You don’t get much higher stakes than Formula One. And while some teams have their own airplanes, there are a couple this season that have their own airlines: Richard Branson’s Virgin, and Tony Fernandes’ Racing and Air Asia.
As you may , the rivalry between the two tycoon-backed upstart teams escalated to such a point that Branson and Fernandes made a gentlemanly bet that was anything but: the owner of the team that fared worse in this year’s championship would have to cross-dress as a female flight attendant and serve as such on the other’s airline.
Well, Lotus edged out Virgin towards the bottom of the standings, so it’s Sir Richard who’ll be wearing Air Asia’s finest skirt and blouse. Fernandes is keen on placing his rival on a long-haul Kaula Lumpur-to-London flight, tickets for which he plans to auction off for charity. Looks like the negative effect of downforce isn’t the only kind of drag these guys will be dealing with in the offseason.
50 Cent loads his Murcielago down with cash – Click above to watch video
We’ve seen some pretty bizarre automotive trends on the web over the past few years, but this one, friends, takes the cake. Celebrities are suddenly no longer content to flash their wealth with expensive, ultra-rare cars. Nope. Now they have to stuff them with cash. Rapper 50 Cent is the latest to hop on this bandwagon by shoving stacks of cash into the nose of his Lamborghini Murcielago. We think that we can pretty fairly say that the hero of the film after the jump has successfully gotten rich without dying while trying.
Land Rover Discovery 4 Landmark – Click above for high-res image gallery
While made a splash in , back in its native UK, the company was casting a white light and a dark shadow over the go-anywhere .
Presented as the new Landmark edition, the special Disco can be ordered in either Santorini Black or Fuji White with coordinating interior in either ebony or ivory – the latter being offered for the first time in a Discovery. To complement the stark exterior color, Land Rover has also given the grille, roof rails and 20″ alloys a darker finish and fitted it with tinted glass.
The Discovery 4 Landmark is powered by a twin-turbo diesel V6, and comes packed with all the features you’d expect from a Land Rover, plus a little touch of the exclusive. Details in the press release after the jump and photos in the gallery below.
It’s time to dust off the of a . The UK’s Auto Express reports that Klaus Bischoff, chief designer for the Volkswagen brand, thinks a new version of the classic Camper is a fundamental part of his job. This rumor has come around before, and the New Beetle’s ten-year run might help underscore the business case for a revival.
There were plans to offer a production version of the that made a splash at that year’s Detroit Motor Show, but cost considerations put an end to that project. A new Microbus is back on, according to Bischoff, and Volkswagen is trying to figure out how conventional or creative to go. VW’s design offices across the globe are being asked for their input to develop a vehicle with wide influence, and platforms and powertrains are up in the air. If this rumor sticks, we’re likely to see a concept in 2012.
Designer Thanva Tivawong has come up with a solution for all you impatient drivers out there. What if you knew exactly when a stoplight was going to change from green to yellow, or more importantly, from red to green? In theory, traffic would be expedited and drivers would be less likely to try to beat yellow lights in the rush to make good time. That’s exactly the logic behind the hourglass stoplight concept you see above. As time soldiers on, the pixels in the light drain from top to bottom. When time’s up, the light changes color and the process starts all over again.
There are a couple of problems with this notion. First, colorblind drivers are left completely in the cold. More importantly, we’re also concerned about the idea of basically turning every intersection into a drag strip, complete with fully-functional Christmas trees. It’d be great for the street racing scene, sure, but we don’t want to give the granny in the lane next to us an excuse to lay down her best ETA when the light goes green.
has announced a partnership with Beverly Hills-based designer Bijan Pakzad. Bijan will work closely with the super-luxury automaker to turn out a handful of special edition Phantoms, complete with the designer’s own personal touches. So far, we’ve been left in the dark about exactly what kinds of changes to expect, though Rolls-Royce says that Bijan will lay out a host of specifications for the company’s craftsmen to meet. Considering that the designer’s personal car is a bright yellow Phantom Drophead Coupe, we can bet that the new Phantoms will be anything but subdued.
