MotoCzysz sizzles in Isle of Man TT Zero practice
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, UK, USA, Racing
TT Zero practice laps – Click above to watch video after the jump
The Snaefell Mountain Course is again abuzz with the sound of electric motorcycles as six riders have been running practice laps in preparation of the main TT Zero event now set for Thursday. Last years TTXGP-winning Team Agni are back with a new machine but, aside from askance glances at the dustbin-style fairing they’re using, the spotlight has been stolen by the team whose entry last year seemed revolutionary but never crossed the finish line. MotoCzysz it returned to the Isle of Man with a re-engineered E1PC that is so slick, strong and fast it seems to point to the future of performance electric motorcycles.
It now has a single 75 kW (100 horsepower) liquid-cooled DC IPM (internal permanent magnet) motor capable of 250 pound feet of torque that is 93 per cent efficient under continuous heavy load. Like last year, the batteries are swappable but they’ve been re-shaped and re-designed so that they can be switched in seconds without any extra plugging in of wires. In fact, there are only two wires on the whole bike and both of them are less than a foot long.
While the proof of the super-bike pudding is in the racing, practice times indicate that Michael Czysz will likely enjoy a delicious creamy dessert in the near future. Perhaps with a cherry on top. (What? You don’t put cherries on your pudding? Heathens!) With Mark Miller again gripping the handle bars, the E1PC made its way around the course faster than any of its peers previously has. The Sulby Speed Trap it hit 131.1 miles per hour and finished the lap in 23 minutes, 54.84 seconds. That’s about two minutes faster than last year’s race winner. There is some speculation they may even claim the £10,000 prize on offer for the first electric to average over 100 mph over the 37.73 mile circuit. While we can’t say whether or not that will happen, we can speculate that MotoCzysz might be getting some interest in their $42,500 machine in the near future. Hit the jump for a look at it and the other competitors as they pass through the Ramsey Hairpin during practice.
[Source: TT Zero / Asphalt & Rubber ] Read more…
Incoming search terms:
- Video: Isle of Man TT Zero practice
2011 Volkswagen Jetta spied nearly undisguised
The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta has been spied partially undisguised – hinting that the Jetta will be unveiled soon. The pre-production cars were caught undergoing final shake-down tests in Detroit, Michigan.
The newcomer is baring strong similarity at the New Compact Coupe (NCC) Concept, which was exposed at this year’s Detroit motorshow. Up front, the car’s front bumper, headlights and bonnet contours follow the NCC closely, while at the back, the tail-lights are virtually unchanged from the NCC.
Despite the resemblance, the Jetta will remain conservative – blame this on the oh-so popular Toyota Corolla.
Incoming search terms:
- jetta variant 2011
- vw ncc
- volkswagen jetta 2011 india images
- volkswagen new jetta spied in india
- vw india future cars
- vw jetta
- vw jetta 2
- vw jetta 2011 caught testing india
- vw jetta ncc
- volkswagen jetta 2011 india
- next future vehicles from vw india
- new future vehicles from volkswagen india
- jetta body kit 2011 beyaz
- jetta 2011
- is the volkswagen jetta a fast car
- future jetta vw in 2011 in india
- futur jetta s
- FAST 2011 VW
- 2011 VW Jetta dubbed
- 2011 european jetta
Spa Treatment: Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG “Thirty-Five” meets 300 SEL 6.8 AMG
Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Sedan, Performance, Europe, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury
Legendary AMG rote Sau meets an even bigger, faster “Red Pig” – Click above for high-res image gallery
Fans of endurance racing need no introduction to the first ever AMG racing luxury sedan, the 300 SEL 6.8. You non-fans, however, do. Known affectionately as the rote Sau (i.e. Red Pig, though for some reason Daimler left this little factoid out of their otherwise way-more-than-comprehensive press release), the beyond-blueprinted engine (increased from 6.3 to 6.8 liters) kicked out 428 horsepower and allowed the pre-Hammer to smash its way to a startling second place finish at the 1971 24 Hours of Spa.
Let’s rephrase that: the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG bullied its way to an utterly astonishing second place finish, and became the crowd favorite while doing so. Why so unbelievable? The Red Pig weighed a porcine 3,600 pounds, partly because AMG left the heavy air suspension and exotic wood trim in place. Luckily, Spa’s long straights allowed the hard-working brakes plenty of time to cool down, and the heaviest car on the track finished the day way ahead of everyone save the winning Ford Capri and AMG’s expectations.
