Sep 09
Someone was did an amazing job of predicting the future when they put that strange slot in the center of your dash. Spooky. [Reddit]
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Sep 03
Bentley 2014 Continental GT V8 S: 0 to 60 in 4.3, 512HP and 26.8 MPG, Say What?
Posted in: Today's ChiliBentley has unveiled a new super luxurious sports car offering more power and more performance for well-heeled buyers. The car will be officially unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and is called the Continental GT V8 S. The car is dead sexy and massive tipping the scales at 5060 pounds for the coupe.
A convertible version of the car weighs in at 5445 pounds. Both cars use the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine producing 521 hp and 502 pound-foot of torque. Despite the massive girth of the vehicles, the coupe version is able to reach 60 mph from a standstill in 4.3 seconds and claims a top speed of 192 mph. Not too shabby.
The convertible version is able to make the Sprint to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 191 mph. Despite the high-powered V-8 and the lumbering size of the vehicle, the coupe still has a combined fuel economy rating of 26.8 mpg with convertible rated at 25.9 MPG, providing an impressive range of 500 miles per tank.
The official price for the 2014 Continental GT V8 S is unannounced at this time, but it’s safe to say “stupid expensive” is about right.
[via Autoblog]
Sep 01
GenShock electricity-generating active suspension is coming to passenger cars, eventually
Posted in: Today's Chili
Levant Power’s energy-producing GenShock suspension has been stuck in limbo for a while, but the company has just announced a deal that could finally put the technology in passenger cars. Automotive component firm ZF has agreed to help develop a GenShock-based active suspension that will both convert road bumps to electricity and smooth out its host vehicle’s ride. The system will theoretically offer the comfort of a luxury sedan, the power efficiency of a hybrid and the nimble handling of a sports car. It might even simplify repairs — since GenShock recovers energy through pumps, it can raise each wheel without needing a jack. ZF doesn’t yet know when we’ll be driving cars with the new suspension, but the technology is reportedly inexpensive enough that buyers won’t require a supercar-level budget.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Autoblog
Source: ZF Friedrichshafen
Aug 29
What do you get when someone decides to “rat-rod” a Willys Jeep from 1945? Rat rods are custom cars that imitate and exaggerate early hot rods. I have to say that despite its low ground clearance, this particular rat looks like it could go toe to toe with dune buggies.
The team at Randy Ellis Design were inspired by the 1945 Willys Jeep. This kind of Jeep was used by the US Army in World War II. However, these guys built their vehicle from scratch with a custom fiberglass shell. There are some authentic Willys parts throughout the build, but it has plenty of modern features like an air bag suspension that gives it 7-inches of travel. It’s powered by a 1977 Chevy 350 V8, which is coupled with a 3-speed automatic transmission for plenty of torque.
This ride does look pretty awesome, though I wonder how it would fare in a race against a dedicated sport UTV like the Polaris RZR.
[via Hi Consumption]
Aug 29
Two of my favorite things in all the world are cars and bacon. I think bacon is the reason God put pigs on earth and the man who invented bacon should be immortalized on Mount Rushmore. I also happen to think that the Ford Fiesta is one of the least attractive cars on the market.
However, I do like bacon and Ford has announced some custom bacon graphics specifically for the 2014 Fiesta. The most bacontastic of the wraps is the one you see in the image above – showing 12 salty and crispy slices of bacon spread all around the car. That is a somewhat over the top representation of your love for salty pork in my book.
Ford does have a few other bacon graphics that you can add to your car if you’re looking for something a little more subtle. My favorite are the bacon racing stripes, a pair of bacon strips that you can place on the hood of your Fiesta that resemble classic dual racing stripes.
Ford also offers the side of bacon graphics with two individual strips of bacon wrapped over the rear wheels. Ford created these bacon themed wraps in celebration of International Bacon Day. Yes, that is the official holiday for bacon, which happens on August 31 each year.
Aug 27
Google’s not the only one trying to build self-driving cars, despite the fact that it gets a ton of attention for all those autonomous autos roaming Bay Area streets. Many manufacturers are interested in taking human error out of the driving equation, and now Nissan aims to do so by 2020. That’s right, folks, Nissan Executive VP Andy Palmer stated today that the plan is to sell multiple affordable models of fully autonomous cars by 2020. And, to meet that goal, the company is constructing a facility to test self-driving systems that’ll be up and running in 2014. Nissan’s development timetable falls right in line with some of its competitors, but talk is cheap — time will tell if Nissan can deliver on both its autonomous and affordability promises.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Wall Street Journal
Source: Nissan
Aug 22
What do the Lumia 920, Surface Pro, Velodyne LIDAR, NovAtel GPS and Jetta TDI wagon all have in common? They’re all essential parts of the next generation Nokia Here collection vehicle. When Here was announced last fall, we checked out v1.0 of the car which featured an elaborate but clunky set of sensors and cameras. That’s also when Nokia announced it was acquiring Earthmine, a Berkeley-based 3D-mapping company. Nine months later, we’re seeing the results of this collaboration with v2.0 of the collection vehicle. It’s a simpler and more advanced setup which provides much improved image quality. Nokia recently invited us to take ride in a next generation Here car — check out the gallery below then hit the break for our video and breakdown of the technology. %Gallery-slideshow73223%
Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
Aug 22
Report: Google to develop automated driving system with Continental and IBM
Posted in: Today's Chili
Both Google and German auto supplier Continental made Nevada their high-tech vehicle testing grounds in 2012, but who’d have thought the companies might end up collaborating? According to German newspaper Daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the tech giant is very close to inking a deal not only with Continental but also with IBM. The paper’s sources didn’t go into specifics, only that the trio will collectively cook up an automated driving system for cars. It’s worth noting that what Continental tested in Nevada was a driver assist technology that makes it easier to navigate traffic. Whether Google is bringing the firm onboard to fine-tune its own self-driving car system or whether the companies will work on something new remains to be seen. However, if the deal does go through, we’ll know at least some of the juicy details in September, as Continental plans to officially debut the collaboration at the Frankfurt Car Show.
Filed under: Misc
Via: Autoblog
Source: Reuters
Aug 20
Armadillo-T micro electric car folds to fit into compact parking spaces (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili
The Armadillo-T is pretty petite as it is, but when it comes time to fit into tight parking spaces, the all-electric car can do even better. The four-wheel-drive compact, which integrates a design similar to an armadillo’s shell, includes seating for two, a 13.6 kWh battery pack and four in-wheel motors, allowing the rear half of the vehicle to fold upwards at the press of a button. Designed by a group of researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the prototype packs plenty of other high-tech features, too, including cameras that sub in for side-view mirrors, smartphone control and a ten-minute fast charge mode that nets 100 kilometers of range. The transporter is still a long way from reaching a production line, but it could one day serve to help ease congestion in overcrowded cities, letting you park in slots far too small to accommodate four wheels today.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Phys.org
Aug 16
No you are not seeing things. That car is really upside down and racing along without a care in the world. Jeff Bloch, otherwise known as “SpeedyCop“, likes to make strange custom cars. This one just happens to drive on its roof.
His latest project is a 1999 Chevrolet Camaro that he flipped over, then somehow made roadworthy. He describes it as “a frightening fusion of a wretched 1990 Ford Festiva and a horrible 1999 Chevy Camaro, with a not-so-subtle twist.” Creating this thing must have been a huge challenge, but the end result is pretty amazing.
SpeedyCop says that he is basically an 8-year-old kid trapped in a 40-year-old body. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the only way to be. He might want to take those turns easy, otherwise he’s going to scrape his rear-view mirrors against the asphalt.
[via Oddity Central]
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