Burnouts, nitrous and carnage oh my

Click to see VideoWow, you know you spend all day moderating video submissions, this one was fantastic. Great combination of stills, action video and subject matter. Loved the video from the stands showing the wheelie cars flipping.

Click to see Video

Car Show music video

Click to see VideoGerman Site, XS-Edition.de has put together this nice compilation vid to give us a taste of the East-German car scene.....very very nice, especially the girls at the end "washing" the car. I have to admit those are some rather crazy vans, especially the one with the fireplace.

XS-Edition.de

fire! Fire! FIRE!... Drifter unleashes inner Beavis

Click to see VideoSucks for him entertaining for us. I sure hope he is okay, but man oh man, talk about an engine popping.... I am stunned how quickly it turned into a fireball.

Baby travels in style...

Click to see VideoI would love to hear the story behind this one...Something tells me a 4x4 stroller isn't standard fare at "Baby' R' Us".

Spy video, the 650hp Diamondback Viper

Click to see VideoYesterday it was the Viper GTS, Today it's the Corvette Z06, who is going to be the American performance king tomorrow? We've heard rumors of the new super Vette, but here is actual video of Dodge's secret weapon. The 650hp "Diamondback" Viper. We released some photos of this the other day, but here is the follow up video.

Comments here.

A New Luxury Sedan from ... Hyundai!

This is none-other than Hyundai's Equus replacement .. and it's coming to the States!

Equus you might ask? Don't worry - the name will very likely change before this 2008 model reaches dealer showroom.

Codenamed BH, this rear-wheel-drive sedan has a 116" wheelbase - larger than the current Equus, and will likely be powered by a 3.8-liter V6 with 270-horsepower, and maybe even a V8 option.

This top-of-the-line Hyundai should arrive at dealerships in time for the 2008 model year.

Brenda Priddy & Company
Story and pictures Copyright: Brenda Priddy & Company
Comments Here

Spy Shot, Mercedes C63 AMG

Click to enlarge

Tired of your oh-so-boring 367-horsepower C 55 AMG?

There's hope: Mercedes' new-generation C-class will be available in C 63 AMG guise with the AMG's sophisticated 6.3-liter V8, capable of pumping a massive 520-horsepower - but likely to be tamed to around 400 to 420-hp for the C Class sedan.

That's still in line with BMW's new M3, and an increase of around 10% over today's model.

We expect the new C 63 AMG to break out just after the standard C's launch in Frankfurt next year, with a possible introduction at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.

Brenda Priddy
Story and pictures Copyright: Brenda Priddy & Company

Comments Here.

ASC Diamondback Viper: Concept and Prototype Pictures

Story and pictures Copyright: Brenda Priddy & Company
Concept Pictures from the NAIAS
Prototype pictures while out testing

When we first saw this prototype, we assumed it was an updated Viper powerplant, but now we know better: This is a prototype for ASC's McLaren-tuned Viper!

ASC gave us a sneak peak of the Diamondback Viper Coupe with its 615-horsepower V10 engine at the 2006 NAIAS. But this Viper - caught while undergoing testing - is estimated to be at least 650-horsepower!

ASC and the Dodge boys have been putting the miles on these Diamondbacks while touring the Copperstate with stops at the Grand Canyon, and enjoying the cool mountains of Flagstaff. It sounds more like a summer camp than a job!

But fun aside, the Diamondback is expected to go from zero-60 in about 3.5-seconds, or possibly/probably less!

Lightweight with lots of carbon fiber, the Diamondback has been described as "super-light and super-fast" and now it appears that the Diamondback will soon become a reality.

Brenda Priddy

Comments Here

Featured Photochop: BMW 335ci Coupe/Sedan

Found this photochop in the eather and was stuned both by how well done it was, as well as how good the final car came out. The Coupe trunk line and face looks fantastic with 4 doors, almost like BMW's take on a Mercedes CLS... too bad this is only a photochop "what if".

CWW website here.
Comments Here.

Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, finally goes racing!

click for 1600x1200 wallpaper
As if this summer couldn't get any hotter, Porsche is about to make it's racing debut of the new 997 body style 911 GT3 RSR this weekend in Spa Belgium.

