Saturday, March 23, 2013
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Onix: Not the Typical Pokemon
I don't like French things. I think Le Mans and pastries are the only two good things to come from France, and seeing as we have an ALMS series and America is a bunch of fatties I suppose these influences would suffice.
So it's not often I write about the French, or even bat an eye at anything they've done. I hear that the Veyron SS reclaimed the production top speed record and my response is a resounding, "The space shuttle orbits at 18,000 mph." To you, the reader, it means when I mention the French it's because they've done something wrong, or if they did something right, you should sit up and take notice.
Puegot made a super car. Not sure which way this article is going, right or wrong? Have a look:
Properly bonkers. That's the only way I can describe the looks of this car. It can go like a snail but if you looked like that I don't know that anyone would complain about gathering a few extra glances before speeding (crawling?) away.
You can read more about it here: http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/peugeot-onyx-supercar-2012-10-12
Seriously, read that article. This car is mad in the most righteous sense, and considering Peugot's recent departure from motorsport resulting in this annoying Audi/Toyota battle, we need them back more than ever and this could very well be the ticket. My god. Did I just ask for the French to come back? These truly are desperate times.
So it's not often I write about the French, or even bat an eye at anything they've done. I hear that the Veyron SS reclaimed the production top speed record and my response is a resounding, "The space shuttle orbits at 18,000 mph." To you, the reader, it means when I mention the French it's because they've done something wrong, or if they did something right, you should sit up and take notice.
Puegot made a super car. Not sure which way this article is going, right or wrong? Have a look:
Properly bonkers. That's the only way I can describe the looks of this car. It can go like a snail but if you looked like that I don't know that anyone would complain about gathering a few extra glances before speeding (crawling?) away.
You can read more about it here: http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/peugeot-onyx-supercar-2012-10-12
Seriously, read that article. This car is mad in the most righteous sense, and considering Peugot's recent departure from motorsport resulting in this annoying Audi/Toyota battle, we need them back more than ever and this could very well be the ticket. My god. Did I just ask for the French to come back? These truly are desperate times.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Bahrain: Audi takes title
With that little scare at Sao Paulo Audi managed a 1-2 victory at Bahrain yesterday.
The Krauts had Fassler in 1st and McNish in second, naturally thanks to the e-tron technology.
In other news sorry I haven't been around, I had a conference for ASME this weekend and I was pretty busy with that. Good news is I'm now a better leader for it and I got to see Embry Riddle, which was pretty cool.
I'll be back after this week (I have a few exams) with more updates from the automotive world.
Peace out!
The Krauts had Fassler in 1st and McNish in second, naturally thanks to the e-tron technology.
In other news sorry I haven't been around, I had a conference for ASME this weekend and I was pretty busy with that. Good news is I'm now a better leader for it and I got to see Embry Riddle, which was pretty cool.
I'll be back after this week (I have a few exams) with more updates from the automotive world.
Peace out!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Automatic Door Locks
We all have a car, or have at least been in a car, where when you hit a certain speed, generally 10-15 mph, the doors automatically lock. But why is that?
The claimed reason is "safety"citing that it's to prevent opening the doors while the car is in motion at higher speeds. But we all know that's bologna because we all have that friend who thinks it's funny to open the doors at 50 mph, and if you don't know which of your friends that is, then stop opening my car doors, you twat.
"Yeah, but what about child locks? That works!" To which I answer, yes, they do, they can also be turned off by opening the rear doors and flipping a little switch.... And to add to the woes they're the opposite of safe, in the event of a crash having the doors automatically locked was such a hastle for EMTs that the US had to instill a law saying that in the event of a crash the computers had to unlock all of the doors. SO WHY DO THEY EVEN EXIST?
You might be asking why I'm ranting (Hey, I'm not ranting) about the locking mechanisms on car doors. I'm not, I have a point and here it is:
It's for hobos. Or shady invididuals in general. Think about when you were a kid and automatic doors and electronic locks weren't a standard feature, driving through a "rough area" your parents would tell you to lock your door. You asked why, they said because they said so, and you did what you were told, only to put two and two together a few years later. Well these automatic doors take all of the hastle and hasty, awkward reach-over-to-the-locks-so-no-hobo-sees-you-through-your-window locking motion away.
And so we pay $2000 for automatic doors, instead of giving the homeless guy selling newspapers one dollar.
The claimed reason is "safety"citing that it's to prevent opening the doors while the car is in motion at higher speeds. But we all know that's bologna because we all have that friend who thinks it's funny to open the doors at 50 mph, and if you don't know which of your friends that is, then stop opening my car doors, you twat.
"Yeah, but what about child locks? That works!" To which I answer, yes, they do, they can also be turned off by opening the rear doors and flipping a little switch.... And to add to the woes they're the opposite of safe, in the event of a crash having the doors automatically locked was such a hastle for EMTs that the US had to instill a law saying that in the event of a crash the computers had to unlock all of the doors. SO WHY DO THEY EVEN EXIST?