Rolls-Royce and Bijan made the announcement at the Bijan Boutique in Beverly Hills – nicknamed the most expensive store in the world – just before this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show got underway.
A house built in the area of a parking space – Click above to watch video
As Americans, our concept of a normal-sized home has grown by leaps and bounds over the decades. In her book , author Sarah Wexler says that the average home size in the U.S. grew from 983 square feet in 1950 to 2,349 square feet in 2004, and it doesn’t look to be shrinking any time soon. It’s not like that everywhere. Just look at what ingenious architects in Japan are up to. With both space and funds at a minimum, builders and property owners alike are looking to get the most out of every square foot, even going so far as to build a two-person home on the same footprint as an average-sized parking space.
To make it happen, designers have employed a number of space-saving tricks, including a triangular spiral staircase that decreases the minimum radius needed for going up and appliances that are stashed under counters and in unique cubbies. Doesn’t sound like a bad way to go, if you ask us. to see a video of the house for yourself.
Holden VE Series II Commodore – Click above for high-res image gallery
A fountain of tears was shed when the sedans bit the dust along with their parent brand. The Poncho-fied Holden Commodore was one of our favorite rides – particularly in its delicious, LS3-powered GXP guise with a six-speed stick. As you know, Holden is once again ready to export Zeta-based sedans to the U.S. in the form of the new long-wheelbase Chevy Caprice police cruisers, but civilian variants are not part of the program. This brings us to the , which reports that a new export agreement to send standard-wheelbase Holden VE Commodores back stateside as Chevrolets may be on the horizon.
Drive quotes General Motors engineer Al Oppenheiser as confirming that negotiations are indeed underway, while a second unnamed GM source told the website that it’s a done deal. A Holden spokesman told Drive that in terms of exports, the focus is presently on the Caprice PPV, but added that other deals are being pursued. There’s good reason to be hopeful. GM North America President Mark Reuss was the boss at Holden in 2008 and 2009, and clearly knows just how good the product is.
The G8 won widespread praise during its brief tenure, and the lack of a legit sport sedan is a glaring hole in Chevy’s otherwise comprehensive lineup. It’s also important to remember that thanks to the Pontiac G8, most of the development to federalize the Aussie four-door has already been done. It would likely not take much to get the current ready for a U.S. encore. Hell, if it actually happens, maybe this time GM could even go through with the ute introduction, too. Naming the Chevy version would be a snap, after all.
Fingers crossed, everybody. Thanks to TriShield for the heads-up!
Is your DVR set? Are you inviting people over? What plans do you have to watch the premier of tomorrow (10PM EST/9C on the HISTORY Channel)? While you’re thinking about it, why don’t you spread the word about our last Top Gear prize pack to give away and enter yourself. The winner will receive a prize pack worth $200 that includes a Top Gear-branded remote-controlled car, Top Gear-branded Auto Roadside Kit and History Channel fleece.
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There are plenty of important rules when it comes to attending a track day, but one of the most easily overlooked and simultaneously important is, “Thou shalt not speed to or from the facility.” Aside from all of that moralistic stuff about putting the public in danger, exceeding the posted limit also does a number on the reputation of whatever track you’re headed to. After all, it’s a rare community that actually the embraces the sound of engines revving and tires squealing at 7:00 a.m. on the weekend; most tracks don’t need any “help” in the bad PR department.
Apparently the members of missed the memo. A slew of drivers from that site recently participated in a charity event where they could pay $100 for a lead-follow lap at the famous (and exclusive) Monticello Motor Club. An extra Benji would allow for a quicker lap, and those who’d been on track before could buy additional track time.
Unfortunately, around 100 of the participants were busted doing well over 100 mph on their way to the track. Local law enforcement was not amused, handing out tickets by the fistful for everything from speeding to improper equipment in a bid to get drivers piloting everything from and to to cool their heels.
