carbon fiber


SEMA 2009: Vaughn Gittin's all-carbon fiber RTR-C Mustang

Of all the Mustangs in the Ford booth, Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s carbon fiber RTR-C Mustang was by far our favorite. To answer the question everyone is wondering – no, it's not a wrap. The carbon fiber body panels are the real deal. According to Vaughn, the lightweight material saves 400-500 pounds, although some of that weight is added back thanks to the supercharger, larger brakes and headers. In total, the car weighs in at just over 3,350 pounds. Aside from the exterior, we were impressed with the level of detail that went into ... Read more →

Add Lightness: BMW signs joint venture to further carbon fiber research Jeremy Korzeniewski

Now that steel and aluminum are vying for top billing as the metal of choice in Automobile Land, carbon fiber is often considered the next logical step towards reducing the prodigious weight of ...

VIDEO: Weaving the Lexus LFA's carbon fiber A-pillar is mesmerizing Damon Lavrinc

If you read our First Drive of the Lexus LFA, you might recall an interesting little factoid we threw in to illustrate the OCD-level of detail Toyota used to produce its first ever supercar. ...

Singer 911 offers vintage looks, modern appointments, exotic performance Michael Harley

Singer Vehicle Design rolled out its first prototype, plainly named the "Singer 911," at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance last month. Based on an '80s-era long-wheelbase 911 donor vehicle, the ...

Limited-edition CCXR Trevita to shine like a diamond. Well, millions of them, actually. Drew Phillips

With much of the recent news regarding Koenigsegg being about their acquisition of Saab, you might have forgotten that the Swedish auto manufacturer builds supercars. Well, probably not, but it ...

Oakley C Six shades: CNC-milled from solid carbon fiber billet 2 months ago on Autoblog

Carbon fiber. It's light, it's strong, and it looks so darn cool. As such, we doubt we're the only ones who've wondered why we don't see more eyewear made out of the stuff. Well, there are a couple of good reasons – namely that it's expensive and difficult to work with. While it's ...

Gresso takes its cues from F1 with new Grand Monaco phone 2 months ago on Autoblog

If Vertu thought they had the market for four-figure carbon fiber cell phones all to themselves, they can think again as Russia's high-end electronics firm Gresso has announced the new Grand Monaco. Not only is Gresso's latest named for the most famous race in the world, it's also built using ...

Aston Martin One-77: The justification's in the details 3 months ago on Autoblog

£1.25 million. That's Brit-speak for $1,800,000, give or take. A staggering amount of money. More than a Bugatti Veyron, more than a Lamborghini Reventón. Quite simply the most expensive new car, well, ever. Er, well, it would have been if not for the $2.2 million Bugatti Veyron ...

Dodge Viper ACR wing stronger than your average spoiler 3 months ago on Autoblog

The elephantine rear airfoil bolted to the rear deck of the Dodge Viper ACR is not only highly functional, but it gets credit as being the first mass-produced carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) wing on a production car. Rear wings on high performance vehicles are designed to counter lift. ...

Vertu launches new Ascent Ti Carbon Fibre Collection 3 months ago on Autoblog

Those with deep pockets and a penchant for everything automotive need look no further for their mobile communications needs (and desires) than Vertu. The premium phone brand from Nokia takes the inspiration for its Ascent line from sports cars and has come out every year with a new special edition ...

Lamborghini Reventon Roadster revealed to a few well-heeled? 3 months ago on Autoblog

Just four short months ago a rumor surfaced that Lamborghini would be making a topless version of its hottest model, the F22-inspired Reventon. Word is that today Lambo is showing off its most expensive ever ragin' bull to a super select cabal of people so wealthy that we'll never understand. ...

VIDEO: Sir Stirling's House in London, complete with carbon fiber elevator 5 months ago on Autoblog

F1 drivers tend to accumulate a great deal of money over the course of their careers, and few have had careers quite as distinguished as Sir Stirling Moss. Over the course of only ten years in professional racing, he competed in about 500 races and won some 200 of them. So what did Sir Stirling ...

Brembo aims to mass produce carbon-ceramic brakes with new joint venture 5 months ago on Autoblog

New technologies always cost the early adopters big bucks. But higher demand leads to increased supply, and costs eventually go down to the level accessibly by the common man. So while carbon-ceramic brakes might be a big ticket item right now – often dipping into five figures as optional ...

