les insolites !!!

[Couguy]

source autoblog
 
 Vintage Mini gets 3,500-horsepower engine swap for Goodwood  by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Jun 30th, 2010 at 5:59PM
    Mini diesel by Cummins – Click above to enlarge

Cummins: the largest independent diesel engine manufacturer. The QSK78: the largest engine they make. Mini: one of the smallest cars on the road. Oh dear, this could get messy.

The unfathomably large QSK78 was recently unveiled with 78 liters of displacement, eighteen cylinders (that's 4.3 liters per cylinder!), a dozen turbochargers, 3,500 horsepower and over 10,000 lb-ft of torque. It's used to power those enormous dump trucks seen schlepping heavy loads (try 360 metric tons on for size) around quarries and mines. And now it's been installed in a vintage Austin Mini.

The Frankenstein-ain't-got-nothin'-on-me monstrosity was, according to Cummins, commissioned by a customer, but we can hardly image it being actually drivable, let alone certified for street use anywhere this side of the Persian Gulf. It'll be unveiled this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it's sure to be the most powerful – not to mention the strangest – vehicle on display. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Cummins]

[Couguy]

Avenge the fallen with The Wraith movie car  by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jun 30th, 2010 at 3:31PM
 

Let's take a stroll back through time to an era when droves of people, young and old, would willingly pay to watch bad actors and improbable cars join forces to fight evil on the silver screen. No, we're not talking about 2007, nor Michael Bay's Transformers. We're interested in something altogether more pure – 1986's The Wraith. If you've never seen the film, you're missing out on a piece of cinematic car history that uses plot only as a vessel for plot holes. But never mind that. The star of the show is none other than the 1984 Dodge M4S Concept. Charlie Sheen is there, too.

Using its mid-ship, twin-turbo 2.2-liter Cosworth four-cylinder engine, the newly christened Wraith is no longer a prisoner of the show circuit. Using state of the art special effects, the car spends the length of the film running down gang members and restoring order to society.

And now it's for sale. After being found in pieces, some loving soul has taken the time to restore The Wraith to its former glory, and it's now available for sale in Kansas. According to the site, the seller is open to entertaining offers. Take our advice: don't low ball the guy. The Wraith just might come for your immortal soul.

[Source: Hooniverse | Image: The Wraith Car]

[Couguy]

Maverick flying car can actually fly, and you'll never be without a parachute   
i-tec Mavric
 
by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jun 30th, 2010 at 8:28AM
    i-tec Mavric flying buggy – Click above for high-res image gallery
In a lot of ways, we've been shortchanged on the transportation front. We were supposed to be jetting around in flying cars by the year 2000, but unfortunately, our vehicles remain firmly bolted the ground below them. At least for now. A company by the name of i-tec is out to build and sell an off-road vehicle capable of taking to the skies in a bid to bring missionaries to the far-flung reaches of the Amazon. Called the Mavric, the buggy weighs a heady 1,100 lbs, but manages to get off the ground thanks to a massive, carbon-fiber blade reverse-prop 128-horsepower engine and an ultra-light style airfoil.

The FAA has granted the Mavric experimental status, and the i-tec crew has been putting the buggy through its paces. While the company specifically wants to use its invention to buzz around in the rain forest, it also has an eye on selling its flying off-roader to companies that spend time inspecting expanses of pipe or fence in unruly terrain. We just want one to use to terrorize our neighborhood.


    Gallery: i-tec Mavric 

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[Couguy]

Terrafugia Transition flying "car" gets special FAA exemption, sees clear skies ahead?  by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jun 29th, 2010 at 1:41PM
    Terrafugia Transition – Click above for high-res image gallery
Another day, another flying car, right? According to The Daily Telegraph, the FAA has just awarded the Terrafugia Transition an exemption which will allow the 1,440-pound car/aircraft hybrid to fly under a "light sport" designation, even though it hits the scales at a hefty 120 lbs. more than the rules allow. A light sport pilot license only requires 20 hours of seat time – far less than what a full license would demand.

Designed to be a viable piece of transportation that's just as happy in the air as it is on the ground, the Transition comes loaded with all of the safety goodies of your standard economy car – airbags and crumple zones come standard. While Terrafugia hasn't exactly said what kind of top speed the Transition can carry on terra firma, it does say the craft gets around 30 mpg when scooting around town.

Should the weather turn sunny and the skies grow clear, however, the Transition can lower its wings, fire up a rear-mounted propeller and take to the air where it can carry a top speed of around 115 mph with a range of 460 miles. Not too shabby. The little carplane only requires an air strip of around 1/3 of a mile, and with its wings folded, can comfortably fit in any garage. Final MSRP is expected to be around $194,000.


    Gallery: Terrafugia Transition Flying Car 

• 

[Jag77]

En ville, ça doit être épique ! 

