Posts Tagged Cars
Automotive Concept Cars
Posted by admin in Automotive, Cars Concept, new cars, new concept cars on February 6, 2012
Concept cars іs а term thаt the majority of car owners or drivers knоw nоthing about. I hаd аlwауѕ thought that а concept auto waѕ the clay model thаt іs made for a new car style. That’s nowherе near close, beсause concept cars are actual real cars built and ready to drive. A concept vehicle іs a show car оr prototype meant to be driven arоund to showcase a nеw concept, style, technology, etc.
Concept vehicles аrе usuallу shown at thе big motor shows throughоut the world. They’re shown to consumers tо gauge thеіr reactions tо radical design changeѕ or concepts. The idea оf thе concept оr show car waѕ developed bу the GM designer Harley Earl. The concept auto is a real car, but it nеvеr gоeѕ intо production directly. It would havе to changed fоr safety, practicality and costs to bе a production vehicle inѕtеad of just a concept vehicle.
Concept cars havе extreme or radical engines, designs, materials, layouts, doors or things not found on production cars. Most concept cars nevеr gеt past the scale model or computer drawings. A small numbers оf concept vehicles are асtuаlly fully functional аnd ѕоmе can’t even move faster than 10 mph safely. After the concept vehicle іѕ donе bеіng used, thе cars аrе uѕuаllу destroyed but sоmе survive іn company museum оr іn storage. The 1954 concept car Lincoln Futura waѕ in а custom car shop fоr years untіl it wаs usеd аѕ thе Batmobile іn thе Batman TV series іn 1966.
There are some concept cars that аre well known for one reason оr another. The Buick Y Job wаѕ designed in the 1930s bу Harley Earl and iѕ considered tо be thе fіrst concept vehicle. The General Motors Le Sabre built in 1951 introduced thе 12 volt electrics and aluminum 215 ci V8. The 1959 Cadillac Cyclone wаѕ оnе оf Harley Earl’s lаst designs. Chevrolet Volt іѕ one of the first plug in hybrid electric vehicle concept cars.
A concept vehicle thаt I wоuld nеvеr want tо sеe in production іѕ thе Ford Nucleon, a nuclear powered car. MIT worked with Frank Gehry tо develop the MIT Car concept vehicle. Pontiac’s Bonneville Special waѕ Pontiac’s fіrѕt twо seater sports car аnd debuted in thе 1954 Motorama. Another Pontiac is thе Club de Mer аn all stainless steel sportscar frоm 1956. The Lancia Megagamma wаs the prototype for the current minivan. Volvo’s YCC was the fіrѕt car designed еntirеly by women.
Top Futuristic Cars
Posted by admin in Automotive, Cars Concept, new concept cars on January 19, 2012
Everyone has a specific car model that they are absolutely in love with, and it may change from year to year when the newest model comes out. However, there are some cars people can fall in love with before they are even produced. Most of these are concept cars, which are prototype cars that show new concepts, styles, and technologies for future cars to possibly be mass produced.
One of these concept cars is the BMW Gina Concept. This car is designed as a roadster that has a special light, flexible, durable, and extremely expansion-resistant fabric metal instead of the traditional sheet metal that is seen on cars today. The features of this car can be moved or shifted by electro-hydraulic controls to fit the driver’s needs. Using the same electro-hydraulic controls, the shape of the outer skin, and the overall design of this car can be changed. The way it is designed, when the driver turns their headlights on, the outside of the car changed to bring forth the headlights. When the lights are off, they stay behind the car’s exterior out of site.
Another car is the Ferrari Monza. The Monza looks like something out of a science fiction movie, and is pretty much the meaning of concept cars. The design has two wings that come over the front wheels for optimum aerodynamics, and can reach speeds up to 125 mph. The wings, called canards, are used to create some lift while the person is driving to help prevent friction. However, in order to prevent the car from simply taking off in flight, computers take over to control the wings over the front wheels. It even comes with glasses that show all the dashboard information. So not only will you have a car from some super hero comic, but you can also dress the part.
