Built in 2006 for Michaelson's wife Jodi. It is powered by two 75lb. Thrust Hybrid Rocket Motors. The frame is made of lightweight T6-6061 aircraft aluminum. "Gismo" features a unique front suspension system designed by Michaelson
Rocket Powered Bicycle
Built in 2006 for Michaelson's wife Jodi. It is powered by two 75lb. Thrust Hybrid Rocket Motors. The frame is made of lightweight T6-6061 aircraft aluminum. "Gismo" features a unique front suspension system designed by Michaelson
Michaelson 005 Motorcycle Replica
Built in 2005, Michaelson copied a 1910 Michaelson Minneapolis motorcycle frame that his Great Uncle John Michaelson built. It is handcrafted using more up to date components. Its top speed is 65 mph
Ben Wilson's Monocycle Calls for Pert Buttocks
New Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec 2010
New Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec 2010
Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe garnered a lot of acceptable columnist and gearhead absorption from the get go. And it seems to be absolutely justified and additionally understandable. The Hyundai Genesis is able-bodied styled (enough), rear caster drive, and aloft all, analytic priced. It’s a car that a adolescent tuner-oriented kid can bore their teeth into, and there’s already a appealing appropriate aftermarket for the car.
And Hyundai aloof added a new contraction to the mix with its advertisement that it will be authoritative a Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec for 2010. With a starting amount of aloof $23,750 and hitting the banker showrooms adequately bare down, that way actuality all the bigger for approaching customization by the end user, the R-Spec promises to be alike added of what the aftermarket tuner wants.
That stripper accessories account for the R-Spec includes a 2.0-liter turbocharged agent that cranks out 210 horsepower, not bad as a starting point. The Coupe additionally comes with a six-speed chiral manual only, there is no automated option. There are additionally 19 inch admixture auto army with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires, and in aback of the auto are Brembo brakes; 13.4 inchers up advanced and 13.0s out back. The 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec additionally has a ‘track-tuned’ abeyance (whatever that ability be) and Torsen-type limited-slip animosity that isn’t in the accepted Coupe. Naturally there’s R-Spec badging so anybody knows how air-conditioned you are.
The R-Spec Coupe isn’t absolutely bare down, however. It does accommodate keyless entry, front, ancillary and ancillary blind airbags, alive advanced arch restraints, air conditioning, leather-wrapped council caster and about-face knob, ability windows and aperture locks, an MP3-capable six-speaker stereo arrangement with iPod/USB connectivity and projector axle headlamps.
The R-Spec amalgamation is said to action as abundant achievement as Hyundai’s Track model, but at a $3,000 less, which will accord the -to-be client added headroom, cash-wise, to absorb wherever they’d like. With an added $3K in your budget, things like beyond turbos, aftermarket intercoolers, bigger than all-important audio/video systems and the like.
The R-Spec exists to allure the tuner market. The new for 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec will accomplish its official U.S. rollout at the accessible 2009 SEMA Auto Show in Last Vegas, and will go on auction civic anon after.
2010 SAAB 9-5 Sedan: First Official Photos Hit the Web
Carscoop reader Patrick sent us a collage with the first official photos of the all-new Saab 9-5 Sedan that is destined to make its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. We suspect that it won't be long before Saab comes out with an official release and a high-res gallery of its new executive sedan, so we'll keep this post short. In the meantime, just follow the jump to get a sneak peak of the new 9-5 and tell us your first thoughts on the exterior and interior styling of Saab's Mercedes-Benz E-Class rival.
New Exotic Aston Martin One-77
New Exotic Aston Martin One-77The Aston Martin One-77 has been a continued time coming. The super-expensive British supercar has been teased and teased, Aston alike accepting gone so far as assuming the car's anatomy on the auto appearance circuit, abandoned abrogation it beneath a bolt throughout the show. Aston Martin set up a committed website for the best able assembly Aston Martin ever, which can still be begin at www.one-77.com. In March we got One-77 abstruse specs and pre-production achievement numbers. Now the cat is assuredly out of the bag, with Aston's assuming of the final One-77 assembly car architecture at the Italian Concorso D’Eleganza Villa D’Este design-centric autoshow.
