Tasty Tech Eye Candy Of The Week (Oct 5)

Cars                                

                                                       

 

Tasty Tech Eye Candy Of The Week (Oct 5)

  by Tracy Staedter
http://news.discovery.com

Not all of us could attend the Paris Motor Show in France. But that doesn't mean you have to feel left out. We compiled ten of favorite cars on display this past week. From Mini to Bugatti, they're all here, so gobble 'em up.

(Above) The Dezir from Renault was originally unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2010. But it makes such a fashion statement, that it was on display again. The car boasts a 150 horsepower electric motor capable of launching the car from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds. 

                                                                       Honda Civic Type R

 

Honda debuted its fourth-generation Civic Type R, which has a sporty turbocharger that promises to give this bulbous beauty more than 276 horsepower while still adhering to strict European emission standards. Sorry, United States. This car is only available across the pond. 

                                                                    Citroen Cactus Airflow

Citroen introduced its C4 Cactus Airflow 2L, which has new lighter weight components and technologies to achieve 2-liters of gasoline per 100 km.

                                                                      Mini Superleggera Vision

 

Originally shown at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2014, MINI's Superleggera Vision evokes fond memories of the original Morris Mini Minor and Austin Seven. Unlike those, however, this one's an electric vehicle. It just goes to show you that being green doesn't have mean being dull. 

                                                                           Lamborghini Asterion

 Lamborghini Asterion

And speaking of going green. For the first time in its history, Lamborghini has packed hybrid technology into an engine. It's Asterion LP 910-4 has a 5.2-liter V10 combustion engine that works in tandem with three electric motors. The package puts a whopping 910 bhp under the hood.

And speaking of going green. For the first time in its history, Lamborghini has packed hybrid technology into an engine. It's Asterion LP 910-4 has a 5.2-liter V10 combustion engine that works in tandem with three electric motors. The package puts a whopping 910 bhp under the hood.

Infiniti Q80

Not to be outdone, Infiniti has introduced a hybrid vehicle, too. It's Q80 paired a 550-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, 3-liter, V-6 engine with electric motors that take the car from 0 to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. For a car that fast, the fuel rating ain't bad at 30 mpg. But no one's driving it for the fuel rating, are they?

Volkswagen XL

When you think "supercar," you don't usually think Volkswagen. But the company's XL sport is nothing but. It has Lamborghini doors and a Ducatti 1.2-liter V-twin engine. Put a powerful engine on a lightweight car and you'll get nothing speed. The car is not in production, but Volkswagen claims it would go 0 to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds.

Rolls Royce

 

Rolls Royce unveiled its Phantom Metropolitan Collection. Nothing eco here. The car comes with the standard 6.75-liter V-12 engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. But it does come in about 44,000 different colors and if none of those suit you, they're happy to mix up a custom tint.

Peugeot Quartz

Peugeot's Quartz indeed looks like a chunk of metamorphic rock, but the vehicle is actually a 500 hp hybrid vehicle that has a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor. Drivers can select from three driving modes: battery-only ZEV, which has a range of 50 km on a single battery charge; Road mode, which combines the combustion engine and front electric motor; and Race mode, which harnesses the power of the engine and both electric motors.

 

photos from :  Chesnot/Getty Images

 

4 things you didn't learn in driver's ed

Today's Tips on Emergencies

                                                
                      

                                    fotosearch

4 things you didn't learn in driver's ed

 

By Mac Demere 

Popular Mechanics 

 Mon, Jul 16, 2012

Editor's note, December 2012: This article first appeared on Yahoo! Autos in July, and was one of the most popular stories this year. Readers chimed in with their own tips, the most popular being that drivers should pay attention to the road instead of their cell phones. That's life-saving advice for distracted teens who favor the "text and 2" steering wheel position over the 9 and 3.

 
Humans don't "rise to the occasion."

 
Instead, we fall to our level of training and experience. Archilochus, a Greek soldier–poet, wasn't thinking about driving when he said this 2800 years ago. But my experience as a race driver, driving instructor, and parent of teen drivers says he could have been.

 
I teach at B.R.A.K.E.S., a nonprofit advanced teen driving school founded by drag-racing champion Doug Herbert after both of his boys died in an avoidable accident. Here are a few of the school's advanced driving techniques that you can teach yourself... on a little-used dead-end road or other safe location at low speed.