Looking very tuff with it's wide track, the race car backs it up with a naturally aspirated 3.8 Liter motor that makes a staggering 480hp through a pair of 30.3 mm restrictors.

Complete Story after the Jump.

IF a Phaeton got a face lift would anyone notice?

Okay I admit I love the Phaeton...Why? Because it's the car bought by rich people trying to stay under the radar. There is something to be said for sophistication and understatement. The only "problem" with a Phaeton (if I were forced to say there is one), is that it's so understated that most people take it for a nice Passat. So based on these pictures of the 2007 Phaeton, I have to wonder, if the Phaeton got a face lift would anyone even notice?

Comment Here.

New Nissan Sentra SE-R looks like burn victim

I know Nissan is on the good side of a financial recovery, but man did they ever skimp on the camo for the 2007 Nissan Sentra SE-R. "caught on the public roads on its way to Germany 's Nurburgring racetrack" says The Car Connection breaking the news... I say it looks more like "Caught escaping the trauma ward on it's way to a plastic surgeon."

Article on the Car Conenction
Comments Here

2007 Hyundai Coupe

Kudos to the Koreans for sticking behind the affordable sporty coupe. Looks like we have a new look for the 2007 Tiburon.... Let the modding begin!

Info here (In Korean).
Comments Here.

StreetFire now Accepting Third Party Videos

StreetFire/Vidiac has the highest quality of any free video hosting provider out there. Case in point YouTube hosts videos at 320x240 330Kbps FLASH-V7. We do our videos at 428x321 and 528Kbps-FLASH-V8 (Our audio tracks alone are 128 Kbps). That said we understand that some content uploaders have chosen to use other video hosting providers and will continue to do so. In order to be more magnanimous and inclusive we are now allowing (on a trial basis) users to paste the "embed code" for third party video hosting services into our system. This way, if you have already uploaded your video to a service like YouTube, Vidilife, Veoh, Google Video, etc, you can just paste their provided code into our upload page. Please note that since we do not control the videos on their systems, these other providers may edit or remove your videos without our knowledge, so as always we encourage you to upload your videos straight to StreetFire. We alone can guarantee you the highest quality video streaming. Additionally since Streetfire/Vidiac is self-funded you do not have to worry about your content being jeopardized by the whim's of Venture Capitalists trying to sell your library to a large media company.

We're offering this service on a trial basis only, if we see uploads to Streetfire start to suffer, then we may remove this functionality, but hopefully this should be a win for everyone. You benefit from even more automotive content on StreetFire, YouTube and the others benefit from more exposure to content hosted on their service, and Streetfire benefits by growing the portfolio of content we can offer you.

Post your comments here, we look forward to hearing your input!

500 MPG, the goal set by a new design group

MIT is hosting a new Vehicle design summit to try and put the worlds best minds behind the solution to achieve 500Mpg. From a quick glance this appears to be a holistic approach where they look at hybrids of many technologies. For instance it's not enough to say "well here is my electric car", they apear to be looking at the gasoline used to generate the electricity that powers the car or the gasoline used to generate the hydrogen for a fuel cell. Kudos to MIT, I vote they use the Ariel Atom as a basis for a Chassis.

MIT Vehicle Design Summit
Comments Here

Upgrade update.

We're about 99% there, and are currently looking for bugs, but for the most part the system should be completely back to normal.....er... Actually hopefully better than normal. This update was primarily an overhaul of our back end video systems, so now pages should load faster and the overall system should be smoother. We're planning a raft of new features and now that we have this final update out of the way we should be able to start releasing them. Thanks for bearing with us while we were down yesterday during the upgrade!

"... undefined ..."

The upgrade continues!...Looks like our RSS feed is down and until it comes up the header graphic is going to say "... undefined ...", sorry about that! Update later this evening.

Audi Elise....er...I mean...KTM Roadster

Found on the web not sure of the validity But CarType is reporting that Audi is going to build the KTM roadster as an Elise Competitor. Now honesly I think this is a bit optimistic on their part. sure Audi builds a great car, but the soul of an Elise is Chapman's maniacal pursuit of light weight....or in the words of Saint Jeremy Clarkson "What can the customer do without?"....The core of an Audi is "how many tons of awesome interior design can we add to this car?"

