Exile Destinations, Part 15

(Preface for new readers: I look at leaders who fled their countries from 1975 to the present, ten countries at a time. As you can see, France and Brazil are popular places for deposed leaders.)

141. St. Kitts and Nevis— 0

142. St. Lucia— 0

143. St. Vincent and the Grenadines— 0

144. Samoa— 0

145. San Marino— 0

146. Sao Tome and Principe— 0

147. Saudi Arabia— 0

148. Senegal— 0

149. Serbia—0

150. Seychelles— U.K.

Tally thus far:

7x = France

4x = Brazil, U.S., U.K.

3x = Panama, U.S.S.R./Russia

2x = Ivory Coast, Morocco, Nigeria, Portugal, Senegal, South Africa, Venezuela

1x = Australia, Austria, Belarus, Benin, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Libya, Mexico, Netherlands, Pataguay, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, unknown, unknown, unknown

The World's Fastest Cars (10): Callaway Sledgehammer Corvette

Stock Corvette:

• 150 mph top speed

Callaway Twin Turbo:

• 180 mph top speed
• 0-60 under 5 seconds
• 13 second quarter mile
• 185 sold at Chevy dealerships in 1987
• more sold in 1988

Callaway Sledgehammer:

• built in response to AMG Hammer with 186 mph top speed
• Reeves Callaway would attempt 250 mph run; "drag racer" John Lingenfelter would be back-up driver
• high speed run took place at 7.5 mile high banked Transportation Research Center in Ohio
• twin turbocharged 350 engine produced 1,013 horsepower
• the record setting car drove from Callaway's headquarters in Connecticut to Ohio
• standard equipment: leather, power windows, carpet, cassette player, roll cage, fire system, 5-point safety harness
• body kit available to any 1984 or newer Corvette for $5,000
• the result: Lingenfelter took it to 254.76 mph

Today in car blogging

Fun stuff.

First, commentor Ramon/Ripituc/Viva Chile collaborated with Jay Ramey and has a fantastic post on Autoweek today about some cool and diverse cars in Cuba. Here is Ramon's first Autoweek post (about a unique Havanan taxi).

Second, the Blackhawk Cars & Coffee yesterday. I was too tired to go but apparently I missed a BMW M4 jump a center median in a sheer act of asshattery. P and S: Did you witness it in person?

Anyways, Raphael Orlove at Jalopnik put up a post about it, and a hilarious follow-up, with the asshat's explanation of what he thinks happened. Hilarity ensues.

Finally, here is my Anti-Football Run recap on Hooniverse.

Renault 5 documentary

This is a well made, sourced, and edited documentary of a unique car. It's really neat to hear the French enthusiast's perspective when they describe cars.

Exile Destinations, Part 14

(Preface for new readers: I look at leaders who fled their countries from 1975 to the present, ten countries at a time. As you can see, France and Brazil are popular places for deposed leaders.)

131. Peru— France, Japan

132. Philippines— U.S.

133. Poland— 0

134. Portugal— 0

135. Qatar— France

136. Republic of Korea— 0

137. Republic of Moldova— 0

138. Romania— 0

139. Russia— 0

140. Rwanda— Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tally thus far:

7x = France

4x = Brazil, U.S.

3x = Panama, U.K., U.S.S.R./Russia

2x = Ivory Coast, Morocco, Nigeria, Portugal, Senegal, South Africa, Venezuela

1x = Australia, Austria, Belarus, Benin, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Libya, Mexico, Netherlands, Pataguay, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, unknown, unknown, unknown

1988 Porsche 911 Carrera review

First drive. Happy 2015!

A photo posted by Rich Chen (@rchen) on Jan 1, 2015 at 7:37am PST

I can't get rchen's 1988 Carrera off my mind. Here is a Motorweek review.

2015 automotive travel plans/wish list

Here are the three places I plan/hope to go to this year. Very bucket list-y.

1. Paris, February. This trip has been booked, so it's a definite GO. The plan is to attend Retromobile,

then the Citroen Conservatorire,

and finally the elaborate flagship car dealerships along the Champ Elysees.

2. Bonneville Speed Week, August.

I am skipping out on Monterey Car Week and possibly checking out the Bonneville Salt Flats instead.

3. Japan, September.

Currently, there is a 60% chance of me going to Japan. If I do, I'd like to visit the Nissan Museum in my hometown of Yokohama,

the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka,

and the Toyota Museum in nearby Nagoya.

2015 Anti-Football Run

Had another great New Year's morning. The usual Sausalito meeting place was getting too crowded so this year's starting point was in Corte Madera, a few miles north.

Because the Run started a bit later this year, restaurants along the way were open. So we stopped for oysters, chowder, and brews in Marshall. We faced the road rather than the gorgeous bay as we ate so we could watch the cars zoom by.

I rode with Rich in his fantastic 1988 Porsche 911.

Everyone stopped at the Petaluma Creamery. We followed that 380SL for much of the Run.

A replica Lancia Stratos next to a bona fide Lotus Europa.

I'm debating whether to write up more here or on Hooniverse. I've got a bunch more photos.

