Yesterday, we got to see the , and today we have video of one of the missions. But wait just a second – this isn’t a video game, it’s real life.
An in-car video camera has captured footage of two unnamed Brazilian police officers going after some bad guys on a remote runway, Cops-style. One officer can be seen firing a machine gun, just before the driver rams the wing of a plane in an effort to prevent it from taking off.
According to the Associated Press, a Brazilian federal police spokesman indicates that the pilot and four others were arrested, but nobody was hurt in the takedown. The video does appear to show plenty of contraband electronics that were seized from the alleged smugglers, however.
We have little interest in running into burning buildings, but we can imagine being a firefighter has its perks. For starters, those guys and girls get the chance to pilot some seriously incredible machinery. Superlift, Matchbox and got together to create what could very possibly be the world’s most bad-ass brush truck using a as the base chassis. The truck wears an astonishing 10-inch lift and 41-inch Interko IROK tires. A full tube exo-cage helps protect the PPG “Oh So Orange” paint, and a smattering of lights and sirens ensure that everyone will see this emergency vehicle coming.
A full fire-fighting utility bed, complete with water tanks, pumps and hoses, sits ready to take on brush fires and the like, and a front-mounted water canon means that the Matchbox brush truck can tackle flames going and coming. We dig it.
While we generally spend most of our time at SEMA walking through the halls of the convention center, there’s some pretty impressive cars outside, as well. Take this wild 1944 Mack fire truck, for example.
Built by Tom Stark of Precision Designs, the truck has been fitted with a 2005 Viper SRT10 V10 engine mated to a Dodge 48RE automatic transmission. The stock Mack axle remains up front, but the rear suspension and axle from a 2008 Ram truck resides out back. Otherfeatures include Dodge Ram SRT10 brakes, 24-inch American Force wheels and custom leather seating.
Lest you think this is just a show truck, Stark tells us that the owner plans to actually drive the thing. He is even going to make the trek from his home in Kansas City to the Goodguys Nationals in Columbus, Ohio come July.
You can see the Viper-powered 1944 Mack fire truck in detail in the gallery above.
The standard Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Special Edition is an impressive piece of machinery by any standard, but if you’re looking for something with a little more bite, may have what you’re looking for. The company has created a custom just for the Army Rangers. The stock drivetrain was pulled in favor of a Burnsville 5.7-liter Hemi V8 conversion paired to a five-speed automatic transmission while the standard axles were scrapped for a Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear from Dynatrac. A TeraFlex four-inch long arm kit with provides a little extra lift, while Fox 2.0 performance shocks ensure that this Wrangler can soak up whatever terrain you decided to conquer.
Smittybilt provided a set of XRC armor fenders, an SRC stinger bumper and a rear XRC bumper with an adjustable tire mount, some of which have been decorated with shots from a 9mm pistol. Xtreme Outfitters also worked with BMF for a set of pre-production Novakane 17×9-inch wheels.
Inside, the Wrangler uses custom lighting from Rigid Lighting and Katzkin custom two-tone leather seats embroidered with the Ranger logo. Xtreme Outfitters has donated the Wrangler to the Army Rangers to be auctioned off to benefit veteran Rangers. Raffle tickets are $25 a piece, and you can enter as many times as you like. Xtreme Outfitters says that the total build tallies up to around $150,000, though all of the decommissioned firearms spread around the cabin aren’t part of the deal. Head over to the for more information.
Icon was kind enough to roll out two vehicles at SEMA 2011 including the company’s latest Derelict project. We found this 1952 Business Coupe is a welcome sight among the flashy, polished-to-death SEMA masses. With its Art Morrison chassis, completely reworked suspension, CNC-machined steelie reproduction wheels and a 430-horsepower aluminum General Motors6.2-liter V8 engine, Icon’s latest Derelict is nothing short of a SEMA masterpiece. The level of execution and attention to detail on the vehicle, from the glass bottle burp tank to its buffalo and alligator seat covers, is phenomenal.
Icon has already produced a handful of Derelict projects; vehicles with original patina and reworked engine and chassis components. The company says that it can perform the same service on any vehicle from the 1930s to the 1970s. Judging from strong reader response to , you’ve already gone gaga right along with us based on the press shots alone. Here’s your chance to get a little closer to the restomod action with our in-person gallery.
Of the world’s innumerable natural wonders, the French Alps are particularly spectacular. Stretching along the border between France and Italy, the mountain chain offers exceptional vistas and, for braver folk, incredibly challenging terrain. Freestyle trials rider Julien Dupont recently brought a few friends out for a day of playing in the mountains, and Ride the World Productions tagged along to film the whole event. The camera crew spent some time playing with its own toys, including a camera-equipped Air Drone remote-control helicopter.