Article here.
Audi fan boys defend your overweight cars here.

WTF Wednesday: Chevy's deceptive advertising

Today's "WTF??" award goes to Chevrolet and their new 0% financing for 72 months program. Right now I'm trying to find a new SUV for my wife and the Trailblazer SS is high on the list ... (well my list, not her's) ... Based purely on the fun to drive factor. So when I saw that Chevy was running 0% the first thing I did was check the Trailblazer SS. Now I'm not some casual shopper, I know what a Trailblazer SS looks like, and they have very clearly labeled their special offer with the picture of a Trailblazer SS. Only the fine print says "excluding SS".

Are you fisting me? Why would you show a picture of the SS next to the special offer if it was specifically excluded? This leads me to one of two conclusions. Either:

1. Chevy intentional did this to get people like me into the showroom only to later find out "oops your bad" for not reading...Or....
2. Chevy's didn't know in which case I seriously doubt the credibility of anything else I see on their web site, since their designers chose a picture of the car that was excluded.

*sigh*....Oh well... Comment if you'd like here.

Tesla supercar revealed! Feel the POWAH

Tesla Motors has officially debuted their car, and it's a shoc......oh I can't be that trite. Anyhow, welcome to the future, the electric supercar. 0-60 in less than 4 seconds, 250 miles on a 3.5 hour charge, the company claims it costs less than 1 CENT a mile to drive. I think the Toyota Prius has finally been dethroned as the *IT* car to have.

Comments Here.

Summer Cool off, 911 GT3 in the snow

Click to see VideoJust heard on CNN that we're seeing record summer highs today....so here is a blast of cold air from a 911 GT3 running sideways on a snowy rally road to help everyone think cool thoughts while sweating in this sweltering heat.

Comments.

StreetFire on Digg

...and here I was thinking that posters in the new Digg Video section had totally forgotten the Mom and Pop video web sites like StretFire in favor of the big Corporate funded sites like YouTube and Google Video. Someone actually posts a StreetFire vid.

Comment and small rant.

The Ford GT Superbowl comercial

Click to watch video
In case you were sleeping, one of the best Ford commercials ever made....just makes you want to run out and buy....oh yea... maybe settle for a Mustang instead... :-)

Click to comment and lamment lack of money.

Motor the size of Sun runs on same fuel....

6.8 Liter V10 running a twin screw supercharger.... must generate god's own level of power right? Well....only if we're talking about the hydrogen burning sun god Ra. Ford has debuted the first ready for vehicle production hydrogen internal combustion motor. (Yes I know BMW has made these in the past, but I don't exactly see one for sale at my local Bimmer dealership now do I?).... So back to the power....uhm...er... well it looks more like the power from Carter-administration Caddy V8 than anything we see today, but at least it's a start, so congrats to Ford for getting one out the door.

Press Release and commenting here.

Congrats to Vitamin J!

Click to Watch Video
One of our more active forum members, Vitamin J has just competed in his first National Level SCCA race, and he very kindly filmed the event for us. I've been watching the "Sports Car Revolution" Spec Miata racing build up on Speed, and this series looks like a lot of fun, and relatively affordable (as racing goes).

Anyhow Congrats here.

Intro to stunt biking.

Wittle StunterWhat a day. First the F1 Grand Prix of France, then MotoGP..... I have done nothing but sit on my ass watching speed channel today, which means I haven't been working hard on StreetFire Version3 like a good boy should.

Before I buckle down and do another all night code a thon, I thought I would share a little video I found. THIS is the kind of nike I need to start stunting on. What a cool litte bike. Probably easier to manage than my CBR-600RR.

Okay, back to work for me.

Jeremy Clarkson: "GET OFF MY LAWN! you damn kids"

Looks like Jalopnik has found a very much alive Clarkson who managed to survive the vicious horses of Portugal. But in looking up our hero, I found an interesting story in the UK Something or other about a Sinister group called "PROWL" That is apparently rather torqued off that Jeremy Clarkson has erected a fence across his property blocking a local footpath around his Lighthouse home (See Diagram Above). Jeremy's Fence has even apparently upset the last wishes of a dying man to have his ashes scattered at that point. (on the basic of aesthetics of course).

