Goodyear Spirit of Safety – Click above to watch the video
The Goodyear blimp “Spirit of Safety” erupted into flames and crashed on Sunday, claiming the life of pilot Michael Nerandzic. According to reports, the vessel began emitting fuel fumes as it came in to land at the Reichelsheim aerodome outside of Friedberg, Germany. Nerandzic ordered his three passengers, all journalists, to jump from the blimp from a height of around six feet. With the weight of the passengers gone, the dirigible shot approximately 150 feet into the air before bursting into flames and crashing back down.
The ship was filled with non-flammable Helium, though photos and video of the incident show the gondola and engines aflame.
Goodyear leased “Spirit of Safety” from Lightship Europe for advertising purposes along with a second vessel, which has been grounded since the incident. In a statement, the tire manufacturer said that neither it nor Lightship Europe could comment on the possible causes of the accident at this time. to watch a report from Bild.de, one of the outlets aboard the vessel during the incident.
UPDATE: A representative from Goodyear contacted us with the following information: “This airship is not one of our 3 US ships and is a totally different kind of airship. It is owned and operated by Lightship Europe Limited. The airship was one of two chartered by Goodyear from LEL for marketing purposes in Europe.”
Goodyear Spirit of Safety – Click above to watch the video
The Goodyear blimp “Spirit of Safety” erupted into flames and crashed on Sunday, claiming the life of pilot Michael Nerandzic. According to reports, the vessel began emitting fuel fumes as it came in to land at the Reichelsheim aerodome outside of Friedberg, Germany. Nerandzic ordered his three passengers, all journalists, to jump from the blimp from a height of around six feet. With the weight of the passengers gone, the dirigible shot approximately 150 feet into the air before bursting into flames and crashing back down.
The ship was filled with non-flammable Helium, though photos and video of the incident show the gondola and engines aflame.
Goodyear leased “Spirit of Safety” from Lightship Europe for advertising purposes along with a second vessel, which has been grounded since the incident. The ill-fated blimp was scheduled to be retired in 2013. In a statement, the tire manufacturer said that neither it nor Lightship Europe could comment on the possible causes of the accident at this time. to watch a report from Bild.de, one of the outlets aboard the vessel during the incident.
Subaru WRX STI at the Isle of Man – Click above to watch the videos
, a major sponsor of the for 2011, had no trouble whatsoever in setting a new around the famed 37-mile mountain course on the remote British Isle. Driver Mark Higgins managed to circle the track in a in just 19:56.7 with an average speed of 113 miles per hour. Nicely done.
Turns out that record was set during a so-called practice lap, and it wasn’t the only time Higgins had a go at the course in his Subaru. Not all of his runs were as uneventful as that practice lap. As you’ll see in the two videos pasted after the break, Higgins heroic driving skills were truly put to the test less than a minute into one of his runs.
Higgins barely manages to keep the lightly modified STI (for safety purposes, the car had a roll cage, race harnesses and a fire extinguisher that were thankfully not put to use) under control, calling his near-miss the “moment of his life.” His passenger, Chris Cantle, stays remarkably stoic in the face of a 150-mile-per-hour fiery near-death crash. See for yourself in the video .
Sebastian Vettel in the IPL G Coupe at ICAR – Click above to watch the
With the United States Grand Prix set to join the calendar next year in Austin, Texas, the only current stop the Formula One circus makes in North America this season is in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. And while he was in our neck of the woods, the guys over at FastLaneDaily got a chance to meet up with Red Bull’s defending champion, Sebastian Vettel.
The champ took the FLD crew for a few laps in a around the ICAR circuit at Mirabel airport, where a couple of years back at the Jacques Villeneuve Academy. Surely an experience in and of itself, because young Seb is widely regarded as – and sufficiently proven to be – the best driver on the grid right now. But while they were at it, the video gurus of everything automotive got a juicy tidbit of information.
Through their two-pronged with Vettel and his team, is planning a special Sebastian Vettel edition road car. This is apparently separate from the new vehicle which RBR is with Infiniti, and will likely come about a little earlier, though it’s not clear what markets it will be offered in. As to what the model will entail – beyond some ad-ons and special badging – remains to be seen, but we’ll be keeping an eye out. In the meantime, for the run-through with FLD’s Shakedown.
