E3 Spark Plugs News

Have you heard the news? Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks has partnered with Electronic Arts to produce a film based on the Need for Speed video game franchise. We here at E3 Spark Plugs have already marked our calendars for the February 7, 2014 release.

The franchise’s original game, The Need for Speed, hit gaming store shelves in 1994, giving gamers a glimpse of life behind the street racing wheel. EA teamed up with Road & Track magazine to create amazingly realistic  features based on precise vehicle data. For instance, sound was developed to accurately mimic sounds made by particular vehicles’ gear control levers. The game featured nine primary cars: a black Lamborghini Diablo, a red Ferrari 512TR, a royal blue Dodge Viper RT/10, a dark green Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, a dark blue Porsche 911 Carrera, a red Toyota Supra Turbo, a silver Acura NSX, and a yellow Mazda RX-7. Gamers who lucked up on a special game code and entered it correctly got access to a tenth, secret car dubbed the “Warrior.”

That first edition led to the releases of a full three generations of the game. Popularity declined over the past few years, but company officials continue plans for future game releases. And they’re banking on the upcoming film to help rev up interest.

Brothers George Gatins (Real Steel) and John Gatins (Coach Carter) penned an original story for the film, which is based on the full franchise rather than any particular individual game. Scott Waugh (Act of Valor) will direct. And rumor has it that producers are in talks with actor Taylor Kitsch, (John Carter, Battleship, Savages) to play the lead role.

So what do you think? Will you see Need for Speed? And do you think it will help revive the game franchise? Post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

With three decades in competitive racing, Stanley, NY’s Darryl Barrett proved a natural for Team E3 Racing. He’s a member of Gorham, New York’s Asylum Motorsports Group and has been involved in every facet of racing since the age of four. He’s been a driver, crewmember, crew chief, engineer and owner and has worked with several successful racing teams over the course of his career.

For the last 30 years, Barrett’s racing career has run the full gamut from microds to karts to micro sprints to street stocks to modifieds. Over the years, he’s racked up more than 250 wins including 17 track championships and two national titles. He races in the Grand-Am and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) World Challenge series in DP, GT, GS and GTS classes. He runs the DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds series and landed three wins in the 2011 season.

While he’s not racing, Barrett and his team have a busy car show schedule that takes them to numerous festivals, charity events and fundraisers throughout the year. And they’re not stingy with their automotive talents. Barrett and his team often help other teams across the sport, whether it’s simple work at the track to complete rebuild and setup help away from the track.

From all of us here at E3 Spark Plugs, congratulations on a long and continuing career, and welcome to the team!

Back in the day, you probably sunk down below window level, praying that your super cool friends wouldn’t see your mom was dropping you off at school / the ballpark / the skating rink / the mall in the family station wagon. Lame! But fast forward a decade or two and the power of nostalgia kicks in, transforming the station wagon of your childhood from a thing of shame to a thing of beauty.

Okay, so maybe “beauty” is a stretch for some models. But over the decades, station wagon enthusiasts continue to sing the praises of this uniquely American vehicle that started out not as a family ride, but a track-bound workhorse. And now, there’s a documentary to help spread the love. Produced by students of the Documentary Film Program at Wake Forest University, Wagonmasters tells the story of the iconic station wagon as it represents a changing America over the last one hundred years.

“The car that was once the quintessential image of the American Dream is all but dead – at least for most people,” the film’s website reads.

The station wagon got its name from its earliest use – a specialized vehicle designed to carry people and luggage to and from train stations in the late 1910s, when travelers lugged steam trunks or wooden, cowhide-covered suitcases (the wheeled suitcase wouldn’t be invented for another half-century). But families soon saw the appeal in the larger, enclosed vehicles for much more than trekking to the train station. In 1922, Durant Motor Co.’s Star Station Wagon became the first of its kind to be offered directly to consumers from the factory of a major auto company. Since then, the station wagon has undergone scores of design evolutions.

