Autoblog

Click above to watch a video with slides of the production Chevy Volt

We got our first sneak peek at the production Chevy Volt last week, but a recent presentation by Bob Boniface, director of design for the Volt, has revealed a bit more. We've pasted a video of the presentation and slide show after the break, and in it Boniface notes how the concept's straight lines and tight corners have been smoothed over and rounded out in an effort to reduce turbulence. This streamlining improves the Volt's fuel mileage, range on electricity and the amount of regenerative braking that can be captured. Also seen for the first time is a rear shot of the Volt, showing a pronounced "vertical fin," and a new rear spoiler design. Likewise, the side-view mirrors' mounting arrangement was revised for reduced aerodynamic drag. These changes, along with countless others which have not been fully revealed, have allowed the Volt's engineers and designers to increase EV-only range by six to seven miles.

While we're salivating over all the little tidbits of information on the Volt, we look forward to its official debut expected in Paris at the Motor Show this October. However, recent rumors indicate that the extended-range electric-vehicle could be seen at GM's Centennial celebration on September 16. Thanks for the tip, Emil!


[Sources: GM-Volt, Green Fuels Forecast, The Detroit Free Press]

UPDATE: After streaming a view of Woodward Ave. for over 8 hours, the live feed has been turned off. It was a great success and we plan on doing it again next year. If you have any suggestions on how to improve this feature, let us know in the comments.

Can't make it to Detroit for the 2008 Woodward Dream Cruise? We got your back. Follow the jump for a live streaming view of Woodward Ave. and watch the famous four-lane road (one way) fill up with classics, muscle cars, exotics and the oddest autos you've ever seen. We're going to keep the stream going all day long (barring technical difficulties), so check back often. Peak time of the cruise is 12-4 PM EST, at which time Woodward turns into a parking lot so each car has plenty of time to stop and wave at the camera.

CLICK HERE to watch live stream of the 2008 Woodward Dream Cruise.

Click above to watch the video

Not that the deal would need to be sweetened, but buying the latest Ferrari supercar comes with perks. For a group of European customers who came to Maranello to take possession of their new 430 Scuderias, that included a hands-on advanced driving course to show them what their new rides could do. And who better to demonstrate the capabilities of the fastest car ever to lap Fiorano than the driver who helped develop it? Follow the jump and you'll find a video of Michael Schumacher glad-handing the millionaires and their new rides around Ferrari's private on-site test track, posting hot laps and drifting around the wet handling course. Prepare to be jealous.

[Source: FerrariWorld channel on YouTube]

Click above to watch the video

Try as we might, there are just some things that words just cannot express. For automotive enthusiasts like us, those things usually have four wheels and, more often than not, come from Italy. Take the Maserati GranTurismo, which only grew more desirable in our eyes with the addition of the 4.7-liter V8 from the even more luscious Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. We could gladly write all day about its achingly gorgeous lines and impeccable attention to detail, to say nothing of the rip-roaring powertrain, but we just couldn't do it justice. And so we bring you this video, which you can watch after the jump. Enjoy.

[Source: Maserati]

Click above to view video after the jump

We received over a dozen tips about a hot video including a Lamborghini Gallardo (good start) and some aqueous material of the municipal kind, so we had to see the motion pictures for ourselves. We pictured a hot yellow Lambo crashing into a huge fountain, or some scantily clad young lady giving the Italian supercar a bath, but we got none of the above. What we did see is some guy using a blue bucket to transport water from a homely looking city fountain and dousing it on his prized Gallardo. To complicate the news-worthiness of the video, it looks like it was captured with a camera phone, it's shot from across the street, and the guy doesn't even seem very excited about saving $4 at the local car wash. But, you asked for it, so we've provided the video after the jump for your enjoyment (or indifference). Power to the people! Thanks for the tip, everyone!

