September 4, 2010
Boss Hoss Pictures Design
Boss Hoss Pictures Design
September 3, 2010
How does The Transmission In Today's Cars Work?
Transmission as we know it today, work by manipulating the rotating force and speed generated by the engine. Regardless of whether the vehicle is either a manual or automatic transmission, use of internal metal gears inside the transmission is an integral part of the system. While automatic transmissions are usually more complicated than their counterparts both manual work from the same principle.
The gearing of a transmission converts the high-speed rotation of the crankshaft engines suitable at lower speeds. designed without the use of a multi-transmission, the vehicle can not move in the situation, or would be severely limited in power, speed and fuel consumption. Couplings, torque converters for automatic and exclusively, within either type are a very important part of the transmission as well as. These devices provide a smooth transition between gear changes and allow you to run the vehicle while at a full stop.
The importance of the proper maintenance and care of problems with the gearbox as they arise are, for the longevity of the system of vital importance. Replacement of a transmission may be one of the most expensive trials in relation to any vehicle. With proper care and preventive maintenance, vehicle owners can lessen the chance to pay for costly repairs. Recommended Service Schedules for the cars today can in the car or truck manual or can be ordered online to be found. The service policies from the vehicle manufacturer must be followed exactly as presented.
When a transmission starts to slip, erratic shifting, hard shifting, rattles or start whining occur, it is imperative that the vehicle diagnosed by a qualified and professional workshop. What can a seemingly small problem can become worse quickly, without timely intervention. Vehicle owners should also have their own driving habits. Excessive abuse, not only the life of the transmission but can also significantly affect other important components of the vehicle as well.
Reputable shops have the specialized equipment needed to properly diagnose and repair transmissions for foreign and domestic vehicles. As to promote cars and trucks and use more electronic components, it is increasingly difficult for the average backyard mechanic service to them. On-board diagnostic electronic connections make the work of modern diagnostic transfers simple and efficient job for the professionals involved. While not all transfers are created equal, a reputable shop has the experience, tools and talent to the repair job done right to get.
Aston Martin Racing reveals E85 Vantage GT2
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Aston Martin Racing has revealed the first impressions of its new GT2 racing car. Known as the Vantage GT2, the new car is based on the V8 engined Aston Martin Vantage road car. The new car will mean Aston Martin is the only manufacturer to offer cars in every GT racing category: GT1 – DBR9; GT2 – Vantage GT2; GT3 – DBRS9; GT4 – Vantage N24. For the first time, Aston Martin Racing is designing this car to run on either standard race fuel or E85 bio-ethanol (where regulations allow). In 2007, Aston Martin Racing successfully converted a standard DBRS9 to run on E85. Robin Brundle, Aston Martin Racing’s new managing director, said: “The new Vantage GT2 completes our product portfolio for 2008 with competitive cars now available in every category. Thanks to our experience with the DBRS9, we have been able to develop a bio-ethanol fuelled version, which will be eligible to compete in an increasing number of series now accommodating this greener fuel, including the American Le Mans Series.” |
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport
The Otto Club
Dodge Charger saves life of suicide jumper
A 2008 Dodge Charger played the role of lifesaver on Tuesday when a man fell 400 feet and amazingly lived to see another day. The New York Post reports that 22-year-old Thomas Magill allegedly tried to commit suicide by jumping out of a 39-story New York high-rise when the aforementioned Charger broke his fall. Witnesses said that Magill flew through the air at "like 100 miles per hour" and landed on the Charger's rear window.
The man's impact sent glass flying everywhere and even knocked his tennis shoes clear off his feet and onto the windshield of another vehicle. After Magill hit the vehicle, witnesses claim the young man screamed that his legs hurt. Understandably.
While Magill lived through the tremendous fall, he's not out of the woods yet. He is reportedly listed in critical condition at a local New York hospital.
[Source: The New York Post]
Maybach Not Dead Yet
Conventional wisdom would say that 200 to 300 units of worldwide sales is far from sufficient to keep a car marque alive, and rumors of Maybach’s demise have been circulating for months. If Automobile is correct, the brand will not only soldier on, but will see a focus on growth through new models, thanks to Daimler’s Joachim Schmidt. Schmidt sees opportunity for the high end brand in China, North America, Russia, and the Middle East, but only if the product line is revised and updated.
All new Maybachs are expected to be built on the upcoming Mercedes S-Class platform, scheduled for launch in 2012. The Maybach range is expected to add a four door coupe and a long wheelbase convertible, while the 57 and 62 models continue in their present configuration on the new platform. A hybrid Maybach is also said to be in the works, but it’s expected to have a modest battery-only range and will only produce some 20 supplemental horsepower.