[Couguy]

 
 
si quelqu'un recherche une Gumpert Apollo  
 
 
 eBay Find of the Day: Toyota MR2 dressed up as Gumpert Apollo  by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Jun 25th, 2010 at 3:32PM
     Gumpert Apollo Replica, and yes, we use that term loosely – Click above for image gallery
Ever seen a Salet S5 Turbo Concept Car? Well, you have now. And it's actually more of a rebodied Toyota MR2 than anything else, designed and built to look something like a Gumpert Apollo. And you thought that such kit cars would end as the world's supply of unmolested Pontiac Fieros dried up? Don't be so sure.

According to the seller (yep, this sucker is available on eBay), a Toyota MR2 frame was utilized, "along with the modern conveniences of airbags, power windows, power locks, air conditioning, exhaust and suspension." No, we don't consider exhaust and suspension modern conveniences, either. But we digress...

Supposedly, the massaged 2.0-liter Twin Cam engine from the donor Toyota has been dyno'd at 255 rear-wheel horsepower thanks to the large aftermarket turbocharger. Crank it all the way up to 19 pounds of boost and you're at 303 horses. Not bad, but still a far cry from the 650-horsepower twin-turbo V8 in its supercar inspiration.

In any case, feel free to browse our image gallery below, and click here if you've got itchy bidding fingers.

    Gallery: Gumpert Apollo Replica 

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[Couguy]

DP4 Super Go-Kart makes first track run, impresses the locals  by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jun 7th, 2010 at 3:00PM
    Palatov DP4 hits the track – Click above to watch video after the jump
Whatever you've spent your motoring money on, whatever car you hold in high regard as the ultimate track machine, prepare to forget about it. The Palatov DP4 is officially on sale, and to celebrate the occasion and demonstrate the go-kart/car/motorcycle half-breed's prowess, Dennis Palatov and his crew of similarly mad scientists decided to show off just what the creation could do. They turned the thing loose on Oregon Raceway Park for a couple of hot laps as a demonstration for potential buyers, and the DP4 consumed all in its path.

Think the Ariel Atom is a pretty quick little piece of kit? Think again, cowboy. We don't know exactly which drivetrain layout this particular car is rocking, but we wouldn't be surprised if it was packing the top of the line turbocharged 1.4-liter Hayabusa engine and Palatov's unique chain-driven all-wheel drive system. What's the price tag for such a beast? Build-it-yourself kits start at $25,910 for a lesser-engined, two-wheel drive variant, but if you want the big guns, get ready to shell out $50,610. Hit the jump to see the devastation for yourself.

[Source: Palatov Motorsports via Jalopnik | Image: XQSME Photography]

[Couguy]

source autoblog
 
 Chinese students assemble Bugatti Veyron from used cigarette packs  by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Jun 6th, 2010 at 5:07PM
   
Bugatti Veyron replica made from recycled cigarette packs – Click above for image gallery
Is there anything more environmentally friendly than recycling? Well, perhaps not using so much raw material in the first place, but at least recycling is a major step in the right direction. In any case, students from Xi'an University in China decided it was high time to do something constructive with all those used cigarette packs that clog the world's trash heaps... and construct something they did.

Using a total of 10,280 empty cigarette packs, the students assembled something that kinda-sorta looks like a Bugatti Veyron. It reportedly weighs over 660 pounds and is powered by an electric motor. Though the machine doesn't really appear to have much purpose in life, it was used to raise awareness for World No Smoking Day, which apparently came and went on May 31st. Check it out in the image gallery below... we'd say the project was – *ahem* – a smoking success!


    Gallery: Bugatti Veyron Replica made from cigarette cases 

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• 

[Couguy]

Tupolev 007: Attention, cosmonauts - Your ride's here  by Alex Nunez (RSS feed) on Jun 6th, 2010 at 9:31AM
 
  Tupolev 007 aerosled at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance- Click above for high res gallery
We'll provide a full recap of the 2010 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance later, but this morning, we wanted to share one of the cooler vehicles on display with you - and while it has gullwing doors and is as exotic as it gets, it's not even a car. While Cold War-era American astronauts were fished out of the drink by the U.S. Navy after splashdown, Soviet cosmonauts at the time faced a different set of risks when their spacecraft returned to Earth - namely, the possibility of landing in the Siberian wilderness. As such, a recovery vehicle was needed that could traverse varied terrain, operate in sub-zero temperatures, and move fast. Enter Russian aviation legend Aleksei Tupolev. His solution is seen here: the Tupolev 007 aerosled.

