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Report: Crowdsource funding push on to save historic Ford buildings

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Ford

Ford Highland Park Plant

Detroit has no shortage of old, abandoned buildings, both within the city and in the surrounding communities. Few, though, have the historical significance of the old Ford Highland Park facility. Home to the very first moving assembly line, Highland Park was designed by the legendary Albert Kahn, and was one of the homes of the Model T.

Now, the Woodward Avenue Action Association is attempting to buy both the 40,000-square-foot admin building, which is located off the historic Woodward Avenue, and an 8,000-square-foot garage. The WAAA’s goal is to convert the buildings into an automotive heritage center. The Detroit News spoke to the interim director of the WAAA, Deborah Schutt, who commented, “[Metro Detroit has] not been very good at telling our own story. So we’ve decided, let’s pull everything together and tell our story.”

The WAAA made an offer of $550,000 to buy the two buildings, and has $400,000 from the Michigan Department of Transportation and another $15,000 from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. It’s trying to raise a further $125,000 through crowd-sourcing, starting a campaign called “Five Dollars A Day,” after old Hank Ford’s $5-per-day wage for line workers.

The WAAA has until September 19 to collect the money and purchase the building, which is a National Historic Landmark. Those interesting in donating can go here or call 248-288-2004.

Crowdsource funding push on to save historic Ford buildings originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Watch a motorcyclist save a coffee cup from certain death

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Motorcycle

Nate Bos, a 28-year-old motorcyclist, was out for a leisurely ride in Orem, Utah, in early May when he spotted a cup precariously teetering on the back bumper of a second-generation Ford Explorer. Rather than watch the liquid-filled mug fall onto the road, and likely be lost forever, he decided to retrieve the drinkware and return it to its owner. “It just kinda struck me that it was a good thing to do,” Bos told ABC News in an interview this week. “I knew right away, I knew when I saw that cup (that) I was going to give it to the lady. I was going to give that cup back.”

Bos accelerated his 2003 Honda CBR 600RR up to the Explorer’s rear bumper, tucked in low, and then grabbed the mug. After moving it to his left hand, and executing a 90-degree turn and a few impressively smooth shifts (sans clutch), he caught back up to the oblivious driver… who finally noticed him. Scroll below to watch the hand-off happen yourself.

If this story were told to his friends over a beer, few would have believed Bos. But thankfully, he caught the whole escapade on his helmet-mounted GoPro Hero 3 (filming in 1080p, no less). After posting it to YouTube, his stunt has gone viral.

“I’ve got 10 years riding experience. I really wouldn’t recommend anybody else sneaking up on a car like that,” Bos said wisely. But we’d take his advice a few steps further by telling riders to always wear full motorcycle attire and remind them that shadowing another vehicle, regardless of experience, is flirting with disaster – no cup is worth it.

Continue reading Watch a motorcyclist save a coffee cup from certain death

Watch a motorcyclist save a coffee cup from certain death originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford looks to save weight with bubble-infused plastics

Filed under: Technology, Ford

Ford MuCell plastic

Just like every other automaker, Ford is looking into making its cars lighter, and thus more eco-friendly. Thanks to a bubble-infused plastic introduced at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology [MIT] called MuCell, Ford says it can step further toward its goal of lightening all its cars by anywhere from 200 to 750 pounds.

MuCell is made by pumping tiny bubbles of nitrogen or carbon into standard injection-molded plastics. Though the bubbly plastic is slightly weaker than the standard stuff, Ford says the difference will be negligible, since its plastic parts are engineered to be 50 to 100 percent stronger than they should ever need to be.

Though the idea is still in development, Ford says it wants to be running MuCell plastics in all its cars by 2020. Though the technology has been around since 1995, it hasn’t made sense for automakers to start buying in until now. With a new focus on green technology in the automotive industry, the move suddenly makes a lot of sense, and Ford will start using the plastic in items like engine covers beginning in the next few years. Check out the official press release after the jump.

