April 2008 - Posts
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 I wholeheartedly agree with this writer's opinion about how much cooler vintage racing cars are than today's modern marvels. Dig deep enough and there's a really awesome photo of Mario Andretti's hero, Alberto Ascari in a 1952 Ferrari Special. The Brickyard used to be a magical place during the month of May. Let's hope the unification will help bring back some of the glory of this historic race. From Jalopnik As
much as we like open wheel racing and modern car designs, there's
something far more awesome about vintage racing cars. This is
undoubtedly the opinion of one Jim Rogacki, an engineer from Buffalo,
who, while digging around for vintage car parts, managed to run into an
amateur Indianapolis 500 historian. After shooting the breeze for a
while, Jim convinced the man to let him scan his fantastic collection
of photos for all 33 cars in the 1952 starting grid. We swiped a
couple, but go take a look at the very neat complete collection and the
story behind it over at Jalopy Journal.
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Faced with chronic fuel shortages due to an Israeli blockade and a strike by Palestinian distributors protesting supply caps, taxi drivers in the Gaza Strip are filling their tanks with cooking oil, often scrounging leftover fat from street vendors.
The pumps at Gaza's petrol stations have been deserted for several weeks but brightly-colored cartons of soya bean cooking oil, some smuggled from Egypt, are piled high at the taxi rank in the impoverished territory's main city.
The drivers say they mix the oil with turpentine before filling up. Used oil is better than the fresh stuff so they often beg or buy leftovers from street vendors who sell falafel -- a fried chick-pea snack popular in the Middle East.
More from Reuters story>>
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Answer: The BMW Sauber F1 car. BMW's Nick Heidfeld recently demonstrated his spectacular driving skill to a crowded parking lot at the company's Munich plant in a show of support for employees, only a minor mishap made for some extra fun. BMW's F1 engine is 2.4L pneumatic four-valve engine capable of revving to 19,000 rpm. At full song it'll split eardrums.
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One of my favorite places to visit these days doesn't include white, sandy beaches, it's a site called Jalopnik. It seems to have everything an automotive junkie could want and then some. Case and point -- the Engine of the Day series. There are Subaru EJs, Volvos, etc. I think it's a little known corner of this vast area that is Jalopnik. While you may not always care for their pick, it's always entertaining.
 How
about an engine family that stayed in front-line service from 1964
through 2006, powering everything from the Rambler American to the AMC
Gremlin to the Jeep Cherokee, with a few years of IHC Scouts thrown in
for good measure? Starting with the 138-horspower Typhoon 232, the
engine evolved into the 199, 258, and 4.0 engines used in just about
everything AMC and Jeep made for decade after decade. You can even get
one with Renault/Bendix fuel injection (but we don't recommend it). [Wikipedia, Novak Conversions]
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From Wired Magazine,
By Eric Hagerman
Cars are a new arena for the X Prize Foundation, whose mission is to
spur innovation by doling out cash awards to teams that solve thorny
technical and engineering problems. The foundation's first purse was
the $10 million Ansari X Prize for spaceflight; Burt Rutan and Paul
Allen won it in 2004 when their rocket plane made it to the edge of
Earth's atmosphere twice in two weeks. Then there's the Google Lunar X
Prize, which will go to the first private venture to send
image-transmitting rovers to the moon, and the Archon X Prize: $10
million to the first outfit that can sequence 100 human genomes in 10
days for no more than $10,000 apiece (see "The X Prize Ecosystem"). Now the "revolution through competition" model is being applied to energy and the environment with the Automotive X Prize.
The aim of the AXP is to prime the market to demand cars that use
less oil and produce fewer greenhouse-gas emissions. "There's a very
large industrial complex married to an old solution," says X Prize
Foundation founder Peter Diamandis. "If we do this right, we're going
to draw a line in the sand and say all the cars we drove before this
date are relegated to the history museums." Who killed the electric
car? Who cares. Dangle a $10million carrot and watch as engineers
deliver both crackpot schemes and genius innovations, any one of which
could upend the existing automotive industry.
The rules, which will be finalized later this year, have three broad
components: efficiency (cars must get at least 100 miles per gallon);
emissions (cars must produce less than 200 grams of greenhouse gases
per mile); and economic viability (mass production of the cars has to
be feasible, and the company has to have a plan to make 10,000 a year).