"... My Dad died in January and had requested that we scatter him at Langness and put a bench there for him. Under the present circumstances, we don't want to do this as Langness looks more like Stalig 19 with all the barbed wire and such. ..."

Comment Here

Lexus to confuse Americans with new Design Feature

What the hell is this? I know Lexus has been criticized in the past for bland styling....so they took a risk with the tail lights of the IS300 and invented the Alteza craze.... Well it looks like the upcoming Lexus M3 fighter (the V8-powered IS300) is going to start a new trend of stacked exhaust pipes.... I really hope this looks better with the camo removed, because this shot just looks silly.

Spy Photos of the IS500 on WorldCarFans.com.
Your Comments Here.

Corvette Z06 (LS7) powered Solstice

Click to see VideoWeb page problem solved, back to the business of car videos. The 427 Cobra is one of the best cars to ever set tire to tarmac, and it holds a fixed place in many enthusiasts hearts. But here my friends is the best homage to a 427 Cobra I've seen since the "Monster Miata". Looks like GMPP has decided to toast the 427 Cobra with a 427 of their own.... this time with a Corvette LS7 under the hood...... Damn shame this video is just a walk around of an idling car, I would have loved to have seen a burn out.

Comments here.
Article in Hot Rod here.
Found via Dub Speed Driven(Thanks Guys)

Feel the Speed!

Okay, So I just spent the last few hours speeding up the main page. I have the HTML template (prior to Blogger's content) down to 12 KB now with a 8KB CSS file that is now cache-able. What was really slowing computers down was the flash movie above when it did that trick fade transition. So I ditched the transition, and now it only shows you other random previews when you click the "Next" tab above. So, first the main page, next the Video and Forums pages.

Comment on the Quickness.

Hot Rodding the Main Page

So the poll was fairly split, but since over half are saying they want the front page to load faster I am taking the animation in the top nav bar out, and just having it show a single random vid. This should drastically speed things up for those of you that come to the main page. Expect the change soon.

PS a special thanks to those of you that took the trouble of signing up just to express your view on this.

Poll Results here

PPS The turtle pic is from a StreetFire T-Shirt thread we're running right now as we get ideas for some wearables.

Is This Page Slow?

..Then you need more HP... Just kidding, some users have been complaining that this page runs a little slow when the flash widget does it's transition effect. I want to see how big of a problem this is so, guess what? Yes, another poll. Cast your vote and then let me know the specs of your computer. I'm thinking this might be a video card related problem for some users with integrated video. FWIW I'm designing StreetFire on a new Apple MacBook Pro so I tend to get a little spoiled with all the horsepower and just assume everyone has this much power to play with....Funny thing that's how I feel when I drive a fast car too.... Anyhow so please let me know what you think.

Page to Slow? Just Right? Works but you want that damn Animation gone?
Tell me here.

Jeremy Clarkson Dead?

I'm an avid reader of Jalopnik, (I dig their sense of style and cynicism)... Anyhow in a rather shocking blog post tonight they reported a rumoUr that Jeremy Clarkson has met his end while horseback riding.

No, I do not think this is the case because we all know Jeremy said he would much rather "enter the pearly gates flying backwards in a ball of fire" after wrecking a Koenigsegg. I think the Genesis of this rumor is that right now if you search Google news for "Jeremy Clarkson" the number one result is an article in the UK times titled "Me, die? You must be joking" by Nigel Smith...(where he off handedly compares his wife to Jeremy Clarkson)......Okay Jeremy as a bride is enough to scare me to death.

Jeremy Clarkson, the Wiki.
Comment on this.

Luckiest driver ever

Click to see VideoHad to watch this one twice to make sure I saw what I actually saw.....Unbelievable....though I'm going on 3 hours of sleep today, so this might just be a video of some traffic...

Comment in awe here.

CamaroZ28.com 10 years old! Your Gift? The Camaro Concept!

