A couple of interesting articles

We have done extensive research on building an electric version of our Cardinal track car. The ICE engine car is about 1800 lbs. The EV version, with an hour of on-track battery capability, would still be well under 2000 lbs.

The article's title "... an electric Caterham you can actually track." is not necessarily an acurate statement. More and more tracks are banning EVs due to safety considerations. There are two issues: First, and most obviously, is the fire hazard. Few tracks have the capability to deal with an EV fire and they really don't want to. The training, equipment and infrastructure is expensive to acquire and maintain. Second, is the physical, on-track, safety systems. Barriers (tire walls, concrete walls, gravel traps, fences, etc...) are all designed to manage ICE vehicles. EVs are typically heavier and can generate higher speeds in a given straight. Thus the track will have a physics problem. Because energy goes up with the square of speed, the heavier and faster EV makes the existing barriers insufficient. This is a MAJOR problem for the track operator that is only now becoming understood.
 
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Steve Hoelscher said:
We have done extensive research on building an electric version of our Cardinal track car. The ICE engine car is about 1800 lbs. The EV version, with an hour of on-track battery capability, would still be well under 2000 lbs.
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Simply amazing.
Steve Hoelscher said:
The article's title "... an electric Caterham you can actually track." is not necessarily an acurate statement. More and more tracks are banning EVs due to safety considerations.
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This different method of energy storage does have a different set of failure modes. It’s interesting that while much is the same between fuel and electric cars, there are some big differences when you go to a more extreme environment like a track. It’s not totally starting from square one on safety, but it’s not business as usual either.
 
I don't think I've ever linked this here, but this is a must read on Monday or Tuesday. Every auto exec anxiously reads this praying their ox is not being gored. It's been around for decades and the industry hates it, but are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The brand meter edition is particularly interesting.

Rants - Autoextremist.com ~ the bare-knuckled, unvarnished, high-electron truth...

Autoextremist.com - an Internet magazine devoted to news, commentary and analysis of the auto industry - a weekly
www.autoextremist.com www.autoextremist.com
 
jimmyx said:
I don't think I've ever linked this here, but this is a must read on Monday or Tuesday. Every auto exec anxiously reads this praying their ox is not being gored. It's been around for decades and the industry hates it, but are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The brand meter edition is particularly interesting.

Rants - Autoextremist.com ~ the bare-knuckled, unvarnished, high-electron truth...

Autoextremist.com - an Internet magazine devoted to news, commentary and analysis of the auto industry - a weekly
www.autoextremist.com www.autoextremist.com
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Awesome read. I love how several things get multiple paragraphs, then this:
Mitsubishi. Still no.
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Hilarious and accurate.
 
A lot of us love "concept cars". There are two articles in this link; one on some concepts that were ugly, and one on some concepts that were good enough looking they should have been produced (according to the authors). I like a couple of the ones in the second article.

www.topspeed.com

10 Concept Cars We’re Glad Never Made It To Production

While there have been plenty of bad concept vehicles that made it into production, thankfully these stinkers never made it to the showroom
www.topspeed.com www.topspeed.com
 
Bryce-o-rama said:
This was an interesting comparison of a couple cars.
www.theautopian.com

Twelve-Year-Old-Me Wants Both Of These: 1980 Fiat X1/9 vs 1985 Dodge Shelby Charger - The Autopian

Welcome back to Shitbox Showdown! Today I’m dragging you all along on another trip down memory lane; I hope you don’t mind. But before we get into all that, let’s see how our cop cars did yesterday: That’s what I expected. The Taurus is a cool idea, but a good ol’ V8 Panther is hard […]
www.theautopian.com www.theautopian.com
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There was a discussion here some time back about using that Dodge engine/trans for a X1/9 drivetrain swap. :)
 
And another, This time it is down the "final four" in the "Shitbox showdown" Happy to see that Fiat is leading the poll again.

www.theautopian.com

The Return Of The Friday Four-Way Battle: Comanche vs ZX2 vs Crown Vic vs X1/9 - The Autopian

Happy Friday to all of you out there in our fair kingdom of Autopia! This week, we’re going back to the old format of taking the last four days’ winners and pitting them against each other. Yes, it’s time to crown another Shitbox of the Week! But of course, before we can do that, we […]
www.theautopian.com www.theautopian.com
 
There were so many pop up ads on the first article I had to abandon reading it. Reminded me of being swarmed by nats while cutting the grass yesterday.
 
carl said:
There were so many pop up ads on the first article I had to abandon reading it. Reminded me of being swarmed by nats while cutting the grass yesterday.
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That has become so true for the internet in general, I also hate it. I turned on a "pop up blocker" that seems to help a lot. But some sites will not allow you to view their content unless you turn it off. :(
 
I just saw a article about a classic Ferrari that sold for a lot of money. Frankly the article itself isn't worth posting, but a comment made in that article is worth mentioning. I can't verify the accuracy of this, but the author made the following statements:

"However, there have only ever been 64 cars that sold for $10 million. That’s still a lot, but the number drops significantly if you bring that price up to $20 million. Only 15 cars have ever hit over $20 million – rarified air, indeed."

To put these statements into the context of the article, the point being made was the Ferrari discussed sold for around 16 million, but was expected to sell for closer to 20 million. However what I found more interesting was those statistics - 64 cars for 10 million and 15 for 20 million, EVER. Really? Somehow it seems there might be more for each of those two price marks. Especially given the ridiculous prices I see paid at many of the large car auctions.
 
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