It's this last point — that a winning vehicle has to be safe,
comfortable, and ready to be mass-manufactured at a reasonable cost —
that will separate the fantasy-mobiles from those that could actually
be put into production and sold for a profit. "We do not want toys,"
says S. M. Shahed, a Honeywell corporate fellow who, as a past
president of the International Society of Automotive Engineers, serves
as an adviser to the AXP. In other words, a one-off,
carbon-fiber-ensconced motorized recumbent bicycle isn't going to cut
it. 
(Aptera's scratch-built car.)
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Cummins has been recognized for the 6.7L Dodge Ram Turbo Diesel engine
which debuted in January 2007 and is available in the Dodge Ram 2500
and 3500 models. The 6.7L diesel engine is the strongest, cleanest,
quietest heavy-duty diesel pickup truck engine available on the market
and is the first to meet the 2010 EPA emissions regulations in all 50
states. Cummins achieves this by using a NOx Adsorber Catalyst – a
breakthrough technology designed and integrated by Cummins. Read more>>
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Federal-Mogul
Corporation is pleased to bring its innovative products, brands and
technologies to Auto Beijing 2008. This marks the first time Federal-Mogul will exhibit at Beijing's
International Automotive and Manufacturing Technology Exhibit, one of
the world's most exciting international automotive events.
Read More...
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The
Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series is an innovative approach to
motorsports – 30 factory-prepared and managed 2009 Jetta TDI
clean-diesels will be piloted by talented, up-and-coming drivers, ages
16 to 26
Volkswagen of America, Inc. recently announced the
selection of 30 drivers to compete in the all-new Sports Car Club of
America (SCCA) Jetta TDI Cup series. The drivers were chosen at a driver selection event April 3-6 at the Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, Ariz.
“We’re offering a unique opportunity for some of the best and brightest
drivers to get their start in a factory-backed racing series,” said Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO, Volkswagen of America, Inc.
“Through an exhausting driver evaluation process, we looked at a
variety of factors including driving ability and potential, media and
communication skills and overall fit, to choose the 30 best drivers to
help promote Volkswagen and the introduction of our all-new 50-state
clean diesel Jetta TDI, and ultimately themselves.”
The 30 drivers are:
Chad Brassfield, 20, Phoenix, Ariz.
Caleb Kenney, 22, Berkeley, Calif.
Gary Williams Jr., 26, Dana Point, Calif.
Ryan Buetzer, 25, Long Beach, Calif.
Evan Pflock, 20, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Andy Lee, 25, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Jimmy Underhill, 21, Denver, Colo.
Taylor Broekemeier, 21, Fort Collins, Colo.
Josh Hurley, 23, Cooper City, Fla.
Mark Pombo, 25, Duluth, Ga.
Timmy Megenbier, 16, Melrose Park, Ill.
Nick Mancuso, 21, Mettawa, Ill.
Adam Love, 21, Normal, Ill.
David Richert, 25, Niverville, MB, Canada
Chris Castagna, 22, S. Boston, Mass.
Michael DeNino, 18, Gaithersburg, Md.
Chris Kuenning, 20, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Noah Arundel, 27, Tonka Bay, Minn.
John Shim, 22, Starkville, Miss.
Adam Crepin, 20, St. Louis, Mo.
Jake Dallenbach, 18, Charlotte, N.C.
Adam Kretschmer, 21, Brampton, ON, Canada
Andrew Cordeiro, 24, Woodbridge, ON, Canada
Chris Holman, 20, Burlington, ON, Canada
James Kirkham, 23, Beaverton, Ore.
Derek Jones, 24, Philadelphia, Penn.
David Jurca, 22, Federal Way, Wash.
Liam Kenney, 16, Sterling, Va.
Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle, 23, Puebla, Mexico
Wyatt Dallenbach, 16, San Antonio, Texas
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series is an innovative approach to
motorsports – 30 factory-prepared and managed 2009 Jetta TDI
clean-diesels will be piloted by talented, up-and-coming drivers, ages
16 to 26.
Volkswagen’s goal is to find the driver with the most talent and help
them break into the world of professional motorsports. The Jetta TDI
Cup series is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Pro
Racing Inc.
