Race Cars

With the annual classic car weekend going on in California, automakers are all working to outdo each other—and this year that means with electric cars. On Friday, Audi revealed its PB18 e-tron. Although it's a concept car, intended to combine the ideas from last year's self-driving Audi Aicon...

In 1962, a 39-year-old Carroll Shelby stuffed a Ford V-8 into an AC Ace to create one of the most sought after performance cars ever made, the AC Cobra. Some 50 years later, a group of engineers from British Columbia, Canada has brought Shelby's idea—small two-seat sports car, very big...

Some car fans don't connect with racing series because their purpose-built, open-wheel race cars bear no resemblance to anything they see on the street. And perhaps the same could be said of today's Formula E circuit of electric-car races across the globe. But how about a race series exclusively...

Downsizing isn't just a concept reserved for road-going vehicles--the world of motor racing is adopting the theory too. Smaller engines, turbocharging and hybrid technology is all the rage, with this year's F1 grid adopting all three in an effort to remain relevant. Nissan's ZEOD RC Le Mans car is...

German automaker Audi might command the most real estate at the Le Mans 24 Hour race in France each year, but in 2013 Nissan's off-track presence certainly wasn't far behind. Promoting its NISMO motorsport brand, Nissan also reserved a space for its 2015 Le Mans challenger--the electric ZEOD race...

Last week, Nissan announced it had chosen a development driver for its ZEOD RC electric race car project, Spanish gamer-turned-racer, Lucas Ordóñez. This week, the automaker and its motorsport arm Nismo has allowed us a little insight into the car itself, starting with the strong...

Nissan has chosen Spanish video game to race-car driver sensation Lucas Ordóñez to test and develop the ZEOD RC electric race car ahead of its Le Mans debut next year. Ordóñez made his climb to fame by winning the inaugural Nissan GT Academy--a competition set up by...

Honda and Acura can't resist teasing us with its latest hybrid sports car, the NSX. We've seen concepts and disguised production models, and now there's a race car ready to hit the circuit, aimed at Japan's premier GT racing series. The Honda NSX Concept-GT is designed to comply with GT500...

We're always interested in following the progress of competitors in the World Solar Challenge--a solar-powered race across Australia--but as our readers regularly point out, not immediately useful for the average electric car buyer on the street. Solar Team Eindhoven, from the Eindhoven University...

Electric cars are certainly becoming a more familiar sight on the roads these days, but in the ultra-competitive world of professional motor sport they're also beginning to get a foot-hold. Regular readers will be no stranger to many of these vehicles, tackling disciplines as diverse as crossing...

The 24 Heures du Mans endurance race, held at Circuit de la Sarthe in France, is the world's most famous endurance car race. It's also a hotbed of automotive technology development. So while Audi's dominance and the sad loss of competitor Allan Simonsen in the weekend's race dominated the on-track...

Mitsubishi caused a stir at last year's Pikes Peak hill climb with its electric i-MiEV Evolution race car, and the team is returning this year to challenge for overall honors. While last year's racer was loosely based on the i-MiEV or 'i' electric road car, the new MiEV Evolution II makes no such...

Electric motorsport might seem a bit superficial--defining the future of transportation by something as uncouth as speed and excitement. The reality couldn't be further from the truth. Speedy and exciting it may be, but motorsport has always helped push road car technology to its limits and there's...

Aston Martin has achieved its target of completing a racing lap around one of the world's toughest tracks--on hydrogen fuel. The hydrogen-powered Aston Martin Rapide S made its debut at a four-hour ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup VLN series race, at the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in...

Aston Martins evoke images of racing success and James Bond, but green technology hasn't often been at the top of the company's agenda. Times change though, and next month the British luxury automaker will field a hybrid hydrogen Rapide S race car in the ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring...

The 2013 Formula One racing season is already underway--and already causing controversy--but from an engineering standpoint much of the focus is already on 2014. That's because from the start of next season, new engine regulations are set to significantly improve the cars' fuel efficiency, and...

Fuel cells aren't the only way to use hydrogen as a fuel in vehicles--burning it works too. That's exactly what Aston Martin will be doing at the Nurburgring 24-hour race later this year, when it fields a hydrogen-fueled version of its Rapide luxury sedan. According to our sister site Motor...

The Nissan Leaf Nismo RC race car may have only turned a wheel in anger once outside of demo runs, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. At a glance, you might think it shares very little with the electric car that shares its name. You may even expect there to be a gasoline engine screaming...

One of the more hotly-anticipated cars of this year is the diesel variant of Mazda's new 6 sedan. It's a striking car on the outside, but its efficient clean diesel engine should make it striking on the road too--with cleanliness and efficiency being key priorities. Efficiency is always a priority...

Race cars aren't known for their gas-sipping qualities. The Nissan Leaf Nismo RC is a little different. Not only is it one of a handful of race cars in the world that emits no more pollution than its road car equivalent, but it's rather more silent than the production Leaf too. And quicker, of...