Dope. #39

author: unknown

What to watch this weekend (Mar 3 - Mar 7)

• Inside West Coast Customs. Alienware - Alien takeover. Thursday @ 8pm - 9pm (Discovery's HD Theater)
• Speedmakers. A look into Aston Martin's manufacturing facility in Birmingham, UK. Thursday @ 9pm - 10pm (SPEED/SPEEDHD) replay at 9am Friday
• Chasing Classic Cars. Friday @ 9pm - 11pm (Discovery's HD Theater) 2nd season replays
• Rolex Sports Car Series. Grand-Am racing from Homestead-Miami Speedway in FL. Saturday 12pm - 3pm (SPEED/SPEEDHD)
• Monterey Week. A look into the world of automotive restoration and sale expert Wayne Carini. This is the special that lead to the Chasing Classic Cars series. Saturday @ 3pm - 4pm (Discovery's HD Theater) replay
• World's Most Expensive Cars. This special follows the process to get one of Audi's legendary 1939 Auto Union race cars to auction. Sunday @ 2pm - 3pm (Discovery's HD Theater) replay
• Top Gear (UK) - Season 16, Ep. 5. Jeremy, Richard and James go buy a combine harvester and modify it to end Britains' snowfall removal woes. Monday @ 9pm - 10pm (BBC America/BBC America HD)

Plenty of selection this weekend, including some great replays and new shows. I guessed right on Speedmakers as they made episode two on Aston Martin's manufacturing facility. Also for those of you who enjoy Chasing Classic Cars, the HD special that pre-dated that series (Monterey Week) is airing on Saturday at 3pm. Oh and surprise-surprise, road racing is back this weekend with a live Grand-Am racing event in Florida. Options are a great thing.


photo courtesy of auto123.com

Quick Vid: Porsche 918 RSR @ 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Oh baby.



Video courtesy of Autocar.

Quick Vid: BMW 1 Series M Coupe

While I'm not the 'finance a car' type of guy, it's obvious from my posts that I appreciate new cars regardless of all the weight that comes with their 'safety standards'. Since the BMW 1 Series coupe (135i) debuted in the US back in 2008, I looked at it as the second coming of the E30 3-Series. It was small, had great visibility all around, was relatively light and nimble. And when you add the 300hp twin-turbo 3-Liter inline six (N54) BMW developed to power just about every car in their current lineup (335 designation), you have a fantastic ~$30k alternative to the now much heavier (and much pricier) E92 M3. In order to give the 1-Series enthusiasts out there even more to crave, BMW has put together an M-package for the 2012 model year; 335 hp/332tq, 6speeds, 4.7 second 0-60 (13.2 q/m), lovely M aero kit accentuating the wider track and suspension package round out the major details. The 1 Series M also went on a diet, weighing in 77lbs lighter than the standard 135i.


Video courtesy of autotuningnews.

Video Series: Autocar's The Ultimate Test Drive

The more Formula One the better, as I always say. There's only a couple weeks until the new season, so I'm counting the days down! Check out this classic video of pre-F1 World Champion Jenson Button teaching Autocars' Steve Sutcliffe how to drive the Honda Formula 1 car. Enjoy.







Video courtesy of Autocar.