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innovation008 · 2 years ago

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Top 10 Amazing Cars Bike , Velomobiles, and Quadricycles That Will Take...

Enjoy High Definition Videos of all these amazing bike cars that will blow your mind! 0:00 Introduction 0:34 Outrider Coyote 4WD - Compact Electric ATV "World's lightest 4x4" gets disabled folk back to the great outdoors North Carolina company Outrider USA has launched what it claims is the lightest production 4x4 ever. The new Coyote is an all-electric, single-seat off-road vehicle designed to put outdoor adventures back on the menu for people with reduced mobility. The Coyote is built for physically disabled and able-bodied riders alike. 👉• http://www.outriderusa.com 1:41 Swincar Electric Mobility Bizarre all-terrain spider car sprouts tandem and mobility versions The Swincar still ranks as one of the most magnificently weird and wonderful vehicles, and this ditch-straddling electric oddity is now available in street-legal tandem and mobility versions. In essence, the Swincar is a tilting electric four-wheeler, with a hub motor in each wheel and a "pendulum" suspension system that lets it boogie like a moon buggy over ridiculously rough terrain. 👉• https://www.swincar.net/ 2:40 Wesll AWD Leaning Quad The 900 GS AWD Hybrid Adventure Quad from Wesll is not your ordinary bike. It comes with a four-wheel leaning suspension system that allows for perfect stability of the vehicle, making it able to tackle any type of terrain and lean as far as 55 degrees while still operating the vehicle. The leaning technology used in the quad bike applies a camber torque to all four wheels through a center mass shift, allowing the driver to easily change direction. As a result, stability is massively improved, and the bike can cope with any type of on or off-road terrain and any weather conditions, from snow to rain and mud. 👉• https://wesll.com/ 3:29 Utah Trikes - Revolution eQUAD The Revolution eQuad was designed to handle all sorts of terrain. It makes a great ATV, car replacement, golf cart, and all-around fun riding vehicle. The eQuad is highly customizeable with motor and rear suspension as standard equipment. 👉• https://www.utahtrikes.com/ 4:29 Urban Drivestyle’s new DUO Moke is a compact, powerful and fun electric cargo bike that can legally be ridden as a electric bicycle with up to 25 km/h. It features a strong steel frame and two electric engines on the rear hubs. Power is provided you a battery and a pedal operated generator to make it a true human-electric hybrid electric bike. 👉•https://urbandrivestyle.com/ 5:23 Aero-Service Mountain Cart 4x4 Poland's EV4 heads to the mountains with electric cart and skateboard Polish engineer Jack Skopinski launched an electric trail machine designed for disabled riders wanting to venture off the beaten track. Around the same time, he built an off-road electric skateboard featuring two 2,500-W motors. Now he's made a 4x4 version of the Mountain Cart and upped the power for a Mountain Board flavor of the Boardzilla. 👉• http://www.ev4.pl/ 6:31 Velove and Quicab The Velove Armadillo is a four wheel cargo bike (or cargo quad if you wish) with electric assist. It handles great and has super smooth suspension! It is designed for use on bike paths, with a width just slightly over the width of regular bicycles (86 cm compared to 76 cm+swaying). Quicabs are an adaptation to the Velove Armadillo cargo cycle and semi-trailer. Velove is more established and their vehicles are already being sold to multi-national logistics companies including DHL. Quicabs will be accessible to users of foldable wheelchairs who can currently access standard saloon cars. 👉• https://www.velove.se/ 7:55 CityQ is like a four-wheeled electronic-drive ebike Ebikes may indeed require less pedalling effort than regular bicycles, but most still offer little in the way of cargo capacity or protection from the elements. The CityQ is designed to provide both, along with four-wheeled stability. 👉• https://www.cityq.com/ 8:24 Finnish-built Kinner velomobile is like a human-powered classic car Created by Finnish guitar-builder and classic-vehicle-restorer Ari Jukka Luomaranta, the Kinner takes its name from the Finnish term Kinneri, which was used to describe velomobiles in the 1940s. 👉• https://www.kinner-car.com/ 8:57 The Bio‑Hybrid stands for a new, contemporary form of personal urban mobility and means of transportation. We are committed to delivering a synthesis of functionality, design, technology, driving pleasure and zero emissions. We provide impetus and pave the way to a digitally connected world. #personaltransportations #Velomobiles #Quadricycles #BikeCars ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 彡 Thanks for watching 😊 Make sure to Subscribe 👈, Like 👍, Comment and click the bell to never miss a release ! 🔔 ⭐ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy0b... Web ⭐ https://www.toptechtopic.com/

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psychic-timetraveler · 7 years ago

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I had way too much fun writing this and I wanted to share it immediately!

“Enfoiré incopetent!” Rose yelled, making the universal driver hand signal ‘what the fuck are you doing’.

Brad laughed. “I love when you get terrible road rage. I like to imagine that you called that horrible human a jack off.”

Rose shrugged, smirking a bit as she tapped the ashes from her cigarette out the window. “Eh, more or less. Always handy having French-Canadian family members who I spent good chunks of my summers with; swear words curtesy of my cousins who were in middle and high school at the time.”

Brad adjusted his sunglasses. “Now I have to know what you called them.”

“I called them an incompetent motherfucker.” She responded, completely nonchalant about the whole endeavour.

“Well that was widely underwhelming.” He frowned.

“It was the first thing that came to mind with the window open. Bite me.”

His smirk returned. “Gross.”

She let out a loud groan before taking another puff of her cigarette. As she exhaled the smoke out the window she spoke. “Ugh, why am I friends with you?”

“Uh, because you need mental stability and a vent outlet to promote healthy coping habits. Maybe?” He stated matter-of-factly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Damn you for being right.” If she weren’t driving, she would be glaring at him through her clip on sunglasses.

“You also love me.” He smiled, scooching closer to her and resting his head on her shoulder.

Rose could feel his gaze and that there was a good chance he was batting his eyes at her under his sunglasses. She shook her head. “Most days.”

He finally got off of her and laughed before sticking his arm halfway out the car window. “I can live with that at least.”

“Careful with your arm out the window, your pasty white skin is going to burn if you’re not careful.” Rose smirked, taking another drag of her cigarette.

“Fuck off.” He laughed, flipping her off with the hand that wasn’t out the window. “Careful smoking those things, they damage your lungs pretty bad.” Brad sassed back.

“Blow it out your ass.”

“I would love to see how that would work, really.”

“You sassy fucker.”

In the most nonchalant voice possible, Brad responded, “sass is the only thing I like to fuck.”

That so happened to be the one time where Rose was taking a drag of her cigarette and began to choke on the smoke because of her best friend being an asshole. Choking on smoke and laugher, she felt her eyes watering and was almost tempted to pull over to the side of the road to get her composure back to a more stable for driving state. Thankfully they approached a yellow light and she took the chance to slow down to stop on red to steady herself.

Brad noticed this and was too busy laughing hysterically at her misfortune. He attempted to speak but cut off each time he opened his mouth with more laughter. Rose flicked her cigarette out the window and took her now free hand to wipe the tears that were about to start falling down her cheeks. Also attempting to speak, her words kept getting cut off by a mixture of laughter and coughing.

Once the light turned green again, she began to drive more steadily again. Half a mile down the road of laughter, Rose was finally able to speak again.

“I fucking hate you, you absolute walnut!” She laughed.

“You almost killed us!” Brad managed to laugh out.

“I hate you, so much. I outta make you walk the rest of the way!” She shook her head and was able to shove his shoulder. “Trying to fucking kill us.”

“Yes, because that was my fullest intent.”

“Would you like to leave your sass at the door?”

“I paid them off already, they should have gotten their fill. I sure did.”

She shook her head, fighting back laughter once more. “I hate you.”

“I love you, you know that?” Brad laughed, leaning over to rest his head on her shoulder again.

“I will hurt you.” Rose shrugged him off.

“I’m someones dream man, you know that?”

“In your dreams, maybe. That’s kinda pushing it, dude.”

“Ouch, harsh.”

“You tried to kill me!”

“You’re killing yourself smoking those things.”

“My car, my rules. Guess what, there’s a new rule! New rule is that Bradley doesn’t trying to kill me by being a sassy motherfucker!”

#wip #writing post #category: time traveler

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 7 years ago

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Dear the internet and comic book fandom.