Differences between Testarossa and 512TR

The Anti-Football Run was this morning and a 512TR showed up. There was a discussion about the differences between the earlier Don Johnson Miami Vice Testarossa and this 512TR, whose front end looks a lot like the cheaper 348's. Apparently, per Ferrari Chat, there are a lot more differences underneath. They include:

Engine- Block is still flat 12 boxer engine cast in light alloy, crankshaft still has seven main bearings, the cylinders still have four valves and each cylinder banks still has two overhead cams. 
1. Bore and stroke of 82mm by 78mm, 4942 cc capacity (unchanged);
2. HP increased from 380hp SAE to 421, with most of the increase coming from a redesign of the intake manifolds, a repositioning of the injectors, and a recalibration of the injectors, and a recalibration of the engine management system, the later controlling the integrated electronic fuel injection system;
3. Torque increased from 354lb ft to 360;
4. 0-60mph, 5.7 sec to 4.8;
5. Top speed- 180mph to 192;
6. New cylinder liner manufactured in aluminum with Nikasil coating;
7. New pistons due to larger intake valves;
8. Increase in compression ratio (10.1 to1)
9. Modified cylinder head gaskets due to a higher compression ratio and a different cylinder head coolant circulation layout;
10. Reinforced camshafts of a new profile;
11. Valve tappets with a new design bucket and springs;
12. New intake valves of a larger diameter;
13. Separate air boxes with filters, with a dynamic air intake;
14. Longer and straighter air intake manifolds;
15. Integrated electronic fuel injection system and ignition (Bosch Motronic 2.7) with self-diagnostic capabilities, and with ECU located in the cockpit;
16. Double independent submergible fuel pumps;
17. Exhaust manifolds with new layout;
18. Metallic type pre-catalyst converters;
19. Exhaust muffler with resonators and new heat shields;
20. Aluminum oil radiator with U circulation and without fan, allowing for better permeability; aluminum tubing;
21. Dual copper water radiators with U circulation in series and new aluminum tubing;
22. Coolant expansion tank located between intake manifolds;
23. More powerful alternator;
24. Secondary air pump with new air distribution pattern.

Chassis- Up front, the chassis frame was strengthened around specific points; for example, the steering rack mounts and the front suspension mounts. Highly stressed frame pieces are made of special chromium-molybdenum steel. At the rear, the old engine sub frame has been done away with. To gain a noticeable increase in stiffness, the rear frame was made an integral part of the entire chassis. The engine is now lifted out from above. Around the passenger compartment, the steel platform, rear bench, front and rear firewalls, and pillars are all welded directly to the tubes of the chassis. End result is that chassis flex has been reduced by 25% and torsional rigidity has been increased by 12.5%. Other chassis specifics as noted by Ferrari:
1. Weight reduction of 40kg/88lbs;
2. Lower center of gravity;
3. Reduction of unsprung weight;
4. Steering points in aluminum alloy;
5. New steering column shaft design;
6. New steering rack with longer arms and more direct ratios;
7. New steering moment offset;
8. Bilstein gas shock absorbers with aluminum body and adjustable plate;
9. New shock absorber settings;
10. Lighter weight springs.

Gearbox and Differential 
1. Limited slip differential (40%) with reduced axial thrust to increase reliability;
2. New transfer gear ratio;
3. Strengthened transfer gears;
4. New synchronizer pre-loading springs;
5. Gear shift lever housing with sliding ball bearings;
6. New selector and modified gear shift lever inclination;
7. New single plate clutch with reduced inertia and asbestos free clutch linings;
8. Entire gearbox and transmission strengthened throughout.

Brakes
1. Larger front discs, 315mm x 32mm, with cross drilled braking surface;
2. Larger rear discs, 310 mm x 28mm, with cross drilled braking surface;
3. Aluminum calipers with larger pistons: front 44/40mm; rear: 40/36mm;
4. New ducts for brake cooling;
5. New brake proportioning valve;
6. Brake pedal ratio is more direct;
7. Redesigned hand brake with reduced application effort.

Wheels and Tires
1. Front wheels increased from 16” to 8” x 18” with 235/40 ZR 18 tires;
2. Rear wheels increased from 16” to 10.5” x 18” with 295/35 ZR 18 tires.

Styling Changes
1. New trapezoidal shaped air intake scoops on front with prancing horse;
2. Body colored front spoiler;
3. New profile to the C pillar fins in the rear sections with elimination of vents in sail panels;
4. Integral air intake slots added to the engine cover;
5. Rear lights are now dual colored and a redesign of the underbumper to change aesthetics of the exhaust system and exhaust outlets.
6. Wheels redesigned;
7. Interior restyled with elimination of center console and repositioning of the corresponding instruments under the central part of the dashboard.
8. Door panels and armrests have been changed.

Alpha House trailer

Just signed up for Amazon Prime and got access to a bunch of shows, including this sitcom produced by Amazon. The trailer does not do the show justice. I binge watched the entire first season yesterday and it's smart and laugh out loud funny. The cast is terrific.