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Archive for June 2nd, 2010

Video: Diet Coke and Mentos-powered car is a blast

Filed under: Etc. , Videos , Humor Coke Zero and Mentos-powered car - Click above to watch the video after the break You didn’t seriously think that the whole Diet Coke and Mentos internet meme would die out with nary a whimper, did you? Of course not. The little bits of candy and sudsy concoction - in this case Coke Zero in lieu of run-of-the-mill Diet Coke - are back in action as a replacement for those pesky fossil fuels. Sadly, the economics of scale required to make Coke Zero and Mentos an actual substitute for gasoline and diesel make the newfound fuel unlikely to gain widespread acceptance. For what it’s worth, it apparently takes 108 two-liter bottles of Coke Zero along with 648 Mentos to travel exactly 221 feet. While you won’t likely be filling up your own ride with the new wonder fuel, you can still enjoy the highly carbonated video after the break . As for whether you should bother trying this experiment at home… well, we’ll leave that one up to you. But probably not. [Source: YouTube via Fox News ] Continue reading Video: Diet Coke and Mentos-powered car is a blast Video: Diet Coke and Mentos-powered car is a blast originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Panoz Abruzzi teased again ahead of Le Mans debut

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, MISC, Racing

abruzzi teaser2 web630 Panoz Abruzzi teased again ahead of Le Mans debut

Panoz Abruzzi teaser – Click above for high-res images

Anticipation of a new sportscar from Panoz has been mounting for some time now. Initial reports back in October forecasted the arrival of a successor to the current Esperante, followed by confirmation a couple of months ago, and finally the first cropped teaser image just a few weeks ago. Now the independent constructor has released its second image as it prepares to unveil the first prototype next week during the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Called the Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans”, the new sportscar features a number of new technologies for Panoz, including Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System (REAMS) construction and a new TrifectaCooling system developed to improve both performance and efficiency.

The Abruzzi – apparently so named in reference to and solidarity with the recently disaster-striken Italian region – will be officially unveiled at La Sarthe at noon on Tuesday, June 8, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can check out the press release after the jump and the pair of high-res teaser images in the gallery below.

Officially Official: Ford kills Mercury to expand Lincoln lineup

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Mercury

This was bound to happen sooner or later. Over the last ten years, Mercury’s sales numbers have plummeted, and currently, the brand only accounts for 0.8 percent of Ford Motor Company’s overall market share. In a press conference this afternoon with Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, and Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of product development, the automaker has officially announced that Mercury will be discontinued in the fourth quarter of this year.

With all of the forward momentum that Ford has been experiencing over the past few years, no brand-specific models were introduced to the Mercury lineup. What’s more, the vast majority of recent Mercury purchases were made through discounts offered to retirees, friends and family. Mercury’s dealer network (coupled with the Lincoln brand) is currently in the process of being notified about Ford’s decision, and owners are reassured that existing Mercury products can still be serviced at any Ford or (newly standalone) Lincoln dealer.

But it isn’t all bad news down in Dearborn – Ford is using Mercury’s demise as a better reason to seriously beef up the Lincoln brand. Including the 2011 MKZ Hybrid and refreshed 2011 MKX, Ford is expanding the Lincoln lineup with the addition of seven all-new or wholly refreshed vehicles, including the brand’s first-ever C-segment vehicle, possibly related to the C Concept that we saw at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

Furthermore, Lincoln will be offering EcoBoost powertrains across the entire lineup, including the next-generation Navigator full-size SUV. Ford is committed to making Lincoln substantially more prosperous in America, saying that the brand will house more useful features and technology than any other competitor, as well as offering the most fuel-efficient lineup of luxury vehicles.

For full details about Mercury’s demise and Lincoln’s expansion, follow the jump to read Ford’s official press release.

SketchyPad for iPad – Quick App Review

SketchyPad is a fairly unique app for website sketching and apps interface making (including iPhone and iPad apps). The app is designed to make the life of designers, programmers and interface designers much easier, by offering an easy-to-use interface, and a large selection of stencils. In a nutshell, SketchyPad helps you quickly put together User Interface mock-ups.