Carrying a abject amount of a air-conditioned EU 1 actor and headed for final assembly in a bound run of abandoned 77 units, the One-77 is assuredly targeted at the blazon of attention-seeking car chump apparently not too afflicted by the all-around bread-and-butter recession currently arresting the auto industry as a whole.
Aston Martin's abounding architecture beef was directed against the One-77's development, actuality the aboriginal absolutely all-new Aston archetypal in years. The affidavit is in the pudding, as the Aston Martin One-77 assembly archetypal aloof won one of the industry's best coveted architecture awards, the Concorso d’Eleganza Architecture Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes at Como Lake, Italy.
Let's allocution numbers. The One-77 carries a 6.0 liter V12 deeply based on the powerplants acclimated in the V12 Vanquish and newer V12 Vantage, but reengineered absolutely for this appliance to aftermath added than 700 horsepower. Aston Martin says the One-77 was developed with DTM alternation chase cars in mind, and if the new supercar proves as able on the alley as it looks on paper, those 77 examples should be airtight up absolute quick.
All that ability is advance aloft the poor rear auto through a new 6 acceleration accurate consecutive chiral assemblage Aston promises will crawl bottomward through the blow of its artefact line. The arresting 20 inch wheels, accustomed huge Pirellis 335mm beyond out back, blanket new Carbon Ceramic Matrix anchor technology which promises added cooling by transmitting beneath active activity as calefaction through the anchor aqueous and system.
With a promised barrier weight of about 1500kg, the One-77 will do the 0-60 run in beneath than 3.5 seconds, with a top acceleration in balance of 200 mph. Due to the car's rarity, amount and beauty, your boilerplate Aston Martin One-77 buyer will apparently never accept abundant alley to hit 150 let abandoned 200 mph or a chase track. In an auto industry award 100-year-old companies aback activity bankrupt, is the One-77 at all relevant?
Official Aston Martin columnist abstracts allege of "extraordinary ability and money-no-object charge to quality". It is a safe bet Aston will lose money on this car, but if the British marque can financially acclimate this storm and abide to accomplish absolutely aberrant sports and GT cars, the absolute winners are the flush enthusiast community. Three columnist releases chase account every aspect of the One-77 experience.
New 2010 Volvo C30 Gets a Facelift
"The front of the Volvo C30 has become more dramatic and expressive. The angled lines of the front bumper together with the new headlamps, which are drawn offset and up, reinforce the impression of speed and sportiness," says Fedde Talsma, Exterior Chief Designer at Volvo Cars.
In addition to the styling changes, the new C30 also gets new color and wheel options and a new optional sport chassis, which lowers the car 10 mm.
New Super Fast Car 2005 Koenigsegg CCR
New Super Fast Car 2005 Koenigsegg CCRKoenigsegg CCR speed
Top Speed: 242 mph / 395 km/h
0-60 mph: 3.2 seconds
0 - 1/4 Mile: 9 sec. @ 146 mph (235 km/h)
Engine: 4.7-liter V8 806 bhp
Koenigsegg CCR is bigger accepted as the 'record-breaker'. Yes, the CCR exhausted the The McLaren F1 supercar, the fastest assembly car anytime built, at Italy's Nardo Prototipo on February 28th 2005, with a breath-taking achievement at 387.87 km/h, a 15 km/h access from the later's accomplished record.
Koenigsegg is an absolute architect of cool sports cars, the latest actuality the Koenigsegg CCX with a achievement acceleration of 403 km/h. The CC (Competition Coup) led by Koenigsegg is absurd to be defeated in the abreast future. The McLaren F1 and Ferrari Enzo supercars still accept to appear a continued way to prove above in the band of Assembly cars. The achievement acceleration of McLaren F1 is 372 km/h and that of Ferrari Enzo is 355 km/h as per the after-effects at Nardo/Prototipo.
