E3 Spark Plugs News

Racer Cody Erdmann with Miss Slinger Super Speeday.

For Dee Erdmann and son Cody, professional racing is a family affair. Dee entered Cody, 16, in the Team E3 Racing competition and when we read the young racer’s bio, we knew he was a natural.

The Erdmann family of Mayville, Wisconsin loves racing and has spent years doing “anything involving going fast and turning left” before forming CHE Racing. Young Cody spent his formative years in the garage, watching his dad build racecars. It soon became apparent that the toddler was paying close attention when, at age two, he picked up a fallen lug nut and put it back on the car perfectly. As any gearhead knows, it’s easy to put a lug nut on wrong. That moment would prove a positive omen for Cody’s life. The boy who, at age four, saw Jeff Gordon race and declared, “I’m gonna be like him one day” is well on his way to a long and promising racing career.

Cody’s competitiveness first showed up in his racing RC Oval Pan Cars starting at 10 years old. But racing from a distance didn’t cut it for long. So, at age 15, Cody hit the tracks behind the wheel of a real race car for the first time, competing in the American Super Cup Series. He finished his 2011 rookie season eighth in overall points and second in the rookie standings. During the season, he brought home two heat wins, four top-five feature finishes, nine top 10 feature finishes, and the best placing “Rookie of the Evening” award four times.

Cody Erdmann takes the checkered flag.

Nicknamed “Hollywood,” Cody, Dee and CHE Racing are set for a spectacular sophomore season as a competitive Super Cup driver. But the wise-beyond-his-years teenager isn’t taking anything – especially success on the tracks – for granted.

“Just because people think I’ll win a championship doesn’t mean I will,” Cody says. “I have to believe in myself first to achieve it.”

We here at E3 Spark Plugs certainly believe in Cody and his family, and welcome them to Team E3 Racing.

Hot Wheels hits real life with the Double Loop Dare at the 2012 X-Games Los Angeles June 30.

Remember when you were a kid spending hours launching your little die-cast metal Hot Wheels cars down that loopy, winding bright orange plastic track and wishing it were all real? Well, for two guys with more nerve than we’ve got, that childhood fantasy is finally coming true this Saturday, June 30 at the X-Games Los Angeles.

Towering over Downtown LA this weekend will be the Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare with 60-foot-tall loops – roughly the height of a six story building. And two X-Games champs will brave the force of 7 Gs, taking those loops at 60 miles per hour. Team Hot Wheels Yellow Driver Tanner Foust is a three-time X-Games Gold medalist and two-time Formula Drift champ who, incidentally, successfully landed Hot Wheels’ world record breaking distance jump at last year’s Indianapolis 500. Green Driver is Greg Tracy, a six-time Pikes Peak champion and one of the top stuntmen in Hollywood.

If you can’t make it to Los Angeles to see the action in person, you can watch the live broadcast on ABC and ESPN beginning at 11:15 a.m. PDT. And you can bet replays will be all over the social media sites, including Hot Wheels’ Facebook page.

While we’re waxing nostalgic, we’re curious – Which vintage Hot Wheels car from your childhood would you most like to see take the real-world Double Loop Dare? The E3 Spark Plugs staff have posted a few favorites below. Share yours on our Facebook fan page.

This Ferrari 599xx auctioned for $1.8 million, benefitting victims of devastating earthquakes in northern Italy.

When devastating earthquakes rocked northern Italy last month, Ferrari quickly revved up its philanthropic engines. The iconic carmaker launched an online auction that in just 14 days raised $2.3 million to help victims. Among the items auctioned – a 599XX track car that went for a cool $1.8 million.

The first quake hit May 20 with a 6.0 magnitude tremor that killed seven people, left 6,000 homeless and destroyed dozens of historic buildings. A second, 5.8 magnitude quake struck on May 29, killing another 17 people, injuring hundreds and raising the number of homeless to 14,000 people in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region.

The top seller, of course, was that gorgeous 599XX, which sold to an American bidder for 1.4 million euros, equivalent to nearly $1.8 million. It’ll be signed by Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo and F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, then delivered to its new owner in grand style at the Italian Grand Prix in September.

