Here is how writing should flow, all the wanna be guest writers? Take a lesson, Chris shows what writing skill is

By: Chris Raymond, ChrisonCars.Com
"Supercars are designed to mess with G-forces. Hypercars are designed to mess with G-strings. – Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear

In the world of automotive journalism, hyperbole is king. Words like supercar and hypercar are used to stir up the masses and increase page views. But neither of these words has an accepted definition, until my epic post "The Supercar Defined." This week we will consider a more recent entry into the automotive lexicon, the hypercar.

A hyper person is someone who is overexcited, manic, agitated, hectic, frenzied, and rabid. A hypercar is exactly the same thing, only worse. The word hypercar became popular sometime in the early 1990's, and was used to describe cars like the Vector W8 and the McLaren F1. The accepted definition requires the vehicle to meet all the standard requirements for being a supercar, which includes: possessing a blistering top speed, having an outrageous price tag, awesome power, supermodel looks, a miniscule trunk, terrifying maintenance costs and teeny tiny production numbers…and then go way, way past it. Everything that a supercar is, the hypercar is…squared.

Depending on your views, cars like the Lamborghini Gallardo, the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Aston Martin DBSwould be considered supercars. But these are just insane…the hypercar is psychotic. Instead of just being fast, the hypercar must have the ability to travel in the 240mph PLUS neighborhood…and that is about as exclusive and expensive a neighborhood as you can get. The price of a supercar is described as unholy at around 200,000 to 300,000 dollars, but the price of a hypercar is more than simply profane and can reach over 1 to 2 million dollars.

Where a supercar is designed to be the automotive equivalent of…say, Gisele Bundchin, the hypercar is Marilyn Manson, Insane Clown Posse and Adam Lambert all rolled into one. Styling is not just meant to be groundbreaking, it is meant to reach over, grab you by the throat and rip out your tonsils. People who own and drive a hypercar live in the world of the divine…gods beyond the reach of mere mortals.

Which cars actually meet these lofty standards? As I mentioned above, the Vector W8 (242 mph) and McLaren F1 (240 mph) were probably two of the first. I would add to that list the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo* (248 mph), the SSC Ultimate Aero (257 mph), the Hennessey Venom GT (254 mph), the Koenigsegg Agera (250 mph), and of course theBugatti Veyron and Veyron Super Sport (253 and 267 mph respectively). There are others that come close, including some odd little cars made by tiny manufacturers like Keating, Dauer, and Gumpert, but they are just a little too slow at 230+ mph.

Other cars that are considered by some to be hypercars, like the Mercedes McLaren SLR, are just posers. They may have bought the right clothes, but they are missing the muscle to really be part of the club. This is a club where the average member (THE AVERAGE MEMBER!) can easily reach speeds of 230 mph, and they are getting faster all the time. Consider that the supercars of old are about as fast as the Honda's of today, and you can imagine where this is all heading. So, what's next on the horizon…Ultracars? Super-Hypercars? Quantacars?

Chris has been writing with style on his website http://chrisoncars.com/ for a couple years now, check it out and you'll see why I've been recommending his site since he started about 3 years ago

31 years ago someone wasted a lot of money on buying this Ferrari. Why wasted? They paid about $100 per mile driven, only drove it 1500 miles, Stupid purchase, huge depreciation, cool car

now they are raffling it off, and the new owner? Will need to replace all the rubber parts, fuel system, and brakes, and rebuild the engine to scrape out the oil that's been congealing for 30 years.

A 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi is being offered by theInternational Motor Racing ResearchCenter as its 2013 raffle car. Donated by Greg Galdi, the car has been driven fewer than 1,500 miles. The raffle is the Center’s major fund-raiser of the year in support of its work of preserving the history of motorsports. Raffle tickets are $60 for one or two for $100. Only 2,308 tickets will be sold. (they want $23,000 dollars for the car)

found on http://www.autowriters.com/news/07.2013.htm

1916 Harley Davidson was shipped in a crate, and delivered as freight, here is how they looked in the box

found on http://belinfante-indian-motorcycles.blogspot.com

Keep in mind, that in 1916 when this bike was shipped in a crate, and assembled by the happy new customer, they were still using telegraph wires to order from the motorcycle facotries http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/06/nik-carrosantigoswordpresscom-finds.html

redneck patio solution

found on Facebook

Belinfante Indian Motorcycles Blogspot scored! Phil found a video of Fearless Egbert and his lion riding the wall of death!

thanks Phil! http://belinfante-indian-motorcycles.blogspot.com/2012/04/wall-of-death-indian-scout-101-lion.html

a virtuoso on a motorcycle, most amazing performance on a bike I've ever seen, Bill Dixon, 2012 XDL Long Beach

Doing a wheelie facing while riding backwards? That's intense!

the next video added his 2nd run, to the above performance, so maybe you'll want to see it instead and from a higher seat in the grandstands



thanks to Rafik for posting on Facebook! I'd have never seen this if he hadn't!

