World's First Proper Flying Car Makes Debut Flight

The Terrafugia Transition "roadable aircraft" - the nearest thing to a flying car yet built - has made its first test flight.

Terrafugia says that the flight took place on March 5, and will hold a media briefing at 1430 UK time. Meanwhile pictures of the flight are available on the company's website.

Company test pilot Phil Meteer, a retired air force colonel, is quoted by AVWeb as saying: "The first flight was remarkably unremarkable. I've flown several thousand hours in everything from Piper Cubs to F-16s, and the Transition flew like a really nice airplane."

In aircraft terms, the Transition is a light two-seater aircraft intended to fit within the new US "light sport" category. A light-sport pilot's licence is easier and cheaper to acquire than a normal private pilot's ticket, and medical red tape is reduced. Cruise airspeed of 115 knots is expected, range of 450 miles and "highway speed" on the ground.

The Transition has most of the weaknesses of light aircraft, in that it can't easily be flown through poor weather, bad visibility, or restricted airspace (as found above cities, for instance). Users needing to get through such obstacles will need to land at a suitable strip nearby, just as a normal private pilot in a Piper Tomahawk might.

car tokyo 2009

More shots of the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. So far, it has just been an acceptable event. Nothing great. The Lexus LF-A was the star of the show and other than that, there were only about three new cars launched and the girls, well let’s just say that we have better girls walking around The Pavilion than they do at the show. I still have some running around to do and people to meet, so here are the pictures first before I go into the details.

car tokyo 2009

‘Circuit of the Year’ award for Losail

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) is proud to announce that it has been nominated as the best organised round of the 2009 MotoGP series’ by a panel that included officials, riders, manufacturers and team representatives.

The award for MotoGP ‘Circuit of the Year’ will be presented today at a dinner after the final race of the season in Valencia.

“This is a huge moment for Qatar and for the QMMF and something for which we are understandably proud,” said Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah, President of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation.

“To compete on an organisational level with the best circuits in the world after just seven years is special for us. We are really only beginners in terms of experience and that makes it extra special for myself and everyone who has worked so hard at the Losail circuit in Qatar.”

The Losail Circuit hosted a round of MotoGP for the first time in 2004 – the race was won by Sete Gibernau on a Honda- and kick-started this year’s series with a thrilling floodlit race in April, which was won by Casey Stoner on a Ducati.

Italy’s Valentino Rossi clinched the premier title in Sepang recently to add to his previous eight Grand Prix World Championship titles and the 18-race series reaches its conclusion in Valencia today.

Al-Attiyah also announced in Valencia that the Losail circuit will undergo improvements during the close season in readiness for pre-season testing and the opening round of the MotoGP season in Qatar on April 11th.

“We are already working on getting everything in order for the 2010 season and track improvements will begin after next weekend’s Endurance races at Losail,” said Al-Attiyah.

“We are working on asphalting the run off areas on the corners of the track and preparing the track set-up for the official tests in February and March.”

The QMMF is keen for the Losail track to conform to a high standard of both FIA and FIM licensing regulations.

Al-Attiyah also announced plans to send a young Qatari rider into the new Moto2 category of next year’s MotoGP series. “We are currently negotiating with several teams through Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, to make this happen and hope to announce further details of the project as soon as possible.”

Moto2 is set to replace the 250cc category from 2010. This new category is intended to be a prestigious yet cost-effective accompaniment to MotoGP. Honda has been appointed as the single engine supplier and teams will also use a control tyre supplied by a single company.

Lotus Exige Scura Sports Car uses the 1.8 litre Supercharged and Intercooled 260 PS engine

Lotus Exige Scura

Lotus Cars unveils its latest special edition - the Exige Scura, so called due to its dramatic matt black and carbon fibre theme, at the Tokyo International Motorshow on 21st of October 2009.Translated as ‘dark' from Italian, the name ‘Scura' reflects the stealth character of this already fierce looking Lotus and its stunning soft-feel matt black paint finish. Limited to just 35 cars globally, this Exige evokes a desire to ‘indulge your dark side'. This is a serious looking car and enhancements to performance and a reduction in weight from the production level Exige S means that the Exige Scura demands to be driven by a serious driver.
Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars said, “The Exige Scura is a stunning vehicle which offers an adrenaline fuelled experience and is a real head-turner! Our Exige customers choose Lotus because we deliver thrilling performance and dynamic design and this special edition fits the bill on both counts.”
Continuing the dark ‘Scura' appearance into the interior, carbon fibre is used extensively to compliment the exterior theme and reduce weight. The seats and centre console are crafted from carbon fibre and the handbrake and gear knob have a special anodized treatment which leaves the metal with an anthracite colour finish. All carbon fibre components have been beautifully finished in high-gloss clear lacquer allowing the weave to remain exposed which gives the cabin a raw and racy ambiance.