Also on the block were an F60 nose-cone, purchased by a Malaysian client for 23,000 euro ($28,722); and the engine from the F2008, which won the Constructors’ World title in 2008, bought by a bidder in Great Britain for 80,000 euro ($99,904), almost twice its reserve price.

“A pole position result: I knew I could count on the big-heartedness of the Ferraristi but they’ve still managed to surprise me once again,” said di Montezemolo. “I would like to thank all the clients, collectors and enthusiasts that did their bit. Their bids have sent out a message of warmth and solidarity to the people in our region affected by this tragedy.”

E3 Spark Plugs sends props to Ferrari and all the bidders for their generosity, and best wishes to all those affected by the earthquakes.

Know what's attracted to shiny red sports cars? Beautiful women. Oh, and bird poop, according to a new study.

Bad news for your little red sports car. Turns out that gorgeous Candy Apple Red paint job makes your ride a big ol’ bird poop target. In a study commissioned by Halfords, an online retailer of bike and auto tech accessories, red cars attract more bird droppings than any other color.

Researchers in the U.K. found that red vehicles made up a full 18 percent of the cars marked by birds. Blue cars were the next unluckiest at 14 percent. And being green may be easy after all. A mere one percent of green cars got hit – A statement from our feathered friends (or foes, if you drive red) on the eco-movement, perhaps?

Here’s how the most popular car colors fared:

• Red – 18 percent
• Blue – 14 percent
• Black – 11 percent
• White – 7 percent
• Grey or Silver – 3 percent
• Green – 1 percent

The study sample included 1,140 cars parked somewhere in England’s Brighton, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Bristol cities over two consecutive days. Fully unscientific guesses put forth as to why birds seem to favor a red drop zone vary. Some figure that the intense color may seemingly signal danger and prompt an equally intense bio-reaction. One asked what color the feathered offenders themselves were, suggesting that perhaps they’re attracted to car colors that match their own plumage. Another figures that red cars likely get polished and pampered more than cars of less flashy hues, and as a result, birds see their reflections in them. No guess as to why a reflection would cause a bird to expel its lunch, unless it mistakes that reflection for a competitor.

There may be a bit of a numbers glitch, though. There’s no indication as to the total number of each car color in the group. So, if Brits fancy red, it could mean that there simply were more potential targets sporting that color available. Of course, it’s been said that police handing out speeding tickets and car insurance sales reps also crave the crimson, though no solid studies have been conducted to back up those claims.

In any case, what’s most important, no matter your car’s color, is that those droppings get carefully washed off immediately. Car polish experts say bird feces causes paint lacquer to soften and expand, forming an uneven mold around the dropping and leaving a dull patch when it’s finally washed away. Seed-eating birds produce droppings with grainier textures, causing more damage to painted surfaces than birds with non-seed diets. Ergo, city pigeons will wreak more havoc on your paint job than seagulls, though anyone whose car has been unloaded upon by a pelican with a bellyful of fish guts may beg to differ.

Despite the average $89.3 million that car owners pay out each year to repair damaged paint patches and the reduced resale value (not to mention the disease-harboring potential of bird lime), just 17 percent of drivers surveyed said they wipe off bird droppings immediately. Twenty percent said they took action within a few days and a full 55 percent said they just ignored it until the next scheduled car wash. The remaining eight percent – well, we here at E3 Spark Plugs suggest you not carpool with those guys.

Team E3 Racing winner Dusty Lawson and his father race sprint cars in the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association.

Dusty Lawson probably first heard the rumble of a racing engine from the womb.

“I have been around racing since I was born and went to my first race at seven months old,” says the third-generation racer and new Team E3 Racing winner from Minot, North Dakota. Lawson’s grandfather first fired up the family’s racing heritage in the 1950s and raced through the 1970s. His father followed suit, starting his racing career in 1980 and continuing today.

Spending his childhood in the garage and at the tracks solidified Lawson’s choice to take up the family business when he came of age. He began helping in the pits at age 14 and by 17, had his own racecar. For seven years, he raced hobby stocks, winning multiple features and heat races and landing a finishing high of fourth in season points with a Ford engine.

After hitting that seven-year-itch with hobby stocks, Lawson joined his dad in racing sprint cars. The two often battle it out on the tracks, both racing in the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association.

