Rolls-Royce is set to showcase four exceptional vehicles at this year’s Salon Privé Concours d’Elegance at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. The lineup will include two custom-built Spectre models and two unique Ghost commissions, making it one of the highlight events of the remaining summer automotive calendar.
The Spectre, touted as the world’s first ultra-luxury all-electric super coupe, signifies Rolls-Royce’s entry into the realm of electric cars. By 2030, the luxury automaker plans to have its entire Goodwood-based model range powered by batteries. The Spectre is just the beginning of this endeavor.
The centerpiece of the Rolls-Royce display will be a stunning Wittering Blue Spectre, adorned with a striking Mandarin Coachline. This two-door emission-free coupe will boast an interior suite featuring Charles Blue accents, complemented by Mandarin highlights on the seat piping and monogrammed headrests. Visitors can witness this exquisite creation at the company’s stand starting August 30.
The 2023 Independence Day showcase from Mahindra will give us the first look at an all-electric Thar and a pickup version of the Scorpio N
As has been a tradition of Mahindra since 2020, it will once again be having an automobile-related showcase on this year’s Independence Day. Based on its recent teasers, two new concept showcases have been confirmed for this August 15, both of which are expected to be all-electric. So let’s get into all the things that you can expect from its event tomorrow:
Thar.E : Thar’s Electric Version⚡
Mahindra released a short video which showcased an electric version of the popular ‘Thar’ nameplate bearing the ‘Thar.E’ moniker. It is likely to debut as a concept of the 3-door model first and then head to production (if that’s actually on the cards).
If the Thar EV does make it to production, it will become one of the few models across the globe to have an electric powertrain under a body-on-frame chassis. What is also likely to work in its favour is that the new EV platform is 4×4-friendly.
Scorpio N-derived Pickup To Debut Too
In an era when SUVs are the flavour of every market, a pickup surely stands out (examples include the Isuzu V-Cross and Toyota Hilux). It looks like Mahindra has taken a leaf out of its own book as a recent teaser put out by the carmaker suggests a pickup spawned from the newest Scorpio N. Reason why we say so is because the Scorpio Classic’s predecessor had its own pickup version which has enjoyed reasonable success in global markets.
The deal is likely to be even sweeter as we reckon the Scorpio N-derived pickup is expected to be an electric vehicle. We believe it could be based on a version of Mahindra’s new INGLO platform (representing the carmaker’s roots and aspirations: IN for India and GLO for Global).
Infiniti will unveil the QX Monograph concept at Pebble Beach, showcasing its upcoming design direction. The luxury automaker describes the car as having “bold proportions” and providing a preview of “striking design elements.” The official debut is set to take place on Thursday, August 17.
The concept will feature a new version of Infiniti’s iconic double-arched grille and digital piano key lighting motif. Unfortunately, the teaser image released by Infiniti doesn’t provide much detail about what we can expect. The photo only shows the vehicle’s cascading grille and the automaker’s recently introduced 3D logo, which was launched earlier this summer as part of Infiniti’s image refreshment effort.
Get ready for Mecum Monterey 2023, a remarkable showcase of classic, supercar, and European sports car offerings hitting the auction block from August 17-19 at the Del Monte Golf Course in Monterey, California. The highly anticipated event, hosted by the world’s largest collector car auction company, will feature approximately 600 vehicles and around 100 vintage motorcycles.
Leading the pack are selections from The Veloce, Schnell & Fast Sports Car Collection, featuring 12 Ferraris, seven Porsches, and four Austin-Healeys. Highlighted lots include the 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy Berlinetta (Lot F84), which comes with a Colombo V-12 engine, and a 1963 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series II (Lot F86), one of only 22 long-wheelbase Series II vehicles produced from 1962-64. Porsche enthusiasts will be interested in the 1956 Porsche 356A 1500 GS Carrera Speedster (Lot F96), a type 547/1 Carrera with a unique 1498cc 4-cam flat-4 engine.
There are few ways to showcase a car’s performance and its driver’s ability as with Drifting. An ideal drift car has a good weight distribution between the axles and rear-wheel drive, which usually translates into a front-engine setup. To start drifting, the driver intentionally makes the car’s rear end get loose, something known as oversteer, and then utilizes the tools at his disposal i.e. steering wheel, accelerator, and brakes to keep the rear wheels in a constant power slide while he negotiates corners and direction changes around a track, without losing control.
It’s like walking a tightrope where everything looks fine as long as the balance is kept, and if that goes, things turn sour quickly. Initially used as part of the odd racing driver’s arsenal to take on corners, drifting went on to become a sport that was first popularized in Japan, around the 1970s. A couple of decades later, in the 1990s, it also started to gain traction Stateside. It has been said that drifting is a tire manufacturer’s dream and based on how the sport is judged, on how well a driver drifts his or her car it’s easy to understand why.
