Author Archive
February 10th, 2009
Filed under: Motorsports, Time Warp, Etc.
Click on the image above for high-res gallery of Tim Knowles’ Jaguar E-Type art plotter
Art created by a car brings to mind painted tire tracks and Pollock-esque droplets in hues of 10W-30, ATF, and grime. Thinking past such direct markings, artist Tim Knowles has taken a fixed-head Jaguar E-Type and turned it into the fastest moving Etch-A-Sketch in existence. In the cargo area of the sporting coupe is a rig with an elastic mounted pen which slides on rails. Turn the vehicle in one direction, the pen goes the other way - it slides forward when braking and accelerating makes it slide rearward.
A similar system was dropped into a Volvo V70 and driven across the Alps to an art gallery, generating the drawing for exhibition along the way. Traversing mountains is all well and good, but this Jag goes racing! Brands Hatch and Monaco have created two works of art that fascinating in their combination of gestural and linear qualities. The drawings are both abstract and loose, while also being symmetrical and controlled. Hey, it’s at least as cool as that stuff done by wildlife. Thanks for the tip, Alex!
[Source: Tim Knowles]
Cat Scratch Fever: UK’s Tim Knowles uses Jaguar E-Type to make art originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 9th, 2009
Filed under: Time Warp, Sports/GTs, Etc., Chrysler, LLC., Dodge, Rendered Speculation
Click above for a high-resolution gallery of Rafael Reston’s 1967 Viper
It’s always a fun exercise to think about what might have been. Who doesn’t daydream about how your favorite brand may have looked if only for one simple change. Designer Rafael Reston has turned his imagination toward Chrysler of the 1960s, pondering what a Viper may have looked like in 1967. Far be it from us to criticize the effort, but we’re hard pressed to see Chrysler cues in the handsome renderings. Reston did take pains to research the vehicles and construction methods of the day, and he did do renderings of a stripped down framework of the vehicle, which shows a preponderance of Corvette influence. The chassis also looks like it would have been prohibitively expensive to produce, and let’s not talk about the S-curves coming off the exhaust manifolds, which are chrome — none of which would see the light of day in a production car.
The car certainly looks good, reminding us of an Iso Grifo or a C2 Corvette, but it’s not what would likely have rolled out of Elwood Engel’s styling department. We see a lot of C2 in Reston’s renderings, in the interior, too, but that just means that it looks darn good, if disconnected from reality. We’d be down with a car that looked like this, no matter the era. Thanks for the tip, Julio!
[Source: SeriousWheels]
What if the Dodge Viper were around in 1967? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 7th, 2009
Filed under: Concept Cars, Gadgets, Special/Limited Editions
Spend two million bucks on a car, and you’ll get to have whatever the hell you want as a horn tone. Alfred DiMora is back, adding more splashy aftermarket items to the list of standard equipment on his Natalia vaporware sport luxury sedan. DiMora Motorcar has decided that the Horntones system will be factory-fitted to every V16 Natalia SLS 2 produced. So far, that’s none. This isn’t the first time the Natalia has specified an item cherrypicked from SEMA awards, and we suspect it won’t be the last.
The Horntones system has 256MB of flash memory that can be loaded up with MP3 files. Once your files are in the Horntones system, there’s a 150-watt speaker to delight everyone within a quarter mile by blaring your audio with a 110dB sound pressure level. DiMora contends that the Horntones rig is the most significant development in car horns in the last 100 years. We disagree - after all, the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee had that bitchin’ setup that played Dixie.
Perhaps the biggest news here is that there’s a new rendering, this time, a rear three-quarter view. Press release after the jump.
[Source: DiMora Motorcars]
Continue reading $2M DiMora Natalia SLS 2 to get - wait for it - world’s first MP3-enabled horn
$2M DiMora Natalia SLS 2 to get - wait for it - world’s first MP3-enabled horn originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 6th, 2009
Filed under: Aftermarket, Maintenance, Government/Legal, Green
Cars are such an easy target for politicians looking to bolster their green image. The latest is Oregon Governor Theodore Kulongoski, who has had the Speaker of the House introduce a bill that could make many aftermarket parts unavailable.
Tires are the main aim of the bill, which seeks to prohibit parts availability if there are choices that decrease greenhouse gas emissions. It amounts to a back-door fuel economy standard, which is the jurisdiction of the federal government unless you’re California -and even they need a waiver. The prospect of fitting Pilot Sports to your Geo Metro will be out the window if H.B. 2186 finds traction, and it could stick you with zero alternatives based on some myopic metric like rolling resistance. Putting our legislators in charge of what equipment should be fitted to our cars doesn’t strike us as the brightest idea. Hit the linked article for contact information, so you know who to call and excoriate. Thanks, Charlie!
[Source: SEMA]
Oregon introduces bill to ban aftermarket car parts originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 6th, 2009
Filed under: Concept Cars, Government/Legal, Police/Emergency
Click on the image above for a high-res image gallery of the Carbon Motors E7
The Carbon Motors E7, a purpose-built car for law enforcement, is continuing to march toward reality. Carbon Motors has targeted 2012 as the start of production, and cars can already be pre-ordered at the company’’s website as a way to raise capital for the start of series production.