“My dad and I race against each other and we have a blast,” Lawson says. “While we are not the fastest cars or have the biggest budget, we do well with what we have and have a great time doing it.”

If you’re in the Minot, ND area, look for the Lawsons’ cars featured in several annual parades including the North Dakota State Fair Parade, the state’s largest. And from all of us here at E3 Spark Plugs, congrats and welcome to the team, Dusty!

Actor Steve McQueen's Ferrari 275 GTB/4 is being fully restored.

He’s known as the King of Cool for multiple reasons – not the least of which is the massive collection of some of the world’s coolest cars he amassed before his death in 1980. Now, Steve McQueen is back in the headlines for one of those cars – a 275 GTB/4 that the actor bought in San Francisco while filming 1968′s Bullitt.

Sometime during the 1980s, the car’s subsequent owner decided to give it bit of a makeover. He had the roof chopped off, transforming it in to faux-Spyder, presumably thinking he could trick the automotive world, or at least his none-the-wiser buddies, into believing he was the proud owner of one of just 10 authentic 275 GTB/4 NART Spyders existing. News of the chop job has auto enthusiasts around the world clutching their proverbial pearls.

“The guy who had the top cut off of that thing needs to be hunted down and beaten,” declared one fan and social media poster.

While we here at E3 Spark Plugs won’t condone a proper beat-down, we do sympathize with the automotive purists. And we couldn’t be more thrilled that the McQueen’s ride is now safely back in trusted hands.

The new owner recently delivered the car to Ferrari Classiche for the company’s authenticity certification process, which requires that it returned to exact same specifications as when it first rolled out of the factory. Over the next few months, restoration experts will return the car to its coupé form, fully reproducing the roof and buttresses with hand-beaten steel panels.

So what do you think? Should the new buyer of such a classic car, particularly one formerly owned by a renowned icon like McQueen, be able to do whatever the heck he gall darn pleases with it without suffering the wrath of classic car buffs everywhere? Or did he indeed commit an act of automotive treason? Post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page. In the meantime, enjoy this YouTube posting of McQueen’s Bullitt car chase, still considered one of Hollywood’s all-time best.

For Father's Day, how about giving Dad a ride in one of these? Exotics Racing in Las Vegas.

Father’s Day is this Sunday. Got your car lovin’ dad a gift yet? Don’t you dare show up with another department store tie. E3 Spark Plugs has a few ideas that’ll really get Dad revved up.

If Dad’s a DIY kind of guy who just keeps amassing tools, he needs a place to put them. We’re digging Swivel Storage Solutions‘ collection of toll boxes and workbenches. Heavy duty 12 and 14-gauge drawers them ultra-sturdy. And rather than pulling straight out, these drawers swivel. The design allows Dad to access several drawers at one time. A sealed keeps out the dust and a tamper proof central locking system assures Dad you won’t be able to abscond with his favorite torque wrench.

Dads who love a good read as much as they love a nice ride will also love a hardcover copy of Car: The Definitive Visual History of the Automobile. It’s a vivid pictorial history of the automobile from the earliest, roughest prototypes to today’s sleek supercars.

Of course, what Dad probably wants most is time with you. And what better place to spend some quality time with Dad than Vegas, baby? Pack up and head out to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for an Exotics Racing experience. From a $249 five-lap ride in an Aston Martin Vantage S to a $3,699 series of spins in 14 different luxury rides including Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porches and Mercedes, you’ll give Dad the experience of a lifetime.

Got more great gift ideas or hints? Post them on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

Team E3 Racing Winner Steve Shaw's #62 car

You know a young racer’s got promise when he wins eight races, including two feature wins, in his rookie season. That was in 2003. Today, Team E3 Racing Tier 2 member Steve Shaw, Jr. is still winning and still learning.

Stock Cr Racer and Team E3 Racing Winner Steve Shaw, Jr.

Shaw first started his competitive stock car racing career in the Econo Division at South Buxton Raceway near his hometown Merlin, Ontario, Canada. After a fantastic first season, he ran a limited schedule until 2006 when he shared a limited late model with his racing father, Steve, Sr. and picked up two more wins. One of those wins was a feature and the two-man team finished the season third in points.

