Welcome Back: 2004 Porsche 911 GT3

996 911 GT3 is too old but it's very good!

Porsche's 996 GT3 uses the 996 as its base but it lost a lot of weight. Not only that, it comes with stiffer, adjustable suspension and upgraded brakes, and used the bodyshell of the four-wheel-drive version, which incorporated additional front-end stiffening. In 1999, 996 GT3 comes with a 3.6L flat six engine that generates 360bhp of power while in 2002, the GT3 was improved with even better aerodynamics and the 3.6L flat six engine was improved to generate 380bhp of power.

In Series 3 opener of Top Gear (U.K.), Richard Hammond test drives the Porsche 996 911 GT3 and this is the last car the original, black-colored, Stig drove around the Top Gear Test Track right before his death at the HMS Invincible. It lapped round the track in 1:22.3.

Outtakes: 2013 Viper GTS vs. Corvette C6 ZR1?

OUTTAKE:

You were saying that the 2013 Viper GTS is faster than the Corvette ZR1?

Maybe...When I checked out the stats of the car's power-to-weight ratio;

"DRY" HORSEPOWER TO WEIGHT RATIO:

Bugatti Veyron : 4.10

Ferrari F12berlinetta : 4.70

SRT Viper* : 4.91

Lamborghini Aventador : 4.96

Corvette ZR1 : 5.01

Porsche 911 Turbo : 6.22

* Dry Weight 3,143 lbs.

...that's what matters.

Uh...I think you've got terribly confused. You know, we pushed the 2013 SRT Viper against the Lamborghini Aventador round the Top Gear Mile for some experiment and you said that despite the SRT Viper's power to weight ratio is better than the Lamborghini Aventador, it's not quicker on the straights.

Yeah, you're right. Not as quicker as the Lamborghini Aventador as I tried.

Yeah and how about the thing against the Corvette ZR1?

ZR1 vs. 2013 Viper

You said that the Viper stacked up against the Vette ZR1. You said that the Viper is better than the Vette ZR1 because of the power to weight ratio.

Uh....uh...uh....

Well, moments later, you've conducted another series of experiments proving that the 2013 Viper is better than the Corvette ZR1. You did the old split screen experiment and what's the result?

Didn't realize that in stock terms, the Corvette ZR1 bested the new 2013 Viper...

Yep, but that's just a beginning. Later on, you started some kind of public lobby to further conducting this kind of experiment. What you did is stock only, only the C6 ZR1 and the 2013 Viper. Have a ZR1 driven by yours while the 2013 Viper will be driven by an online buddy. How was it?

It's kinda the same thing. Even in the Top Gear Mile, it seems that the Corvette stacks up against the Viper.

Uh-huh, then you decided to change locations. Then, you drove the all new 2013 Viper while an online buddy is driving the Corvette ZR1. How was the result of your TOP SECRET experiment?

ZR1 vs. 2013 Viper

It's still the same thing! The Corvette ZR1 stacked up against the all new Viper!

Ha ha ha! I believe that it was a mistake to make that claim. It seems that the Corvette ZR1 is still the king!

Yeah yeah but we can't do that claim. This debate of whole Corvette ZR1 vs. Viper '13 is just like the controversial Pacquiao-Bradley fight. Why don't we leave this to the experts? MOTOR TREND, perhaps?

Yeah! Motor Trend makes the best car reviews and the best drag races.

OUTTAKE END

Bulilits in the rain

On the June 24, 2012 episode of Goin Bulilit:

- Goin Bulilit music video of SUKOB NA

- Rainy day gags

- In the Goin Bulilit spoof of Aryana, called AROWANA, can Arowana's mom stop her daughter's 14th birthday because of the curse? It takes a chopped finger to figure that out!

- Bugoy compares what's NOON and what's NGAYON...

- Katulong Mutya gets confused when her amo asked her to buy some coffee!

- Pulot That Ball! That was the Ready Get Set Goin game of that week!