Spider-Man’s life is no more or less chaotic than MOST super heroe’s lives beyond the fact that he no longer has a steady job or romantic partner.

The key phrase there though is ‘no longer’, because those USED to be true of the character.

Even before then though his love and work life was chaotic as a NATURAL consequence of his life as Spider-Man. Being a hero is literally more important than everything else he does because it created a very real, tangible and immediate difference to the world.

By being Spider-Man not only were multiple criminal activities shut down before they could happen, not only were many criminals frightened off the streets or too intimidated to go in for as much crime as they would normally do, but criminals in the midst of crimes were stopped quickly minimizing the harm to innocent civilians and property.

And a lot of those crimes were the kinds that the authorities couldn’t have or might not have cared to intervene in. If someone is quietly ambushed in a back alley with a gun or a family is being extorted by the local mob who’ve intimidated them out of calling the police (or even bribed the police) the authorities cannot respond to those very real threats to the lives and livelihoods of innocent people, at least not in time.

Spider-Man can and does frequently, countless New Yorkers have been spared a mugging or worse thanks to Spider-Man’s efforts.

And of course it’s not just crime fighting. Spider-Man has intervened in disaster spots that aren’t the deliberate works of criminals. He’s rescued people from burning buildings, dealt with drunk drivers, ensured debris from dangerous weather doesn’t hurt anyone on the ground, swung people to medical facilities who otherwise might’ve died waiting for paramedics. At times Spider-Man even does things regular emergency services could never do. If someone is trapped on the top floor of a burning 80 storey high sky scraper as far as the regular fire department are concerned they are a lost cause. But they aren’t lost to Spider-Man.

All this isn’t even addressing the obvious fact that Spider-Man has individually and as part of group efforts halted the efforts of super powered individuals the conventional authorities are simply not equipped to cope with. Whether it’s the Carnage on a killing spree, Electro draining the power grid, or Doctor Octopus trying to detonate a nuclear bomb or maybe the Rhino is just on a rampage, Spider-Man has contributed to neutralizing those threats that would have gotten the regular police killed full stop.

Not only do all his efforts you know, SAVE LIVES and minimize injury and mental trauma to victims/potential victims, not only does it minimize property damage, not only does it objectively reduce the crime rate across the city (see ASM #50 where Spidey’s brief retirement spikes the crime rate) but it also frees up time and resources for conventional authorities and meant they could focus upon other things as well as not risk their own health and lives in trying to tackle these things. There are police officers and fire fighters who are alive specifically because Spider-Man saved people on the 3rd floor of a burning building or because he was the guy who rescued a bunch of hostages held by an armed lunatic in five minutes flat.

So yeah, what Peter does is profoundly important and it takes up A LOT of his time.

He doesn’t just live a normal life and intervene whenever he happens across an emergency, he’s far more proactive than that. Spider-Man travels around via his webs both because it’s faster and more enjoyable than conventional transportation but also because it gives him the chance to intervene in crimes or emergencies he might spot en route, which is not just altruistic but also gives him the opportunity to earn money which he you know...needs in order to survive and support himself...like all of us.

If he isn’t intervening emergencies he encounters just in the course of his day-to-day life, he is actively going out on patrol (which usually happens after dark because no shit that’s when most criminal activities happen meaning he can help more people that way) looking for things he could help with. And if he isn’t doing that then he might be investigating a case and following up on some leads, e.g. if he knows there is a big arms deal that will be going down soon, he might be trying to get information on that and catch the culprits before anything happens.

And whilst he does web-swing to relax, that’s no different than people who take walks or drives or watch some TV to unwind but for some reason a certain segment of fandom throw shade at him for doing that as if he doesn’t need to distress and relax like all humans on Earth.

All this as you might imagine takes up A LOT of time and is very stressful.

But it’s not something he can confine to mere regular hours. If he knows a crime is brewing within the criminal underworld what is he supposed to do? Ignore it? If he sees a crime directly below him whilst en route to a date or to class or whatever is he supposed to let it slide? Is he ONLY supposed to intervene in crimes as he encounters them during his regular day as opposed to going out on patrol at night when he KNOWS he will be able to make more of a difference?

The answer to all of these questions is of course no. He helps too many people in ways to significant to just be Spider-Man on the side essentially or to just strictly confine his efforts to a set number of hours in his day no matter what, or to do as Doc Ock did and let the small stuff slide.

Doing all THAT shit is what made maintaining his civilian life (which he DID need to maintain because he needs personal fulfilment like all of us, if for no other reason than it keeps him stable and thereby effective as an ongoing super hero) so messy. That’s not even diving into how his enemies could come and bite his normal life in the ass.

It wasn’t that he was himself a disaster it was that the his life became somewhat chaotic as a natural consequence of him doing the right thing that made a real difference to the world.

You know, Sam Raimi made a pretty great movie about this in 2004. Spider-Man COULD have delivered that pizza on time and kept his job if he hadn’t bothered to save those children from being run over. He COULD have made Mary Jane’s play if he hadn’t stopped those armed car jackers who were shooting at people. He COULD have been earning great grades in college if he wasn’t saving people from mechanical octopus men.

When you factor all this stuff in is it REALLY unbelievable that Peter’s life through no fault of his own (unless you counted being a hero his fault) was so chaotic?

Does it really spin him as a messy, unfocused disaster or as someone held back from making his life as neat and tidy as it could be because he does an immeasurably important job (for FREE no less) that will by it’s very nature make his life difficult to stabilize.

And frankly if OTHER characters’ lives are neater and more tidy than his it’s either because they have been lucky enough to not deal with as much crap as Spider-Man (looking at you Bruce money bags Wayne) or else because frankly they are far LESS realistic than Peter Parker.

And lest we forget being a relatively realistic superhero was kind of you know...the point of Spider-Man.

#Spider-Man #Peter Parker #Spider-Man 2 #Sam Raimi #Raimi Spider-Man #Carnage #Doctor octopus #Doc Ock #otto octavius #Cletus Kasaday #Rhino

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familyvisionis2020 · 5 years ago

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Day 5 - Huntsville

Jeremy’s up the earliest and sends a text to us that he’s getting breakfast with Noah at a place called the Grit. Rather than opt to join I just post up on the porch with Trey and indulge in a long long blog post.The weather is cooler and grayer, joggers and dog-walkers and kids on bikes roll down the streets, slow syrupy sunday morning, humidity and gristle, butter pats wouldn’t melt if you left them out on your plate but they wouldn’t be too taut to sink your teeth into. I feel a fundamental sense of repair from typing, reviving a column of spirit I’d quietly suffocated, knock loose a clot of rust in my clockwork and the machinery is humming along again. Now that I have the link to the blog to share to people I feel like I’m gingerly handing the missing puzzle piece to my patrons and well-wishers and companions, indulging a curiosity and rounding something out to myself that might prove the regard and sensitivity my quietness can bely, might be a kindness or a service to people who find me austere or impenetrable or bristly. I was staring at a picture of a cactus and identifying with it the other day, tall, two arms, tiny head, spiky, full of water, not so bad if you’re careful with them, just like me.

Later tonight I will watch Tired Frontier play the last set of their tiny tour with us and what will end up being our last show of the tour as well. Watching the face of the guys I see things so so different then when I saw them for the first time, when they were complete strangers, tourmates but sight unseen. What I saw in their faces the first time I saw them play: Royal is tall and broad-shouldered and country and active and maybe a little sloppy and expanive and reminds me a ton of my friend Mike, so I have love for him off the bat, also his weird tuning and rococo pedal board setup and heedless mustache and you know, wife, set off little clockworks of insecurity in me and my mind props up baseless criticisms of him sourced solely from my ignorance of him. After three shows we are not friends but I know him much better, have seen him from more angles, have a better sense of him, he loves doing bits and laughs high and loud and chills endlessly, in this way he matches the tone and cadence of Kabir magnificently. Paul is beautiful and has a face like a svelter Jim Carrey and kneads the keyboard effortlessly, digital dough, his fingers are narrow and elegant and move only enough to play the next keys, the same sort of parsimony of motion I used to see from chefs with expert knife skills. I envy his bouny raven thick-sable hair. Trey looks plainly joyful when he plays drums. He extends his crash cymbal hardware to the maximum length so his crash is preposterously high up. I can’t discern a reason other than it’s kind of fun or different. He’s enthusiastic about my writing, I get to share him some other work I’ve done, he says he loves it, I swell with gratitude and we exchange emails.

