Zagato Build New Tubolare. Behold The TZ3.

There are still conflicting reports as to whether this car, which Zagato debuted at the Villa D'Este Concourse last weekend, uses the 4.7-liter V8 from Alfa Romeo's8C competizione, or a smaller 4.2-liter (probably still Ferrari derived). A dedicated racing car, it uses a combined carbon/tubular structure (or tubular carbon structure, the internet still isn't sure) and aluminum bodywork to keep its weight down to 1,870lbs (and, one presumes, to justify the TZ label), which Jalopnik seem to think is really light for a racing car.



It isn't. While the TZ3 is rather light by modern road car standards (undercuting a US market Lotus Elise by almost 190lbs), it is, by the traditional standards of Tubolare Zagato Alfa Romeos, a bit of a porker. Assuming the reported weight is correct the new car is giving away 415lbs to its TZ1 ancestor, and a frankly staggering 481lbs to the follow on TZ2. That's a lot to make up, and is slightly surprising given that, unlike road cars, racing cars haven't seen huge weight gain due to legislation and increased demand for content. If the tubular carbon reports are true the weight becomes even harder to explain.



Still, with 420 horsepower on tap, it should be quite quick, and is quoted as dispatching 0-60mph in 3.5sec, and having the ability to run on to nearly 190mph. That would seem to be enough to qualify as a fast road car. Whether or not it's enough to make it competitive depends entirely on the class in which it ends up racing.



Of course it's a one-off, and I can only speculate that its construction must have cost at least the price of one of the twelve TZ2s ever made; so it certainly isn't an inexpensive way to go racing. Still, what price a fantasy at this level? What the TZ3 is, beyond all doubt, is fabulous looking, especially by current competition car standards. Nothing on today's race tracks looks half this good. The shape is certianly derivative of both 1960s TZs, but it's handled with so much more flair than the slightly pudgy looking 8C, as to make one of the most stylish cars of the last few years look staid. As a toy, the TZ3 has got to rank near the top of the list; and we can only hope that Zagato are inspired to make more of them. Christmas is coming...

Pointless Car Sets Contrived Record, Audio/Video Still Epic.

The Ferrari 599XX isn't a car about which I can care much. Funny, I know, but I can't really see spending a cool one and a half million dollars for a car I can't take home, or ever use on the road. I'm sorry, but aside from the Enzo-derived, 700hp V12, I'm afraid Ferrari's not-really-a-racer for rich not-really-a-racers leaves me a bit cold.

And now, Ferrari have really gone out of their way to show just how far out of their way they have to go in order to inject some legitimacy into the XX program. In the spirit of the times, Ferrari have ventured to the Nürburgring's Nordschleife and set a very impressive lap-time; they also seem to have hit a bit of a snag. Very impressive ring-times are very impressive and all, but they're nothing without context. And that proves to be a bit of a problem when you're trying to sell a non-road worthy sports car that costs millions. See, most of the cars setting advertisable lap-times are road cars, and almost all of them are significantly cheaper.

Ferrari though, are a clever bunch, and where others might have seen a problem, they jumped at opportunity. If they couldn't set the production car lap record, they could invent a record for "production-derived" cars... yup.



As you can see, and hear, it's all very glorious. Fast too, faster than most all but a few cars to run the Green Hell. And Ferrari have managed to make it all sound like a big deal. The 599XX is now the absolute fastest production derived car to lap Germany's great bullshit dectector.

There are two problems with all of this:

The first is Britian's Radical, and their SR8, a road-legal sports car that just happens to be racing-derived. It's really little more than a racing car with indicators, and road-legal tires. The plucky Brits, have however, defied the cynics, and driven their car across Europe to the ring, set a time ten seconds faster than the 599XX, and driven home triumphant. The 599 arived on a trailer, as it always must.

The second is the unfortunately christened Gumpert Apollo Sport and its 7:11:57 lap. The Apollo (Let's just forget the surname for the moment)is a production car, period, and also set its time on street tires.

Granted, neither of these are cars you would probably want to use regulary. They're impractical as transport, and in the Apollo's case, thirsty. But at least they have the ability to work on the road, which is where I think cars belong. Fast, glorious, and loud as it is, the 599XX just isn't really a car to me; it's a toy, and one that is far too expensive for anything it does to be relevant. Thank goodness, I guess, that Ferrari has seen the light, and derived from it, a truely usable supercar, in the form of the 599 GTO, a car which, it is to be hoped, can compete on an even playing field.

Buemi's Front End Goes Boom.

Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso loses both front wheels simultainiously in practice for Grand Prix China. Apparently a suspension arm failed, causing the uprights to fail, and cutting the wheel teathers. The driver was disapointed, but uninjured, and is sitting 13th on the grid.



(Jalopnik)

Hennessey Venom GT

So, it's an Exige... with a modified, 750hp LS9 straight out of the Hennessey ZR1... And people don't seem excited by it. I fail to understand this world.

Honestly, what's not to like here? It's not a totally original car, but for a company like Hennessey -famous for upping the lethality of Vipers everywhere- a car like this is a big step. It's a much more involved process, on par with the likes of the RUF CTR3, and the 9FF GT9R. And whether or not it has the pedigree of something like an Enzo it's a sub-2,700lb. car with 750bhp! Which means that it should run ring around the Ferrari. In this day and age of 3,500lb Porsches and 4,500lb Lamborghinis this may be the last chance to buy true light weight combined with high horsepower. It's also the perfect car for anyone -well, anyone with a lot of money- who wishes they'd made more than one Lotus GT1.

In any event, here are some shots of the car being tested in Britain. It's probably not exciting enough to change anyone's opinion about the car, but it's neat none the less.

GTOs And Califronias At Willow Springs And Mulholland

Axis Of Oversteer is a great blog, one I visit often and occasionally steal from. Last week they posted a couple great videos of Ferrari 250 GTOs and Californias (and a PF coupe) being run at varios locations in Southern California cir. '69-70. The envy with which these 8mm films are likely to fill you is only going to be amplified when the narrator, who owned one of the GTOs reveals that he was only 19 years old at the time!




Clearly, I have wasted my life....