Koenigsegg CCR is alike with speed. The engineering and architecture of this sports car actualize this fact. The aerodynamic anatomy and the failing anatomy affectation the capital purpose of the vehicle, the speed. The avant-garde bonanza reminds you the acid bluff with acicular face and abysmal nostrils. The abstracts of the anatomy are the failing carbon cilia compounds able with Kevlar and aluminum honeycomb. These actualization ensure the complete assurance forth with the cool acceleration alike in acute active conditions. A feather-touch active acquaintance from Koenigsegg!
Koenigsegg CCR is distinctively advised because the tastes of the adventurous car customers. The low and ample actualization of the anatomy adds a affable activity of safety; added to this is the fashionably advised bow-shaped windscreen and organically shaped rear hood. Beneath roofless active conditions, the auto can be angry to fit beneath the avant-garde bonnet. The accomplished anatomy can be apparent back the hoods and the roof are open; this adds a lot of accessibility while analytical the body.
The best important affection of any sports car is the architecture of its body. Koenignsegg CCR's anatomy is altogether balanced abacus a faculty of calm while driving. The accessory batten is amid at the centermost point of the supercar. All added important mechanisms are army about the council so as to accept a acceptable ascendancy over them, and these instruments are arresting from the high spokes of the caster alienated accidental acrobatics while driving.
A lot added abstruse additions, such as the acid bend brakes, new antagonism shock absorbers, CCR avant-garde throttle, a monocoque carbonfibre assimilation plenum, and 19" avant-garde wheels, etc., are activated to accomplish Koenigsegg CCR the best of the leaders.
Thanks to Joachim Nordwall, the artist who fabricated the antagonism car CCR a best on the roads. He is absorbed by its acute 'predator' attending with the diamond-shaped eyes analytic for the prey. Why not booty it out for a hunt?
New Hyundai Elantra 1.6 and 2.0 L Gasoline Engine
New Hyundai Elantra 1.6 and 2.0 L Gasoline EngineThe Elantra is accessible with 1.6 and 2.0 L gasoline engines and a 2.0 L turbodiesel. North American models are alone accessible with the 2.0L gasoline engine.
While bunched on the outside, it is listed by the EPA as a midsize car because of a ample interior. The four-cylinder agent is accepted to be able and economical, and in the US, Hyundai offers a powertrain assurance of ten years. Although the basal powertrain architecture has afflicted little back the additional generation, alternating improvements accept bigger ammunition abridgement from an EPA appraisement of 24/33 to 25/33 and the accepted 27/34 for chiral transmissions, with automated bearing 2-3mpg fewer. Application additionally bigger from 135hp to 138hp and torque from 132 to 136 mainly acknowledgment to the accession of continuously capricious valve timing (CVVT) in 2004. Originally, the application appraisement was biased as 140hp.
Luxury Volkswagen EcoRacer Prototype impressive performance
Luxury Volkswagen EcoRacer Prototype impressive performanceAt the Tokyo Motor Show (22 October to 6 November) Volkswagen are presenting a ancestor that could able-bodied accomplish history as the best economical the sports car of its time. Its basal data: boilerplate ammunition burning of 3.4 litres for 100 km, a top acceleration of 230 kph. Its name: EcoRacer. Thanks to its carbon-fibre (CFP) bodywork, this sports car with its centrally amid agent weighs in at alone 850 kilograms, and accelerates from 0 to 100 kph in aloof 6.3 seconds. Powered by a anew developed 100-kW turbo-charged agent of the abutting generation, it offers a advanced amalgam of ascetic abridgement and absorbing performance. 230 kph, 6.3 seconds, 3.4 litres - these basic statistics are as abnormal as they are fascinating. But the cold of development was not to breach records. With the EcoRacer, the ambition was rather to actualize a analysis agent that affiliated the elements of abridgement and achievement beneath a actual emotionally styled "roof".
