Recently, Ford Motor Company sponsored a contest with the goal of modernizing the iconic Model T, a car which revolutionized motorized transportation the world over. The winner of the competition, a 24-year-old junior at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit named Dong Trang, came up with an electric crossover of sorts. That's fitting, according to Peter Horbury, head of design for Ford in the Americas, because Henry Ford's original Model T sat high off the ground and had a modular design, capable of hauling people and their stuff at the same time.
What the modern-day designs don't share with their forebear is retro looks. Each of the modern T adaptations features fairly sleek styling and alternative power that goes along with our modern-day energy and emissions problems.
Trang's design is rather unique, featuring solar panels on the vehicle along with an energy-capturing suspension design that would help recharge the on-board batteries. Those batteries are also removable to provide power outside the vehicle. The seating arrangement is modular, allowing for up to four occupants or offering increased storage capacity. The rear hatch is also capable of folding away to offer a small pickup bed. Click past the break for some videos of Trang talking about his design.
We've heard the styling of some Italian cars being referred to as sensual before, so it comes as little surprise that the Italian styling firm Pininfarina's interest was piqued when it heard that a young Indian's car designs were inspired by the ancient love-making guide Kama Sutra. Ramesh Gound, a student of the National Institute of design in India says, "When I thought of what the world associates with India, it is Kama Sutra that came to my mind. After studying Kama Sutra, I realized its essence and my theme emerged -- two objects coming together and moving in one direction with a force of passion." He adds, "the exteriors of the body curve and become part of the interiors of the car." Yeah... so it sounds like his studies into Kama Sutra proved useful. For all of his hard work, Gound was rewarded with an internship at the famous Italian design house.
After a three-way jump-off between Robbie Maddison, Ryan Capes and Seth Enslow at Calder Park on March 28 in Melbourne, Australia, a new world record for the longest distance jump from ramp to ramp on a motorcycle was set at over 351 feet by Robbie Maddison. In fact, the record was beaten twice that night, with Ryan Capes briefly holding the record at 324 feet, which was two feet more than Maddison's previous record.
In other news, five other world records were set that same night:
Longest backflip ramp to ramp: Cameron Sinclair, existing record: 125-feet; new world record: 129 feet and 7 inches
Longest mini bike distance jump: Brent Brady broke the world record with a jump of 104 feet and 7 inches
Longest distance jump ramp to ramp by a quad motorcycle: John Guetter, existing record: 148.9 feet; the new record: 176 feet 11 inches
Most swords swallowed: Chayne Hultgren, existing record: 14; new world record: 17
Heaviest weight lifted while swallowing a sword: Cheyne Hultgren, existing record: 20.1kg; new world record: 22.4kg
Judging by the records that were broken in one night, we think the world is begging for a new category. How about longest distance jump on a motorcycle while swallowing a sword. Any takers?
Watch a video of both long distance motorcycle record jumps after the break!
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Mario Kart would continue its succession up the ranks of Nintendo gaming systems with the Wii version appearing on April 27. As we said before, we're more interested in realistic driving simulators, but when we found out that a real car would be given away during the promotional run-up to the game's release, we were slightly intrigued. That's until we found out what the vehicle actually is: a custom Mario themed Volkswagen Beetle. At least it's a convertible; albeit one with a horribly tacky paint job.
Winning any car is pretty darn cool, and after paying the requisite taxes on your winnings and paying for a new paint job (face it: it's a necessity), you could still sell the car for a profit. Or, if there really is somebody out there who actually wants to drive a brand-new VeeDub draped in Mario's clothing... well, you can just have fun with that.
If you're a recently graduated or soon to graduate student in a technical or scientific field, listen up, because this could very well be the internship that could jump-start your career. Every year for the past five, the Renault F1 team has picked the top entry in a contest for a six-month internship. The competition is run by the Altran Engineering Academy, the technological manpower agency that consults for the team. Entries are accepted in eight F1-related fields based on 500-word summaries of innovative ideas that could help the Renault cars beat the competition.
The winner is chosen from among nine finalists who present their proposals this summer to a jury chaired by the Renault F1 team's head of R&D at its headquarters in Enstone, England. Applications are due by May 15, and having observed the results of last year's selection, the competition is fierce, so if you want a shot at working with the best, better get crackin'. More information is available in the press release and video after the jump, and a whole mess of snappy pictures can be found in the gallery below.
Driving a news van can be a real drag. Evidently so, as news crews from KDBC-TV and KVIA-TV in El Paso, Texas took it literally during their coverage of opening night at El Paso Motorplex. In response to the crowd's wishes, both overweight vans -- packing a full assortment of electronic equipment and sporting satellite dishes on the roof -- staged at the tree. Reaction times were slow as both lumbered off the line, sans wheelspin, and hobbled down the quarter-mile strip. Neither news station posted slips, but the driver from KDBC-TV was let go for his performance (one has to assume the only thing he broke were the station rules). Lucky for us, video cameras caught all of the action.
