Over at kickstarter.com, ideas are brewing, looking for your hard-earned dollars to make dreams a reality. BlueDrone has come up with a concept to allow remote controlled cars to be, well, remotely controlled through Bluetooth technology. Stephen Mark is the founder of the concept, and hopes to produce many 1:20-scale Nissan GT-R Bluetooth-controlled (BC?) cars.

The idea of it is simple, allowing the owner to control their RC car through the use of an Android phone or tablet. Through the smartphone’s touchscreen or accelerometer, the owner will be able to zip and zoom through any parking lot of course with just their phone. The RC car requires 3 AA batteries to operate, and battery life can log three hours.

The cost to make this product a mass-produced reality? Mark’s looking for $200,000 in pledges – a lofty goal, for sure. But for $59, it’ll lock you a spot in line for the GT-R and the app once the project is complete, if he gets there.

Check out a promo video of the RC car after the break.

[Source: CNet]

Continue Reading…

If you tend to be a little heavy on the gas pedal, chances are you’re in need of a marriage councillor’s services. According to a study conducted by a British online used car channel, Tesco Cars, speed is the biggest fight starter between partners on car rides.

Speeding was the main source of “carguments,” with 22 percent saying that’s what got them miffed at their partner, followed by getting directions wrong (18 percent), tailgating (13 percent) and parking (5 percent).

When it comes to speeding, both men and women are up in arms about their partners going over the speed limit. For women, 21 percent said this factor would most likely start a cargument, compared with one in four men.

“Most couples will have argued about something in the car at one time or another,” said Rebecca Ryan, Marketing Manager of Tesco Cars. “Given the potentially serious consequences of speeding, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that it is the chief cause of fights.”

Here’s a list of what’s most likely to start a cargument:

Driving too fast: 22.72%

Getting the directions wrong: 18.01%

None of the above: 15.86%

Driving too close to the car in front: 13.31%

Being too aggressive: 11.83%

Parking: 5.11%

Choice of music of radio station: 4.70%

Driving too slow: 4.57%

Children fighting in the back: 3.90%

Ferrari has just announced that the Eternità concept is the winning entrant for their International Design Contest. The contest challenged students to develop the Ferrari hypercar of the future with the latest generation technologies and materials, while preserving the iconic performance and elegance associated with the legendary Italian automaker.

The Eternità was created by students of South Korea’s Hongik Univeristy, with a futuristic roadster with aerodynamic styling, a wraparound windscreeen and aggressive side skirts. Fifty prestigious international design schools entered the competition and the Eternità beat out the Xezri and Cavallo Biaco concepts from students of IED Turin and RCA London. Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said, ”I saw at first hand the many genuinely innovative ideas that these talented youngsters sent us and could feel the enormous passion and commitment that had gone into them. I am certain that some of these suggestions will come to light in the Ferraris of the future.” The winner was awarded the grand prize of an internship at Ferrari in Maranello, Italy as well as a cash prize.

Chevrolet has sold 2.35 million vehicles globally in the first six months of 2011, setting sales records in all the top five markets. The first six months of 2011 was the best half year performance in Chevrolet’s 100-year history. The American automaker sold 286,499 more vehicles in the first half of 2011 than the same time period of 2010, a 14-percent increase year over year.

The automaker set record first-half sales in several countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Columbia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, South Africa and Turkey. Chevrolet’s growth has been credited to the new wave of models including the Cruze compact car, Spark mini car, Sonic small car, and Orlando MPV. The Chevy Malibu midsize car and the all-new Colorado compact pickup will soon join the previously mentioned vehicles when they go on sale later this year globally.

Nissan has confirmed today, that starting in early 2013, the electric motor for the Nissan Leaf will be produced at the Decherd, Tennessee powertrain assembly plant.

Prepping the plant for the electric motor production has been facilitated by U.S Department of Energy Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program loan funds. The Leaf motor will also create 90 new jobs and when the new assembly line is completed, the plant will have the capacity to produce up to 150,000 electric motors annually for the Nissan Leaf.

“Nissan’s Tennessee operations are paving the way to a zero-emission future for everyone,” said Bill Krueger, vice chairman of Nissan Americas. “By delivering motors for the first mass-produced electric vehicles manufactured in the United States, our Decherd plant will play a vital role in making zero-emission mobility a reality for American consumers.”

Honda is giving Japanese CR-Z enthusiasts a limited edition Alpha Black Label model, featuring a sleek all-black leather interior that will also be available with the limited edition Yellow Pearl Premium II paint shade. The black leather interior is a sharp contrast from the grey cloth that is currently available and looks much more refined in the CR-Z. Based on today’s conversion rates, the Alpha Black Label CR-Z will run around $31,800.

