Carfansblog » Lifestyle

Britain considering rollout of ‘average-speed’ cameras

Carfansblog — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:56:13 +0000

In yet another blow for UK motorists the government is considering the rollout of ‘average-speed’ cameras on hundreds of miles of motorway under its plan to actively control speeding instead of just measuring it. The system uses a number of linked cameras mounted at intervals along a roadway. They detect your car and record the time you pass and then calculate the average speed taken to travel the distance between. This means you would no longer be able to slow down just in front of a camera until you pass it and then resume driving above the limit. Instead you will have to maintain a speed within the posted limit for an entire stretch of road that could potentially last miles, reports the Daily Express.

The system can also deal with lane changes but it’s not clear how effectively they can differentiate drivers who may need to speed to avoid an accident. If employed, it means drivers will annoyingly have to keep an eye constantly on their speedo.

Driver organizations have already lashed out at the draconian measures but the cameras are already undergoing a number of trials, adding credibility to claims average-speed cameras will be installed along most of the UK’s major roadways in the near future. So far the cameras have only been used on motorways when roadwork is taking place.

(Source:Motor Authority)

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New SEAT Ibiza Gets Piggy-Back Ride Around UK

Carfansblog — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:48:37 +0000

Since April 10, the all new SEAT Ibiza has been paraded around the UK in a custom made Perspex case on the back of a flatbed transporter. Starting in York, the Ibiza has traveled through major cities in the Midlands and South West to London and, finally, the South Coast making stops along the way at key venues such as the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Rockingham race circuit in support of SEAT’s Sport UK team’s with two diesel-powered Leons as well as SEAT dealerships. So far the Ibiza tour has given exposure of the new Ibiza to millions of Brits. Meanwhile similar trucks have being traveling the roads through major cities on the Continent. Additionally, the tour has also promoted SEAT’s Ibiza competition, which offers the chance to win a luxury trip for two to the island of Ibiza.

Coming off of its world debut in Spain earlier this month, the all-new Ibiza hits UK dealerships in late July. More information about the Ibiza’s unique UK tour, as well as many more details of the all-new five-door supermini and full competition entry instructions, are available at www.newseatibiza.com

Source: SEAT

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Six cities busted for shortening yellow light

Carfansblog — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:04:57 +0000

Have you ever hit the throttle when a traffic light turns yellow, and then it turns red faster than you thought? We know it’s happened to us, and for the most part we thought the problem was our bad timing. In six cities across these United States, missing a yellow light has less to do with bad timing, and more to do with shorter amber signals. Six cities have been busted recently for having an amber light that lasted less than the minimum timing at an intersection, and millions of dollars in fines have been collected when drivers went through the premature red and got caught on camera.

Chattanooga, Tennessee; Dallas, Texas; Springfield, Missouri; Lubbock, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Union City, California all cut the timing on their lights, and while some have paid back the fines, others have not. In Dallas, over $700,000 was collected in a matter of eight months, and in Tennessee the light timing was changed at only a few intersections, which just so happens to be the areas that local law enforcement set up traps.

While the millions of dollars in fines collected in these six cities is horrible, what’s worse is that shorter amber lights mean more accidents and more injuries on the road. Hit the link below to read more information regarding the cities that were caught cheating, and if you get pulled over for blowing a red, make sure to time the light. The problem may not be you after all. Thanks for the tip, Thunder!

Source: National Motorists Association

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BMW gets in bed with Google Maps for MyInfo

Carfansblog — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:02:16 +0000

Promising to make automotive navigation systems “easier, faster, and more convenient to use,” BMW is (finally) rolling out its Google-partnered “Myinfo” service in North America (Europeans received BMW’s similar “ConnectedDrive” late last year). With a click of a mouse from the Google Maps web site on your computer, up to 10 destinations may be automatically sent to the navigation system of the BMW Assist-equipped model (yes, there is no need to use the iDrive controller to painstakingly plug them in). The telemetry may be sent while the vehicle is parked, or while driving if you have shared your Myinfo data with a relative, friend, or co-worker.

BMW is making Myinfo exclusive to the 2008 BMW X6 right now, however it plans to roll it out across the lineup in 2009. Inputting address and destination data into any navigation system has always been grievous, so we welcome any technology that allows remote, one-click, uploading. BMW’s system joins the upcoming eNav feature for GM’s OnStar service, which works with MapQuest instead of Google Maps.

Hit the jump for BMW’s brief video of the system in action.

Source: BMW North America

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Top Ten Totally Awesome Turbocharged American Cars

Carfansblog — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:47:12 +0000

We love the ’80s and not just for Rick Astley, Members Only jackets and New Coke. All that’s well and good, but what we really love can be described in one italicized, chromed plastic-emblemed word: TURBO. The 80’s economy forced automakers to use weaker and smaller engines, so to boost power we all turned to MacGyver-rigged turbochargers.

