If you’re anything like us, you likely have more than a few remote controlled cars collecting dust in the basement. Instructables.com has taken the time to show us just what can be accomplished with a little time and motivation using those machines and some low-buck electronics. Namely, your own battery-powered autonomous machine.
Randy Sarafan has worked up a step-by step instruction manual for creating a basic robot capable of sensing and avoiding obstacles of its own accord. While basic, the platform allows for greater customization, including more complex logic and the addition of an array of sensors.
Sounds like a good time to us. You can click to check out a video of Sarafan’s machine or head over to for the full briefing. If you get crazy with your own R/C collection, be sure to drop us a line and show us what you came up with.
Buyers in China have been snapping up models for 20 years now, and the Italian automaker is marking the anniversary with the introduction of a special-edition . Dipped in a new Marco Polo red and swaddled in a “dragon-horse” livery with gold imagery and black stripes, the vehicle is supposed to pay homage to Chinese culture. Buyers will also enjoy unique gold wheels and a cabin fitted with gold embroidery to match. A start button with 20 stars and a unique dash plaque are also part of the package. So far, there’s no word on how much the machine will cost.
The company plans to build just 20 examples, the first of which will be unveiled at the debut of the first “permanent” brand exhibition outside of Maranello. Ferrari will set claim to nearly 3,000 square feet at the Shanghai World Expo Park, where the exhibition will remain for three years. Examples from the Maranello Museum will be arrayed in order of topic, from green technology to product, design and racing as well as Ferrari in China. for the full press release.
Traxxas has done a smart job of establishing itself as a toymaker for grownups. With radio-controlled iterations of and , the company has something for everyone.
Or at least it does now. Traxxas is now producing R/C funny cars for straight-line antics. The cars are capable of over 70 miles per hour, come with an adjustable wheelie bar and a TQi 2.4GHz controller with all sorts of fun modes. Launch control, race, burnout and staging mode are all part of the programming. A 1/8th scale Christmas tree is also available.
So far, there are only four funny car models. Buyers may choose between Courtney Force’s , John Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, Mike Neff’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang or Robert Hight’s AAA Auto Club Ford Mustang. to see a quick video of the cars in action.
has once again partnered up with Rhys Millen, this time to create a new fit to take on Formula Drift. The specially prepared two-door boasts more then 600 horsepower thanks to careful tweaking by the minds at RMR. That’s a far cry from the 274 hp served up by the stock 2.0-liter turbo four, and so far, Millen is keeping the secret of how he pulled that much grunt from the four-pot to himself. We’re guessing this machine has been touched by the gods of forced-induction in all the right ways.
While Millen and his track-bred heathen are out vaporizing tires, Hyundai fans will have a chance to pour over the company’s other wares and compete for race gifts while at the track. This marks the fourth consecutive year Hyundai and Millen have partnered up, and this year, he’ll be the exclusive driver for the company at all Formula Drift events. Last year, the RMR team took first place in Las Vegas and runner up at Irwindale. for the full press release.
There are plenty of ways to test a vehicle’s durability. You might hand the keys to your average teenager for a week or plop a journalist behind the wheel for an hour. Or you could simply enter the machine in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. has opted for the latter option for the company’s upgraded-for-2012 . The automaker’s development team want to fully stress the supercar’s systems by putting it through one of the world’s most grueling endurance races. Of course, the fact that Nissan wants to one-up in its own backyard certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Nissan has thrown a bit more downforce at the vehicle’s front end and the factory wing has been replaced as well, but the engine, transmission and suspension all remain unaltered from the factory Club Track edition. The competition vehicle will wear slightly wider tires, as well as safety cage and a larger fuel cell to accommodate the race regulations. The factory brakes have also been swapped out for more aggressive hardware.
Nissan says some of the changes may make their way to production in the near future as the company pushes the vehicle to break the seven minute lap time barrier at Germany’s most famous track. to see the video for yourself.
has over a hundred years of heritage from which it can call upon when the right marketing angle presents itself. Like, for instance, when it launches a for the 2014 model year, as it has just done at the 2012 . As such, the automaker has brought a mint 1966 Chevrolet SS 427 Convertible to display alongside its new family sedan.
We’ll get this right out of the way: the 1966 ‘Vert has nothing in common with the 2014 sedan, other than its nameplate.
