Autoblog

Lamborghini Aventador reports for taxi duty at Bologna airport

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Europe, Lamborghini, Luxury

Lamborghini has invaded another airport as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. In January, it took over one of the two runways at Miami-Dade International Airport so it could conduct high-speed runs and have an Aventador pose with a Boeing airliner. Across the Atlantic, the Aventador has just been made the "Follow Me" vehicle at the Aeroporto di Bologna, which is 30 minutes from the company factory in Sant' Agata Bolognese.

According to Auto Evolution, it's been done up just like the Fiat models one normally encounters on such duty - it even has a light bar in case pilots don't simply want to follow the noise. Specially trained airport staff will guide arriving flights to their gates in the Aventador from May 6 to May 19, and once passengers are deplaned, they can check out the Lamborghini exhibit inside the airport.

Lamborghini Aventador reports for taxi duty at Bologna airport originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lamborghini invades Miami with Aventador parade, high-speed runs at airport [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Etc., Videos, Lamborghini, Luxury

Lamborghini is only starting to throttle the engines on its 50th anniversary celebrations. The company lined up fifty of its Italian jobs for a cannonball run down the south runway at the Miami International Airport, the Aventador Roadster breaking 200 miles per hour, then ran them all through the streets of Miami to be properly introduced to one of their most ardent clienteles.

Contrary to the appearance of the image above, no airplanes had to wait to taxi behind the ground-based flyers. Not that any of them would have had to wait long, though, since the 700-horsepower Aventador Roadsters were exceeding the lift-off speeds of commercial airliners by at least 30 mph.

There's a press release and a video below, along with a gallery of high-res photos of the day's events. Enjoy.

Continue reading Lamborghini invades Miami with Aventador parade, high-speed runs at airport [w/video]

Lamborghini invades Miami with Aventador parade, high-speed runs at airport [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford's 1.0L EcoBoost engine makes the journey to LA... in a carry-on bag

Steven J. Ewing — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Ford, Humor

We can't even begin to imagine all of the weird stuff that the Transportation Security Administration has seen through the screen of the airport x-ray machine (or worse, when they find when they get to snap on those latex gloves and actually rummage through your belongings). But we have to imagine that this, right here, was worth a second look or two as it ran through the TSA line.

What you see nestled into this carry-on-size suitcase is Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine, making the journey from Detroit to Los Angeles for the 2012 LA Auto Show. According to the Ford communications team member who forwarded these along, the TSA had no issues with sending the diminutive engine through the x-ray machine, though much like a laptop, the engine did have to be sent through the scanner in its own plastic tub.

Why is the 1.0-liter engine heading for LA? Because Ford will be offering it in the States pretty soon. We'll be finding out early next week exactly what car will be fitted with the 1.0-liter mill, though our best guess is the Fiesta, since it's due to be refreshed for the 2014 model year anyway, though Ford recently gave us the opportunity to sample this engine under the hood of a Euro-spec Focus hatchback.

Ford's 1.0L EcoBoost engine makes the journey to LA... in a carry-on bag originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you the Top Gear USA test track?

Noah Joseph — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Etc.

Spinning off shows from British television into American programs are all the rage these days. Just ask anyone who watches The Office, American Idol, The Shield or Life on Mars. But the one we're most excited about, of course, is the U.S. version of Top Gear. A long time coming, the pilot is set to air on the History Channel in about a month. And as the date approaches, details have been trickling in. The latest covers the test track that will be the show's playground.

Like its original British counterpart, the Top Gear test track has reportedly been converted from an old military air base: in this case the Marine Corp's former facility at El Toro in Orange County, California - the same location the NBC project was to use.

The track combines north/south and east/west runways from the former air field. Disused airport runways make great circuits, but there's one downside: no elevation changes, the likes of which make tracks like Spa and Laguna Seca the legends they are. The El Toro configuration ameliorates the situation, however, with a ten-foot drop and subsequent climb through an off-track loop on the right side of the map pictured above, giving it what most runway tracks - like Silverstone and the original Top Gear track in England - don't have.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Are you the Top Gear USA test track? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford employees take Motor Trend calipers to Disney World, hit TSA snag in Detroit

Chris Shunk — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Ford

When we look at Motor Trend magazine's golden calipers, we think of a prestigious trophy awarded each year to the publication's top car and truck of the year. Apparently, the Transportation Security Administration officials at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport see a weapon of mass destruction. Or something.

The proud engineers at Ford have been taking their well-deserved 2010 Ford Fusion Car of the Year award all over town, taking pictures and having a little fun, mimicking what athletes do when they win Lord Stanley's Cup in hockey or the Lombardi Trophy in football. Ford Research & Advanced Engineering employee Tony Phillips went as far as Disney World with the award, but apparently not before coming to the attention of the TSA at Detroit Metro airport. Phillips had rightly brought the sizable trophy onto the plane as a carry-on - after all, who would want to tell Allan Mulally that they lost the trophy at baggage claim?