With all that super turbo potential out there, it was hard for us to come up with a top ten list of the most totally awesome turbocharged American cars from the 1980s — but nonetheless, we did. Ogle the 80’s heart-action, then tell us which is your favorite in the poll below.

Chevrolet Corvette B2K Callaway Twin-Turbo

We all know about the legendary “Sledgehammer” pictured here. With over 880 HP and a top speed of 254 MPH, it was the poster child for Callaway’s Twin-Turbo systems. If you wanted your own, you could actually order a similar package by checking the box for option B2K when ordering a Corvette at your Chevrolet dealership. Granted, the price of the twin-turbo system cost nearly as much as the car itself, but you did get 382 HP and a monstrous 562 lb-ft of torque from your 5.7-liter V8.

Buick GNX

The ultimate evolution of the Buick Grand National, the GNX is pure badass. An intercooled, specially-made T3 turbo put up to 15 PSI of boost into the 3.8-liter V6. The official rating from the General was 276 HP. In reality, an unmodified GNX would make about 300 HP and 400 lb-ft of torque. Combine that with trick underpinnings, and the all-black Buick would go 0-60 in well under five seconds.

Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans-Am

For 1989, Pontiac created a special 20th-Anniversary Turbo Trans-Am. Affectionately known as the “TTA”, this wasn’t just some tape-stripe go-faster package. Power came from the Buick-sourced 3.8-liter V6, with the intercooled turbocharger pumping out up to 16.5 PSI. The conservative rating from GM was 250 HP and 340 lb-ft of torque, but some people think the TTA was nearly as powerful as the Buick GNX. Basically, the TTA was KITT-style turbo boost with a white paint job— and not autonomous.

Ford Mustang SVO

Ford Special Vehicle Operations’ alternative to big-displacement pony cars was the Mustang SVO. The 2.3-liter inline-four was force-fed by an intercooled turbo that boosted output up to 200 HP and 240 lb-ft of torque. It was a fairly civilized package, but overwhelming favor of simpleton V8 models eventually killed the SVO.

Merkur XR4Ti

Based heavily on the European Ford Sierra, the Merkur has a distinctly German flavor. Powered by a 2.3-liter inline-four with a T3 pushing up to 14 PSI, it was a similar setup to the Mustang SVO. The lack of an intercooler meant power was down to 175 HP and 200 lb-ft of torque. Though if you had access to Euro-spec parts, it was possible to swap in an AWD drivetrain.

Shelby GLHS Dodge Omni

It’s no secret we love the Shelby GLHS. A 2.2-liter inline-four combined with a intercooled turbocharger made 175 HP and 175 lb-ft of torque. Max boost of 12 PSI helped the Omni run 0-60 in about 6.5-seconds. For a 5-door hatch in that decade, it indeed Goes Like Hell - Somemore. Only 500 blacked-out examples were available, making it a true sleeper.

Shelby CSX-VNT Dodge Shadow

Some see the CSX as just a gaudy Dodge Shadow. If you know your stuff however, the CSX-VNT is quite special. VNT stood for “Variable Nozzle Turbo”, meaning that these 500 examples were the first ever production cars to utilize a version of what we now call a “variable geometry turbo.” These variable nozzles meant there was no need for a wastegate. The setup provided up to 15 PSI of boost, which meant torque from the 2.2-liter inline-four was up to 205 lb-ft, though power was still rated at 175 HP.

Pontiac Grand Prix McLaren Turbo

No, the Grand Prix Turbo was not designed by Gordan Murray. But it did have a 3.1-liter V6 with an intercooled turbo that made 205 HP and 225 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately, the turbo Grand Prix was FWD and only came with a 4-speed slushbox. So despite the “Grand Prix” and “McLaren” emblems, this was no Formula One racer.

Chrysler TC by Maserati

Not merely an expensive LeBaron, Chrysler’s TC by Maserati often gets overlooked for its performance. A joint venture sparked by Lee Iacocca’s friendship with Maserati’s owner, Alejandro DeTomaso, the TC was multinational and had little in common with other K-cars. Despite looking alot like any other Chrylser, the body was unique and built in Italy. The 2.2-liter engine had special pistons made in Germany. A 16-valve head made by Cosworth in England replaced the standard 8-valve Chrysler unit. The IHI turbocharger came from Japan and was connected to an intercooler, helping the engine produce 200 HP and 220 lb-ft of torque. This was the most powerful version yet of Chrysler’s 2.2 turbo, but it would only be offered on the 500 ‘89 models paired with a 5-speed manual transmission.