The shallow-draft craft is powered by a 9-cylinder Vedenyev M14P radial aircraft engine generating 365 horsepower. Its interesting double-propeller is actually fixed, with the rear prop drafting the front blades to increase efficiency and make operation quieter. At speeds above 50 mph, the driver can engage a flap to lift the nose, allowing the 007 to skim the surface, meaning it can race across lakes, marshes, and snow with equal aplomb. The design reportedly won Tupolev the Diploma of Finest Engineer in the USSR (give the Soviets this: they had a flair for super-impressive-sounding awards), and you can go see it yourself if you're within easy travel distance of Greenwich, CT.

Day 2 of the 15th Annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance runs today from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM EDT, with foreign cars the featured element. Admission at the door is $25 (proceeds help benefit AmeriCares), and believe us, it's money well spent. We'll be there later today as well, and you can follow our tweets from the show by searching on the hashtag #GCDE.


    Gallery: Greenwich Concours 2010: Tupolev 007 

• 

[gégé]

da  da  le tupolev 

[Couguy]

source autoblog
 
 Report: Pentagon looking for flying Humvee  by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Jul 16th, 2010 at 5:27PM
 

During World War II, the Jeep was one of the key pieces of hardware that helped win the war for the Allies. By the time Vietnam rolled along, lousy roads and inhospitable terrain meant the helicopter had cemented itself as the troop transport of choice. But while both the Jeep and the helicopter are far more advanced than they were decades ago, the basic ideas are the same, and according to Popular Mechanics that could change – or more to the point, merge – soon.

The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is asking for proposals for a flying Humvee that it calls, predictably, "The Transformer." The new transporter would be used to avoid roadside bombs and fly over insurgents, giving U.S. soldiers the upper-hand in battles that are traditionally won and lost by bunkers, bullets and bombs alone.

DARPA has a few 'must haves' for any flying fortress. Among them is the capability of vertical takeoff, a combined 250 mile travel distance between driving and flying, along with seating for four. One military contractor, Textron, thinks it has the answer to DARPA's latest challenge, and it involves hardware that is anything but future-tech.

The proposed military transport has wings, helicopter-like rotors and a powerful ducted fan for forward motion. While stationed on the ground, the multitasking war machine acts like a standard troop transporter, except the wings and blades, which are affixed to the roof above the rear seat, neatly tucked away. When it's time to hit the unfriendly skies the aerodynamic bits switch to Ready mode and the weighted rotors lift the vehicle. Once airborne, the rotors slow and the wings take over, providing lift while the fan provides directional boost. Textron is working with Carter Aviation Technologies, which currently produces commercial air vehicles, to build the vehicle.

Head over to Popular Mechanics for more information on the flying fighter-truck of tomorrow.

[Couguy]

source autoblog
 
 Automotive X-Prize: Finals Stage begins, Edison2 remains only team that can win mainstream class, $5 million  by Autoblog Staff (RSS feed) on Jul 20th, 2010 at 1:00PM
 
  Edison2's Very Light Car – Click above for high-res image gallery
This week, the Finals Stage of the Automotive X-Prize finally begins and, as we found our recently, only one team has any hope of driving away with the $5 million mainstream prize. That team is Edison2, which has two cars still competing in the category, both versions of the Very Light Car we first met at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year. There are also 13 vehicles competing in the alternative classes. The AXP sent out a release today describing what is planned for the Finals Stage:
 

 

During this stage, teams will compete in emissions, efficiency, and range events conducted by the competition organizers. In addition, teams must successfully complete various dynamic safety events, including a 0-60 mph acceleration, 60-0 mph braking, and a double lane change avoidance maneuver, conducted and evaluated by automotive engineers from Consumer Reports. The top finalists in each class will be announced July 27 prior to the start of a "coast down" exercise that will allow competition organizers to gain key performance information about the aerodynamics and rolling resistance of each vehicle to properly prepare them for the Validation Stage to be held at Argonne National Labs in August. Winners will be announced in September in Washington, D.C.As we can see in this PDF, the two cars that Edison2 has left in the mainstream class were tested at 67.3 and 80.3 miles per gallon equivalent (mpge). Those numbers were good enough to pass the Knockout Stage (where 66 mpge was the important number), but there's a long way to go from there to 100 mpge, one of the benchmarks needed to win the X-Prize. One of the cars did manage to reach 101.4 mpge during the Knockout Stage, but took an eight lap penalty for "working on the car" during the highway test cycle and "for failure to meet minimum lap time requirements." We'll get more information on what this means when we visit the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI later this week.

We'll also investigate the other important questions here: What are the Very Light Car's chances to win this thing? If Edison2 doesn't make it, then what happens? Will there be a second Automotive X-Prize to award the $5 million mainstream award? We'll ask soon. Until then, you can read Edison2's words about these cars here. Also, there's a video of how Consumer Reports is testing the cars after the jump.


