Turning road cars into race cars and then back into road cars seems to be Reiter Engineering's new specialty. The factory-supported Lamborghini race team, which also recently built a street-legal variant of their Murcielago R-GT that competes in the FIA GT1 and European Le Mans Series, is now offering a road version of their Gallardo GT3 racecar. Based off the standard Gallardo with the 5.0L V10, the "Strada" features carbon fiber bodywork including fenders that have been widened 60mm, a new front fascia with "shark" style air ducts, side skirts and a large carbon fiber wing at the rear. A single large center-mounted exhaust system reduces weight by nine kg and added an extra ten horsepower, while new three-piece alloy wheels are wrapped with ultra sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 2 rubber. The interior stays relatively stock, although the stock seats have been replaced with leather-covered racing units. While we wouldn't say the result is subtle, it's definitely one of the cleaner designs we've seen.
California recently banned talking on cellphones, and then followed up by making texting illegal, while driving. For a moment there, it was looking like all you were going to be able to do behind the wheel in California was, you know, drive. But thanks to the dedication of Governor Schwarzenegger, individual freedoms have not been extinguished. Promising to only sign bills that are "the highest priority for California," Arnie vetoed a bill that would ban driving with dogs in your lap. While we understand the spirit of the veto -- California does have much bigger issues to deal with than lapdogs -- we do sometimes wonder why a 40-pound kid has to be in a child seat, but a 40-pound, unpredictable animal can take a nap between you and the steering wheel.
We don't actually get a vote on the show America's Got Talent, but if we did we'd award the win right now to the designers and builders of The Dogsled, which makes its initial debut this weekend in Detroit for the Woodward Dream Cruise. Although its final destination is this year's Burning Man out in the Southwestern desert, the NextCruise event, a green-minded cruising alternative running alongside the Dream Cruise, has brought the machine out to play a bit early. Looking over the build pictures, this pedal-powered machine looks like a scaled-down monster truck with its fully-triangulated frame made from steel and its solid axles front and rear. The frame is suspended both by transverse leaf-springs mounted above the axles and coil-overs at each corner. All four riders pedal to power the right rear wheel with the left rear seeing braking duties. Good 'ole-fashioned American ingenuity at its best. We'll see if we can track this thing down while it's stuck in traffic on Woodward Ave. Saturday afternoon.
Many folks consult their best friend before making a big purchase. Since the dog is known as man's best friend, owners tend to cater towards their pets when buying a new car. In the United States, that means dog lovers often end up with trucks, SUVs or crossovers. However, in Japan, efficient use of space is a bit more of a priority. That is why Honda Japan developed the Honda Dog website. It all started with the Honda Vamos Dog Edition, but has since expanded to include other offerings. While the site features Honda's pet friendly accessories such as strap-in carriers and mats, it also shows how easily your Corgi will fit into your Fit.
Honda Dog touches upon all dog owner concerns. There are pictures showing how you can arrange pet crates in a variety of Honda vehicles. It even provides dimensions on the best entryway for your small to full-size tongue-wagger. Worried about all that pet hair or soggy dog odor? Honda Dog contains analysis on the ease of pet hair cleanup from vehicle interiors. It also indicates how Honda's advanced deodorization filter can reduce allergens and undesired smells. For some reason, the site even finds it necessary to point out how toys and water bottles fit nicely into the interior compartments such as the glove box, in case you couldn't figure it out for yourself. View the gallery to see a sampling of what Honda Dog has to offer.
Dogs are common sights in the cabs of pickup trucks. Sometimes you'll see one riding back in the bed. But underhood? Not so common, but that's exactly what Walter Witthoef found in the engine bay of his F-150. There, head poking up behind the motor, was a growling but otherwise healthy pit bull. Somehow, the dog wound up stuck inside the engine compartment, where it whiled away the time by using the fuel lines, distributor wires, some hoses, and pretty much everything else within reach as chew toys. After her discovery, Animal Services arrived on scene and freed the pooch, who was reunited with her people the next day. Hopefully they'll be willing to pick up the $1,000 tab for the additional damage she allegedly caused to Mr. Witthoef's ride. Bad dog! No biscuits!