The morning in Athens goes more or less like the morning before: me and Kabir and John and Paul all go get breakfast at Donderos’ again, drink tea and coffee, pack up our stuff. We take some group photos with both bands outside on the porch with the orbs and they’re cute and silly. Kabir flipped a coin to decide whether me or John drives the next stretch, it’s me, I’m a little apprehensive because I haven’t driven a 15-passenger van in awhile, but once I’m in it’s like riding a bike, I have muscle memory of driving big vehicles from U-Haul trips and, before that, the box truck I drove to transport food donations to the pantry of the Servant Center in Greensboro. I’m a good driver, I check my mirrors, I put on a halloween mix I made in 2015 and I am feeling myself, focused, caffienated, surrounded by friends, there’s some clouds in the sky and drizzles but it’s not bad and we’re making good time. The boys just listen along with me to the DJ mix for awhile then start up a new crossword puzzle and we all 4 do it collaboratively, one person describing the clue, letters, cross-clues, and we brainstorm for answers, between the four of us we’re really good at this, and we’re all laughing and in great spirits as we methodically complete the puzzle. We stop in Marietta Georgia at one point to use the bathroom, we stop at a KFC with a 20-foot mechanized/animatronic chicken head whose eyes roll back in its head and whose giant beak opens and closes in regular time like a campy pendulum. I buy a postcard and a souveneir cup from here because I think my Mom has family from Marietta Georgia but when we’re back in the car I can’t remember if it’s Marietta Georgia or Marietta Ohio, but I figure it will be well-received either way. We get back on the road and now we’re off the highway and onto some more remote state routes and we pass into Alabama and the rain lets up but its still overcast so the light is gentle and diffuse, the hills are rolling, we pass a colony of tiny homes, weird, livestock, bulls with giant horns that when I see them I just say ‘aurochs’ absent mindedly, livestock and cotton fields and when we see police someone will just say ‘ops’ and the whole drive everyone is just in a good mood, making jokes, kind and breezy. I marvel at how these boys do not seem to carry the same sort of darkness I feel I do, or maybe they just don’t wear it on their sleeves, or maybe none of them are neurodivergent or addicted or traumatized, or maybe they are but hide it well, or have coped and healed…something I’m used to is being around people who require a space to talk about extremely serious and heavy and heartbraking things. Maybe it’s a vestige of a lifestyle I’ve left behind. In all the time I’ve spent with Kabir and Jeremy and John and David (our NC bassist who plays home shows when Jeremy is in NY), I’ve never seen anyone come close to losing their temper, yelling, crying, crumbling, whatever. I marvel at the putative stability of my friends. I like having stable friends, I like having a stable life, it’s not how my life has always been. There is a level of tranquility and calm that washes over me while I’m driving through rural Alabama with my stable friends in a well-maintained van in my healthy body wrapped around a heart that is not broken and a mind that feels as clear and capable as it has ever been. Grace is unearned, I’m told.

We make it to Huntsville on time, the venue is called the Salty Nut, kind of a spacious and tidy bar with a kind bartender my height but with a double thick country accent and the show booker is slight and soft spoken and exceedingly kind, he receives us and then points us in the direction of a nearby restaurant called Banditos Burritos. The restaurant is festooned with vaguely southwestern or hispanic decorations and also random camp like a dirty 1990s Bart Simpson doll, a ruined acoustic guitar, a King Khan poster, a garden gnome on an old-fashioned scale with the sliding thing, a skateboard without trucks painted with a sleeping cactus person wearing a sombrero, etc. The people there are so so nice and when we say we are playing the Salty Nut tonight the guy behind the counter explains that menu items with steak and all beers will cost, but otherwise we can order whatever we want for free. We get burritos, nachos, beans, rice, salsa, hot sauce, ice water in a paper cup. We feast, scarf down, all hungrier than we realized, it’s essentially a non-franchise Taco Bell by my appraisal, which is absolutely perfect as far as I’m concerned, the beans and rice feel good and substantial. Tired Frontier shows up a little after us, gets the same stuff basically, we eat and laugh and finish and go back to the venue and wait around for awhile, I join Jeremy and Royal outside skateboarding and act crazy and try to film them doing tricks but my phone dies and and eventually they stop and we go inside and set up and play. The show goes fine, TF sounds as good as they have so far. They’re playing to a crowd of the other two bands and maybe 8 people in the bar sitting at a table eating food they brought over for Banditos Burritos. The show is fine, unremarkable. When we play, I do the usual routine of trying to play my hardest and with my whole body, and end up dropping sticks more than once and missing some snare hits and not being able to keep up on the driving floor tom parts, mostly because I’m not warmed up and maybe not focusing enough, I’m letting myself get a little carried away trying to play hard and fast rather than keep things tight, I worry this may miff the other guys but after the show there is no indication that anyone even noticed it or cared. There was a cool part where I dropped a stick but instead of it falling to the floor it bounced around on top of the snare and tom and I managed to snatch it out of mid air and keep playing and Jeremy noticed that and that made me feel cool. We played hard and to my ear we got good claps between songs, we are pretty live and high energy and I think even if people don’t like our sound they appreciate the energy, but also some of the songs are earworms and catchy and people like that too, I’ve heard. We finish, the other drummer from the other band, Golden Flakes, says great set man, we perch at the merch table but sell nothng. We listen to Golden Flakes play for close to an hour, very jam band vibe, many many guitar solos, kind of sloppy, sort of high energy rock and roll I guess, I by this time am tired and pretty disinterested, get on my phone for most of it. Toward the end of their sets someone who I assume is a townie is drunk and heckling them between songs in a way that they are clearly fine with and they know the guy and to me for some reason he looks the way I imagine the way the protagonist John from Shit Town the podcast would look. We are in Alabama after all. He sounds like John (not from our band, from the podcast). He’s annoying and I’m being judgy in my head about him when I should maybe feel sorry or indifferent, idk. It feels sad to me, I don’t feel like writing more about it. It’s awkward enough, the heckling and banter from Golden Flakes, that by the end of the set we all kind of joke-rush out of there, quietly agreeing that what’s happening is awkward and unpleasant and we should go. We get put up in Thomas’s apartment, and on on the ride home the guys talk about how Huntsville’s claim to fame is being the place where the Nazi engineers taken during Operation Paperclip were taken after WW2, whose skills were put to use developing rockets, and that all manner of testing has taken place in and around the nearby military base, the Redstone Arsenal. Kabir tells a story about how a nuclear warhead was dropped on NC and by freak chance did not detonate. It would have wiped out the population of the entire Southeast. I didn’t believe it but you can read about it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_Goldsboro_B-52_crash?wprov=sfti1

At the apartment I make a b-line for the couch, get my sleeping stuff out, eat an apple and a banana and a bunch of peanut butter out the jar and go to sleep. At the end of every day I feel so much more irritable and grumpy than I do at other times. I still really treasure a quiet space all to myself to sleep in and so this troubles that. But I just listen to a youtube video on European history, learn nothing, and have no dreams I remember.

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carpostnet · 5 years ago

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Ford Vs Ferrari | An Epic Rivalry | A True Story

History beholds loads of rivalries which have affected the world in come what may. One such rivalry gave the world, one of the vital collectable cars, the Ford GT40. The rivalry dates again to 1963 when Henry Ford II – a.okay.a. Hank the Duece, tried to accumulate Ferrari which led to a decade-long feud between him and Enzo Ferrari, the person behind the Italian carmaker.

Ford Vs Ferrari | An Epic Rivalry | Henry Ford II vs Enzo Ferrari

The Hollywood film, Ford-vs-Ferrari, starring educational award winner Matt Damon and Christian Bale, showcases how a enterprise deal went improper, forcing the egomaniacal industrialist to spend almost $25 million and never lower than a thousand engineering man-hours to avenge his pleasure. This might solely be potential by beating Ferrari on the planet’s most prestigious car race, the 24 Hours Of Le Mans, which was dominated by the Prancing Horse.

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Where did Ford vs Ferrari begin?

In the early 1960s, a era of youth got here into existence which was able to spend some huge cash on luxurious vehicles. This is when Ford Motor Co. had to herald a sports activities car that may enchantment the boomers to purchase a Ford.

