Drive Wire: March 11, 2016

An even crazier NSX, a Tesla racing series, the Jeep Trailcat, a smart oven, and urban hooning.

byThe Drive Staff|
Drive Wire: March 11, 2016
Share

0

Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson and this is Drive Wire for Friday, March 11.

If the much anticipated Acura NSX was not already enough for you, top engineers at Honda are pitching a version that’s less hybrid and more super. The proposed NSX Type R would ditch the front electric motors, pack more power, use lightweight materials and maybe even the active aerodynamics that were cut from the base car. Admittedly the Type R version is just a twinkle in the developers’ eyes at the moment, but Acura will be running a version not that different from the proposed car at pike’s peak this year, so it’s not a total stretch. Fingers crossed!

We always knew Teslas were fast but this is a turn of events we didn’t expect. There’s now a proposed racing series for the Tesla Model S. Electric GT is planning to be the first zero-emissions racing series, and has announced a target of ten teams running seven events in Europe, Asia, and North America in 2017. It’s an ambitious goal, with events planned at top tracks, like Donington, Estoril, and Mugello, but keep in mind the series has not yet announced any team signings or sponsorships. Although this is still in very early development, we’re all for people racing anything they can get their hands on.

Just to remind you that crazy dreams do come true, we have Hellcat-related news from Jeep. The Wrangler Trailcat is here and it’s a by-god wonderful exercise in wretched off-road excess. To fit the 707 horsepower Hellcat engine in the Wrangler, they had to stretch it a full foot. The seats are carbon fiber units out of the Viper, and just like the Viper, the Jeep utilizes a six-speed manual gearbox. The whole outrageous package sits on 39.5 inch tires hanging off Dana Sixty axles, which translates to “let’s go climb devil’s tower.” The only thing it’s missing is production plans – for now, the Trailcat is just a concept vehicle. But seriously, why not Hellcat everything in sight?

Turning to gear, we have a very cool stove for you today. The Tovala Smart Combination Oven is an extremely innovative cooking system that works with a food delivery plan to let you scan in the code on a chef-curated meal and have fresh, perfectly prepared food with no prep or fuss. It’s a fascinating idea, and of course you can whip up your own specialty meals, too. Check the project out on Kickstarter.

For today’s ridiculous video, Monster Energy took their “city is my playground” series to Lima, Peru with Nick Apex, Ernie Vigil, and a pair of Triumph street triples to try their hand at urban hooning. Watch those guys weave traffic and try not to die a little of envy. Although their performance seems to be far less curated than other urban shenanigans, we are impressed nonetheless by the gobs of tire shredding through the streets of Lima.

That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.

stripe