The Lamborghini Egoista - A Purely Selfish Concept

    

Lamborghini Egoista

  
       Plenty of cars — even Lamborghinis — draw inspiration from aviation, but few take the concept as far as this. Created to celebrate Lambo's 50th anniversary, the Lamborghini Egoista Concept ($TBA) takes many of its styling cues from the Apache helicopter. Named after the Italian word for "selfish", this unique concept is centered around a single-person, carbon fiber and aluminum cockpit that's actually removable, and is designed around the driver, with a racing seat, four-point restraints, and a heads-up display. LED clearance lights replace traditional headlights, hidden xenon headlamps provide distance lighting, and flaps on the bodywork help increase stability and airflow to the 600hp, 5.2L V10 engine. If that wasn't enough, the body and wheels are made from anti-radar material, giving us just one more reason to believe that this beast won't be going into production any time soon.

BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe

 

 

 BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe

    

 

Long-known for gracefully combining luxury with performance, BMWs rarely disappoint, and the BMW Pinifarina Gran Lusso Coupe ($TBA) certainly doesn't. The Germans have joined forces with luxury Italian designers Pininfarina to make a one-off creation boasting exclusivity and roadworthiness. The exterior is distinctly BMW, with a set-back cockpit and stretched hood covering a massive V-12 (and of course the signature kidney-shaped grill). But the interior screams Italian opulence — fine Italian leather upholstery, plaid Italian wool headliner, and accents made of kauri wood aged 48,000 years. Carmakers could learn a thing or two from this impressive partnership

New Ferrari F12 Berlinetta driven on road and track

Very informative video driver knows a lot about the car and explains in it detail while also doing a great job of driving as well. Makes a big difference to actually hear the raw power of the F12berlinetta.

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano - Future Projections

          Marenello, Italy I've Just sold a manuscript and I'm here for one reason, one purpose one car, the 2013 Ferrari F12berlinetta. I would like mine in deep Black you see I've been following this car since the day I saw it came out. I figured Ferrari was feeling the pressure from the rest of the super car players. As horsepower seemed to get more and more insane over the last few years oddly Ferrari's name seemed to fall further and further behind. The market for super cars seemed to become over saturated with dozens of new unproven car makers, kit cars, hybrids, pseudo competitors from other industries altogether. I would say from about 2010 this went on unchecked were everybody and any body could put together a few millions dollars come up with a hire some auto industry bigwig come up with a fancy name and just like that a Self-Declared super car! Then Ferrari changed that with the F12berlinetta. In 2013 Ferrari pulled the cover off beast A true wolf in sheeps clothing. Unlike other Ferrari's this one seemed to have one sole singular purpose...to run. Like myself and everyone else Ferrari continues amaze us by consistently producing beautifully sculpted machines that some how against all laws of nature posses drop dead georgeous looks both at 200 MPH as well as at dead stand still. The difference... this one has 712 HORSEPOWER INCLUDED!

The F12's 12-cylinder engine sits ahead of the driver at the front of the vehicle, sending its 509 pound-feet of torque to a dual-clutch automated transaxle (which uses F1-inspired technology, of course) that sits aft of the cabin and between the rear wheels, through which the power reaches the road. Ferrari doesn't state the number of ratios available on the F12's transaxle, but the safe bet is that this gearbox is based on the seven-speed unit in the Ferrari FF. This configuration gives the F12 a rear-biased 46/54 front-to-rear weight distribution. Overall, the F12 is about 154 pounds lighter than the 599 that it replaces and features a shorter wheelbase and a lower center of gravity. All of these factors should contribute to a nimbler track car--which really should be the point of any vehicle that wears the Prancing Horse badge.

Talk about eloquent genuine corporate branding here's what Wikipedia had to say about the speed house company, “Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947. Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where it has had great success. Ferrari road cars are generally seen as a symbol of speed, luxury and wealth.” Really can't state it any more eloquently than that. After which we add the F12 can reach 60mph in a heart stopping 3 seconds beauty and speed together for the first time! The V12 they strapped onto this Aluminum Alloy frame is the perfect heartbeat for such a voracious soul as the F12berlinetta with so many cylinders to feed.

