Category: Auto Industry

Official: Royal Mail celebrates British Auto Legends with special stamp collection

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Government/Legal, UK

Lotus Esprit stamp from the Royal Mail

We love cars because they’re fast and exciting. The postal service, not so much. But at least the mail is reliable, which is a lot more than you could say for most classic British cars, like the ones which the Royal Mail in Great Britain is celebrating with this special philatelic collection.

Launched this year on the occasion of Aston Martin’s centenary and the 150th birthday of Sir Henry Royce, the British Auto Legends stamp collection includes the 1961 Jaguar E-Type, 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, 1963 Aston Martin DB5, 1968 Morgan Plus 8, 1976 Lotus Esprit and 1962 MG MGB as part of the six-stamp Thoroughbreds set. Another four-stamp Workhorses mini sheet features the Morris Minor Van, Austin FX4 black cab, Ford Anglia 105E and Land Rover Defender 110.

Rather than create them from stock images, the Royal Mail commissioned veteran automotive photographer Andrew Mann (since our own Drew Phillips was busy) to capture pristine examples of the cars selected. And like all special stamps issued by the Royal Mail, Queen Elizabeth II approved the final designs herself, and apparently didn’t object to the absence of her own Daimler and Bentley (or any Daimler or Bentley, for that matter) from the collection. The stamps are available to the estimated 2.5 million stamp collectors in the UK by phone, online or at any of the 10,000 post offices across the UK.

Royal Mail celebrates British Auto Legends with special stamp collection originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Diesel Power finds the ultimate modified oil-burner

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Videos, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Diesel, Off-Road

For nine years, Diesel Power magazine has run the Diesel Power Challenge, this year’s grindfest being “a week-long torture test that features seven events, nine trucks, 8,000 horsepower, and nearly 15,000 pound-feet of torque.” The road to being crowned “the most powerful truck” starts with a dyno run, and then continues through the completion of a CDL-style obstacle course, an eighth-of-a-mile drag race while towing a 10,000-pound trailer, a quarter-mile drag race without a trailer, a fuel economy test in the mountains and finally a sled-pulling test through a 300-foot-long packed-mud pit.

What kind of trucks get into such a fight? Last year’s winner, for instance – who upgraded his truck this year to prove he didn’t “luck into the win” – drives a 2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty with a 6.4-liter Power Stroke V8 upgraded with a custom intake, Elite Diesel triple turbos and a two-stage nitrous system. Another competitor has a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 powered by a 5.9-liter Cummins inline-six, upgraded with Garrett turbos, dual-stage nitrous, a seven-inch exhaust stack and twin fans built into the bed to cool the Sun Coast Omega transmission. The numbers on that truck: 1,255 horsepower, and 2,063 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. Naturally, as the image above might suggest, things don’t always end well.

You’ll find all five videos covering this years challenge below. A scene in the dyno video sums it all up perfectly: a competitor leaves his nitrous on too long and the crew is treated to some ominous poppings, he leans out the window, throws both hands up and shouts, “Amer’ca!“

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Diesel Power finds the ultimate modified oil-burner originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: Introducing the 1965 Ford Mustang

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Etc., Ford

Put on your space suits and diving bell helmets, for it’s time to step into a time capsule. The 50th anniversary of a historic model, like, say, the Porsche 911 this year, is certain to bring flights of nostalgia. This historical trip with the 1965 Mustang, though – preliminary hype for next year’s anniversary, we know – is a swell museum exhibit for anyone who enjoys bygone days of the automobile.

Lee Iaccoca gave a speech to motoring journalists on April 1, 1964 at the New York World’s Fair to introduce a sporty car for younger drivers. His opening line: “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to one of the proudest moments of our lives.” The company was so excited by what it had made that the Mustang was Ford’s first “International Press Introduction,” being introduced to some 2,000 journos around the world on the same day in the US and 11 European cities. Even through its difficult points, no one at the time could have known how well the Mustang would acquit that pride.

After the intro, the press drove Mustangs 750 miles from New York to Dearborn, MI, reading press kits that touted features like the “vertical, three-sectional taillights/turn signals,” “170” six-cylinder engine with 101 horsepower and the available Cruise-O-Matic transmission.

Ford has put Iaccoca’s “remarks” from the “Mustang National News Conference” and the original press kit online, so grab a fountain soda and enjoy.

