place in us where we feel at home. Home is in the heart and that is really, when we are in touch with our heart and we're living our life from our heart, then we do feel like we found our home." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

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