Lately I've learned that the school of thought on “Manual” transmissions is some what divided as some of us believe the “NEW” manual transmission is really a glorified automatic. Whether or not this is true it really is irrelevant as the technology as always dictates what changes in automotive technology from year to year. Like everything else that technology touches growth means change and change means some things may have to redefined in order to maintain usefulness. I mean simply put the way we once saw an automatic transmission has simply been redefined on the basis that it had to be simply to keep up with the technology as stated. Simply put I don't think at today's speeds. I don't think the human brain could keep up with the thousands of split second actions taking place within the engine, transmission and drive train. I mean at such high speeds it is a better thought concept to have "both" hands on the wheel. I mean the Oldsmobile 442 was a great car to have a 4-in-the floor set up. That is cool  as hell as 80-85 miles an hour snatching on the floor shifter while your girl site there grinning in approval. But I mean 0-60 in 3 seconds! If anybody really thinks that they are "really" shifting anything that fast in then it is indeed in all aspects as stated "The Manual" Transmission.  
    Heritage the F12berlinetta is the third-generation Ferrari GT which follows the 599 GTB Fiorano and 550 Maranello. When released, Ferrari called it the fastest Ferrari ever built and cited a lap time around Fiorano of 1’23”. Every aspect of the F12 seemingly improves upon the specification of the 599 GTB Fiorano. This includes upgrades to engine power, aerodynamics, fuel consumption, chassis rigidity, safety and luggage access with a new rear hatch.

The car is built with an aluminum alloy space frame structure with a body styled jointly by Pininfarina and Ferrari's own style center. Many elements are taken from the Ferrari FF released at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. A highlight of the car is its 65º V12 engine which produces 750 bhp without the aid of turbochargers or superchargers. This unit uses variable timing and direct gasoline injection for improved efficiency. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a dual-clutch transmission and an active electronic differential. So I'm sure you have had enough of me talking so I'll leave you alone with the details. Just remember this is Ferrari the absolute best of the best. So be sure and get you one!

FERRARI F12berlinetta
type	Series Production Car
released at	2012 Geneva Motor Show
built at	Maranello, Italy
predeccesor	2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
engine	65º V12
position	Front, Longitudinal
aspiration	Natural
displacement	6262 cc / 382.13 in³
power	559.3 kw / 750 bhp @ 8250 rpm
specific output	119.77 bhp per litre
bhp/weight	476.19 bhp per tonne
torque	690 nm / 508.9 ft lbs @ 6000 rpm
redline	8700
body / frame	Aluminum Body over Aluminum Alloy Spaceframe Chassis
driven wheels	RWD
front brakes	CCM3 Carbon-Ceramic Discs
rear brakes	CCM3 Carbon-Ceramic Discs
f suspension	SCM-E Magnetorheological Dampers
r suspension	SCM-E Magnetorheological Dampers
curb weight	1575 kg / 3473 lbs
weight distro	46 % / 54 %
length	4618 mm / 181.8 in
width	1942 mm / 76.5 in
height	1273 mm / 50.1 in
tran clutch	F1 dual-clutch
top speed	~340 kph / 211.14 mph
0 - 100 kph	~3.1 seconds
0 - 200 kph	~8.5 seconds
drag	0.299 Cd
emission	350 g/km

           

Turbo Chargers - How Bugatti Used Them

The Bugatti Veyron's 16-cylinder monster engine produces 1,001 horsepower for a top speed of more than 250 mph. And it's a passenger car. Check out the Bugatti.