[Source: Auto Market]

With Ferrari's road and race cars taking advantage of the latest emerging technologies, someone inside the marketing department in Maranello has taken the bold initiative to bring the company's PR into the same realm by utilizing popular electronic media. For its latest supercar, the highly-anticipated Ferrari California, the company has been releasing bits and pieces on a dedicated, flash-enhanced website, and the latest installment has just hit cyberspace.

For this episode, Ferrari has teamed up with the wiz-kids at Polyphony Digital who are the brains behind the Gran Turismo franchise. They offer up an adrenaline-pumping virtual reality video of the California racing through the virtual streets of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in the same style as the game's intro. And now that they have the car scanned, it shouldn't be long before you can download the California on your PS3 to drive in the game. We hope. Follow the Source link below, click "virtual test drive" and "play film" to watch the clip. Oh, and clear some time in your schedule, because the video will make you want to play video games all weekend. Enjoy.

[Source: Ferrari]

Click above for high-res gallery of the ZR1 doing burnouts

The Corvette ZR1 has some sick, nasty, evil power. Hitting the pedal will propel you to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and in the hands of a skilled professional, this blue-collar supercar can lap the 'Ring in 7:26:4. There is no question that 638 horsepower and a 3,300-lb curb weight is good for getting you somewhere in a big fat hurry, but in the right hands it can also get you nowhere fast. One particular Development Engineer is the General's number one burnout artist, and we captured video of him creating two 300-foot works of art. We love the rubber-ripping smoke storm and sound of the LS9 at full tilt, but we're not so sure this unsuspecting set of Michelin Pilot Sport 2s shares our excitement.

Follow the jump to view video of both burnouts, and click on the gallery below to see the high resolution stills.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above to view video after the jump

It's no secret that running a motorsports team is a lot of work, but probably most of us don't know how much time and effort it really takes. Just building the race cars can take hundreds of man hours, as evidenced by this stop-motion video created by the U.S. Subaru rally team. Starting with a stock 2008 WRX STI, the team strips the car down to its frame by removing the engine, drivetrain, interior and even the windshield. The complete transformation takes an amazing 800 hours of labor. Knowing that makes us cringe even more when we see one roll end over end. Follow the jump to watch the video.

[Source: Subaru]

Click above to view video of the AeroMotrions wing in action

Earlier this week we introduced you to the AeroMotions downforce splitting rear spoiler, a wing that's split in two and uses an onboard computer to selectively adjust the pitch of each wing section to provide the maximum amount of traction for any given situation. At the time all we had was a single picture from the spoiler's debut at an autocrossing event in California, but the company has since released video of said autocrossing showing the wing in action. Watching the video after the jump, you can clearly see how this thing works. Turn left and the driver-side part of the wing flips up to increase downforce and keep the inside rear wheel planted. Turn right and the opposite happens. Floor the car in a straight line and both halves of the wing level out. The amazing thing is how fast each section of the wing reacts, as its constantly adjusting the angles in real time. Follow the jump to check it out for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Vince!

[Source: AeroMotions]

Click above to view video after the jump

Alex Roy, currently locked in an M5 with our own Damon Lavric, recently got a video tour of a rather nifty Audi R8 owned by someone who insists he remain nameless. Codenamed Blackbird, the coupe is stuffed with enough gadgets to be a testbed for NASA's shuttle replacement, but don't for a second think the interior resembles a jungle of wires, screens and antennae: all the electronic gear is seamlessly integrated in a most impressive way. A sample of the wares in the blacked out supercar with the gunmetal gray blade include four GPS units, two radar detectors, police scanner, CB radio, kill switch for all rear lights, high-speed broadband Internet with Wi-Fi running on a tablet PC, power ports, takedown lights, a remote-controlled exhaust bypass valve, and -- get this -- a liquid-cooled infrasonic wave pulse generator. Apparently, you don't want to stand by that last item if you wish to have children. Follow the jump for the whole story in moving pictures. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: YouTube]