2 time Emmy award winning artist (Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs) Llyn Hunter created some terrific pun illustrations, I found her booth at Comic Con

more can be seen at http://www.llynsplace.com/BP3.swf from her portfolio of the "Punnies", these images are from her Flikr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/llyn_hunter/with/3248455156/

Her website is http://llynsplace.com/ for a complete look at the amazing variety of illustrations and animation work, and though it's seemingly neglected, (the horror!) her blog is http://www.llynhunter.blogspot.com/

I bought a copy of the monkey wrench, I love that one. 

Hot Rod Magazine has a newsletter you can have emailed so you can keep up with all the things they have going on

The Comet Safari is something I touched on with the post about the Comet endurance publicity http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-1964-mercury-comet-durability-run.html

I don't remember how I signed onto the newsletter, but their email address is hotrodnews@email.sourceinterlinkpubs.com

I met a cool guy at Comic Con that focuses on Zombicatures, and that extends to creating zombie Transformers!

for an example of his work from Comic Con while hanging out as his booth : https://www.facebook.com/squidworkscomics/media_set?set=a.10151701971268805.1073741833.597153804&type=1

his website: http://www.squidworks.com/Stan/

I was a fan of Phil Foglio's when he did the art for Asprin's Myth series, I just learned during Comic Con that he and his wife have a 12 volume set of illustrated books (Ok, big comic books) called Girl Genius, and the first can be sampled online to get a feel for it

The Industrial Revolution has become all-out war!

 Mad Scientists, gifted with the Spark of genius, unleash insane inventions on an unprepared Europe. For centuries, the Heterodyne family of inventors kept the peace, but the last Heterodyne disappeared twenty years ago, leaving their ally Baron Klaus Wulfenbach to maintain order with his fleet of airships and army of unstoppable, if not very bright, Jaeger Monsters.

At Transylvania Polygnostic University, Agatha Clay dreams of being a scientist herself, but her trouble concentrating dooms her to be a lowly minion at best. When her locket, a family heirloom, is stolen, Agatha shows signs of having the Spark in a spectacular, destructive fashion and captures the attention of the Baron and the Baron's handsome young son, Gilgamesh.

Swept up to the Baron's Airship City, Agatha finds herself in the midst of the greatest minds of her generation, as well as palace intrigue, dashing heroes, and an imperial cat. Agatha may be the most brilliant mind of her generation and the key to control of the continent, but first, she just has to survive.

the illustration talent of Phil Foglio is award winning, the story is by both Phil and his wife, and it is also multiple award winning!

2009 Hugo Award Winner for Best Graphic Story of 2008
2010 Hugo Award Winner for Best Graphic Story of 2009
2011 Hugo Award Winner for Best Graphic Story of 2010
American Mensa's® Top 50 Web Sites of 2010

 In 1976, the slide show The Capture, which Robert Asprin wrote and Foglio illustrated, was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation; in the same year, he was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist for the first time. Foglio won the Fan Artist Hugo twice, in 1977 and 1978. He was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist in 2008. He, his wife (Kaja Foglio), and their colorist (Cheyenne Wright) won the first graphic story Hugo

start here http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021104 and be ready to delve in, and you can read the entire graphic series online!

if you've been a fan, and want to meet them in person, try for an autograph or just gush like I did... the calendar function on their website tells you when they'll be attending conventions and events, and where: http://www.girlgeniusbooks.com/

the above is from the "Free Stuff" webpage of wall papers you can download http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/fun/freestuff.php

Zap comix, cover art of issue #1, not #0, but that is another story. Artist, R Crumb

just happened across this at Comic Con, had no idea it was famous. Just saw the car, and was interested.

For the story of Zap Comix: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zap_Comix

nothing as simple and blocky as the Lego's I grew up with, the things you can make now are about unlimited, here are some cars they displayed at Comic Con

The Rodders Journal is having a contest, or a facebook challenge, but they're opening up to giving a reader/subscriber/car owner a shot at a feature article

Here are the instructions for how to enter:
 You must post a photo of your car to The Rodder's Journal Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RoddersJournal?utm_source=TRJ+Newsletter+List&utm_campaign=5238127ed2-Your+Car+Photographed+in+TRJ+7_25_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_016fd74f35-5238127ed2-85734653 by 5 p.m. PDT on August 9.

 Submissions can also be emailed to customerservice@roddersjournal.com, and will be added to the “Contents Contest” album on the TRJ Facebook page.
The number of photo “likes” will be considered in the judging process, but will not be the sole determining factor of the award.
 Criteria will include compatibility with other editorial content in the issue, color, make, model, and year of car, etc.
 Note: Photos must be submitted by 5 p.m. PDT on August 9 to be eligible. Photography of the winning vehicle will take place in the TRJ studio in South San Francisco, California, during the week of August 19, 2013.

