Category: Auto Industry

Video: Evo grabs Ford’s Fiesta R5 rally car by the scruff

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Hatchback, Ford, UK, Racing

Ford Fiesta R5 rally car

Evo and host Henry Catchpole were thinking of excuses reasons to borrow the bonkers Ford Fiesta R5 rally car for a day or two, when it struck them: the car is street legal. With access to the R5, some of the world’s most beautiful driving roads in the English Lake Country nearby, and a handy video crewing hanging around, the plan seemed to write itself.

Based on the resulting video, it was a good plan. Without spoiling the video for you – something we can’t really do in text as the best part is listening to the rally car run – Catchpole finds the Fiesta to be sublimely quick and massively satisfying. Even taking the car for a spin on a pseudo rally stage, after leaving the English countryside, does nothing but add to his assessment of the beastly little Ford. Scroll on below to see for yourself, and enjoy the ride.

Continue reading Evo grabs Ford’s Fiesta R5 rally car by the scruff

Evo grabs Ford’s Fiesta R5 rally car by the scruff originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Evo grabs Ford’s Fiesta R5 rally car by the scruff

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Hatchback, Ford, UK, Racing

Ford Fiesta R5 rally car

Evo and host Henry Catchpole were thinking of excuses reasons to borrow the bonkers Ford Fiesta R5 rally car for a day or two, when it struck them: the car is street legal. With access to the R5, some of the world’s most beautiful driving roads in the English Lake Country nearby, and a handy video crewing hanging around, the plan seemed to write itself.

Based on the resulting video, it was a good plan. Without spoiling the video for you – something we can’t really do in text as the best part is listening to the rally car run – Catchpole finds the Fiesta to be sublimely quick and massively satisfying. Even taking the car for a spin on a pseudo rally stage, after leaving the English countryside, does nothing but add to his assessment of the beastly little Ford. Scroll on below to see for yourself, and enjoy the ride.

Continue reading Evo grabs Ford’s Fiesta R5 rally car by the scruff

Evo grabs Ford’s Fiesta R5 rally car by the scruff originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Translogic gets inside look at Terrafugia Transition flying car

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Specialty

Terrafugia Transition flying car

It was only a month ago when Terrafugia took its Transition flying car (or driving plane, as CEO Carl Dietrich says) to the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for some exposure and its first public flight demonstration. We know the flight was a success, but Translogic was also there to get an inside look at the street-legal flying machine and capture it on video.

Dietrich says that the toughest part of building the Transition was to engineer a single solution to satisfy both Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations. But the resultant vehicle raises the level of safety of personal aircraft through the use of automotive safety features, is better for the environment than traditional airplanes and will make use of the network of 5,000-plus public-use airports, “our nation’s largest underutilized transportation resource,” Dietrich states.

Be sure to watch the video below to find out what the future holds for flying cars – including Terrafugia’s next flying car/driving plane project, the gas-electric hybrid TF-X.

Continue reading Translogic gets inside look at Terrafugia Transition flying car

Translogic gets inside look at Terrafugia Transition flying car originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Translogic gets inside look at Terrafugia Transition flying car

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Specialty

Terrafugia Transition flying car

It was only a month ago when Terrafugia took its Transition flying car (or driving plane, as CEO Carl Dietrich says) to the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for some exposure and its first public flight demonstration. We know the flight was a success, but Translogic was also there to get an inside look at the street-legal flying machine and capture it on video.

Dietrich says that the toughest part of building the Transition was to engineer a single solution to satisfy both Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations. But the resultant vehicle raises the level of safety of personal aircraft through the use of automotive safety features, is better for the environment than traditional airplanes and will make use of the network of 5,000-plus public-use airports, “our nation’s largest underutilized transportation resource,” Dietrich states.

Be sure to watch the video below to find out what the future holds for flying cars – including Terrafugia’s next flying car/driving plane project, the gas-electric hybrid TF-X.

Continue reading Translogic gets inside look at Terrafugia Transition flying car

Translogic gets inside look at Terrafugia Transition flying car originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5 to race in Australia’s V8 Supercars [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Videos, Holden, Toys/Games, Australia, Racing

Xbox One Racing Team Holden VF Commodore V8 Supercars

Microsoft is going to get into the world of racing. Okay, so the tech-giant is already kind of involved in motorsports, with its subsidiary studio, Turn 10, responsible for the phenomenon that is Forza Motorsport. Forza, which goes toe-to-toe with Sony’s Gran Turismo series, is preparing to release its fifth version in the main series, appropriately called Forza Motorsport 5.

