Road & Track review of the Mach 5
#1
Road & Track review of the Mach 5
OK.... I know it is aimed at kids.... but I well remember Speed Racer and the Mach 5 from when I was a kid. LOL!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=6466
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/d...ach5_chart.pdf
Tires sure are aweful skinny for 1700hp!!!!!!!!!!!! (lol)
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=6466
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/d...ach5_chart.pdf
Tires sure are aweful skinny for 1700hp!!!!!!!!!!!! (lol)
#5
Before jumping into the driver's seat, I took a look at the car's mechanicals. Residing just aft of the front axle was an 8.0-liter quad sequential turbocharged V-12 that pumps out 1700 bhp at 8000 rpm and 1400 lb.-ft. of torque at 5500. A little overkill? Not according to Hobart. "The car is supposed to be able to go 300 mph. And this is what's required to get it there," he said bluntly.
With the Mach 5 tipping the scales at a lean 2455 lb., I addressed a few concerns before firing up the engine. One was aerodynamics: Would the Mach 5 stay on the ground when it reached triple digits? A small spectacled man named Taku reassured me that the car had gone through intense wind-tunnel testing, and it generated more than enough downforce to keep it planted even at 300 mph. Okay, how about grip? How do you effectively send this much power to the Mach 5's modest 245/40ZR-18 rear tires? A fellow named Mark wearing a black Yokohama jacket explained that a revolutionary synthetic material gives them the incredible grip of a warm Formula 1 race tire. And with the company's special ground-grabbing "tire crampons" actuated, there is no tire slippage whatsoever. This is the next big thing in tires, he insisted.
With the Mach 5 tipping the scales at a lean 2455 lb., I addressed a few concerns before firing up the engine. One was aerodynamics: Would the Mach 5 stay on the ground when it reached triple digits? A small spectacled man named Taku reassured me that the car had gone through intense wind-tunnel testing, and it generated more than enough downforce to keep it planted even at 300 mph. Okay, how about grip? How do you effectively send this much power to the Mach 5's modest 245/40ZR-18 rear tires? A fellow named Mark wearing a black Yokohama jacket explained that a revolutionary synthetic material gives them the incredible grip of a warm Formula 1 race tire. And with the company's special ground-grabbing "tire crampons" actuated, there is no tire slippage whatsoever. This is the next big thing in tires, he insisted.
#6
I liked this part the best though...
As for the car's special features, Hobart told me they incorporated everything that was mechanically possible. He pressed the "C" button on the steering wheel, and two circular saw blades snapped out from under the hood. "These really can cut down trees...and people," he said with a suspicious giggle.
As for the car's special features, Hobart told me they incorporated everything that was mechanically possible. He pressed the "C" button on the steering wheel, and two circular saw blades snapped out from under the hood. "These really can cut down trees...and people," he said with a suspicious giggle.