Details and Pics Aplenty: Gemballa Mirage GT Carbon Edition 5 months ago on Autoblog

Gemballa doesn't strike us as a company that would be easily deterred by minor details. Things like the end of a production run, for example. So while the Porsche Carrera GT may have finished its run, that doesn't mean the German exotic tuning house is about to stop having fun. We initially ...

Ferrari's leathercrafters make a carbon fiber briefcase 6 months ago on Autoblog

If you're going to drop six figures on a new supercar, you're not going to put just any old piece of luggage in that tiny trunk, are you? Of course not. That's why Ferrari turned to Schedoni. The 125-year-old Italian leather-crafters makes all the fitted luggage for Ferrari roadcars. They even make ...

Ex-F1 Mechanic Alastair Gibson brings racing materials to fish sculptures. Wait, wha? 7 months ago on Autoblog

Alistair Gibson spent 22 years in Formula 1 paddocks as a mechanic with teams like Benetton and BAR Honda. With decades of carbon fiber and shiny bits swimming in his head, it probably shouldn't come as a complete surprise that after leaving pit lane he has begun fabricating ...

Stop Time: Mecchanice Veloce and Brembo team up for carbon-ceramic watch 7 months ago on Autoblog

Aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, vulcanized rubber...it was only a matter of time before somebody made a watch out of carbon ceramic. And who better to do it than Brembo and Meccaniche Veloci? The former you'll know well as the most recognized name in brakes. The latter may be known to some of ...

BMW Perfomance accessories goes live with new video 12 months ago on Autoblog

BMW Performance accessories is officially online with 32 upgrades Bimmer drivers, ranging from carbon fiber dress-up stuff to more serious bits like six-piston brakes with cross-drilled rotors or a carbon fiber suspension cross brace. Accessorizing BMW enthusiasts can also purchase form-fitting ...

Carbon fiber baby seat keeps Junior secure 1 year ago on Autoblog

If James Bond ever had to carry a baby instead of a bombshell in that DBS Ford Edge, here is the kind of seat worthy of the agent and his cargo. Created by Rory Craig, a student at the Art Center College of Design, the carbon fiber seat with Sparco belts is 3-way adjustable, reclines, and can ...

TAG Heuer outlines its vision with carbon-fiber frames 1 year ago on Autoblog

There are lots of watchmakers that cultivate relationships with automakers and Formula One teams, but few have managed to establish themselves quite like TAG Heuer, whose sponsorship of F1, among other motorsport disciplines, has made their products synonymous with racing. Now TAG is hoping to ...

ABT wraps Audi R8 and Q7 in carbon fiber-look vinyl, Alero is next 1 year ago on Autoblog

Last month, Autoblog's long-term fleet (AKA our daily drivers) grew by one when we picked up a thoroughly reworked, late-model German sedan. It's a masterpiece of modern engineering, complete with the amenities our spouses have we've grown accustomed to (heated seats) and over $20,000 in ...

Weds creates a 6.1-pound full carbon fiber wheel 1 year ago on Autoblog

Weds Sports, a Japanese wheel-maker, has created a full carbon fiber wheel -- rims, spokes, hub, everything -- that weighs 2.76 kg. Coming out to about 6.1 pounds, that's about half the weight of the Dymag carbon fiber wheel with a magnesium rim that you'll find on a Callaway Corvette, and just ...

Forget the Branding: Nokia's new 8800 Carbon Arte 1 year ago on Autoblog

Automotive-themed cell phones are nothing new. We've reported on mobiles branded by Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche... even Fiat and HUMMER. But some phones don't need a licensing agreement and a flashy little badge to appeal to automotive enthusiasts. Take, for example, the new Nokia 8800 Carbon ...

Manufacturers raise the price of carbon fiber 1 year ago on Autoblog

If you were looking at carbon fiber as the magical lightweight solution to the parallel automotive woes of low power-to-weight ratios and high fuel consumption, we have some potentially disappointing news for you. Two of the world's largest suppliers of carbon fiber have announced that they are ...