Drivers give in to a lot of distractions behind the wheel. Phone calls, eating, drinking, and slapping the kids around are one thing, but something that's always irked us is drivers traveling with pets on their laps. Aside from the possibility of Fluffy freaking out and doing its doggone best to create a crash, we've always envisioned a Chihuahua-sized cavity in someone's chest after the airbag deploys. Well, California Assemblyman Bill Maze shares our concern and has proposed a bill to make it illegal for an animal to be held on a driver's lap while behind the wheel. The bill passed the Assembly on Monday by a vote of 44-11 and is on its way to the state Senate before landing on Arnie's desk. Here's hoping that the Governator does what's right for man and his best friend.
After Nissan scored creative points with its last Qashqai spot showing the 'lil CUV taking to the half pipe and performing skateboard stunts that would make Rodney Mullen's head spin, its now released a new campaign that involves – God help us – a driving dog, a Thai musical stunt team and a flaming hoop. The ad is part of Nissan's newest viral campaign that will highlight four amateur performance groups – the first from Thailand, followed by teams of Flemish, Polish and African descent – on the blog.spannerleague.com website. Look for new videos to pop up each month, but without further ado, hit the jump to watch man's best friend risk life and four limbs along with his band of (obviously fake) Thai musicians.
The concept of "Man's Best Friend" applies only when Rover is romping in the backyard catching frisbees or keeping your feet warm at the end of the couch. As soon as Fido chews up your penny loafers or, heaven forbid, opens up his main drain on a prized possession, the extension of friendship between Homo Sapien and canine is rescinded. BMW has invented a new system called Canine Repellent Alloy Protection (CRAP) that should prevent Lassie from leaking all over its owner's most prized possession, the Bimmer in the driveway. CRAP uses the existing EfficientDynamics Brake Energy Regeneration systems on many BMWs to store up electric energy known as Rim Impulse Power (RIP). When a poodle aims its peter at one of your Bimmer's shiny alloy wheels, a small electric charge will cross the stream and give Fluffy a tough lesson in respecting other people's property. Ingenious, really.
Back in the day, they loved their unmitigated dangerousness. Don't want exciteable little Muffy getting all nutso and chewing the seat foam? Stick him in his very own doggy bag and make his stinky little backside ride on the running board. Cut one of those shrinking yellow lights too close, and you'll let all the jelly filling out of your canine friend with this rig, but the dog would probably love this style of travel. The only modern car you could attempt this stunt with would be a New Beetle, though there's plenty of trucks with running boards. What's a better combo than a man and his truck, with his dog in a bag outside?
Reports circulating the automotive webdom suggest that the new version of the Gallardo which Lamborghini will be unveiling next week in Geneva will be called the LP560-4. Whereas previous reports indicated a LP550 nameplate, the LP560-4 designation draws on the new car's reported metric power rating of 560 PS – equivalent to 552hp – with the 4 designating the four-wheel-drive system. This latter addition is not present on previous Lamborghini model nomenclature, including the Murcielago, whose second iteration was similarly named LP640, without the additional 4 despite the traction at all wheels. (We wonder if Lamborghini decided to forgo the 550 numerology because arch-rival Ferrari used it on a contemporary model.) Meanwhile, AutoWeek reports that the new Gallardo's engine is more closely related to that of the Audi RS6: a more durable 5.2-liter V10 with FSI direct-injection, replacing the outgoing Gallardo's 5-liter unit.
The revised nomenclature comes from quotes attributed to Lambo chief Stephan Winkelmann, and accompanies the conceptual rendering you see above, although neither appears on the company's press site. Whatever the banner under which the new Gallardo will drive, it not only itself helps Lamborghini directly live up to its promise of a new model at each major auto show, but opens to the door to new future variants, which are likely to include a new Spyder and possibly a new Superleggera. We'll continue to keep our eyes and ears open.
