Smart Car Custom Flat. Yellow Smart car custom body kit with a flat
Monday, November 30, 2009
Besler Steam Plane & Doble Steam Car
Amazing 1933 film from the Besler Company of the Doble Steam Car and the Besler Steam Plane. I actually lived in the old Doble/Besler factory in Emeryville, California from about 1986 to 1993, when Emeryville was still an old industrial wasteland and cheap housing for artists instead of the shopping mecca it is today.
The Doble is a little known but magnificent automobile that competed with the likes of Rolls Royce & Duesenberg. When the Doble brothers' company failed, William Besler bought the factory & continued to develop steam power. He worked with General Motors for many years on steam power. Besler also provided smoke screen generators to Allied forces during WWII.
More links on Doble Steam Cars & Besler Steam Engines:
http://www.damninteresting.com/the-last-great-steam-car
http://ucblibrary3.berkeley.edu/gendl/EADprint/doble2.pdf
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/view?docId=kt3p30193p;developer=local;style=oac4;doc.view=items
Jay Leno writes about his Doble: http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/jay_leno_garage/1302916.html?page=1
http://steamingdownsouth.com/Doble/doble.html
2002 SUV Isuzu Axiom
In 1993, Isuzu alone the car market, in favor of the truck/ SUV market, area the aggregation had met with bigger success. Isuzu had tried, and failed, to attempt with Toyota, Nissan and Honda as a full-line car company. But the 1980s, a time back all it seemed a car bare was a Japanese nameplate, were over. And the companies like Isuzu and Subaru aggravating to attempt bang with Toyota were hurting.
The Isuzu Trooper had been the Japanese Jeep Cherokee through the ‘80s, and the aggregation adapted with a cord of accepted SUVs, such as the Rodeo and the Amigo that helped put an SUV in every American driveway. But the aureate age of the SUV — back four doors on a four-wheel drive barter belvedere was a authorization to book money — is over. Competition has fabricated the cartage added competent, refined, and carlike. So Isuzu finds itself touting an SUV for its carlike features.
The Axiom’s angular, automated administration is a abandonment from the blowing brush-basher administration active on best SUVs. The added carlike attending is evocative of Cadillac’s accepted architecture theme, and the Axiom looks a bit like a abate Escalade, at atomic from the front. The 17-inch admixture auto are attractive, and abrasion tires with a carlike footstep pattern. This bit of accepted faculty improves on-road ride, handling, gas breadth and noise, at the amount of off-road capability.
Isuzu’s newest SUV retains the trucklike body-on-frame architecture of its predecessors, alike while competitors move against unibody architecture for its advantages in acerbity and amplitude efficiency. The alone accessible clue to the Axiom’s abstracted anatomy is its aerial floor. Combined with the low, collapsed seats, the Axiom’s leg allowance can feel cramped. However, the aperture frames accessible to the floor, clashing unibody designs that charge a aerial aperture axle to advance rigidity. With no lip to footfall over, the Axiom isn’t as adamantine to get into as its aerial attic would suggest.
Corvette GT1 Racing Car
Winning this year’s copy of the world’s best celebrated sports car chase had appropriate acceptation for Corvette Antagonism because it marks the end of aggregation Corvette C6R’s run in GT1 racing. Corvette Antagonism begins its alteration to a all-around GT chic in 2010 that is chiefly based on accepted GT2 regulations.
The best acknowledged aggregation in American Le Mans Series history has won its chic bristles times in the archetypal 24-hour French ability chase (2001-02, 2004-06), above-mentioned to this year’s acceptable effort.
The antagonism goals of Corvette are cogent for GM because they advance abstruse innovations advanced for the aggregation which crawl bottomward to added assembly vehicles. Also, because Corvette has commonly been one of the added adorable ambassadors for the much-maligned American car maker, success for the sports car helps legitimize the aggregation adjoin all-around competition.
