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Tag Archives: automotive

This Is The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, The Fastest Ferrari Yet

By David Ponce on 03/01/12 • 1 Comment

By David Ponce

With rising gas prices and ever tightening environmental regulations, the days of naturally aspirated cars may be numbered. Even more so those of massive V12′s, like the gem that powers Ferrari’s all new F12 Berlinetta. That masterpiece right there is the fastest the Italian company has ever made and the numbers sure are impressive. 12 cylinders displace 6262cc (or what we understand to be a little over 6.2L) for a power output of 740bhp. This propels the 1525 kg (3,362lbs) monster from 0 to 62mph in 3.1 seconds, and an even more impressive 8.5s for the 0 to 124mph sprint. But it’s not just straight line prowess: “It also completes a lap of the Fiorano test circuit in 1’23″, faster than any other Ferrari road car. The previous record for a Ferrari road car was 1’24.00 by a 599 GTO in 2010, preceded by an Enzo which went around in 1’24.90 in 2002 and a 458 Italia 1’25.00 in 2010.”

Raw power performance aside, the Berlinetta comes with a bevy of orgasmatronic car tech:

Such as Aero Bridge, Active Brake Cooling, a new generation of carbon-ceramic brakes (CCM3), a further evolution of the magnetorheological suspension control system (SCM-E) plus the usual E-Diff, ESP Premium, F1-Trac, and high-performance ABS control systems.

The price? Oh we don’t have a price. We expect it to be as expensive as expensive can get, though nowhere near Veyron territory… which in a twisted kind of way, makes it “affordable”. At least to the 1%.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

How To Brick Your Tesla

By David Ponce on 02/23/12 • 6 Comments

By David Ponce

So this story is a little shocking. It turns out that if you let your Tesla’s battery fully discharge, it becomes essentially destroyed. At that point, the car is one large brick. Nothing will work: you won’t even be able to turn the wheels so it can be towed conventionally. But it gets worse, much worse. If this happens, Tesla charges you $40,000 or so to get a new set of batteries. “Oh, but the waranty should cover it!” you’ll say. Nope, it specifically doesn’t. “Ok then, insurance will take care of it.” Wrong again. Insurance companies specifically do not cover this. Let the batteries go empty = $40,000 out of your account. “Ok, well, shoot… but maybe Tesla will let me finance that…” Wrong. Again. You pay in full, or you’ll be asked to get your expensive brick out of the dealership.

For something like this to happen isn’t that hard. Drive the car around so that it’s at, say, 50% charge and leave it at the airport for a week or so. Or park it in your own garage, but use an extension cord (as opposed to proper charging cables). Heck, you can think of a number of ways this could happen. And happen it did, to at least 5 devastated clients.

Tesla at the moment is in a bit of a predicament as it has to walk the fine line between aggressively warning its customers of the potential danger, and talking about it too much and risk spooking buyers off. And it’s even doing some potentially shady things (like remotely activating a GPS module in order to physically go plug a dying car in) to do what looks like some damage control. In official comments on the issue, representatives liken the problem to “making regular oil changes” and “maintaining a proper level of care”. Batteries, similarly, should never be allowed to fully discharge.

Well, we don’t know. Maybe this is a new class of problems that a new class of vehicles brings with it. Whatever the case, you should read the longer article at the link below. It’s pretty interesting.

[ How To Brick Your Tesla ]

Cardok Elevator Gives You James Bonds Style Garage

By David Ponce on 02/16/12 • 3 Comments

By David Ponce

So if you’ve recently come into money you’re probably in one of the stages of pimping out your estate. You might read this site for inspiration in the occasional luxury item we feature. So here’s one more: the Cardok lift system will take your vehicles and hide them underground. You can get the Mono version, which hides just one car and makes your driveway look empty. Or you can get the Multi which are either double length, double width or even double height. These systems can accommodate around 10 tons (22,400 lbs) in combined weight, which should be enough for even a couple of Hummers.

Opulence has its price of course, so the Mono Cardok is around $61,000 while the Multi is $72,000. It’s a UK company so they might only do their work there, but if you’ve got the cash to throw around we’re sure they might be willing to talk. And of course, if you’re going to be that flashy, make sure your car matches.

… Continue Reading

Tackle Frozen Windshields With The Wiper Fluid Heater

By David Ponce on 12/13/11 • 3 Comments

By David Ponce

Yet another item in our winter related series, the Heated Windshield Washer Fluid System promises to make windshield scraping a thing of the past. If you’re like us, when it’s really cold, you just sit in your frozen car with the wipers stupidly and noisily going back and forth over a thick layer of ice, which you’ve sprayed multiple times with your useless blue wiper fluid. Of course the fluid doesn’t do anything, it’s just as cold as the ice on the windshield but you’re too lazy to get out. So you wait. But if you had this system, in 30 seconds the fluid would be heated to 143º F and 150º F, quickly melting all that ice away and allowing you to remain lazy. It draws 2 Amps of power on average and turns itself off when the car is off. Also in the summer months, warm washer fluid will do a better job of removing insects and grime, so the $90 you’ll spend to get this will work year round.