[Sources: Ford, FastCodeDesign]

Continue reading Ford looks to save weight with bubble-infused plastics

Ford looks to save weight with bubble-infused plastics originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meet the 203-foot truck on its way to save Fukushima’s No. 4 reactor

Filed under: Truck, China, Etc., Japan, Safety, Technology, Work

Sany pumper truck

Sany 203-foot concrete pumper truck – Click above for image gallery

Japan has turned to its neighbor across the water for help in cooling the number four reactor at the Tokyo Electric Company’s nuclear power plant in Fukushima. So far, scientists and engineers have used everything from helicopters to fire trucks to get sea water to the reactor’s fuel rods in order to prevent a meltdown, but according to China Realtime Report, a Wall Street Journal blog, a new solution is in the works. A 203-foot long concrete pumper truck has been called up from Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer Sany.

Instead of directing a stream of concrete up a sky scraper, this $1 million truck that was originally on its way to a Saudi client will now be used to pump sea water over the 141-foot reactor group in order to keep everything cool. Even at that height, the truck will still be able to remain 14 meters, or about 46 feet, away. Sany says that the truck left port in China on March 20 and has safely reached Japan, though there’s no word on whether or not it has begun operations at Fukushima.

Tokyo Electric Company originally offered to purchase the truck, but Sany is donating it and a full support team free of charge, and this isn’t the first time that the construction equipment manufacturer has lent a hand in international disaster efforts. The company also donated a giant crane to assist in the evacuation of the Chilean miners who were trapped in a mine last year.

Unfortunately, the very latest update from Japan is that Fukushima’s No. 3 reactor is leaking water with 10,000 times the normal level of radiation, which may indicate a breach of the reactor’s core. If that’s the case, there’s no telling how the Sany pump truck will be used when it arrives on site, or if it will be needed at all.

Gallery: Sana Group Co.’s 62-meter truck with contract pump

[Sources: Sany, China Realtime Report, China News]

Continue reading Meet the 203-foot truck on its way to save Fukushima’s No. 4 reactor

Meet the 203-foot truck on its way to save Fukushima’s No. 4 reactor originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With rising gas prices, how much can you save using mass transit?

Filed under: Etc., Earnings/Financials

LA Subway

According to the American Public Transportation Association, gas prices have jumped by 28 cents per gallon in the last 10 days, bringing the national average up to a staggering $3.47/gallon. The new hike in prices means commuters can save an average of $9,904 annually – $825 per month – by switching from personal to public transportation. That figure includes the national average rate for unreserved parking.

The numbers are the highest they’ve been in two years, due to global unrest and continuing economic problems. Savings were highest in big cities, where public transportation is more readily available, with New York topping the list. The APTA estimates that commuters in the Big Apple could save $1,198 per month or $14,376 a year by switching to public transportation.

[Source: American Public Transportation Association]

With rising gas prices, how much can you save using mass transit? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PA town fines drivers trying to save shoveled-out parking spots

The sun’s just coming up and the coffee isn’t quite done brewing, but you know what you have to do: grab the snow shovel and free your car from its soft, white prison. When finished, your automobile once again tastes freedom and you’ve built a nice little parking space. Rather than let someone else take advantage of your labor and lay claim it after you’ve driven away, you decide to set down a cone or lawn chair. This may seem like a simple token of ownership but it’s actually a shining beacon of “back-off” that’s communicated to other motorists. Try pulling this in the Darby Township section of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and it might cost you.

According to a city ordinance, offending space-savers may be fined up to $300. Another portion of the ordinance says that shovelers putting snow back onto plowed roads can be fined as well. So, shovel away, but remember: no calling dibs after the fact.

[Source: The Morning Call | Image: Andrew Burton/Getty]

PA town fines drivers trying to save shoveled-out parking spots originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: ‘Save the Nürburgring’ effort not going so well

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Europe, Earnings/Financials

Save the Nurburgring trackside cross

It seems all the efforts to Save the Nürburgring aren’t going all that well. According to eyewitness reports from Germany as relayed by the Axis of Oversteer clan, all those fancy debt-causing buildings and their roller coasters are sitting idle with nary a visitor in sight… still.

Apparently, there are apparel shops and a BMW dealership without any actual patrons doing any shopping, and the so-called Formula 1 Experience rollercoaster has had its speed cut from over 100 miles per hour to just around 40 due to some shoddy engineering and/or building techniques. Sounds rather un-F1, no?

All of this is bad, but what could be worse are potential plans from the developers to raise the costs of actually driving on the track. Other quick fixes may see the track being rented out for more non-racing events, which will undoubtedly make it more difficult for the true aficionados to actually lap the ‘Ring. Read more about the Nordschliefe’s woes here. Thanks to all for the tips!