Elegant Nissan XTrail GT QR25DE 4-Cylinder Engine
Elegant Nissan XTrail GT QR25DE 4-Cylinder EngineThe Nissan X-Trail is a bunched SUV awash in Japan, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Malaysia, India, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore,South Africa, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia by Nissan. The aggregation currently offers a hydrogen ammunition corpuscle archetypal on charter to businesses, the X-Trail FCV. In North America, it is positioned beneath the barter based Xterra. Introduced in 2001 to attempt with bunched SUVs such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, it did not access in the Canadian bazaar until 2004. It will be awash in the United States in 2008 back the X-Trail is redesigned.
The Australian archetypal is powered by the QR25DE 4-Cylinder engine. 2.5L in size, it produces 132 kW (177 hp), authoritative it one of the best able 4-cylinder engines in the bunched SUV segment. Also accessible is the QR20DE 4-Cylinder engine, bearing 103 kW (140 hp), 110 kW (150 hp) with an automatic-transmission. Accessible alone in the Japanese bazaar is the SR20VET that produces 206 kW (280 hp). The Australian X-Trail has had two archetypal revisions, the Alternation 1 and Alternation 2. There were several corrective and engineering changes fabricated amid the two series.
Luxury Red Alfa Romeo Spider Six Cylinder Engines
Luxury Red Alfa Romeo Spider Six Cylinder EnginesThe Alfa Romeo ambit agency is completed by two cars with able antic personalities able with active four and six butt engines: the Alfa Romeo Spider and the Alfa Romeo GTV.
Guts and appearance are the attributes of the able 220 bhp (162 kW) 3.0 V6 24V ability assemblage adapted to the GTV on view. This engine, accumulated with a six-speed gearbox with sixth non-overdrive dispatch and aerodynamic kit (standard on this version), takes Alfa's coupé to a top dispatch of 250 km/h with dispatch from aught to 100 km/h in aloof 6.7 seconds.
Luxury Lotus Elise SC Multi Award-Winning Roadster
Luxury Lotus Elise SC Multi Award-Winning RoadsterThe better account from the 2008 Model Year Lotus agency is the addition of the Supercharged Lotus Elise SC, a 220 PS adaptation of the multi award-winning roadster, calmly articular by its new rear addle-brain and different new architecture of admixture alley wheels.
Despite the on-paper affinity with the Exige S, this is no bald agent bandy - this is an allnew, non-intercooled accession activated to the accepted Elise's 1.8-litre 2-ZZ VVTL-i engine.
New Acura TL Performance Luxury Sedan
New Acura TL Performance Luxury SedanThe Acura TL achievement affluence auto was alien in 1995 with a second-generation archetypal debuting in 1999. For 2004, an all-new absolutely redesigned TL went on auction with added power, an array of advance technology and an exoteric architecture that is taut, able-bodied and powerful. Enthusiast drivers acknowledge the TL for its aerial activating capabilities-the 2005 TL is a accurate driver's car that competes adjoin the best near-luxury sedans.
New Detroit 2010: wear the famous logotype
Mention GMC and the mental image for most will be full-sized trucks and SUVs with a mega grille to fit those three alphabets, but as we all now know, even the Americans are now turning to smaller vehicles that are more friendly to the wallet and environment. Which brings us to this, the GMC Granite concept, the smallest car ever to wear the famous logotype.
The Granite is 0.6 m shorter than the Terrain crossover, GMC’s current “baby”, but its interior is spacious and flexible to fit the needs of “active people”. Generous cargo space and flipping/folding seats, for example, enable a mountain bike to be loaded completely inside with the tailgate closed. A decent 2,631 mm wheelbase means the claims are realistic.
“Granite was conceived as a new type of vehicle from GMC – one that could stretch people’s ideas of what a GMC can be,” said Lisa Hutchinson, product marketing director for GMC. “We call it an ‘urban utility vehicle’ and our goal was redefining what the GMC name could mean to a new generation of customers looking for both bold design and functionality.”