    Gallery: Automotive X-Prize: Edison2 Very Light Car 

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[gégé]

et hop
http://www.abrutis.com/video-2cv+ferrari-23201.html

[gégé]

et aussi
http://www.abrutis.com/video-2cv+ferrari-23201.html

[Couguy]

source autoblog
 
 Where are the flying cars we were promised? Popular Mechanics thinks it has the answer  by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Jul 29th, 2010 at 9:00AM
    Terrafugia Transition – Click above for high-res image gallery
Surely, you're familiar with the Jetsons, the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon world from the 1960s that was said to take place in the year 2062. Too futuristic for your blood? How about Ridley's Scott's Blade Runner, which starred Harrison Ford and was supposed to show life in the year 2019? And then there's Back to the Future II, which is even closer to our modern day, depicting life at 2015.

What's the constant in all of these retro-futuristic takes on what tomorrow may hold? Hoverboards. Flying cars. We're not sure about you, but we don't see no stinkin' flying cars floating down our streets. So, what gives? Besides reality, of course. Well... actually, reality is the key. The problem with flying cars from 50 years ago all the way until today remains the same: because the machine needs to operate just as capably in the sky as on the ground, compromises have to be made.

Compromises don't exactly equal success in the automotive or airplane marketplace. To meet government regulations, an automobile must pass a stringent series of safety and environmental tests, and the same is true for airplanes. Needless to say, then, combining the two is pretty darn difficult to accomplish. That said, Popular Mechanics has found reason to be excited about the prospect of the Terrafugia flying car. If that's a topic that interests you, we suggest you click here to read all about it.


    Gallery: Terrafugia Transition Flying Car 

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[Couguy]

pour ceux qui ne savent pas comment préparer leur porsche 944 !!! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Online Find of the Day: Holy Abomination Batman - It's a customized 1985 Porsche 944!  by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 7:29PM
    1985 Porsche 944 Batmobile Tribute – Click above for high-res image gallery
This author will be the first to admit that he's not exactly overflowing with love for the Porsche 944, but don't expect any amused looks from this camp about seeing this car degraded into a stumpy rendition of Tim Burton's Batmobile. Sadly, that's just what seems to have happened with this particular 1985 944. According to the seller, the car still boasts the stock 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a five-speed manual cog box, so you won't be outpacing baddies anytime soon. A NOS Sniper system has been installed on the car, but thankfully, it's never been used. We're guessing hitting the go-go juice would be a heckuva lot of fun – but probably just once.

A few of the movie car's more outlandish traits have made their way to this poor Porsche, including those wild batwing fins and a pair of replica .223 machine guns that light up for effect. The car does feature the kind of sound system you'd need to drown out the riotous laughter of those in traffic around you, so that's a plus. The seller says that the front fenders need to be finished, and as such, you can get this puppy for a song. Asking price is a mere $6,500. You can check out the full listing here. Thanks for the tip, Kris!


    Gallery: 1985 Porsche 944 Batmobile Tribute   

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[Couguy]

source autoblog
 
 Video: Sheik's custom six-wheeled Nissan SUV is a thing that makes us go 'Hmmm'  by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Sep 3rd 2010 at 8:00PM
    Sheik, hydro and roll – Click above to watch video after the jump
Well, this is certainly different. We've seen our fair share of wild vehicle modifications over the years, but this one takes the cake as one of the most imaginative. If the YouTube description is any sort of indication, this craft was hewn just for Sheik Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan as his personal toy. Near as we can tell, the guy liked the side-mount spare tire carriers on classic vehicles from the '30s, but wanted to be able to deploy them without having to actually get out and spin a lug nut. The solution was found in the miracle (or curse) of hydraulics.

Let's just do the world a favor and make sure this doesn't evolve into a trend. We've already had terrible visions of a future SEMA show with row upon row of six-wheeled, white-wall wearing Honda Civics. If you're brave enough, you can hit the jump to see the Nissan-based for yourself. Just don't show anyone else.

[Source: YouTube]   

[AntoineP75]

Vu au Japon
Crazy Insane VIP car in Japan 夢びっぷ車！

[djnasty]

Ca doit être galère en virage

[Couguy]

source autoblog
 
idéal pour passer sous un camion !!!! 
 
 
 New record set for world's fastest furniture  by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Sep 9th, 2010 at 9:27AM
 

Englishman Perry Watkins has already built the world's smallest car, at just over 39 inches high, and the Flatmobile (pictured), that's 30 inches high. Adding to that list of palmares, Watkins took the record for the fastest "piece of furniture," placing a dinner table with settings for four – including chairs – on top of a nitrous-boosted Reliant Scimitar engine. Over two runs on a 500-meter track in Nottinghamshire, he averaged almost 114 miles per hour. The name of his record-setting dining table: Fast Food, natch. He displaces a sofa that only went 92 mph three years ago.

[Source: Telegraph]