 
Use Those Brakes for Goodness' Sake

MORE AT POPULAR MECHANICS

• » Best New Cars For 2013
• » 100 Hottest Cars of All Time
• » 10 Classic License Plates We Want on Our Cars

 

Many people simply don't realize the amazing capability of ABS (antilock braking systems). As I've written before, most drivers aren't comfortable pushing a car to its limits; in an emergency they'd even rather run into something. But if you haven't practiced a full-on ABS stop, you might smash into an easily avoidable obstacle because you don't know that you can avoid it.

 

So they learn to tap the full power of ABS, I teach my students "stomp, stay, steer." First, stomp—hard—on the brake pedal. Pretend there's a photo on the pedal of your ex who fooled around with your best friend. Second, stay—again, hard—on the pedal. Ignore nasty sounds and the pulsations from pedal. You are not hurting the car. (When teaching ABS to the mothers of the B.R.A.K.E.S. students, yelling "Push, push, push!" works well.)

 

Finally, steer around the obstacle. The wonder of ABS is that it allows turning while braking, a skill that takes race drivers (who aren't driving with ABS) years to develop. Just remember that a little steering goes a long way: One big problem with ABS is that drivers turn the wheel too much and then release the pedal before centering the steering. Do this while the vehicle is still moving and it will dart into either oncoming traffic or a roadside ditch.

 

Remain Calm

 

Speaking of overcorrecting: A common cause of highway fatalities is a driver jerking the car back toward his or her lane after running partially off the right side of the road. It's especially common on rural two-laners. The sad thing is that these accidents and deaths are unnecessary—you don't need to pull hard to get the car back in your lane. The vehicle's left-side tires offer more than adequate traction except in the rarest of situations.

 

So if your mind wanders for a second (or you looked down at the incoming text on your phone) and your passenger's side wheels drop off the road, remain calm. Ease off the accelerator, allow the car to slow down on its own, look ahead for a safe place to return to the pavement, and gently move the steering wheel to the left to ease back into traffic. Avoid the brakes unless there's a damn good reason to get off the shoulder, such as an upcoming bridge or parked car, and then use only light braking. Practice this at about 20 mph if you want to get the hang of it.

 

Use Thumb Hangers... and Forget 10 and 2

 

A cop I know was once fiddling with the in-car computer with his right hand while driving the car with his left hand at 12 (the top of the steering wheel, for those of you young enough to be unfamiliar with analog clocks. We know you're out there.) When the distracted police officer smashed into a stopped car, the force of the airbag deployment flung his hand back into his face, and he broke out his front teeth with his own hand.

 

That, my friends, is why you don't drive with a hand at 12 o'clock. The 10 and 2 position, once the common wisdom of driver's ed classes, is also dead (or at least it should be) thanks to airbags. The proper position is 9 and 3, while the Italian-esque 8 and 4 is more than acceptable. Don't do those hand-over-hand turns anymore, either.

 

Most modern steering wheels have "thumb hangers" that naturally put your hands at 9 and 3 so you won't smack yourself if an airbag deploys. Below 14 mph (the approximate speed for airbag deployment) I don't care where put your hands. Nor will I get bent out of shape if you cross over 11 or 1 in an urgent situation. But my students need a good reason to cross 12 o'clock.

 

Train Yourself to React
 

Even the most cautious and conscientious driver will eventually face an emergency skill test. If you don't train for it, you'll fail. (Archilochus said so.)

 

I see this all the time during a B.R.A.K.E.S. exercise that requires an urgent lane change. Our course features a single lane of traffic that widens out suddenly to three, and then narrows again to one just as quickly. Although there are no other cars on the road during our tests, I tell the kids to imagine it this way: Granny has stopped abruptly in the center of a three-lane road. In the hypothetical scenario, two Ford Expeditions are tailgating her car. When she hits the brakes, one dodges to the left, the other to the right, revealing the car stopped in the center lane. Even if the student has left a safe following distance, she's left with two seconds to take action.

 

It's a valuable test, because even good drivers will probably do nothing but smash into the back of the car if they haven't prepared for this—there's just not enough time to think and then react. 

When students do the exercise properly and quickly veer into one of the neighboring lanes to avoid danger, the tires barely moan and the car remains stable.