Alonso wins the European GP

This is the second time Ferrari's Fernando Alonso get first place on this 2012 F1 season and this time at the European GP held at Valencia, Spain. With all that potential, it seems that Alonso's in the lead, overtaking big timers such as Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel! How's that possible?!

Race - Alonso triumphs in Valencia thriller 24 Jun 2012

       

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso scored a sensational victory for Ferrari - and Spain - in an action-packed 2012 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe in Valencia on Sunday afternoon, despite starting only 11th. And on a day when neither Lewis Hamilton nor Sebastian Vettel finished, Alonso went back into a healthy world championship lead.

For the first 34 laps Vettel and Red Bull owned the twisty track round the Spanish port. The German lit off from pole position and could not be challenged as Hamilton kept Romain Grosjean bottled up behind his McLaren. Grosjean finally found a way by Hamilton on the 10th lap, but the Lotus driver could not then do anything about Vettel as a largely processional race went past its halfway point.

But then Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso collided with Heikki Kovalainen's Caterham on the 27th lap, prompting the deployment of the safety car on the 28th. It closed up the field until the 34th lap, when racing started again. Vettel immediately leapt back into the lead, but by the end of the lap his Red Bull was missing. It had coasted to a stop by the side of the track.

That wasn't all. Alonso had steadily been moving up ever since the start, when he had jumped into eighth place. He was up to third when the safety car came out, but grabbed a place from Grosjean on the 34th lap when the race restarted and thus inherited the lead upon Vettel's demise.

The Frenchman never gave up and kept the gap at less than a second, but just as a great battle came into prospect, he too suddenly slowed on the 40th lap and stopped by the side of the track with a suspected alternator failure.

That left Hamilton back in second place, delayed after yet another pit-stop drama, this time with the left-front wheel after the front jack appeared to fail. He was having to fend off a hungry Kimi Raikkonen in the other Lotus, who'd lost out to Williams' Pastor Maldonado at the start and then spent the afternoon getting back into a challenging position. He finally got by Hamilton with three laps to go as the McLaren's tyres were finished, but just didn't have time to challenge the Ferrari.

Hamilton was under extreme pressure from Maldonado in the closing laps as the Williams driver closed in, but after running side-by-side for several corners they finally collided, Hamilton's McLaren being pitched into the wall as at least 12 points disappeared.

All of that set the scene for Mercedes' Michael Schumacher and Red Bull's Mark Webber to come slamming through after late tyre stops, on the 44th and 38th laps respectively. They swept by Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, McLaren's Jenson Button and Sauber's Sergio Perez, then the Force Indias of Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, before the demise of Hamilton and Maldonado elevated them to third and fourth places. For the German it was the first podium of his comeback, the first for a 43 year-old since Jack Brabham at Brands Hatch in 1970.

Hulkenberg clung on for an excellent fifth for Force India, but Di Resta lost sixth to Rosberg on the final lap. Jenson Button had yet another low-key race to eighth in the second McLaren, holding off Perez as Maldonado slumped to 10th minus his front wing after the Hamilton collision.

The Venezuelan was followed home by his Williams partner Bruno Senna, who got a drive-through penalty for a collision with Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi, who'd enjoyed a long spell in fourth place prior to the first round of pit stops. Senna later inherited his team mate's single point when stewards added 20 seconds to Maldonado's race time over his clash with Hamilton.

Daniel Ricciardo ran as high as third at the restart, due to being out of kilter as most of the main runners pitted under the safety car, but was soon shuffled back by those with fresher rubber. He survived a collision with Caterham's Vitaly Petrov to take 12th ahead of the Russian and his recovered team mate Kovalainen. That became 11th after Maldonado's penalty.

Behind them, Charles Pic was Marussia's only starter as Timo Glock remained unwell with his intestinal infection, and the Frenchman was 15th ahead of Felipe Massa, who was in the hunt for some good points until his Ferrari was attacked by Kobayashi's Sauber. The Japanese driver retired and was handed a five-place grid penalty for the next round in Great Britain.

