Autoblog

Toyota mini doc chronicles Tundra towing Space Shuttle Endeavor

Zach Bowman — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Videos, Work, Toyota

Toyota has worked up a quick video detailing the brand's involvement in the transportation of the Space Shuttle Endeavour last year. As you may recollect, the California Science Center ran into a hitch when it came to moving Endeavour from LAX to its new home. While most of the route would be covered by a robotically controlled transporter, one portion of the route directed the shuttle over an interstate. Unfortunately, the bridge across wasn't designed to stand up to the weight of the shuttle and its motorized sled.

The Science Center would have to remove Endeavour from its transporter and place it on a lighter, non-motorized sled. That's where longtime Science Center sponsor Toyota came in. As it turns out, the automaker had to prove to the California Science Center that a Tundra could actually tow the massive shuttle, so engineers put on a little demonstration with a stock truck pulling the equivalent weight over flat ground for the same distance. Once the Science Center was satisfied that the Tundra could pull it off, the move was green lit and the rest is history. Check out the short documentary below for yourself.

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Watch a time-lapse video of the Space Shuttle Endeavour's final voyage

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Videos

Moving the Space Shuttle Endeavour from its temporary home at the Los Angeles International Airport to its final resting place at the California Science Center was anything but a simple task. Though the distance was but a mere 12 miles, the shuttle's 78-foot wingspan, 122-foot length and 57-foot height cause major clearance issues.

Plus, including its support mechanism, the Endeavour package weight in at 292,000 pounds, which meant almost 2,700 steel plates had to be affixed to the road surface to support the payload. And through one portion of its travel over the 405 Freeway, the shuttle was towed by a Toyota Tundra pickup truck.

All of these challenges made moving Endeavour a logistical nightmare, and it arrived several hours later than planned. But arrive it did, in one piece with no damage, and we're lucky that its move was followed by so many camera-wielding spectators that the Los Angeles Times was able to piece together an awe-inspiring time-lapse video. See for yourself below.

Continue reading Watch a time-lapse video of the Space Shuttle Endeavour's final voyage

Watch a time-lapse video of the Space Shuttle Endeavour's final voyage originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #304 LIVE!

Dan Roth — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:45:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, SEMA Show, Etc., Cadillac, Chrysler, Ford, Toyota, Ferrari

We record Episode #304 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.

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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #304 LIVE! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch a Toyota Tundra tow Space Shuttle Endeavour

Zach Bowman — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 12:08:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Toyota

There are publicity stunts, and then there's using a Toyota Tundra to tow the 145-ton Space Shuttle Endeavour across interstate 405 in Los Angeles. That's exactly what happened Saturday night when Toyota lent a hand pulling the retired spacecraft over a bridge en route to the California Science Center. As it turned out, the Manchester Boulevard Bridge couldn't stand up to the weight of both the shuttle and the traditional tow vehicle, which sent organizers searching for something a little lighter to cover the five-minute drive across the bridge. As a 20-year sponsor of the science center, Toyota stepped in to help out.

The company developed a special tow dolly with Sarens Group, an engineering and heavy-lifting firm, just for the effort. A bone-stock 2012 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4x4 did the deed, though something tells us this little stunt greatly exceeded the machine's tow rating. You can check out a video of the pull for yourself as well as the full press release below.

Continue reading Watch a Toyota Tundra tow Space Shuttle Endeavour

Watch a Toyota Tundra tow Space Shuttle Endeavour originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 12:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford compares 2013 Fusion EcoBoost engine to space shuttle

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Technology, Ford

The 2013 Ford Fusion hasn't even gone on sale yet and it's made a bunch of connections: an appointment with NASCAR's Sprint Cup, star of its own music video, and a date with Ryan Seacrest. Now Ford has paired it with the Space Shuttle, but not for nothing: the MAR M246 nickel-cobalt-tungsten superalloy used for the turbochargers of the new Fusion is the same compound used in the high-pressure turbo pumps of the Space Shuttle's main engines.

Sure, the Fusion is still in a different league when it comes to certain comparators, like its 237 horsepower versus the Shuttle's 19.5 million. But does claim a few crowns, such as its 190,000 rpm maximum vs. the Shuttle's 28,120 (we're assuming Ford means the speed its turbocharger spins), and the Fusion gets much better gas mileage.

Both the full infographic and the press release can be seen below below, or you can click on the image above to see it in full size.

Continue reading Ford compares 2013 Fusion EcoBoost engine to space shuttle

Ford compares 2013 Fusion EcoBoost engine to space shuttle originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aprilia tribute video compares RSV4 with... a space shuttle

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:27:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Motorcycle

Aprilia pays tribute to the space shuttle program - Click above to watch the video after the break

It's the end of an era, folks. The first space shuttle mission left the earth way back in 1981, and ever since the giant white-and-black spaceships have been shuffling astronauts, their gear and other important space-age bits and pieces past the outer reaches of our atmosphere.

Soon, the program will be shut down for good. Which means it's time for the human race to stand up and recognize that we owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who designed, built and operated the space shuttle program for the last several decades.

Aprilia wants to join in the celebrations with a tribute of its own, and has done so with a video extolling the virtues of both the space shuttle and its own masterpiece, the RSV4. If you're thinking that these two vehicles share next to nothing in common... well, you're right. But it's still a worthwhile tribute to a bygone era.

Oh, and when you watch the video after the break, pay close attention to the 0 to 60 times of each machine.

Continue reading Aprilia tribute video compares RSV4 with... a space shuttle

Aprilia tribute video compares RSV4 with... a space shuttle originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Top Gear takes a Reliant Robin to the heavens... and back

John Neff — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:50:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Videos

If you missed the most recent episode of Top Gear (download it here via bittorrent), we feel obliged to bring you this clip of what was by far the show's highlight. As if the Clarkson, Mays and Hammond haven't learned already that disaster lurks around every corner, they thought it would be a smashing idea to build a space shuttle out of a Reliant Robin. The goal would be to send the craft up into the heavens and have it guide back down to earth safely via remote control. That's right, they did learn one lesson from Richard Hammond's near death experience and decided to hide the humans safely within bunkers.

The contraption certainly looks the part, but we expected the thing to blow up Mythbusters style when the launch sequence reached 00:00:00. We'll let you watch for yourselves what happens and how the story concludes in the video after the jump, but we're pretty certain that with the show's track record that you can guess the outcome. Skip to about 2:29 left in the video to see the launch if you don't care about the build up.

[Source: Engadget]

Continue reading VIDEO: Top Gear takes a Reliant Robin to the heavens... and back

VIDEO: Top Gear takes a Reliant Robin to the heavens... and back originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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