Remember when you were a kid, and you got back to school from Christmas vacation and everyone would try to impress everyone else with all the presents they got? Well whatever kid finds this under their tree would instantly win that debate. The term ‘go-kart’ just doesn’t seem to apply to this 2/3-scale replica of a 1956 Corvette C1. Powered by a 6.9HP, 107cc four-stroke engine the Junior Corvette can reach speeds of up to 35mph and features an automatic transmission with forward, neutral and reverse. It can support 2 riders up to 330lbs making it compatible with kids grown-up kids alike, and is available from none other than Hammacher Schlemmer for $32,000.

[ The Junior 35 MPH Classic Corvette ]

In order to illustrate just how much stuff you can fit in their new E-Class Wagon (which has a generous 1,950 liters of load space) Mercedes-Benz created this video where they filled the car with 400 meters, or 1,275 pieces, of 1/32 scale slot car track. And to illustrate just how much track that is, they laid it out in a computer designed course which at one point passes through the E-Class itself, and takes the scale cars about 4 minutes and 40 seconds to complete a lap.

You make the slot car tracks an official option Mercedes and you’ve already got yourself at least one guaranteed sale.

[ Autoblog - VIDEO: Even if the Mercedes E-Class Wagon doesn't handle like a slot car, it can still handle slot cars ]

I have to be honest again here. When I first came across the SoundRacer I thought it was another ridiculous accessory for wannabe gearheads who can only ever dream of owning a V10 powered supercar. But after watching the video I’ve included below, I don’t see how anyone who’s ever revved the family sedan at a red light wouldn’t want one!

The SoundRacer plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter and uses an FM transmitter to play real V8 or V10 engine sound effects through your vehicle’s stereo. And it’s not random effects either, according to the SoundRacer website the sounds actually correspond to the RPMs of your car’s engine.

SoundRacer has a developed a special technology to sense and calculate the car engine rpm and produce the sounds of a powerful Super Sports Car engine. The sound changes as you drive and SoundRacer even increases the speed of the engine sound so that you can drive at a normal speed and still get a very exciting engine sound.

If you’re skeptical as to how well it could work (as I was) please take a few minutes to watch the following clip, which totally sold me on the device.

And it’s just $39.99, for either a V8 or V10 model, from SafeWireless. Guess who just finished half of his Christmas shopping?

[ SoundRacer ]

Article courtesy of John Beck, from The Processor.

Good news for sedentary sports fans with frustrated aspirations of grandeur. Thanks to the wonders of technology (and UK-based firm Real Time Race) they should now be able to take part in some of the worlds biggest sporting spectacles. Well, kind of.

The basic concept is designed to allow gamers to take a virtual place in real environments and events – all with naught but an internet and web browser enabled device.

Real Time Race says the technology could be applied to “skiing, mountain biking, equine eventing and water sports etc,” but that sounds a bit pants, and fortunately they’ve been focusing on motor racing so far.

Prior to a big race, the track environment will be captured by a Google Streetcar-alike vehicle, which along with 360 degree cameras sports a gizmo on the back which fires lasers all over the place to work out how far away everything is. The data is then processed and makes its way to a browser where it should play something like a conventional video game map.   

The (real) cars participating in the race will also be captured, as well as fitted with navigation systems which transmit their position on the track, allowing couch-bound speed freaks to test themselves against the best in the world. 

The technology still appears to be in the proof of concept rather than “actually fun” stage, and the car handling and physics are woeful, but it does seem rather promising all the same. 

If you can stand the massive and utterly gratuitous use of exclamation marks and apostrophes, you can read more and download a demo here.

[ Real Time Race ]

Stanford University is already famous for its autonomous robotic vehicles, including Stanley (who won the DARPA Grand Challenge in 2005) and Junior (runner up in the DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007). This weekend, Stanford held an event to showcase their partnership with Volkswagen on a new $2 million autonomous innovation laboratory. On display was Stanford’s latest autonomous vehicle, a robotic Audi TTS named Shelley. Shelley currently holds the unofficial world speed record for an autonomous car at over 130 mph, and will be racing up Pikes Peak all by herself next year:

Stanford also demonstrated an autonomous valet parking system, where an almost stock Volkswagen Passat entered a parking lot, located an empty space, and parked itself:

We’ve got a bunch more details over on BotJunkie:

[ Pikes Peak Audi TTS ]
[ Autonomous Valet Parking ]
[ Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory ]

Article courtesy of John Beck, from The Processor.