2012 Volkswagen Beetle – Click above for high-res image gallery
The upcoming Beetle is being billed as a substantial departure from the cutesy car it replaces. And if you’ve been waiting for your chance to put your name down for one of the first examples to hit the road, here it is.
Called the Black Turbo Launch Edition, this limited-run will represent the first 600 examples of the new Beetle to hit American dealerships. Packing a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter TSI inline-four with dual-clutch transmission, the launch edition is distinguished by such touches as 18-inch alloys packing upsized brakes with red calipers, a rear spoiler, foglights, and includes an interior bundled with tri-color ambient lighting, Bluetooth and iPod connection, eight-speaker sound system, an extra glovebox, aluminum-alloy pedals and sport seats upholstered in cloth. (Although VW hadn’t released specific images of the Beetle Black Turbo Launch Edition as we went to press, it should look like the one pictured above.)
The special Beetle is the first model to use Volkswagen’s new Vehicle Pre-Order (VPO) program, available for pre-order online now for a $495 refundable reservation fee that will be applied to the purchase price of $24,950, plus a $770 destination charge. Details are in the press release after the jump.
Schumacher Mi-3 R/C Car – Click above to watch video
If you’re reading these words, there’s a good chance that there’s at least one remote-controlled car sulking in your basement or garaged in a cardboard box in the attic. Most of us walk away from R/Cs for good once we get our hands on full-scale transportation, but a select few individuals keep tinkering with the scale models. Those guys go on to create some pretty awesome contraptions.
Guys like Nic Case. Case set the world record for the fastest remote controlled car a few years ago by clocking a top speed of 161.76 miles per hour with his custom-built racer.
The car uses a carbon-fiber chassis and $4,000 worth of electrical components to do the deed. If that’s not crazy enough for your, Case says that he now has his heart set on building an R/C capable of ripping past the 200-mph barrier. The mad scientist says that he’s currently in the midst of construction. to see the Schumacher Mi 3 whirr its way into the record books.
Not born from jets: Mr. Johansson the Saab crashtest dummy – Click above to watch the video
Being a crash test dummy is hard work. You get placed in a vehicle that’s smashed into walls, T-boned by battering rams, jolted around and flipped upside down. All in the name of safety, making our cars a more secure environment to transport ourselves, our friends and our families.
And it’s largely thankless work, too, apart from an ’80s cartoon show and a Canadian pop band. But now it’s time for a brief curtain call for the punching bags of the auto industry, as takes us behind the scenes with Mr. Johansson, one of its highly complex anthropomorphic sensors. Follow to watch the footage, complete with subtitles for those of us who don’t speak the language of assemble-it-yourself furniture and pickled fishes.
2012 Volkswagen Beetle RS project by VWvortex – Click above for high-res image gallery
For all those who look at a and see a gussied-up Beetle, wait’ll you get a load of this.
The Volkswagen gurus at enthusiast website were given early access to the new , and this is what they came up with: a visual makeover of the new bug that draws its inspiration from the , complete with bright orange 20-inch alloys on low-profile Continental rubber and a matching stripe with the words Beetle RS carved out, just like on the Porsche. The look is further enhanced by blacked-out chrome and badges coated in a 3M brushed-titanium wrap.
Behind those wheels are 14″ brake discs from Brembo, but that’s about the extent of the mechanical upgrades for the moment. VWvortex is apparently waiting for the car to actually hit the production line before it starts tweaking the engine, after which it plans extensive mods such as a turbocharger upgrade, new exhaust and even a locking diff, along with a GT3 RS-style rear wing to cap it all off. We’ll be keeping an eye on the project, but for now you can check out its current state in the attached image gallery.
2012 Renault Megane Renaultsport 265 Trophy – Click above for high-res image gallery
Renault has gone off the hot hatch deep end again, one-upping itself with the limited-edition 2012 Renaultsport 265 Trophy, the fastest road-going Renault ever. With 265 raucous ponies on tap, it outdoes the Megane Renaultsport 250, the next-biggest dog in the stable, by 15 horsepower.