Ford Vs Ferrari | An Epic Rivalry | Ford Edsel

Ford Motor Co. was already going through robust competitors within the international markets from the likes of GM and Chrysler. Moreover, the gross sales noticed a steep decline as a result of courtesy of the failed Ford Edsel. All this made Henry Ford II determined to herald fortune to the corporate. The Ford Division normal supervisor, Lee Iacocca, introduced an answer to him, which was, clearly, a sports activities car.

But Ford Motor Co. had no sports activities car within the array of choices. The legendary Ford Mustang was nonetheless a few years from coming into existence.

So, Will Ford Build One?

It was then determined that the one pragmatic strategy to flip the desk was to accumulate a sports activities car firm.

This is when the Italian Carmaker, Ferrari comes into the story. Ferrari at the moment was primarily a race car firm that offered street-legal vehicles to fund the racing division.

Ford Vs Ferrari | An Epic Rivalry | Ferrari 246 F1

After months of negotiation, a deal was near an settlement within the 12 months 1963. Ford Motor Co. quoted a worth of $10 million to Enzo Ferrari to accumulate his firm and all its belongings. A racer by coronary heart, Enzo wished to shut the deal as quickly as potential, which would offer a getaway from the stress of working the corporate each day with a restricted quantity of funds.

Everything Seems To Go In Ford’s Favour. Then Why Ford vs Ferrari Rivalry?

A clause which acknowledged that Ford would management the funds and thus all the selections associated to the Ferrari racing division grew to become the rationale for the settlement to be known as of by Enzo Ferrari as he was in no way prepared to present away firm’s motorsport programme. He added gas to the fireplace by saying that he wouldn’t promote to an unsightly firm that builds ugly vehicles in an unsightly manufacturing facility. If rumours are to be believed, Enzo additionally acknowledged that Henry Ford II was not capable of keep it up the heritage of his grandfather, the true Henry Ford.

But this was not all. Enzo Ferrari offered a significant stake of Ferrari to a different Italian carmaker, Fiat. Hank the Duece and different Ford officers acknowledged that Enzo Ferrari was by no means critical about their deal, however had solely used the deal to pressurize Fiat to pay extra. The tactic labored for Enzo Ferrari leaving Ford Motor Co. empty-handed.

Ford Vs Ferrari | An Epic Rivalry | Ford GT40

Once once more, Ford Henry II was left with no sports activities car within the portfolio and so as to add to the sorrow, the insult by Enzo Ferrari needed to be answered. Instead of Ford and Ferrari, Ford vs Ferrari started. The legendary GT40 was quickly going to be within the image. Henry determined to take revenge by defeating Enzo Ferrari at his personal sport, the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

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A Failed Attempt!

Ford’s Advanced Vehicle Group within the United Kingdom was given the accountability of constructing a beast that may beat Ferrari, nicknamed to be the Ferrari-Killer. They have been already in tune with the accountability as an engine created by Ford’s experimental engine group, Dearborn, Michigan.

But the hasty launch of the primary batch of GT40 paved manner for numerous points akin to points with stability and unreliability. The braking system was not capable of justify the muscular engine. According to Popular Mechanics, Ford engineers calculated that when a driver hit the brakes on the finish of Le Mans’ Mulsanne Straight, the entrance brake rotors would warmth as much as 1,500 levels Fahrenheit inside seconds, inflicting them to fail. This can be disastrous for any driver making an attempt to compete in northwest France. Even the perfect driver from all around the globe would fail with such a significant concern.

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In due time, Ford’s lack of ability to determine a strategy to make their vehicles safer and run for a steady 24 hours on the Le Mans, Ford needed to face two consecutive defeats to Ferrari in 1964 and 1965.

Do-or-Die Situation For Duece! Shelby Comes Into The Picture

This made Ford flip to the one American car driver to ever win at LeMans, Caroll Shelby, to run the racing operations of the corporate. Caroll Shelby, performed by Matt Damon within the film, who was already a marketing consultant on the mission was now below immense stress because the success or failure was in his arms.

Ford Vs Ferrari | An Epic Rivalry | Caroll Shelby, The Saviour

Shelby with the assistance of his trusted pal, a driver and an car engineering professional, Ken Miles (performed by Christian Bale on-screen), rebuilt the Ford GT40. They picked up the place Advance Vehicle group and Ford’s experimental engine group left as the timeframe was tight.

Shelby and Miles Did What Ford Was Not Able To!

Shelby and Miles labored across the clock with a view to enhance stability and dealing with. This was achieved by augmenting the aerodynamics by means of movement testing. The primary thought was that higher a car paves by means of the air, simpler it’s for the engine because the load reduces. Thus much less energy is required.

This was performed by taping yarn to the extrinsic elements of the car. If the yarn laid flat, the design was good. If not, it was induced that there have been necessities of modifications within the design of the car. This helped Shelby and Miles to change suspensions and physique to finesse motion on the monitor.

Phil Remington got here to rescue Ford GT40 from the braking points. Instead of creating brakes that may enable the GT40 final for your entire race, he devised a fast change brake system that may enable the mechanics to exchange the worn-out pads and rotors with a brand new one through the driver change. A nice transfer!

The dynamometer was used to rectify the reliability points. Testing an engine on a Dyno is commonplace observe these days, at the moment, it was radical. A dynamometer is a tool which concurrently measures the torque and rotational pace (RPM) of an engine in order that its instantaneous energy could also be calculated and normally displayed by the dynamometer itself as kW or bhp. The group ran the engine on the dyno for 24 to 48 hours recreating what engine will face in the true race.

Ford GT40 MK II Is Born!

Ford Vs Ferrari | An Epic Rivalry | The Ferrari Killer

The next-generation Ford GT40 was unleashed. The new muscle defeated the Ferrari on the LeMans in 1966. Ferrari was not capable of full the race. But that was not all. Ford GT40 MK II captured all of the three prime positions. The revenge was taken. The ego was glad. The 24 hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring have been amongst different races Ford GT 40 MK II received.

But what’s a win with out a controversy?

Ford’s PR specialist, Leo Beebe, wished to have a good time the win with all of the three muscle tissue crossing the end line in a single body. So Shelby requested Miles to decelerate and let the opposite GT40 drivers cope up. After the race was completed, Miles was disillusioned as he was not the one who completed within the first place. It was Bruce Mclaren who stood at first. So within the Ford vs Ferrari rivalry, Ford emerged as a winner.

Ford Vs Ferrari | An Epic Rivalry | The Ford GT40 MK II Trio

Ken Miles | the person, the legend!

Ken’s dream to come back first on the LeMans race got here to finish attributable to his unhappy demise whereas he was testing one other Ford racecar at Riverside International Raceway in California when he misplaced the management over the car and crashed. He was not fortunate sufficient to outlive the accident.

Ford Vs Ferrari | An Epic Rivalry | Ken Miles, The Unsung Hero

Duece, then again, had a second when the Ford GT40 MK IV, constructed by Shelby, defeated Ferrari in 1967.

The film, Ford vs Ferrari has portrayed the rivalry because it was, to an excellent extent. Watch the trailer of the film right here:

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vietthaimeco · 6 years ago

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2020 Toyota Supra First Drive: Automotive Husbandry

There was a time when Mama and Papa Toyota gave birth to strong, athletic sports cars, starting with the suave 2000GT, sent to boarding school in Coventry and raced by Carroll Shelby. Through the years the family grew to include lithe Celicas, stalwart Supras, even a scrappy rear-drive Corolla GT-S or two. Then something happened, and Mama Toyota found herself unable to conceive sports cars. An impatient Papa Toyota summoned his Fuji concubine, Subaru-san, who gave birth to identical twins—one of which he graciously allowed her to keep. Mama Toyota was furious and forbade Papa Toyota from ever showering his son, 86, with any affection or horsepower. To woo back his betrothed, who desperately wished to birth another great sports car, Papa Toyota hatched a plan to artificially inseminate an auspicious European egg for Mama Toyota to gestate. She’s just given birth, and now the world must determine how this half-breed stacks up against its all-Toyota siblings.

We created this origin-story myth for the joint development of the A90-generation Supra out of frustration when it proved impossible to pin down exactly what roles Toyota and BMW played in the initial design of this new car. The inline-six turbo is obviously all BMW’s—it served as the inspiration for this hook-up in the first place. (“Thy Supras Shall Have I-6 Engines” was chiseled as the forgotten 11th commandment.) Most invisible parts are shared and apparently developed by BMW, if the roundel stickers, engravings, and casting marks are to be believed. The bodywork and the tuning of every tunable element on the Supra was handled by Toyota. We’re told the joint-venture team aimed squarely at Porsche’s 718 range, with BMW targeting the Boxster; Toyota the Cayman.