In conjunction with promotions of the new game and the launch of the next-generation Xbox One console (due out on November 22), Microsoft has announced that Xbox Australia will team with Triple Eight Race Engineering to launch the Xbox One Racing Team at the 2013 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

Bathurst, which runs on the Mount Panorama Circuit, will be included in Forza 5 and is one of the most grueling events on the V8 Supercars calendar, covering 620 miles (1000 kilometers). Winning it is as important to V8 Supercar teams as winning the Daytona 500 or Monaco GP is to NASCAR and Formula One teams.

Leading the charge for Xbox One Racing will be a Holden VF Commodore, finished in the traditional Xbox green. Triple Eight Racing, which has won Bathurst five times since its initial win in 2006, handled the oily bits of the VF Commodore. With a 640-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8, the saloon racer can get to 62 miles per hour in 3.3 seconds and will run up to 185 mph. Have a look at the thing coming together in the video below.

Besides a top-flight car, the Xbox One Racing Team will have no shortage of talented drivers – Andy Priaulx and Mattias Ekström will be at the helm. Priaulx has competed in the World Touring Car Championship, German DTM and has ran the Bathurst 1000 three times. Ekström may be a Swede, but we feel like there’s some Finnish blood in him somewhere. He’s ran in DTM since 2001, as well as completing stints in the World Rally Championship and NASCAR. He’s also captured three titles in the Race of Champions, which saw him best the legendary Michael Schumacher.

Continue reading Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5 to race in Australia’s V8 Supercars [w/video]

Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5 to race in Australia’s V8 Supercars [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5 to race in Australia’s V8 Supercars [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Videos, Holden, Toys/Games, Australia, Racing

Xbox One Racing Team Holden VF Commodore V8 Supercars

Microsoft is going to get into the world of racing. Okay, so the tech-giant is already kind of involved in motorsports, with its subsidiary studio, Turn 10, responsible for the phenomenon that is Forza Motorsport. Forza, which goes toe-to-toe with Sony’s Gran Turismo series, is preparing to release its fifth version in the main series, appropriately called Forza Motorsport 5.

In conjunction with promotions of the new game and the launch of the next-generation Xbox One console (due out on November 22), Microsoft has announced that Xbox Australia will team with Triple Eight Race Engineering to launch the Xbox One Racing Team at the 2013 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

Bathurst, which runs on the Mount Panorama Circuit, will be included in Forza 5 and is one of the most grueling events on the V8 Supercars calendar, covering 620 miles (1000 kilometers). Winning it is as important to V8 Supercar teams as winning the Daytona 500 or Monaco GP is to NASCAR and Formula One teams.

Leading the charge for Xbox One Racing will be a Holden VF Commodore, finished in the traditional Xbox green. Triple Eight Racing, which has won Bathurst five times since its initial win in 2006, handled the oily bits of the VF Commodore. With a 640-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8, the saloon racer can get to 62 miles per hour in 3.3 seconds and will run up to 185 mph. Have a look at the thing coming together in the video below.

Besides a top-flight car, the Xbox One Racing Team will have no shortage of talented drivers – Andy Priaulx and Mattias Ekström will be at the helm. Priaulx has competed in the World Touring Car Championship, German DTM and has ran the Bathurst 1000 three times. Ekström may be a Swede, but we feel like there’s some Finnish blood in him somewhere. He’s ran in DTM since 2001, as well as completing stints in the World Rally Championship and NASCAR. He’s also captured three titles in the Race of Champions, which saw him best the legendary Michael Schumacher.

Continue reading Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5 to race in Australia’s V8 Supercars [w/video]

Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5 to race in Australia’s V8 Supercars [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: LA Auto Show growing to three press days?

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Etc., Safety, Technology

Los Angeles Auto Show logo

The 2013 Los Angeles International Auto Show is already shaping up to be a big deal, with at least nine world debuts from some of the biggest names in the industry. Now, Autoblog has intercepted a memo that’s going to be sent out to automakers this week explaining that LA will be even bigger this year because it is adding a third day of media festivities.

