March 30, 2007
Big News for US Diesel
The Car Connection reports that the US Environmental Protection Agency has approved guidelines for the ADBlue urea SCR, a form of selective catalytic reduction, which should help car makers to meet standards for “50 state clean diesel” vehicles.
Almost a eulogy
This weeks’ PistonHeads’ Shed of the Week is almost a eulogy for the old skool Subaru.
As a memorial – or perhaps protest – Shed of the Week devotes itself this Friday to a trusty example of the breed, and ironically, our ‘chosen one’ is not an import - as future WRX models will be - but an original ‘L’ plate UK Turbo 2000 in all its faded glory. Although you’d never call it a looker, there’s an honest functionalism to it that – for many people – has enormous appeal. Subaru, please take note.
Yes, Subaru owners are a sentimental lot and the GC8 is arguably their favorite.
March 29, 2007
Type Err ?
Surely, as controversial in Honda circles as the new Impreza is in Subazoo circles, the new Civic Type R is based on the … 4 door sedan, not the 2 door coupe.
IntegraDC5R from Temple of Vtec reports from Okinawa :
I did however get a catalog and DVD. Skimming through the catalog, the brakes are 20mm bigger all the way around, the compression has been upped to 11.7 from 11.5 on the DC5, the final drive is that of the CR-V(5.062), and inside the tranny casing it appears to have a baffle plate and a gutter plate (I can’t recall when my mission was open if these 2 plates were in there and I know there was no mention of it in the DC5 catalog). Other things the tires are BS Potenza RE070, 225/40/18 and a bit on the porky side coming in at 1250kg(2750lbs) without A/C or 1270kg(2794lbs) with A/C, so a good 175lbs heavier than the DC5 when both come without A/C. Yet it turns better times than the DC5, thanks in part to the tires, bigger brakes, suspension tuning, the FD, the intake manifold, and everything else that makes this Civic a true R.
The Shape of Subies to come
Love it or hate it, the Subaru Impreza of yore is no more, and a design reminiscent of the BMW 1 series or Mazda 3 MPS is the future.
Pistonheads has run another pair of pictures and gives the following details:
Details so far are limited: the wheelbase is said to be 3.7 inches longer than the old car, while the body is apparently 1.7 inches shorter than the old five door wagon. There’s new double wishbone rear suspension, and the front suspension is said to be very close to that fitted to the current Legacy. The interior is much improved, with a reach and rake adjustable steering column, much higher quality plastics and sat nav now available as an option.
The rumors are that the WRX may be dropped from the list in the UK, which I hope gets proven wrong fast.
I for one have liked the Mazda 3 hatch, so there is hope that this vehicles will turn out to be good to my eyes.
Even more pictures from Autoblog.
I re-arranged the pictures in the last two posts to show up close to each other … to illustrate the almost certain “Photochopped” nature of each. Same car, same motion blur on front wheels, different backdrop, potentially altered color for the red one.
March 27, 2007
Impreza Breaking Cover
A little to early … but the latest Motor Trend seems to have broke the cover of the latest Suburu Impreza. The NASIOC forums are abuzz to say the least: the site was DOWN.
The best FAQ on the situation was written by “Beaverboy”, a NASIOC regular. It explains the choices made by Subaru very well.
To the rescue comes Paul Tan’s BLOG
March 26, 2007
Tulsarama!
June 1957 – Residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma are enjoying their state ’s anniversary in a party called “Tulsarama!” Most every city around the country enjoys parties; it’s a tradition throughout the United States. Tulsa representatives decided they needed something unique and different in order to compete with Oklahoma City. They decided to entomb an automobile in a time capsule, using a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere as the car of choice.
via BurriedCar.com
March 23, 2007
March 22, 2007
Revenge of the AE86
Winding Road infers that the rumors of Toyota’s revival of the epic AE86 Corolla Levin, aka Sprinter Trueno, aka Corolla GT-S is simply not going away.
This car simply refuses to fade from the imagination of drivers, kids who play racing games, and the fans of the Hachi-Roku(ハチロク) portrayed in Initial_D.
Just check out Keiichi Tsuchiya, better known as the Drift King and his little AE86.
Fiat Cinquecento
^other pictures
Fiat Nuova 500 is the proper designation, but this is a “cinquecento” no matter what. It is to be launched July 4th, 50 years to the day after the first one.
It even includes a modern take on the gestures you might expect to send other drivers. Brilliant. :)
PistonHeads claims that the Abarth Scorpion might even grace the top model.