Today’s wagons bear an ever sleeker look than their predecessors. While the few in production blur the lines between classic station wagons, crossover SUVs and hatchbacks, one thing’s for sure – the BMW 328i Sports Wagon ain’t your grandma’s grocery getter.

Wagonmasters will be shown July 28 at the Concours d’Elegance at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan as part of a works-in-progress screening. The Concours d’Elegance showcases rare and unique automobiles, and this year’s featured category is the “Jet-Age Station Wagon. In the meantime, watch the trailer below and see a few of E3 Spark Plugs‘ favorite wagons. Then, post your top picks on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

 

 

Summertime means road trip time. And for many, those cross-country road trips aren’t spent in a series of hotel rooms. They’re spent in RVs and travel trailers – wheeled homes-away-from-home. Just like car makers, manufacturers of RVs and travel trailers release concept designs of units that may or may not ever make it to market. In any case, they’re always fun to see. E3 Spark Plugs scoured the Internet and found a few of those concepts we’d love to take on the road.

• 252 Degree Radius Travel Trailer: This one is just what the name says. The somewhat triangular shaped trailer opens up to a 252-degree radius, revealing double-walled, open-air rooms in bright colors. Only trouble is, we’re not sure where/if you can sleep in it. One sketch shows what appears to be a retractable tent-like covering that stretches from one wall to another. But we’re guessing you might want to bring along an old-fashioned camping tent just in case.

• Robert Williams ForFreedom Concept Caravan: This compact living unit opens up with the aid of a sliding chassis and side pivot. The result is a dramatic, canopied lounge area with a panoramic view of the surroundings.

• Colim Concept Trailer: This one’s great for the camper who also wants the option of tooling around the area with ease. The design calls for two separate but connected units – the car and the living space. They travel together as one nested unit while a middle set of wheels is stowed away. But once safely parked, the trailer stays put while the car drops its hidden rear wheels and separates. So much of the space we use is empty most of the time; in mobile housing, moving big volumes of air is expensive, so pop-up and folding units, with their lower profile, are far more fuel efficient.

• Foldup Travel Trailer: Imagine a giant wheeled suitcase cruising down the highway and you’ve just about pictured this concept trailer. It’s basically a pop-up trailer turned sideways, popping out instead of up, and expanding to many times its folded size. But it’s not one for the spoiled RV camper. No room for pre-fabbed kitchens, beds and living rooms. You’ll have to haul your cots and hot stoves in your vehicle and park near water. With no room for storage, furniture or appliances, this concept is basically a fancy, hard-shell tent.

• Mehzler Polygon Concept Caravan: If Fred and Wilma had a modern travel trailer, it would no doubt resemble this concept trailer. It looks a bit like a giant, elongated boulder and features a funky, angular interior.

Which of these concept trailers would you most like to spend a summer in? Post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

Team E3 Racing’s littlest winner yet clearly has a big future ahead of him in professional racing. Jacob “Camokid” Putman of Centreville, VA is a two-year veteran in kid kart racing – and he’s only six.

Putman first hit the competitive tracks running the Kid Kart race at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia at the tender age of four. His performance in that very first race proved a told-ya-so moment for Putman, putting to rest any skepticism about the boy’s commitment to and talent for racing. Track officials were so impressed that they encouraged Putman’s parents to immediately move him up to Kid Kart 2, affording their son the opportunity for a tougher challenge and better learning experience. The move meant that Putman would be racing against boys who all had at least two years of experience on him. And boy, were those older competitors shocked when Putman landed a second-place class finish for the season.

That same season, Putman also finished second in points at nearby King George Speedway, and the kudos kept on coming over the next year. Putman’s latest racing accomplishments include finishing the 2011 season as Old Dominion Speedway’s Track Champion. He also finished second in points in the King George Speedway series and took 7th place in the annual Kid Kart Nationals, as well as the inaugural Indy Karting Classic at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Not bad for a five-year-old.

