Rams Eye The Track Guy

It's finally time to welcome the brand new 2020 mid-engine Corvette C8.R race car. I'd say this is the most hotly anticipated race car to debut since the current Ford GT, but Ford surprised the world with the GT so there wasn't a whole lot of anticipation. This may be the most hotly anticipated new race car ever in quite a while, much like its street going mid-engine sister.

It's the first clean sheet design in about 20 years, Chevy says, since the 1999 C5.R and will race for the first time ever at the 2020 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Chevy says there is a deeper connection and technology transfer between the C8.R racing version and the road-going C8, and the highest percentage of shared parts of any Corvette generation before.


In fact, the C8.R utilizes the production chassis built right alongside the other chassis meant for street duty in the Bowling Green Assembly plant that builds the street version. As expected, there are some modifications to meet race requiremen…

A couple of months ago, I posted about how the 2020 BMW M3 (code named G80) will bring more than 500 hp and AWD. At that point, I figured all hope was lost for a manual M3 or M4, despite an earlier report that BMW M is still committed to manuals. Thankfully, it looks like hope is fully restored or - better yet - replaced with full expectations of a manual, thanks to an interview by Car Magazine.
If you were waiting for a 500+ hp AWD beast, fear not. It is still coming. But BMW M boss Markus Flasch just confirmed to Car Magazine that an entry level version for the purists will bring lower horsepower, a manual stick shift, and RWD. They are code named M3 Pure or M4 Pure internally and will pack "only" 454 hp. According to Car Magazine, this is because BMW does not have a manual gear box that can handle the full output, but I'm sure it also has something to do with hierarchy. It will still come with an electronic limited slip differential like the current M cars.
The stand…

By now, you've probably heard one of the most incredible things about the new Corvette. It isn't the mid-engine layout. It's actually the price. It will start just under $60,000 USD (and under $70,000 CAD according to GM Canada Media website). Of course, that number alone means nothing if you aren't getting something special. So the question is: what are you actually getting for $60k? Let's dive right in.


The Drivetrain

Although most publications were anticipating the new Cadillac twin-turbo V8 called "Blackwing" until recently, I predicted last October that the base engine will likely be a revised version of the LT1 V8 in the current C7 Corvette "making anywhere between 480 and 500 hp." The C8 Corvette Stingray (at least until Z versions start coming out) will be powered by a revised 6.2 litre V8 named LT2. The engine will make 495 hp and 470 lb-ft. torque with the Performance Exhaust. The base version hp isn't announced but it will likely …

The day is finally here! There have been rumours about a mid-engine Corvette being just around the corner for decades. And over the years, there has been no shortage of mid-engine Corvette concepts either, as if Chevy just wanted to keep the rumours going. This time, it's for real, though. Too much evidence of its existence including test mules and spy shots at the Nurburgring meant it was finally coming for sure.

Last year, I wrote about what we can expect to find on a mid-engine Corvette and when it may be revealed. Although I was off in my prediction of when it will be revealed (and in my defence, it was actually intended to be revealed when I predicted by a supplier issue delayed the reveal), earlier this year, Chevy confirmed that a mid-engine is coming and went as far as announcing the day of its reveal on the side of one of its test mule. That day is today, and if you're sitting at the edge of your seat, you aren't alone.

Wondering how to stay up to date and watch …

Everyone knows that these two cars are very closely related, especially diehard Supra fans which are understandably disappointed in the lack of a unique Supra. They both use the same platform, same drivetrain, and even the same tires. As we all know by now, both cars share the same BMW platform, BMW straight six engine, and ZF 8-speed automatic transmission sending all power to the rear wheels. They're both even built at the same BMW plant in Austria.

However, the engines are actually slightly different in the US, where the Z4 uses the B58B30B version of BMW's venerable 3.0 litre turbocharged straight six making 382 hp. In other (global) versions, however, it uses the B58B30C version making 335 hp. All A90 Supra's supposedly use the B58B30C, though. Since those aren't US cars, they should both be using the same version and both making the same 335 hp and weigh nearly the same, so they should be nearly equal... or are they? Carwow just went ahead and did a few short he…

Ford has been teasing the new GT500 for months now and many details are already known about it like specs and even top speed and downforce figures. But the one thing that remained a mystery is the exact horsepower figure. We knew it was going to be over 700 hp, but exactly how much wasn't known. But we FINALLY have an answer now in the form of a video. And what more appropriate way to announce a mad 700+ horsepower figure than a burnout video?


This figure puts it WELL above its primary rivals, namely the Challenger Hellcat with 707 hp and the Camaro ZL1 with 650 hp, but it is still shy of the new Hellcat Redeye with 797 hp, but it should be much lighter, to the tune of 200-300 lb. And while the Challenger Hellcat is a massively capable grand tourer for its size and weight, the GT500 should be in a different league on track, especially with the Track Pack.

Getting that much horsepower makes it the most powerful production Ford ever and the most power and torque dense V8 in the wor…

The current (and outgoing) BMW M3 upset quite a few purists when it switched to turbocharging to boost power from a long line of naturally aspirated engines. It looks like the upcoming G80 M3 based on the new G20 3-series is looking to buck the tradition again by being the first ever M3 to offer AWD/4WD. That's right, it looks like the next M3 will send power to all four wheels according to a report by Auto Express.

Of course, it won't be the first ever M-car to offer AWD. That honour goes to the current M5 which was the first M sedan/saloon car, so perhaps that should have been a sign of things to come. It makes a lot of sense, given the competition. Fast Audi have been AWD for several generations and recently, AMG announced that the future of AMG is four-wheel drive.


Tough Competition

Audi is nearly synonymous with AWD and with AMG now switching to AWD, a RWD M3 would (unfortunately) be quite handicapped in terms of traction and objective performance. Competition isn't o…