As for the B58B30M1 engine, although its output roughly equates to that of the European-market BMW Z4 sibling, it does not in fact employ a particle filter in U.S. applications. This begs the question, why not uncork the extra horsepower BMW gets from its filterless U.S. application (tagged B58B30M0)? Chief engineer Tetsuya Tada answers by claiming that balancing the car’s engine and chassis at the Nürburgring led to the 335 hp/365 lb-ft rating. But we find it hard to believe that in this fanboy, numbers-obsessed market segment his team chose to remove 47 horsepower instead of fortifying the chassis to cope with 382 hp. Let’s hope that instead the strategy is to start out conservative and bring a steady stream of higher-output special editions in the years to come.

But let’s return to the essential question at hand: Is this bicontinental cross-breed a “real” Supra?

The striking design may not appeal to everyone, but at least it doesn’t look at all like any BMW and several design cues evince Toyota sports-car DNA: the hatch bustle shape and elements of the headlamp design hark to the previous (A80) Supra, and the side-window shape is pure 2000GT. The proportions are certainly fresh. It’s shorter in length and wider than any of its predecessors, with the cabin set well back behind the requisite long hood. It’s also impressive that the team managed to generate the aero forces required to guarantee stability at the car’s 155-mph-limited top speed with underbody features and the duckbill shape of the hatch surface, leaving the bodywork refreshingly devoid of external wings, spoilers, skirts, and splitters.

Inside, the 2020 Supra’s overall dash, door panel, and seat designs are unlike the Z4’s, but there’s no mistaking all the BMW switchgear—especially the entire iDrive system, complete with all BMW fonts (changing them would have reduced Tada’s budget for making the car lighter and quicker). Whatever you think of the appearance, the functionality of this interior is hard to fault. All controls are intuitive and within easy reach (Consumer Reports just rated iDrive second to Tesla among automotive user interfaces). The 14-way power seats are quite comfortable and supportive, with side wings that can adjust to hug you tight on a track, then relax for the drive home. And the whole driver’s side of the center console area is padded for taller drivers to brace their right knee against. Nice.

I drew the assignment to test out the new Supra in part because I’m old enough (just) to have been around for the 1993 A80 Supra’s launch. and I drove the 2000GT for MotorTrend Classic in 2005. Let me state right here that the 2020 Supra comes off as less exotic than either of those two. That’s OK. Evolving the A80 Supra Turbo, accounting for inflation, would have produced a low-volume 500-ish-hp car priced in the $75,000–$85,000 range, and the 2000GT’s successor was arguably the Lexus LFA.

That’s not to say that the new Supra doesn’t feel special. All new two-seat coupes are rare and wonderful these days, and this one certainly outperforms all its predecessors. Our database confirms that if the factory-estimated 0–60 time of 4.1 seconds holds up, this new Supra will outperform all previous production Toyotas (a supercharged 2008 Tundra TRD and a 1997 Supra Turbo rank as the quickest we’ve tested at 4.4 and 5.1 seconds to 60 mph, respectively).

There’s a launch-control feature to aid in achieving that number, and the standard ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic fires off lightning-quick shifts along the way. Engage Sport mode, and the faultless shift programming preselects the right gear for every corner. This mode also opens an exhaust flap, alters the audio-system engine-note enhancer, and orders up a delightful snap-crackle-pop on overrun courtesy of gloriously wasteful fuel injection during the exhaust stroke (fun fact: This is said to be the only Toyota designed with no fuel-economy target).

Supras are not drag-strip cars. They also need to be able to handle the corners, and toward that end the joint team built a strong foundation—the Supra’s torsional rigidity reportedly exceeds that of the Lexus LFA (not to mention the open Z4). The front strut suspension emulates the ‘super strut’ design Toyota launched on its AE92 Corolla in the late-1980s, featuring two separate ball-jointed lower links for reduced camber change and improved steering feel. To assist with chassis tuning, Mr. Tada once again engaged the services of Dutch Nürburgring veteran racer Herwig Daenens, who assisted with the Toyota 86 (née Scion FR-S).

Their goal was to tune for neutral handling with no surprises. “With a snappy car, the customer will experience it once and never drive it hard again,” Daenens explains as he laps Summit Point Motorsports Park outside Washington, D.C. His first hot lap strings together all the tight corners with laser precision and minimal steering heroics. He then gives me a Formula Drift lap or two, with no giant hand-brakes or diff-locks, rolling on the stock Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires inflated to placard specs (38 psi all around, cold). Speaking of differential locks, the Supra’s is infinitely variable and tuned to reduce corner-entry understeer and to maximize corner-exit traction.

When it’s my turn to duck my helmet under the low window opening and buckle in, I am struck by the intimacy of the car and cockpit. It feels as though I’m positioned near the centers of gravity and rotation, making it feel like this little world indeed revolves around me. One nit to pick—the large driver’s side-view mirror obscures the view of an upcoming apex worse than some, and the tallest drivers may be chagrinned to find the seatback tilting forward toward the rear of the seat track’s travel.

We’re instructed not to switch stability control completely off, to trail-brake into the turns, and to roll judiciously onto the throttle. Indeed, all those driving-school techniques provoke textbook responses in the Supra sans drama or surprises. The steering is extremely precise and nicely weighted, though it lacks the intimate communication of the Cayman Toyota is gunning for. Stability intervention is pleasantly surreptitious. And the super-strong Brembo brakes survive lap after lap after lap without fade, even as we all learn to press deeper into each of the closely spaced corners. Then during a later afternoon session, when we’ve probably used up 280 of the tires’ 300 tread-life rating, I even manage to string together a couple of very nice, controllable corner-to-corner drifts. I emerge, sweaty but smiling.

Once the red mist subsides and we take to the country lanes surrounding Summit Point, the car’s Sunday-drive demeanor proves equally delightful. The 12-speaker 500-watt JBL system cranks out the jams, the ride quality in Sport mode is sufficiently compliant to encourage leaving the car in this ‘fun-exhaust’ mode, and when zipping through a series of S-bends with your phone on the Qi wireless charger, a cover and sufficient fencing keep it from flying into the passenger footwell.

So is this miracle of automotive husbandry worthy of the Supra name? Heck, yeah. It reinvents the concept in a guise that make sense for today’s world, and it’s offered at a price ($50,920 to start, $57,375 fully loaded) that’s a relative bargain when measured against both its predecessor and its Porsche competitor ($58,150, $70,640 similarly equipped to the Launch Edition model). If it’s not precisely what you had in mind, the aftermarket is gearing up to help you fix that.

Want more Supra? Check these out:

8 Things We Learned About the 2020 Toyota Supra While It Was on a Lift

2020 Toyota Supra: The Aftermarket’s Take

2020 Toyota Supra: Here’s Something You Probably Didn’t Know About its Logo

Supra Returns! The Inside Story on the 2020 Toyota Supra’s Comeback

2020 Toyota Supra Design: From FT-1 Concept to Production

Toyota Supra History: Looking Back at Toyota’s Sports Car

Why Toyota’s Supra-Z4 Partnership With BMW Makes Sense

2020 Toyota Supra BASE PRICE $50,920 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door hatchback ENGINE 3.0L/335-hp/365-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 24-valve I-6 TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT 3,400 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 97.2 in LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 172.5 x 73.0 x 50.9 in 0-60 MPH 4.1 sec (mfr est) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 24/31/26 mpg ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY 140/109 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.79 lb/mile ON SALE IN U.S. July 2019

The post 2020 Toyota Supra First Drive: Automotive Husbandry appeared first on Motortrend.

source https://www.motortrend.com/cars/toyota/supra/2020/2020-toyota-supra-first-drive-review/

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robertkstone · 7 years ago

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2019 Jaguar XE SV Project 8 First Drive: The 592-HP Jag Built to Conquer the ‘Ring

That headline is a quote from David Pook that I jotted down during the first-drive event for the 2019 Jaguar XE SV Project 8 in Portugal. Pook is vehicle dynamics manager at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Special Vehicles Operations (SVO) in Warwickshire, England. The quote sounded familiar to this American’s ears. Why? The 1964 Pontiac GTO broke all the rules in GM’s book and, in doing so, is widely credited as the first car of the muscle car era. Pete Estes waived a restriction that A-bodies be limited to 330-cubic-inch displacements. Instead, he approved the replacement of the Pontiac Tempest’s 5.3-liter V-8 with the full-sized Catalina/Bonneville 389-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V-8, creating the Grand Tempest, later dubbed GTO. A star was born. As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now you know the rest of the story.”