2010 Corvette ZR-1 Z700
Hennessey Achievement Engineering is befitting themselves active accomplishing our clamorous animalism for alarming boundless amounts of application out of (or rather, into) our cars, accepting afresh appear their affairs to action a leaner, added focused adaptation of Chevy’s admirable ZR-1 Corvette for 2010. Hennessey makes the point that Porsche 911 owners accept the advantage of advance to a GT3 RS for clue day sessions, and Viper owners additionally accept the ACR. But what for ZR-1 owners with acceleration in their veins and holes afire into their wallets?
Well, that’s area the Z700 comes to the rescue. Added capacity and hi-res pics anticipate you afterwards the jump.
Only 24 examples of the Z700 will be produced. But anniversary one comes with a account of upgrades, the sum of which commands a wallopping $207,150 including the amount of the car. First, there is the binding bang in horsepower, from 638 to 705HP at the flywheel, while the accession of carbon cilia seats and auto abate all-embracing weight and alternating accumulation (the auto abandoned scrubs 60 lbs). HPE additionally gives the glossy exoteric added aerodynamic enhancements, including a Z-Aero carbon cilia advanced splitter, canards and rear spoiler, all of which add up to 300 lbs. of downforce befitting your buried on those across-the-board corners. Finally, a comfortable alcantara council caster and shifter nob circuit out the autogenous upgrades.
Now, anyone who’s followed HPE abundant knows how actively they booty their cars. Their flagship, the aberrant Venom Viper 1000 Twin Turbo, baffled the Bugatti Veyron in an all out head-to-head acceleration antagonism for Road & Track. So, it should appear as no surpise that HPE affairs to prove that their Z700 is bigger than the accepted car by aerial out to Germany after this year to exhausted the ZR-1’s Nurburgring lap of 7:26. Whether or not this little appellation will advertise added cars charcoal to be seen. But what is accessible is Hennessey’s attraction and affection for blame anniversary absurd car they blow to the acme of their achievement potential, and for that array of car-mania, we address them.
As far as the Z700 is concerned, though, whether or not the $120K exceptional over the abject car is able-bodied spent apparently depends on the owner. No doubt, all 24 cars will accept no botheration award fabulously affluent homes
2010 Chevrolet Corvette
The 2010 Chevrolet Corvette is one of those cars whose acceptability precedes it, and in this case the acceptability abominably involves silver-haired Vegas types, gold chains, chrome auto and automated transmissions. But accuracy be told, the alone affair about the 'Vette that fits with this account is its blah interior.
Trust us: Driving is assertive back it comes to this American icon. Alike a abbreviate assignment abaft the caster will accommodate your thinking. The Corvette is asinine fast in any form, it sticks to the alley and it's added affable as a circadian disciplinarian than annihilation this able has a appropriate to be.
For 2010 there are alike added affidavit to sing the Chevy Corvette's praises. Launch ascendancy is now accepted on all manual-transmission models, a affection that will appear in accessible for demography the assumption out of eking out the best dispatch times. The new Admirable Sport copy -- an advance on the discontinued Z51 achievement amalgamation -- pairs the abject agent with different exoteric administration cues; a sport-tuned suspension; Z06-size wheels, tires and brakes; added advancing gearing; and a dry-sump oiling arrangement for models adapted with the chiral transmission.
For the ZR1, Chevy has added a adult Achievement Traction Management arrangement that allows drivers to baddest from bristles modes (Wet, Dry, Sport with Active Handling, Sport after Active Handling, Race) that optimize ability commitment for specific conditions.
One Corvette affection that hasn't afflicted is its ability ratings, which ambit from the antic to the absolutely absurd. Alike the abject 6.2-liter V8 cranks out 430 horsepower. But the Corvette does accept some antagonism that didn't abide alike a brace years ago. BMW's sweet-handling M3, for instance, has a starting amount that's not too far aloft the Vette's and provides a far nicer interior. Ford's Shelby GT500 is additionally abundant bigger this year.
