Lamborghini May Drop Manual Transmission

As a driver, I always like the feeling of having my left foot do something while driving. Hardcore gearheads share the same opinion that there’s nothing like driving a “proper” manual.

But with supercars, manual transmission have started to be a thing of the past. With electronic wizardry now having a critical role in managing all aspects of the car, having a driver do the shifting is now a very rare thing.

Manual transmissions are fitted to less than 5% of Lambo’s fleet and automatic gearboxes have gotten so much better that they change gears faster than any person with a manual.

Lambo is currently working on the following priority list: 1) design, 2) handling, 3) acceleration, and 4) top speed.

Hennessey Venom GT Launched

Check out this 1000 bhp Venom GT supercar that Hennessey just launched. No more silhouetted pictures.

The car’s basically a Lotus Elise that’s been hulked up. First, the Elise’s subframe’s modified to accommodate the Corvette LS9 V8 with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Even with all this power, the car will be offered with three different tuning levels. The base model gets 725 bhp and 741 lb-ft of torque. The mid-range gets a twin-turbocharged version that dishes out 1000 bhp and 900 lb-ft of torque.

The range-topper is absolutely mad with an engine tuned to dish out 1200 bhp and 1100 lb-ft of torque. The engine’s mated to a six-speed Ricardo gearbox.

All variants sprint to 60 mph from standstill in under three seconds.

BMW Z29 Supercar Concept

Holy crap! The M series have been quite the sporty lot but when it comes to supercars, you’d struggle to think if BMW ever came out with one. In recent history, there’s the M1 but that hasn’t really come to fruition.

Now check out this Z29 supercar concept from BMW. The car’s a collaborative project between BMW’s Technik subsidiary and BMW’s M division.

The car’s powered by a 336 bhp straight-six engine – the same one found in the M3. Doesn’t really sound like supercar territory but the use of carbon-fiber and aluminum sub-frames make this car lightweight. Sprinting from 0-62 mph only takes just 4.4 seconds.

The styling takes its cue from the 2006 M Roadster and the 2004 M3 CSL.

No word yet on what BMW plans to do with this concept.

Source: Autocar

Ford Sells Volvo to Geely

One less car badge that would have a “Made in the USA” tag. Ford officially announced that it will be selling Volvo to Zheijang Geely Holding Group. The deal is expected to close by the third quarter and has to go through all the necessary bureaucratic hoopla.

Anyway, Geely will be shelling out $1.8 billion for Volvo which Geely will be paying in form of a note worth $200 million and the rest by cash. Jeez. How rich are the Chinese these days? Richer than you, that is.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally says that the sale will allow Ford to focus more on its brand.

While the most profitable of the Detroit Three (Chrysler’s even questionable now that it’s owned by the Italians), Ford is struggling to keep pace with other automakers. Hyundai overtook Ford as the world’s fourth largest automaker last year.

I wonder if ever being Chinese-owned will affect Volvo’s track record of safety. Maybe they’d start painting the car with lead-based paint and use panels made up of toxic plastic.

Formula 1: Button Clinches Australian GP Win

Defending world champion Jenson Button’s out to prove that his win last season was no fluke by winning a drama-filled Australian GP.

Sebastian Vettel (in his speedy Red Bull car) was dominant after starting at pole position but Button was able to edge Vettel after the Red Bull car suffered from brake failure. An early swap to dry-weather slick tires in the midst of changing weather conditions also helped Button command a lead.

Renault’s Robert Kubica managed to pressure Button but settled for third while the brilliant Ferrari duo rounded up the next two slots with Felipe Massa winning third and Fernando Alonso clocking in two seconds later for fourth.

Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg continues his brilliant showing as he finished fifth while Lewis Hamilton got the bad end of the deal of McLaren’s tire change strategy and a rear-end bump from Mark Webber forcing him to cross the line at sixth.

Michael Schumacher settled for just a point settling for tenth place.

Source: BBC Sport

Mercedes-Benz Working on External Airbags

“External airbags” just make me think of bewbs all the time. For some reason the idea of real automotive airbags deployed outside the car hasn’t quite created the proper signfier-signified relationships in my brain.

And get this, the external airbag deployment might not be where you’d be expecting it. When your brain finally reconciles the mental image of externally-deployed airbags, you might be thinking it’s supposed to protect pedestrians.

Nope. Merc’s testing to deploy airbags underneath the car. It’s supposed to act like an anchor to help the car slow down when a supporting system detects that a collision is inevitable. Pretty neat.

Other safety geekery that Merc’s experimenting on – headlights that automatically adjust brightness so it doesn’t blind drivers in oncoming vehicles, reflective tire sidewalls, and inflatable seat cushions.