Regardless, it’s always fun to ogle over a classic muscle car, and this ‘66 Impala is, perhaps, the very best of its full-size breed. The 427-cubic-inch V8 was factory rated at 390 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque – plenty more than necessary to turn those 7.5-inch-wide bias-ply tires into plumes of smoke, and the four-speed manual and 3.55:1 gears mean it’s properly equipped for 1960s-style stoplight showdowns.
Check out this classic Impala SS in our high-res image gallery, and before we all get too sentimental for the old times, remember two points: First, as awesome as this machine undoubtedly is, it could never be sold today due to safety and emissions reasons. Second, most of the millions of Impalas sold over the years were much more pedestrian models than this stunning blue SS.
Caveats aside, we want this car rumbling away in our virtual garage. Badly.
Our sister site visits the University of Michigan in their latest episode to check out a bipedal robot named MABEL. While other similar robots like ASIMO (built by ), and the Partner Robots (from ) have wowed crowds with their ability to walk upright, MABEL advances the technology with a complex system of springs in its knees so that its gait more resembles actual human locomotion. This enables MABEL to actually run like a human, with both “feet” leaving the ground for part of each stride.
MABEL actually set a world record for fastest two-legged machine last summer, hitting a peak pace of 6.8 miles per hour. (By comparison, ASIMO tops out at 3.7 mph.) More importantly, MABEL is able to walk and run over more than just flat terrain, as it can dynamically balance similar to a human. University of Michigan researchers say this technology may be able to help the disabled regain the ability to walk some day, or be deployed for future vehicles that don’t use wheels.
has treated its high-performance to a refresh for the 2013 model year, rolling the controversial bad boy out during the for its first official appearance. Unfortunately, the changes are so subtle that we required an official BMW tour guide to point them out. In lieu of such a service for each of our readers, the next paragraph will have to suffice.
Most obvious is the new ‘power bulge’ hood, borrowed from the . Less visible are the cosmetic changes to the BMW-signature kidney grill and the new optional LED headlights (active HID bulbs remain standard). Peer inside the 20-inch wheels to spot the painted calipers, now in a distinguished “M” blue (vehicles with optional carbon/ceramic brakes have gold calipers). Lastly, inside the cabin, BMW’s active sport seats are now standard.
Unchanged – and rightly so – is the gobsmacking twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 boasting 555 hp and 501 pound-feet of torque. Mated to a six-speed paddleshift automatic and permanent all-wheel drive, the hunchbacked hero will easily crack 60 mph in under than five seconds. By the way, you’ll have to make your own arrangements to get the gaudy Olympic sponsorship graphics seen on the vehicle above.
Visitors to the will be able to take a closer look at the ,’ just days after the company’s prototype made its first flight. The two-place airworthy machine is perhaps best considered a roadgoing low-wing aircraft (not a ‘flying car’), as its technical specifications are anything but earthly.
For starters, the curb weight of the composite and aluminum Transition is just 970 pounds, with a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds (useful load is 460 pounds). It is powered by a 1.4-liter Rotax 912ULS, a water-cooled flat-four developing 100 horsepower.
In aircraft mode, the thick automated electromechanical folding wings open and a gearbox transfers power to a four-bladed pusher propeller just behind the cockpit. Top speed in the non-pressurized Transition is about 115 mph, with a flying range of just over 400 miles. In terrestrial mode, with the wings folded and a license plate hanging in the slipstream, power is sent to the rear wheels and the top speed falls to just 65 mph. Fuel economy is about 35 mpg, with an on-road range in excess of 600 miles.
According to Woburn, Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, the company has more than 100 reservations for this novel contraption. If you have Popular Science dreams, get out your thickest checkbook, as the current anticipated base purchase price is a lofty $279,000.
has used the to show off its new , which was announced at The Spring Festival, a small-scale event held in Southern California for Mopar LX fans and owners. Besides being seen by those select few, this is the coupe’s first public showing.
Powered by the same 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine with 305 horsepower and 268 pound-feet torque as the base model, this machine gets a performance boost via an upgraded suspension package called the Super Sport Group. Updates include firmer front and rear shocks, larger front and rear sway bars, wider P245/45R20 Firestone Firehawk tires and steering that’s 25-percent quicker.
