The Pub - Discuss Anything

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Roughly 21% of Generation Z Americans who have reached adulthood -- those born between 1997 and 2003 -- identify as LGBT. That is nearly double the proportion of millennials who do so, while the gap widens even further when compared with older generations.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/389792/lgbt-identification-ticks-up.aspx

Edited February 17, 2022 by Vesper

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Jamal Edwards: Tributes flood in for music entrepreneur

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60457063

Prince Charles and rappers Dave and AJ Tracey are among the many voices paying tribute to entrepreneur and YouTube star Jamal Edwards.

Edwards, who has died at the age of 31, is the son of singer and presenter Brenda Edwards, who said she was "completely devastated".

The Prince of Wales paid tribute to his work for The Prince's Trust.

Dave simply wrote: "Thank you for everything. Words can't explain" while Tracey said he was a "legend".

Edwards was the founder of SBTV, an online grime and rap music platform which helped launch the careers of artists like Dave, Ed Sheeran and Skepta. He first got into film-making after his parents gave him a video camera as a Christmas present when he was 15.

Born in Luton and later moving to west London, he was appointed an MBE for services to music in 2014. A pioneering figure in British rap and grime music, Edwards attended the Brit Awards earlier this month, and was understood to have performed as a DJ at a gig in north London on Saturday night.

His company confirmed his death to the BBC on Sunday, saying he died that morning. His mother said he "passed away after a sudden illness".

 

 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,799]

Went to an Atlanta United game on Sunday. It was nice that Atlanta won 3-1. It was our first game since the team moved into Mercedes Benz stadium a few season ago. Wow what a spectacular job the owner Arthur Blank did. It seats 75,000 and we were blown away that a soda was just $2 and you can refill it as many times as you want. In the old Georgia Stadium they were $4-$8. Menu items $2-$4, with meals $8-$15. My son looked it up because just a hotdog was $8 before. Arthur Blank leased Georgia Stadium and had no say in concessions. When he had Mercedes Benz built, he did not renew any food vendors and if necessary would have all the food services handled by his people at regular prices. He invited vendors back on one condition, they can only charge the prices they charge at their own chain restaurants. No jacking up the prices at Games. There were plenty of chain restaurants with facilities there. 
 

I have never attended a stadium where we didn’t pay a premium for food and drink. The beer is even reasonable…. but total shit from Coors and the rest. 

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Nürburgring Nordschleife 'The Green Hell'

All-Time Fastest Lap Ever

Car: Porsche 911 GT2 RS with Manthey Performance Kit (and it is street legal!)

Time: 20.8 km in 6:43.300 min

(Smashed the previous record held by a McLaren P1 LM by around 4 seconds)

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Vesper

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Servicing And Maintaining A Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport Can Allegedly Cost Nearly $500,000 Every Four Years

https://www.carscoops.com/2021/09/servicing-and-maintenance-for-the-bugatti-chiron-pur-sport-will-cost-you-roughly-500k-every-four-years/

 

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The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Can Do 330 MPH (532 KMH) in Theory, But it Needs Space

We spoke with Christian von Koenigsegg to learn all about this remarkable streamliner.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a31246635/koenigsegg-absolut-top-speed-test-possibiltiy/

Koenigsegg is chasing 300 mph in dramatic fashion. The Jesko Absolut is the Swedish company's idea of a high-speed streamliner, with a drag coefficient of 0.278 and 1600 horsepower from a twin-turbo V-8. It's Koenigsegg's answer to the 304-mph Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+.

The Absolut should be very fast, but the exact top speed remains unknown, as Koenigsegg hasn't tested it. Speaking to Road & Track on the phone, company founder Christian von Koenigsegg said he believes the automaker will be ready to do a top-speed run within a year, but he's not sure where it'll be held. The section of Nevada highway closed for the Agera RS's 277-mph run in 2017 isn't quite smooth enough for the speeds the Jesko Absolut is capable of hitting, which should be very high.

"If you run the numbers, you take the frontal area, the cd, the power, the gear ratio, the power curve... the simulations say 532 km/h (330 mph), or something like that," Koenigsegg said. "It's of course a theoretical number, but that's what simulation tells us. We don't really have ambition to drive that fast. The end result will be location, driver willingness, and car's capability. But theoretically, it looks extremely fast."

We asked if the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds—a repurposed three-mile space-shuttle runway in Florida—would be suitable. "It's perfect, apart that it's not long enough. We can go maybe 85 percent of the car's top speed there." Koenigsegg said. "The problem is when you start reaching your top speed, and you want to get your last 5-10 mph, they come very, very slowly while the car is flying forward and just consuming miles so quickly."

Arguably, the best place in the world to do such a test is Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien proving grounds, where Bugatti set its 304-mph record. Unfortunately, Koenigsegg doesn't have access to such a facility.

Amazingly, Koenigsegg doesn't think tires will be an issue. The company test spun the tires used on the Agera RS to 330 mph for a minute without an issue. "Michelin, when they were there during our testing, they didn't believe their eyes. How kind our cars are to their tires." Koenigsegg engineers will verify that the Absolut's tires will be able to handle the speeds if the opportunity to test comes up, but Christian isn't worried.

The Jesko Absolut (left) and the standard Jesko (right).

