Jack Martin
23-year-old designer set to show 1088 bhp Electric Sports Car this week at IAA Frankfurt
The Frankfurt Motor Show opens this week and a number of new brands will be seen for the first time, including a Croatian company Rimac Automobili, which will show a pure electric sportscar named the Concept One with an aluminum frame, carbon fiber bodywork, and an all-up weight of just 1650 kg. Inside that lightweight construct lurks a massive 92 kWh battery capacity good for a 366 mile range. It's the performance of the car which has the buzz percolating though, as it has a claimed 1088 bhp, prodigious torque of 3800 Nm and an electronically-limited top speed of 305 km/h. Perhaps the most remarkable claim is the acceleration though, which has the 0-100 km/h time pegged at 2.8 seconds, making it one of the fastest accelerating road cars anywhere. Read More
Dutch company LEDSSPORTS looks set to solve one the major problems associated with the plethora of sports played on multi-purpose courts – LED court markings that can be turned on and off depending on the sport being played. Instead of the myriad lines on multisport surfaces which often confuse players, LEDSSPORT's Pulastic ® LED Court illuminates just one set of markings at a time, while the others stay “invisible”. The company also makes a range of other LED sports-related innovations, including a set of lights which function as a basketball shot clock. Read More
Modern technology is capable of creating some astounding vehicles, as is evidenced by a behemoth of remarkable proportions that will be one of the attractions at the forthcoming Top Gear Live shows in the U.K. Each 6ft x 4ft wheel/tire combination of the Ford 350 Monster truck weighs in at a quarter of a ton, but that's no problem because its methanol-burning, supercharged 9.5 liter Chevy motor produces 1300 bhp and more than 1000 ft-lb of torque. Economical it is not, delivering a jaw-dropping 50-60 yards per gallon. Completing the over-the-top creation, the truck is fitted with a 600 psi air cannon capable of firing any object up to 650 kg (1,433 lb). Refrigerators go more than 80 yards (73 m), scooters (pictured) go a lot further. Read More
BMW and Husqvarna electric motorcycle concepts
Two of the more intriguing concepts planned for the world's largest motor show (IAA) in Frankfurt a fortnight from now will come from BMW Motorrad and sister brand Husqvarna. Almost nothing about the concepts has been disclosed other than their existence and a few cryptic words in a press release which mention an e-mobility BMW Motorrad design study and "a new idea for individual single track mobility" from Husqvarna. Read More
Smart's iconic lightweight fortwo was such a natural for conversion to electric propulsion that it was one of the first zero emission cars with a badge recognizable by the general public. In essence, the electric smart changed little from the petrol-engined version apart from the drivetrain. Now it has teamed with chemical developer BASF to envisage the smart reconstructed with new materials for insulation, reflection, energy management and weight saving. The roof not only transmits light, it generates energy. smart says the end result of the forvision makeover is an increase in range of 20 percent with exactly the same powertrain. Read More
Owning an open top Ferrari is perhaps one of the most common male fantasies, though with a five liter V8 providing motive force, it's infinitely more practical to have the protection and quietness of a hardtop when atmospheric conditions aren't optimum. Hence Ferrari's new 458 Spider with its automated folding aluminum hard-top solution makes infinite sense. Read More
The world record for a car sold at auction was smashed on Sunday when the Ferrari Testa Rossa prototype sold for US$16.4 million. The previous record (US$12.1 million) for an auctioned car belonged to a 1957 Testa Rossa, so the original prototype had been expected to capture the record in the lead up to the Gooding & Co Pebble Beach auction. That's the hammer falling in the pic, with various auction fees making up the difference between the US$14.9 million and the "record" US$16.4 million. Read More
The annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance sees the world's most original and extraordinary automobiles on display, and this year another priceless restoration joined the group. Edsel Bryant Ford’s 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster has been the subject of an extensive restoration which returned it to how it originally looked in 1940 after its final redesign by Ford and Ford's lead designer E. T. Gregorie. That a 77-year-old vehicle can have aged as gracefully as it has is testimony to the talent of those that built it. Read More
The Cadillac Converj luxury coupe, which made such a splash back in 2009 with its extended-range EV technology, is destined for production and will be named the Cadillac ELR. Not many details of the new ELR are available other than that it will feature an electric propulsion system made up of a T-shaped lithium ion battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. Read More
Last week Audi released sketches of a new lightweight all-electric Urban concept it intends to show at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Now, before we've seen the Sportback version in the flesh, it has decided to add an open-air Spyder version of the 1+1-seat technical study. Both cars feature a continuous, pillarless window area and doors that open upwards for ingress/egress in tight urban surroundings. Even more intriguing is the similarity between the Le-Mans-winning R18 and the Urban concept - see images inside. Read More