As you can see, there are also a bunch of exterior tweaks, including the big red stripe down the center, red-striped 20-inch wheels with a Pitch Black treatment and a body-color rear spoiler. Inside, the exclusive availability of heated front performance seats in Radar Red leather is the biggest news, but Dark Slate Grey is also available. The optional Exterior hues are Bright Silver Metallic, Tungsten Metallic, Bright White and Pitch Black.
Want one? Dodge says the Rallye Redline will be available this month starting at $28,745 (plus $925 for destination). See the machine yourself in our high-res image gallery of live photos above.
The wait is finally over. … excuse us, has officially pulled the wraps off the 2013 , and it’s everything we were hoping it would be. Let’s discuss numbers: 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque from a front/mid-mounted 8.4-liter V10 and the best power-to-weight ratio of any Viper ever built.
Two models will be available, the standard high-performance SRT and GTS.
In fact, the 2013 SRT Viper’s 4.9 pounds per horsepower puts it just behind the and and ahead of such performance stalwarts as the and . What’s more, this engine has no turbocharger or supercharger, and those 600 lb-ft make this V10 the most torque-rich naturally aspirated production engine in the world.
Two models will be available, the standard high-performance SRT and GTS. The SRT is meant to “offer a perfect blend of extreme performance and a deliberate preservation of what has become the iconic DNA of the Viper,” says Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of the Street and Racing Technology Brand and Motorsports. Buyers looking for a little more technology can opt for the GTS, which adds such niceties as a two-mode active suspension and interior creature comforts not normally associated with the Viper.
The 2013 Viper isn’t just about power, either. Chassis updates are plentiful and include a beautiful X-brace up front that helps the new platform boast a 50-percent increase in rigidity over the last Viper. To help the driver maintain control, the 2013 Viper is fitted with stability and traction control (both fully defeatable, says Gilles) along with Pirelli P Zero Z-rated tires that were designed specifically for the Viper in massive 355 sizes in back and 295 up front. Three different wheels will be available, with five or six spokes in polished, matte black or gloss black finishes, along with a special lightweight set as part of the SRT Track Package.
Inside, the Viper is more luxurious than ever before, with seats from Sabelt (the same supplier used by ) and a seven-inch LCD screen directly in front of the driver that’s configurable with a whole slew of custom operations. Chrysler’s stellar 8.4-inch Uconnect Media Center is also included, as is a Harmon Kardon sound system. Oh, and for the first time ever, cruise control is standard.
For the first time ever, cruise control is standard.
Though first and foremost a street car, SRT fully intends to establish the 2013 Viper’s racing credentials early and often. Viper will return to the American Le Mans Series in 2012, fielding a two-car team driven by Dominik Farnbacher, Marc Goossens, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Kuno Wittmer. And gaming fans aren’t left out, either – SRT has worked with the Forza Motorsport 4 crew to make sure the 2013 SRT Viper is available soon as DLC.
There’s lots more information in the press release and videos , but we suggest you check out our high-res image galleries first, as this Viper is one beautiful machine.
If you’ve been saving your spare change to pick up one of these new models later this year, well, now you can more accurately estimate how many wheelbarrows full of nickels you’ll need to dump into the Coinstar machine at your local grocery store.
We’ll start with the . While we already knew the six-cylinder 640i Gran Coupe would , prices on the V8 models have now been set. The 650i will sell for $87,395, while the 650i xDrive model will command $90,395. Both are powered by a twin-turbo, 445-horsepower, 4.4-liter V8, which BMW says can propel the all-wheel-drive version from 0-62 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds. (The rear-wheel-drive model is a tick slower at 4.6 seconds.) The 640i goes on sale in late June, with the V8 models coming towards the end of summer.
The M series cars will command substantially more, with the 2012 Convertible commanding all of $113,995 when it goes on sale in June. The M6 Coupe and will go on sale in late summer as 2013 models, with the M6 carrying a $106,995 MSRP and the M5 listing at $90,695. All three models will share a twin-turbo, 560-horsepower, 4.4-liter V8.
The price of a fourth M vehicle, the revised 2013 , has also been announced. It will sell for $93,795, a $2,600 increase from this year’s model. For more details, to check out the official release.
is hard at work on the newest interpretation of the Cooper S John Cooper Works GP we recently . Speaking just ahead of the New York Auto Show, Kay Segler, the senior vice president of the Mini brand, said the vehicle will debut in around five weeks time at the Circuit Paul Ricard F1 track in Le Castellet, France during a Mini community event.