The extra power cuts the fleet-footed hatch’s 0-60 time from 6.1 seconds to 6 flat, on the way to a 158-mph top end, up from 156. Not shabby, considering the car’s lowly, utilitarian three-door origins. Now the bad news: we certainly won’t see it here. That, and Renault has said it will only build 500. Check out the full press release after the jump.
There have been rumors that the Top Gear juggernaut may be nearing its end, but James May (the guy who most recently ignited the retirement talk) has been quick to . And even if the show were nearing its end, we can at least count on another season coming, and soon. The Top Gear blog says that Series 17 begins on June 26 on BBC Two, BBC HD and all your favorite torrents immediately thereafter.
Top Gear isn’t ready to release details for Series 17, but Mr. May tells the TG blog that there will be “performance cars, some electric cars, some actual racing, some proper demolition, some silly cars, and Top Gear’s attempt to improve public transport.” Or, put simply, the usual. May adds that the Top Gear crew hit Monaco in some hot hatches, which he found to be intimidating. We can hardly wait.
2011 Audi R8 GT Spyder – Click above for high-res image gallery
The came to Le Mans in full regalia, and our own Drew Phillips was there to catch it in all its topless glory. We got full details on the V10-motivated convertible Audi supercar last week. With 560 horsepower and 398 lb-ft on tap, Audi’s new ragtop sprints to 60 in a scant 3.8 seconds and doesn’t stop until the needle touches 197 mph. With that out of the way, you may now commence ogling the matte-finished beauty in attached image gallery.
2011 24 Hours of Le Mans – Click above for high-res image gallery
Okay, it’s not quite the halfway point at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans (there’s a little over 12 hours to go at this time), but we have a new batch of photos from Drew Phillips ready for your perusal. Taken as the sun began its descent, the gallery below features a nice mix of cars from all the classes.
As you’ve probably seen by now, Audi has lost two of its three cars. Allan McNish’s #3 Audi R18 TDI during the the first hour of the race. Though , he walked away from the shunt unscathed. Then, #1 Audi R18 driver with an equally terrible nighttime crash of his own after making contact with the #71 Ferrari on the Mulsanne straight. Rockenfeller also climbed out of his car afterward. Other than a cut sustained on one arm, he’s okay, but is being kept in the hospital overnight for observation. That’s good news all around for the Audi drivers involved in a couple of scary crashes.
As of 8:20 PM Eastern, despite its bad luck so far, Audi currently leads Le Mans, with the #2 R18 TDI ahead of the #9 and #7 Peugeot 908s in LMP1. The highest-running gasoline-powered LMP1 car is the #16 Pescarolo Judd of Pescarolo Team. The leader in GTE Pro is the #74 Corvette Racing C6.R. In LMP2, the #41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Nissan is up front. Finally, the GTE Amateur class is currently led by the #81 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 RSR.
That’s it for now. You can follow live timing at , and for a great single-page collection of audio & video feeds, plus timing, a spotter’s guide, and live chatting, check out .
If you missed our , be sure to check that out as well. We’ll be back with more coverage from Le Mans later in the race.
Mike Rockenfeller crashes his Audi R18 TDI at Le Mans – Click above to watch video
Audi is down to one R18 TDI in the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans after Mike Rockenfeller was involved in the team’s second horrific accident of the race, following the in the race’s first hour. As Rockenfeller, driving the #1 car, overtook the #71 Ferrari on the Mulsanne straight, the two cars made contact, sending Rockenfeller into the barrier at full speed, obliterating the Audi in dramatic, terrifying fashion. The shunt was captured by an unmanned camera and Rockenfeller’s on-board cam.
Rockenfeller got out of the car on his own power and is apparently okay. He’s being checked out at the medical center as a precaution. The safety car is out for what will undoubtedly be another long cleanup. The remaining Audi, the #2 car, is still the race leader. 15 hours to go, people. to see the Rockenfeller crash.
