Autoblog

Terrifying V8 Supercar crash on the grid at Barbagallo

Aaron Richardson — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:05:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Videos, Holden, Australia, Racing

Karl Reindler's crash at Barbagallo - Click above to view video after the jump

Today's round of the Australian V8 Supercar series at Barbagallo didn't even get to the first corner before a massive accident brought out the caution. When the green flag waved, driver Karl Reindler stalled his Holden Commodore and was rammed from behind by Steve Owen. Owen had already accelerated to almost 95 mph by the time he came into contact with Reindler.

The enormous impact was enough to make Reindler's Holden explode into flames, and sent both parties spinning into the infield. Luckily, Reindler was able to find his own way out of his stricken Holden, and somehow escaped with only minor burns to his hands and face. Owen was unharmed in the wreck, though officials sent him to the infield medical center after he complained of soreness. After a 95-0 impact, we'd say that much is expected. Hop over the jump to see the video for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Anthony Mark!

[Source: YouTube]

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Terrifying V8 Supercar crash on the grid at Barbagallo originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 May 2011 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jet-powered record-breaker seeks petite woman

Noah Joseph — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Marketing/Advertising

Single-engine jet-powered dragster seeking female companion for thrilling adventure across salt flats. Petite build. Background in motorsports or aviation. With sponsors. Interested parties please contact Eric Ahlstrom (eahlstrom@pyramid.net), program manager, Steve Fossett World Land Speed Racing Team.

It's not exactly the kind of personal add you'd normally find in your local newspaper, but those are the criteria required by a team mounting the latest attempt at the land speed record. The 48-foot-long land-bound jet is powered by a 40,000-hp S&S LM-1500 turbine mounted in a sleek, aerodynamic body that is claimed to have less than a quarter the drag coefficient of the Trust SSC, the - ahem - "vehicle", if you could call it that, which currently holds the record.

Unfortunately, the design of the jetmobile necessitated a tiny cockpit, so they need a tiny driver to operate the thing. The pilot will be involved in each step along the road to the record attempt, including feedback on developmental runs and system tests slated for the next couple of months before they finally make a run at the record. Anyone have Danica Patrick's number? Oh wait, we do!

[Source: Inside Line]

Jet-powered record-breaker seeks petite woman originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Datsun history 101 - The Woz and Black Gold

Dan Roth — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:04:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Videos, Nissan

Awesome. Yeah, that's a good word to describe the Datsun 280ZX. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was busy in 1982 when he made this commercial for the Z car. Not only did he have time to organize the US Festival, he was shilling cars, too. Then there was that other thing he did, involving microprocessors, but that was in flux waiting on the flop of Steve Jobs' Lisa. That wasn't so awesome. The Datsun 280ZX, on the other hand, has gone on to earn vaunted status as a classic performance car from an era when it was still common to see Volaré wagons with the fake-wood vinyl applique everywhere you went.

YouTube strikes again, with these chestnuts from the past. Dig the Chyron text, total-cheese voiceover, and we'd totally forgotten about the "We Are Driven" tagline and text move. The other spot after the jump is the one we'd pick. Nevermind the achingly terrible pseudo-Shaft disco soundtrack and the risqué undertones that aren't very cleverly hinted at, that Z looks amazing in black and gold, kind of a spin on the "Bandit" Trans Ams without the screaming hood art.

Thanks for the tip, k0an!

[Source: Macenstein]

VIDEO: Datsun history 101 - The Woz and Black Gold originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pitt Bullitt: classic McQueen remake to begin production

Noah Joseph — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:31:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

UPDATE: Don't fret all you Steve McQueen fans. After reading our post, Ford got in touch Brad Pitt's management, who don't know anything about the remake or Pitt's involvement. The credibility of this rumor's source, Monsters and Critics, was also called into question. Still, with all the positive buzz GM has earned for its involvement with Transformers, you'd think Ford would be all over a remake the stars Brad Pitt next to a recently released Bullitt Mustang.

Not unlike the retro styling and resurrection of old nameplates sweeping the car industry, some film critics bemoan the lack of originality inherent in the Hollywood trend of remaking old films, while others relish the opportunity to refresh classics for younger generations. One way or another, the latest Hollywood announcement has us frothing at the mouth, as the green-light has been given to start production on a remake of the most iconic of gearhead films of all time: the Steve McQueen classic "Bullitt".

Endeavoring to fill the legendary McQueen's pedals will be none other than Brad Pitt, who will take on the role of Lt. Frank Bullitt of the San Francisco Police Department, hunting down the hitman who killed his fellow officers. Pitt's co-stars have not yet been announced, but with the anticipated launch of the new Bullitt Mustang, the smart product-placement money would be on its inclusion in the new movie along with the Dodge Charger R/T, the two cars that made the famous race scene in the original.

This should be interesting.

[Source: Monsters and Critics via Mustangblog]

Pitt Bullitt: classic McQueen remake to begin production originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs hearts Autoblog

John Neff — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 16:51:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology

click image to enlarge a bit

We try not to be a toot-our-own-horn kind of blog, but a few of us are just way too into Macs to let this one slide by. While watching the keynote given by Steve Jobs on the progress of OSX 10.5 Leopard in August (you can watch the video here), reader Dewey K. noticed during the demo of Apple's Mail program that two emails from Autoblog were in Steve Jobs' inbox. The emails have subjects that match the titles of a pair of older posts. The first is "In Britain, a different rally championship -- for slot cars!" and the second, not surprisingly, is "Apple's iPod looks to dominate the dashboard". ~~We don't remember sending the Apple CEO any emails~~ A smart commenter realized that Autoblog's RSS feed was probably being pumpted into Jobs' Apple Mail program, which will be a new feature of OSX 10.5.

We know his Steve-ness is into cars, as a full 70 percent of all 2007 models will natively accept tuneage from his family of iPods. We also know that he's a big fan of Mercedes-Benz and that the state of California allows him to drive without a license plate because he's had so many stolen (he instead has a small bar code where the plate should be).

Really, we're a little miffed at our boys from Engadget who were in like the second row and didn't catch this. We forgive, though. Hey Steve, we heart you, too.

Steve Jobs hearts Autoblog originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Sep 2006 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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