As for the added big-ticket Corvettes, one arcade for the Z06 could additionally accede the Nissan GT-R and Porsche's bigger ambit of 2010 cars, including the Boxster S, Cayman S and abject 911. The ZR1, meanwhile, is alone a few admirable shy of one of our admired sports cars ever, the abstract Porsche 911 GT3.
Still, the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette is acutely a lot of car for the money, and its honking V8 will accompany a smile to its owner's face at every advance of the agent alpha button. Dye your beard argent and don a gold alternation if you charge -- test-driving a Corvette is account the effort.
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
As one of only two Korean automotive journalists that I know, Korean cars have been a subject of soreness on the grandest scale. For years I've had to endure all the wisecracks, pokes and slurs about the design, quality and performance-or lack thereof-the KDM OEs had to offer. And sadly, for most part, they were right. There really wasn't anything I could do to defend my homeland's four-wheeled honor. It was like hearing a bad "yo' momma" joke, if my mom was blonde, severely obese and low on the IQ totem pole. But wait . . . hear that? Cue: rustling. That's the wind of change. Its name: the Genesis-Hyundai's codeword for their new rear-wheel-drive platforms.
Admittedly, my Korean brethren did not invent RWD, nor is it a new technology. Like iPhones and MMS, Hyundai was a tad bit late to the party. I prefer to think it was for the sake of fashion-that, or like the process of Kimchee, the idea of a driveshaft and rear differential took some time to marinate. Popular Korean dish simile aside, the award-winning, sedan-form of the Genesis not only revolutionized Hyundai's perception as a brand, it redefined the luxury sedan market, offering options and amenities other makes would charge tens of thousands more for. Having never driven that Genesis, I can't tell you how it is, but I can say with extra-certainty the Genesis Coupe will rock your world harder than a sniff of extra-fermented cabbage.
Available in two motor options, a V-6 and turbocharged I-4, in stock trim, the bigger six has the necessary power to move the 3,300-plus lbs of steel. On the track, the 306hp Genesis Coupe 3.8 hangs with the likes of G37s and RX-8s and the 266 lb-ft of torque breaks traction with just a pulse of the throttle. And these aren't arcane comparisons, but truths experienced at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, NV-not bad for Hyundai's rookie player. Likewise, taken to SP Engineering in City of Industry, CA, the V-6 put down a respectable 261.6 whp and 237.6 lb-ft of torque.
It's not just what's under the hood, either. The Genesis Coupe's chassis has 24-percent higher bending rigidity than an E46 M3 and the front dual-link MacPherson struts and five-link rear give it precise handling. My only gripe is the steering wheel-while I appreciate all the wheel-mounted controls, the construction feels spongy. Nothing a little Nardi can't fix. That, and save up for some suspension and you have an instant drift machine. With a factory warranty. Not just any ol' warranty either, but one that covers the original owner repair or replacement on powertrain components for 10 years/100k miles. That's like having a decade's worth of Hyundai dealers acting as your personal pit crew.
As good as the Genesis Coupe 3.8 is, the turbocharged four . . . not so much. If the car were 600 lbs lighter and devoid of all the necessary safety stuff and fancy options such as the six-speed manual, A/C, cruise control, Bluetooth, CD player, keyless entry, and iPod connectivity, all included in the base trim, it would put the Genesis Coupe 2.0T in Nissan S13 weight territory and prove to be formidable, stock. But it's not. Because we, the consumer, desire safety and widgets, which the Genesis coupe is laden with, the 2.0T doesn't have the hp-to-weight ratio a sports car requires. Rated at 210 hp and 223 lb-ft of torque from the factory, our 2.0T filled with the recommended 87 octane (yes, 87-the turbo four is tuned from Hyundai for standard fuel) put down an impressive 191.4 hp and 221.1 lb-ft to the wheels on SP Engineering's dyno. Despite the underrated power, for non-enthusiasts (i.e., not you), the turbo-four will feel like a sluggish, naturally-aspirated big I-4 or small V-6. For enthusiasts (i.e., you), the turbo reeks of spicy, garlick-y potential. Starting sub $23K, the Genesis Coupe 2.0T is a RWD, turbocharged platform from the factory that's screaming at the top of its lungs: "Tune me, please!" Intake? Sure! Full exhaust? Yes, please. Boost controller? Go for it. ECU and tune? Why freaking not.