Ferrari Scuderia Helmet as cool as actual car? No. 1 year ago on Autoblog

If you have the money, good taste, and connections to score the 510 hp F430 Scuderia, you likely know what the lightweight supercar from Maranello is capable of. When Ferrari decides to produce an exotic with 60 millisecond shifts and a 5.4 pound-per-pony ratio, you just know that it's track ...

Prodrive helps with power-to-weight in 1-horsepower racers 1 year ago on Autoblog

Prodrive boss David Richards led the consortium that bought Aston Martin last year. His company also fields race teams that have a habit of winning (including Aston Martin's). Now, in the interest of the winning part of the equation, Prodrive's efforts aren't necessarily confined to four-wheeled ...

Honda and Nissan working to mass-market carbon fiber 1 year ago on Autoblog

Honda and Nissan are looking for ways to make cars lighter, better, and more recyclable, both for their own benefits and their customers. We've heard about the increased use of aluminum to save weight; next on the heavy R&D frontier could be carbon fiber. Both companies have teamed up with ...

Japanese firms working to make carbon fiber mainstream 1 year ago on Autoblog

On the surface, carbon fiber sounds like a wonder-product which can replace much of the heavy metal, especially steel, that makes up the vast majority of nearly every automobile's structure. Dig a bit deeper, however, and there are a few flies in CF's ointment that make it very difficult to use in ...

Speed up your refresh rate with carbon fiber desktop wallpaper 1 year ago on Autoblog

Carbon fiber, that uber-cool mix of graphite fibers and epoxy that used to be reserved for exotic race cars and fighter jets, is seemingly everywhere these days. Lightweight and space-age, the material is now directly associated with speed and performance. If you are an automaker offering a ...

Extensive use of carbon fiber still 10 years out 1 year ago on Autoblog

GM has an ulterior motive with the launch of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. The sports car offering is not only meant to be the company's ultimate display of performance, but also an experiment in carbon fiber. The ZR1 is a test mule to demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing carbon fiber parts ...

2007 AB Gift Guide: Carbon Fiber Wallet 1 year ago on Autoblog

Every ounce of weight savings is crucial to getting the most performance out of your car. If you think you've done all you can, have you considered how much that leather wallet of yours weighs? Didn't think so. Trade that overweight, dead-cow-covered billfold for one of these ...

SEMA 2007 VIDEO: Cadillac CTS Sport concept in the flesh 2 years ago on Autoblog

While at SEMA, we took a few minutes to talk with GM Specialty Vehicle manager Doug Schumacker about the Cadillac CTS Sport concept. Doug also spoke about an upcoming CTS coupe and wagon, and hinted that many of the cosmetic changes to the Sport concept could make production. CTS-V anyone? Click on ...

BMW USA offering factory performance parts, with full warranty 2 years ago on Autoblog

BMW has officially thrown its hat in the performance parts game here in the U.S., likely rivaling the products available from aftermarket firms and coming complete with a factory-backed warranty. Beginning with the 3-series and Z4, BMW is offering a host of components, from brake upgrades to engine ...

Ruh-Roh: Carbon fiber in short supply 2 years ago on Autoblog

Looks like it might take a few extra shifts of flipping burgers to save up for that carbon fiber hood you've had your eye on, bucko. USA Today is reporting that carbon fiber demand has gone way up recently, causing prices to quadruple in some cases. They blame the price surge on demand for new ...

Officially Official: Mercedes-Benz reveals SLR McLaren Roadster 2 years ago on Autoblog

Click the image above for a gallery of images. var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Mercedes_releases_its_fastest_convertible_ever'; We've seen it in spy shots, but now we get to officially see the newest hotness from Mercedes Benz: the SLR McLaren Roadster. In an effort to inject some ...

Sticky Fingers: DIY carbon fiber 2 years ago on Autoblog

Fake trim is for the birds. Of course, there are cost considerations, and a piece of lower-cost injection-molded plastic is a lot cheaper than actual wood, metal, or laboriously laid carbon fiber. Faux trim can be awfully convincing – the metal-look trims in my S60 T5 are a far nicer touch ...

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Autoblog Podcast #153: With Phil Berg

Phil Berg puts his reputation on the line and hangs with the podcast crew.

 
 

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