That’s exciting, but not nearly as much as news that the new machine is plenty quick. As you may recall, our spy photographers spotted the Cooper S JCW GP just outside of the infamous Nürburgring. Segler says he’s personally driven the machine, and that he knows for a fact that the vehicle is a full 20 seconds faster around the road course than its predecessor. Segler declined to announce the exact time.
Twenty seconds is a huge amount of time in any form of motorsports, and that’s doubly true for ‘Ring times. The original Cooper S JCW GP boasted just 215 horsepower but shed an impressive amount of weight to stay quick. The new model is expected to bring around 220 hp to the party along with significant weight reductions of its own. Still, a 5-hp nudge hardly explains a 20-second improvement around the Nürburgring. Stay tuned.
The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR currently holds the unofficial production car record for a Nürburgring lap with . The is the first four-door to show up on the list of lap times with a 7:52.00. The Audi RS6 Avant is the quickest wagon with a time of 8:09.00, and the first thing resembling a sport utility vehicle is the at 8:24.00. That right there would be the target for a were someone to bring one to Germany for a ‘Ring run. Last September, somebody did.
Piloted by the eminently qualified Sabine Schmitz, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 did the deed in 8:49.00. Ouch. That’s 25 seconds behind the X6 M and slower than even the front-wheel-drive Chevrolet HHR SS (8:43.52). Still, you can’t be taken seriously as a performance machine these days until you pay tribute at the Green Hell. And watching something attempt a high-speed ‘Ring run that was originally designed to rock crawl is always fun. to watch the official lap vid from SRT.
After being confronted with a petition against the – known as one of the biggest funders of climate-change denial – following an , CEO Dan Akerson said earlier this month that he . Based on a press release put out by the group that organized the petition, , it appears that GM will no longer give the Heartland Institute any money. In 2011, the GM Foundation donated $15,000.
Forecast the Facts’ petition was signed by over 20,000 people, including 10,000 who own or owned a GM vehicle. Following , Forecast the Facts campaign director, Daniel Souweine, said in a statement, that, “We applaud GM’s decision and the message it sends: that it is no longer acceptable for corporations to promote the denial of climate change, and that support for an organization like Heartland is not in line with GM’s values.”
Just as mysteriously as it , has removed the production hold it had placed on the . For those keeping track, the delay has lasted roughly three weeks, and we still don’t know what the “quality assessment issue” was.
According to Motor Authority, a letter has been sent to those who have placed orders on Chevy’s hottest muscle car, letting them know when they can expect their machines to arrive at the dealership.
Cars that had already been produced and had been held back from the waiting garages of buyers will begin trickling to owners in two to three weeks, while orders placed but not yet built will take a little longer. That said, Camaro ZL1 models built in the foreseeable future will very likely before the Oshawa plant switches production to the 2013 cars. Just how many 2012 ZL1s will be built remains to b seen.
We also can’t help but mention the , which gets some of the track-ready features of the ZL1 with a 426-horsepower V8 in place of the killer 580-horse supercharged engine, along with what’s sure to be a much lighter price tag. With choices like these, we’d say it’s a good time to be shopping for a .
Even at a team like (which has more grand prix victories to its name than any other team in Formula One – 217 to be specific), every win counts. Especially these days when they’re far more scarce than they were in the Michael Schumacher days of back-to-back championships. So when Fernando Alonso took home the checkered flag in Malaysia this past weekend, there was cause for celebration in Maranello.
After winning the second race of the season and taking the lead in the standings, Alonso swung by Ferrari headquarters for a nice long chat with chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, some training in the on-site gym and the traditional raising of the flag to mark the occasion, after which the two-time world champion apparently was gifted a brand-spankin’ new .
Whether the four-seat, all-wheel-drive, V12-powered shooting brake was a bonus outlined in his contract or a simple gesture of appreciation from his employers is likely known only by Alonso, Montezemolo and very few others, but either way, we doubt Fernando is complaining. The FF joins a growing stable of cars the star driver has received since signing with Ferrari, including a custom , a , an and a special edition . Nice work if you can get it.
As impressive as the is, someone at Shelby apparently thought 950 horsepower wasn’t good enough. With a few clicks of the mouse, a photo of one of the muscled-up pony cars was given a little drama to boost excitement.
At first, was that nothing in the photo was altered except shadows and that, yes, the super Shelby’s front end did in fact lift several inches off the ground in the photo you see above.
