Posted on June 27, 2009 in:
General
Remember as a kid when you’d pick up any ol’ scrap of material and create an amazingly complex tank or heavily fortified hillside bunker? How about a life-size F1 car replica… out of Styrofoam?
Michael A. Salter never grew out of that art-for-scrap mode of thought as evidenced by his life-size and fairly accurate replica Formula One race car made entirely from recycled styrofoam pieces.
The installation is currently on display at the South Waterfront John Ross Residency Gallery in Portland, Oregon and also features some of Salter’s 2D works. read more »
Posted on June 27, 2009 in:
Lotus
After attending the second event of the 2008 Lotus Challenge Series last May, we were convinced the up-start had potential. Lotus Cars USA seems to agree and has become the title sponsor for the 2009 season.
In its inaugural year, the series stuck to California for six of its events, along with two races at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada. For 2009, the campaign is expanding to ten events in the western US, including stints at Laguna Seca and Infineon, with four more events planned in Texas.
The series – part track day and part time-attack – brings together Lotus enthusiasts of all stripes, divides the field according to experience level and vehicle model/modifications, and sets them loose for a weekend of down-and-dirty track action.
You can get all the details, along with the 2009 schedule, in the press release after the break, and check out the Lotus Challenge website to sign up for any of the 2009 events. read more »
Posted on June 27, 2009 in:
General
We played with Transformers as kids and have a considerable appetite for anything automotive, making the second installment of the Transformers film franchise a must watch in an otherwise uninspiring summer blockbuster season.
While we didn’t dare hope for a compelling story line, we were pretty sure Director Michael Bay wouldn’t let us down with regards to special effects. We hit the theater to see if Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen lived up to the considerable hype, and basically got exactly what we expected. Hit the jump to check out our brief review.
As you’ve undoubtedly already seen from teaser promos posted here on Autoblog, the theme of TF2 is ‘Sam goes to college and freaks out because he sees symbols.”
Then a series of battles ensue with a bunch of computer-generated violence. If you go to TF2 expecting great acting and a riveting plot, then you walked into the wrong theater. read more »
Posted on June 27, 2009 in:
Renault
With nearly every automaker launching special editions by the boatload, it’s hard to point a finger and claim one is really bilking it more than the others.
Especially not at Renault, which typically applies the special badge treatment to limited editions of its rippin’ Renaultsport hot hatches.
So you’d figure that if the French automaker were to launch a special line to honor its own one-marque formula racing series, it’d bring the goods, right? Unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be the case with the World Series special edition Clio and Megane.
Not to be confused with baseball’s championship, the World Series by Renault is a racing class started over a decade ago by sister company Nissan and functions as a stepping stone for aspiring racers with an eye toward F1. read more »
Posted on June 27, 2009 in:
Ford
More good news comes from the Blue Oval camp today as Ford CEO Alan Mulally has said that the automaker plans to “[increase] production to support the desirability of Ford products.”
Despite a downturn in new car sales, Ford – the only member of the Detroit 3 automakers that has not filed for bankruptcy protection in the last two months – has actually managed to gain a few ever-important percentage points of market share from its global rivals, including fellow American automakers General Motors and Chrysler.
In related news, Mulally says that Ford is well on its way to returning to profitability in 2011 as planned. Last year, Ford recorded its worst-ever loss of $14.8 billion and expects to continue posting smaller losses through 2009 and 2010, but Mulally is confident the company has sufficient funds on hand to finance the turnaround plan made possible by the $23 billion the automaker raised in 2006 shortly before the global economy hit the panic button. read more »
When Infiniti decides to tackle a new market, it sure knows how to make an entrance. At the Geneva Motor Show in March, the gas-electric hybrid Essence made jaws drop with its commanding size, beautiful lines, and green-inspired 592-hp soul.
Unfortunately for every man, woman and child on the face of the earth, the Essence won’t make its way to production — ever — but it’s actually going to be driven in the UK… briefly.
Infiniti’s voluptuous concept will make an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it’ll make the run the hill climb and be joined at the FoS-TECH pavilion by the world’s first right-hand-drive G37 convertible.
While we’re more than a little disappointed that the Essence will never hit production, if the concept’s handsome design makes its way into other Infinitis, it’d be a good start. Press release below the fold. read more »
Posted on June 24, 2009 in:
General
Ever since the cartoon “The Jetsons” first aired people wondered when the first flying car would launch. It may be sooner than you think. Terrafugia Inc, held a public launch of their flying car and want to launch the vehicle/aircraft sometime around 2011. They say it will be priced at about $193,000.
“This breakthrough changes the world of personal mobility. Travel now becomes a hassle-free integrated land-air experience. It’s what aviation enthusiasts have been striving for since 1918,” says Carl Dietrich, CEO of Terrafugia.
The flying car can drive at highway speeds and can top out at about 115 MPH through the air. Below is the video of the first flight of the aircraft/motor vehicle. read more »