But before you get started, one might want to start with the Track-equipped 2.0T. It tacks on the Premium trim goodies (power driver's seat, Infinity audio, sunroof, proximity key, HomeLink mirror) and adds 19-inch wheels with summer tires, Brembo brakes, track-tuned suspension, Torsen limited slip differential, HID headlights, fog lamps, aluminum pedals, aero wiper blades, rear spoiler, and upgraded seats, raising the MSRP from $22,750 to $27,500. But for true enthusiasts, there's the R-Spec. This tuner-friendly model keeps the Brembos, LSD, stiffer suspension, and 19-inch wheels from the Track package, strips some of the heavier options, and comes in at a competitive price (much less than the Track package), proving that the Korean OEs are finally starting to get it. And I couldn't be more stoked.
2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R Best Modification
Chances are you've never been to Romania. But if you're from certain parts of America, it would likely remind you of home. Its four distinct seasons render much of the year cool and wet-like that of the American Northwest. Dense vegetation in Romania's Carpathian foothills merges with farmland plains outside cities like Brasov in much the same as our Blue Ridge Mountains meet Appalachian lowlands in western Virginia. Dilapidated, forgotten-about industry in post-Soviet mining towns like Petrosani and Rosia Montana could blend seemlessly into the rural eastern-central Pennsylvania landscape. And while we might not have to deal with crumbling roadways that likely haven't been re-paved since the cold war, motorists in popular parts of Illinois, Arkansas or New York would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Likewise, Romania is just about the last place on Earth you'd expect to find this GT-R treading ground.
When I stepped off the plane in the land where this beast was created, I was met with entirely different conditions. The landspace was rocky and brown, the air dry and hot, and everything in sight had the artificial, pre-fabbed look of modern, rapidly growing Americana. "Welcome to Phoenix," my contact greeted me, "Home of Vivid Racing!"
The Financial Crisis of 2007-2009, as it will be called until next year, turned the tables of the global market. Citizens of China, Saudi Arabia and Russia became the world's new millionaires, while the American uber-rich lost billions. The falling value of the U.S. dollar helped foreign currency become more competitive. Prices of commodities and goods rose, and we responded by driving less, buying less and thus producing less, which continued the cycle. And to citizens of wealthy nations, our newly weakened dollar meant a firesale on U.S. goods. Enter Romania, a country with half the unemployment and 17 times the GDP growth rate of the U.S. Those who head Romania's growing industries-like Majaros Csaba, the owner of this machine-well . . . they suddenly found themselves with some disposable income.
"We got lucky and found a used GT-R three months after it was released," explains Dan Mermelstein, co-founder of Vivid, "with intentions to make it a clean, Wald-inspired Vivid Racing shop car for SEMA." The plan was to build the GT-R into a rolling showcase for Capital Forged wheels, Vivid Racing's talents as installers and tuners, and the potency of their Agency Power line of performance products. Once back from SEMA, it would pound the streets of Phoenix, repping the Vivid extended family at shows and track days, and at the local gathering spots. But then Count Csaba caught wind of it. "He was on the phone with us the very next day, negotiating build specifics and a selling price," explains Dan. When a foreign Daddy Warbucks offers to fund your shop's project car build, in the middle of your country's second-worst recession of all time-you listen to what they have to say. "His vision of the perfect GT-R was slightly different than ours," explains Dan, tactfully. But hey-who were they to argue?