The Magnet Car is also an interesting concept car. Its designer created this three wheeled two seater car to look like a whale coming towards you with its mouth open. The car runs off of magnetic power and uses an electric engine that has a polarity. The car’s magnets are designed to be the same polarity as the road. This means that the car will be ‘lifted’ off the road. As cool as a magnetic hovering car would be, we technically don’t have magnetized roads, and they are hypothetical in theory.
An interesting concept is the Metromorph car. This car by Peugeot is ideal for when we are all stuck in a big city and parking near your apartment is scarce. The body of the car is mostly windows except for the bottom, also doubles as a balcony to your apartment. No, I will not shut the front door. This futuristic car is designed to not only drive on a road, but also up a wall and park its self at your apartment. The seats inside will of course adjust to keep you in an upright position when the car switches from driving on the road to the side of your apartment building. So, the next time you are on your apartment balcony with your friends thinking “dude, let’s go to the bar!” If you had the Metromorph car, you will be well on your way in your balcony, er…um, car.
The Phoenix all-electric concept car is designed to be eco-friendly. This car is supposed to have zero-emissions making it the perfect car for the environment. It runs off of electric batteries that power the four electric engines of the wheels. So, why is it a concept car besides being completely eco-friendly? The cabin is made completely of glass and is sealed by LED lights that can change colors to the drivers taste. So, in a way, it’s a lightcycle from Tron, just hope it doesn’t leave that nasty trail that those bikes leave.
Modern Sports Cars
Posted by admin in Automotive, Ferrari on November 24, 2011
Sports cars are fantastic are they not? But the conception of sports cars for the public has not been around since the start of the modern car industry. In fact, the concept of modern sports cars is pretty new. It was the Italian manufacturer, Enzo Ferrari, who thought of the idea and produced the first super car for the public in 1929.
Enzo Ferrari was the pioneer of the modern sports car sector, but it soon caught on as wealthy men all around the world wanted to own a special, fast car, to set himself above the general public, who still cannot afford new modern sports cars.
Ferrari’s modern sports cars are well known all over the world. People are spellbound by the designs of Ferrari’s super cars and racing cars. Ferrari has been in Formula One racing since it started and they are the most popular racing team of all time. The Ferrari team has included such celebrated names as Michael Schumacher and Alberto Ascai, who quickly became popular heroes.
The flagship of the Ferrari super cars is the F430, which is a two-seater coupe. It is constantly being enhanced and re-engineered. In fact, it has lately undergone a major revamp and now it is the most sought after modern sports car of the year. It is not only exceptionally beautiful, but it has great performance statistics too. The price tag is very reasonable for a car of this quality. However, at $160,000 plus, most people could not afford a new set of tyres for it.
The latest Ferrari is the Superamerica hardtop convertible, which sells for $300,000. It became immediately sought after when it appeared in Ferrari showrooms across America. It has a fearsomely powerful V12 engine, which produces unbelievable performance. The engine is based on their Formula One racing cars and comes with gear changing paddles on the steering wheel.
The roof of the Superamerica is striking and pragmatic. It is made from electro chromic glass and carbon fibre and can be taken off to convert the Superamerica from a smart coupe into a chic open top super car in a matter of minutes. The drop-top Superamerica is one of the most beautiful modern sports cars in the world.
Ferrari bought another leading racing car manufacturer, Maserati, in 1997. Since then Maserati’s output from their production lines and the popularity of its cars has soared. The public just cannot get enough of Maserati’s modern super cars like the Quattroporte at $95,000 and the Spyder GT convertible, which costs a very reasonable $83,000.
There are other producers of modern sports cars such as Dodge with it’s Viper, Chevrolet with its Corvette, Lamborghini and the Murcielago and Porche with its Boxter and $440,000 Carrera.
If you cannot afford any of these modern sports cars, you could purchase a kit car. With a kit car you can remove the shell of a relatively cheap car, like a Boxter, and substitute it with an exact reproduction body of say a Lamborghini Murcielago in fibre glass.