But anyone with at least one good eye can see several problems. Apparently, that does not include the Autoblog staff. We totally missed it, but one of our attentive readers, , caught it well before anyone else.
First, there’s an odd blur just beneath the front passenger side tire and just a sliver remains of the tire that was airbrushed out. If you’re gonna fake a photo, show some skill.
Second, a wheelstand would be virtually impossible to do with that much horsepower on street tires.
Third, check out those rear tires. They’re standing stock still and, as another reader, , points out, there’s light showing through the tread. The rear tires aren’t digging into the tarmac at all.
Shelby, rightly, now admits to that the front wheels were lifted not by a super powerful engine, but instead by super powerful photo manipulation software. Why, Shelby, why? You had us at 950 hp!
Back when Ally Financial was known as GMAC Financial, the U.S. Treasury gave it $17.2 billion in TARP funds to weather the global economic crisis. GMAC is now Ally Financial, and although it has repaid $5.4 billion of what it was loaned, there doesn’t seem to be a clear path for repaying the outstanding amount. Bloomberg reports that Ally’s mortgage unit, Residential Captial (ResCap), is teetering on the ledge of bankrupcty, and its banking operations didn’t perform well in the Federal Reserve’s stress tests that assess a bank’s health.
An IPO for the entire company faces dim prospects (one was ), so in a private equity ploy, the Treasury would like Ally to divvy itself up and sell the pieces to unlock value. Estimates are that the pieces could fetch $23.1 to $28.6 billion. The plan is supported by Elliott Management Corp, a shareholder that holds 2.3 percent of Ally stock. However, Ally’s CEO and its board don’t want to break the company up, and the Treasury – which holds 74 percent – doesn’t want to lean on the leadership too hard for fear of “appearing as a heavy-handed owner.”
In addition, the looming bankruptcy of ResCap will have an unknown effect on Ally’s ability to do anything. Before the mortgage implosion, GMAC’s auto unit was struggling and ResCap was restructured as a separate entity so that it wouldn’t be dragged down by the captive finance department. The situation is reversed now, with ResCap in trouble and the captive finance arm supporting itself, but Elliot feels that the restructuring won’t be enough to shield Ally from perhaps 18 months of litigation and billions in claims.
Ally execs feel differently, but no one will know until the trigger is pulled and the courts weigh in. With the Treasury reluctant to compel a move, it could be some time before it sees its $11.8 billion again.
has released details on six new concepts the company crafted for this year’s Easter Jeep Safari, including the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Concept. And while that vehicle boasts a slew of off-road goodies, including tow hooks, aggressive Goodyear Wrangler rubber and a rear light bar, we’re more interested in the wicked Mighty FC Concept pictured above.
Engineers built the Mighty FC as a tribute to the Jeep Forward Control that was offered between 1956 and 1965. Using a as a platform, the company stretched the wheelbase, stuck the cab ahead of the front axle and threw in a custom drop-side cargo box. Underneath, the Mighty FC uses a set of Mopar eight-lug portal axles, which offer a surprising amount of ground clearance without having to resort to a lift. If you like what you see, the axles are available for a combined price of $23,500. The truck rolls on 40-inch tires, and a King coil-over suspension handles the bumps and bruises of the trail.
Of course, the Jeep J-12 Concept (above, left) is equally delicious in its own right. An extended version of the JK-8 pickup, the concept began life as a 2012 Wrangler Unlimited, though the frame has been stretched a total of 18 inches. With a full six-foot bed, custom hood and unique fenders, the concept is straight awesome. Build it, Jeep.
The automaker also showed off an accessorized version of the standard Wrangler as well as a Wrangler Traildozer concept (above, right). The latter of the two was built by partnering with the off-road gurus at American Expedition Vehicles. With a 470-horsepower 6.4-liter V8 and a Getrag six-speed manual gearbox, the machine has the go-bits to tackle any trail. Dana 44 axles with electronic locking differentials at the front and rear are also part of the package.
Likewise, the Wrangler Apache concept (above, left) gets its power from the same fire-breathing Hemi, though that vehicle uses a Mopar conversion kit for the swap. With a beefy lift and 5.13 axles, the Apache should have no problem taking on the rocks of Moab.
Unfortunately, Chrysler has yet to release a full batch of official images for each vehicle, so went to their headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI, and shot them ourselves. for the lot of them, as well as Chrysler’s official press release.