Let’s be honest, though: Maybach buyers don’t really care about fuel mileage or gasoline prices, and hybridization is just Daimler’s way of making the Maybach appear more green to EU regulators. With a base motor that cranks out about 545 horsepower and an uprated motor good for 630 horsepower, current Maybachs get a fuel economy rating of just 12 mpg; even a hybrid drivetrain won’t increase that substantially.
10k White Gold and Black Rhodium Blue Diamond Ring
September 2, 2010
Original Batmobile Spotted at Car Wash?
fastest cars
Number 1 ( 267 mph/431 km/h ) - Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
252mph, 1001PS, 16 cylinders, four turbos, 8.0-litres... the Veyron's numbers are staggering. It can hit 60mph in 2.5 seconds thanks to four-wheel-drive traction, shoots to 125mph in 7.3 seconds and reaches 200mph in less than 20. The Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and fastest street-legal production car in the world , with a proven top speed of over 400 km/h.There can be no commercial logic behind such a crazy machine, even with the Veyron's price tag of one million euros
Number 2 ( 256 mph/412 km/h ) - SSC Ultimate Aero TT
The SSC Ultimate Aero sets the benchmark for supercars today. Achieving tremendous power via its twin turbo V-8 engine, it produces 1,183 horsepower and 1094 ft.-lbs. of torque making the Ultimate Aero one of the world's most powerful production car. Despite being designed to run at redline for extended periods of time, the Ultimate Aero remains remarkably drivable. The Aero also has looks to match it's performance but the build quality and interior trim are a little disappointing in a $600k car
Number 3 ( 242 mph/395 km/h ) - Koenigsegg CCR
Koenigsegg's design seeks to give an interpretation of strength and flowing motion. The body of a Koenigsegg is formed for one ultimate purpose - speed.The surfaces are shaped to perfectly aerodynamic, an appearance that does not deceive. All aspects of this machine serve its one fundamental objective. But the whale delivers a sense of power that you can't find in its rivals either. Because of the targeted top speed, the body is designed to be so smooth that it has a very low drag coefficient of 0.30
August 31, 2010
Mazda Shinari Concept debuts new face of the brand in style
When Mazda invited us to Milan to see its new concept car, we knew it must be something important. Normally concept cars get their 15 minutes of fame at an auto show, and then it's off to the next press conference to see what the following automaker will introduce. Not so with Mazda's latest styling endeavor. The Japanese automaker wanted our full and undivided attention, with the center of international design and fashion in Italy as a fitting backdrop.
The Shinari concept, which roughly translates to "resistance to being bent," will serve as a the basis for Mazda's new design language, and many of the styling cues will make it to future production vehicles. That means that the Shinari will essentially affect the design of every vehicle coming from the Japanese automaker for the next several years. An important car for Mazda? You bet.
The Shinari was officially unveiled earlier today, and we spent several hours talking with Mazda's artists about the design and how it will affect the automaker's forthcoming vehicles.
The creation of the Shinari Concept starts with Ikuo Maeda, Mazda's global head of design. Maeda was the chief designer of the RX-8 and the Mazda2 and has been with the company for nearly 30 years, but his connection with the brand goes back even further than that. His father, Matasaburo Maeda, headed the design of the first generation RX-7 back in the 1970s. Mazda runs in the Maeda family's blood and there's no one more qualified to define the look of Mazda's next generation vehicles.
While Maeda has had an influence on Mazda design in the past, 2010 is the first year in which he's had full control. The Shinari Concept represents the first styling concept under his new design theme, KODO, which replaces the controversial Nagare them from the past several years. While the Nagare-styled cars were represented by wavy, flowing lines, a trait that looked great on concepts but was tough to implement on production cars (see Mazda3), KODO is more of an organic style that still takes cues from the natural world, but in a much more solidified and powerful sense. Maeda describes KODO as form with a soul, or bringing form to life, with the three key terms defining the theme being speed, tension and alluring. "There are few products of industrial design that can be compared to living entities which convey energetic motion and which invite affection," he says. "It is this intrinsically emotional appeal of the car that I wish to express when creating Mazda cars."
While Maeda created the theme for the new stylistic direction, the development of the Shinari Concept was actually a collaboration between three of Mazda's design centers in Japan, Germany and the United States. The goal was to make the exterior a product of Japan, while the interior was left to the automaker's Irvine studio. However, each team had input on the final product.
Looking at the exterior, it's easy to tell that the Shinari shares little in common with Mazda's recent designs, although like almost every sedan built today, it has similarities to vehicles from other brands. It's almost as if the Aston Martin Rapide and a Mazda RX-8 cued up some Barry White, enjoyed a romantic evening and the Shinari came out nine months later. That's obviously a compliment, as the Rapide is a stunningly beautiful car and the RX-8 – even this far into its lifecycle – is still a looker. However, the Shinari has a much more complicated design, with more intersecting lines and a surface area that's constantly moving and changing depending on the lighting.
