Chrysler restarts engineering program at Kettering University originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ferrari crowns winners in World Design Contest

Ferrari crowns winners in World Design Contest originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport: First Drive

Bugatti looking for a student intern to drive Veyrons, fetch dry cleaning originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Modena university names engineering faculty after Enzo Ferrari

Modena university names engineering faculty after Enzo Ferrari originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Chanel Fiole Concept

Coco's Ride: What if Chanel designed automobiles? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

More common sense - Cellphones make you a bad driver originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The real reason for traffic jams: us! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Faced with a bucket full of potatoes, cashew shells, hemp, rapeseed oil, wheat, and sugar beet, most of us would try and find some pigs to feed. If your name were Ben Wood, however, you'd snag that bucket, shells and all, add 20,000 British pounds sterling and make a car called the Eco One Speedster.

Designed by a researcher at Warwick University's Manufacturing Group, the department that works with industry, the car took Wood two months to build. The tires are partly made with potato starch, which creates less friction on the road. The brake pads are made from cashew shells blended into a resin, which means brake dust that doesn't hurt the environment. The body is fashioned from hemp and rapeseed oil. It's powered by a Triumph Daytona engine, which was not made from fruits or legumes, but steel. Yet that engine runs on fermented wheat and sugar beet, and still gets to 60 in under 4 and is good all the way up to 150 mph.

The car is 95% biodegradable or recyclable, that last 5% comprising things like its steering wheel, seat and electrics. It is nearly the ultimate expression of what can be done with food -- and we say "nearly" because it still has some plastic components that Ben says could be made from organic items. Ultimately, the aim is to race the car and convert many of its applications to motorsport. In the mean time, for those of you England-way, the car will be on show at the National Science Museum in London from August 28-30.

[Source: Daily Mail]

Seen a salad do 150 mph? Check out the Eco One originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There is certainly no shortage of extraordinary stories about Ferraris being dug out of somebody's barn after decades of neglect, but few are quite as intriguing as this one. As a student at the University of Alabama in 1966, Darrell Westfaul bought a competition 1950 Ferrari for $1,500 which he drove during his senior year. He planned to restore the car after graduation, but plans changed and the car was relegated to moving from garage to warehouse to garage for forty years.

Now 63 years old, the owner took the car out of storage and donated it to the university where he enjoyed it four decades earlier. The university sold the car for upwards of $1 million under an arrangement that will provide Mr. and Mrs. Westfaul with dividends on which to live for the remainder of their lives, after which the interest from the capital will go towards a scholarship fund.

Sounds extraordinary? That's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Well researched and documented by the owner, the 1950 Ferrari 166MM Touring Barchetta turns out to be far more than an "ordinary" Ferrari, imbued as it is with an extensive race history and pedigree. Already one of the earliest Ferrari models, s/n 0046MM, originally owned by famed designer Nuccio Bertone, was made even more special by the fitting of custom bodywork by Zagato in 1953, after having competed four times in the famous Mille Miglia race in 1950, '51, '52 and '53.

The car was sold to a museum in Arizona, whose owner will put in an additional $300,000 to properly restore the car to original condition.

[Source: University of Alabama via Tuscaloosa News and Alabama Press-Register]

Old School: Alabama grad donates million-dollar Ferrari originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jam Session: Automotive Orchestra originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Paris isn't the only auto show in early October. The students of Northwood University are preparing for their 43rd annual International Auto Show, to take place at the Midland, Michigan campus October 6-8.

The college show is one of the largest outdoor shows in the US, and entrance is free of charge and open to the public. The entire event is planned and executed by over 600 students led by a 13-member team and attracts approximately 40,000 visitors each year. And it's not just the Big Three exhibiting their standard models, either. This year, participating manufacturers include Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Bentley and Maybach, to name just a few.

A grassroots car show in the quad is a welcome and refreshing break from the glitz and glamour of the "major" shows. Makes us wish our colleges had car shows instead of poster sales and intramural lacrosse games.

Follow the link to the university's website for more information. We're sure anyone who has attended the NUIAS has good things to say about the students' efforts.

(Thanks for the tip, Ben!)

Cars on Campus: Northwood University International Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Oct 2006 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.