Chrysler Conquest TSi

Ok, so the Conquest is essentially a re-badged Mitsubishi Starion, but who cares? After all, re-badging a Japanese car as with an American brand is quintessentially ’80s. Actually, the American models were a bit different than their JDM counterparts. The Conquest TSi came with a 2.6-liter inline-four that made 188 HP thanks to an intercooled turbo. That power was sent to the rear wheels for Japanese-style drift-o action.

Source: Jalopnik

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First appearance of Bugatti Veyron in videogame

Carfansblog — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:22:49 +0000

Exotic automakers have been lining up like their customers to get their supercars onto the latest driving simulators. If you own an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, the excitement has been palatable. If you prefer to get your horsepower kicks in front of your computer, however, you’ve probably been feeling a little left out as the lists of new cars for games like Forza 2 and the upcoming GT5 Prologue have been flowing like octane. But we’ve got good news for racing enthusiasts on any platform, as Electronic Arts has announced a new update for its Need for Speed: ProStreet game.

ProStreet is the eleventh installment of the popular Need for Speed series, with versions available for Xbox, Playstation and PC. The latest bit of DLC (downloadable content) is anticipated to include two new tracks and no fewer than 16 new cars. Among them: the Bugatti Veyron. The street-racing theme of the game seems an odd choice for Bugatti to grant its first license, but opens the question as to whether we’ll see the Veyron appear in other games soon. Meanwhile the Veyron won’t be the only new exciting piece of virtual machinery streaming to a system near you, as the expansion pack is also anticipated to include such mouthwatering wheels as the Aston Martin DBR9, Audi R8, Koenigsegg CCX and McLaren F1, just to name a few.

Check out the video after the jump to see the Veyron on the ProStreet customizing screen, cycling through even more options than Bugatti’s own online configurator.

Source: techAU via The German Car Blog

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Speed trap info now available on your mobile phone

Carfansblog — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:28:14 +0000

New software designed for mobile phones and PDAs will allow motorists in the U.S. to warn fellow drivers of police speed traps and red-light cameras by sounding off an alarm when approaching a known threat. The system works by users submitting information about known threats to a central database, which then warns other drivers by sending an alert to their mobile device. Dubbed ‘Trapster’, the new system is the creation of Pete Tenereillo, who insists the software was not developed to encourage motorists to flirt with the law but instead to promote safer driving.

Upon seeing a speed trap or red-light camera, motorists would punch in a special code that sends information about their location to a central database. Information about active speed traps is only kept for an hour, with the idea that officers may move on, reports the Associated Press.

The system can only detect mobile devices that feature GPS or WiFi capability, the latter requiring information from a database run by Skyhook Wireless in the U.S. To prevent fake entries from pranksters and law-enforcement officials, the system features a user rating system but overall accuracy will depend on how many active users are actually present. Currently, Trapster is still in beta testing but we bet it will be one very popular service once it’s fully up and running.

Via: The Truth About Cars

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Full Size BMW M Cars Mounted to Huge Russian Billboard

Carfansblog — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:39:20 +0000

In terms of sheer size, Russia is the largest country in the world. That must have something to do with this gargantuan advertisement found in Russia… According to the caption, the surface area measures more than 1.5 acres (billboard haters should stop complaining right about now, as it appears we have it pretty good over here). More interesting than the sheer massiveness of the super-colossal ad are the full-sized BMWs, lights ablaze, mounted sideways as if zooming across the surface. Those aren’t base model Bimmers, either — sharp eyed readers will recognize them as the Z4 M Coupe, M3, M5, and M6. Now, that is what we call an advertising budget! Thanks for the tip, Hank!

Source: English Russia via Autoblog

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Build your own Tata Nano. You know you want the sticker package.

Carfansblog — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:33:32 +0000

For the time being, you have to live in India to buy a Tata Nano. The new people’s car is slated for domestic consumption only for now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t unleash your inner Nano shopper. That’s right, Tata’s website now allows anyone to customize their own version of little fun-sized runabout. While the car’s feature set is limited by necessity — loading it up with options would run up the price, which would in turn defeat its purpose — you can do a fair bit of personalization.

The standard car gets brighter colors, while the ironically-named Luxury trim features more muted hues. From there, depending on the trim level, you can add foglamps, a number of wheel designs, and best of all — decal packages! Throw on some racing stripes and crank up the IndiPop; 30-horsepower never looked so fast!

Source: Tata Motors via Motive

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2008 Geneva Motor Show Babes - Round Two

Carfansblog — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:42:32 +0000

The Geneva Motor Show, which is currently having its press days, like any other auto show, wouldn’t be complete without all those beautiful girls that make the overall experience even better. Almost all producers had beautiful girls at their stands, but, because a picture is worth a thousand words, we’ll let you enjoy the photos round two.

Photo: Autoblog

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