Chris "Lucky Dog" Frezza driving the Camaro Concept



Camaro concept's Crazy Door Handles & how they open
I am so unbelievably jealous of Chris Frezza & Jason Debler right now. Chris, Jason and I go back a little over ten years (1994 I think) to the F-Body.org mailing list. They started one of the very first Automotive message boards in July of 1996 which has become the uber-successful CamaroZ28.com. So here it is, ten years later, I download one of their podcasts and they are out driving the Camaro Concept... must be nice! Anyhow, Happy Anniversary Guys, congrats on reaching the big One-Oh!!!!

PS: CamaroZ28's video section is chock full of 5th gen videos. Go check it out.
...you would think since we're managing their video section I would have known that already...

Comments and well wishes here.

Coffee Break is over, back to work!

Ever get that feeling like if you're awake you need to be in front of the computer working your butt off?...yea that's me right now. Okay, so the vote is in and I think it was pretty decisive. Thank you all for giving your input on the Comments. While the overwhelming majority (83%) were in favor of deleting all comments and starting over fresh, 66SuperNova had a very good point in favor of keeping the old comments.

Well, if we did decide to keep the comments.....I think you would find that the members who comment on the video's, would quickly go to work trying to clean them up.... This will do three things for us; Familiarize current members with the new self-moderating system, keep those comments that contribute something to the site and highlight those users who need a vacation! If you were to erase the comments, you would be giving a clean slate to ""the children"" as well......I mean hey, why not identify who the problematic users are, whilst we're in the midst of our overhaul?!

We will keep that in mind over the next couple of weeks. Perhaps we can keep the old comments in the new system for a few weeks while people get used to the new moderation system, then slowly push out the old. Anyhow, voting may be over, but we are still looking for opinions on this any other aspect of our video system. So keep the input coming, we appreciate it.

Post Your Comments.

Monday Morning Coffee

Click to see VideoCheck the time stamp... yes I'm up late working my ass off trying to get StreetFire/Vidiac Version 3 done. Jeremy has most of the heavy lifting finished, so now I'm trying to make it look "purty". Anyhow enough about my late night code-a-thons, here is an awesome video just uploaded by "4tun8 Racing" to get your Monday started.... just as I'm finishing my Sunday. Enjoy! I'm sleeping in tomorrow.

Comment on the Video here.
Discuss Shinkaze's silly work habits here..

Fate of Video Comments, Update

The results so far. We will keep the poll open until Monday. I want to make sure that everyone gets chance to voice their input.

RESULTS SO FAR
New Comment engine is coming, do we....
80% Start Fresh Everyone gets a clean slate, garbage is removed
20% Keep the last year's worth of posts to establish a user-history for the new system.

Cast your vote

Farewell to a Pontiac Grand Prix

Click to see VideoI really loved this video and thought it was worth highlighting. Doesn't matter if you're into Imports, Domestics, FWD or RWD cars, you never forget that first car that really turned you on to hot-rodding no matter the brand and no mater the type, and it's always so bitter sweet when it's time to say good bye to a much loved companion.

For me it was a 1983 V6 Firebird that got me through highschool and into college. By the time we parted the car was a 5.7 Liter Corvette-powered terror. I still wonder what heppend to that car to this day...

Comments here

Out of Control Video Comments

Hey Folks, we need your input here as we are releasing a new comment engine next week, and I think this is the perfect time to address some mistakes we have made in the past year.

We are aware that the video comments are out of control. The reason this has occurred is that we added the comments in last year as an afterthought with very little moderation capability. With 4.5 Million monthly visitors, it is impossible for the ~20 StreetFire moderators to keep up with all the comments, and I feel that StreetFire has lost many good potential members because of the immaturity of some posters.

Next week we are rolling out Vidiac Version 3 that will clean up the comments (we hope). In the past the comments have been more like anonymous graffiti in a truck stop bathroom. Next week, the comments will be very specifically tied to a user whose history you can view and rate across all 1,000 Vidiac powered Sites (StreetFire included). You the 4.5 Million monthly StreetFire members will become 4.5 million individual moderators, and everyone will have the ability to rate everyone, and see how they have been rated and by who. Truly obscene users will be self moderated off the system.