Do us all a favor. If you like your local track, keep it legal on the surrounding streets, or the place might not be open for business next year. Thanks for the tip, Monroe!
Cars have earned hero status in a wide variety of TV and film roles through the years. It’s rare, however, that the main ride is a van (notable exceptions include B.A.’s van in the A-Team and the Scooby-Doo kids’ Mystery Machine.) Artist Brandon Ortwein prefers to imagine a different entertainment history as he asks the important question, “Would it have been cooler as a van?”
Ortwein answers that question through his artwork at his website and online store, , where you can buy prints of some of entertainment’s most famous cars, only re-imagined as vans! Everything ranging from the Wagon Queen Family Truckster, to Thomas the Tank Engine, to Doc’s DeLorean, and even Pee-Wee’s bike undergo the transformation.
Head on over to Brandon Ortwein’s store for a closer look at his vision of a van-filled world. We’re particularly fond of the .
Stanford University Autonomous Audi TTS – Click above for high-res image gallery
The autonomous built by Group Electronics Research Lab, Stanford University and has taken an important first step toward its ultimate goal: participating in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The self-driving TTS officially completed a test run – all the way to the 14,110 foot summit – earlier this year, clocking a time of 27 minutes, which is pretty good considering that race officials typically expect a human driver to do it in around 17 minutes.
Audi says that the car used a combination of brand-new software, algorithms and hardware to tackle one of the world’s most challenging hill climbs. The 12.42 mile course is a gauntlet of tarmac and loose gravel that snakes upward with a number of instant switchbacks. According to Audi, the autonomous TTS managed to hit a top speed of 47 mph during one stretch. Hit the jump for the full press release.
Mercedes-Benz wants to know what catches your eye – Click above to watch the video
Chances are, if we were to ask you what catches a man’s eye in the natural world, you wouldn’t have to hire a team of researchers to come up with the answer. Of course, odds are that you don’t work for , either. The German automaker wanted to discover exactly what it is about its vehicles that snags someone’s pupils, so it hired a team of scientists equipped with fancy camera-equipped glasses and unleashed a few unsuspecting test subjects on a quick walk-around the new CLS.
What’d they find? Not surprisingly, our eyes are immediately drawn to traits like the arching roof line, long hood and unique body contours down each flank. Surprise, surprise, we know. And what draws our eye in the opposite sex? Well, we’ll just let you watch the video to figure that one out for yourself. Unlike the CLS, the answer may actually surprise you.
Gran Turismo 5 Course Maker – Click above to watch video
As of right now, we’re a little more than a week away from the latest official release date for Gran Turismo 5. Thanks to the ridiculous frequency of delays, we aren’t exactly betting on having the game in our hands on November 24. But if, like us, you’ve been confounded by the repeated launch setbacks, you’ll likely find this latest video intriguing. Apparently one of the biggest reasons the game has been pushed back is the addition of a new course creator that allows players to generate their own tracks.
That means that with a little patience, you can cook up just about any combination of turns, elevation changes and the like, and then share them with friends. Something tells us we’re going to be working on getting Virginia International Raceway down pat for awhile. to see the clip for yourself.
Upon querying current and past Continental GT buyers about what they’d like to see in the new model, a surprisingly unified voice came back loud and clear: “Don’t screw up my car, but fix the sat-nav.” Let’s see how it went, shall we?
It’s time to give away another prize pack! Follow to enter the drawing.
Here we have a slew of high-res detail shots of the 2011Chrysler 300 sedan. Expect a full reveal at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.
Cadillac Aera Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
The focus at the LA Auto Show is on new production vehicles as well as concepts that hint at an automaker’s direction for the very near future. One aspect of the show however, looks further into the distance and pushes designers to create their vision of a supplied theme. The LA Auto Show Design Challenge has entered it’s seventh year, and for 2010 the designers had to . The GM Advanced Design team stepped up to the plate and, with their Aera Concept, took the top spot.
