Autoblog

McLaren MP4-12C flies through Utah backcountry with camera in tow

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:59:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Luxury, McLaren

We have to thank the boys and girls from Car and Driver for this video. According to the description on YouTube, this footage was filmed somewhere in Utah, and after watching all 28 minutes we're thankful that there's nothing getting in the way of the beautiful landscape, awe-inspiring sunset and aural pleasure of the supercar. And we're also thankful for the demonstration of the McLaren MP4-12C and its active aerodynamics...

As you're surely aware, there's seemingly no end to well-shot automotive video on the Internet, with affable hosts, intriguing camera angles and even stunning special effects. But there seems to be a distinct lack of good, clean raw footage such as what was captured by Car and Driver in the video you'll see below, which makes us sad. Help cheer us all up by scrolling down below and reveling in the high-definition beauty that unfolds.

Continue reading McLaren MP4-12C flies through Utah backcountry with camera in tow

McLaren MP4-12C flies through Utah backcountry with camera in tow originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This 192-wheel vehicle is carrying nuclear waste to Utah right now

George Kennedy — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Safety, Technology, Videos, Work, Specialty

In light of Japan's Fukushima disaster, the future of nuclear power is a topic of debate whenever alternative power sources are discussed. Whether you are for nuclear power or against it, one legacy of this technology will be the great lengths that governments and power companies must go to dispose of the spent fuel and other byproducts.

The San Onofre nuclear power station replaced its steam generator several years ago, but only now is it able to move the old generator to a secure disposal facility. The generator must be moved in four parts. Each section is roughly 50-feet long and 15 feet in diameter and requires a transportation method of epic proportions. The trailer specifically constructed for this move is 400-feet long, nearly 17-feet high and it will take three weeks to make the 830-mile trip from San Onofre to its Utah disposal site.

For safety and security reasons, the route for the trips are undisclosed, though the first leg snakes its way through San Bernadino and Riverside counties. The generator parts will travel at night for minimal traffic, accompanied by California Highway Patrol.

The whole rig weighs in at 700,000 pounds and can only travel at a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour. Though the generator is irradiated, standing next to the rig for an hour will only expose you to the same amount of radiation as a dentist's x-ray.

An official from Southern California Edison says this special package could be the largest load ever to be moved such a distance distance. As our nation's nuclear powerplants age, motorists may see more impressive sights like this in the coming year. In case you don't find one on your nightly commute, check out the video below.

Continue reading This 192-wheel vehicle is carrying nuclear waste to Utah right now

This 192-wheel vehicle is carrying nuclear waste to Utah right now originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Depth of Speed does track time in a classic Skyline with JDM Legends

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 12 May 2012 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Videos, Nissan

Depth of Speed is Josh Clason's video series that cosses the country looking for cool automotive stories to tell. He found another one in Utah at JDM Legends. They let Clason take one of their vintage Skyline GT-R projects out on track for some sunset lens time, and the result is nothing less than you'd expect from Clason.

On a side note, while the current Nissan GT-R is totally awesome, we wish it had a bit more of this car's cool vibe. Follow the jump for the video.

Continue reading Depth of Speed does track time in a classic Skyline with JDM Legends

Depth of Speed does track time in a classic Skyline with JDM Legends originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 May 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why are snowy roads like these never closed?

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos

Another winter naturally means more videos of snowy carnage, as Mother Nature teams up with an inclined road to befuddle even those drivers who are used to such conditions. This time the location is Bountiful, Utah on January 21, where a slick bit of downhill becomes an automotive Slip-n-Slide.

The video after the jump gets off to a slow start, but about a minute or so in, things start going really wrong. By the end, we can only wonder why drivers at the top of the hill noting the demolition derby at the bottom still decide to take their chances. We also wonder why the road wasn't, oh, closed - either by police or a good samaritan. Follow the jump to see the ballet of carnage for yourself.

Continue reading Why are snowy roads like these never closed?

