Crossing Over to Formula One

2011 Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Edition

It's quite astonishing how much a young 24-year old German Formula One race driver has gained through driving with Infiniti and Red Bull. First, he won his first championship back in 2010. Second, he helped Kazunori Yamauchi develop the fastest ever race car in the Gran Turismo series. Third, he is the fastest F1 driver to do a lap on the Top Gear Test Track. And now, it seems he has his own branded car from Infiniti. Debuting this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show is the Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Edition. Basically, what Infiniti has done is take a regular FX50S, and through some persuasion from young Vettel, added some engine upgrades, suspension upgrades, a new bodykit, fancy wheels, and better performance. Infiniti claims the crossover will do 186 MPH. That's as fast as Jaguar XKR-S. If it's that fast, then I won't be surprised to see either a 400 or 500 horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine under the bonnet. There are two problems with it though: 1. It's not ready yet. 2. Infiniti plan on only making one. So, if you're interested in having a car by Sebastian Vettel, you may to wait towards the future.

Hoonigan + F1 = What?

Toyota Pirelli F1

Toyota and Pirelli seemed to have banded together to create a Formula One car in order to beat the Massas, Alonsos, and Schumachers in the sport we know as Formula One Racing. The car is still a WIP (Work In Progress), but it seems that one lucky American has volunteered to help them test it. Unfortunately, it's not who you would expect seeing that he comes from the world of Rally, Gymkhana, and some rather stylish shoes. Gymkhana creator and DC Shoes owner Ken Block has volunteered to help Pirelli test their new F1 car at Autodromo Monza in Italy. So, this might be good news for you Ken Block fans. Maybe, he'll create a Gymkhana 4 with this car since drifting in an F1 car is possible. Whatever the case, he says he's set to take hooning to an all new level. I just hope he plays it safe.

E to the Third

2011 Ford Taurus SHO Interceptor (Need For Speed: The RUN)

E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo) is almost upon and on that day thousands of geeks and gamers will make their way to California to see the latest in tech and video games. You're probably surprised to see that I myself am talking about it. Well, a couple of fantastic racing games and racing sims are ready to be shown on the E3 stage and I'll be here to show them to you. First up, there's Need For Speed newest blockbuster smash The RUN, which is being developed by Black Box Studios, and as you can see from the photo above, they're fixing up something big!

F1 2011

Next up is Codemasters newest SIM racer F1 2011. There last installment was a real eye catcher. This one promises more realism and more excitement. Then again, what other publisher produces the best SIM games? So far DiRT and F1 have been smash hits.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T (Driver: San Francisco)

Then, there's Ubisoft next big smash: Driver: San Francisco. I'm truly excited about this game. I remember playing the original Driver game as a kid and I fell in love with it. I'm overjoyed to see it coming back with awesome physics, a huge map, and a massive array of real-world cars, including this classic Dodge Challenger R/T. And it's not just classic cars this time. Ubi has included modern day favorites like the Dodge Ram SRT-10, Maserati GranTurismo, Bentley Continental Supersports, McLaren MP4-12C, even the Pagani Zonda Cinque. It's gonna be epic!

2011 Ferrari 458 Italia (Forza Motorsport 4)

And last, but not least, we have the GT5 killer: Forza 4. Ever since Forza was created, it has always received higher ratings than the famed Japanese Racing SIM, and it seems that they're going for another one with this installment. Forza's promising over 500 cars, an array of real tracks, a new re-worked physics engine, and some interesting Kinect features. Not to mention they've put the Ferrari 458 Italia as they're hero car and have teamed up with Top Gear USA so expect some Top Gear challenges and an appearance from his majesty The STIG.

So, those are the big four you racers need to look out for. If I missed one, just let me know.

The Magic of License Plates

2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 F1

When you're a teenager and you're buying your first car, you get all excited when your first license plate comes in the mail, don't you? I can relate. It is a joyous occasion. What's even better, though, is getting your own personalized license plate for your car. Why? It expresses yourself. For example, if I got a custom license plate, it would either read FR3D, 0BI, OBI–1, or even FR3DDY–B because they define who I am. There are popular ones out there as well like F4ST–C4R, HOT-ROD, BMW, and so on. Be very careful, though. Some popular ones might cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The picture above you is a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 with an F1 license plate. The car itself is worth $1.4 Million, but add in that extra F1 license plate, and you'll be paying another million. Afzal Kahn, CEO and Founder of Project Kahn (the dudes who tune Range Rovers), will personally hook you up with one for your Lamborghini, Mercedes or even your Smart Car. You just have to pay him 1 Million quid so he can do it perfectly. Why is it so expensive you ask? In Her Majesty's Kingdom (England), Formula One is a very big name. So if you're gonna use F1 on your license plate, the Formula One committee want to see that you have the money to earn it. Unfortunately, they'll only be valuable in Europe, so bad luck for Americans on that part. But there are other license plates that cost quite a fortune, like FERRARI, LAMBO, or even BUGATTI. Imagine having a FERRARI license plate on your Fiat 500. You'd be a superstar.

Mad Merc to the Rescue!!

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG F1 Safety Car

If you've watched Formula One races on SPEED or whatever channel you get them on, you might've seen this car come out either in the beginning of a race or when the caution flag flies out. This Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is the official Safety Car for the Formula One series. It has all the power and speed of the regular SLS, just with a fancy lightbar and some new rear lights. Former DTM driver Bernd Mayländer pilots this car, and it only comes out in times of need. It seems that AMG has become the significant Safety Team to Formula One racing. And now, they're team has just expanded.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate F1 Medical Car

Introducing F1's new ambulance: the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate. When you find yourself in a fix during the Australian GP, this car will come to you in no time to see if you're okay. Hopefully, this car doesn't have to come out at all during the race. It is a good looking thing, but it's a medical car, which means it only comes out when there's been a terrible accident. Hopefully nothing like that happens this weekend. Anyway, look for the AMG F1 Safety Team doing work down under as the F1 season kicks off this weekend.