In addition to the Yellow Pearl offering, the CR-Z Alpha Black Label will be available on six other CR-Z colors including their Dark Pewter Metallic, Turquoise Horizon Pearl, Premium White Pearl, Milano Red, Crystal Black Pearl and Storm Silver Metallic. Inside, the front seats, door linings, meter visor, and shift boot (six-speed manual model only) are all swapped out for black components. The car also gets premium pedals and 16-inch wheels powdercoated a metallic gray.

GALLERY: Honda Alpha Black Label CR-Z

A 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six often referred to as the Ghost Car is to be auctioned July 30 at the RM Auctions St John’s sale in Plymouth, Michigan. This unusual car’s exterior is made of Plexiglas body panels making it transparent. Plexiglas was a relatively new material in 1939, and supplier Rohm & Hass replicated each of the car’s body panels by hand.

Interior structural metal parts were copper washed and other parts including the dashboard  were chrome plated. Rubber moldings and tires were manufactured in white, adding to the cars ghostly appearance. The ghost car featured an 85-hp six cylinder engine coupled to a three-speed manual transmission, has four-wheel drum brakes and the odometer reads 86 miles. In 1939 the Pontiac Deluxe Six cost $25,000, which is $397,000 when adjusted for inflation. The pre- auction estimate is somewhere between $275,000 and $475,000.

GALLERY: 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, certain models of Ford pickups and SUVs have a defective switch which can cause the brake, taillights and rear turn signals to fail, potentially resulting in accidents, specifically rear end collisions.

As a result, the automaker is recalling certain 2004-2011 Ford Ranger pickups, 2002-07 Super Duty pickups, including F-250 through F-550 models, as well as 2002-05 Excursion SUVs.

In total, some 20,450 trucks in the US are affected, in addition Ford is replacing some 6000 defective switches that were sent to dealers as replacement ‘in-service’ parts.

The company plans to notify owners of the recall, who will have the defective switches replaced, free of charge. It also says, that despite the number of trucks being recalled, so far no accidents resulting from brake or taillight failure on the affected vehicles have been recorded.

Infamous Porsche tuner RUF has unveiled their third generation CTR, the Cayman-based supercar featuring a mid-engine design with a 3.8L flat-six with 750-hp and 708 lb-ft of torque. RUF’s CTR variants have always been known to be in a league of their own, and the CTR 3 is no exception, featuring a Kevlar-carbon body shell, with a hood and a pair of doors made from lightweight aluminum.

The car itself has been transformed to support the new mid-engine design with galvanized steel used for the front structure and passenger compartment. The powertrain has been fixed in a space frame and modular tubular frame construction. Inside, the passenger compartment is reinforced with RUF’s Integrated Roll Cage.

Engine-wise, the twin-turbocharged powerplant features a pair of intercoolers – one for each turbo – placed in front of each rear wheel. Mated to the 3.8L flat-six is a transversely mounted sequential 6-speed transmission with a limited slip differential.

The CTR 3 also features a staggered set of 19-inch wheels in the front and 20-inch wheels in the rear, with the widebody fitting 335/30/20 tires in the back. Those interested in purchasing a CTR 3 can also have the interior customized to their liking with leather and Alcantara options.

All said and done, the CTR 3 weighs in at 3,086-lbs and with 750-hp, it has a power-to-weight ratio of 4.4-lbs per hp. That makes for a 0-62 mph time of just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 236-mph.

GALLERY: RUF CTR 3

[Source: RUF Automobile]

Zagato and CPP have confirmed that they’ve formed a joint venture between the two businesses and have done so since July 2010. Registered in Italy as CPP Milan, the British coachbuilding specialist and Zagato have been combining forces to ensure longevity with both brands. So far the joint venture has been a huge success, with both firms overseeing projects such as the upcoming 2011 Aston Martin V12 Zagato, which has been confirmed for a limited production run.

For the last 20 years, Zagato has been under the leadership of Andrea and Marella Zagato, becoming a leader in automotive design and providing their services to some of the world’s most iconic automotive brands. CPP on the other hand, has become a coach building specialist since 1995 producing low-volume models and one-off show cars and prototypes.

Now the two will benefit from one another in order to have sustainability in what has become an increasingly difficult market to survive in.

In an industry where so many design houses and coachbuilders over-expanded and attempted high volume outsourced manufacture before failing, the independent Zagato brand and its designs retain a mythical, iconic, aspirational status. For that reason, the world’s luxury car brands continue to want to work with Andrea and his team and I saw huge advantages for us in developing a closer relationship, leading to the formation of the CPP Milan joint venture, which has delivered to the various ambitious targets set for it.”