We’d love to get our hands on one of these, as the E7’s technical details intrigue: a 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine, aluminum unit-body and performance numbers that leave Ford’s old Crown Victorias sucking wind. The media might get a chance to try the E7 within about 18 months, and pricing will be announced at the end of this year. When it does reach local PDs, perps will have something new to fear and officers might finally have a modern vehicle that accommodates police work.
[Source: Straightline]
Carbon E7 police car headed for duty in 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 4th, 2009
Filed under: Podcasts, Opinion/Editorial
Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!
This has got to be a consecutive-podcasting record for us. Episode #114 of the Autoblog Podcast is another weekly visit with Chris S., Sam and Dan. Some bits of recent news are discussed, like the latest round of abysmal sales figures, the Geneva-bound Mazda3 MPS, the plan to help cities prepare for the Chevrolet Volt and even an answer to another reader question. Keep the feedback rolling in to podcast at autoblog dot com.
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Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #114
Autoblog Podcast #114 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 3rd, 2009
Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Humor
BRRRAAAAP! It’s music to the ears of a subset of car nuts. Noisy exhaust setups are hardly a new phenomenon, but the fashion for mufflers that intentionally buzz as much as possible is a more recent development in the pantheon of annoying things others do. Exasperation with the muffler rap has led a New Zealand vigilante to start terrorizing cars equipped with what he or she describes as “boy-racer exhausts” in a written manifesto sent to the Marlborough Express.
Using the handle “Phantom Expander,” the self-righteous vandal has taken to filling the tailpipes of offending cars with self-expanding foam. So far, the four-hour set time of the foam has been the saving grace for the Phantom’s victims, most of whom have been able to clear the exhausts before the intended plug has dried. Vehicles with fully clogged exhausts will not start, and repairs could get expensive if other components are damaged.
For now, the foam bandit roams free, but it’s only a matter of time before someone gets caught with a can of “Great Stuff” in their hand. Will it be the constabulary or a car owner that catches them? For the foamer’s sake, it might be best to get nabbed by the police so that they can keep all of their teeth.
[Source: Stuff.co.nz]
Hero or Villain? Kiwi bandit filling “boy racer” exhausts with expanding foam originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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January 31st, 2009
Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos
Super Bowl commercials always generate buzz, and this year, Hyundai’s going to have company in the automotive sector. Bridgestone signed Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head for one of two commercials that will air during the big game, and a teaser video offers a tantalizing glimpse of what we’ll be seeing as we gulp down nachos and wings. The February 1st event will be the Potato Heads first outing in a Super Bowl ad. Out for a little bit of top-down motoring in their Pontiac Solstice, the starchy couple suddenly find themselves bearing down on a pack of sheep in the road. We’ll have to tune in to the halftime show to see if it ends with mashed potatoes, but for now, at least there are cool behind-the-scenes videos to watch (after the jump).
In a second commercial, a pair of astronauts tear around some other planet in a hot rod moon-buggy. Again, we’ll have to tune in for the answer to the question “Whats the hottest thing on four wheels?” While the Tater spot has the big-name talent, we’re more intrigued by what otherworldly treat might be in store for us when the answer to Bridgestone’s question is revealed. This is the second year Bridgestone has advertised during the Super Bowl, and the company is also sponsoring the halftime show with Bruce Springsteen. Looks like we’ll have to make that halftime break a quick one. Teaser spots and behind the scenes videos posted after the jump
[Source: Bridgestone]
Continue reading VIDEO: Bridgestone Super Bowl spot stars Mr. Potato Head
VIDEO: Bridgestone Super Bowl spot stars Mr. Potato Head originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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January 29th, 2009
Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Crossovers/CUVs, Honda
Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2009 Honda Pilot Touring
My family has fallen in love with Bruno. Yes, we named it. Clearly, the Honda Pilot has left an impression. Size is the first thing you notice, solidity the second - there’s not a whiff of the gelatin-jiggles that afflict most of this CUV’s body-on-frame competitors. The Pilot is also loaded up with thoughtful, family-friendly touches everywhere you look. It’s big, accommodating, and solid. What else? Follow the jump to find out.
Photos Copyright (C)2009 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.
Continue reading In The Autoblog Garage: 2009 Honda Pilot Touring
In The Autoblog Garage: 2009 Honda Pilot Touring originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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January 27th, 2009
Filed under: Podcasts, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, LLC., GM, Toyota, FIAT, Opinion/Editorial
It’s a four-man podcasting extravaganza for Episode #113 of the Autoblog Podcast. Chris, Sam and Dan are joined by EIC Neff to kick the ball around. A good amount of time is spent on saving the planet and telling the EPA what to do with California’s request for a waiver, but we also touch on the state of Toyota’s wallet, hybrid sales, the Chrysler and Fiat lash-up, mirth, and merriment. It’s a long one at nearly an hour and a half. Thanks for listening, you should be done in time for next week’s installment. Until then, keep thoughts, questions, opinions and correspondence rolling in to Podcast at autoblog dot com. Thanks for listening!
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Autoblog Podcast #113 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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