Watson, the mystery's been solved. After Chris spied a sinuous silver shape on his iPhone and a couple of readers sent us shots from the Nurburgring web cam, we now have video of the Veritas RS3 sitting at the starting gate, ready to do... something on the infamous Nordschleife. The blokes from the Bridge to Gantry have put the matter to rest with a video walk-around of the Veritas taken by one of the dozens of people surrounding the concept before it made its way onto the Green Hell.
Just as a refresher, the Veritas RS3 was a showcar displayed in 2001 packing a BMW-sourced V12 putting out 670 hp and 560 lb.-ft. of torque. With a tubular chassis and a total weight of just over a ton, we can only imagine the fun the race-ready driver was having after speeding off from the entry gate at the 'Ring.
Not that BMW's Sauber F1 car has anything more than three letters in common with cars that bear the propeller logo on public streets, but who's going to argue with the opportunity to lay down the tools early? Hotshoe Nick Heidfeld recently treated a crowd of laborer's at BMW's Munich factory to the spectacle of a big-dollar race car being treated like a hand-me-down Reliant, complete with a body-damaging finale. The shriek of a high-strung F1 racer while it slides around doing lurid donuts is a thing to behold, but the smile quickly fades when the front splitter gets tangled up in the curbing and ripped off the nose. Whoops. Video after the jump - Thanks for the tip, Ovidiu!
CAFE standards are being raised to 35 mpg by 2020, and automakers are working on several technologies to help achieve the lofty standard. The next 12 years will see lighter, more aerodynamic vehicles, but some of the most interesting solutions will be found under the hood. Electric vehicles, hybrids, and small, turbocharged engines will power many vehicles, and diesel engines are set to once again infiltrate our borders, but on a grander scale.
We talked to Ford Powertrain boss Dan Kapp to better understand why diesel engines are inherently more efficient than petrol engines, and we also discussed how and where Ford will be using diesel going forward. Hit play on the video above to take a look.
UPDATE: Video removed at request of spy videographer. Click here to view.
BMW is hard at work on the replacement for the current Z4 roadster, and a developmental test mule has been caught on video running laps around the vaunted Nurburgring. Despite the heavy camouflage, we can tell from the footage – which seems to follow the test mule around the Ring and into a nearby garage with conspicuous "look at me" accuracy – that the new roadster, due in 2010, will retain the current model's long nose and short rear decklid. Styling is expected to follow the theme set down by the Concept CS unveiled in Shanghai last year, but the real clincher is that the new roadster will feature a retractable hard top. That means it will be heavier than the outgoing model, but will keep up on the marketplace with hard-top competition from above (Mercedes SLK) and below (Mazda MX-5). Follow the jump to watch the video.
In my lifetime, there has never been a single day in which I've wanted a Pontiac Sunfire, but a one of a kind tuner donated by Dallas Star defenseman Matt Niskanen is almost cool enough to own. Niskanen has owned the 2001 Sunfire since he was 15 years old, and the rookie kept it even after making the big bucks in pro hockey. The Sunfire was given a $12,000 makeover by Niskanen's more famous teammates, and Matt is donating the black and white coupe to benefit the family trust of ticket sales director Matt McKee. McKee died of cancer at age 33, and the team is pitching in by donating memorabilia and personal belongings to help his wife and young daughter.
Bidding is currently at $15,000, but if you're going to drop coin on this one of a kind Sunfire, you might want to be a fan of the Dallas Stars. Besides a tricked out sound system equipped with navigation, sub-woofers and black 18 inch rims, the Sunfire has a decidedly Stars theme. Hit the jump to view a video showing how the Sunfire was pimped out. Thanks for the tip, Scooter!
Click above for photo gallery. Follow the jump for the music video.
The music video for the updated Speed Racer theme, "Go Speed Racer Go", has hit the web, and while the song itself gets annoying after a couple of verses (how many times can you listen to that refrain before going insane?), the actual video is mesmerizing. There's a lot of footage that hasn't been seen in the trailers and ads so far, and the cartoon come-to-life visuals are simply eye-popping. In that respect, anyone who ponies up ten bucks for a ticket is going to get his or her money's worth. Hopefully, the strength of the story can match the undeniable visual power the Wachowski's onscreen kaleidoscope is set to deliver. At least one early review indicates that may not be the case, unfortunately. We'll wait 'till we see it ourselves next weekend to pass final judgement. In the meantime, feast your eyes on the new video after the jump.