The result is one very well-shot, very well-edited video of some impressive freestyle motorcycle riding. Watching Dupont work his magic with mountain and machine is a real treat, and it makes us itch for a little time in the saddle ourselves. to check out the full video for yourself. You can also poke around the for more clips of awesome riding.
Most all-wheel-drive vehicles – say, a mass-market crossover like the , for example – are fairly straightforward in their setup. With the engine and transmission up front, one driveshaft goes to the front wheels and another to the back. But that’s not always the case with high-performance machines.
On the , for example, the engine is in the front and the gearbox is in the back. So a driveshaft goes aft from the engine to the transmission and the rear wheels, and another goes back to the front wheels where the power came from.
That’s all well and good when you’re designing a car from scratch to accommodate such a layout. But when it came to replacing the mechanical bits from the Juke with those of the GT-R, Nissan’s team of crack engineers found there another challenge. (Not to mention the fact that the Juke’s wheelbase is nearly a foot shorter than the GT-R’s.) for the fifth (brief) episode in the Juke-R build series to see how they’ve managed.
As a bone-stock machine, the is an impressive piece of engineering, but that doesn’t mean that the platform can’t be improved upon. The crew from has turned its fabricating skills toward creating a luxury prerunner version of he go-anywhere pickup, and the result is nothing short of astounding. With a massive 90-inch track width and suitably epic amounts of wheel travel, this Raptor is filled with custom, one-off parts. The front suspension boasts 26-inches of travel while the rear flexes out at around 31 inches thanks in part to billet aluminum A-arms up front and a set of Fox Racing 4.0 external bypass shocks and three-inch coil springs.
A 600-horsepower Patton racing engine resides under the custom hood and is bolted to a built 4L80 automatic transmission. Though two-wheel drive, the truckfeatures a four-link suspension in the rear for the most travel possible.
Inside, the cabin is fitted with GPS, and MP3/iPod capable audio system, six-way power adjustable seats and more electronic goodies. We want one.
tucked its amongst a flotilla of pickups at SEMA 2011. The slammed hatch is set to compete in the SCCA B-Spec class with BMX guru Jamie Bestwick behind the wheel. The race-ready was built by SportsCar Magazine and features a stripped-out interior and an Autopower Industries eight-point SCCA roll cage for less weight and greater driver safety. OMP supplied the complete fire suppression system as well as a six-point racing harness and a WRC-style steering wheel.
A Cusco Zero-3 suspension gives the hatch greater grip and Cusco center-lock pillow ball upper mounts provide greater rigidity and less suspension flex than the stock components. Enkei 15-inch wheels shod in Hoosier racing tires help keep the car stuck to the tarmac as well.
SportsCar Magazine gave the Yaris B-Spec Club Racer a little nudge in power as well thanks to an AEM series 2 engine management system, a Beta Motorsports cat-back exhaust and a custom tune by Church automotive testing.
Steven Rattner, who headed up the Obama Administration’s Auto Task Force during the quick-rinse bankruptcies of Chrysler and General Motors, is more pleased with the success of the auto bailouts than he ever thought he would be. “Overhaul,” Rattner’s controversial memoir of his time heading up Team Auto and navigating the murky Beltway waters is now out in paperback with a new epilogue that showers high praise on Sergio Marchionne and the efforts Chrysler has made, as well as recounting getting misty watching the new General Motors start trading on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Throughout “Overhaul,” it’s clear that Chrysler almost didn’t make it, which makes the latest news of a $212 in Auburn Hills all the more incredible to Rattner. As for GM, Rattner doesn’t think the common joke of “Government Motors” is hurting the company, and he says taxpayers likely stand to recoup most of the investment in the two automakers and ancillary investments in suppliers and credit institutions like GMAC (now Ally Bank).
On the one hand, Rattner calls it a story with a happy ending, though he tempers that with more caution later on, saying “the movie’s not over yet.” Things are certainly looking up for GM and Chrysler, though for how long will be down to management decisions and market conditions.
So many independent supercar operations have disappeared as fast as they’ve sprung up. But Shelby SuperCars is out to make a name for itself. Not only did the upstart manage to challenge the likes of Koenigsegg and for top-speed supremacy with its Ultimate Aero, but now it’s coming back with its stunning new Tuatara.
While the Ultimate Aero has been built at a combination of facilities in California, Arizona and Washington State, SSC is apparently planning one central location to build the slippery Tuatara, details of which have just begun to arrive from local news media.
A 27,300-square-foot facility is being proposed in West Richland, Washington – the same city where the company is currently based – on a four-acres plot currently owned by the municipal government. The location would include manufacturing, a sales showroom and office space.