Called the Connected Car Expo, the additional day will focus on the industry’s burgeoning “connected car space.” Currently, Verizon, Sprint, OnStar and Qualcomm represent the big-name exhibitors, although we expect that list to add more than a few mainstream automakers.

The Connected Car Expo is scheduled for November 19, and will be the first official press day of the 2013 LA show. It should be noted that while the CCE will be held in the LA Convention Center, it’ll be limited to one hall and that the media – that’d be us – won’t have access to the main show floor that day. A whole day dedicated to the future of automobile technology sounds like a great idea to us, though, and we’re anxious to check it out firsthand.

LA Auto Show growing to three press days? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: LA Auto Show growing to three press days?

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Etc., Safety, Technology

Los Angeles Auto Show logo

The 2013 Los Angeles International Auto Show is already shaping up to be a big deal, with at least nine world debuts from some of the biggest names in the industry. Now, Autoblog has intercepted a memo that’s going to be sent out to automakers this week explaining that LA will be even bigger this year because it is adding a third day of media festivities.

Called the Connected Car Expo, the additional day will focus on the industry’s burgeoning “connected car space.” Currently, Verizon, Sprint, OnStar and Qualcomm represent the big-name exhibitors, although we expect that list to add more than a few mainstream automakers.

The Connected Car Expo is scheduled for November 19, and will be the first official press day of the 2013 LA show. It should be noted that while the CCE will be held in the LA Convention Center, it’ll be limited to one hall and that the media – that’d be us – won’t have access to the main show floor that day. A whole day dedicated to the future of automobile technology sounds like a great idea to us, though, and we’re anxious to check it out firsthand.

LA Auto Show growing to three press days? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Abarth marks 50 years of 595 with special edition Fiat 500

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Fiat

Abarth 595 50th Anniversary

Abarth presented its original 595 at the Turin Motor Show in 1963. It was the car that put the Scorpion marque on the map and propelled the original Fiat 500 into hot hatch territory. And to mark that occasion, Fiat’s performance brand is launching the special edition you see here.

Revealed here ahead of its public debut at next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Abarth 595 50th Anniversary Edition packs a 1.4-liter turbo four with 180 horsepower (20 more than the standard 500 Abarth) channeled through the Abarth Competizione gearbox to the front wheels. The Scorpion brand has also retuned the suspension, fitted 305-millimeter Brembo discs, 17-inch wheels and installed a variable back-pressure exhaust.

Billed as the most powerful 595 to date, the special edition is identifiable by its matte white paint, red racing stripes and retro logos. Step inside and you’ll find red leather buckets with white trim. Only 299 examples will be made, but don’t go looking for this in US showrooms, as the Abarth range and the Fiat 500 upon which it’s based is different in the two markets. Read more in the official press release below.

Continue reading Abarth marks 50 years of 595 with special edition Fiat 500

Abarth marks 50 years of 595 with special edition Fiat 500 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Abarth marks 50 years of 595 with special edition Fiat 500

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Fiat

Abarth 595 50th Anniversary

Abarth presented its original 595 at the Turin Motor Show in 1963. It was the car that put the Scorpion marque on the map and propelled the original Fiat 500 into hot hatch territory. And to mark that occasion, Fiat’s performance brand is launching the special edition you see here.

Revealed here ahead of its public debut at next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Abarth 595 50th Anniversary Edition packs a 1.4-liter turbo four with 180 horsepower (20 more than the standard 500 Abarth) channeled through the Abarth Competizione gearbox to the front wheels. The Scorpion brand has also retuned the suspension, fitted 305-millimeter Brembo discs, 17-inch wheels and installed a variable back-pressure exhaust.

Billed as the most powerful 595 to date, the special edition is identifiable by its matte white paint, red racing stripes and retro logos. Step inside and you’ll find red leather buckets with white trim. Only 299 examples will be made, but don’t go looking for this in US showrooms, as the Abarth range and the Fiat 500 upon which it’s based is different in the two markets. Read more in the official press release below.

Continue reading Abarth marks 50 years of 595 with special edition Fiat 500

Abarth marks 50 years of 595 with special edition Fiat 500 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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