A Green Shelby Super Car - Ultimate Aero EV

Thanks to Sri (VP of Engineering at Kosmix) for sending me this one:

Shelby SuperCars, or SSC, is launching their Ultimate Aero EV in 2009.  The second quarter of 2009 should see the first car roll off the lot, and we can expect (per SSC) to have full availability before the end of the year.

And check out the photos - it looks sweeeeet!  In my humble opinion, gull-wing doors are a must for any super/hyper-car.

Why is this so special?  Well, The Ultimate Aero EV is supposed to get to a Veyron-esque 1,000 hp, and 800 lb-ft of torque. 

And how fast does that make it?  How about a planned top speed of almost 210 mph, and a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds?  Wow!  (These are planned, of course.  But we've seen these types of numbers from another Green supercar - the Koeniggsegg CCXR, so we know it can be done.  Whether you get killed on the way or not is a separate question).

Other relevant info includes the car's range on a single charge - 150 - 200 miles.  And something called the "Charge on the Run" system, which enables a 10-minute full battery recharge.  That's quite a feat, given that the Tesla takes 3.5 hours... conservatively - looking forward to getting more data on that.

 

I have to say, I haven't seen any new announcements from Shelby on this since July 2008, so I'm ready to accept delays, and reductions in specifications.  Would love to see something soon, though!

BMW 335i - A Complaint

This is a complaint about all BMW's, specially all the 3-series cars. 

BMW can do so many thing so well.  And they've kindly given BMW owners dual-climate control for the two front-seat people.  But lets be reasonable and assume that most of the time, you want one temperature throughout your car.  And most of the time, specially in the western world, people are driving alone (to/ from work, in particular).

Given these conditions, one would reasonably expect that the driver could control both temperature gauges through his/ her own gauge, if needed. But no, this isn't possible. 

How retarded!  How freaking retarded!  Honda has been giving this (basic!) ability to drivers since the last 5 years at the least.

Top Gear Video Of The Week - Porsche Cayenne

How do you know Jeremy Clarkson and James May aren't objective?  Well, when they take the Porsche Cayenne, rave about its off-road capabilities, its road-handling, its speed (0-60 in 5 seconds),  its electronics and gadgets..... and then end by saying its ugly, and hence they would rather walk than drive it.

I agree, when it first came out, I too thought the Cayenne was really ugly.  But it has grown on me.

porsche cayenne top gear

A New Era In Detroit - Italian Control

Chrysler has a new dance partner.  Fiat, which makes Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo (alfaa!) is taking a 35% stake in the Detroit, USA company. 

  

Two important points:

a) Fiat is also cash-strapped. 

b) Fiat has the option to get more (full) control of Chrysler, if it so chooses

Top Gear Video Of The Week - Pagani Zonda

The Pagani Zonda is truly an amazing engineering achievement. 

As usual, the top Gear boys have a hilarious review, this time led by Richard Hammond

 

pagani zonda test drive

Top Gear Video Of The Week

This week's Top Gear video - the Ariel Atom, manufactured by a small <10 person company in Somerset.  This car is amazing.  Or is it even a car?

It has a supercharged Honda civic type R engine, with 300 hp , but due to the Atom's low weight (500 kg), it effectively generates 600 bhp/tonne. 600 bhp/tonne.  Let me say that another way - more than a ferrari enzo.

The Atom was quicker than the Porsche Carrera GT around the Top Gear track!

 

top gear ariel atom

Take a look at the way it beat up on Jeremy Clarkson's face

Auto Sector Slowdown Affecting Commodities

The Automobile sector is hurting badly, even as some of the best lineups of cars are becoming available.  The Auto companies' woes are passing all the way down the supply chain to the commodities folks too, something that was only a matter of time.

Aluminium producer Alcoa is cutting down drastically on people and costs (my detailed coverage is on my Business blog).  Of course, this isn't purely because of the automotive sector.  But given that 2008 was a record bad year, and 2009 is shaping up to be a bruiser, the sector's effects are pretty clear.

Increased Page Rank

My cover-all blog,  Capoeirista,  now has a Page Rank of 2, a bump-up of +1 

Darn Google, you better give me more respect!