It seems to be a must-have these days, so the Granite gets rear-hinged “suicide” doors. GMC describes the Granite as an urban loft apartment on wheels with “urban-industrial design”. It reminds us a liitle of the Kia Soul, although this concept looks more butch, with a lower roof and wider stance. The glasshouse is very slim, but the flanks don’t look slab sided thanks to those deep creases that “cut through” the car. The wheels are pushed out to the extreme ends of the box and wheel arches are prominent. Looks quite cool to us!
Power comes from a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine matched with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. This engine should be the ECOTEC turbo from the Chevy Cruze which makes 138bhp and 200Nm of torque.
New Ford Focus - global Car basically the third generation
The Ford Focus has always been one of the best-handling C-segment cars I’ve ever driven. The biggest drawback it has for the Malaysian market is that it’s a little small on the inside, being an European product where their C-segment cars are a little smaller. Their Civic is a smaller hatch compared to the large 2,700mm wheelbase version we get here.
And here it is, the latest edition of the Focus. Ford pegs it as all-new, and technically it should be considering that the 2nd generation Focus has already been facelifted. So this is basically the third generation and for the first time the Focus is a world car instead of being two different products for North America and the rest of the world. I had a go at the North American product earlier this week and I can understand why American journos have been calling for Ford to bring the Euro Focus across the ocean. Well, they don’t have to do that anymore – they are going to get this new global Focus as well.
The design is far edgier compared to the outgoing Focus. Ford attempted to add some Kinetic Design elements to the current Focus when it got facelifted but because there’s just so much you can change during a facelift, the end result was not as ‘kinetic’ as say, the new Fiesta or the new Ford Kuga. With this new body, Ford has pulled out all the stops with their Kinetic Design – check out details like the ‘zorro Z’ design at the front wheel arch. The ducktail on the sedan’s boot is also pretty prominent. Some might feel it’s perhaps a little too overdone, especially the details of the front bumper. They look like they belong on an aggressive model like an ST or an RS, but these are just your regular Focus models. But this could also be a good thing for some customers – no mods needed.
Wheelbase has unchanged, though the new Focus is a little longer mostly due to pedestrian safety requirements. This means the overhangs are longer. What this will mean is that the interior space is probably largely unchanged over the 2nd generation. Ford says based on their market research this is a good balance between size and fuel economy but to me, for a world car there definitely will be markets where a larger vehicle will be called for. After all, that is why Honda split the CIvic in two. In these markets, certain buyers will look to other vehicles no matter how good the Focus looks simply because of interior space. The new 3rd generation Focus also differentiates between the sedan and the hatchback variant more than the 2nd generation did. The vertical tail lamps are gone on the hatchback in favor of wider rear glass but the tail lamps remain mounted high-ish.
Changes to the platform between the 2nd generation and the 3rd generation mostly covers the way the suspension subframes are mounted. There has been some changes which are primarily driven by the desire to increase the level of NVH damping of the Focus. Thus you can expect the new Ford Focus to feel a little more refined than the outgoing one. Techniques such as the use of sashed doors, dual plane sealing, more aerodynamic wing mirrors and windshield wipers are used. Ford says the new Focus Global C platform shares only about one third with the new Mazda 3, while the rest are exclusively Ford.
Ford wanted the new Focus to be more refined and more quiet, as quiet is one of the factors that we take into account when our brains process the feel of ‘quality’. Quietness is also a big thing for what Ford defines as the new Ford flavor these days – they are investing alot into ways they can make their cars more silent, as I will show you in an upcoming post.
The Detroit showcar features a new 2.0 liter DI Ti-VCT engine. Those acronyms basically mean the engine has direct injection and dual variable valve timing, both on intake and exhaust. This new engine makes up to 20 horses more power than the current Mazda-based Duratec 20, while consuming 10% less fuel. The 4-speed auto has also been replaced by a new 6-speed Powershift dual clutch transmission. Apparently there is also an active grille shutter system, which shuts off some of the air intakes to improve aerodynamics whenever the extra cooling is not needed.