[ Hammacher Schlemmer ]

Hypnotizing Video Of The World’s Smallest V-12 Engine Being Assembled

By David Ponce on 11/28/11 • 2 Comments

By David Ponce

The video above shows craftsmanship and engineering prowess of such a degree that I remained transfixed for the duration of the 10 minute video. It shows a Spanish man machining every single part of a tiny V-12 engine and then proceeding to assemble the thing. Here are some details on the engine:12 cm3 of displacement (making it a… 12mL engine?), the diameter of the cyllinder is 11,3 mm and the stroke of the pistons 10mm. It runs on compressed air though it could conceivably run on gas; the guy didn’t want to “contaminate” the air with combustion gasses. There are 261 parts, 222 screws and it took him 1,220 hours to complete. It’s a one-off creation, is not for sale and is meant to instruct viewers on the inner workings of such an engine.

VIA [ BoingBoing ]

Car Interior Preheater Solves First World Problem

By David Ponce on 11/22/11 • 4 Comments

By David Ponce

It’s no point repeating it on every single article, we all know winter’s pretty much already here. At least for those of us who don’t live in or near the tropics, this presents us with many issues. And none is more pressing than that of dealing with cold cars in winter. Most people get remote car starters and let things idle until toasty enough to drive away in. But that’s wasteful, people! Much better to plunk down this large electric heater with a programmable clock. Set what time you expect to be in your car and 20 minutes prior it will begin blasting hot air through its two tilting vents. Not sure what time you’re leaving? There’s a remote that works up to 200 feet away as well.

Sure the engine won’t be warm but that can be done in 2 or 3 minutes rather than the much longer time it takes to get the inside warm as well. You save gas, save the planet a little and everyone’s happy. The Car Interior Preheater can then be recharged through AC or with an included car charger.

It’s $120.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

Could Touch Sensitive Steering Wheels Make For Less Distracted Driving In The Future?

By Andrew Liszewski on 10/04/11 • Leave a comment!

ALPS Trackpad Steering Wheel (Image courtesy Ubergizmo)
By Andrew Liszewski

The advent of GPS navigation devices, elaborate car stereos and touch screen interfaces have made staying focused on the road, while driving, more difficult than ever. Gone are the days when choosing between AM or FM was your biggest distraction. So at CEATEC a company called ALPS is showing off a concept design for a steering wheel that features touch sensitive pads in lieu of a complicated array of buttons.

Adjusting the volume of your music, or skipping tracks, is as easy as making swiping gestures just like on your smartphone. By centralizing all of these commands into one area, there’s less hunting and pecking for the driver as they look for a specific button. Which in turn, keeps their eyes on the road. The steering wheels could even incorporate handwriting recognition. Making it easier to enter a destination into a nav unit instead of battling with less than perfect voice recognition.

[ Ubergizmo - ALPS wheel trackpad for safer driving? ]

Chevy Reveals Their Flying Car (Passengers Not Included)

By Andrew Liszewski on 09/30/11 • 3 Comments

RC Chevy Sonic (Images courtesy SlashGear)
By Andrew Liszewski

So it turns out the Chevy Volt isn’t the most technically advanced vehicle to come out of GM’s Tech Center recently. At auto shows and other exhibits around the world, the company has actually been showing off a handful of flying cars. Including this Chevy Sonic that SlashGear stumbled across at the Texas State Fair. While it gently soars around a room with ease, the full-sized vehicle unfortunately can’t accomodate a single passenger. Because instead of steel and aluminum, it’s made from lightweight foam filled with 5 or 6 cubic meters of helium. Making it neutrally buoyant. And in lieu of a gas powered engine under the hood—or a hood altogether—a lightweight battery powers a set of electric motors with carbon fiber propellers, allowing the vehicle to be steered through the air via a wireless remote.

In addition to the flying Chevy Sonic that made an appearance in Texas, earlier in the year, at the Seoul Motor Show, GM also showed off a flying version of the Camaro. And to be perfectly honest, the video I’ve embedded below is still about 1,000 times more entertaining than that other movie released this Summer that also starred a yellow Camaro.

[ SlashGear - Chevy shows off flying car at Texas State Fair ]

Jonathan Brand Building Every Component Of A 1969 Ford Mustang Out Of Paper

By Andrew Liszewski on 09/15/11 • Leave a comment!

Jonathan Brand One Piece At A Time (Images courtesy Jonathan Brand)
By Andrew Liszewski

Most people’s fascination with paper craft ends at pterodactyls or ninja stars in grade school. Not Jonathan Brand. After restoring three vintage cars with his father, he decided to build his own from scratch. A 1969 Ford Mustang to be exact. But instead of steel or fiberglass or all the other ingredients that usually go into building a car, Jonathan’s making his from paper. Using 3D software he’s able to flatten out a model of the car into printable sections that can then be painstakingly folded and glued together.

Jonathan Brand One Piece At A Time (Images courtesy Jonathan Brand)

And when I saw every component of the car, I mean every, single, component. From sparkplugs no bigger than your finger, to the doors complete with handles and window rolls. The tires and the rims are even separate components, with perfect attention being paid to even the tread. It’s a monumental undertaking for a piece of art, and if you happen to live in New York you’ll be lucky enough to see it in person. The exhibit, entitled ‘One Piece At A Time’, will be on display from September 20th to October 29th at the Hosfelt Gallery.

[ Jonathan Brand - One Piece At A Time ] VIA [ Colossal ]

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