It’s no longer a gimmick to help a racing driver out of a pickle on a particular corner in a given race, but the entire race itself is now done while drifting and tires burn quickly and with flair, shown by the spectacular clouds of smoke they leave behind. Since it was first popularized in Japan and Toyota has found incredible success in the sport with a few of its models over the years, in this article we’re going to go over some of these cars that made history in the hands of drift pilots.
The sixth-generation Toyota Mark II Grande (X80) had a small displacement naturally aspirated inline-six engine and a rear-wheel drive setup. A good recipe for a drift car, except for the fact that it didn’t make enough horsepower to maintain a powerslide and drift with it.
Original Toyota Mark II X80 Engine Specs
Engine Code
1G-FE
Layout and displacement
2.0-Liter (121.3 cu in) Inline-six
Power output (1-st gen)
133 hp @5,600 rpm and 129.9 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
Power output (2-nd gen)
138 hp @5,600 rpm and 136.5 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
Power output (3-rd gen)
158 hp @ 6,200 rpm and 147.6 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
This engine received the 1G-FE code and was introduced by Toyota in 1988. Despite its low power output, it eventually got some factory upgrades for its second and third generation, but most importantly, after-market upgrades particularly with the use of turbochargers to really turn this platform into a drift machine.
9Toyota Chaser X90
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima via Wikimedia
The Toyota Chaser X90.
The fifth-generation Toyota Chaser, the X90, was made from 1992 to 1996. It had captivating looks that come from a time when beautiful sedans were at their peak, the X90 had a version with a big Ace up its sleeve, or in car terms, under the hood.
1JZ-GTE OEM Specs
Engine code
1JZ-GTE
Layout and displacement
2.5-Liter (152.7) twin-turbocharged Inline-six
Power output
276.2 hp @ 6,200 rpm and 267.9 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm
Some trims of the Chaser X90 came equipped with the turbocharged 1JZ-GTE engine which was much more powerful out of the factory and soon became a drifter’s favorite dream.
8Toyota GR86
Toyota
A rearview of a 2024 Toyota GR86 TRUENO Edition.
Said to be the perfect drift car from the factory and available today, the Toyota GR86 is an affordable sports car with a starting MSRP of $28,400 that stays true to JDM drifters roots since it has:
Front engine and RWD configuration.
It’s light weighing only 2,811 pounds wet on the base model.
It has a 6-speed manual transmission on the base and Anniversary Edition.
It has an oversquare boxer engine from Subaru with a bore and stroke of 94.0 mm x 86.0 mm, helping it achieve higher revs.
Comes with a Torsen limited-slip differential.
Toyota GR86 Engine Specs
Engine
2.4-Liter (146 cu in) naturally aspirated 4-cylinder boxer
Power Output
228 horsepower @ 7,000 rpm
Torque
184 pound-feet of torque @ 3,700 rpm
The GR86’s naturally aspirated boxer engine also helps keep the center of mass down and the GR86 delivers great handling. With just enough power on tap, this little Japanese sports car is extremely enjoyable and precise, making it a very good drifting machine in the hands of a competent driver.
One of the most recognizable names of the Japanese carmaker, the Toyota Supra is, for the lack of a less cliché expression, the stuff of legends. It first went into production in 1978 with the international name Celica Supra. The original Celica Supra came Stateside equipped with a smooth 2.6-Liter (156 cu in) inline-six engine.
Power output was low for today’s standards at only 110 horsepower @ 4,800 rpm and 136 pound-feet of torque @ 2,400 rpm, but performance numbers were reasonable for the time. 0-60 MPH took 11.2 seconds, and it had a top speed of 110 MPH. It was a front engine and RWD car and seated 4 passengers. It didn’t take long before its drifting potential would be recognized with a few after-market performance upgrades.
Current Generation Toyota GR Supra Engines Specs and Performance
Engine
2.0-Liter turbocharged inline-four
3.0-Liter turbocharged inline-six
Horsepower
255 hp @ 5,000-6,500 rpm
382 hp @ 5,800-6,500 rpm
Torque
295 lb-ft @ 1,550-4,400
368 lb-ft @ 1,800-5,000 rpm
Drivetrain
RWD
RWD
Transmission
8-speed automatic
6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic
0-60 MPH
5.0 seconds
3.9 seconds
MSRP
$44,640.00
$53,600.00
But the most popular models used for drifting were the Mark III and Mark IV which was introduced Stateside in 1993 and came with the twin-turbo 2JZ-GTE engine. The 2JZ-GTE was a 3.0-Liter (183 cu in) inline-six that made 320.5 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm and 325.5 pound-feet of torque @ 3,600 rpm for the American and European market models. The 2JZ-GTE engine is recognized for strong reliability and after-market parts soon became available to make it a very strong drift car.