Main apps features:
- 50 various stencils, regularly updated
- Stencils dynamically redrawn based on user input
- Save result to PNG file with easy e-mail sending option
- Capability to export into Balsamiq Mockups format
- Import photos from your albums directly into your sketch
- Wide range of free included icons for your mock-ups

While the app addresses a niche market, it can prove to be very handy if you happen to be a UI designer, and need to quickly build UIs “on the fly” while at your customer’s. Screenshots and video available below the fold.

sk1 SketchyPad for iPad – Quick App Review sk2 SketchyPad for iPad – Quick App Review

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Mustang sales top Camaro in May

Filed under: Car Buying , Convertible , Coupe , Budget , Performance , Chevrolet , Ford , GM , Earnings/Financials Ford seems to have found the special ingredients it needed for the Mustang to spank the Chevrolet Camaro in sales . Thanks to a heap of power from a range of efficient new engines, the Blue Oval’s pony car managed to top the Bow Tie’s bruiser in sales for the first time since the Camaro sauntered back onto the market last year. Last month, Ford managed to move 10,225 Mustangs off of dealer lots and into the hands of the power-crazed public. Chevrolet , on the other hand, saw only 8,931 Camaros drive off into the sunset. While the Mustang tended to rank higher in comparisons against the Camaro even before the new engines hit the scene for 2011, American buyers responded to the big power numbers and menacing style of the General Motors muscle car. Now that the Ford is cranking out slightly more grunt and marginally better fuel economy, Chevrolet may find itself playing catch up for the rest of the year. Not to worry, Bow Tie fans. It won’t be long before GM’s spicing up the Camaro lineup with the likes of a drop-top and the oft-rumored Z/28 may still be in the cards, too. Mustang sales top Camaro in May originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

BMW art car by Jeff Koons unveiled for 24 Hours of Le Mans [w/video]

Filed under: Concept Cars, BMW, Racing

p90061292highresopt BMW art car by Jeff Koons unveiled for 24 Hours of Le Mans [w/video]

Jeff Koons BMW M3 GT2 art car – Click above for high-res image gallery

The latest in a 35-year-long run of BMW art cars was unveiled in Paris today ahead of its participation in next week’s 24 hours of Le Mans. The M3 GT2 was painted by American artist Jeff Koons with a multicolored theme that should look pretty wild when photographed running down the Mulsanne straight after dark.

Koons first approached BMW about creating an art car in 2003, but the project finally came to fruition earlier this year. Over the last four months Koons has worked closely with the BMW Motorsports squad on the application of the graphics to ensure they didn’t have any negative affect on the car’s aerodynamics.

Several of the 16 previous art cars have also run at Le Mans including the very first one created by Alexander Calder in 1975 and the 1999 V12 LMR painted by Jenny Holzer. This year the #79 art car will be driven by Andy Priaulx (GB), Dirk Müller (DE) and Dirk Werner (DE) while the standard white “Joy”-liveried #78 will be piloted by Jörg Müller (DE), Augusto Farfus (BR), Uwe Alzen (DE). Video of the unveiling is after the jump.

Pininfarina X Concept takes us back to the Space Age, into seven figures

Filed under: Concept Cars , Classics 1960 Pininfarina X Concept - Click above for image gallery The Space Age was all the rage back in the late 50s and early 60s. Man was heading to the moon, the Jetsons were captivating our imaginations and even items as mundane as toasters and hairdryers looked like space ships. Car design was certainly no exception, and this was one of the most radical examples. Designed by Pininfarina to test the limits of aerodynamic efficiency, the X Concept reconfigured the family sedan into something decidedly out of this world. The concept may look like a trike, but it actually has four wheels: one in front, two in the middle and one more around back, to give the wheelbase an X shape. Power came from a 1.1-liter Fiat engine with just 43 horsepower. Hardly enough to propel the little machine into outer orbit, but enough to push its svelte shape - try a drag coefficient of just 0.23 (lower than a Prius ) - down the road. Only one example was ever made, and now (appropriately enough) the Aero Toy Store in Fort Lauderdale has got it for sale at a staggering $3 million. Sound steep? Try JamesList , where the same dealer listed it for less than half that. Gallery: 1960 Pininfarina X Concept [Source: Aero Toy Store via CarScoop ] Pininfarina X Concept takes us back to the Space Age, into seven figures originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

RAmos T18 Full HD PMP Available Now

RAmos T18 Full HD PMP RAmos T18 Full HD PMP Available Now

Looking for a new Full HD PMP with nice specs? Well, how about the newly launched T18 from RAmos. The device boasts a 7-inch LCD display, an 8GB of storage, dual stereo speakers, a USB OTG port, an HDMI output, a built-in 3000mAh li-ion battery and supports 1920 x 1080p Full HD video playback. You’ll be able to get your hands on this new PMP via Ownta’s online store for $175.50. [Product Page]