Why are snowy roads like these never closed? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snowboards + ATV + salt + dash of crazy = saltboarding

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Motorcycle

Ah, the Bonneville Salt flats. One of the last true bastions of speed left in America, where men and women take cars, trucks, motorcycles and just about anything else with wheels to the very limits of man and machine's capabilities.

Of course, there's no rule that the salt flats are to be used only for wheeled objects. As demonstrated in the video after the break, it's quite possible to hit the salt using something a bit more... simple. Like, say, a snowboard. Or, in this case, a saltboard.

True, snowboards usually see use on the snow, as their name implies. And while salt is more often used to melt said snow, in this case, it acts more like heavy grit sandpaper. We bet it hurts a bit worse than snow if you happen to fall. And fall they do. Here's hoping they managed to keep salt out of their wounds... but we doubt it.

It's worth mentioning that this is the same group of crazys that took adult-size trikes up to speeds of 55 miles per hour down a massive hill. Apparently, utter disregard for life and limb appears to be a prerequisite to make an appearance in one of Devin Graham's videos. Check out the group's saltboarding heroics after the break.

Continue reading Snowboards + ATV + salt + dash of crazy = saltboarding

Snowboards + ATV + salt + dash of crazy = saltboarding originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Depth of Speed shows us how a first-year car show comes together

Jeff Glucker — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:03:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos

When a group of Salt Lake City auto enthusiasts decided they wanted to celebrate their love of European automobiles, Josh Clason brought along his Depth of Speed cameras to find out what it's like starting up a new car show from scratch. The resulting footage combines Clason's sharp visual style, great accompanying music, and good looking machines.

A Car Show Born tells the story of Jordan Melville and his friends bringing their car-show vision to life. We only wish we could have been there to dissuade them from calling it the Euro SL,UT Fest. A nice cross-section of Euro metal showed up to be captured by Clason's cameras, so click past the jump to watch the video.

Continue reading Depth of Speed shows us how a first-year car show comes together

Depth of Speed shows us how a first-year car show comes together originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CNN: Federal appeals court proclaims memorial crosses on highways unconstitutional

Zach Bowman — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

A federal appeals court has ruled that crosses set up alongside public roads in Utah to honor fallen state troopers are unconstitutional. The Utah Highway Patrol Association began erecting the privately-owned crosses over a decade ago, each with the trooper's name, badge number and the state seal. Despite not being owned by the state itself, the crosses reside on public land where drivers have no choice but to see them. That, combined with the state insignia was enough for the court to decide that the crosses had to go.

Texas-based American Atheists originally sued to have the nonprofit program discontinued and won, though the crosses were allowed to remain standing as the case went through the appeals process. Meanwhile, the UHPA argued that its message wasn't necessarily a religious one. The court sided with the American Atheists, saying that the size of the crosses and their location didn't gel with the government's need to remain neutral on religion.

[Source: CNN | Image: Pay No Mind CC 2.0]

CNN: Federal appeals court proclaims memorial crosses on highways unconstitutional originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is the Utah legislature moving to ban all aftermarket exhausts?

Michael Harley — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

According the SEMA Action Network, a bill has been introduced in Utah that will "ban the use of aftermarket exhaust systems." The organization is urging people to contact Utah Senators immediately to protest the substitute bill (S.B. 106), introduced by Senator Patricia Jones, for the following reasons:

S.B. 106 ignores the fact that aftermarket exhaust systems are designed to make vehicles run more efficiently without increasing emissions.
S.B. 106 does not supply law enforcement with a clear standard to enforce, allowing them to make subjective judgments on whether or not a modified exhaust system is in violation.
S.B. 106 fails to recognize that aftermarket exhaust systems offer increased performance, which can make a vehicle safer by improving its ability to merge, pass, travel uphill, etc.
S.B. 106 would make it difficult for hobbyists to replace factory exhaust systems with more durable, better performing options.