Today the GR Supra comes with two available engines, an improved and modern design, along with driving dynamics and performance that live up to the name that meant and continues to mean so much to Toyota.
6Toyota AE86
The Toyota AE86 is such a timeless classic that Toyota is playing around with the idea of bringing it back with a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine. Dubbed the AE86 H2 Concept, this car made waves at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon. Professional racing driver Masahiro Sasaki takes it for a spin around the test track and seems to thoroughly enjoy himself if the video below is any indication of that.
AE86 Engine Specs
Engine
1.6-Liter (97 cu in) inline-four
Horsepower
128 hp @ 6,600 rpm
Torque
109 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm
The original AE86 was very light at only 2,006 pounds. With its RWD setup and easy handling, it quickly became a favorite among drift enthusiasts. It had a 5-speed manual transmission, vented front disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear, and a small naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine that was strong enough to take on some performance upgrades without too much hassle. It had a 0-62 MPH time (0-100 km/h) of 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 121 MPH.
5Toyota Soarer
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima via Wikimedia
A third-generation Toyota Soarer on a parking space.
Initially released in 1981, the Toyota Soarer became a known figure in the drifting scene with its third generation which debuted in 1991. The model of choice was the one equipped with the same 1JZ-GTE 2.5 liter inline-six turbo engine found on other Toyota models such as the Chaser X90 with an output of 276.2 hp @ 6,200 rpm and 267.9 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm. The sturdiness of the internals of the engine and ease of customization and availability of parts made it easy for it to be set up for drifting.
As a reference, the original Toyota Soarer from 1981 had three engine choices.
A 2.8-Liter naturally aspirated inline-six that made 168 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm and 173.5 pound-feet of torque @ 4,400 rpm.
A 2.0-Liter turbocharged inline-six that made 143 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm and 155.5 pound-feet of torque @ 3,000 rpm.
A 2.0-Liter naturally aspirated inline-six that made 125 horsepower @ 5,400 rpm and 123 pound-feet of torque @ 4,400 rpm.
A blue Toyota Altezza seen from behind at a parking space.
The Toyota Altezza is known outside of Japan as the Lexus IS. The Altezza was launched in Japan in 1998 and in 1999 it went to Europe under the Lexus name as the IS200. And just one year after that, in 2000, it reached Stateside as the Lexus IS300 which was only available with the 3.0-Liter inline-six naturally aspirated engine.
However, the Altezza drifters really loved was the one equipped with the notorious BEAMS engine which is an acronym for Breakthrough Engine with Advanced Mechanism System. This engine featured variable valve timing and an 8,000 rpm redline. Mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, it produced 207 horsepower @ 7,600 rpm. This version of the Altezza RS200 had an ideal 50/50 weight distribution from the factory and, of course, RWD.
3Toyota GT86
Toyota
fronr 3/4 view of a red 2017 Toyota GT86
Featuring a 2.0-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine from Subaru mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the Toyota GT86 was a simple and fun sports car. The little coupe set a world record for drifting a few years back by drifting constantly for 102.5 miles.
Toyota GT86 Engine Specs
Engine
2.0-Liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder boxer
Horsepower
200 horsepower @ 7,000 rpm
Torque
151 pound-feet @ 6,400 – 6,600 rpm
This record has been beaten since then, but any Toyota that can have its tail out for 100+ miles at a time deserves to be on this list.
2Toyota Cresta JZX100
The Toyota Cresta JZX100 had a well-balanced RWD chassis with a long wheelbase making it easy for the driver to throw the rear around. It used the 1JZ-GTE 2.5-Liter turbocharged engine seen on Soarer and Chaser above on this list. The combination of these factors made it a no-brainer for drifting.
The last generation of the Toyota Cressida saw some use from drifters with its 190 horsepower 3.0 liter naturally aspirated inline-six engine. This 4th-generation Cressida made from 1989 to 1992 checked all the right boxes for drifting, except maybe for its 4-speed automatic gearbox, although it could be left on ‘L’ or ‘2’.
1989 – 1992 Toyota Cressida Engine Specs
Engine
3.0-Liter inline-six
Horsepower
190 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm
Torque
187 pound-feet @ 4,400 rpm
The Cressida’s chassis was predictable, and the engine was powerful enough to allow drifting from the factory. Nonetheless, not unlike many cars on this list, engine swaps, and other performance upgrades were common to increase its drift capabilities.
Pol Tarres is back in action, but this time it’s not about stunts or showcasing his skills. He’s fully focused on the dirt, armed with his camera and his trusty T7 motorcycle.