The local city council is set to vote on the proposal that would seek a $830,000 grant from the state government in order to develop the infrastructure necessary to accommodate the project that would, over the course of the next five years, create 54 new jobs.
It just wouldn’t be without a whole slew of coupes and convertibles staring us in the face, and this week’s Vegas show doesn’t disappoint. General Motors’ own booth features four rather interesting specimens, which you can see in the image gallery we’ve compiled here.
First comes the Camaro ZL1 Carbon Concept, which boasts a sinister Ashen Gray look with a smattering of carbon fiber bits and pieces. Power comes from the same 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque supercharged V8 that’s set to debut in 2012 in the ZL1.
Up next is the Camaro Red Zone Concept. Based on the convertible version of the pony car, this machine wears a coat of Crystal Claret that’s newly available for 2012 along with Chevrolet Accessories silver Ice interior pieces. The exterior features Accessory wheels and a full body kit, all available straight from the dealer. Finally, that stripe package you see will soon be available to Camaro owners.
The silver convertible you see in our gallery is the Camaro Synergy Series Concept, and it’s wearing a coat of Silver Ice plus black Synergy decals with red line inserts. Chevrolet Accessory black-painted wheels join a body kit and body-color grille.
Finally, there’s the Camaro 1LE Concept. As with other 1LE packages, this one has a suspension kit that is intended for road race circuits. It’s Victory Red exterior is set off by a flat black hood and hash mark extensions. Most of the underpinnings will be available on the ZL1 for 2012, including the magnetic ride suspension.
Read all about each of these concepts in the press release after the break.
The Mopar team showed up to SEMA 2011 in full force with a bevy of factory-tuned machines, including a . The company says that the vehicle is an homage to the option-delete muscle-bruisers of old, and as such, this has scrapped any component that could possibly slow it down.
In addition to a gutted interior and plenty of carbon fiber, the Challenger ACR features a laundry list of Mopar components. Those include a complete coilover suspension, massive front and rear strut tower braces as well as a short-throw shifter and full cat-back exhaust. The easy-breathing pipes likely help the 6.4-liter V8 produce a bit more power than the base SRT8’s 470 horses.
Inside, the SRT engineers fitted a Drag Pack center stack and a carbon weave shift bezel kit. While we typically shy away from massive wheels, we have to admit that the 20-inch rolling stock on the Challenger ACR is plenty fetching.
Yes, we’ve . But this is the machine’s official debut to the public, and, since it’s just as awesome here in Las Vegas as it was in Southern California at the company’s headquarters, we’ve decided to grab another set of live photos for your viewing pleasure.
As a refresher, this rough-and-tumble ride is based on the shell of a classic from 1966 to 1977 (not the full-size one most famous for its low-speed car “chase”), and is powered by one of the Blue Oval’s latest 5.0-liter V8 engines that puts out 412 horsepower and 390 lb-ft torque. Those horses are transferred through a five-speed manual gearbox to an Atlas II transfer case and finally to stout custom-built Dana 60 and 44 solid axle assemblies.
We suggest you read all about our , but first, check out our live image gallery of the rethought and rebuilt classic at .
As fast as tarmac and competing drivers can vanish behind you in Formula One racing, so can the unfortunate events of the past. In some cases, anyway. Flavio Briatore may still be banned from the sport due to his involvement in the Crashgate debacle, but Mike Coughlan is making short business of putting his scandal behind him, and returning to F1 racing in a big way.
As you may recall, Coughlan was a central figure in the Spygate scandal between McLaren and . While waiting for his suspension to expire, he went over to NASCAR and helped Waltrip engineer some new cars. Then when the coast was clear, he with Williams. That resulted in a , but now that that’s all , Williams has confirmed Coughlan as its new technical director – the #2 position in any F1 team.
It’s a move that’s been anticipated by many ever since Coughlan was as chief engineer back in May, around the same time that outgoing technical director Sam Michael left the team. But the announcement – made by company chairman Adam Parr at this weekend’s Indian Grand Prix – is hardly the end of the rumors circulating around Williams.
Back in September we on rumors that Kimi Raikkonen was negotiating a potential return to Formula One with Williams. The 2007 world champion left the series after the 2009 championship when Ferrari wanted to make room for Fernando Alonso. Since then he’s been racing in the World Rally Championship and in NASCAR, biding his time until he could find a top team with a shot at the title with which he could return to the series he once dominated.
Those rumors are now intensifying, suggesting that Kimi could be brought in to replace Rubens Barrichello and partner with the young Pastor Maldonado. If true, they’d ostensibly demonstrate tremendous faith on Raikkonen’s part in a team that was once at the very top and has been clawing its way back up ever since.