Fast forward thirty nine years and look what we’ve got here: the 2011 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Thirty-Five. Why Thirty-Five? That’s the same number the rote Sau wore back at Spa. But this is not your rich banker neighbor’s S63. Long gone is the magnificent 6.2-liter V8, having been replaced by the all new yet still hand built twin-turbo 5.5-liter AMG V8. In “stock” form, this motor produces 544 hp and 590 pound-feet of torque. Though the S63 Thirty-Five’s motivator has been BAMMED! up a notch to produce 571 horses (the same amount as the SLS AMG) and 664 lb-ft of twist. Yowza! The big sedan also gets AMG’s frankly awesome wet clutch Speedshift MCT 7-speed transmissions that in full manual mode will embarrass all but the most exotic dual-clutches.
The run to 60 happens in about 4.3 seconds, which is impressive as even though Daimler left the S63 Thirty-Five’s weight out of the press release, it porks clocks in right around 2.5 tons. Once again: Yowza! Also, the big AMG has a roll cage, and those ain’t light. Both identically liveried cars got driven around Spa by none other than Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz, the men behind the wheel for the 1971 race. You can read all about it in the press release after the break.
Incoming search terms:
- spa winning red pig
Will Ford’s Sync kill Sirius XM?
Filed under: Technology, Ford
There are currently 19 million Sirius XM subscribers out there, and the vast majority of those cash-paying customers listen only in the car. Ford was among the earliest mass-market adopters of Sirius, as The Blue Oval made infotainment a big part of its vehicle strategy. But while Ford was an early passenger on the satellite bandwagon, another very popular technology could put the squeeze on pay-for-play radio.
The Motley Fool opines that advances to Sync could hurt Sirius in a very meaningful way. Sync already connects to your MP3 player and your smart phone, but Microsoft and Ford have been working with third parties like Pandora to bring free content through the iPhone, RIM or Android data plan you’re already paying for. Beyond Internet radio, Sync also provides turn-by-turn navigation, traffic and weather, emergency assistance and Google Maps.
In the end, though, The Fool is quick to remind us that Ford gets a cut from every Sirius XM subscription. That means the automaker likely will stop short of toppling over the satellite provider. Besides, Sirius subscriptions have done nothing but climb since Sync hit the market three years ago.
[Source: The Motley Fool]
Will Ford’s Sync kill Sirius XM? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG gets updated exterior, little else
Filed under: Performance, SUV, Mercedes-Benz
2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery
With all of the hype surrounding the BMW’s M-badged X5 and X6, as well as the renewed Porsche Cayenne range, it’s easy to forget that Mercedes-Benz has its own super-fast sport-ute, the ML63 AMG. As its name suggests, this top-rung ML is fitted with the same 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 that we’ve come to love in the rest of the automaker’s AMG lineup, good for 503 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque in this application.
We expect to see an all-new AMG M-Class in the next couple of years, but for now, Mercedes-Benz has updated the ML63 with very subtle exterior tweaks, including darkened headlamps and taillamps, a refreshed hood and tweaked front and rear underguards (in chrome, of course). From there, not much else changes – the seven-speed AMG Speedshift transmission is still in place, routing all of that forward thrust to all four wheels, measuring 20 inches in diameter (21s can be had as an option).
In the ML AMG’s next generation, expect to see the automaker’s brand new twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 under the hood, good for around 544 horsepower and a pavement-churning 590 pound-feet of torque. High-powered SUVs and crossovers aren’t the most practical of automotive choices these days, but we’re happy to still see them moving forward. After all, sometimes you just need to get the kids to soccer practice in extremely short order.
Volkswagen rolls out 10,000th Polo from its Chakan plant
Volkswagen India has rolled 10,000 Polo hatchbacks from its Chakan plant in Pune. Polo production began exactly one year ago. VW’s Chakan plant manufactures both VW Polo and Skoda Fabia.
Joerg Mueller, President & Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited lauded this effort of the company to manufacture cars in collaboration with German engineering and Indian skills.
The Chakan plant has manufacturing capacity of 1,10,000 vehicles per annum. The company employess 1,500 workers at present which will be increased to 2,500 when a second shift to meet the growing demand is started. Long way to Volks…
Mitsuoka has released a new version of its unique supercar
A small Japanese automaker Mitsuoka studio released its only car Orochi in 2001. Since then the company from time to time shows special version model at various car shows. Now Mitsuoka introduces the latest special issue of the Orochi, this time the “gold” – Premium Gold Orochi. Total Japanese studio plans to build 20 copies of the model. From the original Premium Gold Orochi different colored body, the presence of additional spoilers and nameplates “Premium Gold”. The cost of cars for European customers is 95,000 euros. 
Recall, Mitsuoka Orochi is equipped with a six-cylinder V-engine volume of 3.3 liters and power 233 hp production Toyota, packaged with a five-speed automatic transmission.
Incoming search terms:
- marusia f2
- nano material
- nano sedan
- sports audi car