Today, Putman is part of two racing teams including J&D Outlaw Racing, founded with his friend Donald Whorton – another young upstart burning up the tracks. And he starts the 2012 Kid Kart 2 season as a member of the Excel Racing team.

“I am really good at what I do,” says a very confident Putman, adding that E3 racing spark plugs have helped boost his racing cart’s speed. “My dad says I’m a natural and that I should win a few races this year. I am going to try and win them all.”

We here at E3 Spark Plugs have no doubt he’ll do just that.

Fresh off the heels of Comic-Con International and anticipating Friday’s theatrical release of The Dark Knight Rises, superhero geeks worldwide are in a state of euphoria. And if we’re honest, so are we here at E3 Spark Plugs. Not only is Batman one of the most enduringly popular superheroes since his character originated in a 1939 comic book, his various rides have been the most enviable out there.

Some of the most imaginative Batmobiles never made it off the pages of a DC Comics comic book. But a few actually came to life on the sets of various TV shows and feature films. The first full size, fully operational Batmobile debuted with the Batman television series in 1966. Though the show remained in production just two years, that groovy dome-topped, red-trimmed and finned ride based on the Ford Futura remains a favorite among ardent fans of the Batman franchise nearly a half-century later. Rockets, lasers, radar, onboard computers, telephone and even a chain slicer all were far-out features for the day.

It would be another two decades before another live action Caped Crusader feature appeared in the Tim Burton-helmed Batman and Batman Returns starring Michael Keaton as Gotham’s crime-fighting reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne, aka Batman. Ever since, each new on-screen installment of the Batman saga has sought to outdo the last with its own Batmobile rendition. And none have come cheap. It’s estimated that Wayne’s inflation-adjusted costs for his iconic rides ran from $32,000 for the original Batmobile, a 1936 Cord featured in the 1941 comic book, to $358,000 for the “tumbler” based on military tank technology. Accounting for the 100+ Batmobiles created, whether on paper or in metal, that’s an average of $214,700 each.

So which is your favorite Batmobile? E3 Spark Plugs shares a few favorites over the years, including one or two that remains in existence only in the comic books. Scroll down to see our top picks, plus The Dark Knight Rises trailer and a blast from Batman’s TV past. Then, post your favorites on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

 

The man famous for his 1990s show about nothing is back with a web-based show about a very specific something. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is pretty much what the new Crackle.com program’s title sounds like. With each weekly episode, Jerry Seinfeld of Seinfeld fame and a fellow comedian drive around town in one of Seinfeld’s classic cars and yuk it up while on their way to a different NY coffee house.

It’s a little known fact outside of classic car collecting circles that Seinfeld owns one of the world’s largest Porsche collections, including a Can-Am Spyder racing car he snagged for $4.4 million at a Florida auction. Each week a different vintage vehicle from his garage will make appearance on the show. A one-minute promotional video released last week shows Seinfeld driving a classic Porsche, Triumph, Dodge Charger and Volkswagen Beetle with the likes of Alec Baldwin, Larry David and former co-star Michael Richards, who played Kramer in the Seinfeld series) riding shotgun.

A subsequent, longer promo video shows less car, more coffee – except when Larry David starts a tiff by ordering tea. Other that those two promos, little info has been released about the show. It premieres live online July 9, 9pm EDT. We here at E3 Spark Plugs are anxious to tune in and see Seinfeld’s well polished vintage rides and hope the coffee and comedy will keep our attention too.

What do you think? Do you plan to see Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee? See the promo spots below and post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

At 19 years old, Daniel Alvarez is undoubtedly ahead of the game. Known as “The Hammer,” he’s already landed an AAS degree in Automotive Technology from Piedmont Technical College and finished a year of veteran racer Tony Blanchard’s Race 101 program, where he studied on a full scholarship – despite having raced competitively for seven years.