The HRTs both finished this time, with Pedro de la Rosa leading Narain Karthikeyan home in 17th and 18th. After the race, Vergne received a 10-place grid drop for the next round and a €25,000 fine for his collision with Kovalainen.

Alonso now has 111 points, from Webber on 91. Then come Hamilton on 88 and Vettel on 85, as Rosberg moves to fifth on 75 and Raikkonen to sixth on 73.

In the constructors' chase, Red Bull have 176 to McLaren's 137, Lotus's 126, Ferrari's 122 and Mercedes' 92.

Scoop: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2012/6/13498.html

Verdict: It seems that Ferrari's back on track thanks to Alonso but can Ferrari keep up to get the title? Find out in the UK this July 8, 2012!

Remembering the Xantia....

Xantia V6 at the Alps

 

This car seems to be an instant classic but not forgotten by many French car enthusiast. This is the Citroen Xantia, some say that this is somewhat a French executive sports saloon from the 1990's but for me, this isn't more of a French executive sports saloon. This is just something else...

The Xantia, when it was launched in 1993, was designed by Bertone, the same chaps who did the Lamborghini Miura and the Lancia Stratos. Unlike those, the Xantia isn't seems to be a bit sporty. In French fashion, the Xantia is just a 5-door liftback just like the Citroen BX it replaced.

Some say, the ace of its sleeve on the Xantia was its suspension and what's observed is an enhanced version of the XM's Hydractive, Hydractive II or H2, computer-controlled version of the hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension. With the Hydractive II suspension, the Xantia provides an unique ride quality and the body always stays flat even on various road conditions.

Most Xantia models have different sorts of engines such as the 1.6L, 1.8L, 1.9L, or even HDi engines offered but the one I have on Gran Turismo 5 is something else; a 3.0 i V6 engine, serving as the flagship model. Xantia V6....hmmmm....If you were the sort of patient and if you hear everyone saying XANTIA V6, your pulse keeps on going and going and going. Anyway, the 3.0L V6 engine, this produces about 140 kW (190 PS; 188 hp) @ 5500 rpm of power and 267 N·m (197 lb·ft) @ 4000 rpm of torque.

The Citroen Xantia became the final Citroen to come a common hydraulic circuit for suspension, brakes and steering like the pioneering Citroën DS. Not only that, Iit was also the last Citroën to use the green LHM hydraulic fluid.

There is a known reference that a 4WD turbo version of the Xantia was used for rallying at the Championnat de France and it won five times in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999 with driver Jean-Luc Pailler. Never heard of it?

Anyway, the Xantia with the Hydractive suspension, does it really work even though in Gran Turismo 5? Sadly for me, it doesn't.... It kinda feels like I'm getting a bit struggling at handling through the Swiss Alps or even the corners of the Top Gear Test Track. It may be a French executive sports saloon but feels like it doesn't. This is a bit more harsh to drive, has the harshest engine for an old French car, and more importantly...what can I say? Terribly ugly. Well, whatever, at least the Xantia is dead now and it was replaced by the C5, which the first generation is getting a bit oblong but the second-generation gets it right, really right.

Let's Do The News! (June 24, 2012)

It is now time to do the news! And we begin with this! As you may know, most people saw the MINI CLUBVAN at some motor show but actually, it was a concept version. Say hello to the production version of the Mini Clubvan, a Mini targeted for small business purposes and it was here to lash out the likes of the Mercedes-Benz Citan and the Renault Kangoo.

2013 Mini Clubvan

Yep, this looks like a MINI CLUBMAN to you but remember, the Mini Clubman is made for small business purposes. It's all about building your own business. Imagine if the DHL, UPS, FedEX or the Royal Mail had to use one of these as part of their cost-cutting due to today's economy and finding out that they can't afford on Ford Transits. Anyway, what you get on the Clubvan are the 72 kW/98 hp MINI One Clubvan, the 90 kW/122 hp MINI Cooper Clubvan and the 82 kW/112 hp MINI Cooper D Clubvan.

