1971 Datsun 510 Wagon

Fuel Cell Technology Advances Even Further!

The 2012 Honda FCX. Image Courtesy of Honda.

Anyone who has enough common sense can see that running cars on fossil fuels is a practice that needs to be phased out. The big debate that's raging in the automotive industry right now is what's the best way to wean us off our use of fossil fuels. There are people who tout biodiesel as a great alternative, mostly because the tech is pretty well-developed and could be implemented quickly. A growing faction of the auto industry is putting their weight behind electric cars, especially with the recent success of the Tesla Model S.



For years and years many of the largest automakers in the world have been trying to crack what they consider the holy grail in alternative fuels: hydrogen fuel cells. These automakers feel that fuel cell technology is the future. Fuel cell cars drive more like internal combustion models. Gas stations can be outfitted to deliver hydrogen (this one is debatable, say many electric car proponents). The best part of hydrogen fuel cells is tailpipe emissions are only a small amount of water.

There have been big problems with developing the technology. Fuel cell vehicles have been pretty slow (although Honda's FCX was the first to solve that problem). Many have wondered how the hydrogen will be stored and transported.

Mercedes has recently tackled one of the big problems: size. Hydrogen fuel cells, like lithium ion batteries, take up quite a bit of space. Quite a while ago GM was playing around with fuel cell "skateboards" where the cells were built into the car's chassis, making it thick and heavy. Mercedes has developed a fuel cell engine that is the same size as an internal combustion engine, meaning fuel cell vehicles don't have to contain a huge array along the entire chassis. Just this week Mercedes announced it is teaming up with Nissan-Renault and Ford to mass produce fuel cell vehicles and begin pushing for most hydrogen fueling infrastructure.

The new and more compact Mercedes fuel cell engine. Image courtesy of Daimler.

What does this mean for the future of the automobile? Only time will tell for sure, but a development like this could put fuel cell vehicles in the hands of millions of drivers across the globe, significantly dropping the demand for oil. I'm sure this isn't the last of this story, so look for more developments in the future. 

Entertaining Video of the Day: Guy in a Honda Has a Cargasm Over Three C7 Corvettes

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Photo courtesy General Motors.

The new C7 Corvette is picking up quite a bit of interest, both inside and outside the automotive world. Anyone who knows the difference between a wrench and their stick shift can tell a new generation of Corvette is a big deal.

And the C7 is a big deal, with numerous improvements over the C6. Of course, most people don't worry too much about what's under the skin of the new 'Vette, getting all hot and bothered over those new chiseled looks.



I'll be honest, the first time I see a C7 on the road I will be giving it a long hard look. The guy in the video below, who is riding in a late 90s Honda (either a Civic or Accord) doesn't just stare at three C7s on the road, but he makes the female driving the car stalk them as he has a cargasmic episode in the passenger seat. The best part of the video, by far, is the cheesy heavy metal music playing as a soundtrack (with lyrics about jumping on a tiger and whatnot). As the guy approaches the Corvettes once they're parked you can tell he's wobbly-legged and tongue-tied. Honestly, it's worth three minutes of your time.

Enjoy the video here:

1970 Chevrolet Impala Custom

Future Lincoln Town Car?

I created this fully contemporary Lincoln Town Car replacement more than three years ago. There is still no real replacement from Lincoln for this once-popular long wheelbase sedan, and I can honestly say that my rendering would still look good in a Lincoln showroom today.

Should Lincoln be preparing an über sedan, perhaps with an extended rear wheel drive platform?

1963 Chrysler 300

Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing Longroof

Click photos to enlarge, as always, here at casey/artandcolour.

Looking through my earlier work, I realized I haven't yet posted this mid 1950s Mercedes Benz 300 Gullwing Tourer on this blog. I chopped this up in 2007 or so. All the cool people that collect station wagons these days refer to them as "Longroofs" and that's certainly true of my version. I don't believe this change would have added too much weight to the original coupe and with that rear hatch and additional loading space, might have made this incredible sports car just a bit more useful for Grand Touring.

The New Gullwing 

My primary reason for modifying the current SLS, the newest Gullwing, was to change the window graphic. The new one has a solid B/C pillar instead of having rear quarter windows as the original. I just don't think the car looks right without them. I'm sure the blank quarters add torsional rigidity, but I'm also certain that Mercedes/AMG engineers are brilliant enough to overcome any loss with added windows. Above, my "South Beach" edition is metallic gold with additional strakes and silver trim. You just can't be "bling" enough for South Beach! Below, additional work was done to shorten the very long hood. I wanted this Gullwing to be a hybrid, and to be as lightweight as possible to I changed the proportions accordingly. I still think it's a beautiful car and could be the Hybrid to end all Hybrids if produced. 

Note:

My friend Woody Thompson's car site has a new URL now: woodyscarsite.blogspot.com. The old links won't work for it. Please adjust your bookmarks and head over there today!

Audi Revisited

Until I can carve out a night to finish several chops I've started, how about some cool Audis from my past... Above, the first generation TT coupe reimagined with a larger glass area, smoothed contours and detailing and more ground clearance for true snow- and off-road capabilities. The better for those quick trips to Gstaad in the winter.

One of my early chops, but still one of my favorites, a mythical Bi-Turbo V12 hybrid mid-engined super saloon.

