Automotive News

Filed under: Motorsports

Unfortunately we won’t be in attendance at this year’s 24 Hours of LeMans, but Thomas Baekdal made a web application that could make this unfortunate fact a little more bearable, if it only it were legal to for the rest of us to access (see close up screen shots here). Baekdal, who admits to not even liking sports in general save for this one race, wanted a web app that could outdo TV coverage in its breadth of information provided and immediacy. He’s developing his own application to pull data from Lemans.org and Club24 and display it on a rather attractive screen that puts you right in the action. When it’s finished, Baekdal expects it will provide the following real-time data of the race.

• Live News
• The exact Le Mans time
• Lap times
• Lap position
• Race events
• Picture, web cams
• Background information

Unfortunately, because of copyright restrictions set by the governing body of LeMans, Baekdal will not be able to make his application available to the public. He is offering it to them if they’d like to incorporate it into the Club24 experience, though we’d expect it would then cost money to access. That’s too bad, as we could see ourselves blindly staring at our computer screen for 24 hours if Baekdal’s app were available.
Thanks for the tip, Eliot!

[Source: Baekdal.com]

 

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Filed under: Euro, Supercars, Acura, Honda

Click image for a high-res gallery of the event

Our first experience behind-the-wheel of an NSX (circa 1996) reinforced our decision to keep Car and Driver’s cutaway drawing above our desk until we moved out of the ‘rents house. Honda’s foray into mid-engine exotica has a similarly obsessive following, as evidenced by the NSX Club Britain’s takeover of JapFest the weekend before last.

43 pristine examples of the NSX converged on the event, including one G-plate NSX that held the distinction of being the second such vehicle imported to Britain. With just 7,700 miles on the odometer, this 1990 model underwent an extensive restoration by Honda and was reportedly driven by Ayrton Senna during a trip to the UK.

Some of the participants traveled from as far away as Northern Ireland and Scotland to show off their wares, while others bombarded the track to test the limits of one of the few “everyday supercars.” Color us impressed by the effort. Now if we can just find that cutaway pic, we’d like to get it framed and hung over our mantle.

Honda’s full press release is posted after the jump.

Continue reading NSX-takeover at Castle Combe

 

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Filed under: Motorsports, Euro, Tech, Videos

Fun though it may be, racing is still an applied science. Perhaps this is most evident in the tech heavy F1 cars. BMW uses a very trick wind tunnel to test their Sauber F1 car in virtually all dynamic conditions to ensure that the aerodynamics give the desired result. This video has a bit of a Kubrick/2001 feel to it, but it’s fascinating watching the car “drive” on this gigantic treadmill. As usual, the video does a much better job than a whole bagful of words, so check it out after the jump.

[Source: MotorAuthority]

Continue reading VIDEO: Step inside BMW’s F1 wind tunnel

 

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Filed under: Etc., Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz

I ran across this posting over at Motorcycle News and thought I would share my findings with the rest of the class. A man by the name of Oberdan Bezzi has his own blog where he sketches his two-wheeled fantasies and posts them for all to see. That takes some guts, unless, of course, you are extremely talented, which we think Oberdan qualifies as. As we are a site that obsessively covers the automotive industry first and foremost, we think you should take a look at his ideas on the types of bikes companies such as Audi, Mercedes Benz and Bugatti could produce. BMW already produces motorcycles, but he tackles the Bavarian automaker anyway. Now that you have started off with those, feel free to take a look at some of his other designs and notice how he integrates well known styling cues from major manufacturers into his designs. Very good work indeed!

[Source: Motosketches via Motorcycle News]

 

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Filed under: Time Warp, Etc., Misc. Auto Shows

If you’re in the New York area this weekend, and have a hankering for some jaw-dropping automotive eye-candy, be sure to head up to Greenwich, CT, where the annual Greenwich Concours d’Elegance will be taking place June 2nd and 3rd on the waterfront at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park.

The Concours is a labor of love for its founders and co-chairs, Bruce and Genia Wennerstrom, and as is always the case, they’ve assembled a spectacular variety of classic, important and rare vehicles. Among this year’s highlights are the 1955 Boano-bodied Lincoln Indianapolis concept (we’ve seen this car in person — it’s fantastic), a 1905 Packard, a 1948 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet, a Ghia-bodied 1956 Jaguar XK140, and much, much more. In total, some 300 cars will be displayed over the event’s two days.