We took a closer look at the four-page bill, and didn't find anything overly alarming to our enthusiast-tuned eyes. Aside from the typical bureaucratic jargon, we read the bill as providing definitions about excessive noise standards and a clarification about aftermarket devices. Furthermore, the bill specifically says "...an air pollution control device may be substituted for the manufacturer's original device if the substituted device is at least as effective in the reduction of emissions from the vehicle motor as the air pollution control device furnished by the manufacturer..." So we're failing to see the issue? Posit your own theories and thoughts in the comments below.

[Source: SEMA Action Network]

Is the Utah legislature moving to ban all aftermarket exhausts? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Utah DoT admits higher speed limits has worked out to less speeding

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal

When the Utah DOT raised the speed limit on two pieces of I-15 from 75 mph to 80 mph, it discovered that driving habits didn't change. When the limit was 75 mph, the Utah DoT found that drivers were going between 81 and 85 mph. And now that the maximum limit is 80 mph, it has found that drivers are going between 83 and 85 mph.

You can look at that as less speeding, as the UDoT has, or simply the fact that people didn't automatically start going 10 mph over the limit, having found a speed that satisfies 85% of them. This shouldn't be that surprising - even when Montana had stretches of highway with unlimited speeds, it was only a few folks, mostly out-of-staters, that raced at max velocity. And most folks on unlimited sections of the Autobahn aren't even going 150 mph.

According to the Deseret News, a UDoT official said that accidents haven't increased, either, nor did they expect an increase in fender benders. What he said has increased, though, is speed differential, which we don't quite understand. Apparently, the difference between the fastest and slowest vehicles has widened. We can only imagine he was speaking of the 2 mph difference between the slightly higher lower average speed of 83 mph vs the 81 mph from before. Even though one Utah legislator wasn't happy about the increased limit, saying speed kills, the proof appears to be... well, not necessarily.

[Source: Deseret News | Image: Ken Lund via CC2.0]

REPORT: Utah DoT admits higher speed limits has worked out to less speeding originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Land Speed Record driver Barry Bryant dies in 200-mph crash at Bonneville

Noah Joseph — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Barry Brant, third from left, posing with members of the Bryant family in front of the car he was driving during crash

Anyone familiar with land speed trials knows all too well the dangers inherent in pursuing new record-breaking speeds, and today we're saddened to report on the death of one Barry Bryant of Anderson, California.

According to sources, Bryant lost control of his car on Sunday afternoon during Speed Week while passing the five-mile marker on the Bonneville salt flats at 200 miles per hour. The car - called the Tom Thumb Special VII and partially visible in the Bryant family photo above - rolled multiple times, leaving a quarter-mile of debris and emergency crews to cut away at the car to remove the injured driver. Bryant was rushed to the Intermountain Medical Center some 120 miles away in Salt Lake City, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries before arriving there. Our thoughts are with the Bryant family.

[Source: Salt Lake Tribune | BryantAuto.com]

Land Speed Record driver Barry Bryant dies in 200-mph crash at Bonneville originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More common sense - Cellphones make you a bad driver

Dan Roth — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, First Drives

In light of the "backwards-travelling wave" that researchers recently discovered as a cause of congestion, another study has pinpointed a possible major contributor. The University of Utah's Traffic Lab uncovered that drivers paying more attention to yapping on their phone - hands free or not - add to the suffering of us all. Talking while driving leads to drivers who take considerably longer to change lanes when following slow-moving vehicles, drive slower overall, and take longer to arrive at their destination.

Any benefits from slower speeds and more deliberate movements are mitigated by the distraction of a conversation. Thinking along the lines of chaos theory, even the small slowdowns created by poky drivers can grow into exponentially larger traffic problems quickly. Then, when we're all stuck in the stop and go, we call someone else and bitch about how bad the traffic is. Sounds like what they've really discovered in Utah is the fuel for a perpetual motion machine. Car stops, jaw continually flaps.

[Source: Reuters, Photo: hotrodscustomstuff.com]

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.

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