This never aired on TV, wonder why?
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
VW Beetle beats Bugatti Veyron
Lining up against a £1 million Bugatti Veyron for a drag race, the 1965 VW Beetle should not have stood a chance - but this car was packed with a bit more power than most.
Created by Olly Young and his brother Sam from parts of an old milk float and powered by batteries, this electric dragster can do 0-60mph in 1.6 seconds.
Nicknamed Black Current, the car earned the siblings from Berkshire the top prize for its impressive performance at the Alternative Energy Racing tournament.
Speaking to The Metro, Olly Young, 34, said: "You can't imagine how fast it is, it's pretty hard to explain. It felt absolutely awesome."
As well as winning the zero emissions final, the dragster also secured a world record at the Santa Pod raceway in Northamptonshire when it covered 400 metres in less than ten seconds.
The car's next challenge will be to take on petrol-powered dragsters overseas.
Created by Olly Young and his brother Sam from parts of an old milk float and powered by batteries, this electric dragster can do 0-60mph in 1.6 seconds.
Nicknamed Black Current, the car earned the siblings from Berkshire the top prize for its impressive performance at the Alternative Energy Racing tournament.
Speaking to The Metro, Olly Young, 34, said: "You can't imagine how fast it is, it's pretty hard to explain. It felt absolutely awesome."
As well as winning the zero emissions final, the dragster also secured a world record at the Santa Pod raceway in Northamptonshire when it covered 400 metres in less than ten seconds.
The car's next challenge will be to take on petrol-powered dragsters overseas.
BMW made out of skin
A car covered with cloth is something you would associate with the Flintstones, not the cutting edge of 21st century automotive design.
But BMW's latest concept car is exactly that - and it can change shape at the touch of a button.
The Gina - which at first glance looks like any other flashy sports car - is encased in fabric instead of metal panels.
Open the door and the slinky fabric creases and wrinkles like skin.
Turn on the headlights and the covers peel up like giant eyelids - designed to make the sporty roadster more aerodynamic.
And its seamless skin - a single piece of durable fabric - can be morphed at the flick of a switch to suit its owner's mood, offering an aggressive or classic look.
BMW's Christopher Bangle said: 'This revolutionary solution opens up new design and production potential.
'The outer skin can move and do things a metal skin couldn't do.'
The German car maker's pioneering vehicle is based on the chassis of a BMW Z8.
Its skin is made of a silver expansion-resistant textile which stretches across movable metal wires controlled by hydraulics. The Gina (Geometry and Functions In Adaptions) has no bonnet, roof or boot.
Instead, a single sheet of cloth is layered over its frame, cocooning the driver in the ultra-modern cabin.
Movable parts are controlled by hydraulics operated from a driver's console
'The high-precision fit of the material to the metal mesh also allows surface changes without slackening the tension,' a spokesman said.
'It has a major impact on the interaction between driver and car and enhances it by offering a variety of entirely new options.'
There is no need to lift the bonnet to get a look at the engine of this flexible motor - it opens from the centre like Hulk Hogan tearing off his T-shirt.
Opening and closing is similar to the mechanism on a doctor’s traditional medical bag, where clip-lock fasteners are held together in the middle by a rail.
That is until it rips.
Gina won't be coming to showrooms anytime soon, but BMW hopes the overall design philosophy will rub off on some of its future models.
In the meantime, you can see the car in the flesh at the BMW museum in Munich.
But BMW's latest concept car is exactly that - and it can change shape at the touch of a button.
The Gina - which at first glance looks like any other flashy sports car - is encased in fabric instead of metal panels.
Open the door and the slinky fabric creases and wrinkles like skin.
Turn on the headlights and the covers peel up like giant eyelids - designed to make the sporty roadster more aerodynamic.
And its seamless skin - a single piece of durable fabric - can be morphed at the flick of a switch to suit its owner's mood, offering an aggressive or classic look.
BMW's Christopher Bangle said: 'This revolutionary solution opens up new design and production potential.
'The outer skin can move and do things a metal skin couldn't do.'
The German car maker's pioneering vehicle is based on the chassis of a BMW Z8.
Its skin is made of a silver expansion-resistant textile which stretches across movable metal wires controlled by hydraulics. The Gina (Geometry and Functions In Adaptions) has no bonnet, roof or boot.
Instead, a single sheet of cloth is layered over its frame, cocooning the driver in the ultra-modern cabin.
Movable parts are controlled by hydraulics operated from a driver's console
'The high-precision fit of the material to the metal mesh also allows surface changes without slackening the tension,' a spokesman said.
'It has a major impact on the interaction between driver and car and enhances it by offering a variety of entirely new options.'
There is no need to lift the bonnet to get a look at the engine of this flexible motor - it opens from the centre like Hulk Hogan tearing off his T-shirt.
Opening and closing is similar to the mechanism on a doctor’s traditional medical bag, where clip-lock fasteners are held together in the middle by a rail.
That is until it rips.
Gina won't be coming to showrooms anytime soon, but BMW hopes the overall design philosophy will rub off on some of its future models.
In the meantime, you can see the car in the flesh at the BMW museum in Munich.
I've been YouTube'd!
At the launch of the Sexy Green Car Show, Eden Project - someone caught me on video with Tiff Needell...
Colder - Silicone Sexy
Theme from the latest Hyundai car advert, buy it, play it in your car LOUD:
Silicone Sexy by Colder
Silicone Sexy by Colder
Ariel Atom
The Ariel Atom was developed from the inside out.It has no doors, no windscreen, no body panels...
... it is a car that proudly wears it's skeleton on the outside.
"Why", you may ask.
The answer is simple. It's a car that has been designed to handle as perfectly as possible in a straight line AND around corners.
It's a car built to move, and move as fast as possible.
The fact that a squishy human body needs to be placed inside to make it work could be seen as an inconvenience - but the car rewards the driver with sensations, feelings and emotions normally only reserved for F1 drivers, fighter pilots or astronauts.
Check out this video from Top Gear to see what we mean:
And a similar response from 5th Gear:
With performance matching and beating that of supercars costing over £450,000, you may be forgiven for thinking that you will need a remortgage or three to purchase one.
You will be pleasantly suprised, even shocked, to find out that this iconic car costs just £35,000. And that's for a brand new one!
If you want to find out more (and I bet you do) follow this link to the Atom website - just be prepared to join the very long queue wanting to own one...
