Tag: development

Video: Chevy Vega development film yields priceless look at 1970s auto design

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Etc., Videos, Chevrolet

Chevrolet Vega Car & Track segment – Click above to view the video after the jump

“The goal is to be nifty.” Quite a gem of a quote from Car & Track’s look into the work behind bringing the Chevrolet Vega to market. C&T was among the first national television shows that covered both auto racing and road tested the cars of its day, and their videos remain fun to watch and offer a glimpse into the past to see cars that have become both famous and infamous in their original context.

Looking at the Vega’s design, testing, engineering and construction, C&T calls it “the most precisely engineered car built in America.” Uh-huh. Thankfully, ‘precisely engineered’ means something rather different today, and even if we don’t lust after the Vega like other cars from its era, we can still enjoy a glimpse inside some of General Motors’ vehicle development and testing methods from some forty years ago. Check out the video after the jump – and be sure to scroll down to see what C&T has to say about the one-and-only 1971 AMC Gremlin, too! Top tip, Tom!

[Source: Car & Track via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Chevy Vega development film yields priceless look at 1970s auto design

Video: Chevy Vega development film yields priceless look at 1970s auto design originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mid-engined Corvette development confirmed… by Saab engineers?!

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Technology, Chevrolet, Rumormill

1990 General Motors CERV III concept

Before things went all tipsy in the auto market, the engineers at General Motors were apparently hard at work on some pretty interesting projects. How interesting? How about an actual mid-engine Corvette? Autocar says that an unnamed Saab engineer confirmed that the Swedish automaker had actually been charged with developing a transmission for such a beast when the company was still under The General’s wing. Evidently, the cog box used a wet clutch setup and was built to handle up to 590 lb-ft of torque. If you’re keeping score at home, you’ll likely note that those twist figures are just south of what the ZR1 puts to the pavement right now.

How about them apples.

As Autocar points out, that project was canned when credit went tighter than a fat man’s socks, but there may be a ray of light in this whole tale. The UK publication claims that GM has fired up the burners under the C7 project one more time, and that a mid-engine chassis will indeed be part of the recipe. If you’re buying what Autocar is selling – and we’re not necessarily in that group – a turbo V6 will supply the car’s grunt, too.

[Source: Autocar]

Mid-engined Corvette development confirmed… by Saab engineers?! originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari P4/5 Competizione rendered as development prances on

Filed under: Coupe, Ferrari, Racing

Ferrari P4/5 Competizione – Click above for high-res image

There are no shortage of reasons why we love the Ferrari P4/5, and by extension, owner Jim Glickenhaus for bringing it to fruition. The Pininfarina-penned one-off drew its inspiration and design cues from the legendary P3/4, one of the most achingly beautiful – and devastatingly fast – Ferraris ever devised. Just one problem: the original P3/4 was a homologated race car, harking back to the days when you could drive your machinery to the track, race for the day and then blast back home. Those days are far behind us, but that’s no problem for our old friend Jim. He’ll just make another one.

And so was born the P4/5 Competition project, creating a racing version to compliment the street-legal coachbuilt special. Unlike the Enzo-based road car, Glickenhaus chose to base the Competizione model on an amalgamation of F430 underpinnings, using the 430 Scuderia’s chassis (to ensure that it would be able to be converted back to street use once its racing days were over) and the F430 GT2’s drivetrain to keep it up to speed with the competition.

The project is now well under way, and Jim has released the rendering you see above to give us a heads-up on what the final product will look like. Of course the design is largely the same as the P4/5 roadcar, but upgrades with some race-specific components, from the front splitter to the rear wing and a livery inspired by racing Ferraris of yore. Reports indicate that it will be classified as an experimental racer in the same vein as the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid. For our part, we can’t wait to see it turn its wheels in anger at some of the world’s most legendary circuits.

Gallery: Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina

[Sources: PistonHeads, Jalopnik]

Ferrari P4/5 Competizione rendered as development prances on originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Contrary to rumors, Toyota FT-86 development on track, expected Nov. 2011

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Japan, Toyota, Rumormill

Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to 7Tune, Toyota recently held at shindig in Japan for select scribes in order to get some things straight about its Toyota G’s performance vehicles. Naturally, talk quickly turned to the FT-86 (or FR-S) Although it was reported two months ago that the much-anticipated sports coupe would be delayed until 2013 for design and powerplant reasons, the Toyota engineers at the event reportedly attested that “the car is on schedule” and still has a planned release date of November 2011.

Clarity on the lineup was offered as well: Three spec levels will be available with at least two engines, and the mid-range model is expected to run around 2.5 million yen ($28,500 USD). Further, it appears that a turbocharged variant will take the top slot. According to 7Tune, none of those engines will be a hybrid – that tech is being reserved for a different sporty product.

If there’s any news from the event that makes us as excited as word that we might see the car next year, it’s the head of the sports division saying that “because of Toyota’s connection with Subaru, there was no way that the car wasn’t going to be great.” We hope he knows what he’s talking about. Top tip, Andrew!

Gallery: Toyota G Sports Series

[Source: 7Tune]

Report: Contrary to rumors, Toyota FT-86 development on track, expected Nov. 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Honda to abandon clean diesel development, focus on hybrids

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Honda, Diesel

Regular readers know we tend to be big fans of modern diesel engines. All the past demons that had plagued oil-burners over the years have been exorcised, including rough running, nasty smells, loud operation and narrow power bands. But sadly, modern clean diesel powerplants have never taken hold in the United States.

According to the Nikkei in Japan (via Reuters), we can add Honda to the list of global automakers that have abandoned plans to move further into the diesel realm. Instead, Honda will continue to puts all of its eggs in the hybrid basket, developing a new system for use in larger vehicles. Currently, Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist technology is used in the Civic Hybrid and the Insight.

We can only hope that Honda’s next hybrid system will expand on its current IMA tech, which has been unable to match the fuel efficiency and performance of rival Toyota, by being able to operate on the electric motor alone for longer stretches.

In addition to halting development of clean diesel tech, Honda has also put the brakes on the new microcar plant in Japan that was to build future Kei cars for the automaker’s home market.

[Source: Reuters]

Report: Honda to abandon clean diesel development, focus on hybrids originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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