So here is where we need your help. Do we keep the old comments on the new system or do we start over with a clean slate?

Many of the comments on StreetFire are inflammatory, and do not add value to the site. Some few posters have made a very valiant effort to post intelligent well though out posts. Keeping the old comments will help establish a history so you have a basis to rate users. However, keeping the bad comments almost invites more bad behavior.

So, we have set up a poll to see what you think. Please invite as many people as you can to participate in the poll, as this is a year's worth of content (good and bad) and we feel it could have a lot of value or maybe it's not worth keeping. Because you our visitors have helped create it, we feel you should also decide if we grandfather it in, or wipe the slate clean and start over with a better comment system.

So, Click here to vote in the poll, and post your comments on this issue as well.

BMW's Uber-Cool Factory

Wow! Check out this Video of the BMW "Leipzig Plant"... The factory is stunning, designed by architect Zaha Hadid. the structure is truly amazing. I think the only thing that compares is the Volkswagen "Glass Factory", or maybe the McLaren "Technology Centre" in the UK. Official Leipzig Plant Web Site.

Post and View comments here.

Another Cool Race compilation

2005 Le Mans
Click to see VideoI had a lot of fun putting that F1 Indy video together, and a lot of positive feedback too, thanks! I'm just happy that there were no injuries, so it was more entertainment than tragedy. Speaking of tragedy, here is a video that we accidentally marked as "corrupted" because the thumbnail was busted. The creator of the video contacted us, we looked into it and I realized it was a very well done video of the 2005 Le Mans.

Video Comments Here
Upload your Own Race Videos! (Be Sure to tag it with the name of the race)

Featured Video, Horrible Crash in Indianapolis

Click to see VideoThe first turn of any race is always dangerous, but last weekend at the 2006 United States Grand Prix, the crowd saw a third of the field crash out in the opening seconds of the race. As near as I was able to tell there were two sets of crashes. The first occurred near Klein at Turn 1, the second occurred when Montoya rear-ended Kimi and sent Heidfeld Flying, and sadly wrecked out Scott Speed in his first homecoming race.

View & Post your Comments about this video

Submit your Video from the US Grand Prix

The StreetFire Awards

The Forums are over a year old now and by popular demand we have decided to honor some of the StreetFire Forum members that have made the most positive impact on the site. So please join me in congratulating the 2006 StreetFire award winners.


Funniest Poster: Peiceofpaper
Biggest Post Whore: Troggie42
Most Impactful Poster: (tie) 66SuperNova & HOSS429
Most Annoying Poster: Ls2 lover
Most Riced Car: Elmo187
Coolest Car: 66SuperNova
Coolest Truck: Shreddin'tread
Coolest Bike: Elmo187
Biggest Domestic Fan: HOSS429
Biggest Import Fan: ZoomZoomZoom
Most Helpful Poster: (tie) Shinkaze & 66SuperNova
Best Photo Chops: carguy2112
Best Avitar: JunkTheMagicDragon
Best Sig: Peiceofpaper

..and finally a Special Admin Pick Award to Red Shift for helping me keep my sanity by playing "Bad Cop" on the forums and helping to keep it clean. winners will get a small badge under their user name linking back here. Troggie will get a special bonus as official post whore by recieving an honoray 1 million posts that he will abdicate to the next Post-Whore when his rein as Queen Post Whore is over.

Comments and Congrats here

Pictures from the 2006 US Grand Prix... Better than World Cup Football

.. Well I should say it's only better than World Cup Football if you were cheering for Brazil this weekend. I say that because Felipe Massa (From Brazil) Piloted his Ferrari to a #2 Finish.

Michael Schumacher won the race securing his 5th victory at the Brickyard. The only other drivers to win as many as four at Indy are A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears -- all in the Indianapolis 500 -- and NASCAR's Jeff Gordon in the Allstate 400.

I was particularly sad to See Scott Speed get knocked out in the very first turn of the very first lap... Maybe I should have worn my Scott Speed hat rather than my Fernando Alonso Hat. Oh well, best of luck next year Scott, assuming F1 comes back to Indy next year...

Pictures and comments