[Source: Save the Nürburgring via Axis of Oversteer | Image: Walter Koch via CC 2.0]

Report: ‘Save the Nürburgring’ effort not going so well originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Sabine Schmitz needs your help to save the Nürburgring

Filed under: Videos

Click above to watch the video after the jump

Race tracks open and race tracks close. It’s an unfortunate reality. But there are some circuits that we simply couldn’t imagine the world carrying on without. Like the Nürburgring Norschleife.

Lamentable as it may be to even ponder, the legendary road-course in Germany is apparently in trouble, and not the kind that Lassie can save them from. The track is reportedly half a billion euros in debt, and while the government apparently wants to help, that support has apparently arrived in the form of indoor roller-coasters and other amusements built by private companies. Unfortunately, all the ‘Ring really needed was a new parking lot and some maintenance.

With the unthinkable looming on the horizon, supporters have enlisted one Sabine Schmitz – the Ring Mistress herself – to campaign on their behalf. Follow the jump to hear her plea, and check out SaveTheRing on Facebook for more.. Hat tip to msport!

[Source: Axis of Oversteer]

Continue reading Video: Sabine Schmitz needs your help to save the Nürburgring

Video: Sabine Schmitz needs your help to save the Nürburgring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hyundai launches Save the Asterisks campaign for 40-mpg Elantra

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Videos, Hyundai, Humor

Save the Asterisks

2011 Hyundai Elantra gets 40 mpg, no asterisks – Click above to watch video after the break

Hyundai has noticed an alarming trend: the needless wasting of perfectly good asterisks on window stickers all over the country.

Save the Asterisks The Korean automaker notes that some competitors create a special trim level for certain models that’s designed specifically to score a great fuel mileage rating from the EPA, while the other volume trim levels return a few miles per gallon less across the board. Since Hyundai won’t name names, we’ll do it for them: Chevrolet Cruze (Eco) and Ford Fiesta (SFE). Every single version of the 2011 Elantra, however, will achieve 40 mpg, as Hyundai likes to keep reminding us. No asterisks required.

It also bears mentioning that starting with the month of November, 2010, Hyundai is the first automaker to specify the actual number of vehicles it sells that achieve or exceed the 40-mpg benchmark on its monthly sales report. For those keeping track, the figure from this past November was 192 vehicles – expect that number to rise dramatically in the coming months when the new Elantra goes on sale.

Great fuel economy is only one part of a much larger puzzle to marketplace success. Fortunately, we’ll have a First Drive report of the new 2011 Elantra to share in short order, so we’ll have a better understanding of what, if any, concessions were made to manage its laudable efficiency metrics. Stay tuned for that, and check out Hyundai’s Save the Asterisks video after the break.

Gallery: LA 2010: 2011 Hyundai Elantra

Continue reading Video: Hyundai launches Save the Asterisks campaign for 40-mpg Elantra

Video: Hyundai launches Save the Asterisks campaign for 40-mpg Elantra originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Car and Driver launches ‘Save the Manuals!’ campaign [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Humor

Car and Driver wants to Save the Manuals – Click above to watch the video after the break

The minds at Car and Driver have anointed themselves the champions of the manual transmission. In order to defend the three-pedal way of life from the onslaught of apathetic automatics out there, the magazine has initiated a new awareness campaign under the “Save the Manuals” banner. The plan is more of an awareness movement than anything else, complete with PSA videos, stickers and buttons. Watch out slushboxes, this is a no-holds barred assault.

We’ve heard all of the arguments about why the age of the manual transmission is coming to a close – more efficient automatics, the rise of the double-clutch cog box, etc – but we still love rowing our own gears. Car and Driver has brought up an interesting point by saying that manuals can actually help cut down on distracted driving. How? It’s bound to be quite a bit more difficult to text while driving something with a third pedal.

Whether that’s true or not, we’ll let you decide, but if you want to get in on the campaign to save the manual transmissions from the icy claw of extinction, you can hop over to Car and Driver to see what you can do. You may just get your very own sticker to announce your pride. Hit the jump to watch the PSA. Hat tip to Rokas!

[Source: Car and Driver]

Continue reading Car and Driver launches ‘Save the Manuals!’ campaign [w/video]

Car and Driver launches ‘Save the Manuals!’ campaign [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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