This marks the third time that the group from has won this challenge, giving them the most wins out of all automakers that enter. The Cadillac Aera Concept hit on all areas that the judges were looking for and, despite the futuristic styling, still carries some recognizable lines from Cadillacs of today.
You can read more about the Cadillac Aera Concept by , and you can see it for yourself in the gallery below.
We’re beginning to think that the real difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is simply whether or not one succumbs to the idea of building your own sports car. The latest to fall victim to that money trap is Dale Vince – a man with a vision for an all-electric, 330 horsepower beast capable of ripping off the 0-60 mph sprint in 4.4 seconds on its way to 100 mph in 8.5 seconds. Like a few other specialty racers we’ve seen surface recently, the Nemisis uses a Lotus chassis for its bones, while a pack of lithium-polymer batteries supplies the juice. And according to Vince, the cells can be topped off in 8-10 hours using a trickle charge.
All told, the car has a range of somewhere between 100 and 150 miles and boasts a theoretical top speed of 170 mph. Ecotricity, the company that builds the Nemisis, has its eyes set on besting the UK’s electric vehicle top speed record of 139 mph soon. So, how much would you have to pay for a car like the Nemesis? Vince isn’t saying, though considering that it cost around £25 million to develop (including a £400,000 investment from the British government), chances are it won’t be cheap should it ever hit production.
GTRI CUSTD Project – Click above for high-res image gallery
By now, cars that drive themselves have become old news. Every time we turn around there’s another organization out to with a driverless van or tackle one of the world’s most demanding hill climb events with an . It just never ends. But the guys and gals at Georgia Tech Research Institute have taken things one step further with its Collaborative Unmanned Systems Technology Demonstrator. During a demonstration for the US Army, the school effectively demonstrated how vastly different robotic vehicles could work together. You know, to get us coffee, take over the world or whatever.
As a part of the 2010 Robotic Rodeo, GTRI used two unmanned aerial vehicles to work in coordination with a roboticized . Once airborne, the two RC planes take over everything from navigation and target location.
So what can all this tech do? GTRI says that in one instance, one of the UAVs can locate a target and radio the location back to the UGV, or unmanned ground vehicle, which then navigates around buildings and obstacles to the location. Meanwhile, the second UAV can continue to use its sensors to evaluate the surroundings. Welcome to the new world.
Former White House Auto Industry Task Force member Steven Rattner is being sued by New York State Attorney General and Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo for allegedly paying kickbacks to win investments in the state’s pension fund.
Cuomo is seeking $26 million from Rattner, and to bar him from trading securities in New York for life, an agreement that might hamstring Rattner if he can’t do securities work in New York any longer.
Rattner, who recently penned a book about his time on The Obama task force () that guided General Motors and Chrysler through bankruptcy, a related case against him brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which brought a civil lawsuit against the private equity executive and former New York Times reporter.
Rattner’s former investment firm, Quadrangle, settled with New York State and the SEC last April, which was accompanied by a statement by Quadrangle saying Rattner’s conduct was “inappropriate, wrong and unethical.” Quadrangle agreed to pay $7 million to Cuomo and $5 million to the SEC without admitting or denying wrongdoing.
Faces of Distracted Driving – Click above to watch videos
As part of this year’s Distracted Driving Summit, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the Department of Transportation unveiled a new campaign to curb distracted driving. Called The Faces of Distracted Driving, the web series tells the stories of friends and family members who lost someone to distracted driving. So far, just three episodes have been released, but more are expected in the future.
The DOT says that last year, 5,500 people were killed and over 50,000 were injured in incidents related to distracted driving. Here’s hoping the Faces of Distracted Driving campaign does something to curb that figure. to see the videos for yourself.
You don’t get much higher stakes than Formula One. And while some teams have their own airplanes, there are a couple this season that have their own airlines: Richard Branson’s Virgin, and Tony Fernandes’ Racing and Air Asia.