Introducing the 1965 Ford Mustang originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: The fireproof history of Sparco Motorsports

Filed under: Motorsports, Safety, Videos

A blue patch with white embroidered letters that spell out “sparco,” all in lower case – you’ve seen it so often you ignore it, it’s such a common site on drivers’ suits and racing seats. But there’s so much about Sparco that probably few know – us included.

The 35-year-old Italian firm was started by two rally drivers after the FIA mandated fireproof clothing for racers to combat a spate of injuries and deaths due to fires. One of the founders just happened to be the son of an Italian businessman who made equipment for fire departments and knew all about Nomex. Voila, the marriage of “safety and Italian design” was commenced.

Sparco does more than make suits and own-brand seats, though. The “largest manufacturer of safety equipment in the world,” the company produces seats and seat forms for manufacturers like Aston Martin and Ferrari, and it makes carbon parts for Bugatti and Lamborghini. You can get the rest of the story by watching the video below.

The fireproof history of Sparco Motorsports originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: Russian motorcycle gets wood-power conversion

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Motorcycle, Humor, Russia

Ural Motorcycle on wood gas

Occasionally, we come across a technology that has just kind of been forgotten about. Take this Ural motorcycle. It runs on a substance called wood gas, which is the byproduct of incomplete combustion of carbon products like wood, hence it’s name. The fuel goes through a process called gasification in a wood-gas generator to produce combustible hydrogen and carbon monoxide. So basically, you’re burning wood to produce fuel.

This Ural has had a rudimentary wood-gas generator fitted, while an a number of other low-tech, scrounged items make up the rest of the side-car-mounted system. According to The Knee Slider, the top speed of the bike is a mere 80 kilometers per hour (about 50 miles per hour), while the fuel it runs on is quite bulky. Still, if you run low, just pack an axe and hope you run out of gas somewhere that’s wooded.

Wood-gas-powered vehicles might be uncommon today, but they were a normal means of transport in the past. Vehicles in Germany, Sweden, France, Denmark, Switzerland and Finland were converted to run on wood gas during World War II due to fuel rationing, while wood-gas is still used in rural parts of the world today. Take a look at the wood-gas Ural in the gallery provided by English Russia.

Russian motorcycle gets wood-power conversion originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Detroit Electric SP:01 production plans delayed again

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Electric

Detroit Electric SP:01 delayed again.

The revival of Detroit Electric and the imminent arrival of its first vehicle, the SP:01 sports car, have us hooked, not because the EV is the most innovative design around (based on the Lotus Exige, it’s strikingly similar to Tesla’s discontinued Lotus-based Roadster), but because it promises to be yet another American-built high-performance EV with some unique twists. We like the fact that customers can opt for a four- or five-speed manual transmission (particularly unusual in an EV), or use the car to power a building in the case of a power outage. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a bit longer before the SP:01 hits the road, because Detroit Electric has yet to finalize a lease or purchase agreement of its chosen production facility in Plymouth, Michigan, The Detroit News reports.

Detroit Electric has been trying to hammer out an agreement, but the negotiations for the Plymouth facility are producing enough uncertainty that Detroit Electric’s North American President Don Graundstadt says the automaker-to-be is negotiating with other parties.

Previous plans for SP:01 production called for its manufacture to begin by this month, but plans change, and production will be pushed back. There is no mention of when the electric sports car will become a 2,500-unit-per-year reality, but rather ominously, The Detroit News notes that “the immediate fate of the automaker should be known in the next couple of weeks.”

Detroit Electric SP:01 production plans delayed again originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Kia Soul to get quasi-SUV look for Europe [w/poll]

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Crossover, Kia, Design/Style

European 2014 Kia Soul will come standard with a SUV Styling pack that won't be available in the US.

The 2014 Soul is bigger and more refined, and Kia says its look has been inspired in part by the Track’ster concept. Interestingly, European buyers will get the option of a different look than what we’ll see in our showrooms. They’ll be able to specify the SUV Styling Pack seen here, which includes matte-black cladding on the front and rear fascias, along with what Kia refers to as piano-black trim on the wheel wells and side skirts. The roof is available painted black, white or red. With all of that black trim and slightly tougher look, the styling reminds us of the Fiat 500L Trekking, a model the Soul will compete directly against.

European markets also have the ability to spec their Souls like our North American version, which substitutes body-color trim for most of the black pieces. Currently, there are no plans to bring the SUV Styling Pack to the US. But that doesn’t mean we’ll never be able to buy this butch-look Soul on our side of the Atlantic. Company spokesperson James Hope confirms to Autoblog, “[Kia] has no plans to offer something similar to the EU-spec Soul at this time. However, we are always monitoring the market and if we saw an opportunity we would certainly look into it.”

