Yes, it’s another set of videos of the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, but we're not complaining. This time, the Raging Bull supercar was caught at the Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi racing circuit just outside of Rome, Italy. Unfortunately, the three clips are quite short – up to 12 seconds each, but at least we get a taste of the 700-horsepower V12 engine’s sounds. Watch them after the jump.
Just in case you hadn’t already figured it out, the Chrysler Group has no plans to offer the latest Dodge Charger with Alfa’s turbocharged four-pot nor will Gawker restore Jalopnik’s classic blog look.
Other automotive-related April Fool’s Day jokes found around the net include: Autoblog’s Honda Accord Crossdressed Cabriolet; Pickuptruck’s 2012 Cadillac DRW Platinum Heavy-Duty Pickup; BMW’s costly M3 Pickup Truck (the joke here is that it won’t enter production because the ute is real); and Jalopnik’s announcement that AOL’s new empress, Arianna Huffington, bought the site and merged it with Autoblog to create Autoblognik.
Much in the same way as Morgan’s pre-Supersports models, the Lotus / Caterham 7 has remained relatively unchanged throughout its long life. A lightweight body with no fixed doors or roof, a flat windscreen, exposed front wheels and a four cylinder motor embody the Seven’s design and engineering philosophy.
Diseno-Art has drawn up a nice design study in the form of the “New 7”, a vehicle designed to expand and complement the existing range of 7-badged vehicles.
With larger proportions and more refinement than the archaic (yet still beautiful) lines of the current generation, the New 7 is designed to be uniquely tailored to each customer’s needs and offer a high level of customer service while still holding to the brand’s philosophy of lightweight, simple and fun.
The New 7 incorporates body parts that are easily removable for maintenance, a direct injection four-cylinder engine (with room for a variety of other types of engine at the client’s request), rear wheel drive and a manual transmission. It’s all very believable and not as farfetched as some of the design study’s we’ve featured on the site before.
You can check out our gallery below and leave a comment if you wish.
By Tristan Hankins
Source: Diseno-Art
Garrett Brown, the man behind Hollywood's Steadicam, is looking to bring a little upgrade to manufacturing. Brown has partnered with Eric Golden's LA-based Equipois to help release the "zeroG", a new type of mechanical arm that could reduce manufacturers' health care costs by up to $13 billion annually.
Spawned from a conversation with a Honda engineer who liked the idea of a Steadicam mechanism on the factory floor, the zeroG is crafted from high-grade aluminum and steel and helps minimize overexertion by using simple physics. Each arm is fitted with spring that counterbalances the weight of heavy tools, which in turn makes the tools "lighter" and easier to use.
Maneuverability has also been taken into account; the zeroG's gimbal mechanism means tools can be used to their full capacity even when being held by the arm.
Equipois's Eric Golden explains it like this: "The actions cancel each other out...When the arm holding the tool moves, the position of the end of the spring changes to compensate for the movement. That's 20 pounds of lift on a 20-pound tool, no matter where it's positioned...You can have something that weighs 25 pounds and move it with your fingertips, as if you're in space."
At a cost of $10,000 for the larger arm ($5,000 for the smaller unit), Equipois has found serious interest from serious clients like Boeing, Ford, and the United States Navy.
Allison Stephens, an assembly ergonomics specialist working for the Blue Oval, says, "Because it uses no electricity -- just springs -- it's actually much cheaper than our current method of tool support...We selected jobs that had difficulties because of heavy tools, and operators who had medical visits because of that. We've seen some great results -- no injuries when the arms are used. We are going to incorporate it into our engineering strategy."
With the economy slowly getting back on its feet and a number of positive responses, Equipois hopes more people will come to see the benefits and invest in the zeroG. If its current client base is any indication, this may just be the next low-tech big thing in the world of manufacturing.
By Phil Alex
Sources:Equipoisinc & CNN
Now here’s something you definitely don’t see every day; a camper van put through its paces at the Nurburgring race track in Germany. Mind you, we’re not talking about a VW Bus Camper Van here, but a full-size, six-wheeler recreational vehicle… Follow the break to see it in action for yourself.
Hat tip to Anthony R.!
Now here’s some news we weren’t expecting. The Chrysler Group announced today the premiere of a new variant of the 2011 Dodge Charger bearing the TBi moniker, which stands for Turbocharged Boosted Induction. The Charger TBi is powered by a four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine sourced from sister company Alfa Romeo. The Italian flavored 1.75-liter powerplant is the same one found on a variety of Alfa models including the Giulietta and 159, as well as the upcoming 4C sports coupe previewed in Geneva last month.
On the 2011MY Charger, the force-fed four-pot delivers a maximum output of 225HP and a peak torque of 250 lb-ft / 340Nm at just 1,900 rpm.
The Detroit automaker said that the gasoline engine “ensures performance that matches or exceeds that of a 3.0-litre V6 whilst still delivering the moderate fuel consumption which is typical of a compact, 4 cylinder unit”. The new powerplant will be matched exclusively to a new automatic "TCT" twin dry clutch transmission with eight gears.
According to Dodge, the Charger TBi completes the standard 0-60mph sprint in 8.1 seconds while returning an estimated average fuel consumption of 25mpg city and 32mpg highway. In comparison, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 model is rated at 18mpg and 27mpg respectively. More details are expected to be released before the end of the day so stay tuned.
We're used to hugely-expensive Ferrari models, but a book that cost more than an actual sports car from Maranello is a first. It's called “The Official Ferrari Opus” and it retails for $275,000 in its most expensive edition. Publisher Opus Media Group calls it “the most exclusive book in the world.” It might be, at least as far as the price is concerned.
The 852-page Ferrari bible weighs 82 pounds and measures 19.6 square inches. Printed on heavy-duty paper, it contains 2,000 photos and 200,000 words covering every Ferrari road car and race car ever produced, as well as every professional driver to race for the company since 1947.
The book is offered in various editions, ranging in price from $4,100 to $275,000. The “Enzo” edition for instance is limited to 400 copies, with each being “personally signed by all living Ferrari world champions on an individually numbered, silver-foiled signature sheet.” Each book comes in a carbon-fiber case and is priced at $37,500.
More affordable is the $7,500 “Cavallino Rampante” edition, with each of the 500 copies personally signed by “Ferrari greats, past and present.” Finally, the most affordable edition is the “Classic”, limited at 4,100 copies and priced at $4,100. For this kind of cash however, buyers will only receive the signatures of current Ferrari F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.
As for the $275,000 edition, it is called “Enzo Diamante” because of the 30 diamonds that adorn the Prancing Horse logo sitting on the cover. Only 400 copies of this book will be available, but not more than one in each country. Which is kind of odd, as there are 193 internationally-recognized sovereign states in the world. Anyway, buyers of this edition will be entered into a drawing for a replica of the Formula 1 car driven by Michael Schumacher. The copy No. 1 will be auctioned, with proceeds going to charities. Scroll down to see an official presentation of the Official Ferrari Opus.
By Dan Mihalascu
Source: New York Times