The Nissan GT-R is a legend in the making, and hardly a week goes by without the twin-turbo beast doing something amazing. Equally legendary for gaming enthusiasts is the Gran Turismo series, which is the best-selling Playstation game of all time, and the mother of all digital racing competitions. GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi, not surprisingly a hard-core car enthusiast, got behind the wheel of the Nissan GT-R and hit 193 mph just for kicks.
Hit the jump for video of Yamauchi racing around a wet Nurburgring in the GT-R. The legendary game creator held his own on the daunting track in very bad conditions, and the GT-R looks and sounds devilish as it pounds through the 'Ring's challenging bends. During his ten laps of the 'Ring, Yamauchi hit .6 on the G-meter when the GT-R forcefully kicked out on him, which rightfully scared the daylights out of him. Yamauchi also said that driving the GT-R was less like driving a thoroughbred and more like sitting astride a lion. While we don't think Yamauchi has ever driven a lion, but we get the point. He also said that playing Gran Turismo helped him keep a good racing line on the 'Ring, which prompted this blogger to immediately get GT5 Prologue (true story).
Follow the jump for the video report on Volvo's safety goals
We all know how seriously Volvo approaches vehicle safety. At least we thought we did. In a new Reuters video feature, we learn that the safety-obsessed Swedish automaker has goals far loftier than we had imagined. You see, Volvo has set a goal of zero injuries or deaths to passengers in its vehicles by the year 2020. According to reporter Paul Chapman, Volvo wants to create a car that basically "forms a giant bumper" around its occupants to protect them if and when the need arises. A Volvo representative quoted on camera goes on to state that beyond the elimination of crash-related death and injury, Volvo would like to see the elimination of car accidents altogether.
While this admirable sentiment undoubtedly serves as a goal-setting mechanism for Volvo safety engineers, it's hard to view it as anything other than hopeless optimism unless you completely remove the human element from driving (and presumably replace all cars with Miracle Safety Volvos). You can build the most perfect car in the world and equip it with the greatest safety features imaginable, but cars can't predict everything, and humans are anything but predictable -- as any readers who commute amongst the general populace can attest. We'll know Volvo's really getting closer to safety Nirvana when it unveils a feature that determines when the driver next to you is simultaneously steering with his knees, reading a newspaper, sending text messages, and eating Ramen noodles at highway velocity.
Truth be told, the Autoblog team is split on whether or not we like the M1 Hommage Concept that was unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este this past weekend. Some of us claim that it's genius baked in a car-shaped pan, while the rest would rather stare at flame surfacing, Chris Bangle's ignominious contribution to automotive design, until their eyes start bleeding. Regardless, it creates discussion, and to facilitate the talk we have BMW Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk on camera after the jump talking about the car and its inspiration, the original M1.
Though the video after the jump is over eight minutes long, you'll want to watch it all the way through to catch footage of the original M1 that was used for the photo shoot being thrashed on-track.
The IIHS has put the 2008 smart fortwo through its frontal offset crash test, and the video is on YouTube even though the IIHS hasn't released its results yet. For everyone who points out the benefits of the smart's miniscule size, there are a number of others who say they wouldn't want to go up against a normal American car in a smart. Even the NHTSA had some concerns when it tested the fortwo's crashworthiness. Based on the video after the jump, however, it looks like the smart acquits itself quite well with no deformation of the A-pillar and not even a crack in the windshield. We'll have to wait for the IIHS to give its final, official word, however. Sure, we wouldn't want to be driving a smart fortwo in an accident... but that's only because we don't want to be in an accident. Follow the jump to watch the video for yourself.
Just as a refresher, the Veritas RS3 was a showcar displayed in 2001 packing a BMW-sourced V12 putting out 670 hp and 560 lb.-ft. of torque. With a tubular chassis and a total weight of just over a ton, we can only imagine the fun the race-ready driver was having after speeding off from the entry gate at the 'Ring.
Pontiac El Cami-"NO"
Spy Shots: Baby Cayenne caught on 'Ring!
First Peek: 2009 Dodge Ram R/T
Spy Shots: Corvette ZR1 attacking the Nurburgring
2008 International Engine of the Year awards announced...
Future Classic: 1984 Chrysler Minivans
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen
Project Track Slut, Part One: Pick a weapon on the cheap
By the Numbers: April 2008
