Automotive News

Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc.

As we’re all well aware, magnetic-levitation (maglev) trains have come under fire recently for being unsafe at high speeds. There are other alternatives, however, for next generation public transportation that’s both fast and environmentally friendly. The Superbus is a project for a futuristic public bus that runs on electricity (either batteries or fuel cells) and can reach speeds of 155 mph on dedicated “supertracks”. It’s the brainchild of designers and engineers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and has received €9 million in government funding and additional €1 million from local bus company, Connexxion. The Superbus may look longer than a football field, but it’s actually the same length and width as a normal city bus. It looks extra long because it’s only 5.6 feet high, or about the height of an average SUV. That means that passengers can’t stand up inside the Superbus, but they won’t need to since each of its 30-some seats has an individual door. Read more about the Superbus and see more pictures after the jump and click here to see a quick video of the project… Thanks for the tip, Arthur! [Source: TU Delft via Economist.com] In order to make the Superbus a viable alternative to maglev trains, the engineers at Delft are also working on “supertracks” that they claim would be very easy to build into existing roadways and allow the bus to reach 155 mph while being piloted by computer. To make this possible, the bus would include sensors that scanned the road ahead up to 300 meters for dangerous objects and a suspension that memorized the roadway for changing conditions and particular bumps. You wouldn’t catch a ride to the bus station to hop on the Superbus, either. Developers plan to have the bus eschew traditional stops in favor of door-to-door deliveries via intelligent routing technology. Riders would be able to text-message the bus their location and have it meet them for pickup. Presumably a central computer would work out the most efficient route to pick up and drop off passengers that are constantly texting for transportation. Currently the university is developing a working scale model of the Superbus, but the next major milestone will be the debut of a working prototype at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Originally Syndicated from Autoblog

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Filed under: Videos, Supercars, Nissan

> In celebration of the Nissan R35 GT-R spy shots that surfaced today, we wanted to take a look back at the king of the Skylines, the Nismo R34 GT-R Z-Tune. For the uninitiated, in 2005 Nissan wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their legendary coupe and decided to make 20 special edition versions of the R34. At that point, the R34 had been out of production since 2003, so Nissan went into the used car market, hand-picked 20 pristine examples of R34-goodness, all with less than 20k on the clock, stripped them down to bare metal and performed every manner of chassis, suspension and engine tweakery known to man. The video above examines the results, as tested at the Nurburgring by our favorite eccentric Japanese racers at Best Motoring. A full article about the R34 Z-Tune can be found here, with a detailed technical analysis and lots of pretty pictures.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Originally Syndicated from Autoblog

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Filed under: Time Warp, Sports/GTs, Government/Legal

From the bible of the collector car world comes a cautionary tale of a stolen Shelby and a good lesson in caveat emptor. John Draneas of Collector Car Market recounts the story of a 1965 Shelby GT350 that was stolen back in 1979. The insurance company paid the owner $6500 and the vehicle was never seen from again. Well, not with its original serial number at any rate. While running a cursory check of eBay, Shelby American Automobile Club Registrar Howard Pardee came across a nice looking “65 GT350. With a little legwork, he discovered that the car had been reported stolen and unrecovered back in 1979. He contacted the eBay seller and that”s when things got really interesting. The seller had purchased the car in 1980 with a reproduction Shelby serial number tag and a seemingly clean New York title. Pardee also tracked down the original owner who was shocked to learn his Shelby was on eBay and more amazed that, although the bidding was only at $121,000, the value of the car might be closer to $150,000 or even $175,000. He contacted his insurance company and the police and wanted his car back. The car was taken off eBay and impounded, but didn”t go back to the original owner. The insurance company had already paid off that claim a long time ago. Case closed. The eBay seller was out of luck too, as he had no legitimate claim to the vehicle unfortunately. He is trying to work out an arrangement with the insurance company so he can perhaps repurchase his car from them and recoup some of his loss. Although he had paid for the vehicle back in 1980, the seller at that time was not legally able to sell the car, as he was an accomplice of the thief. So although he had possession of the vehicle for 26 years and watched the value skyrocket, he is not legally entitled to any of that windfall. Bummer for everybody except the insurance company and the thief ironically, as the statute of limitations has long since passed. A civil suit appears to be the eBay seller”s only hope of justice. Read the whole story by following the link. [Source: Sports Car Market]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Autoblog

