Category: My Blog

[ad_1] The Bugatti Bolide track car has some radical design features, including a massive roof-mounted air scoop with an unusual design inspiration. It turns out the engineers borrowed an aerodynamic trick from the humble golf ball. Golf balls are remarkably aerodynamic. Their dimpled surface allows them to travel about twice as far as a smooth ball, according to Bugatti. That's because the dimples create turbulence on the surface of the ball, allowing air to adhere better and as a result reduce drag. One of Bugatti's engineers decided to apply the same principle to a car. Bugatti Bolide dimpled roof scoop This engineer began experimenting with dimpled surfaces as part of a master's thesis, adding dimples to the cooling channels of a 3D-printed titanium brake caliper Bugatti developed. For the Bolide,…

[ad_1] Peugeot on Monday revealed the first details of the hybrid powertrain for its FIA World Endurance Championship Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class race car. LMH is the new top-level class for the WEC, which includes the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. LMH cars will race alongside the current LMP1 cars, with balance of performance rules to create parity and competitiveness. The distinguishing feature of LMH cars is that they will spawn road cars; manufacturers will have to build 25 cars using the same powertrain by the second year of competition. In a press release, Peugeot confirmed the Hybrid4 500KW name for its powertrain, and some basic specifications. The powertrain consists of a mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged 2.6-liter V-6 gasoline engine and 7-speed sequential gearbox driving the rear wheels, and a…

[ad_1] Ram is launching another round of its Built To Service Edition military-inspired pickup trucks. Arriving at dealerships in the first quarter of 2021, the fourth batch of these limited-edition Ram 1500 pickups adds two new colors—Tank and Flame Red. Built To Serve Editions are meant to represent the five United States armed forces. In a press release, Ram said the new exterior colors have a "maritime land force" theme, but didn't elaborate beyond that. Production of the latest Built To Serve Edition trucks is limited to 2,000 units—evenly split between the Tank and Flame Red exterior colors. The trucks also get black interiors with Medium Graystone accent stitching, as well as 20-inch aluminum wheels, body-color fender flares, U.S. flag badges, and a "Built To Serve" decal on each of…

[ad_1] The Ford Mustang has never had an engine with more than eight cylinders, but in the early 2000s, Ford considered upping the cylinder count. Engineers briefly worked on an aluminum V-10 for the Mustang, according to a recent DrivingLine report. The Mustang V-10 would have been based on the 6.8-liter Triton V-10, used in the F-Series Super Duty pickup truck and Excursion SUV at the time, as well as E-Series vans and buses. The Triton engine was an outgrowth of Ford's modular line of V-8 engines; it was effectively a 5.4-liter V-8 with two cylinders added on. To create the Mustang V-10, engineers at Ford's Powertrain Research and Advanced Engine Development group took the same approach, but with the smaller 4.6-liter V-8. This resulted in a 5.8-liter V-10 that…

[ad_1] Volvo revealed its first fully electric vehicle, the 2021 XC40 Recharge, in October 2019 and on Wednesday we learned the price. Part of the company's larger effort to reduce carbon emissions, the EV crossover SUV will start at $53,990 before the available $7,500 federal tax credit. The XC40 Recharge rides on the same Compact Modular Architecture platform as the gas-powered XC40. It places a 78-kwh battery pack under the front seats, and Volvo says the layout not only doesn't affect interior space, but the vehicle also adds cargo space thanks to a new front trunk. A pair of 150-kw motors, one on each axle create, create a 402 horsepower and 448 pound-feet of torque to push the XC40 Recharge to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. Volvo quotes a 248-mile…

[ad_1] Ford has filed a patent application for what appears to be a bed-mounted gasoline range extender for electric pickup trucks. While an electric Ford F-150 is scheduled to go on sale in mid-2022, it's unclear if it will get this feature. First spotted by The Drive, the application is for "electrified vehicles with removable and interchangeable range-extending generators." It was submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in April 2018, and published on September 15. Drawings accompanying the patent applications show a box-shaped generator unit—containing a small engine, fuel tank, control electronics and exhaust system—that would go in the bed of a pickup truck. The generator would plug into the truck using connectors similar to those used for charging stations. Automakers often file patent applications to protect…

[ad_1] BMW is preparing a front-wheel-drive hot hatch in the form of the new 128ti, based on the automaker's latest 1-Series hatchback. Prototypes are now in the final stages and a launch in Europe is slated for November. The latest 1-Series hatch isn't sold in the United States, so don't expect to see the 128ti here. BMW's ti badge dates back to the 1800 Ti of 1963. Short for “Turismo Internazionale,” it signified a practical car that was also sporty. It was later revived for the unloved 318ti of the 1990s. With only two doors and a wimpy 138-horsepower engine, the car was neither practical nor sporty. Thankfully, the new 128ti is closer in ethos to the 1800 Ti than the 318ti. It comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 good…

[ad_1] When kids play on neighbors' driveways, the result is often raised voices and scowls of disapproval. But when one suburban resident noticed a kid riding a bicycle around his driveway, he decided to turn it into a racetrack. This was documented in a video posted on Twitter Thursday. After seeing the kid on his driveway security camera, the homeowner decided to build a track or, more accurately, draw it. Outlined with sidewalk chalk, it features plenty of turns, a long-ish back straight, and warnings like "slow" and "eyes up." "I don't know who's having more fun with this, him or me," the track's creator said in the video. He's one of the people behind motorcycle website CanyonChasers, and the video was originally posted to that site in a slightly…

[ad_1] Sunglasses. Check. Ballcap. Check. Sunscreen. Check. Spending the afternoon with the top down in a 2021 Porsche 911 Targa 4 instead of slaving over automotive safety ratings and proper hyphen usage. Check, please. Life during coronavirus has stripped us of many of the leisure activities we hold dear, but a top-down convertible drive on a sunny 87-degree day is still a simple joy that the virus can’t touch. The Targa 4 before me is absolutely stunning. Painted Gentian Blue, shod with $3,740 RS Spyder Design wheels, and wearing a classic aluminum Targa bar, it looks sinister, beautiful, and expensive. The looks aren’t deceiving. This is my first chance to drive a 992-generation 911 convertible and my first shot at the base powertrain. With relatively open mid-workday Michigan roads ahead…