The older Fiat 500 was oriented at the post war need for small economy car, in the same vein as the VW Beetle.
March 20, 2007
Type RA-R
All 300 of the Subaru Impreza WRC STI spec C Type RA-R (quite a mouthful name) sold in less then 2 months. This “Ultimate Edition” might very well be the swan song for the Impreza as we know it.
As much as any other Impreza owner, I’m envious.
Peter Lyon, Contributes to Edmund’s from Japan an excellent overview with video included.
Autoblog’s review shows a nice collection of pictures.
RoadRules in China
Nick Macfie, Beijing editor for Reuters, writes an honest personal experience with the Chinese highway code and it’s practical application.
March 19, 2007
Microhybrids
Wired Magazine is reporting that European car makers are working on “Microhybrids” : vehicles that reduce consumption by using adaptive engine management software combined with electrical power generation via braking.
March 16, 2007
Mobil 1, 12 Hours of Sebring
Stat time 10 AM on Saint Patrick’s Day‘s_Day, this endurance race marks the longest event in the ALMS, the American Le Mans Series. It is often seen as the warm up for “Les 24 Heures de Le Mans”.
The pair of Audi R10 Turbo Diesel race cars are up front from qualifying.
More coverage on TV and SpeedArena
WRC Mexico 2007
Goes to Sebastien Loeb.
Following a oil coller puncture on his 2007 WRC Subaru (by a bounced up rock no less), the early leader, Petter Solberg didn’t even get to finish in the points.
March 15, 2007
I'm not a #! Err, yes I am.
This is not about cars: Canada finally gets cell phone number portability today!
To learn more hit www.wirelessportabililty.ca
Financial Post article on Richard Branson’s stunt about this change.
London-Free Press article.
Beyond the Rhetoric BLOG about the Telus online Add Blitz via Google’s Adsense.
March 14, 2007
Opposed Piston Engines
historic picture from Wikipedia
Opposed Piston Engines are now thought of as historic significance only, yet Diesel Air Limited is working on a
two-stroke, horizontal opposite piston diesel engine targeting the airplane market.
“What’s the big deal ?”
Well, this is a very lightweight, super low parts count engine with significant power.
The twin cylinder opposed piston engine has two pistons in each cylinder with the combustion chamber formed between the crowns of the pistons. It eliminates the need for a cylinder head, camshaft and associated valves and has in effect two half length crankshafts linked by a gear train driving a centrally mounted propellor. The cylinders are ported at each end with one ring of ports opened by the air piston supplying the fresh air charge, and the other opened by the exhaust piston and connected to the exhaust system
CAD drawing
front
side
inside
engine without covers
specifications after the jump
Flyer Magazine article: page1 page2
Specification:
NUMBER OF CYLINDERS 2
NUMBER OF PISTONS 4
DISPLACEMENT 1810cc / 110.4 Cu. In.
DRY WEIGHT WITH ACC 90 kg / 198 lbs
RATED RPM (Output) 2500
MAX POWER 135 HP
INJECTION SYSTEM DIRECT
CONTROL SINGLE LEVER
NUMBER OF INJECTORS 4
BORE 80mm / 3.15 in.
STROKE 90mm / 3.54 in.
COMPRESSION RATIO 18 : 1
DRY SUMP CAPACITY 5 Liters / 5.28 qts
FUEL GRADE JET-A / DIESEL
ALTERNATOR 12V / 20a
(Optional 12V / 60a) STARTER 12 volt
March 13, 2007
Wired Subaru
It may look like a computer generated Subaru Impreza, but WindingRoad ’s entry is about the work of British artist Benedict Radcliffe.
Nice!
Lacking Something ?
Jeremy Jezza Clarkson goes on about cars he cannot remember. Oddly, he drove them …
March 12, 2007
Caterham's Golden Jubilee : Update
If you fancy lightweight British sports cars from the late 50s and early 60s, then the Lotus Super 7 is most likely on that list. If you ever watched even a single episode of “The Prisoner”, then the striking aluminum skinned roadster most likely caught your eye.
Engineered and built by Lotus from 1957-1972, following that by Caterham, the “7” is an iconic car. The cars holds the longest racing career in history as well.
Update:
Pistonheads published a very nice article with great pictures. Enjoy!
March 11, 2007
EU suggests speed limit for German autobahns
verbatim Reuters article… no sense in shortening this piece of news.
