June 2011 | Punks Download

Posted by Punk

If you asked a group of enthusiasts what company makes the best wheels, the answers would undoubtedly be varied. HRE, however, would probably be mentioned in that conversation. The HRE Peformance Wheels team has been creating rollers for everything from luxury cruisers to some of the most exciting vehicles in motorsports.

The current lineup of HRE wheels is as impressive as it is expensive. Wheels start at around $1,300 per corner. Curious to learn how the company justifies charging so much for its wares, we traveled to the company's Vista, California headquarters for its recent 2011 HRE Open House. We wound up with an inside view at how the wheels are made and a peek at the company's diverse (and loyal) customer base.

The HRE Open House is an annual event that lets fans of the company check out how their favorite wheels are produced. The open-door get-together is also a chance for people to hang out and check out a wide range of vehicles. Four-wheeled attendees ranges from a Koenigsegg CCX and Ariel Atom, to a Mercedes-Benz 300SL and Chris Rado's wild Time Attack Scion tC.

hre wheels

We'd get a chance to look at the cars in a bit, but we mostly wanted to learn more about the wheels they were wearing. The President of HRE, Alan Peltier was on hand to give tours through his facility and provide insight into how the product moves from a computer design into a finished wheel.

HRE builds two types of wheels; three-piece forged (or spun) wheels and its well-known Monoblok one-piece forged unit (think: HRE P40). All wheels begin life in the head of either a designer or an engineer. From there, the potential design is entered into a computer modeling system called Finite Element Analysis, which allows the HRE team to model how physics will affect their wheel. The FEA program shows an engineer how a given design will respond to the effects of speed, weight and a variety of g-forces. After the wheel gets a green light, it's time to begin the physical process of manufacturing.

The average aluminum wheel found on stock vehicle is created by pouring a molten alloy into a mold. HRE takes a different approach. The three-piece wheels begin with an outer barrel, which starts out as a flat disk of high-strength aluminum that is worked into shape in a manner similar to a potter spinning clay. The barrel is turned into two halves, which allows HRE to build wheels to custom requested widths. The third part of the three-piece wheel starts out as a chunk of aerospace-grade aluminum which gets forced into a disk shape. That disk is then sent to the CNC machine so that the spoke pattern can be created. Put the two halves and center portion together, and voilà! You have an HRE three-piece wheel.

If you're looking for something stronger than the already burly three-piece, HRE might direct you to its one-piece Monoblok. This wheel starts out life as a solid block of aluminum. The metal is forged, thanks to a combination of heat and pressure, into a round shape. That wheel-like chunk of aluminum is loaded into a form-flowing machine to create a barrel, and then into a variety of CNC machines to create the lock initially dreamed up by HRE's designers.

Both the three-piece and Monoblok one-piece aren't done when they pop out of the CNC machine. The wheels are inspected, deburred and then polished by hand. The entire finishing process can take up to eight hours per wheel, and all are certified to meet Germany's strict TÜV standards. It's this sort of attention to detail that helps HRE command premium pricing in the wheel market.

The HRE Open House is an annual event that lets fans of the company check out how their favorite wheels are produced. The open-door get-together is also a chance for people to hang out and check out a wide range of vehicles. Four-wheeled attendees ranges from a Koenigsegg CCX and Ariel Atom, to a Mercedes-Benz 300SL and Chris Rado's wild Time Attack Scion tC.

HRE's open house was attended by a range of enthusiasts, as well as a plethora of high-performance machines. eGarage was on hand with a Koenigsegg CCX, Ariel Atom, Bentley Continental Supersports and an sinister old Chevrolet Camaro hiding 2000 horsepower under its hood. Tanner Foust showed up in his BBI-tuned Porsche. HRE fans also drove into the parking lot piloting brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, BMW and Porsche, not to mention a few clean examples of the Acura NSX, a Datsun 240Z, some Ford Mustang models, a handful of Volkswagen offerings and even an Alfa Romeo GTV.

Not everyone can – or would choose – to spend the type of coin that HRE asks for its wares, but events like the company's open house are very smart, if for no other reason that they give prospective customers a first-hand look at what makes their products so special.