If you want to make a legend, you might have to break some rules.

Old Trick, New Car

Until now, the most powerful Jaguar XE, weighing about 3,900 pounds, was powered by a 380-hp supercharged V-6. So the go-fast boffins at SVO decided to apply that Tempest-to-GTO template to the lightweight, aluminum-intensive XE sedan. Start with the smallest car in the XE, XF, XJ lineup, and wedge JLR’s glorious 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 from the XJR575 into the compact sedan. In the XJR575, the engine makes 567 (SAE) horsepower. In the Project 8, it’s pushed to 592 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. For obvious reasons, all-wheel drive was added to the build sheet. Yet Jaguar didn’t intend to build a mere British muscle car. They had a 12.9-mile, 154-turn goal and the go-ahead from those who control budgets to pursue it with a specially engineered car.

If you want to build a legend, you have to break some rules

Target Identified

The Project 8’s foremost goal was to break the 7:32 “flat” four-door sedan Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record set by the 505-hp Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, our, ahem, 2018 Car of the Year. If SVO was able to do it, JLR would commit to a limited run of production XE SV cars (SVR-badged cars are series production). Eighteen months from its inception, in a “production-intent” Project 8, Belgian racing and test driver Vincent Radermecker broke the fastest-sedan record in November 2017—and not by a little. His lap of 7:21.23 was nearly 11 seconds quicker. (Note: This 27-pounds-lighter, two-seat package with rollcage, carbon-fiber front seats, and racing harnesses will not be available in North America.) For perspective, the Jag lap time neatly splits a pair from a mid-engine supercar, the Ferrari 488 GTB, our 2017 Best Driver’s Car. Record in hand, the Project 8 was a go for production. I watched the two record laps and couldn’t help but notice a contrast: The Jaguar driver was much more relaxed.

How’d They Do It?

Special Vehicles Operations set out to thoroughly examine and improve every dynamic part and system. In all, just 20 percent of the original sedan remains in each XE SV Project 8. The body-in-white, windshield, front doors, and dashboard are the same as those found in the standard XE. For the Project 8, the hood, a front splitter, front/rear fascia, and rocker panels are hewn from carbon fiber. The aluminum rear doors are specifically stamped to meet the bulging rear fenders, and the wheels are forged aluminum. To provide more rear bias, the center differential was retuned, and the air-to-oil-cooled rear differential is now electronic/active. SVO enlarged the diameter of the torque tube and both halfshafts to cope with the added power. The adaptive exhaust system is made of titanium. Also unique to the Project 8 are the suspension (height-adjustable with motorsport ball joints), the brakes (carbon ceramic, 15.7-inch front/15.6-inch rear), the wheel bearings (silicon nitride ceramic, like in the space shuttle’s main engines), and the aero package. Aerodynamics achieve a 205 percent reduction in lift with the front splitter and rear wing in the most aggressive track mode, delivering almost 270 pounds of downforce at 186 mph. With a limited production of only 300 hand-assembled cars worldwide (on a first come, first served basis), the $188,495 asking price is easy to justify.

Benchmarks Selected

It was a shock to learn that the SVO team, based in England, had even heard of our 2014 Best Driver’s Car winner, much less driven the fire-breathing 7.0-liter 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, but they had. Indeed, they benchmarked it for its ability to be driven hard and confidently from the first corner to the last, and twice on Sunday. It was as if they copied and pasted right from our BDC story when we wrote, “With the first turn of the wheel, you become confident in the Z/28. With the second, you’re ready to set a hot lap. There is no learning curve.” The SVO team even considered the Z/28’s square tire fitment, with identical 305/30R19 Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tires at all four corners. As SVO agreed, the problem with using tires that wide and aggressive on the front is that, on regular roads, they can affect the steering feel and stability, often nibbling on minute irregularities or tramlining on what appears to be an otherwise smooth surface. Instead, the Project 8 is fitted with 265/35R20 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 front tires and 305/30R20 rear tires. And although the Z/28’s Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers work great pounding pavement into submission, they’re hard to live with every day. Instead, the Project 8 sports multimode Continuously Variable Dampers (CVD) with racy twin-coil springs (regular coils plus helper springs). Steering benchmark? The SVO team selected another industry great: the Porsche 911 GT3. However, the Porsche is a 3,250-pound featherweight (compared to the Jaguar’s estimated 3,950 pounds), plus the Porsche’s engine is in the rear, so its front tires carry just 39 percent of that weight. As such, it would appear that emulating its steering would be an unachievable goal [strokes chin].

Porti-WOW!

There’s a 2.9-mile race track in Portugal called Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, but most people simply call it Portimão, after the town where it resides. It’s a tricky 15-turn roller coaster with blind crests, fast sweepers, a tight hairpin, and a 1-kilometer (0.62-mile) straight. Formula 1 teams use it for testing, and the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) races here. Jaguar chose to showcase its record-breaking sedan here because it’s such a thorough workout for a car. After two laps as a passenger with Pook (a very skilled driver, I will add) at the wheel, my laps began first thing in the morning. Nothing like jumping right in the deep end with the boss.

We swapped seats, and I drove off. Pook made it look easy, and do you know what? Like its Z/28 benchmark, it was easy to get in and just cane it. I now understand why the ’Ring driver was so cool. One of the first things I noticed was how linear the throttle was. Unlike turbocharged engines that tend to have unpredictable pedal input to engine output relations, the supercharged V-8 in the Project 8 gives it to you in precise increments: 4 inches of pedal travel is literally four times more power and torque than 1 inch. It’s very easy to get what you want when you want it. The first time I went for the brake pedal, I expected a carbon-ceramic brick. Instead, the brakes were supple and easy to modulate, with immense stopping power and not a hint of ABS. It was about the best brake pedal feel-to-effectiveness I’ve sampled.

When the first corner arrived, I cranked the wheel. It was light and buttery smooth, and the front tires bit and went. I wasn’t pushing yet, so I went into the next corner with more vigor and got the same obedience and effortless precision. Again and again, no matter the corner, it was always the same. Curbs? Meh. Double-apex right-hander? Got it. The Project 8 felt like—I can’t believe I’m writing this—a Porsche GT3 RS (with some luggage in the frunk). It’s hard to believe, but with the countless hours of EPS tuning, dialing the center and active rear differentials, and the racy suspension, Jaguar nailed it. There’s no muddy sense of all-wheel drive, no binding, and no push. You’d swear it was rear drive by the way it turns in, settles flat as a morning lake, and then erupts like a volcano.

Corner exits are truly a thing of beauty. With power going mostly to the rear wheels, the only time I could sense the front wheels clawing for traction was when I throttled an exit. Just as the Project 8 begins with what should be a lurid slide, it steps out slightly at the back then simply rockets away. “Huh, it must’ve sent some power to the front,” I thought. “Or maybe I’m just a hero. Yeah, that must be it.” It’s the kind of car that shrugs off everything and prods, dares, and begs you, “Go faster next time! Do you even drive, bro?”

In the fast sweeping corners, it was really hard to separate the suspension and tires’ prodigious mechanical grip from aero/downforce, but the car hangs on with the urgency and calm of a rock climber.

On to that half-mile-plus straight: The eight-speed’s upshifts are dispatched in 200 milliseconds with a shove to the back and a satisfying snort from the exhaust pipes each time. The epic roar of the big Jag V-8, now a hallmark for the brand, was even more present in the Project 8. On the first lap, I didn’t dare look. Finally I did: I hit 160 mph before my eyes shot back to the downhill braking zone and I went to the trusty brake pedal. “Aw, I could’ve gone deeper,” I said to myself. The car is stable at speed, under maximum braking, into corners, and out. This is race car–level control and dynamics.

A Road Drive, Too?