BERLIN (Reuters) - The EU’s environment commissioner has called for a maximum speed limit on German highways to slow down the notoriously swift traffic on the car-loving nation’s autobahns, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
“There are so many areas in which we senselessly waste energy and harm the climate,” European Union Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas was quoted as saying in an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
“One simple measure in Germany could be a uniform speed limit on the autobahns. Speed limits are very sensible for many reasons and completely normal in most EU countries and the United States. Only in Germany is it, oddly enough, a source of controversy,” he said.
Recently German environmentalists said they hoped the country’s joint presidencies of the Group of Eight (G8) and EU in 2007 would help lead Germany to impose speed limits on its unrestricted autobahns.
However, German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee has so far rejected the idea.
At least one-third of Germany’s highways already have a speed limit while the rest carry a recommended speed of 130 kph (80 mph). In reality, drivers and motorcyclists can, and often do, travel as fast as they like.
Home to high performance car makers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, as well as mass market producers Volkswagen and General Motors’ Opel division, Germany has resisted speed limits.
March 09, 2007
March 08, 2007
Honda "Small Hybrid Sport" Concept
It took days before a good picture of the Honda Small Hybrid Sport Concept car was shown anywhere.
Props to WindingRoad for this pictures and others, and to Temple of VTEC for spotting these.
In my view, this 1 part Honda Insight, 1 part Honda CRX, 1 part modern aerodynamics work perfectly. Something like this should be built.
Rumors and speculation do indicate the a “Honda CRX” will appear in the near future, but on the Honda Fit platform.
March 07, 2007
2008 Nissan X-Trail
Being given its public debut at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, the new X-TRAIL goes on sale across Europe in the summer. Such was the success of its predecessor that the new model will be available in Europe before sales start in Japan… the first time in Nissan’s history that this has happened for a model built in Japan.
New from the ground up, the latest X-TRAIL shares the same platform as the recently launched Nissan Qashqai. The platform features strut-type suspension at the front with a multi-link system at the rear, both ends being mounted on separate rubber insulated sub-frames providing enhanced refinement and isolation from vibrations.
Will it make it to Canada ? Possibly, if the Qashqai doesn’t.
Props to EGMcartech and see more pictures there.
Mazda 2, aka Ford Escort
Say hello to the new Mazda 2 and you can welcome it as the brother of the upcoming Ford Escort.
Ford just keeps going back to the old names. What’s next ? Pinto ??
Autoblog has a nice set of pictures.
March 06, 2007
Subaru Boxer Turbo Diesel Engine
From Geneva press presentation, via NASIOC.com
(click on picture for monster sized version)
below you can read the transcript of the presentation and find more pictures.
The 77th Geneva International Motor Show
Subaru Press Conference
March 6, 2007
10:15 AM
Ikuo Mori
President & CEO
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.
Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
I am happy to have the chance to meet with, and speak to all of you here in Geneva.
Last month, I announced our new midterm management plan for 2007 through 2010.
This plan is based on our principle that “the customer comes first” in every aspect of our operations.
It is the main principle that guides us everywhere, all the time.
Today I would like to talk about Subaru’s new strategies for the European market and technology for the coming years.
First, let me give you a brief overview of our recent performance in the European market and tell you about our plans for the future.
In recent years, Subaru has been enjoying increasing sales in Europe.
Last year in 2006 we achieved record sales of over 70 thousand units.
We are aiming for sales of 100 thousand units in 2009.
That is a 40% sales increase in only three years.
While it may seem challenging, I believe the target is achievable.
In order to achieve our goal in this important market, we are planning to launch new models every year.
The environment is an essential concern in launching these new models.
We are committed to both the pleasure of driving as well as environmental conservation.
We introduced the SI-DRIVE, the Subaru Intelligent Drive System last year.
This is a fantastic system with an “intelligent mode” that boosts fuel economy by about 10%.
Further as a new weapon, we will launch the Subaru boxer turbo diesel, the world’s first horizontally-opposed turbo diesel on the European market early next year.
A Subaru Boxer Turbo Diesel has been the dream of many of our customers, who have requested it for many years.
This engine is displayed here today, as evidence that the dream has finaly come true.
This represent a major step in the history of Subaru.
We created a superior engine that makes full use of the advantages of the horizontally-opposed engine layout.
We are now in the final stage of its development and we are quite confident about the quality of our work.
