Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Concept Car : Galpin Auto Sports unveils radical Scythe


Remember the mysterious Mustang-based "Project B" concept car that we spied at Galpin Auto Sports last month? The completed version was unveiled this past weekend during a celebrity-packed party at the shop's Southern California facility. We were spot-on with the specs of the car, including the twin-supercharged 5.0L V8 that is pushing out a claimed 1005 horsepower and the massive 16.5-inch Wilwood disc brakes. The Scythe also features unique composite body panels, a wrap-around pillarless glass cockpit, reverse opening vertical doors, and a voice-controlled computer that can offer up weather, traffic, sports, and more through a 3G network connection. Full details on the car can be found in the press release after the jump, and we'll be sure to bring you more photos when we see the car at SEMA in just a few weeks.
[Source: Galpin Auto Sports]
PRESS RELEASE:
Most custom shops have a backyard BBQ for friends when they want to show off a new car. Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) in Van Nuys, California took that concept to a new level on Saturday, October 18, when it debuted one of the most radical custom show cars of the modern era to a packed house of automotive icons, celebrities and media. While smoke rose from the floor and a massive twin supercharged engine crackled in the background, GAS president Beau Boeckmann unveiled Scythe, a one-of-a-kind machine packed with the most advanced onboard technology ever showcased in an automotive application. Other highlights from the evening included the unveiling of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's long-lost Orbitron show car, a charity silent auction with proceeds going to three local charities and performances by a variety of top-tier rap and rock stars culminating in an all-star jam session between Ozzy Osbourne and members of Guns N' Roses, The Cult, Jane's Addiction and more.
"With Scythe, we set out to showcase all of our unique fabrication abilities here at GAS," Boeckmann says. "From the hand-made composite body and voice-activated onboard computer system, to the twin-supercharged 1,005 horsepower engine, this car was built to make a statement. In the 1950's and '60s, show cars were meant to shock and amaze people, and we wanted the same effect from Scythe but with a high-tech twist. This isn't a hollow concept car, it's a fully functional, incredibly fast and usable machine with a talking onboard computer and over a thousand horsepower running on methanol."
Scythe exemplifies the melding of old-world coachbuilding techniques and cutting-edge digital technology. The GAS team started with a proven performance platform, a 2008 Ford Mustang GT Convertible. After the body panels were removed, the unibody structure was covered in clay, which was sculpted to match renderings drawn by famed Kustom Kulture icon Ed "Newt" Newton. Molds were pulled from the clay sculpture, and composite body panels were formed and fitted to the Mustang pan. Reverse opening vertical doors, a wrap-around pillarless glass cockpit with no B- or C-pillars and custom headlights and taillights surrounded by hand-made aluminum trim are the highlights of the unique design.
The interior features some of the most sophisticated technology ever installed in a vehicle. Scythe features an onboard Shuttle XPC computer that manages every function of the car and is controlled entirely by voice commands. Simply speak to the electronic personal assistant in your own words and through a digital uplink to a 3G network Scythe will provide real-time weather, traffic, sports, stock market and news information and maintain your daily calendar. Other onboard electronics include flush mounted exterior cameras that offer 24-hour monitoring via cell phone or internet and a voice-activated iPod compatible JL Audio 5.1 Surround Sound system allows the driver to choose artist, song or music type verbally.
Scythe also offers unparalleled power and performance. Hand-built by GAS, the twin Magnuson supercharged 5.0L racing engine with custom ported 24-valve SOHC cylinder heads pump out up to 1,005 horsepower. A GAS custom fabricated intake manifold, custom performance grind camshafts and a custom electronic shifter complete the powertrain of this one of a kind vehicle. Other performance advances include a custom Air Ride Technologies suspension system by GAS and an onboard CPU which constantly adjusts ride height for maximum performance. Dual driving positions with retractable motorized steering wheels allows for left and ride side driving control of the vehicle and custom GAS designed brakes using Wilwood 16.5" rotors and 6-piston calipers on all four corners make Scythe stop on a dime.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Concept Car : Compact Sports & Specialty


The first concept car to come out of ED², the CS&S was created to make hearts race. The 4-wheel drive roadster uses Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive. An electric motor drives the front wheels, and a gas engine combines with the electric motor to drive the rear. Inside, a new gadget called Toyota Space Touch allows the driver to select minor functions such as air conditioning and lights, using holographic projections.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Bike Meets Car in Three-Wheeled Can-Am Spyder


Ostensibly opening up the pleasures of the motorcycling to would-be riders who, for any or all of a variety of reasons related to fear of falling over, haven't taken the plunge, the slightly odd new Can-Am Spyder promises to keep things upright by putting three wheels on the ground instead of two. The latest offering from Bombardier Recreational Products, the company that gave the world the truly revolutionary Ski-Doo in the late 1950s and the similarly significant Sea-Doo in the 1970s, the Can-Am Spyder merges the drivetrain of a motorcycle with the front end of a sports car to create something, well, different. The look is undeniably novel, and with 106 horsepower from a 998-cc V-twin, it offers performance that, while a far cry from even a low-end sport bike, is still on par with, say, a Porsche 911 (which isn't bad at all). Sixty miles per hour arrives in about 4.5 seconds, and the Spyder will scoot to an electronically limited 110 mph. It's on sale now, priced at $14,999. A manually actuated five-speed sequential transmission is standard; an electronically controlled version will add $1500. Specify yellow paint instead of the standard silver for an extra $300.
We love the concept of a motorized trike, although we'd prefer one that came at the idea from more of an automotive perspective, like the spectacular Renault 20Cup concept from a couple of years ago. The Can-Am Spyder is not without its charms, but it seems to us that for five or six grand more, a Mazda MX-5 Miata or a Pontiac Solstice makes vastly more sense — no helmet required.
Source: blog.wired.com/
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