Ken Block's Gymkhana 7 Ford Mustang

(Photo Credit: Brenda Priddy and Company) 

When Ken Block releases a new Gymkhana film, everyone snaps to attention. Why? Because they're excellent. Gymkhana 7 was shooting in Los Angeles this weekend, and it involves something that's both old and new: this RTR-branded mid-60s Ford Mustang. Don't confuse this with Vaughn Gittin, Jr's wicked 1969 RTR-X fastback, either. This notchback is is a different and entirely new animal, and it appears to have all the goods needed for a proper Hoonigan production. 

Our spies caught Block tearing up closed-off LA streets in the black pony car over the weekend. They tell us that they counted eight cameramen, a chopper, innumerable GoPros, and a bunch of guys working security. As you can see, that didn't stop 'em from getting their shots. For more images of Block in action with the Mustang. 

As for the Gymkhana 7? Based on these stills, we expect something typically amazing. 

How It Works: The Electric Supercar

(Photo Credit: Volvo) 

When you need a potent engine or a sturdy gearbox for your fantasy supercar, Ricardo should be your first call. This U.K.-based engineering firm has roots reaching back more than a century and branches that cover Europe, Russia, Asia, and the U.S. of A. Ricardo’s expertise can be found across the industry. Among its recent projects is the HyBoost, a Ford Focus fitted with an electrically driven supercharger. Ricardo built this HyBoost with two goals in mind: topping Toyota Prius fuel efficiency while skirting the cost, bulk, and weight of the Prius’s two electric motor/generators and battery pack. The experiment is a timely one—every carmaker sees 2025’s 54.5-mpg CAFE requirement looming, and most need help meeting it. To create the HyBoost, Ricardo replaced the original 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with a 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder and augmented that engine’s turbo with a Valeo electric supercharger. Two years ago [“A Real Electric Charge,” January 2012], we speculated that BMW might use an electric supercharger to sharpen throttle response at low engine speeds. While that has yet to come to fruition, Audi has one under the hood of its RS5 TDI concept car. 



(Illustration by Chris Philpot) 

Essentially a turbo’s compressor mated to a DC electric motor, this supercharger can spin to 70,000 rpm in less than 0.4 second, supplying 8.7 psi of boost before the HyBoost’s larger exhaust-driven turbo wakes up. Ricardo met its goal of increasing the Focus’s fuel efficiency from 39 mpg to 59 in European test cycles. A switch allows acceleration testing with or without the electric blower operating. We used fourth-gear acceleration from 30 to 50 mph and from 50 to 70 mph to gauge the supercharger’s effectiveness. Goose the HyBoost’s throttle and there’s a shuffle under the hood accompanied by a modest increase in forward surge as this device goes to work. The key word is “modest.” The supercharger trimmed the 9.0-second 30-to-50-mph run by only 0.3 second. In the upper speed range, there’s less benefit because there’s sufficient exhaust flow above 2800 rpm to spin the turbo. Despite the HyBoost’s poor showing on the test track, we’re enthusiastic about the Valeo supercharger because it runs cool and can be mounted nearly anywhere under the hood. Count on seeing this device on production models soon. 




(Photo Credit: Michael Simari) 

Hyaboosta: Ricardo’s mpg special ditches the Focus’s 1.6-liter for a 1.0 and its five-speed for a six. It has an electric supercharger and a stop-start system. The blower gets its juice not from a battery, but from 10 supercapacitors that capture energy during deceleration. 

Kawasaki Shows Robots and Old Engines Instead of More Ninja H2

I am starting  to believe that whoever designed Kawasaki’s Ninja H2 teaser campaign was truly evil. After showing the H2R at the Intermot and announcing a street-legal version of the bike for EICMA, Kawasaki has now reached video teaser number 15, with some two more weeks ahead of the November 4 official unveiling date. And I could almost bet that we’re in for even more video teasing until that day…

Kawasaki’s latest Ninja H2 videos are not that much related to the bike, but instead tell the story of how cool Kawasaki Heavy Industries is. One of the video adds a bit of info for the gearheads, as it reveals that the engine of the Ninja H2 and H2R will not blow itself to smithereens. Given the extra blast supercharging adds to the game (we remind you that the H2R makes around 300 hp), the changes of engine knocking grow accordingly.

However, Kawasaki has borrowed solutions from one of its older gas turbine engines and adapted it to the bike. And if it works for an 18-cylinder 7.5 megawatt engine, it will have to do for a 14,000 rpm liter-class in-line four, doesn’t it?

Robots crafting perfection

The other video conveys even less real Ninja info. It shows Kawasaki robots welding tubular trellis frame of the H2, and even with the lackluster information, I’d say there is a certain degree of elegance about it. Maybe it’s the smooth perfection of the robotic arms’ movement links subconsciously to the eerie allure of the high-tech carbon fiber body of the H2R and its luscious finish.

Or perhaps it’s the ultra-technical environment of the robot world in the process of crafting a hyperbike emanating from a mind set on smashing the current barriers in the business. Or whatever you like…

Either way, the teaser campaign seems to work and keep us all hooked to the Ninja H2 website for the next episode. Wonder how many of these can Kawasaki come up with until November 4 when the bike debuts at EICMA?

PLAY VIDEO

2015 Zero DS Almost Packs the Best of Both Worlds

If the 2015 Zero DS had wire spoked wheels I could openheartedly say that this electric bike is the perfect zero-emission all-rounder. If you’re really in for some serious off-road adventure around your city, the DS should do if you tread carefully and constantly remember you’re not aboard a KTM EXC. The lightweight cast wheels are really stylish and the absence of the front rotor carrier makes the DS look sleek.

For scrambling purposes, Zero equipped the 2015 DS with Pirelli MT-60 midly-knobbied tires which provide plenty of terrainability on gravel but will also stick well to the asphalt. A popular dual-sport and flat track choice, these tires should also provide you with decent mileage, while looking cool and mean.

Three battery options, money talks

Zero delivers the 2015 DS in three flavors and two colors. While choosing between the white and orange versions (orange and off-road seem to go well together) is easy, deciding how much juice you want to store aboard your new DS is a matter of money. The standard DS is the one equipped with the 9.4 kWh Lithium-ion intelligent Z-Force battery, but extra dough can get you the 12.5 kWh power pack or the extra Power Tank add-on for a max range which can now reach 170 miles (274 km) in the city.

The motor is the same for all the DS versions, a 54 hp, 92 Nm (68 lb-ft) radial flux permanent magnet brushless type, with passive air cooling, regenerative deceleration and which can do 0 t 60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 5.2 seconds. On the top speed side, the 2015 Zero DS will reach 98 mph (158 km/h) but the top cruising speed is 80 mph (129 km/h).

Well-equipped and cheap to ride

Zero understood that in order to get riders into the e-bike world, the machines need to be loaded with fancy technology. That’s why the new DS arrives with switchable ABS, Showa suspensions for both forks and rear monoshock and powerful J-Juan calipers with revised hydraulics. This makes sure the ride is comfy both when streaking through the urban clutter and when tacking the gravel road towards your fav fishing pond, while dependable stopping power is always a finger away.

The new motor and battery tweaks bring in a really neat economy, with the 2015 Zero DS offering 425 MPGe (0.55 l/100 km) and a total recharge cost for the top battery choice of $1.72. The base version will run you $13,345, while the biggest battery choice will need some extra $4,493 from your account. The charger is built-in, but you can also get a quick one for $600.