UPDATE: Audi Sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich was just interviewed on EuroSport, and he again confirmed that Rockenfeller left the car on his own, adding that the driver was communicative with staff at the onsite medical center. Rockenfeller is now headed to the hospital for additional precautionary scans. This is basically the same course of events that Allan McNish went through following his crash earlier today.
2011 24 Hours of Le Mans – Click above for high-res image gallery
The 79th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has already been a thrilling race, and the sun hasn’t even gone down yet. In the first hour, the Peugeot 908s and Audi R18 TDis jumped out to the front of the pack, with Peugeot looking poised to make up for last year’s disappointing run. Across the paddock at Audi, the brand-new R18 TDi was living up to lofty expectations.
The team from Ingolstadt suffered a huge setback less than an hour in, however, at the Dunlop esses. McNish was OK, but the impact obliterated his car and left the Armco barrier worse for wear. The ensuing hour-long caution gave teams a chance to refuel, switch drivers and make adjustments, while the Audis and Peugeots saved fuel idling around the storied course.
At this time, the #2 Audi leads the #7 and #8 Peugeots. With 21 hours to go, that’ll likely change a few times. Stay tuned for more as the race wears on. In the meantime, check out the gallery of photos from the race start taken by our man .
DeLorean monster truck churns Hahn Super Dry – Click above to watch the video
Starting from the very first button press and the resulting cassette blasting the theme to Knight Rider, the video you see after the break may very well be the best beer commercial ever. It comes from Hahn Super Dry, which is our new favorite beer from Australia.
Looks like we’ve found ourselves a new Australian word for beer…
Just in case gender-bending bodybuilders, beer-filled panthers and a ferret wearing a hair net weren’t enough awesome for you, pay special attention about 25 seconds into the commercial. Your eyes do not deceive you, that is indeed a DeLorean monster truck.
Do yourself a favor. and watch the most epic beer commercial ever. You won’t regret it.
Porsche: A History of Excellence – Click above for image gallery from the publication
Randy Leffingwell is a enthusiast – serving as primary reason why this book isn’t just another regurgitated account following the history of one of the world’s most celebrated marques. Porsche: A History of Excellence is a comprehensive look at the automaker’s past, from 1938 to near present day, told within the confines of a 348-page coffee table book.
Researched with the tenacity of someone who truly appreciates and understands the brand, Leffingwell did much of his investigation in Germany, working side-by-side with Dieter Landenberger (director of Porsche archives) for this fully authorized book. The author conducted more than 60 interviews to answer questions such as: Why did Porsche feel it necessary to go into the SUV market? Did some of Porsche’s 917 racing program funding come from Marketing? What were the design and engineering challenges to creating “two cars with one face,” both the and the , at the same time?
The book is loaded with beautiful and interesting imagery – the color pictures occupy more space than text on most of the pages. According to Leffingwell, about half the images in the book came from Porsche’s own archives, which have been published in this book for the first time. The balance was shot by the author himself, a noted world-class photographer, in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria and Italy.
While it is an interesting chronological read, with plenty of eye candy to hold the reader’s attention, we did note that the book abruptly ends its history lesson at the year 2008. Sadly, there is no mention of current technology like the “Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe” (), direct-injection or the (even though an image of the supercar oddly emblazons the cover). Nevertheless, it’s not a deal breaker as the balance of the content more than makes up for the minor shortcoming.
Before you rush out to put a copy on your family room table, we need to warn you that the book isn’t completely new – explaining the date cutoff. Leffingwell reveals that most of the copy was first published as Porsche 60 Years, a six-pound hardcover, in August of 2008. While that book received excellent reviews, it went out of print after just one run (new copies of the original text, if you can find them, are selling for over $150.00). Thanks to the popularity of a German language edition, the publisher chose to re-release this updated and revised version called Porsche: A History of Excellence. Printed as a three-pound soft-cover, the book carries a list price of $30.00 (it is $21.90 right now on ). That’s a literary bargain if you’re a fan of European sports cars.
Audi R18 TDI Qualifying at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans – Click above for high-res image gallery
For the past several years at the , has had the fastest car on track – last year the brand took the top four qualifying spots. , which has essentially dominated the last decade at Le Mans, have had to rely on fuel mileage, reliability and pit strategy to make up time.
