intercooler

An intercooler (original UK term, sometimes aftercooler in US practice), or charge air cooler, is an air-to-air or air-to-liquid heat exchange device used on turbocharged and supercharged (forced induction) internal combustion engines to improve their volumetric efficiency by increasing intake air charge density through nearly isobaric (constant pressure) cooling. A decrease in air intake temperature provides a denser intake charge to the engine and allows more air and fuel to be combusted per engine cycle, increasing the output of the engine.

The inter prefix in the device name originates from historic compressor designs. In the past, aircraft engines were built with charge air coolers that were installed between multiple stages of supercharging,^{[citation needed]} thus the designation of inter. Modern automobile designs are technically designated aftercoolers because of their placement at the end of supercharging chain. This term is now considered archaic in modern automobile terminology since most forced induction vehicles have single-stage superchargers or turbochargers. In a vehicle fitted with two-stage turbocharging, it is possible to have both an intercooler (between the two turbocharger units) and an aftercooler (between the second-stage turbo and the engine). The JCB Dieselmax land speed record-holding car is an example of such a system. In general, an intercooler or aftercooler is said to be a charge air cooler.

Intercoolers can vary dramatically in size, shape, and design, depending on the performance and space requirements of the entire supercharger system. Common spatial designs are front mounted intercoolers (FMIC), top mounted intercoolers (TMIC), hybrid mount intercoolers (HMIC). Each type can be cooled with an air-to-air system, air-to-liquid system, or a combination of both.

Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 V8 saloon,

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, AMG entered the big Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 V8 saloon, affectionately named the "Red Sow", in the 1971 Spa 24 Hours, and the European Touring Car Championship. AMG and Mercedes worked together on Mercedes-Benz W201 cars for the 1988 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM, German Touring Car Championship). AMG was made the official partner.

When DaimlerChrysler acquired a majority share of AMG in 1999, the motor racing department was divested into HWA GmbH. Their first car was the ill-fated Mercedes-Benz CLR. Since 2000, HWA builds and runs the cars for Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), as well as the M271 engine tuned for use in Formula 3.

Six successive lightly modified Mercedes-Benz AMG models (including, most recently, an SL 63 AMG) have acted as the official Safety Cars of the F1 racing series.

Through the early 2000s, AMG focused on supercharged engines (with the exception of the V12 used in the Pagani Zonda), but the company officially abandoned this technology in 2006, with the introduction of the M156 V8. On 16 January 2006, Mercedes-AMG Chairman Volker Mornhinweg told AutoWeek that the company would use turbocharging for higher output rather than supercharging.^[6]

AMG models are typically the most expensive of each nameplate. However, there are exceptions, notably the V12 S600 which was pricier than the S55 AMG and S63 AMG, the latter two powered by V8 engines.

Mitsubishi EVO X.

In fact, Archie was so anxious to get his hands on an EVO VIII upon his return to America that he preordered one online. "As soon as I landed in the U.S. on a Friday evening, the next day I immediately went to the dealership to get my car and signed all the paperwork." Keeping his VIII for four years, Archie installed nothing but top-notch JDM parts on it-from Bride to Voltex to Advan and Ralliart. His EVO was so nicely built that it ended up as a feature on Jtuned.com.

But then in early 2008, Mitsubishi released the EVO X. "At first, I was not really impressed with the X. But when I saw one in person, I was amazed by how it looked. It made my EVO VIII seem outdated with the new body styling and huge improvements to the interior and engine." Unable to resist the X's allure, Archie parted out his VIII, using the money from the parts sold to put a big down payment on his X.

Lexus LF-A Supercar - LF-A

What recession? We have supercars and limited editions coming at us in rapid-fire succession. The latest, according to the JDM gossip lines, is a production version of Lexus' much-hyped LF-A supercar. The core of the rumor hints that Lexus will reveal the car at the '09 Tokyo Motor Show that runs from October 23 to November 8.