Not long after I’d reprogrammed my brain for what a road car—a specifically purpose-built one—could do on a racetrack, our SVO hosts introduced me to the man the other gathered journalists fondly called Scottish Rob, which sounds like something from a Monty Python skit. Nudge-nudge, wink-wink. Rob also works at SVO and was to lead me on a drive through the surrounding area. He drove a Range Rover Sport SVR, and I was in a four-seat Project 8 with the suspension 15mm higher in the street setting. What nobody told me is that Scottish Rob drives as if it’s a special stage in a WRC race. Ptooey! He was off like a shot from the moment we left the parking lot. I frantically looked down for the drive-mode button: “Dynamic, DynaMIC, DYNAMIC!” Rob’s route—well, Portugal in general—reminded me very much of the California roads we drive for car evaluations, surrounded by rolling hills with dry grass and oak trees dotting the landscape. “Yeah, I got this,” I thought, but it was as if Rob was trying to lose me. I wasn’t about to let that happen, and it didn’t. But here’s the thing: I’ve driven a Camaro Z/28 on roads like those, and although that car is capable and exhilarating, it’s also violent and mentally exhausting. The Project 8 is neither of those things. I really put the spurs to it, sticking to Rob’s bumper, but the Project 8 was happy to do it. It was a pussycat in comparison to a Z/28. That same confident, agreeable nature I had experienced on the track translated to the street, as well. Damn, these SVO guys are good. You can break a record at the Nürburgring and drive the same car home in comfort.

Should You Buy One?

Yes, and you’d better do so before they’re all spoken for. Besides, it’ll give you instant bragging rights. With near-certain collectible status, this car is next-level stuff. You can’t compare it to a BMW M5, Mercedes-AMG E 63 S, or Cadillac CTS-V. Not even close. I know it’s all relative, but I’ve driven thousands of cars in more than 20 years of doing this sort of thing. Now, a week after I drove the Jaguar XE SV Project 8, I’m struggling to find a fair comparison to it. A BMW M4 GTS? Subjectively, it’s better than that; objectively, it’s slower, too. Had it “just” been a Nürburgring special that couldn’t be driven on public roads, I’d have said so. But it’s not. It’s a true, everyday four-door supercar. Name me another. I’ll wait.

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privateplates4u · 7 years ago

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Dacia Duster Commercial van review

Our Rating: 4.5 For: Bargain pricing, fun to drive, doesn't look like an LCV Length: 4,315mm Width: 1,822mm Height: 1,695mm Payload: 550kg Economy: 56.5-54.3mpg Against: Small payload, some quality issues, short first gear Image 1 of 12 Image 1 of 12 2017 The Dacia Duster Commercial brings the great-value brand to the light commercial vehicle market The converted SUV is a niche class of light commercial vehicle, but one intriguing addition is the Dacia Duster Commercial. It's based on the budget brand's Duster SUV, but like other converted 4x4 models, the back seats have been replaced by a large load area, while the back windows have been blanked to create a hidden cargo area. As a commercial vehicle, the Duster makes a lot of sense. The rugged looks offer something different to a conventional van, while Dacia's no-nonsense value pricing structure means you get a lot of vehicle for your money. A payload of 550kg isn't the biggest on sale, but there's room enough for long loads, and the large plastic load bed makes plenty of room for long items. Add in the standard-fit roof rails, and the Duster offers decent overall practicality. The Duster Commercial gets the same body style as the SUV, so access to the load area is via the rear tailgate or by the side doors. The doors even retain their electric window switches, although they are non-functioning. If you're sitting up front, the only signs that you're driving the CV version are the blanked out side windows and lack of rear seats - the dashboard and front interior is exactly the same as the SUV's. Rather than replacing the back windows with metal, as seen on other car-based vans (Fiat Doblo/Vauxhall Corsavan), the Duster has fixed glass side windows with an opaque film to black them out - on white cars, this is a white film added to the outside, while cars in other colours get a black film on the inside. That means from the outside these versions of the Duster Commercial retain the rugged looks of the SUV without revealing their CV practicality. Image 3 of 12 Image 3 of 12 The Duster Commercial range comprises two trims, basic Ambiance and higher spec Laureate. The engine range has been trimmed down to just the 1.5 dCi diesel, too. Both models are available with front wheel drive or 4WD, but there's no automatic gearbox option. Fuel economy for the 2WD Duster is claimed at 56.5mpg, while the 4x4 has a claimed figure of 54.3mpg. As with all LCVs, road tax is fixed at £240 - £100 more than for the SUV - while company car tax is charged at the flat rate of £3,230 per year, which is about £1,000 less than it is for a 1.5 dCi Laureate 4x4 SUV using emissions-based BiK rates. Although of course this model has folding back seats with seatbelts and electric windows. Prices start at just over £11,000 excl VAT for the Duster Commercial, but the top-spec model is only £3k more expensive, making it a great-value alternative to a small van. In reality there are no direct rivals to the Duster, although you might consider it if you don't need a massive payload and want something that looks more interesting than a small van like a Ford Transit Courier or Citroen Nemo. Price Range: £11,086-£14,036 +VAT 18 Aug, 2017 Rivals: Ford Transit Courier van reviewCitroen Nemo van reviewPeugeot Bipper van reviewSsangYong Korando van review 4 The Duster's extensive use of hard plastics and tough fabrics came as a bit of a shock to SUV buyers when it arrived in the UK in 2013, but these are perfect attributes when it comes to the Duster Commercial. The tough materials extend to the load area, where the large plastic tray is made from the same hard-wearing material. Under the tray the floor is carpeted, which helps surpress road noise and boosts refinement, and it means there's no exposed metal to get scratched or damaged. Image 6 of 12 Image 6 of 12 One quirk of the Duster Commercial means the Laureate version still has a set of electric window switches on the driver's door, even though the rear pair are blank, while both rear doors still have their electric window rocker switches, although they are fixed in place. The Ambiance model is lightly equipped as standard, and it only has steel wheels, a heater and manually operated wing mirrors among its standard kit tally. Move up to Laureate and air-con and heated electric mirrors are fitted, as is cruise control and a trip computer. Some additional piano black trim boosts quality, while alloy wheels and a leather steering wheel are included. You can add leather seats to the Laureate, while sat-nav is available, too. With this you get a modern infotainment system with a clear screen and plenty of connectivity options. Seat comfort is good, although the height adjustment for the driver's seat can feel a little flimsy, while the only compromise in terms of driving over the Duster SUV is the slightly restricted over-the-shoulder view, courtesy of the blacked-out side windows. 4 The Duster Commercial drives exactly like the SUV version, so it delivers sprightly low-speed performance, but can get a bit raucous when you increase the pace. The 1.5 dCi diesel has plenty of torque, so will be able to cope if you load the Duster up to its maximum 550kg payload (which is the same for the 2WD and 4x4 versions), and the six-speed gearbox is easy to use. One niggle is that Dacia has fitted the Duster an ultra-short first gear in lieu of a low range box. That means you need to change up to second almost immediately when you pull away from the lights, as it lets the engine rev its head off from about 35mph. But once you're beyond that, the rest of the gears are well spaced, and the Duster cruises well at motorway speeds. It's not the quietest car, because that open rear end amplifies road noise from the tyres, although it's not as noisy as a non-bulkheaded van. In corners, the Duster contains body roll well for an SUV, and the suspension soaks up bumps reasonably, too. The steering is a little vague, but there's decent grip and the stability control can't be turned off completely to ensure a certain level of security when driving. The bonus of an LCV that's a converted SUV is that four-wheel drive is readily available, and in that instance, the Duster Commercial is the cheapest four-wheel drive CV on sale. The Duster 4x4 has a rotary controller on the dash that switches between front-wheel drive, automatic 4WD and a 50:50 locking function for improved off-road ability. With over 200mm of ground clearance, short front and rear overhangs and decent suspension travel, the Duster Commercial could be a great choice for those working on building sites or off the beaten track. 3.5 The Duster has been on sale in the UK since 2013, although it went on sale in Europe in 2010. It uses plenty of tried and tested components from the parts bin of parent company Renault, so everything should work properly, even if it's not the highest quality inside. Image 7 of 12 Image 7 of 12 It's clear that the switchgear comes from models like the Renault Megane and Clio, while the dot-matrix displays do look a little dated. The engine is a tried-and-tested 1.5 dCi diesel, and the Duster's running gear is developed from other models in the Renault family. The Duster is highly regarded by its owners, but we have heard of issues with the quality of the fit and finish, chiefly the quality of the paint used. Rust is something to look out for, although Dacia claims that it has improved its quality control methods to improve the car's fit and finish. Euro NCAP gave the Duster a three-star rating in 2011, which isn't great. However, you get electronic stability control, four airbags up front and tyre pressure monitors as standard. The Duster 4x4 has a space saver spare wheel, but the 2WD car only has a repair kit - a spare is available as an option. 3.5 While the Duster Commercial makes an intriguing alternative to a conventional van, it does require you to compromise a little on practicality. Access to the load area is reasonable, although the SUV's 210mm ground clearance and raised ride height means loading heavier items in and out will be trickier than it would be in a regular van. The rear tailgate should be easier to open and close in tight spots where side-hinged back doors might be tricky, though. The five-door body is carried over from the SUV, so the side doors don't leave as much of an opening as a sliding door. At least you can access the load area from either side - not all vans have twin sliding doors as standard. The large load tray that's been fitted in the back of the Duster has a rather high lip towards the front. While that prevents items sliding forward into the cabin, it means lifting items in and out will be a bit trickier than it is with a conventional van. Dacia offers either a steel mesh bulkhead or a solid one as an option to separate the load area from the cabin. That large plastic tray is fitted to a metal frame that bolts in place where the back seats are in the SUV. This lifts to reveal a wheel well for the spare that you get on 4x4 versions, or it doubles as under-floor storage for the 2WD model. 4.5