This year, however, Audi has brought a brand new car to the race, the , and it appears that it has finally leveled the playing field. Audi captured the top two spots in qualifying, albeit by a small margin. In fact, the top six cars were separated by only a little more than half a second, with the Peugeots positioned in third, fourth and sixth.
While qualifying position matters very little to the actual outcome of the race, it does indicate the overall capability of each of the cars. Given the close proximity of the lap times, especially given the 8.47-mile length of the circuit, the winner will most likely be whoever can stay out of the pits the most. Typical Le Mans, and potentially very exciting.
You can read more about Audi’s qualifying efforts in the PR , and check back this weekend for more Le Mans coverage.
Glenn Beck on the gas tax – Click above to watch video
If there’s one thing that is fast becoming true about the , it’s that . So, we will admit up front that this story comes straight out of the “predictable/it’s not news when an idiot says something stupid” file, but it’s still worth something.
What’s the deal? Well, apparently, Fox News’ Glenn Beck and Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain think it’s beyond the pale for General Motors’ CEO, Dan Akerson, to have . Beck got his dander up, saying to Akerson (through the camera):
I’ve seen your crappy new electric car, and no one’s buying it… A 50-cent gas tax would make everyone puke. A dollar might make me puke my heart and lungs. There is a bi-partisan pukage going on here with GM, and that’s what happens when gas goes up.
There’s nothing in the way of context or reasons why a gas tax might be a good thing, but Beck does draw ties between Akerson and George Soros (one of Beck’s favorite targets) and others through the Carlyle Group. See for yourself . The gas tax discussion starts at minute 26:30.
2011 BMW M3 Frozen Black Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery
On June 16, 2011 at 11:30 AM EST, will start taking orders for the car you see here, the 2011 Frozen Black Edition Coupe. Only 20 examples will be produced, with the first 19 being sold on a first come, first serve basis to anyone willing to plunk down $79,650. BMW North America will hold on to the 20th car (you know, for auto shows and such), though it may be sold on a later date.
So, what does nearly $80,000 net you? Obviously, all the grace and glory of the M3 Coupe, complete with its 4.0-liter, 414-horsepower V8. The Frozen Black coupes will only be available with the M DCT dual-clutch transmission, which lowers the 0-60 time from 4.7 seconds to 4.5.
All 20 coupes will be fitted with BMW’s M3 , not to mention optional goodies like the full premium and convenience packages, as well as things like heated seats, satellite radio and a premium sound system. In addition to the Frozen Black paint, this special M3 is set apart from its kin with black Novillo leather with red contrast stitching, M3 GTS wheels (painted black, of course), red brake calipers and a whole lot of other sinister design touches.
For the full list of Frozen Black M3 equipment, for BMW’s official press release. Customers will be able to take delivery of their cars starting at the end of June, with the full production run to be completed by the end of July.
2011 Volvo C30 – Click above for high-res image gallery
According to Automotive News, CEO Stefan Jacoby has stated that the automaker will likely “trim [its] product line” in the United States over the next few years. Jacoby has not revealed exactly what models will be cut, but instead says that the company’s core products here in the States will be the sedan, as well as the and crossovers.
Volvo has already announced that it plans to stop selling the and wagons in the United States, and according to Tamara Darvish, a Volvo dealership owner in Rockville, Maryland, the company will likely phase out sales of the sedan. Our own speculation suggests that the premium hatch could be on the chopping block, as well.
Jacoby has said on many occasions that Volvo hopes to sell 120,000 vehicles annually in the United States by 2020. In 2010, Volvo managed to move 53,948 vehicles, and current data suggests that the company is on track to sell between 60,000 and 70,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2011.
Automotive News also reports that Volvo is looking to start its own captive finance arm here in the U.S. “We’re committed to increasing sales here,” Jacoby stated, saying that a decision about such a finance division would be made by the end of the year. If this plan gets the green light, it will likely involve a joint venture with a bank or other financial service institution. Currently, Volvo dealerships often obtain financing from U.S. Bank.