You might be asking why I'm ranting (Hey, I'm not ranting) about the locking mechanisms on car doors. I'm not, I have a point and here it is:
It's for hobos. Or shady invididuals in general. Think about when you were a kid and automatic doors and electronic locks weren't a standard feature, driving through a "rough area" your parents would tell you to lock your door. You asked why, they said because they said so, and you did what you were told, only to put two and two together a few years later. Well these automatic doors take all of the hastle and hasty, awkward reach-over-to-the-locks-so-no-hobo-sees-you-through-your-window locking motion away.
And so we pay $2000 for automatic doors, instead of giving the homeless guy selling newspapers one dollar.
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Toyota Wins at Sao Paulo
Yesterday was a sad day indeed, Audi, still in first with 26 points though, lost their first race this season to the ever-getting-better-er Toyota Denso team.
The Prius managed a first place win at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo with a nearly 10 second gap! At Le Mans the worried Audi before having two fatal crashes, at Silverstone they scared Audi with a short gappped win, and at Sao Paulo they beat Audi. There's ordinarily a learning curve to racing, but after a decade out of racing, the third race of their newly ordained career and Toyota has already found their niche.
Well done to the men from Japan, but we'll see what happens in Bahrain.
The Prius managed a first place win at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo with a nearly 10 second gap! At Le Mans the worried Audi before having two fatal crashes, at Silverstone they scared Audi with a short gappped win, and at Sao Paulo they beat Audi. There's ordinarily a learning curve to racing, but after a decade out of racing, the third race of their newly ordained career and Toyota has already found their niche.
Well done to the men from Japan, but we'll see what happens in Bahrain.
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Monday, September 3, 2012
Audi Sports Updates!
1. 6 Hours of Spa was last saturday and Audi did it again! The boys pulled off a 1-3 victory with Toyota in the middle at the #2 spot.
2. It appears that the ALMS and Grand-AM series might perform a merger. This can be pretty exciting if it happens, it will make American racing championships a lot more desirable to more manufacturers, both domestic and abroad, because it will give more research opportunities. After all, most companies race to breed better machines.
3. An A5 in the Superstars Touring Championship caught fire!
2. It appears that the ALMS and Grand-AM series might perform a merger. This can be pretty exciting if it happens, it will make American racing championships a lot more desirable to more manufacturers, both domestic and abroad, because it will give more research opportunities. After all, most companies race to breed better machines.
3. An A5 in the Superstars Touring Championship caught fire!
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| No big deal |
4. A new R8 is imminent! Audi released a new video with some of its details. The new R8 production car has rounded(er) tail lights and head lamps as well as a new badge displaying the Audi Sport red tag. Mechanically it has an all new double-clutch DSG 'box that sheds .2 seconds off of the 0-60 time (down to 3.6) and is mounted lower for better center of gravity.
Credit: http://fourtitude.com/
Friday, August 24, 2012
Audi in F1 (part 2)
F1 is a sport designed specifically by rich, posh gentlemen, for rich, posh gentlemen. It's a rich man's sport, designed to go faster and harder and push the limits of what we're capable of building under a certain set of rules.
Don't be lulled or fooled, this is not a sport that breeds a message "to the people". Quite the opposite. The two best things we've gotten out of F1 research is hybrid systems and variable timing. The hybrid system barely counts because while they used KERS to produce acceleration through the corners, we got an electric motor to keep the engine idling, not to mention it went in to production cars a decade after F1 adopted the practice. It is only now that we see electric motors being used in this way on production cars, and the ones I speak of, e-tron and 918 spyder, are far out of anyone's price range.
So what do I think of Audi stepping in to F1? Cultural suicide. This is a company bred in sport, literally pouring money in to destroyed cars and drivers simply to build a better car for the average customer, entering F1 is the opposite of this.
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| 100 years for 100 miles of battery charge. Yay F1? |
Quattro, FSI, TDI, manufacturing innovations, LED lighting, and now the e-tron and even the cameras that work as mirrors. All tech developed through Audi Sport that hit "shelves" within a couple of years of their testing on the track. Innovations that have broken records, taken trophies, and lasted decades in the form of "your families 20 year old sedan". All to be thrown away, cast in to the shadows, and for what? A running against Ferrari?
Please. Let Lamborghini take care of that, in the production race.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Video Evo Crash: Pikes Peak
Two days ago at this years Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado a pretty terrifying crash took place:
#463 2003 Mitsubishi Evo IX of Jeremy Foley went sliding off of the a corner aptly named "Devils Playground" almost literally flying off of the track.
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| You have insurance, right? |
#463 2003 Mitsubishi Evo IX of Jeremy Foley went sliding off of the a corner aptly named "Devils Playground" almost literally flying off of the track.
He and his copilot turned out alright, sustaining only minor injuries after going to the hospital, but now have the two of them got a hell of a story to tell people at parties.
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