Flying cars are set to hit the market

An American aeronautical company has developed a flying car that can actually fly and is available for buying.

Funded by the US Department of Defense, the Transition is a four-wheel vehicle, licensed for the road, which transforms into a plane in about 20 seconds and can then fly up to 500 miles.

However, the Terrafugia Transition doesn’t come cheap.

"People tend to smirk when you say you're trying to make a flying car," the Age quoted Carl Dietrich, the Transition's inventor, as saying.

"But we're very serious about producing a flying car and selling it," he said.

Dietrich began developing Transition in 2006 at his company headquarters in Terrafugia, near Woburn, Massachusetts.

The first test flights took place in New York State in 2009 and Dietrich expects to deliver a finished product to his first 10 customers by next year, with production "ramping up" in 2014.

The starting price of Transition is 279,000 dollars (pounds 177,000), which is slightly less than the cheapest conventional two-seater aircraft and about the same as a supercar such as a Ferrari.

Remodeled Renault Alpine A 110-50 blends in the eminent brand's legacy

The Renault brand line looks quite monotonous compared to the posh wheels churned out by others nowadays. Given that the car’s design is in need of a complete overhaul, there definitely isn’t a better way to give the fleet a revamp, than to mimic the design of the much coveted Renault Alpine A110 with modern sensibilities. Outdoing designer Yann Jarsalle’s brutal plan to celebrate the brand’s legacy and 50th anniversary of Renault Alpine A110 will not be that easy. Don’t be surprised if the car races ahead of all the heavy competition in the market.

Hints of the old car will be maintained, but despite this, the remodeled speedster will look cutting edge. The new look is brought about by the de novo Renault design language created by Laurens van den Acker in collaboration with DeZir concept. This new fangled design style will be retained all across Renault’s future models. The speedster will be given a tubular carbon fiber exterior that looks somewhat like the chassis of the Mégane Trophy race car but has been hardened a bit. The look, without a doubt, reeks of the Renault heritage.

The hi-tech cockpit inside has literally been transported in here from a racing car. Matching with the speedy image outside are the car’s engine and motor works. The improvised engine performs better and is maneuvered using the paddles on the steering wheel. The inlet on the roof takes in air and routes it to the 3.5 liter engine. The 400 hp speedster zips around using its twin plate clutch and the semi automatic sequential unit transmission. Via: Diseno Art

World's oldest car sells at auction for $4.6 mn

WASHINGTON: A steam-powered car considered the oldest vehicle in the world still running has sold at auction in the United States for more than $4.6 million.

The De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos Steam Runabout, nicknamed "La Marquise," which was built in France in 1884, sold for more than twice its estimate at auction Friday in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

RM Auctions listed its top speed as 38 miles per hour (61 kilometers per hour) and said it had only had four previous owners over the past 127 years.

The late Texas collector John O'Quinn had bought the historic car, which participated in the first automobile race in 1887 and four separate London-to-Brighton runs, for $3.5 million in 2007.

The identity of the new owner was not given.

US media reports noted that another car, housed at the National Motor Museum of Britain, also lays claim to the title of the world's oldest vehicle. However, the reports said the British car, built in 1875 by Robert Neville Grenville, has only three wheels, requires someone to ride along and tend the boiler, and bears little resemblance to a modern automobile.

The four-wheeled De Dion-Bouton was constructed for the French Count De Dion -- one of the founders of the company that built it. It was named "La Marquise" after the count's mother.

The $4.6 million price tag includes a 10 percent buyer's premium, which goes to the auction company.

"With impeccable provenance, fully documented history, and the certainty that this is the oldest running family car in the world, 'La Marquise' represents an unrepeatable opportunity for the most discriminating collector," the catalogue said. "It is unquestionably and quite simply one of the most important motor cars in the world." (AFP)

Electric cars set to hit Paris roads

PARIS: Paris will on Sunday launch an ambitious electrically powered car-share service that it hopes will not only improve the quality of life in the City of Lights but also herald a revolution in sustainable urban transport.

But the “Autolib” venture also constitutes a risky gamble both for Bertrand Delanoë, the Socialist mayor of Paris, and for Vincent Bolloré, France’s best-known corporate raider and buccaneering entrepreneur, who is supplying the electric cars and operating the new service.

In the volatile French pre-electoral political climate, Mr Delanoë hopes to repeat with the electric car project the huge popular and political – albeit costly – success of the Vélib bicycle-sharing scheme, which he launched four years ago.

The city of Paris, and its neighbouring suburban communes, have together invested more than €200m to construct the necessary infrastructure, from parking spaces to battery recharging stations. Organisers hope the project will eventually reduce the numbers of privately owned cars in the city’s crowded boulevards, while also cutting pollution.

World's oldest operational car to be auctioned in October

LONDON: It isn't quite a car, but this steam powered 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trepardoux Dos-A-Dos runabout is claimed to be the oldest running motorized vehicle in existence. The 127 year old De Dion can reach 38 MPH thanks to it's twin compound steam engines which need a tank of water every twenty miles.

Amazingly, this runabout has only had four owners since 1884. If all goes according to plan, this piece of history will find a fifth owner at RM Auction's annual Vintage Motorcars of Hershey auction on October 7. Pre-sale estimates have the De Dion selling somewhere in the $2-$2.5 million range.

Lotus Exige R-GT looks Group B fantastic for the modern era

Lotus has continually stated that it has big plans for the future. One of those being a return to the rallying world, and it will do just that with the all-new Lotus Exige R-GT. Sitting on the Frankfurt floor, the R-GT evokes visions of classic rally cars

while also providing a showcase of Lotus' current and future styling.

The car will compete in the FIA R-GT class, and it tips the scales at 2,646 pounds. Some of that weight comes in the form of class-mandated underside and side protection for driver and passenger, as well as the steel rollcage.

The Exige R-GT is powered by a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 engine, which produces 302 horsepower. That energy is routed to the wheels through a six-speed sequential transmission. The engine is the same as the one found in the standard Exige, however 34-millimeter air restrictors have been put in place to control the power, as is required by the FIA rulebook for R-GT racing.

Lotus will first offer the Exige R-GT to motorsports customers rather than dive into rallying with its own factory team. Either way, we're happy to see the Lotus name once again applied to a rally race car.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is a monster car and definitely one of the world’s finest car , the aerodynamics are truly stunning giving the car a more sporty look.Lets have a close look on this pretty cool and awesome techno monster.

Source  : autoblog

Best Concept Cars in 2011

AUDI E-TRON

This rear-drive electric concept bowed in Detroit wearing slinky metal over tidier-than-TT proportions. Unlike the R8-esque EV of the same name, this e-tron isn’t scheduled for production. All is not lost; its design—the aspect we like most—portends that of Audi’s upcoming R4. An equally gorgeous topless version shown in Paris uses a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain.

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