The Tokyo Motor Show has rolled around again, and like just about everything else, it seems to have been dealt a rather nasty blow by the recession.  But despite the massively depleted participant list, it still seems to have mustered up a fair showing of whacky and whimsical concept vehicles. My personal favourite is the electric-powered Nissan Land Glider. It may not be fast, but what it lacks in speed, it more than makes up for with big massive slabs of geek-pleasing hi-tech shenanigans. Plus it kind of reminds me of the Light Cycles from Tron.

The list of cool features is pretty extensive. First off, it’s a bike/car hybrid, so the driver/rider coolly leans into the turns while the tires are held flat to the road – the degree of tilt is determined by some cool sounding sensors that detect vehicle speed, steering angle and yaw rate. As if that wasn’t cool enough, Nissan has also done away with the boring old steering wheel and replaced it with an almost unbearably cool aircraft-style joystick. There’s also a seriously cool camera and monitor setup to replace those dull old rear-view mirrors.

When I first saw the Land Glider I assumed it was a concept vehicle conceived by a wild-eyed designer oblivious to commercial considerations, but in a somewhat surprising turn of events it seems that it may be hitting a road near you in the not so distant future, Nissan even plan to import it to the US.

[ Channel 4 ]

Yep, all it took is a couple of product shots and the name ‘Race In A Case’ for me to know that my life will simply not be complete until I own this 1:59 scale slot car track that folds up into its own carrying case. Not only do you not have to worry about missing pieces of track and complicated setups, but it’s eco-friendly too since it doesn’t require batteries or a plug. The two included controllers are actually hand-cranked generators that power two miniature F1 cars, so the faster you turn the crank, the faster your car will go! ~$81 from Gizoo.

[ Race In A Case ] VIA [ Toyology ]

I can understand that these digital slot cars are trying to make racing more challenging, but at the same time they seem to take a bit of the fun out of it. Instead of just squeezing the trigger and watching your car tear around the track, you have to manage and be aware of your vehicle’s fuel and make the proper pit stops in order to win.

Each of the cars, which includes a fairly detailed Ferrari 360 GTC, Chevrolet Corvette C6R, and an Aston Martin DBR9, have a chip that allows you to change lanes in order to pull into pit row and track how much fuel you take on. So for example, if you decide to ‘fill it up’ in order to minimize the number of pit stops you have to make, your car will actually go slower because of the extra weight of that fuel. And if you instead choose to make pit stops more often, you’ll have to watch your speed when pulling into pit row lest you be penalized a lap for speeding. A clever idea for sure, but too much thinkin’ for me. $499.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer.

[ The Realistic Digital Slot Car Raceway ]

By David Ponce

My car, a pimpin’ 300, was making a funny “burping” noise the other day. I didn’t think it was anything serious until a friend suggested I might have fried my turbo encabulator. That’s not good.

I brought it in and as I was waiting for my verdict, found the above instructional video on YouTube.

Enjoy.

VIA [ Digg ]

Designed and custom built by a company called Bad Ass Golf Carts this miniature Hummer H3 known as The Royal Cart was created for a client who intends to use it on their own private island, which is a good thing since I can’t imagine too many golf courses being thrilled with the idea of this thing roaming their greens. It actually cost $55,500 to build and includes a long list of features that will probably leave you shaking your head.

This cart has BY FAR the best sound system ever installed on a golf cart. Pioneer AVH-P6000 DVD player with 7” touch screen display, 7” visor monitors (2 pcs.) and 7” headrest monitors (2 pcs.), Image Dynamics IDQ10D2V3 (12” subwoofers, 2 pcs: 1 piece mounted under hood in enclosure of fiberglass, 1 piece mounted in a custom box behind front seats), Image Dynamics Q700.2 Amps (2 pieces) AND Image Dynamics Q1200.1 Amplifier (1 piece) mounted in a custom box behind front seats, Dynaudio Esotec System 220V (3 component sets), 5 TV’s, Full Security system, Remote opening hood, Remote Stereo controls, and remote Strobe light control. 4 Extra Batteries AND charger to power Stereo and lights…

[ Bad Ass Golf Carts - The Royal Cart ] VIA [ Hummer Guy ]