Many young racers with a seven years of on-track experience might think they’ve already got it all figured out. Not so, says Alvarez. He’s one of the few up-and-comers who understand that building a professional racing career depends as much on what happens off the track as on the track. A racer can be a top-notch talent, but without a solid business and marketing effort fueling your success, your career can stall out fast.

Alvarez credits Race 101 with helping him develop a well-rounded approach to professional racing.

“Race 101 has completely changed my life in the last year,” he said in an interview just before graduating the program in February. “I now have the knowledge and the tools to further my career in racing. I look forward to years ahead in racing and want to thank RACE 101 and everyone involved.”

The praise is mutual.

“We were so proud of Daniel’s accomplishments this year we created an award to honor his effort,” said
Racing 101 instructor Adam Ross of Alvarez and the new X-Factor student award he inspired. “Drivers have to discover their X-Factor to be successful in marketing themselves. Hammer not only discovered his X Factor, but he lives by it. We expect big things from him, and I look forward to watching his progress.”

Sports media is taking notice. Alvarez already has been interviewed by the likes of ESPN Radio and Let’s Talk Racing TV. He certainly caught the attention of E3 Spark Plugs. We’re expecting to see Alvarez land a lot of checkered flags throughout his career and we’re proud that he’ll be sporting the E3 logo all the while.

 

In April, E3 Spark Plugs brought you the story of Rachel Veitch and her “chariot,” a 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente that had just hit 576,000 miles. With all due respect to Ms. Veitch, we’ve just come across another vintage wonder whose mileage makes her chariot’s look like chump change.

Irving Gordon’s 1966 Volvo P1800S has held the Guinness World Records mark for high mileage vehicle since 2002. A decade later, it’s still going strong with just 34,000 miles to go before hitting 3 million miles – something Gordon expects will happen next year.

Gordon, a retired school teacher from Long Island, has driven his little red two-door sportster everywhere since he bought it in June of 1966 for $4,150 – his full year’s salary. His mileage thus far is equivalent to crossing the globe upwards of 1,176 times. Much of the later mileage comes by way of traveling to auto shows to represent Volvo. But Gordon also travels purely for pleasure, boasting that he’s “had coffee in every state and multiple cities across Europe, where he had the car shipped for an extended vacation.

“I am my own Travel Channel,” he told the Associated Press, noting that the Volvo racks up 85,000 to 100,000 miles a year. And while a 46-year automotive relationship might wear on some, Gordon doesn’t plan on parting ways with his lil’ red beauty anytime soon.

“Why would I want to get rid of it?” he asked. “Kind of like a good woman.”

Got a ride with mileage to match Gordon’s ’66 Volvo? E3 Spark Plugs wants to hear your story and see your pics. Post them on our Facebook fan page.

Dirt track racer Brandon Williams experienced a notable rookie year, landing 11th in the Kankakee County Speedway points for the 2010 season and 23rd in the I-MOD Association series that same year. So, fans were a little surprised to see him take the full 2011 season off. Turns out he had good reason: The birth of his gorgeous young son.

But with the 2012 season underway, Williams is gunning for big wins in the dirt late model division, aiming specifically for a UMP (United Midwestern Promoters) National Championship. And E3 Spark Plugs aims to help him accomplish that goal with a Team E3 Racing membership.

By weekday, Williams of Kouts, Indiana is a crane operator for U.S. Steel. But come the weekend, he’s tearing up the dirt tracks, along with brother Andy Williams, an operator at Chicago’s Ford Assembly Plant who has been racing competitively since 2006. Brandon Williams also operates several racing-related websites and social media sites. His DirtXtra online magazine offers the most up-to-date news, photos and videos on professional and competitive dirt track racing, including documenting extensive schedules in multiple racing series.

Considering his promising behind-the-wheel talent and his motorsports media savvy, we bet you’ll hear Brandon Williams’ name a lot more in the coming years.