July 15th Throttle 🏎️

What’s up Throttle Heads 😎. Welcome to the first newsletter of hopefully many. We certainly do not plan on being a one-hit wonder‼️Whether it be the new BMW M5 to the Goodwood Festival of speed the car industry is certainly abuzz right now. So let’s get into it

German Automakers Walk Back Ambitious EV Plans

Ever since the pandemic, the automotive industry has been caught up with the hype around green energy vehicles. German automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and Audi have been particularly caught up in this hype with Mercedes promising an EV-only fleet by 2030 and Audi promising to launch only new electric models by 2026. Just last week, both automakers have rolled back these plans, pushing them back indefinitely.

This has been in response to slower-than-expected demand for EVs and other battery-electric vehicles. Mercedes has been particularly hit hard by slower-than-expected EV goals with their EQ series failing to gain as much popularity as its gas counterparts. This comes as consumers want EVs to look and feel exactly like the gas cars they have been used to all of their lives only for them to be electric. The hassle of charging EVs and range anxiety is also eating into EV sales are driving consumers to purchase gas or hybrid cars over their fully electric counterparts.

While EVs are an important part of the move to a more sustainable future, the technology still needs to mature before they can be widely adopted.

Red Bull Racing Unveils RB17 Hypercar

Love them or hate them, Red Bull Racing has been an unstoppable force in Formula One over the past few years. Despite cracks starting to form in the team, it has not stopped them from unveiling a stunning hypercar. Dubbed the RB17, Reb Bull Racing unveiled this 1200-HP V-10 Beast at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last week.

Designed by famed Red Bull Racing chief engineer Adrian Newey, the RB17 features a carbon tub with a 1,000-HP 4.5 liter V-10 and 200 HP emoter to the back wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. Red Bull has made some bold claims that it can match the speed of an F1 car with a top speed of 217 mph while is certainly backed up by their insane on-track performance. Personally, I can not wait to see what Max Verstappen can do behind the wheel of one of these 😉

Mustang GTD Makes First Run at Goodwood

Just listen to that 5.2 liter American V8 roar RAHHH!!!! 🦅🇺🇸 A year after the unveiling, this stang was unleashed on the British countryside and it thankfully did not live up to the Mustang owner stereotype and crash leaving the parking lot 😉.

Ford’s take on a GT3 with an eyewatering $315k price tag turned many heads this weekend as it made two runs up the hill last week at Goodwood. With Ford really hitting the nail on the head with many of its recent performance car offerings from the Raptor to the Ford GT, the Mustang GTD will certainly not disappoint and will rival many of its GT3 competitors such as the 911 GT3 RS from across the pond.

Ineos Reveals Grenadier SUV Prototypes

Ineos, the oil company turned automaker has gained a special place in the automotive community for their Grandier SUV which mimics the design and functionality of the Land Rover Defender produced from 1990 to 2020. At Goodwood, they revealed four new promising prototypes. As of writing none of them are confirmed for production.

The first one is an extreme off-roader dubbed the Quartermaster. This truck features portal axles which give it an extra 10.4 inches of ground clearance. These are the same axles utilized by the G Wagon 4×4 squared.

Nicknamed the “Shortmaster”, the second one is based on the SUV and features a smaller bed than the Quartermaster truck produced by the company. This one certainly makes for a goofy little truck lol.

The third one which is my personal favorite is a traditional SUV with swamps the six-cylinder BMW engine for a 6.2 liter V8 sourced from General Motors. This engine swamp consisted of a wide array of redesigns from the cooling fans to engine electronics which resulted in the perfect way to cruise along the desert trails 😎.

The final prototype includes a Rally-Ready version of the Grenadier built by Buzz Special Vehicles. Including racing suspension, a sport exhaust system, and an engine massaged to produce more power, this model stands ready to compete in the 2025 World Rally Championship. Personally, I can not wait to see it hit the dunes of Dakar 🏜️

Audi Revives 16-Cylinder 1930s Supercar

Not wanting to follow the trends of unveiling high-tech iPhone-esque cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Audi decided to give us a blast to the past with the unveiling of the Type 52 Racing Car. With Audi's predecessor, Audi Union dominating racing in the 1930s with their Grand Prix Cars, they set about designing the car for customers for events like the Mille Miglia and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Dubbed the “SchnellSportswagon” (German phrasing is so clunky smh), it was theorized to have a top speed of 124 miles an hour and featured a mid-engine setup which would have been one the first of its kind. And just like one of my favorite cars, the McLaren F1, it features a three-seat setup with the driver’s position located in the center of the car. It is safe to say we truly need more three-seater supercars like this!!!

Some of the dimensions of the car did have to be adjusted for it to be fully realized. The car was lengthened to accommodate suspension components as the wheel weighed slightly heavier than the designers intended. Audi commissioned historic race car specialists Croswith and Gardiner to build the car. This was certainly a daunting task as pictures of the car and much of the designs were lost to history during World War Two. Regardless, they did an amazing job of recreating this amazing car.

Meme of The Day