Those who dislike the smiling face of the current Mazda lineup will be glad to know it won't be a feature in future models (Huzzah! – Ed.). The Shinari front end features a "signature wing" that will become a new styling cue for the brand. The wing is formed by a thin aluminum band that starts from the bottom of the grille and goes out and up through the headlamps and continues with a bold fender line moving out onto the sides.
The most impressive aspect of the exterior design was the devotion to the theme in nearly every inch of the concept. The various aluminum pieces found on the exterior have a "twisted tension", and even the slots in the disc brakes follow the same theme. In addition, items like the headlights were designed to have a more natural look and fashioned to mimic the iris of an animal's eye. We're also big fans of the stylish rear view cameras in place of the standard mirrors as well as the trick door handles (although "button" might be a more appropriate description) that require only a simple press to open.
While the exterior is certainly a departure from previous designs, the interior is perhaps the most surprising aspect of the Shinari. Easily the most attractive and stylish interior we've seen in a Mazda (concept or not), it's swathed in authentic aluminum trim, leather-covered surfaces and double stitching at nearly every turn and twist. We're again drawn to the Aston Martin Rapide comparison, especially with the design of the deep rear bucket seats. The gauges, modeled after popular watch designs, up the class quotient and the massive glass roof helps make the interior feel open and airy.
We know many of these elements won't make it into a production car, but Mazda's North American director of design, Derek Jenkins, who oversaw the development of the Shinari's interior, says it's Mazda's goal to add sophistication to future models. "Mazda is really an aspirational type of brand," he says. "Even though we are a mainstream brand we have a customer that wants a little bit more. We monitor premium segments, we monitor premium trends, and the question is ultimately how can get some of that feeling into a more affordable vehicle. We think our customer wants a little bit more sophistication."
One thing that can definitely be seen in future Mazda interiors is a driver-focused cockpit. A close look at the Shinari's interior reveals an asymmetric design that snugly surrounds the driver's seat while leaving the passenger seat more open and relaxed. Jenkins says this will be theme of upcoming Mazda vehicles and help set the brand apart.
Finally, the Shinari also features quite a bit of technology that looks forward to the new applications of driver-automobile interactions. The Human Machine Interface (HMI) is split up into three modes: Business, Pleasure and Sport. Potential uses range from looking up bios of a business contact before a meeting to a rally-style co-pilot feature that could alert the driver of the characteristics of upcoming turns. It's nothing too far-fetched given the current levels of technology, and we wouldn't be surprised to see some of it implemented in the near future.
But more than the tech and the attention to detail, it's the Shinari's overall cohesion that impresses the most. Unlike other pie-in-the-sky concepts, the Sinari is a smart, well executed styling exercise that should be a solid design platform for future models. The muscular lines should translate well into a production car, and customers will always appreciate a more sophisticated interior. And what about the potential of a four-door sports coupe like the Shinari making it to production? Mazda wouldn't tell us whether one is in the works, but they did mention that the "business side of it" was considered when the Shinari was under development. That definitely means there's a chance, and we sure like the sound of a Mazda RX-9.
Maybach will soldier on, gain hybrid
We've all but assumed Maybach was a goner. With the economic downturn and sales hovering around the 300-unit mark annually, Mercedes-Benz' rebadged uber-lux brand makes a hard business case for itself. However, Automobile reports that Maybach may be down, but it's not out, and a range of new products are on the way.
With the S-Class due to be replaced in 2012, the range-topping Benz will offer up its revised platform for five new Maybach models. The standard 57 and 62 will benefit from upgraded sheet metal, interiors and electronics, while a CLS-like four-door "coupe" will be added to the line-up along with the oft-rumored long-wheelbase convertible – a sort of mash-up between the 62 Laundaulet and Mercedes' Ocean Drive concept from 2007.
Despite M-B's ongoing issues with CAFE standards, motivation will continue to be provided by the same 6.0-liter V12 powering current Maybachs, although horsepower is expected to rise, torque output could crest 850 pound-feet and Mercedes' seven-speed automatic will be part of the package.
More intriguingly, Automobile says that with the new transmission, an electric motor could be fitted, boosting output by 20 hp and allowing the massive sled to drive in full electric mode for up to 10 miles. There's also talk of a new nine-speed automatic transmission being fitted and fuel economy rising by around 25% – so figure around a 2-3 mpg improvement for both the 545-hp and 630-hp versions.
In order for Maybach to survive, it has to be more than just a reworked S-Class and to that end, an insider told Automobile that future models will be "jewels on wheels and at last worthy of the brand." We shall see...