Follow the jump for more info…

[Source: Greenwich Concours d’Elegance]

Continue reading Greenwich Concours d’Elegance set for this weekend

 

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Filed under: Etc., Green, Tech

High fuel prices and energy mandates bring all sorts of alternative fuel research and technology to the fore. University and government researchers recently whipped up a special blend of 13 enzymes and spices that releases hydrogen from a mixture of starch and water. There’s no word on how it tastes, but it will definitely give you some pep, packing into six pounds the same wallop as a gallon of gasoline. The process produces hydrogen efficiently, so a vehicle using a hydrogen-powered fuel cell would only need to carry 12 gallons of water and 60 pounds of solid starch (96 lbs total), plus the enzyme blend, to achieve a 300-mile range. While this process appears to be an economical way to produce hydrogen in a manner quick enough for use in an automotive fuel cell, it does generate carbon dioxide. The reaction also requires a temperature of 86 degrees farenheit. Neither problem sounds as difficult as cold fusion, and the technique will be test driven in small fuel cells for mobile phones before testing in vehicles. Sugar water, pasta power, call it what you will, wouldn’t it be nice to fizz up some power to get you on your way?

[Source: Automotive DesignLine]

 

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

Click image for gallery

Motorsports fans who’d like to get a peek at the inner workings of Prodrive would be advised to get their fannies on a jumbo to England this July. That’s when the company’s motorsports HQ will be opened to the public for two days (7/14 - 7/15), giving fans a chance to learn how it creates and supports the five racing cars it handles on-site.

In addition to the learning element, fans will be entertained by the likes of Johnny Herbert and David Brabham, who will demonstrate the Aston Martin DBR9 while its crew performs pit stops on the car. Similarly, the Subaru World Rally Team will be servicing Petter Solberg’s WRC ride for the public. The Prodrive heritage center will show off older race cars, and displays from Aston Martin and Subaru will contain fun stuff like Bond’s Aston Martin DBS from Casino Royale, as well as Benedict Radcliffe’s wire-frame Impreza sculpture.

There’s more, too, as you’ll see in the press release after the jump. It’s all for charity, with the proceeds going to the Oxford Children’s Hospital. If you’re going to be in the UK in mid-July, it sounds like a good time is waiting to be had. Ticket info can be found here, and more information about Oxford Children’s Hospital can be found here.

[Source: Prodrive]

PRESS RELEASE:
Prodrive opens its doors to motorsport fans

Prodrive is opening up its motorsport headquarters at Banbury to the public on July 14 & 15 to raise money for charity.

The business, which runs the Subaru World Rally Team and Aston Martin Racing, and which is entering Formula One in 2008, will give fans the chance to get behind the scenes of one of the world’s largest motorsport facilities.

Johnny Herbert and David Brabham will be driving the Aston Martin DBR9, while the team performs live Le Mans-style pit stops on the car. The Subaru World Rally Team will be setting up its World Rally Championship service park in the grounds and carrying out timed services on Petter Solberg’s Impreza World Rally Car.

Prodrive is opening up all its workshops with staff on hand to explain how the company designs and manufactures all the components and systems for the five different cars it assembles on the site: Subaru Impreza World Rally Car; Subaru Impreza Group N; Aston Martin DBR9; Aston Martin DBRS9 and the Aston Martin Rally GT.

The Aston Martin car display will include some of the famous Bond cars, including the DBS from Casino Royale, while the display of Subaru road cars will include artist, Benedict Radcliffe’s, wire-framed sculpture of the Impreza. In Prodrive’s heritage centre, visitors can see fully restored race and rally cars, including a 1996 Colin McRae Impreza and Richard Burns Safari rally-winning World Rally Car.

A full scale simulator will give rally fans the chance to see how it feels to ride with Petter Solberg on his record breaking run through the Ouninpohja stage at the 2004 Rally Finland.

There will be driver signing sessions and the opportunity to buy team merchandise at specially-discounted prices, as well as an auction of motorsport memorabilia. There is food and entertainment for all ages, with special activities, including quad biking, for young children.

Each day starts at 10am and all proceeds go towards the Oxford Children’s Hospital appeal.