Official: New R8 Limited Edition celebrates 10 Le Mans victories for Audi

Posted by Punk

Audi has worked up a special edition version of the company's R8 to commemorate the German automaker's victories at Le Mans. Powered by the same 430 horsepower, 4.2-liter V8 found in the base coupe, the R8 V8 Limited Edition models are available with special titanium-effect paint with titanium-toned wheels to match. Those rollers are 19-inch double Y-spoke bits that were crafted in the spitting image of the hardware found on the R8 GT Coupe. Buyers can also expect to find a set of red brake calipers tucked behind the wheels. All of the company's standard metallic and pearl effect paint options will also be available on the commemorative cars.

Inside, the R8 V8 Limited Edition comes with satellite navigation and Audi Music Interface with a Bang and Olufsen sound system as well as a unique interior lighting package and Bluetooth hands-free calling. Prices start at £93,935 in the UK. That figure translates to around $150,000 (including Britain's costly Value Added Tax), though there's no clear indication as to whether or not any of the 100 examples will make their way to the States or how much Audi will ask U.S. buyers to pay. Hit the jump for the press release.

Nissan builds one millionth example of vehicle with name nobody can pronounce

Posted by Punk

Few companies do crossovers quite like Nissan. Even after setting aside actual SUVs like the Xterra, Pathfinder and Armada, Infiniti's offerings QX, EX and FX, and the crossovers its developed for its sister company Renault like the new Koleos, the Japanese automaker produces its own crossovers by, well... the truckload. Here we've got the Rogue, the Juke, and the Murano, joined overseas by such models as the Patrol/Safari, the X-Trail, and this, the Qashqai.

You may not be familiar with this particular CUV (pronounced "KASH-ky") because it's not sold in North America, but it's closest in size and mission to our Rogue. Available in standard five-seat and long-wheelbase seven-seat configurations, the Qashqai was launched in 2007 and facelifted in 2010. It's offered with a range of four-cylinder engines, driving either the front wheels or all four through CVT or manual transmissions, and takes on the likes of the Kia Sportage and Mitsubishi Outlander. It's also popular in the Japanese and Australian markets, where it's known as the Dualis.

In addition to production in Japan and Iran (whose nomadic tribe Turkic Qashqai gives it its name), the crossover is built primarily in the UK at Sunderland, where the vehicle's production has just passed the million-made mark, standing as one of the most prolific automobiles ever made there. In fact, no other vehicle has reached that number in such a short time in Britain's considerable automaking history.

According to Nissan, over the course of the four-and-a-half years of production, Qashqai production at Synderland has accounted for as much steel as is being used to build all the facilities that will support London's Olympic games next year. And if you line up every Qashqai produced at the Sunderland plant, they'd measure 2,700 miles end-to-end – that's enough to line Britain's entire coastline.

Not about to stop there, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn recently announced during a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron that an all-new Qashqai will be entirely designed, engineered and built in the UK. Follow the jump for the full press release.

Video: EVO drags the 911 Turbo S, McLaren MP4-12C, Ferrari 458, Noble M600

Posted by Punk

Americans seem to be uniquely obsessed with drag racing in a straight line as a means of measuring automotive performance, but when British magazine EVO decided to line up the latest set of ultra-fast exotic machinery, not a single piece of American iron was present.

Not that we have any complaints about EVO's chosen group of supercars. Representing Italy is the Ferrari 458, and from Germany hails the Porsche 911 Turbo S. These two traditional power players are matched up against the best Britain has to offer; namely the McLaren MP4-12C and Noble M600.

Now that the players have been established, naturally we all want to know which was the quickest. Not surprisingly, the results were dependent on the distance measured just as much as they were by the vehicles themselves. We won't spoil the ending for you, but we will say that it was close and that you should never count out the underdog. Check out the action in the video after the break.

Nissan GT-R takes on Aprilia RSV4 at Monticello

Posted by Punk

Nissan GT-R vs. Aprilia RS4 Factory APRC SE – Click here to watch video after the jump

Car versus motorcycle is a never-ending debate, which can leave both sides of the room shouting and pointing (middle) fingers. Hell for Leather certainly sits on one side of the debate, but the crew also knows a thing or two about four-wheeled modes of transportation. Aprilia came to the HFL team to help produce a video showing what the new 2011 RSV4 Factory APRC SE can do against an automobile on a track.

Monticello's Mushroom track would be the place for the showdown, and the opponent is none other than a 2010 Nissan GT-R. Since these are two-wheel-loving folks, you can excuse them for stating that the 2010 GT-R produces 530 horsepower. It doesn't. The 2012 version certainly does, but the 2010 car "gets by" with 485. Still, the coupe is a track assassin, and a worthy opponent to the Aprilia.