Citing inside sources close to the V-10-powered supercar's development team, Japan's Best Car magazine said that the LF-A's production will be limited to only 500 units, with 120 of those being allocated to the Japanese domestic market. The car will certainly sting the wallet, to the tune of $310,000.

Vauxhall VX220

The Vauxhall VX220 (sold as the Opel Speedster in mainland Europe) is a British-built mid engined, targa-topped, 2-seater sports car introduced in the summer of 2000.

It was built for GM Europe in both right-hand drive and left-hand drive versions at the Lotus Cars plant in Hethel, Norfolk, England. The left-hand drive version was badged the Opel Speedster for mainland Europe distribution, the right-hand drive version the Vauxhall VX220 for UK distribution.

The car has a lot in common with the Lotus Elise, yet GM Europe claims few parts are interchangeable. Both cars are characterized by strong performance and superb handling.

Yamaha YZF-R1

Yamaha launched the YZF-R1 after redesigning the Genesis engine to offset the crankshaft, gearbox input and output shafts and this "compacting" of the engine yielded a huge dividend in that the total engine length was now very short. This allowed the wheelbase to be shortened significantly which resulted in much quicker handling and an optimized center of gravity.

The launch model Yamaha YZF-R1 was available in white/red or blue. In Europe the blue proved to be the most popular and was in very short supply, added to by early models being subject to a worldwide recall for a clutch problem. This bike has a compression ratio of 11.8:1. with a 6-speed with a multi-plate clutch transmission. Yamaha today describe the launch R1 as the true value of "Kando"

Ducati Monster 696

The Monster (informally called Il Mostro in Italian) is a motorcycle designed by Miguel Angel Galluzzi and produced by Ducati Motor Holding in Bologna, Italy since 1993. It is of the naked bike style, which is characterized by a sport bike with a fully exposed engine and frame. In 2005, Monster sales accounted for over half of Ducati's worldwide sales. Ducati motorcycles are best-known for their L-twin Desmodromic valve engines (also known as a 90° V-Twin) and tubular steel trellis chassis, both features designed by the late Fabio Taglioni (1920–2001).

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11/ZZ-R1100

he Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11/ZZ-R1100 was produced from 1990-2001. It was marketed as the ZX-11 Ninja in North America and the ZZ-R1100 in the rest of the world.

The C-model ran from 1990-1993 while the D-model ran from 1993-2001. The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10 was the predecessor of the ZX-11 Ninja.

Now more accurately classified as a sports/tourer, this bike held the crown of "The World's Fastest Production Bike" for close to a decade with a record top speed of 283 km/h (176 mph). When the bike was introduced in 1990, the nearest production bike top speed was 16 km/h (10 mph) slower and it belonged to the ZX-10, the bike that Kawasaki was replacing with the ZX-11. The 11's quarter mile time was clocked at 10.25 seconds at 135 mph (217 km/h) by a popular motorcycle periodical in 1994. The ZX-11 was also the first production bike to be fitted with a ram air induction system. The "worlds fastest production bike" title was lost in 1996 when Honda introduced the Super Blackbird, an 1137cc powered sport/tourer.

In 2000 the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R was introduced. The ZX-12 was designed to be more of a pure sportbike. It was much anticipated since the Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa held the title for fastest production bike when it was introduced in 1999. Pre-production ZX-12R models were tested in Japan and were indeed faster than the Hayabusa, but European governments threatened to ban it altogether, leading Kawasaki to de-tune the ZX-12R prior to its release. Consequently the ZX-12R failed to de-throne the Hayabusa as top speed king, though terminal speeds for both models were very close. There are still disputes between the two to this day since all motorcycle manufacturing companies agreed to limit top speed to 300 km/h (186 mph) in the year 2000. In 2002 the Kawasaki ZZR1200 was released which is a sport tourer and more akin to the ZX-11.