Tarres has made a name for himself by riding dirt on one of the best adventure bikes on the market, the Yamaha Tenere 700. He joins the rest of the grid at Erzbergrodeo, where everyone is riding enduro bikes that are lighter and more agile. Despite the competition, Tarres managed to get the holeshot and remained unfazed in the early sections of the race, even against the lighter bikes.
As the race progressed to the rockier sections of Erzbergrodeo, Tarres faced some challenges. A tip-over caused him to lose the lead temporarily, but he quickly caught up in the faster sections of the course. However, the real challenge for Tarres and his T7 awaited beyond the gravel and rocks.
When the terrain became thicker with greenery and the trail muddier, all riders started to struggle. Climbing up a single track hill proved to be difficult for many competitors with their lightweight enduro machines. Tarres, on the other hand, seemed largely unaffected in comparison. It’s incredible to witness how calm and composed Tarres was during the run and how well he managed his machine.
The climb was brutal, with rocks, shrubs, and mud posing a constant challenge for the racers. There were moments in the hour-long video where I couldn’t help but hold my breath. Yet, Tarres managed to put on a show and tackle the obstacles with his adventure bike.
Unfortunately, the video ended before Tarres’ run concluded. He finished 131st out of 500 riders at the 16th checkpoint, “One Way Train.” This achievement is remarkable considering Tarres was riding his T7 and competing against a field of lightweight enduro bikes. It’s worth noting that this is not Tarres’ first rodeo (pun intended) – he made history by finishing 77th in 2022 at Erzbergrodeo.
During the 2023 Beijing International Motorcycle Show, CFMoto took the chance to showcase its new fashions in full pressure. The model has been one of many quickest rising bike producers on the planet in recent times, and has been rolling out a wide range of new and thrilling fashions in current months. In whole, six new fashions debuted. Let’s gloss over each.
The CFMoto Papio Trail is a captivating retro-styled machine that serves because the rugged model of the Papio XO. This mini-bike is provided with a strong 125cc engine, offering an exhilarating driving expertise. On the opposite hand, the 1250 TR-G is designed as an extended distance tourer. It boasts a full set of baggage together with panniers and a prime case, guaranteeing ample cupboard space for all of your belongings. Additionally, it contains a tall, adjustable windscreen, particularly designed for touring functions, providing enhanced wind safety throughout lengthy rides.
The CFMoto 800MT Explore Edition is basically the rebadged model of the Ibex 800 accessible within the U.S. market. This adventure-focused bike is loaded with thrilling options and enhancements. It comes geared up with 4 customizable driving modes, guaranteeing a customized driving expertise. The Michelin Anakee Adventure tires present glorious grip and stability, making it appropriate for numerous terrains. The bike additionally gives CFMoto Ride connectivity via an eight-inch TFT display, permitting riders to remain related and entry important info on the go.
In distinction, the 450NK is a sporty bare bike that shares the identical parallel-twin engine discovered within the 450SR (often called 450SS within the U.S.). The inclusion of a 270-degree crankshaft offers it the efficiency and really feel harking back to a 90-degree V-twin engine, delivering an exhilarating driving expertise. Its angular futuristic bodywork, complemented by an LED headlight and a full-color TFT show, provides a contemporary contact to its general aesthetics. The 450NK’s approachable proportions make it an accessible and agile possibility for riders in search of an exhilarating but sensible trip.
The CFMoto 450SR S is a motorbike we beforehand mentioned and relies on the 450SR (also called the 450SS within the U.S. market). This model options revised bodywork with winglets, though they’re primarily for aesthetic functions slightly than efficiency enhancements. The addition of a elaborate single-sided swingarm offers the bike a sportier and extra athletic look, including to its general enchantment.
On the opposite hand, the CFMoto 450 CL-C is the most recent addition to CFMoto’s retro-inspired vary. This bike exudes customized vibes straight from the manufacturing facility, capturing the essence of a customized machine proper off the showroom flooring. It is out there in two variants: a two-seater cruiser or a single-seater bobber. With its retro design components and a spotlight to element, the 450 CL-C stands out as a singular alternative for riders searching for a particular and nostalgic driving expertise.
These six new bikes will initially be made accessible within the Chinese market. However, it’s a widely known indisputable fact that CFMoto is adamant on attaining a powerful presence within the world market. While it’s but unsure as to which fashions will make it to the worldwide stage, my cash is on the 800MT Explore Edition, 450NK, and 450SR S within the close to future. The CFMoto 1250 TR-G has been in existence for a few years now, however has been restricted to the Chinese market. Hopefully quickly, this heavyweight tourer might be launched within the world market, as properly,the place it’ll go head-to-head with the likes of the BMW R 1250 RT.
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