Feel free to peruse the press release below for more details on the Euro-spec Soul – which is slated to debut at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show – and then let Kia know if they should bring the SUV Styling Pack here by participating in our poll below.

View Poll

Continue reading 2014 Kia Soul to get quasi-SUV look for Europe [w/poll]

2014 Kia Soul to get quasi-SUV look for Europe [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Like sands through the hourglass, so is the 2014 Lexus GX

Filed under: SUV, Lexus, Luxury, Off-Road

2014 Lexus GX 460 - front three-quarter view

Well, that didn’t take long. Just days after patent images leaked, Lexus has released pricing and images for its redesigned 2014 GX 460. Our first reaction is… wow, look at the front end on that! The updated luxury SUV features what Lexus calls “a new interpretation” of its now-trademark Spindle grille. The oversized hourglass shape is certainly unique, and whether for good or bad, it’s sure to make the GX stand out.

The redesigned GX is set to hit dealerships in September and it starts at $49,085 – nearly $5,000 less than the 2013 model. Along with the new grille, it comes with standard LED headlights and daytime running lights. Inside, the GX boasts a new eight-inch touchscreen display with backup monitor, HD radio with complimentary weather and traffic data, Bluetooth and a vehicle information display. New espresso wood with black trim is also available for 2014.

Of course, the Luxury model, which starts at $60,715, adds even more frills, including navigation, a new Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert, adaptive air suspension and Intuitive Parking Assist. Some of these features are also available on the base model with the addition of the new Premium Package, which Lexus touts “will be at the same price as the base 2013 model year GX 460.”

With all the luxurious appointments, it might be easy to overlook that the GX is a bona fide trail runner, but let’s not forget that it also comes with a 4.6-liter V8 engine and standard full-time four-wheel drive, including a low range for off-roading. The powertrain appears to be carryover, with Lexus quoting the same 301 horsepower as last year’s model, as well as the same six-speed automatic gearbox. As before, the GX is equipped with Lexus’ so-called Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System to enhance handling both both on- and off-road, and for 2014, trailer sway control is a new addition. See the press release from Lexus below for the full details, and let us know what you think of that hourglass grille and the rest of the updates in Comments.

Continue reading Like sands through the hourglass, so is the 2014 Lexus GX

Like sands through the hourglass, so is the 2014 Lexus GX originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read This: 72-year-old mailman has America’s longest route

Filed under: Truck, Etc., Government/Legal, Read This

Mailbox

Bloomberg has an interesting read from Oklahoma, following the story of Jim Ed Bull, a postal worker with the longest route in the country – a staggering 187.6 miles. For reference, that’s like driving from the far northern side of Detroit to the far eastern side of Cleveland every day just to deliver the mail. Bull does this five times per week.

And while the story might not be hugely focused on cars, aside from Bull’s Ford Ranger and his ability to drive entirely with the left side of his body while working mailboxes with his right hand, it’s quite an interesting story in and of itself.

Head over to Bloomberg for the full read on what keeps this Sooner going.

72-year-old mailman has America’s longest route originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Are birds really aware of speed limits on roads?

Filed under: Etc.

Birds fly across a road on a blustery fall day in Akron, N.Y., Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

A pair of French-Canadian scientists are claiming that birds understand speed limits. As ludicrous as it sounds, it begins to make sense once you dive a bit deeper into it. See, the two professors, one from the University of Quebec at Rimouski and one from McGill University in Montreal, began studying birds in France back in 2006.

The two noticed that based on the speed limit of the road they were traveling on, the birds took off at differing distances. For example, on a 50-kilometer-per-hour road, birds took off later than on a 110-kph road. This happened independently of a vehicle’s actual speed. There was also a differentiation based on whether it was spring or fall. The birds took off later in the spring, but earlier in the fall.

New Scientist reports that the researchers’ conclusions are based on cars as a sort of predator. Birds know where the predators are at, and as higher speeds generally make for a more danger, our winged friends learn what places are more dangerous. As for the seasonal change, the scientists argued that birds in the spring are both more active, while younger birds are just starting to leave the nest and are still learning about the dangers of cars. In the fall, this isn’t the case.

Head over to New Scientist for a full look. It’s an interesting read on how our cars change the world around us in not so visible ways.

Are birds really aware of speed limits on roads? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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