Tickets for each day are priced at £12 for adults; £6 for children (16 and under) with under-5s free. For more information and to purchase tickets please visit www.prodrive.com.

 

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Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

Do a search for “roof regulations” on Autoblog and the No. 1 result will be a post written back on August 19, 2005. That’s how long it’s been since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed the latest increase to the 35-year-old federal requirements that govern the strength of a vehicle’s roof. The proposal was to increase the current standard of a roof being able to hold 1.5 times the vehicle’s weight to 2.5 times.

Despite this being a very time sensitive issue, the proposal has been delayed yet again. The Detroit News reports the NHTSA says it will not be able to rule on the new standards by the prior set date of August 31st, but will instead write up a “revised preliminary proposal” by the end of September and finalize it by July of 2008.

[Source: The Detroit News]

There are a lot of pieces in play here that affect what the new proposed standards will be and when they’ll be put into law by Congress. For one, making roofs stronger adds cost and weight to a vehicle, both of which the automakers are opposed to. While adding between $17 and $88 to the price of a vehicle to save some lives is diffficult to argue against, adding additional weight to the top of a vehicle inceases its center of gravity and could make some significantly less stable. In many cases, sophisticated electronic stability control systems currently on the market can prevent many rollovers from happening in the first place. On the other hand, safety advocates argue that the 35-year-old standard and inadequate testing methods of the NHTSA are the real danger. Either way, both sides will have another year to argue over who is right.

 

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Filed under: Etc., Supercars

click on above image for more high-res pics of the SSC Ultimate Aero TT

Back in March, SSC went for the mantle of World’s Fastest Production Car with its Ultimate Aero TT. The attempt failed due to a number of factors, one of which was bad weather, but SSC is still determined to take the title away from the Koenigsegg CCR, which is the current record holder with an official run up to 242 mph. (The Bugatti Veyron has reportedly gone 253 mph in an unofficial run.)

Winding Road recently spoke with Junus Khan, SSC’s marketing director, who claims that the Ultimate Aero TT hit 241.4 mph during a transmission temperature test on May 22. At the time, the driver was reportedly using only 71 percent of the car’s available throttle, which implies it’s got plenty of reserve to break the official record of 242 mph. With 1,183 bhp on tap behind the driver’s head, we’re sure the SSC Ultimate Aero TT will shatter the record soon once the company organizes another official attempt. Khan says they’ll be going for it in the “very near future.”

[Source: Winding Road]

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Tech, Jaguar

click above image for more pics of the Jaguar XKR with JaguarDrive

The spies at KGP Photography have been trying to capture Jaguar’s new JaguarDrive transmission selector interface all week, and until today the best view they got was almost completely covered by an engineer’s hand. Finally, however, the engineers in charge of keeping the XKR test mule under wraps slipped up. These shots show the production version of the JaguarDrive transmission selector that was first shown on the C-XF Concept and was though to be destined for just the productoin XF sedan. These spy shots seem to indicate that Jaguar is planning to introduce the new interface on other models, including the XKR.

Exactly how the shifter works isn’t clear, but the flat face contains a round dial that we think will somehow raise into the palm of the driver’s hand when the car is started. In fact, the dial may not so much rise up as the rings around it retreat so that surface remains flat. A turn of the dial, it would seem, selects the PRND of your choice. There are four buttons below the dial that presumably allow one to change the suspension and shift settings of the car. The two lowest buttons are difficult to make out, but of the two upper buttons, one is clearly marked DSC and the other displays a checkered flag that likely denotes a setting for track use.

Follow the jump for more…

[Photos: KGP Photography]

Jaguar described the new transmission selector in its press release for the C-XF Concept. It states, “Sink into the C-XF driver’s seat and a jewel-like Power button pulses on the centre console - its rhythm representing the ‘heartbeat’ of the car. Press the button and beneath your hand concentric aluminium rings spiral downwards to allow the new circular JaguarDrive Selector to nestle directly in your palm.”

KGP is confident that we’ll see the JaguarDrive in other models besides the upcoming XF sedan and the XKR, though it may be rolled out on the most premium models first. It’s certainly a trick piece of tech that gives Jaguar something no other brand has, but does it offer any real value beyond its high-tech look and gotta-have-it factor? That’s something we won’t know until Jaguar officially debuts the feature in the near future.

 

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