The contest winner will be selected on Monday, August 12, by the editorial team at The Rodder’s Journal, and will be notified by Tuesday, August 13. In determining the winning hot rod or custom

here's a cool thing a cell phone maker is doing, bringing a charging station van to big events! The Samsung van was at the Petco Park parking lot during Comic Con

Don Prudhommes bio-pic about his early 1970s heyday as a funny car driver "Snake and Mongoose" movie is coming next month, and it's booth was an unexpected surprise at Comic Con!

http://www.snakeandmongoosemovie.com/

full gallery and movie trailer at http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/11/snake-and-mongoose-movie-preview-is.html

I talked to the guys in the booth, one is a main character in the movie, the other is part of the production team, and they told me that there will be many premieres that Don is bringing the below transporters and funny cars to the theaters and parking them in front... I'm going to see if I can make it to the Hollywood event. August 26th at the Egyptian is what they told me will be the event day, but it's not on the calendar of the theater http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/egyptian_theatre_events

• Two benefit premieres -- one on Monday, August 26th at The Egyptian in Hollywood and one on Thursday, August 29th, at the Regal Shilo Crossing in Indianapolis, just prior the Chevrolet Performance U. S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis with the bulk of ticket sales going to help patients fighting blood cancers;

The premiere events will feature an exclusive screening of the movie and an after-party with Don “the Snake” Prudhomme, Tom “the Mongoo$e” McEwen and the stars of the film. LLS executives as well as ambassadors for LLS will walk the red carpet at the premieres.

In addition to the benefit premieres, the “Snake and Mongoo$e” producers and NHRA are announcing a contest that will enable two lucky fans to win either “The Ultimate Hollywood-NHRA Experience in Los Angeles” or “The Ultimate Hollywood and NHRA Experience in Indianapolis.”

The lucky winner of “The Ultimate Hollywood-NHRA Experience in Los Angeles” will receive: round trip airfare for two and a two-night stay at the world famous W Hotel, two VIP tickets to the Los Angeles benefit screening at The Egyptian Theatre on August 26th and the after-party with NHRA legends, Prudhomme and McEwen as well as the stars of the film, a goodie bag filled with merchandise based on the film, additional NHRA merchandise and two tickets to the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event of their choice.

The lucky winner of “The Ultimate Hollywood-NHRA Experience in Indianapolis” will receive round-trip airfare for two and a 4 night stay in Indianapolis, two VIP tickets to the Thursday, August 29th premiere and the after-party with the legends and stars, a goodie bag and two tickets to the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals from August 28th – September 2nd at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

galleries of the restored funny cars and the transporters at http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/04/don-prudhomme-brought-snake-and.html

the A Team van from the recent movie was at Comic Con

not sure why they brought this original version of it, unless they are promoting a video game... the movie was a couple years ago and they had the moadern version of the van, I think Rampage Jackson owns it, at SEMA 2010 http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/11/rampage-jackson-plays-ba-baracus-in-new.html

an artist is a marvel of creativity and talent.. to see what everyone else sees, and reinterpret it in a more interesting way, Sebastien Sauvadet found on Bumpsteer

two more are at the source of all racing cool stuff, Bumpsteer Blogspot http://www.bumpsteer.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-like-this.html

from scrappy beginnings has evolved a terrific talent with the airbrush, Noah

http://noahfineart.com/

The life and death of the auto industry in the US infographic

Image source: www.bizbrain.org and thanks to Pam!

BATMAN! and the batmobile you've never seen

Did you know Pixar has a car show, like most large corporations, for employees only

The story and photo fromhttp://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/07/pixar-motorama-2013/?viewall=true where you can see some photos, one of them is the Steve McQueen Jaguar XK SS from the Petersen Museum; the Mullin Museum, Jay Leno, Aston Martin, McLaren and Tesla all bring vehicles to show

Motorama is the brainchild of Pixar Animation head John Lasseter and Jay Ward, an art coordinator and character steward who has the enviable title of "Cars Legacy Guardian." He's well-suited to the gig, being a bona fide gearhead and all.

 "This is a cultural event for Pixar," Ward told us while sitting on the tire of his 1929 Model A. "We get around 80 cars. About 35 employee cars and 40 guest vehicles."

Jalopnik did a better photo gallery http://jalopnik.com/this-is-what-its-like-inside-pixars-secret-car-show-863474038

the three cars on the bottom of the above photo are from the Disney Autopia originally http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/05/bet-you-never-hard-of-disney-car.html

in the parking lot across from Petco park during Comic Con, a Mad Max display to promote a video game, a Walking dead diorama, and whatever the "Course of the Force" float was for