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/dacia/duster-commerical/100500/van

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numberplates4u-blog · 7 years ago

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Dacia Duster Commercial van review

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/dacia/duster-commerical/100500/van

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robertkstone · 8 years ago

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2019 Genesis G70 First Drive: From Seoul With Soul

Genesis threw a huge concert in its hometown of Seoul, Korea, as part of its launch campaign for the G70, the third member of sedan lineup. Gwen Stefani, Andra Day, and Korean pop star CL performed as part of the festivities, but there’s more to this than just a concert with celebrities. The G70 is a big deal because it is the brand’s first entry into the highly competitive compact luxury sport sedan segment, a crowd that includes stalwarts such as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3 Series. Genesis threw a massive party to celebrate its most important model to date and the first to show the automaker’s identity.

Born at Hyundai Motor Group’s Research and Development Center in Namyang, Korea, the 2019 Genesis G70 has its sights set on the segment’s key players, and it comes armed with a balance of expressive style, a fun driving experience, and a luxurious yet sporty interior. From the outside, the 2019 Genesis G70 has a smaller footprint than its platform mate, the Kia Stinger, thanks to a wheelbase that’s 2.8 inches shorter. In terms of dimensions, the 2019 G70 is 184.4 inches long, 72.8 inches wide, and 55.1 inches tall, putting right in the middle of its segment.

The front end features Genesis’ corporate grille, similar to the one found in the larger G80 and G90 sedans, and it’s flanked by a pair of LED strips inside the headlight cluster, which give the front fascia a bit more width. LED accent light strips that also double as turn signal indicators flank the G70’s lower front fascia along with functional air inlets next to them and give the car a more aggressive appearance. The rear end features a short decklid, two exhaust tips, and LED taillight clusters that blend together with the muscular rear haunches and fender flares.

After the official reveal at Hyundai Motor Group’s Namyang facility, journalists were able to take a close look at the G70 and its interior, particularly at the materials used. Stepping inside a car, you’ll notice a driver-centric layout with a center stack that’s ever so slightly turned toward the driver and accented by stitching that forms a C-shape to further hint at the G70’s performance-minded nature. Touch and feel the materials, and you’ll notice plenty of high quality leather, plastics, and even real metal accents on the doors and speaker grilles for the available Lexicon premium audio system.

Sitting inside, there are supportive front seats with extensive adjustability and plenty of support for enthusiastic driving without sacrificing long-distance comfort. However, those relegated to the rear seats might feel cramped because that sexy coupelike roofline cuts into rear headroom. The massive center hump in the second row also means the G70 is effectively a four-seat vehicle with extra room for a small adult passenger or a child. Kneeroom is also on the small side, meaning the rear seats on the G70 will likely be less usable for tall passengers.

The day after the official debut, we spent some time driving the G70 on the streets of Seoul, the highways and winding roads outside the city, and Inje Speedium racetrack to put the athlete of the Genesis family to the test. Driving through Seoul’s notorious traffic, the G70 proved a comfortable drive, with light and communicative steering and a supple yet well controlled ride in Comfort and Smart modes. The standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4 high performance tires that come standard with the V-6-powered G70s, however, produced a little more noise than expected and can get tiring.

As with many vehicles with an eco-minded setting, Eco mode dulled the car’s throttle response, which will force drivers to bury the accelerator to the floor every time they need power. There’s a Custom mode that allows you to set the engine, transmission, suspension, and steering calibrations between Comfort, Sport, or Eco modes. Genesis also has an active sound enhancer for the G70’s exhaust system with four settings: Off, Normal, Quiet, and Enhanced.

While sitting in Seoul’s congested streets, we tested the G70’s infotainment system, which features a freestanding tabletlike 8.0-inch touchscreen that was easy to use and responsive. The large multi-information display complements the main touchscreen and shows everything from lap time to fuel economy and drive info. Where the multimedia system in the G70 sets itself apart is its available Lexicon premium audio system. It features plenty of adjustability, crisp sounds, and rich tones. Not once did it get raspy or sound muddled, making it an excellent option for audiophiles.

Once out of the traffic, we were able to let the G70 loose on winding roads and open highways where we finally got to test out the powertrain. Our test vehicles were all-wheel-drive examples powered by the range-topping 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6 with 365 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. In a car as small as the G70, this engine pulls with plenty of verve, and the prodigious amounts of torque make passing and merging a breeze.

The eight-speed automatic shifts quickly and smartly, and it rev matches its downshifts, giving the G70’s powertrain that extra layer of smoothness. However, when using the paddle shifters in Manual mode, our Korean-spec test cars automatically upshifted at redline, meaning it’s not a true Manual mode. Genesis USA boss Erwin Raphael, on the other hand, assured us that U.S.-spec G70s will have a way to put the transmission in full Manual mode so it won’t upshift for you.

During the final leg of the drive to Inje Speedium, we drove the G70 through some fun winding roads, and it is there where it revealed its rear-drive roots despite our test cars putting its power down through all four wheels. In Sport mode, all-wheel-drive-equipped G70s send more torque to the rear wheels (around 80 to 100 percent instead of 40 to 70 percent), giving it a similar feel to a rear-drive vehicle. In Sport mode, the electronically controlled suspension stiffens up quite a bit and feels more planted through the twisties, but that comes at the cost of ride comfort because it does get quite rough in its most aggressive setting. Body motions are well controlled with minimal roll and excellent transitions when you string corners. The electronic steering, on the other hand, adds more weight but could use more feel and feedback in Sport mode.

Although Genesis insists the G70 isn’t a full-blown performance model, they still had us drive a few laps at Injen Speedium. Stability remained a key trait on the all-wheel-drive-equipped G70, making it feel unflappable on the track, even with its rear-drive bias, and it explodes out of the corners effortlessly. There’s also less understeer in Sport mode because the all-wheel-drive system shifts more torque to the rear wheels, giving it a more balanced feel and enabling it to oversteer more.

We also got the chance to take a rear-drive G70 3.3T out for a single lap, and we immediately noticed how much more playful it is compared to the all-wheel-drive car. The rear-drive G70’s tail-happy nature is in full show. The prototype’s rear end was more willing to drift. All rear-drive G70s with the V-6 also come with a mechanical limited-slip differential as standard, allowing it to better put its power down to the wheels.

After some laps on the track, we made our way to an autocross course. We found that the G70 shrinks around its driver, making it drive smaller than it is. It was also there where we were able to test the car’s braking system to see how it copes with enthusiastic driving. The standard Brembo front brakes that come with V-6-powered models scrub speed effectively. They didn’t fade after a few laps on the track and the autocross course with a bunch of lead-footed auto journalists behind the wheel.

We’ve yet to drive it back to back with its competitors, but based on our time with the car in Korea, the 2019 Genesis G70 might just be one of the more compelling entries in the compact luxury sport sedan segment. There are sharper entries such as the Alfa Romeo Giulia and more luxurious ones such as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Where the 2019 Genesis G70 shines is in its balance. It provides excellent driving dynamics with its capable yet super playful chassis, but it doesn’ from PerformanceJunk WP Feed 3 http://ift.tt/2yBdecU via IFTTT

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