My futuristic third generation TT e/Tron, based on a recent concept car from Audi.

Audi really ought to have a large coupe to compete with the S Class coupe (CL). Above is my large 2-door A8L-c.

The Black Forest edition Avant. I will keep trying to get today's manufacturers to use micro-veneers until my Photoshop is taken away from me, lol.

Another of my very early chops, this Audi A6C was inspired by the large Italian luxury coupes of the seventies, such as the Fiat 130 and Lancia Gamma.

1974 Chevrolet LUV

Denim, Denim, and a C7 Corvette Test Drive

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Photo courtesy General Motors.

Some guys get all the breaks. When it comes to the automotive world, that guy often seems to be Jay Leno -- yes, the comedian. There's a good reason why he gets so many perks in the automotive world. Have you see the guy's garage? He has one of the most amazing car collections in the world and a huge following of gearheads and even casual car appreciators. Every car company with a marketing team that has any sense knows this, so they grab any chance they can get to put Mr. Leno behind the wheel of one of their hot new cars.



GM isn't spending money on frivolous things like Super Bowl commercials. Instead, the automotive giant let Jay Leno be the first person who isn't a GM employee drive the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. I'll be honest, I'm still not sold on many of the design elements of the new 'Vette, but watching a denim-on-denim Jay Leno drive it makes me more excited to get behind the wheel of one. Watch the video below, then wipe the slobber off your keyboard and/or screen.

1976 Ford Granada

The Fiat 500 Is Like a Go-Kart!

2012 Fiat 500 Abarth. Photo credit Chrysler Group International LLC.

My first taste for car racing came to me the first time I climbed behind the wheel of a go-kart at the ripe old age of ten. I still enjoy kart racing, partly because the simplicity of the machine provides you feeling extremely connected with the track.

For anyone who has driven a Fiat 500 knows it is about as close as you can get to a street-legal kart. The car is small, handles tight and provides some punchy acceleration. The higher-performance Abarth gives a driver even more thrills and chills.



Someone decided to test just how much of a go-kart a Fiat 500 Abarth really is by racing it on a Detroit-area kart track. While the driver's skills are mediocre at best,you can clearly see from the video below that the little Italian car fits on the track quite well.

1975 Honda Civic CVCC

   

Car Saftey Technology

Mercedes-Benz wrong-way alert technology

To me, car safety technology is one of the most important features I look at when vehicle shopping.

Since my wife and baby were in a car accident several years ago, where the other driver shot out into traffic without looking both right and left, I've become a huge safety advocate. The car they were driving was totaled when the other car t-boned it, setting off the front airbags (it was a while ago, so no side curtain or side seat airbags). The car was not equipped with a sensor in the front passenger seat, so the airbag on that side deployed. Stupidly, the airbag was positioned so it smashed into the windshield, sending the glass spraying throughout the cabin of the car.



For those of you who don't know, in most collisions where a windshield breaks, the safety film on the glass actually holds all of the shards of glass in place. After that car accident, my wife found shards of glass sitting on our baby's neck. They both were fortunate enough to not be seriously injured in the accident, one that could easily have been much worse.

Back when Volvo first developed the seat belt, the Swedish automaker decided to broadcast the results of crash tests using a dummy strapped in with a seat belt and one that did not have one. The results, of course, were sobering. Volvo went one step further and broadcast the video on national television in the United States, causing an uproar among car owners. Back then, the Big Three tried to accuse Volvo of causing unnecessary panic in the public, among other things. Fortunately, most automakers today have started to realize the value of safety technology, to one extent or another.

Mercedes-Benz is one of the leaders in safety tech (Volvo is still one, along with BMW, the VW group and others). Safety technology often is introduced near the top of the car food chain on models like the Mercedes S-Class or the BMW 7 Series, like the infrared and night vision technologies available on those cars Mercedes has announced the new S-Class and E-Class will both be outfitted with a system that will issue audible and visual warnings to drivers if they are traveling the wrong way on a road or freeway entrance. Sometimes people get turned around, especially in confusing downtown areas, and they don't see the "Wrong Way" signs. The car is outfitted with cameras that recognize such signs, literally reading them.

Self-driving cars are becoming more of a reality, which I view as just another piece of safety technology. Many of these cars will likely just enhance a driver's performance, stepping in when a driver doesn't react to an obstacle in time. There are quite a few cars on the market today that detect an impending collision and move the brake pads so they are almost touching the rotors, give the driver an audible and visual warning about the impending impact or even stop the car for the driver. Self-driving cars and other safety technology also means elderly drivers and those with medical conditions that impair their senses can still get around, but without putting everyone on the roads (and unfortunately sidewalks) at risk. I only see good in this technology.

The Best of Seattle's Parked Cars-2012 (Pt. 2 of 2)

The second set of the "best" (most interesting) cars of 2012, including the car of the year.

1969 AMC Ambassador DPL

 1974 Chevy Vega GT Kammback

1978 Peugeot 504

 1971 International Scout Commanche

 

1973 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV

 

1983 Honda Civic 1500S

  1972 BMW Bavaria

 1969 Ford F100 

 1986 Mitsubishi Cordia L

 1974 Plymouth Trail Duster

1972 Mazda RX2 Sedan

 1970 Pontiac Safari Excecutive 400 Wagon

 Car of the Year: 1962 Vauxhall Velox.