Creating the Engine

Bugatti did two things to create a compact engine capable of producing 1,000 hp. The first and most obvious thing is turbocharging. If you have read How Turbochargers Work, you know that one easy way to make an engine more powerful without making the engine bigger is to stuff more air into the cylinders on each intake stroke. Turbochargers do that. A turbo pressurizes the air coming into the cylinder so the cylinder can hold more air. If you stuff twice as much air in each cylinder, you can burn twice as much gasoline. In reality, it's not quite a perfect ratio like that, but you get the idea. The Bugatti uses a maximum turbo boost of 18 PSI to double the output power of its engine. Therefore, turbocharging allows Bugatti to cut the size of the engine from 16 liters back down to a more manageable 8 liters.


****To generate that much air pressure, the Bugatti requires four separate turbochargers arranged around the engine.
The second thing Bugatti engineers did, both to keep the RPM redline high and to lower lag time when you press the accelerator, was to double the number of cylinders. The Bugatti has a very rare 16-cylinder engine.
There are two easy ways to create a 16-cylinder engine.

• One way would be to put two V-8 engines in-line with each other. You connect the output shaft of the two V-8s together.
• Another would be to put two in-line 8-cylinder engines beside one another.
  
  
  
  

The latter technique is, in fact, the way Bugatti created its first 16-cylinder cars in the early 20th century.
For the Veyron, Bugatti chose a much more challenging path. Essentially, Bugatti merged two V-8 engines onto one another, and then let both of them share the same crankshaft. This configuration creates the W-16 engine found in the Veyron. The two V's create a W. You can see exactly how this looks in a set of beautiful videos available on the Bugatti Web site (click here for instructions on how to access the videos).
Then, Bugatti started piling on features to make the engine even better...

Forced Induction The Real Story

Forced Induction

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Turbocharging

Overview

Basic TheoryThe advantage of turbocharging is obvious - instead of wasting thermal energy through exhaust, we can make use of such energy to increase engine power. By directing exhaust gas to rotate a turbine, which drives another turbine to pump fresh air into the combustion chambers at a pressure higher than normal atmosphere, a small capacity engine can deliver power comparable with much bigger opponents. For example, if a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine works at 1.5 bar boost pressure, it actually equals to a 3.0-litre naturally aspirated engine. As a result, engine size and weight can be much reduced, thus leads to better acceleration, handling and braking, though fuel consumption is not necessarily better.
Problems - Turbo Lag
Turbocharging was first introduced to production car by GM in the early 60s, using in Chevrolet Corvair. This car had very bad reputation about poor low-speed output and excessive turbo lag which made fluent driving impossible.
Turbo Lag was really the biggest problem preventing the early turbo cars from being accepted as practical. Although turbocharging had been extensively and successfully used in motor racing - started from BMW 2002 turbo and then spread to endurance racing and eventually Formula One - road cars always require a more user-friendly power delivery. Contemporary turbines were large and heavy, thus could not start spinning until about 3,500 rpm crank speed. As a result, low-speed output remained weak. Besides, since the contemporary turbocharging required compression ratio to be decreased to about 6.5:1 in order to avoid overheat to cylinder head, the pre-charged output was even weaker than a normally-aspirated engine of the same capacity !
Turbo lag can cause trouble in daily driving. Before the turbo intervenes, the car performs like an ordinary sedan. Open full throttle and raise the engine speed, counting from 1, 2, 3, 4 .... suddenly the power surge at 3,500 rpm and the car becomes a wild beast. On wet surfaces or tight bends this might result in wheel spin or even lost of control. In the presence of turbo lag, it is very difficult to drive a car fluently.
Besides, turbo lag ruins the refinement of a car very much. Floor the throttle cannot result in instant power rise expected by the driver - all reactions appear several seconds later, no matter acceleration or releasing throttle. You can imagine how difficult to drive fast in city or twisted roads.
Porsche’s solution to turbo lag
 


The first “practical” turbocharged road car eventually appeared in 1975, that’s the Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0. To reduce turbo lag, Porsche engineers designed a mechanism allowing the turbine to "pre-spin" before boosting. The secret was a recirculating pipe and valve: before the exhaust gas attains enough pressure for driving the turbine, a recirculating path is established between the fresh-air-charging turbine's inlet and outlet, thus the turbine can spin freely without slow down by boost pressure. When the exhaust gas becomes sufficient to turbocharge, a valve will close the recirculating path, then the already-spinning turbine will be able to charge fresh air into the engine quickly. Therefore turbo lag is greatly reduced while power transition becomes smoother.