streetfighter

A streetfighter is a superbike that is customized by removing the fairing, and making other changes that result in an overall more aggressive look.^[1][2] Beyond simply removing fairings, specific changes that exemplify the streetfighter look are a pair of large, round headlights, tall, upright handlebars such as those on a motocross bike, and short, loud, lightweight mufflers. Completely custom-built one-off frames, originally intended to overcome the weakness of the tubular steel frames of the early 4-cylinder super-bikes of the 70's and 80's, also characterize the streetfighter trend. Many of these frames turned out to be "beautifully crafted pieces of metallurgical art," perhaps only unintentionally.^[3]

It is also possible that the streetfighter came about simply because young stunters of the 80s in the UK couldn't afford to replace their damaged fairings after repeated crashes, so they took them off. Later, more appropriate headlights were added, then high handlebars to aid in wheelies and other stunts.^[4][5]

Made popular by European riders, this type of custom motorcycle is gaining popularity all over the world, and motorcycle manufacturers began responding in the late 1990s by producing factory streetfighters, beginning with the 1998 Triumph Speed Triple^[6] and the 1999 Honda X11^[7], to the up through the 2009 Ducati Streetfighter.

Jaguar XJ

The Jaguar XJ is a luxury saloon sold under the British Jaguar marque. The XJ was launched in 1968 and has served as the Jaguar flagship model for most of its production span which continues through to today. The original model was the last Jaguar saloon to have had the input of Sir William Lyons, the company's founder.

BMW Z4

The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports car by the German Car maker BMW. If follows a line of past BMW roadsters such as the BMW Z1, BMW 507, and the BMW Z3. The Z4 replaces the Z3. First generation production started in 2002 at BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, with production of both roadster and coupe forms. When debuted, it won Automobile Magazine "Design of the Year Award". Starting with the 2009 model year, the second-generation Z4 is built at BMW's Regensburg, Germany plant as a retractable hardtop roadster. In 2009, the BMW Z4 won the Red Dot Design Award.

Monaro 'LS'

A completely new generation body design emerged with the HQ series in July 1971, including the new Monaro 'LS' (commonly believed to mean "Luxury Sports") model. There were no longer any six-cylinder versions of the Monaro GTS, just 253 or optional 308 V8s or the top level GTS350 coupe. The base model Monaro standard engine was enlarged to 173 ci (2.85 L) whilst the Monaro LS had a broad spectrum of engine options from a 202 ci six through to the 350 ci V8. The new coupe design had a much larger rear window and a squarer rear quarter window; it was somehow seen as not as sporty looking compared to the earlier HK-HT-HG series, but is often now considered one of the best looking body designs to come from an Australian producer.

Up until 1973, the HQ Monaro GTS did not wear any body stripe ornamentation and the 350 cubic inch (5.74 L) Chevrolet Small-Block V8 engine was a little less potent than in previous HT/HG versions, especially with the optional Turbo-hydramatic 3-speed automatic transmission. This, and the fact that the same 350 engine was also available as on option in the large Statesman luxury sedan, probably contributed to a downgrade of the Monaro GTS range in muscular image terms, as did the replacement of the bigger coupes with the six-cylinder Holden Torana GTR XU-1 as the chosen GM car for Australian touring car racing. The introduction of bonnet and bootlid paint-outs in 1973 coincided with the release of the HQ Monaro GTS in four door sedan configuration. It is generally considered that Holden created the bold contrasting paint-outs in order that the new Monaro GTS sedan would not be mistaken for a humble Kingswood sedan.

The continued erosion of the GTS350 cache was compounded by the deletion of specific '350' decals on the post-1973 cars, with all Monaro GTS coupes and sedans now being externally labelled with the generic HQ series 'V8' bootlid badge. In the final year of HQ production, ie 1974, the manual transmission version of the GTS350 was discontinued and sales of the automatic version were minimal prior to the engine option being quietly and unceremoniously deleted.

Nissan 350Z

The Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Co, LTD. The 350Z is the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line, originally introduced in 1969 (as a 1970 model year) as the Datsun 240Z. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model. It was available in several trim packages and is sold as both a coupé and roadster before being succeeded by the 370Z for the 2009 model year.