Further Reading: http://www.netcarshow.com/mini/2013-clubvan/

I believe that the Clubvan is a perfect business machine for those who think they can't afford the Ford Transit but sadly...this is smaller than the business-oriented Ford Transit. Sorry.

(audience laughing)

So, um...have you watched THE X FACTOR Philippines yesterday?

X Factor? A reality show that is somewhat Simon Cowell-ish?

Uh, actually, what we're looking here was the Philippine version of the X FACTOR, even though it has some Noypi taste, it still stays true to the original even though it was hosted by KC Concepcion. The judges seem to be from different forms; we have Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Charice, and some old lady that I really forgot who that is....

I know who that is...

Who?

Pilita Corales.

Oh....

Anyway, those auditions for THE X FACTOR PHILIPPINES are highly immense! I even saw someone sang MY WAY and that made Charice cry. Many will enter, only one will win. That's the main purpose on THE X FACTOR. The reality series that rattled the USA and Great Britian is now in the Philippines!

Yeah and be sure to tune in on ABS-CBN every weekends for all X FACTOR.

Absolutely! Now hey, guess what? Bad news. Something's wrong with ZAMZAR.

What?

It was the URL stuff. When I paste the YouTube link, then convert it to either mp3 or wmv, then I type my e-mail, click Convert and I got this message that most of you haven't heard of it;

Sorry, we can't get that video

At the request of Google we have had to remove support for the downloading of YouTube videos on Zamzar.

You can still use Zamzar to convert hundreds of other file formats and we promise to continue introducing cool new features such as the ability to convert files by email.

See the problem? Zamzar removed the support for the downloading of YouTube videos at the request of Google! What's wrong?

(audience murmuring)

Well...It was this....

URL: http://blog.zamzar.com/2012/06/12/downloading-youtube-videos-no-longer-supported/

...and later on it was this...

"We recently became aware of your service, Zamzar, which is being offered at http://www.zamzar.com/. It appears from your website and other marketing materials that Zamzar is designed to allow users to download content from YouTube. We need to ask you to stop offering that functionality."

Well, that could be worse? What's next? RealPlayer will no longer support downloading YouTube videos? That seems to be lame, right?

Yeah, it is lame but I hope RealPlayer won't be on the same fate, I think. Anyway, another bad news. You remember Nokia?

(audience says YES)

Me too! I remember! I love that 7650, the cellphone that invented the art of MMS!

Anyway, enough happy talk and some sad talk. It seems that the Euro debt crisis, especially austerity measures, really took a toll on the Finland-based cellphone giant. It appears that Finnish production for Nokia cellphones are finished. Get it? FINISHED! Nokia bid goodbye to manufacturing in Finland

(awwww)

Scoop: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/enterprise-it/strategy/Why-Nokia-bid-goodbye-to-manufacturing-in-Finland/articleshow/14354920.cms

How sad isn't it? It's the end of NOKIA as we know it. The bad case of shutting down their Finnish plant in Salo is cutting down 850 jobs on top of 1,000 announced earlier in the year, and rob the town of 90 per cent of its tax revenue. 

It turns out that Nokia aren't that good in the game of smartphones dominated by Apple and Samsung. We use to like Nokia phones because of their style and functionality. Asians love it because they have it. Well, sadly, when it comes to smartphone technology, Nokia's hopeless.

Yeah, very very hopeless. Let's talk Nokia okay? Let's remember. Now when someone named Elise was subscribed to Globe Telecom, her first phone was the Nokia 3310. Anyone remembered the 3310?

(audience raising hands)

Well, they did remember. As for me, the 3310 is a bit more of a big fat version of the 3210, which is still one of the classic Nokias I can remember. When the 7650 went out, people went cameraphone crazy. I dreamnt of having one but later on, my sister has one moments before she bought someone which is way better than....ugh! I still remember the 6680!