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sports/GTs, Porsche

Although we brought you some information about this car just a couple of months ago, World Car Fans has captured a few more pics of the new 997 GT2 lapping the “ring and we felt like we had to share. After all, it”s probably going to be the first 911 production car capable of 200 mph, so we don”t expect that you”ll complain. As we pointed out last time, the official word on this model is that it doesn”t exist. Maybe Porsche wants to make sure all of the GT3 RS models are spoken for first. But as we see, it is very much real. With the 997 Turbo putting out 480 hp already, the GT2 should be good for at least 500. In fact 520-540 are the numbers we keep coming across. Although it looks a lot like the Turbo, the GT2 has a few detail changes, like the lack of fog lamps and a larger rear spoiler. Couple that with the expected weight loss associated with the switch from awd to rwd, and this should be another super Porsche worthy of the Widowmaker label. But the guys at World Car Fans point out that it is the sound that will really set this model apart from lesser 911s. Caught testing at the Nürburgring, they said it could be heard almost half way around the track. But it was music to their ears, as is this report of further development on the GT2 to ours. [Source: World Car Fans]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Autoblog

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Euro, Jaguar

Last month we told you how important the upcoming S-Type replacement was for the future of Jaguar, if not for Ford itself. Although Jaguar is still officially not for sale, the success or failure of the next generation S-Type could determine whether there will even continue to be a Ford Premier Auto Group. And so, because of the importance of this new midsize Jag, we feel it crucial to pass along any news on what this new car might look like. And thanks to Brenda Priddy, we have some new ideas. Caught testing near Jaguar”s German engineering center, this newest mule appears to be undergoing evaluation for the new nose”s cooling properties. As Priddy explains: “Examining the pictures gives clues to the look of the car, which is rumored to be Jaguar”s long-awaited break with traditional styling. The new hood is cut away sharply over the headlights and the grille looks as if it will be cut further down into the front bumper. If these clues are anything to go by, the new S-Type, will have a much more aggressive look than today”s oddly retro machine. We also understand that the car will be the first Jag to adopt a modern nose-down, tail-up stance.” Scheduled to debut in Frankfurt next year, the new S-Type will reach European dealers as a 2008 model and the U.S. as an “09. [Source: Winding Road]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Autoblog

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Trends, Etc., Ford

Some will certainly look at this lifted Galaxie 500 and ask, “Why?” But to the people who build such things, the better question is always, “Why not?” Featured in the gallery at King of the Street, this massively raised Galaxie 500 is one of the most extreme examples of a growing trend in the aftermarket world, big rides. And that”s what King of the Street is all about. Self-described as “The first and only publication catering to this fast growing Lifestyle: “RYDING BIG”. When 20s, 22s and 24s get to be too mundane, upsize the ryde instead. Starting out with a boat of a car like the Galaxie makes some sense, though. Offering what appears to be two feet of ground clearance, driving this bad boy through flooded streets will be a piece of cake, and the body will look just perfect atop the waves lapping at its fenders. Far be it from us to cast judgment on these enterprising young artists, but the monster truck look for the street really doesn”t grab us. Check out King of the Street for even more ride height wackiness and click here for the full gallery. Thanks for the tip, Rob! [Source: King of the Street]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Autoblog

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Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Earnings/Financials

It”s been a year since Delphi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and the supplier is still trying to find ways to return to profitability. One of the things it”s identified as a way to get back into the black is ridding themselves of unprofitable contracts with General Motors. They have been quietly shifting some of these orders to outside firms. One example is the contract for GM full-sized pickup truck steering knuckles that recently went to EaglePicher Corp., which is no stranger to Chapter 11 itself. Delphi also dumped the contract to build catalytic converters for GM”s new pickups, which still had three years on it, according to UAW Local 1866 president Skip Dziedzic, in Milwaukee. No firm has been identified in taking over that order yet. Besides shifting some of these unprofitable parts-making contracts, Delphi is also offering thousands of hourly workers early retirement, with GM”s financial backing. And Delphi also wants to unload eight of its 29 U.S. factories to focus on more profitable electronic components. A total of 5,472 unprofitable GM parts contracts are being let go as part of the restructuring, but General Motors is trying to block this plan. GM itself, however, has been actively shifting some Delphi contracts to other suppliers, as well, such as in the case of Siemens VDO Automotive Corp. making the manifolds for GM”s new large SUVs, slip control systems for Epsilon cars from TRW, and four separate suppliers to make spark plugs: Denso Corp., Beru AG, NGK and Honeywell International Inc., all of which were previously produced by Delphi. [Source: Automotive News, sub req]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Autoblog

Click Here to Advertise on my Blog and Thousands of Other Blogs