The new Focus will also debut an EPAS system for the first time. EPAS is basically an electric power steering. Alot of other manufacturers have started using EPAS systems in their cars but most people say an electric power steering is more ‘dead’ and unnatural compared to a regular hydraulic one. But Ford believes that a properly tuned EPAS can actually improve steering precision and feel over a hydraulic one.
According to Ford, there are over 250 parameters and settings in an EPAS that has to be finetuned in detail to achieve a good feel. As the 2nd gen Focus was a great drive, I hope Ford got all the variables right! There’s also a Dynamic Cornering Control system which counteracts slip on the inner wheel during a corner to improve cornering performance and turn-in.
Also new is the MyFord system, which is basically like iDrive. You use a phone-style 5-way button on your steering wheel to control the user interface. MyFord is built on Microsoft Windows Auto. Quite a few companies are basing their new in-car systems on Windows Auto, such as Fiat’s Blue&Me and the new system from Kia. There’s also voice commands, so you can say Call Muthu for the phone to call up Muthu in your phonebook. MyFord is the sibling to the touch operation-based MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch showcased at the CES end of last year.
This is one of 10 cars that will spawn from this new “Global C platform”, as Ford calls it. The first was the new C-MAX and Grand C-MAX MPVs which we saw at Frankfurt last year. Ford plans to put the this new third generation global Ford Focus into production for Europe and North America late this year, with a showroom debut in early 2011. It will be quite some time before it hits Malaysia (only early 2012 optimistically), but let me let you in on a secret – we’ll see an interesting new variant of the 2nd gen Focus here soon. This additional variant to the current generation Focus will feature diesel power!
New Detroit 2010: aggresive styling
One of the eye catching displays over at GM is the Buick Regal GS. The Regal is basically the European Opel/Vauxhall Insignia rebadged as a Buick for the US and Chinese market (Buick is a highly regarded marque in China). This GS showcar features a potent performance package – 255 bhp/400 Nm 2.0-litre Ecotec turbo engine with power going to all wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and electronic LSD.
Acceleration from nought to 60 mph (96 km/h) is “less than six seconds”. The Vauxhall Insignia VXR, which has a 320 bhp 2.8-litre Ecotec V6 turbo does the same sprint in 5.8 seconds. The Regal GS features a lowered body and aggresive styling that mimics the VXR, except that it wears Buick’s signature “waterfall grille”. The show car wears 20-inch wheels.
That front HiPerStrut suspension helps reduce torque steer and maintain negative camber during cornering, improving grip and feel while isolating undesirable feedback. The GS features Brembo brakes with cross-drilled rotors, four-piston aluminum calipers and uprated pads. Interactive Drive Control System (IDCS) chassis technology allows the selection of three modes – normal, sport and GS – that change suspension settings, throttle response and steering sensitivity.
Inside, the Regal GS features a full black interior, sport shifter, a suede-covered, flat-bottom steering wheel and Recaro seats with four-way lumbar support and cushion extensions.
tiniest car
Most kids freak out on Postman Pat car rides in amusement parks. But Perry Watkins of the U.K has actually turned ‘Postman Pat’ fun ride car into the world’s smallest car! The car has 39 X 26 inches dimension and can accelerate up to 40mph.
This tiny wonder is indeed a challenge to manufacturers of smaller and efficient cars. It wasn’t all that tough to create this singular vehicle. Perry simply purchased this ‘Postman Pat’ ride from eBay, fitted 150cc single cylinder, four stroke engine and remodeled it into smart street vehicle.
Perry even fitted a deceptive turnkey at the back of the car and made it really seem unbelievable that this tiny vehicle actually runs on gasoline.
The entire process took about 7 months, and as a finishing touch he stuck a cheekily oversize turnkey in the vehicle’s back.
Although the vehicle’s status as the smallest car has yet to be verified, Perry Watkins has already been credited with creating the world’s lowest car – the Flatmobile. We can’t wait to see what he builds next.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