Top 10 Monster Motorists

Today's Travel Tips

Top 10 Monster Motorists

http://ph.she.yahoo.com

Metro Manila's streets are transformed into obstacle courses with these motorists around. They endanger lives and property with their recklessness. We don't know if drivers are the same all over the country or in other parts of the world, but check out this gallery of bad drivers and tell us if you've encountered any of them.

 

ANGRY 24/7

It's most likely that these people deal with the bad things happening in their lives by venting out on unsuspecting drivers and commuters. They seem like they're perpetually spoiling for a fight . They don't discriminate either. It doesn't matter if you're a traffic enforcer, a fellow motorist, or a commuter. They'll get mad at you for reasons known only to them and will harass you by seeming to tail you or they'll simply roll down their windows and have a meltdown while they drive. Manage your anger, please!

 

BRAND NEW CAR CREEP

This driver has a brand new car and wants everyone to know it. This explains why he or she drives the shiny new car really slooooooooow. It's either the driver wants to show off or is afraid that the car may get scratches. Please accept the fact that cars will acquire signs of wear-and-tear. If you want your car to remain perfect, then don't drive it.

 

BRAND NEW CAR CREEP.

This driver has a brand new car and wants everyone to know it. This explains why he or she drives the shiny new car really slooooooooow. It's either the driver wants to show off or is afraid that the car may get scratches. Please accept the fact that cars will acquire signs of wear-and-tear. If you want your car to remain perfect, then don't drive it.

 

THE CELLPHONE CREATURE

This driver can't resist checking his cellphone even while he's speeding along a highway. Texting or talking on your cellphone while you're at the wheel is like flirting with disaster. Can that message or call not wait until you're parked? In any case, this type of driver is also fond of doing other tasks while driving such as eating, spraying on perfume, and such

 

THE ZOMBIE

This driver may be at the wheel, but his or her mind is definitely somewhere else. He or she ignores traffic signs and rules. He or she doesn't use signal lights or speeds unthinkingly into a one-way street (in the wrong direction, of course). This driver causes traffic jams and senseless accidents.

 

HORRID HONKER

This driver's solution to everything from traffic jams to emergency re-routing is to honk the car horn. He or she honks every chance he or she gets, even when it's evident that the other cars have nowhere else to go. He or she also honks at pedestrians who don't move fast enough for him or her...even if that pedestrian is on crutches, a senior citizen, or a scared kid.

 

MAD MOTORCYCLE RIDER

Is it because they're not driving cars that these drivers think they can get away with anything? They counter traffic flow, they speed on sidewalks, they change lanes without warning, and sometimes even ditch their helmets. And, yes, even when a traffic mishap is their fault, they always act like it's not. We know there are responsible people riding motorcycles, but there are also a lot who think they're above the law.

 

SLEEPYHEAD

Much like a drunk driver, this person thinks he or she can stay awake at the wheel. Yeah...until he or she is awakened when he or she crashes the car. Or, worse, he or she may never wake up at all. Lives and property are endangered when you doze off while driving.

 

SPEED DEMON

This driver probably has the "I Have to be First" complex as a result of his or her unrealized dream of being a car racing icon. He most likely gets a sense of achievement each time he or she cuts off any car in his or her path. We don't know what exactly drives this driver. We just know that he or she likes to drive fast. That's fine...if he or she is the only one on the road in a country with no traffic rules.

 

SUPERSIZED SLEAZE

This driver's ego gets inflated in proportion to the vehicle he or she is driving. The bigger it is, the more inconsiderate the driver becomes.

Cars

The Sultan of Brunei's Supercar Collection: $300,000,000 and Counting

http://www.carbuzz.com

 

How good would you look in one of these? Better ask the Sultan for permission first. 

 

With thousands of dream cars to go through, most of which are still part of the Sultan of Brunei's rotting supercar collection, narrowing this down to a few favorites was no easy task.But here at CarBuzz we thrive on challenges and sorting through the Sultan's awesomely immense stash of luxury and ultra rare vehicles (worth an estimated $300,000,000), which can fill five garages the size of airplane hangars. We took the time to sort through the list and found a few we thought you'd all like.

If you're in need of a real life example of wretched billionaire excess, look no further than the Sultan's Rolls-Royce wedding car.Apparently the Sultan of Brunei is a big fan of all things gold, including his very own Gold Plated Rolls-Royce made with 24k pure gold. 