What's a 6680!

I still remember the phone my sis have. It was a black one but later on back in my high school days, we lost it! We really really lost the 6680!

Oh, how sad.

Yeah, where did the last time you put it?

I think it was way back home but sadly...I don't know where it is...

(audience laughing)

Well, at least you moved on....

Yeah, I kinda moved on....My sis now has iPhones, my other sis has an Android smartphone, which is kinda rubbish, and I have no problem at all. At least that old 6680 phone will always remain part of the memory...

(awwwww)

What about you? Wish to have a smartphone?

I dunno....But it's still a process in the making. Don't disturb, okay?

(audience laughing)

Hey now, the SRT Viper, we drove it on Forza Motorsport 4 via a free DLC, it seems that the very first SRT Viper has been auctioned for $300,000 at the Barrett Jackson auction event.

Scoop: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/23/first-production-2013-srt-viper-nets-300-000-at-barrett-jackson/

Sold at $300,000? Congrats to that lucky chap who got the new SRT Viper!

Yeah, I have to give thanks to this guy who finally got the keys to the first SRT Viper. Anyway, I have to say that this car really regaining the crown of being the KING OF AMERICAN SPORTS CARS, not the Corvette ZR1. If you put these two on a drag race, the results are highly addictive. The Viper GTS stacked up against the ZR1 and I have to say this that this Viper rocks!

Speaking of which, have you seen the limited-time only SRT Viper GTS-R on Car Town? The one with the Forza livery on it, it was like what was that? Forza in Car Town? Uh oh....

Yeah, it's a big uh-oh....

That didn't happened, eh?

(audience laughing)

Anyway, a new IDOLM@STER PSP game under the banner THE IDOLM@STER SHINY FESTA, you guys saw the trailer at THE IDOLM@STER 7th Anniversary Concert at Yokohama Arena, right? It turns out that this upcoming IM@S PSP game is nothing more like Hatsune Miku Project Diva, except this time, 765Pro All Stars.

(audience laughing)

Scoop: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-06-23/idolm@ster-shiny-festa-psp-games-1st-promo-streamed

Wha....?! An IM@S PSP game that feels like Hatsune Miku Project Diva?!!!

Indeed it is my fellow petrolhead. Indeed it is....

(audience laughing)

Well, since you're a big petrolhead who likes IM@S as part of your driving songs, would you want one?

Uh....uh.....

Come on. Say it.

Actually, I haven't got plans for that.

(audience laughing)

Aw come on. Some say you like Haruka! Some say you like Chihaya! Some say you like Ritsuko! Some say....

(audience laughing)

Hammo's right. You're kinda in to that IM@S thing.

Shhhh!!! Enough IM@S stuff and let's talk about the TOYOTA 86 in the Philippines. You know what, we're terribly sorry that all Toyota 86 models have been sold out...quick!

(awwww)

Yep! It's too late to get your own 86 because....let's be honest. This car's has been wildly popular because of the pricing that is somewhat a Genesis Coupe territory.

Scoop: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/toyota-motor-ph-sells-out-entire-supply-of-86-for-2012

Yeah, the TOYOTA 86's been wildly popular because, it's a car you'd been driven all day long on your Playstation.

(audience laughing)

Yeah... He he he he....But let's not laugh okay? And that's the news!

Banana Split HOT ISSUE (June 23, 2012)

What's the HOT ISSUE on the June 23, 2012 episode of ABS-CBN Banana Split?

1) Pambansang kamao, congressman Manny Poohkyaw, namigay ng tulong sa mga binaha niyang kababayan sa Saranggani!

2) Premiere night ng Kimmy Dora and the Temple of Kiyeme, dinumog ng mga celebrities at mga fans!

3) Mga batang bibo at super talented magpapagalingan sa pinaka-aabangang reality talent show for kids ng ABS-CB ang I-SHINE!