Maxxd.com – Modified and Performance Car News

  • Jay Leno drives legendary Old Yeller II race car

    Max Balchowsky’s Old Yeller II is a classic racing underdog, and not just because it’s named after a famous movie canine. Featured on the latest episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage,” this homebuilt special beat pedigreed Ferrari and Maserati sports cars back in the day.

    Built in 1959, Old Yeller II was one in a series of specials built by Balchowsky, a California-based mechanic and race driver, and it was raced locally by legendary drivers like Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby. It’s now in the care of Dr. Ernie Nagamatsu, who appeared in the episode explaining the car’s history and quirks.

    Old Yeller II is the ultimate expression of function over form. Its massive grille houses a radiator from a Studebaker truck, chosen by Balchowsky to address cooling issues with the car’s Buick “Nailhead” V-8 engine. The Goodyear whitewall tires aren’t a fashion statement; Balchowsky chose them because they had a softer rubber compound than conventional racing tires of the period.

    Max Balchowsky's 1959 Old Yeller II on Jay Leno's Garage

    Max Balchowsky’s 1959 Old Yeller II on Jay Leno’s Garage

    As the styling implies, Old Yeller II was cobbled together using parts from many different sources. The Buick engine drives the rear wheels through a Muncie 4-speed transmission, the kind used in period Corvettes, Leno noted. The suspension uses Jaguar XK120 upper A-arms and Studebaker lower A-arms, all with holes drilled into them. That was for “crushability,” allowing parts to deform and absorb crash forces, Nagamatsu said.

    That’s not the only clever engineering feature of this car. Balchowsky also installed a nerf bar on the driver’s side, but with lots of clearance between the bar and the driver’s hip. That offered better protection than most race cars of the period, Nagamatsu said. The engine is also mounted far back in the chassis to improve weight distribution, which likely helped Old Yeller II win so many races against purpose-built sports cars.

    Watch the full video for more details on this important piece of racing history, and to see Leno drive it on the streets of Los Angeles.

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  • It’s the 30th anniversary of the 500 E, the Mercedes-Benz that Porsche built

    AMG is rightfully regarded as the performance arm of Mercedes-Benz, even going back to the 1970s before the mothership took control of the little tuner shop. But for a brief moment in time, rival German automaker Porsche helped develop and build a Mercedes-Benz performance car. It was the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500 E, and it’s celebrating its 30th anniversary.

    The 500 E was based on the W124 generation of the venerable E-Class, but it was a low-volume, high-performance model that Mercedes needed help to build because a wider body wouldn’t fit down its assembly line. The timing was right for Porsche, which was in financial trouble, so the project worked out well for both automakers.

    Porsche was responsible for turning the W124 E-Class into a V-8-powered sport sedan and for much of the car’s build process. To commemorate the car’s 30th birthday, Porsche produced two videos featuring two of the engineers who worked on the project, Michael Hölscher, project manager development, and Michael Mönig from prototype management.

    Mercedes-Benz 500 E

    Mercedes-Benz 500 E

    To turn the W124 into a performance touring sedan, Porsche engineers reworked much of the body. The new body was 2.2 inches wider than the standard E-Class, and it featured different bumpers with distinctive wings. The cowl and engine compartment were modified to fit the overhead-cam 5.0-liter V-8 from the Mercedes SL 500. Air flowed into the engine compartment through the gaps around the headlights, and the intake had to be modified and insulated because it created too much noise. The whole area under the hood was reconfigured to fit the larger engine, and both engineers said it was an arduous process in the days before CAD. In its final form, the 500 E made 322 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque that could launch it from 0-62 mph in 5.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 155 mph.

    Porsche engineers also moved the battery to the trunk for better weight distribution, lowered the car 0.9 inch, modified the center tunnel for a new exhaust, and installed bigger brakes. Every 500 E was a four-seater because the large rear differential sapped space for a middle rear seat.

    The E 500 debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 1990 and production began that year. The build process for the 500 E was complicated. Mercedes provided body parts to Porsche, which assembled the body with additional parts it made. The body then went back to Mercedes for paint, and returned to Porsche for final assembly. The process took 18 days, and Porsche built a total of 10,479 cars by the end of the car’s run in April 1995.

    Mercedes-Benz 500 E

    Mercedes-Benz 500 E

    Hölscher and Mönig drove an example of the car to mark the 30th anniversary, and Hölscher loved the way it drove, even after all this time. “Its handling is magnificent. The longitudinal acceleration is excellent, the brakes are outstanding and it’s a pleasure to drive this car with its dynamic character,” he said. “I really enjoy the beautiful and unobtrusive sound of the eight-cylinder engine.”

    That’s not a surprise given the exacting standards of both brands. In this instance, Porsche engineering made a Mercedes better, and the project helped keep an iconic but struggling sports car brand afloat.

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  • TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE MOVIE CAR CRASHES

    When it comes to writing off cars, Marvel does it best! Here are the top 10 most expensive movie car crashes.

    Given the whole franchise is about racing cars and generally blowing stuff up, you’d expect to see Fast & Furious at the top of this list, but you’d be wrong. Interestingly, it seems that the Marvel Universe has a strong affiliation with damaging vehicles, with six of its movies featuring in this top 10 most expensive movie car crashes list put together by Uswitch.

    top 10 most expensive movie car crashes

    At the top of the list is Avengers: Infinity War. Those who have seen the movie will quickly recall the early scene of enemies crash landing in New York, before going about writing off 19 cars, once of which, a Ford Crown Victoria, ended up completely in half. In total, the car crash bill came to a whopping £387,525.45.

    Not far behind Infinity War is America’s favourite superhero, or perhaps not after the car bill came through at £331,355.79, it’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

    In third place is a movie you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see so high up on the list, but in fact claimed as many as 27 cars (estimated) on its way to hitting an estimated £326,740.02 in damage, it’s Inception. As it takes the crown as the most confusing movie of all time, those trying to remember car crashes will need to think back to varying levels of consciousness within the dreams whereby high-speed pursuits take place and even a train makes an appearance.

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