Not stopping there, the Sultan made sure the world's most expensive Rolls Royce, which just happens to be one of the most expensive cars in the entire world, is also gathering dust in one of his multiple storage hangars.He purchased the Star of India for a paltry $14 million.

When the Sultan is in the need for speed, he most likely would try to locate his Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR.Adding his own personal touch, he made sure this would be the world's sole right-hand-drive version of a car originally designed to race in the FIA GT Championship.The GTR has a whopping 6.9-litre V12 engine producing around 612hp and goes from 0-60mph faster than you can say furious.

The Sultan's taste for Ferraris is legendary, with well over 300 in his collection. But the Ferrari FX may very well be the icing on the cake.This is a supercar based on the F512M but enclosed with a custom-built looking body and rumored to have a seven-speed transmission from British F1 Team Williams.

The only 6 F90 Ferrari Testarossa Speciale's in the entire world are also owned and at the personal disposal of the Sultan.All of the F90's use a Ferrari Testarossa chassis with the engines coming from stock units, producing 390hp that's sent to the rear wheels. The custom interior is surrounded with a glass greenhouse and a fully removable sunroof.

To top it all off is his collection of eight McLaren F1s, which of course include GT and LM editions.After McLaren made history by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in their first attempt in 1995, they built five LM's to celebrate. Three of them are now wasting away somewhere in the lands of Brunei.

Forbidden fruit: The 13 most amazing cars you can’t buy in the U.S.!

Cars

Forbidden fruit: The 13 most amazing cars you can’t buy in the U.S.!

By Andrew Ganz

http://www.leftlanenews.com

For many of us, the Internet has opened up an entirely new world full of cars we never knew about. While deciphering some automakers’ convoluted Japanese lineups isn’t for the faint of heart ( Mazda Bongo Friendee anyone?), there’s still plenty to covet sold overseas.

The Leftlane editorial team put our heads together to come up with a baker’s dozen list of cars and trucks we’d love to see for sale in the United States. To keep things even, we’ve picked an additional 13 vehicles sold here that we wouldn’t mind sending on a one-way journey to another market.

Why aren’t these cars sold here?

While it used to be easy to place blame on emissions and safety regulations for some vehicles that weren’t offered to consumers in the United States, recent realignment of European, Japanese and Australian standards has made that almost a non-issue. Some changes might be necessary, but they’re generally pretty minor in scope.

For example, the Fiat 500, a model that would have appeared on this list last fall, received new bumpers and some small powertrain tweaks to make it in the land of the Chevrolet Suburban.

In reality, most cars on this list are kept away from our shores because of what automakers perceive as limited potential for profitability given the effort necessary to homologate a model – or an entire brand. We’d love to see everyone driving a BMW M5 wagon with a stick and a diesel engine, but car nuts are regrettably a pretty miniscule portion of the world’s population.

What’s on your list?

By no means is our list exhaustive. Use the comments section below to share with us what pieces of forbidden fruit you’d like the opportunity to buy!

Forbidden fruit: The 13 most amazing cars you can’t buy in the U.S.!

Alfa Romeo Giulietta. We can’t think of many Alfa Romeos we wouldn’t want in this market (maybe the flabby 166), but the Giulietta is definitely our favorite current offering. Unlike most other recent Alfa Romeos, it is as good to drive as it is to be seen in.

We’ll trade: Goodbye Dodge Caliber. Sure, the Alfa competes in the premium class, but its mission in life isn’t that different.

Audi S5 Sportback. A scaled-down version of the Audi A7, the S5 is a midsize sedan with a J.Lo booty and running shoes. We can’t imagine many Audi S4 buyers who couldn’t easily be convinced to step up to this style icon.

We’ll trade: Auf Wiedersehen BMW 5-Series GT. Kardashian butt be gone!

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback. Americans are lining up to buy the Chevrolet Cruze in numbers GM’s compact car division has never seen. But we’re stuck with a four-door model, not the stylish five-door designed to better compete in Europe. We think this would be a hit here, since it offers almost four-door styling with added practicality.

We’ll trade: Sayonara Toyota Corolla. Really, would we be happier to get rid of any other compact car?

Citroen C6. Undeniably a flop, the C6 is old-school French carmaking at its best. A hydraulic suspension system gives it a floating-on-clouds type of ride that befits the dictatorial types Citroen wanted to see in the C6. But it turns out that most heads of state wanted, well, just about anything else.