I myself took a test drive recently and discovered it to be a perfect balance between the low vibration and reliable torque of a diesel engine and the smoothness of a horizontally-opposed powertrain.
I found it to be a very sporty driving experience.
As you see on display here, the diesel engine is combined with the Subaru Symmetrical AWD system.
We have 35 years of experience on this system.
The Subaru AWD system effectively transmits engine torque to the road surface and is the perfect match for our new diesel.
And I am sure that this combination of technologies- Subaru’s symmetrical AWD and Subaru’s Boxer turbo diesel- will deliver comfort, confidence and driving pleasure.
I’m looking forward to the day when you can try out this great engine for yourself.
Now, let me introduce you to another aspect of our environmental initiatives.
Displayed here is a pure electric car, the Subaru R1e.
While this is the first time we present it here in Europe, ten R1e
vehicles are already in use by TEPCO, Japan’s largest electric power company.
TEPCO has been test driving these vehicles on the streets of Tokyo and the cars have received high marks.
We are considering producing electric cars for use as urban commuter in the future.
Last year, we received an official award from the Japanese environment minister for the R1e and its recharging system.
We will continue our research and development efforts in the area of electric vehicles and next-generation battery technologies to stay ahead in the global market.
We have continued to improve the performance of our vehicles and have developed various state-of-the-art technologies such as the ADA, Active Driving Assist system, which you see here today, in pursuit of setting the global standard for hazard prevention and safety.
We will continue to work on the initiatives I have just shared with you and make vehicles with superior driving and environmental performance that will provide drivers and passengers with a safe, comfortable and fun driving experience.
I promise you that we will continue to provide products and services that will exceed your expectations.
Please keep your eyes on the road ahead as Subaru continues to drive the future of the automotive industry.
Thank you very much….
Short video of the engine in VMW or Quicktime
Subaru 2007 WRC
” Q: Wich part will Peter Solberg break first on this car ? “
” A: Depends which rock he hits first. “
All indications point to this being the last year for this “large” chassis car as being the basis for the WRC commitment by Subaru. That implies a small, nimbler hatchback is most likely to join the Subaru Impreza family of Sedan & Wagon. Rumors abound, but it may just be the Subaru WRX STI that will be the recipient of this scaling treatment, given rallye homologation rules.
I wish my engine bay looked as nice as the 2007 WRC car’s. On the bigger picture (see below), you can clearly see the redundant electrical and signal busses.
I haven’t given up hope on Subaru, in rallye or car manufacturing, especially since there was positive indicators following the management shake-up last week.
Full gallery at SWRT and bigger engine bay picture below.
2008 Golf/Jetta Wagon update
Geneva 2007 lifts the news embargoes and VWvortex delivers an update on this stylish wagon.
Geneva 2007, day 1
I’m home with a headache, which started like a migraine. Good time to take my mind off of things and go gaze at cars through the Internet.
Get ready to be bombarded with pictures and editorials from the press around the world.
Opel GTC
The Car Connection shows off a nice picture of the Opel GTC, rumored to become a Saturn offering in North America. The logic is such : Opel makes the Vectra, which Saturn named Aura, on the same chassis. Saturn is just a badge now.
Straightline has more pictures.
Dodge Demon Concept
To me, this roadster looks like a aquarium bottom cleaning sucker fish. No doubt, that wasn’t the idea.
Inside Line has more.
Dodge Avenger
This ugly car inherits one of my favorite cars’ badge. Shame. Juan Pablo Montoya drives the new NASCAR version, which hardly even resembles this turd. It will now be available in Europe, even with a VW sourced 2.0 TDI engine.
March 05, 2007
Aye-ya-yay-90
(Sunset Way is Seattle area)
“The longest Interstate Highway, Interstate 90 serves major northern cities such as Seattle, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Albany, and Boston. Smaller cities such as Spokane, Butte, Billings, Sheridan, Moorcroft, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Austin, Wisconsin Dells, Madison, Rockford, South Bend, Toledo, Erie, Syracuse, and Springfield also dot Interstate 90 on its travels.”
Snow tyres anyone ?
March 01, 2007
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
The latest issue of evo, #101, has landed across the pond here and it gushes about the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. What’s not to like ? A nice GT car with a V12 engine from the Enzo.
But I prefer Jeremy Clarkson’s take on this vehicle. I always chuckle at his Dr Jeckyll-Mr Hyde style, which he is oft to reverse to Mr Hyde-Dr Jeckyll to suit the mood.