The concept is as revolutionary as the car, which is powered by a
2.0-liter, four-cylinder TDI, clean diesel engine. The Jetta TDI is
lightly modified from spec, featuring race-ready suspension and brakes,
and a six-speed double-clutch automatic DSG transmission.
Additionally, to highlight its environmental dedication, Volkswagen has
partnered with Carbonfund.org to certify the entire race series as
carbon free.
“With the Jetta TDI Cup, Volkswagen has created an amazing platform to
develop young drivers and expand their knowledge about clean, quiet and
powerful diesel technology,” said Robert Wildberger,
president and CEO, SCCA Pro Racing, Inc. “We look forward to the series
in hopes that it will attract more attention to the drivers and
advantages of diesel power.”
In the end, the winner of the race series will be awarded $100,000 from
Volkswagen to aid them in their next steps as a professional racer. An
additional $150,000 will be given to the winner if he or she signs a
contract with a professional level team within six months of winning
the Jetta TDI Cup series.
For more information on the Jetta TDI Cup, visit http://www.scca.com.
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A new survey conducted by DuPont and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) shows that environmental issues top the list of challenges facing the automotive industry, outranking cost reduction for the first time in 14 years.
A total of 53 percent of the respondents said that a basket of environmental factors such as fuel economy, CAFÉ and emissions or clean air regulations are the top challenges versus 32 percent who cited cost. The survey was conducted among automotive designers and engineers in advance of the upcoming SAE World Congress in Detroit.
“While cost reduction remains very important, the automotive industry’s emphasis is on the environment and the demands that puts on innovation,” said Chris Murphy, director – Americas, for DuPont Automotive. “In the results, environmental considerations are driving system and vehicle design and development and are a differentiator in the consumer marketplace. Automotive designers and engineers are working with suppliers like DuPont to address these issues and to design and develop cost-effective, fuel-efficient vehicles with reduced environmental impact.”
To support that drive, DuPont Automotive has launched several new material families and technology solutions, including:
MetaFuse™ nano-metal/plastic hybrids which offer the strength and stiffness of metal combined with the design flexibility and lightweight benefits of high-performance thermoplastics to help take the weight out of structural automotive components. This also helps improve fuel economy and contributes to reduced emissions.
DuPont™ Renewably Sourced™ Materials – high-performance, bio-based materials and biofuels that are made in whole or in part from renewable agricultural feedstocks such as corn, soybeans, sugar cane and wheat, rather than petroleum. Today, nine product families have been launched, including DuPont™ Sorona® polymer, DuPont™ Sorona® EP thermoplastic polymer, DuPont™ Hytrel® RS thermoplastic elastomer and DuPont™ Zytel® long chain polyamides.
The annual DuPont Automotive/SAE survey of OEM and supplier designers and engineers was conducted by Consumer Insights, Inc. Key findings include:
Fifty-four percent of respondents say that fuel efficient vehicles with reduced environmental impact are important to consumers. Forty one percent say enhanced safety and 37 percent say improved comfort and convenience are important to consumers.
For the fifth consecutive year, alternatively powered vehicles are predicted to have the greatest impact on the industry. Sixty percent selected alternatively powered vehicles in 2008, while 15 percent selected safety features and 16 percent selected electrical/electronic advances.
Future is Bright for Diesel
Fifty percent of respondents see diesel engine technology as a key focus to help achieve 2020 efficiency regulations (35-mpg in U.S. and sub-120g/km CO2 in Europe), while 46 percent say hybrid-electric powertrains and 42 percent say extensive use of lightweight materials.
Optimizing diesel and hybrid-electric engines will dominate engineers’ work for the next 10 years, say 25 percent and 24 percent of respondents, respectively.
In 10 years, vehicles will run on bio-based diesel fuel (27 percent); petroleum-based diesel (20 percent) and E85 (20 percent). Only 18 percent predict gasoline will dominate.
Materials Matters
Cost reduction is still one of the top material selection criteria, say 91 percent, but weight reduction jumps to the top of the criteria list for 82 percent, up from 66 percent last year.
Poised to grow the most over the next 10 years are advanced composites, say 62 percent of respondents. Bio-based, renewable materials will grow the most, say 26 percent; the same number who predicts aluminum will grow the most.
More View From the Shop features>>
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