Hemmings reports that Craig Breedlove is preparing to jump back into the land speed record game in an attempt to break through the 800 mph barrier. Breedlove made a name for himself while vying with Art Arfons for the world land speed record back in the ’60s. His efforts eventually landed him the title in his jet-powered Sonic 1, and he would later set a total of 23 FIA speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe. Breedlove was recently named the recipient of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum Spirit of Competition Award, becoming only the third individual to receive the award since its inception.
During the ceremony, the racer announced that he intends to return to Bonneville in 2013 – the 50th anniversary of his first record on the salt flats – with someone else at the controls. Breedlove already has a pair of GE jet engines lying around as well as some of the engineering necessary to put the power units to work in a LSR car. At this point, it’s unclear exactly who will pilot Breedlove’s new machine or what the design will look like, but a motorsports legend returning to the scene of his greatest triumph is something worth keeping tabs on, even if he isn’t in the driver’s seat.
For a quick refresher on Breedlove in his glory days, watch the excellent in-period video of a 1963 record-breaking effort .
We think has found its new spokesman for the all-electric . A microbiologist at the University of Arizona known as “Dr. Germ” says he’s identified gas pumps as the biggest biohazard in modern society.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the doctor’s research results show 71 percent of gas pump handles are “‘highly contaminated’ with the kinds of germs most associated with a high risk of illness.” Other highly-contaminated items we encounter on an everyday basis include public mailboxes, ATM machines and escalators.
Now, before you run off and buy an electric car to avoid germ-covered gas pumps, know this: The study also found 40 percent of parking meters to be similarly infested. Maybe you should just keep a can of disinfectant wipes in the car. It’d be cheaper, at least.
Ladies and gentleman, this is what SEMA should be about. Behold the latest Icon Derelict; a 1952 Deluxe Business Coupe hiding a full arsenal of modern engineering beneath over half a century of patina.
The vehicle uses a complete powder-coated Art Morrison chassis with a front independent suspension and a four-link rear. An all-aluminum, fuel-injected 6.2-liter General Motors LS3 V8 sits between the frame rails and cranks out 430 horsepower. The engine is mated to a 4L65E automatic transmission and a full set of six-piston brakes with anti-lock control ensures that the whole party can come to a stop in a timely fashion. Despite looking like junkyard relics, the wheels are actually custom CNC-machined pieces shod in ZR-rated BF Goodrich rubber.
If the Coupe’s mechanicals and exterior aren’t enough to flip your switches, take a peek indoors. Both seats have been recovered in a combination of wild-caught alligator and buffalo hides(!) that have been dyed to the same Hermes hue as John F. Kennedy’s briefcase. The carpet is Wilton wool bound in buffalo as well, and an vintage mohair headliner finishes out the indoors. An array of tech is also tastefully hidden away as well, including Focal and Parrot audio components with Bluetooth capability.
This sort of execution is so far above and beyond the typical restomod and tuner fodder we typically see from the SEMA crowd that it serves as a breath of fresh air. If you like what you see, Icon says that the company can do the same for nearly any vehicle from the ’30s to the ’70s.
Gentlemen, start your imaginations. The Icon Derelict 1952 Chevrolet Business Coupe will be on display at this year’s SEMA show.
Motorcycle manufacturers are on the teaser warpath as we get closer to the annual EICMA show in Milan. MV Agusta is the latest company to roll out a quick clip celebrating its latest effort; the 2012 Brutale 675. The machine is the naked sister to the wicked , and with a three-cylinder configuration and a €9,000 price tag, the Brutale 675 is expected to square off against bikes like the Triumph Speed Triple and the Ducati Street Fighter 848. What sort of hardware will it bring to the fight beyond its three pot mill? MV Agusta isn’t saying for certain.
The teaser shows off a few quick, shadowy glimpses of the bike, but we are treated to a solid view of the wild exhaust on the Brutale 675 as well as clear shots of the machine’s front end. Stay tuned for full details once MV Agusta pulls the sheets off at EICMA 2011, but in the meantime, to check out the video for yourself.
has announced that production of the sixth-generation has officially begun at its Munich manufacturing facility. The automaker invested around €500 million – over $700M USD – in the plant in preparation for the new model; a move that BMW says secured around 9,000 jobs. A portion of those funds went toward the purchase of a new press that can operate at speeds of up to 17 strokes per minute and process up to 600 tons of steel per day. The automaker says that the machine can handle the equivalent of all of the metal in the Eiffel Tower in just 12 days.
The new technology is part of the recipe that BMW says will allow the plant to produce around 680 units per day in as little as three months from the start of production. That figure will place the plant’s total output at over 900 units per day. Surprisingly enough, that volume occurs in a space of just 700,000 square feet across five floors, making for an incredibly dense work space. Hit the jump for the press release.