We’ll trade: Sayonara Toyota Avalon. If we’re going to waft, we might as well do it in style.

Citroen DS3. Citroen revived its storied DS moniker a few years ago in an effort to create the kind of passionate vehicles it hoped would resonate with upmarket consumers. And the DS3 most certainly hits the mark. Way more stylish than most three-doors, the DS3 is also a hoot to drive.

We’ll trade: Goodbye Chevrolet Sonic. Can we have a DS3 Freedom Fries Edition?

Ford Ranger/ Mazda BT-50. Aimed primarily at Asian markets, the Ranger and its BT-50 sibling are the kind of small pickups we think most buyers could appreciate in this market. Rather than continue to develop its current Ranger, Ford has decided to put all its eggs in the bed of its full-size F-Series lineup. GM, on the other hand, looked to its Asian engineering offices to develop a small pickup that will be built and sold here as the Chevrolet Colorado.

We’ll trade: Goodbye Ford Ranger (U.S.-spec). All our Ranger has going for it is a cheap price.

Holden Commodore SS V-Series Redline Edition wagon. Wagons ho! We don’t blame you for wanting the Cliff’s Notes to that long name. Think of this as the wagon version of the Pontiac G8 GXP and you’re on the right track. Yeah, it has pretty much everything we’ve ever loved about cars: Rear-wheel-drive. A honkin’ V8. A six-speed stick. Rear-wheel-drive. And it’s a wagon!

We’ll trade: Sayonara Acura TSX Wagon. We bid you adieu with an actual tear in our eyes because you’re a good little wagon. But someone from team station wagon had to go and you are still the rookie.

Lada Niva. Strong like drunken bear, this comrade is. A leftover relic from the Cold War era, the Niva is like a first-generation VW Golf that got too close to some nuclear waste. Trivia fact: The Niva was sold in Canada for a short period.

We’ll trade: Sayonara Suzuki Grand Vitara. Truth be told, we forgot these existed until we saw a line of them at the Enterprise lot.

Opel Astra GTC. GM’s Opel unit might not be able to make money, but it certainly seems capable of making cars worth coveting. Astra combines a high-tech front strut system designed to quell torque steer with a sexy three-door body. Toss in Opel’s 276-horsepower 2.0-liter four and now you’re talking…

We’ll trade: Farväl Volvo C30. We want to like the C30, but its high price and bland interior have never offered inspiration.

Peugeot RCZ. With looks to kill and the same 1.6-liter turbo engine used in the MINI Cooper S, the RCZ is a reminder that French automakers can still produce stunning machinery. The RCZ is as much a concept car for the road as anything we’ve seen in recent history.

We’ll trade: Auf Wiedersehen Audi TT. The RCZ takes much of its styling from Audi’s TT (and its R8, but we’ll keep that one). But with a much lower price of entry, the RCZ would bring a much-needed dose of accessible style to our market.

Subaru WRX STI Cosworth CS400. It might look like a WRX with a few bolt-ons, but the CS400′s big news is in its name: 400 lb-ft. of torque (not to mention 395 horsepower). The fine folks at Cosworth, who know a thing or two about boosted small displacement engines, massaged nearly every aspect of the hardly tame WRX STI to create a real monster.

We’ll trade: Sayonara WRX STI. We’ll keep the standard ‘Rex since it’s soft enough for day-to-day use. But if we’re going hardcore, why not go all the way?

Toyota Land Cruiser 70-Series. Toyota’s uber-strong Land Cruiser 70-Series shares little with the big (but no less impressive) eight-seater luxo-model sold in limited numbers here. With several body configurations available, the 70-Series is a living link to the original FJ40 that is still coveted by off roaders today.

We’ll trade: Sayonara FJ Cruiser. The FJ Cruiser is but a weak facsimile of the real McCoy.

VW Scirocco. For VW fanboys the most obvious choice on this list, the Scirocco is basically a prettier albeit less practical – VW GTI. An R version with 261 horsepower is the usual object of enthusiast lust. Rumors about the Scirocco’s arrival in the U.S. have swirled since it was reborn a few years ago, but VW likely correctly concluded that demand would be too weak to justify its existence.

We’ll trade: Auf Wiedersehen VW GTI. While we love you for your abillity to haul people and cargo in comfort, we’re shallow enough souls that we have selected sexy supermodel instead.