Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Ex-Top Gear jet kayaker plans to tackle Niagara Falls]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/01/ex-top-gear-jet-kayaker-plans-to-tackle-niagra-falls/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/01/ex-top-gear-jet-kayaker-plans-to-tackle-niagra-falls/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/01/ex-top-gear-jet-kayaker-plans-to-tackle-niagra-falls/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Once you and your jet propelled kayak have beaten Top Gear's Richard Hammond -- driving a seriously modified Range Rover, at that - well, what else is there to do? Fly that sucker off Niagara Falls, that's what. Not immediately, of course, there are plenty of details to work out before taking the 167-foot plunge. In the meantime, Shaun Baker will take his kayak and its propulsion system, a compact two-stroke engine and waterjet drive akin to that of a jet ski, and refine both his technique and equipment.

Rather than announce what waterfall he might careen from next, Baker is playing his cards close to the vest in an attempt to head off any potential access problems. The world record holder figures he's going to need some kind of aerofoil system to ensure stable flight on the way down from such heights, and landing without crushing his spinal column would be nice, too. Tuning the propulsion system to ensure the kayak escapes the pull of the waterfall's current cleanly is also necessary to try and avoid a watery death. Wonder what Hamster might try to ride over the falls? Top Gear's Icelandic Kayak vs. Tomcat 4x4 segment embedded after the jump.

[Source: The Sunday Times, Photo: Wired]

Continue reading Ex-Top Gear jet kayaker plans to tackle Niagara Falls

Ex-Top Gear jet kayaker plans to tackle Niagara Falls originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bowler 4x4Bowler4x4icelandicelandicjet kayakjet kayak niagara fallsjet kayak top gearJetKayakJetKayakNiagaraFallsJetKayakTopGearland roverLandRoverniagra fallsNiagraFallsTomcattop gear kayakTopGearKayakSun, 01 Mar 2009 13:33:00 EST<![CDATA[The cars of Ystafell: vintage Icelandic metal]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/19/the-cars-of-ystafell-vintage-icelandic-metal/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/19/the-cars-of-ystafell-vintage-icelandic-metal/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/19/the-cars-of-ystafell-vintage-icelandic-metal/#commentsFiled under: ,


Click above for a hi-res gallery of cars at the Transport Museum at Ystafell

Tucked away in a green, waterfall-riven valley between Akureyri and Husavik, Iceland is the hamlet of Ystafell (who-stuh-fel is the closest we can get to proper pronunciation). Akureyri has some of the best nightlife in Iceland, while Husavik has whales and a museum dedicated to things unmentionable on a family site. That leaves the Transport Museum at Ystafell practically unnoticed, which is a shame, because features two barns full of unlikely vehicles, each with an authentic Icelandic story. Follow the jump for the tale of our recent visit, and check out the gallery of hi-res photos below.

Gallery: Transport Museum Ystafell

Continue reading The cars of Ystafell: vintage Icelandic metal

The cars of Ystafell: vintage Icelandic metal originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>icelandmuseummuseumstransport museumtransport museum ystafellTransportMuseumTransportMuseumYstafelltravelystafellFri, 19 Sep 2008 19:28:00 EST<![CDATA[The "jeeps" of Iceland: here there do be monsters]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/26/the-jeeps-of-iceland-here-there-do-be-monsters/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/26/the-jeeps-of-iceland-here-there-do-be-monsters/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/26/the-jeeps-of-iceland-here-there-do-be-monsters/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above for high-res gallery of Iceland's "jeeps"

Not too long ago, we posted a bit about Iceland's "jeeps". This blogger has just returned from ten days in the North Atlantic with those very brutes, and they're every bit as massive -- and cool -- as they look. We even got to go for a spin in one, get a look at another one, and take pictures of a whole bunch more. What was it like? The same thing we said before: "big-wheel badness." Follow the jump for the story, and be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res images below.

Gallery: Iceland Glacier Trucks

Continue reading The "jeeps" of Iceland: here there do be monsters

The "jeeps" of Iceland: here there do be monsters originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dodge ramDodgeRamglacier trucksglaciersGlacierTrucksicelandiceland jeepsIcelandJeepsjeepsoff roadingOffRoadingunimogSat, 26 Jul 2008 11:04:00 EST<![CDATA[Hard times means some Icelanders can't keep on truckin']]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/04/hard-times-means-some-icelanders-cant-keep-on-truckin/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/04/hard-times-means-some-icelanders-cant-keep-on-truckin/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/04/hard-times-means-some-icelanders-cant-keep-on-truckin/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



In Iceland, the leviathan you see in the picture above is called a "jeep." Here in the U.S., it would be called a massively tricked out F-350 Super Duty, or probably just "monster truck." The 6,000 members of Iceland's 4x4 club use them to explore the barely reachable sections of the island nation, trusting 4-foot-high studded tires and a bevy of custom modifications to get them back to civilization.

The problem is that Icelanders are having their own currency issues, with a free-fall even worse than the dollar's being just the start. When gas is almost $8 per gallon, that puts a fill-up somewhere around the $500 mark. And that puts a hurting on everything -- especially when you have to spend even more money getting your truck hauled out of the ice it just fell through. Not that any of this really stops them, because, well, there isn't much else to do in Iceland. So follow the link and check out the trucks in the slideshow. It's big-wheel badness.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

Hard times means some Icelanders can't keep on truckin' originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 May 2008 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>four wheel drivefour wheelerFourWheelDriveFourWheelericelandicelandicmonster truckmonster truck 4x4monster trucksMonsterTruckMonsterTruck4x4MonsterTrucksoff roadingOffRoadingSun, 04 May 2008 16:31:00 EST