KOENIGSEGG

Even if the Jesko Absolut never gets to break the 300-mph barrier, it still represents an amazing engineering achievement. Its 0.278 drag coefficient is remarkably low when considering the fact that it has wide tires and high cooling requirements for the brakes and drivetrain. "We did not expect to get this low," Koenigsegg said.

The back wheels have removable covers that add around 4-5 mph to the Jesko Absolut's top speed, while the rear wing is gone and the rear clamshell has been smoothed and extended. Two vertical fins help increase high-speed stability and reduce drag, while the splitter and dive planes are removed for the Absolut.

Koenigsegg will price the Jesko Absolut higher than the more track-focused version released last year because of the increased investment it took to get the drag coefficient so low, and the expected cost of high-speed testing. Just 125 examples of the Jesko will be built, and Koenigsegg said he doesn't yet know how many customers will go for the Absolut, as the configurator was just sent out recently.

So will the Jesko Absolut beat Bugatti? Who knows. But what is certain is that after the Jesko Absolut is finished, Koenigsegg will exit the top-speed chase.

"This is the fastest Koenigsegg we will ever endeavor to make," Koenigsegg said at the car's reveal.

Engine

• Koenigsegg twin turbo aluminum 5,0 L V8, 4 valves per cylinder, flat-plane crankshaft, double overhead camshafts, dry sump lubrication
• Compression: 8.6:1
• Bore: 92 mm Stroke: 95.25 mm
• Sequential, multipoint fuel injection with individual cylinder pressure sensors and back pressure sensors
• Closed loop individual combustion and lambda control, twin ceramic ball bearing turbo chargers with Koenigsegg response system.
• 1.7 bar boost pressure (2.2 bar with E85)
• Dry sump lubrication. Carbon fiber intake manifold with optimized intake tracts
• Tig-welded ceramic coated 0.8 mm wall thickness Inconel exhaust system manifold with merge collector
• Total engine weight: 189 kg

ENGINE MANAGEMENT

• Koenigsegg Engine Control Module
• Flex fuel capability (optional)
• High power coil-on-plug ignition system

OUTPUT

• Gasoline: 955 kW (1280 bhp) at 7800 rpm, redline at 8500 rpm.
• E85: 1195 kW (1600 bhp)
• Torque: 1000 Nm from 2700 to 6170 rpm
• Max torque: 1500 Nm at 5100 rpm

Edited March 16, 2022 by Vesper

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A bespoke (hand built engine, the most powerful normally aspirated V8 ever made, and it has a flat plane crankshaft, carbon fibre all over, etc) supercar for only around £70-75K

AND they are making a right-hand drive version as well

This is the first yank car in ages I would consider buying.

Exclusive First Drive: 2023 Corvette Z06 with the Z07 performance-package | Jay Leno's Garage

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Vesper

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New Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition 💚

https://www.rybrook.co.uk/lotus/new-cars/elise-sport-240-final-edition/

 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition

Going. But not going quietly.

The Elise is as beautifully simple, pleasingly compact and bristling with energy and feedback . Built around an extruded and bonded aluminium chassis, the Elise is the perfect lightweight sports car for the drive. Going. But not going quietly. A host of new features are added to the Final Edition to celebrate its last year of production.

£45,500

Design

The icon, re-invigorated. One of the purest, most engaging sports cars ever built takes a major step forward in the Elise Sport 240 Final Edition. The exposed gearshift is a work of aluminium art in its own right, now as precise and satisfying to use as it is to look at. In its 25th and final year of the production, the Elise is truly looking at its finest.

Performance

The new Elise Sport 240 Final Edition feels nimble and capable, as any Lotus sports car should. Delivering 240bhp, this specially tuned engine provides a balance of performance and class-leading efficiency. To accelerate from 0-60 mph takes just 4.1 seconds thanks to its 257bph/ton power to weight ratio. And the handling just has to be experienced.

Final Edition

For the Final Edition, a host of new features have been added, including unique paint choices, new exterior decals and two new wheel finishes. The biggest changes can be found to the interior, where a new TFT instrument cluster, final edition build plaque, new steering wheel design and new seat trims have been added. Customise your new Elise Sport 240 Final Edition with these intricate and unique details whilst maintaining the core values of this iconic sports car.

 

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On 28/02/2022 at 17:14, ZAPHOD2319 said:

Went to an Atlanta United game on Sunday. It was nice that Atlanta won 3-1. It was our first game since the team moved into Mercedes Benz stadium a few season ago. Wow what a spectacular job the owner Arthur Blank did. It seats 75,000 and we were blown away that a soda was just $2 and you can refill it as many times as you want. In the old Georgia Stadium they were $4-$8. Menu items $2-$4, with meals $8-$15. My son looked it up because just a hotdog was $8 before. Arthur Blank leased Georgia Stadium and had no say in concessions. When he had Mercedes Benz built, he did not renew any food vendors and if necessary would have all the food services handled by his people at regular prices. He invited vendors back on one condition, they can only charge the prices they charge at their own chain restaurants. No jacking up the prices at Games. There were plenty of chain restaurants with facilities there. 
 

I have never attended a stadium where we didn’t pay a premium for food and drink. The beer is even reasonable…. but total shit from Coors and the rest. 

that stadium is amazing

and those prices, wow!

that Atlanta United team won the championship a few years back

that Portland team probably has some the craziest footie fans in the states, from what I have seen

 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,799]

I have my wife onboard and two of these death traps in the house now.

 

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