Vivid's first step would be to alter the GT-R's appearance; a tricky prospect, considering the car had been on sale in the U.S. for all of three months. Importing genuine Wald aero components would take twice as long (with luck), and they weren't in any hurry to share their molds with Stateside competition. Dan's solution? Molding select portions of a Rieger Ford Focus front bumper onto the stock GT-R pieces (in the name of functionality-those bumper vents direct incoming air to the car's brakes), and joining Rieger E60 sideskirts with the GT-R's stock. The rear bumper was left OE, but risers were fabricated to lift the wing two inches off the trunk lid, and the whole car was re-sprayed flat red to separate it from its stock brethren, with flat black coats setting apart the roof, hood, wing, and newly added accents. Even the Capital Forged three-piece rollers were disassembled and given the treatment.
The decision to prep the interior for occasional track duty was scrapped, at the customer's orders. Stock recliners were not ditched in favor of racing buckets, and a roll cage was not added-a move anyone familiar with Romanian roadways would appreciate. Rather, the stock interior was simply re-upholstered in red-stitched grey leather and red Alcantara, and given carbon fiber overlays. And who needs additional gauges in a car with a stock display that shows more engine vitals than the average motorist knows what to do with? Gauges stayed out, but additional audio went in, via two 10-inch Diamond Audio subs and a two-channel amp in the trunk, enclosed in matching upholstery.
The main "problem" with modifying the GT-R really wouldn't be viewed as a problem at all by many-Nissan simply built it too well; dampening-adjustable shocks and 15-inch, two-piece Brembo rotors with six-piston calipers are fairly difficult to improve upon. In the case of the Vivid GT-R, they were left stock, but the car's stance was lowered and stiffened with Eibach Pro Kit springs-perfect for carving Carpathian mountain passes between Bicaz and Ceahlau. The engine, however, is a different story; the case can always be made for more power. The main wrinkle in increasing the GT-R's power is doing so without upsetting its delicate balance of tuning parameters. Fortunately, Cobb handles that problem with an Accessport featuring plug-n-play replacement maps that bump power in and of themselves, and allow for more even power to be made with the addition of bolt-on aspiration parts . . . like the Meisterschaft titanium exhaust and stainless mid-pipes, and Agency Power intake, intercooler piping and downpipes fitted to this GT-R-good enough for an additional 167 whp and 115 lbs-ft of torque.
2003 Acura RSX-S Sporty Tuning
"A couple of friends took me to a Honda meet, and that's when I started thinking about what I should modify on my car," says BK. "My first part was an AEM cold air intake-that's when I got hooked! "
The next phase was all centered on the engine bay, so those sunglasses can come off now (but look out for those blue Samco Sport radiator hoses and the J's Racing blue anodized valve cover). The lure of forced induction was too great to resist, so while BK was in a GReddy state of mind, he sprang for a T517Z turbocharger, manifold and custom polished intercooler and pipes. He looked to HKS for its SSQV blow-off valve, to RBC for an intake manifold, and oversees the power delivery with a Turbo XS manual boost controller.
A project always reminds us that everything we do has consequences down the line. So more power requires a beefed-up transmission. In this case, an Exedy Stage 2 cerametallic clutch and flywheel do the business, along with a Buddy Club short shifter and custom chromed transmission brackets. BK gets the power to the pavement via a Quaife limited-slip differential and Driveshaft Shop Stage 1 axles.
By now, the car was crying out for a splash of red, so BK obliged with a set of red-stitched Bride GIAS2 Low Max Gradation front seats (note also the green Takata four-point harnesses) with matching trim for the rear seats, plus JDM DC5 Type R red carpets and door panels.
Installed by BK's equally hard-working friend, Drew, are Defi boost, water temperature and oil pressure gauges, plus an AEM UEGO wideband air/fuel gauge. Also in the dash is an Alpine IVA-W200 head unit linked by Memphis Car Audio wiring to MCA amplifiers (set into a rack painted Cusco blue) and speakers. And for that ultimate touch of color, a blue titanium J's Racing shift knob.
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