CNN's Anderson Cooper reported the event in the video after the jump with this cynical lead-in: "What were they thinking?" His follow-up crack of, "...seriously, the folks in the van should have known better..." was only topped by the comment from his female co-host who blurted out, "I didn't realize it was legal anywhere to drag race... shows you I don't get out much." Doh! Turns out they thought the media face-off was in pour taste because a person had died in that area the previous night in what may have been an illegal street-racing incident.
It is, however, still legal to drag race on quarter- and eighth-mile tracks all over the country, and we think the impromptu event was a pretty cool publicity stunt for EP Motorplex. In fact, next time let's turn it up a notch with some big names going head-to-head for pinks. Are you listening CNN and FOX News? Thanks for the tip, Nick!
Click above to view more high-res shots of the Toyota Tundra
Congrats to the Toyota Tundra. It has just been named "Truck of the Year" by Farm Industry News, a leading product and technology magazine for "high-income, Midwestern farmers" (their words, not ours). Though an accolade from FIM doesn't carry as much weight with normal shoppers as does a pair of golden calipers from Motor Trend, the award is still significant. As automakers watch buyers turn away from trucks as lifestyle vehicles, the endorsement of a magazine read by people who actually use a truck for its intended purpose has its own gravitas.
Then again, just how does a farm magazine determine the truck of the year? In the case of Farm Industry News, you simply add up all of the reader responses to product information (you know, those tear-out cards) and determine which is most popular. Considering the Toyota Tundra was all-new last year, it probably goes without saying that it was going to make the biggest splash!
With the New York Auto Show just around the corner in late March, the organization behind the "World Car of the Year" Awards has revealed its top three finalists. The top vehicles in each of four categories were chosen by an international panel of 47 automotive journalists reportedly committed to carrying out the process with the "...utmost objectivity, credibility, and integrity." Regardless of how spotless the chosen journalist's driving record is, it's still a subjective vote, so don't be dismayed if your favorite chunk of steel didn't make the list this year. Instead, be pleased that the majority of the vehicles are actually available in the States.
Last month, the list included ten vehicles in each category. This week, the distinguished panel whittled it down to three finalists in each category. Check out the finalists in Design, Performance Car and Green Car after the jump. 2008 World Car of the Year Finalists
Ducati and its awe-inspiring 1098 has delivered a knockout blow to its competitors with the 2008 International Bike of the Year trophy, winning the coveted award with 22 total votes, 13 higher than the next closest motorcycle, the Triumph Street Triple. This award goes to the best motorcycle of the year and is voted on by 15 independent motorcycle publications. Not only did Ducati take the top spot overall, it dominated the charts by also snagging ties for third place with the 1098S, sixth place with the Desmosedici and seventh with the Hypermotard. That's an impressive feat by any measure, but perhaps even better news for the iconic Italian company is that consumers seem to overwhelmingly agree with the choice. For the first time ever, the IBOTY held an online poll to accompany its official vote and the 1098 took first place there too with 996 votes. Second place went to the Desmosedici, third went to the 1098S and eighth was taken by the Hypermotard.
Ducati has been on a role lately, also scoring the "Best Bike of the Year" award from the Supertest World Association. These awards are going to very deserving bikes, which are also translating directly to Ducati's best sales numbers ever. We look forward to seeing the coming response to Ducati's winning streak from the drawing boards of the competition. It's truly a good time to be a sportbike enthusiast.
During the Washington Auto Show from January 23-27, Toyota will be giving away four cars to winners in its Dancing for Toyotas competition. For three nights, the convention center will become a ballroom, and lucky contestants will vie for the winner-take-all shot at that Matrix they've had their eye on. And just like the show the car is based on, amateur dancers will be paired with a professional dancer, in this case one from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio.
Then, under the glaring auto show lights and cameras that will bring the show to the entire web audience, twirlers will get their chance to foxtrot, salsa, waltz, tango, rhumba, swing, or cha-cha for the chance to win a car. A fourth Toyota will be given to the randomly chosen viewer who picks the correct winners.
You have until noon on Friday, January 4 to get your videotaped contest auditions in. And since you'll be judged on presentation, talent, showmanship, and personality, you'd better bring your A-game. Could be time to dust off those Tivo'd episodes of Dancing with the Stars, eh? Check out www.dancingfortoyotas.com for the official rules.
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_thumbnail.jpg "Lamborghini Reventon unboxed in Las Vegas")