In 2010, Shaw joined the Rick Hornick Racing Team and got busy building a Mod-4 car. He also married his longtime love Megan, with whom he has three beautiful daughters today. The next year would prove his most successful yet. He racked up 12 wins and hit his first Mod-4 race at Delaware Speedway near London, Ontario. The 2011 season wrapped with Shaw landing a full scholarship to Race 101 School for 2012.

Founded by veteran racer, crew chief and mentor Tony Blanchard, Race 101 helps up and coming racers develop all the necessary facets of developing their careers, from mechanics to marketing strategies. Shaw committed to hitting the books before hitting the tracks again and already believes his game is improving.

“I’ve learned a lot I didn’t know in a short period of time,” he says. “It’s very insightful into motorsports.”

That willingness to learn despite already having a decade of racing experience under his belt is one of the characteristics that impressed judges most when choosing the Team E3 Racing winners. We’re already impressed with his skill, but we’re expecting even bigger things when Shaw returns to the track this summer.

Volkswagen's hover car would work via electromagnetic suspension.

In a Marty-McFly-Goes-to-China moment, Volkswagen and China’s “The People’s Project” have debuted what might bring us closer than ever to that flying DeLorean we’ve all secretly pined for since the first installment of Back to the Future – that is, if it ever sees reality.

The concept is vividly illustrated in a recently released video featuring a simulated cruise through Beijing in a wheel-shaped, two-seater pod floating several feet above the road’s surface. It’s operated by a center-mounted joystick. Dashboard information, including speed, mileage and engine cues are displayed hologram-style.

So how does it work? The idea is based on electromagnetic suspension. Real-life implantation would require electromagnetic mineral strips embedded in the roads below it, creating the hovering effect. Rear-mounted thrusters would propel the car forward.

Volkswagen’s hover car concept is the brainstorm of an apparently as-yet-unnamed girl (we figure she hasn’t been publicly identified because she’s a minor, or shy, or because Volkswagen is protecting its intellectual property; or because we just can’t read Chinese) who responded to a crowd-sourcing call for ideas. The initiative debuted in China last year and thus far, has prompted upwards of 33 million website visitors to submit 119,000 ideas.

The concept was unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show along with a few other finalists – notably a “Music Car” that changes colors with the driver’s musical choices, and the “Smart Key,” a smartphone that can start your car’s engine.

“We are no longer just building cars for, but also with customers and at the same time initiating a national dialog which gives us a deep insight into the design preferences, needs and requirements of Chinese customers,” said Volkswagen Director of Marketing Luca de Meo.

So what do you think? Would you sign up for the VW hover car? What’s your idea for future transport? E3 Spark Plugs wants to hear your thoughts. Post them on our Facebook fan page.

A few summertime car care tips can help make sure you're sunning on the beach rather than sweltering in your broke-down vehicle.

As summer gets underway, extreme temperatures have probably already sent you sprinting into your air conditioned home or the deep end of your swimming pool. But just like you, your automobile can take only so much heat. Turns out that excessive heat can cause or worsen a whole slew of car maintenance issues. E3 Spark Plugs offers these tips to help your car and your wallet keep cool.

• Clean your battery and terminals, particularly if it’s an older one. Make sure that there is no acid leaking, that it has adequate water (heat can evaporate a battery’s internal fluids) and that the charge is strong but not off the charts. High summertime temperatures can speed up the chemical reaction inside your battery, causing it to overcharge. This can significantly shorten the battery’s lifespan.
• Check your coolant system and make sure all fluids are topped off. Keep in mind that all engine fluids break down more quickly during the summer.
• Check all hoses and belts for cracks and breaks. If they’re looking ragged, replace them.
• Check your tires for worn or weak spots. Remember that tire pressure changes with the rising temperatures. You lose one to two PSI (pounds per square inch) with every 10-degree increase in outside air temperature. And with those PSI, you’ll lose gas money, too.
• Change your oil and air filters. Clogged oil filters can cause your engine to overheat. And clogged air filters can do a real number on your gas mileage.
• Replace your windshield wipers so you’re ready for those summertime torrential downpours.
• Get your air conditioning system checked out for refrigerant leaks.

Being stranded on the side of the road is no fun to begin with. Don’t get stuck beneath a sweltering sun. Got more stay-cool tips? Post them on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.