MT's shiny hardware was eventually let on the plane after "some interesting discussion, and it made its way to Orlando to ride some rides and hang with Mickey. Surprisingly, the Orlando TSA agents were more familiar with Ford's award than were the security agents in the Motor City, and congratulations were given to them on the accomplishment. Just as an FYI for Ford, you can bring by your trophy to Autoblog headquarters any time you wish. We won't even frisk you at the door.

[Source: @Ford Online]

Ford employees take Motor Trend calipers to Disney World, hit TSA snag in Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ricardo develops airplane taxi bot to reduce emissions, noise

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:07:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology

Ricardo TaxiBot -- Click above for high-res image gallery

It's certainly good to see some other wheeled vehicles doing their part for the environment, even if it is an airplane -- especially if it's an airplane. Actually this news isn't about the plane itself, but a "pilot-controlled towing vehicle" for an airplane called a "TaxiBot."

Ricardo -- the same folks that make car components -- have engineered the TaxiBot to allow a plane to turn off its main engines when taxiing to the gate and around the concourse. The trick is an automated clamper placed within a standard tug; once the pilot guides the nosewheel into the clamp, the pilot steers, turns, and brakes the tug with the airplane controls. Instead of motive force coming from giant Pratt & Whitneys, the tug's two 500-hp V8s can pull planes up to 747s and A340s.

If adopted widely, the TaxiBot could save airports and airlines millions of dollars in gas and debris damage as well as sparing the world tons of CO2 emissions. You can get the details on the taxibot and its implementation in the press release after the jump.

Gallery: Ricardo TaxiBot

[Source: Ricardo]

Continue reading Ricardo develops airplane taxi bot to reduce emissions, noise

Ricardo develops airplane taxi bot to reduce emissions, noise originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Moving Fast: Ferrari accelerates retail merchandise expansion with 40 new stores

Noah Joseph — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:31:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Ferrari

Ferrari's global branding efforts are accelerating as fast as its race and road cars, to the point where a third division was established just to manage it all. Heck, they've even got a Ferrari edition Segway scooter now. Next on the agenda: an aggressive expansion of Ferrari Store retail outlets, the locations that peddle all manner of scarlet wares with the Prancing Horse badge.

Ferrari's new global branding division, under the direction of former Red Bull lieutenant Dany Bahar, is planning to open no less than 40 new stores around the world over the next five years. The latest location just opened at Barcelona's El Prat International airport in Spain, soon to be joined by locations in Abu Dhabi and Moscow in the next few months, followed by Singapore, Macao and Honolulu next year. (Maybe Cleveland will get one soon! - JN)

Is this all getting to be too much? Many would say so, among them a good portion of the Autoblog writing staff. But as a counterpoint, if the added income ends up financing ever-faster road cars and further dominance on the race track, maybe there's something to it.

[Source: Inside Line, photo by Noah Joseph]

Moving Fast: Ferrari accelerates retail merchandise expansion with 40 new stores originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Countach vs. Cessna

Dan Roth — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Supercars, Lamborghini, First Drives

The Lamborghini Countach was everywhere in the 1980s. It was so often presented as the ultimate car, photographed with celebrities, and generally placed in the spotlight that even your grandmother could've recognized it. Because of its vaunted status, the Countach is an aspirational car that you might purchase to celebrate a milestone in your life. Oregonian Marlowe Treit spent two years tracking down the perfect Countach as a way of marking 60 years on the planet.

In May of 2006, Marlowe's 1985 Countach had an unfortunate meeting with an FBI-leased Cessna 206 at the Aurora, Oregon airport where Treit owns a business. The NTSB has investigated the incident and blames both the plane's pilot and Treit for not noticing each other. Nevertheless, the shredded Italian exotic will cost a considerable amount to repair or replace, and Treit is suing the United States for $105,500, claiming that the Cessna pilots had a clear view of his vehicle, and should have yielded the right of way. We can understand the heartache that having your dream car mangled must cause, but it looks like an uphill battle for Mr. Treit, with the NTSB essentially declaring the event as a "no-fault" accident. The big question we've got is will Mr. Treit replace his Countach with a Diablo, Gallardo, or Murcielago should he win? We'd probably go for an Islero, Jarama, or Series III Espada. Check out a video interview of Treit after the jump.

[Source: The Oregonian via All Cars All The Time]

Continue reading Countach vs. Cessna

Countach vs. Cessna originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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XM ParkingLink to help you find that last empty spot

Eric Bryant — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 19:03:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., I.C.E., Technology

Later this year, XM Satellite Radio will roll out its ParkingLink system in four cities. Built in a joint venture with Quixote Transportation Technologies and Standard Parking, the system will utilize GPS and a series of wireless sensors embedded in parking garages and pay lots around the US to transmit data on the number and location of open spots to drivers' in-car displays.

Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. will be the first to get the system, starting later this year. By the second half of 2007, XM hopes to expand the system to other major markets. Soon after that the sight of people driving aimlessly around parking lots may be a thing of the past.

[Source: Chicago Business]

XM ParkingLink to help you find that last empty spot originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Aug 2006 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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