 
IntercoolerThe 3.3-litre version 911 Turbo superseded the Turbo 3.0 in 1978. It introduced an intercooler at between the compressor and the engine. It reduced the air temperature for 50-60°C, thus not only improved the volumetric efficiency (in other words, the intake air became of higher density) but also allowed the compression ratio to be raised without worrying over heat to cylinder head. Of course, higher compression led to improved low-speed output.
Continuous development
During the 80s, turbocharging continued to evolve for better road manner. As the material and production technology improved, turbine's weight and inertia were greatly reduced, hence improved response and reduce turbo lag a lot. To handle the tremendous heat in exhaust flow, turbines are mostly made of stainless steel or ceramic (the latter is especially favoured by the Japanese IHI). Occasionally there are some cars employ titanium turbine, which is even lighter but very expensive.
A Titanium turbine from Mitsubishi Lancer GSR
 
Another area of improvement was boost control. The early turbo engines employed mechanical wastegate to avoid over-pressurised the combustion chamber. Without wastegate, the boost pressure would have been proportional to the engine speed (because the speed of turbine depends on the amount of exhaust flow, hence the engine speed). At high rev, the pressure would have been too high, causing too much stressed and heat to the combustion chamber, thus may damage the engine. Wastegate is a valve added to the exhaust pipe. Whenever the pressure exceed a certain value, wastegate opens and release the boost pressure.
The introduction of boost control in the late 80s took a great step forward from mechanical wastegate. While wastegate just set the upper limit of boost pressure, Electronic Boost Control governs the boost pressure throughout the whole rev range. For example, it may limit the boost to 1.4 bar for below 3,000 rpm, then 1.6 bar for 3,000 to 4,500 rpm and then 1.8 bar for over 4,500 rpm. This helps achieving a linear power delivery and contribute to refinement. Basically, Electronic Boost Control is just a wastegate activated by engine management system.



Supercharging

 

GM is one of the keen customers of supercharger. Most of its mid / full size sedans, such as the Pontiac Grand Prix GPX shown in here, have a 3.8 litres supercharged V6 to choose.

Before turbocharging arrived in the 60s, supercharging used to dominate the forced induction world. Supercharging, also called mechanical charging, appeared in around early 20s in Grand Prix racing cars in order to increase power. Since the compressor is driven directly by the engine crankshaft, it has the advantage of instant response (no lag). But the charger itself is rather heavy and energy inefficient, thus cannot produce as much power as turbocharger. Especially at high rev, it generates a lot of friction thus energy loss and prevent the engine from revving high.A typical supercharger transforms the engine very much - very torquey at low and mid range rpm, but red line and peak power appear much earlier. That means the engine becomes lazy to rev (and to thrill you), but at any time you have a lot of torque to access, without needing to change gears frequently. For these reasons, supercharging is quite well suited to nowadays heavy sedans, espeically those mated with automatic transmission. On the other hand, sports cars rarely use it.
The noise, friction and vibration generated by supercharger are the main reasons prevent it from using in highly refined luxurious cars. Although Mercedes-Benz has introduced a couple of supercharged four into the C-class, they are regarded as too unrefined compare with the V6 serving other versions.
The introduction of light-pressure turbochargers also threathen the survival of supercharger. Volkswagen group, for example, dropped its long-standing G-supercharger and chose light-pressure turbo. Now supercharger is completely disappeared in budget cars, leaving just a few GT or sports sedans which pursue high torque without much additional to employ it. General Motors is perhaps the only real supporter to supercharger. It offers a 3.8-litre supercharged V6 for most of its budget mid to full-size sedans.