Lotus Exige Scura

Whilst there is no doubt that this is a visually stunning car, the Exige Scura is not just about its looks – it begs to be taken on track, and its racing character encompasses poise, power and technology to make it a serious contender. Equipped with the most powerful engine in the Exige range and generating 260PS, the Exige Scura achieves a top speed of around 245 km/h and reaches 0-100 kmh in just 4.1 seconds.
Other equipment fitted as standard to boost the Exige Scura's track credentials include:
Launch control to ensure optimum performance from a standing start
Variable slip traction control, enabling the driver to tune the car to track surface conditions and their own driving style
Ohlins 2-way adjustable dampers for personalised ride and handling characteristics
Roger Becker, Vehicle Engineering Director, highlighted the performance of the Exige Scura, “There are very few cars in the world that turn in the performance of the Exige Scura without the penalty of very high fuel consumption and emissions. As with all Lotus sportscars we offer the best of both worlds – a zero to 100 km/h time of just over 4 seconds and a CO2 figure of 199 g/km; all this is down to light weight and a strict adherence to Lotus' core brand values.”
Considering the performance on offer, the Exige Scura boasts impressive all round fuel economy with an Official European Combined Cycle figure of 8.5 litres/100 km and 6.5 litres/100 km on the Official European Extra Urban Cycle and emissions of 199 g/km of CO2.
Orders for the ‘Lotus Exige Scura' will be accepted from 21 October 2009 in Europe, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia. This special edition will be available on the same basis in Japan known as the ‘Lotus Exige Stealth'.

2010 Ford Focus Small Family Car

2010 Ford Focus Small Family Car

2010 Ford Focus Family Car Show

2010 Ford Focus Car Show

Ford Focus is one of ford car manufacturer best seller and became the most widely cars purchased from factory-made cars ford

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder 10-cylinder 4961 cc Engine and six-speed gearbox The Sports Car Coupe.

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder 10-cylinder 4961 cc Engine and six-speed gearbox The Sports Car Coupe.
Two years after the launch of the Coupé version of the Gallardo, Automobili Lamborghini had presented the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show.
The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is not just an open-top version of the Coupé, but is a completely new model. It has an attractive new design and a unique system for opening and closing the fabric roof that utilises the engine compartment to store the folded roof.
The dimensions of the Gallardo, combined with its competitive performance targets, ensure the car has an athletic compactness. The long wheelbase complemented by short overhangs dynamise its appearance. The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder features typical and unique mono-volume proportions, which integrate the Lamborghini design attributes of purism, athleticism and sharpness.
The roof raising/lowering system of the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is based on an electronic control system with electrohydraulic actuators and comprises
The roof raising/lowering mechanism is extremely simple to operate by way of two push-buttons on the centre of the dashboard. And the whole operation takes just over 20 seconds.
The rear screen moves automatically while the roof is being opened or closed. This automatically-controlled movement always returns the screen to the raised position. The driver can also choose to have the screen in the lowered position (also with the roof raised) by pressing the appropriate button on the dashboard.
There is also a "service function" that positions the roof so as to allow access to the engine.

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

Great care has been taken over the structural design of the Gallardo Spyder, which of course complies fully with all the relevant safety standards.
The space frame has been reinforced in the area of the sills and the A pillars have been strengthened with the adoption of an automatic Roll Over protection system (comprising two "pop-ups") integrated with the air bag system.
All these solutions, which place Lamborghini at the very forefront of open top car design, were driven by the need to present to the public a true spyder characterised by a pure design.
The new Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder features a number of important modifications to the original engine and transmission from the Coupé.
The 10-cylinder 4961 cc propulsion unit now develops 520 hp (382 kW) at 8,000 rpm.
The six-speed gearbox now has lower ratios (1st gear is 27% lower, 2nd gear is 13%, 3rd / 4th / 5th gears are all 6% lower, while 6th gear is 3.5% lower), which create a more dynamic performance.
And finally, its performance figures: the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder - which complies with EURO 4 homologation standards - reaches a top speed of 314 km/h with the roof up and 307 km/h with the roof down, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds.