A modified Hyundai Santa Fe has become the first passenger vehicle to be driven across Antarctica. Huge, low-pressure tyres were fitted for the journey along with a 250-litre fuel tank and a pre-heater for the cold weather. Celebrating 100 years since legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctic expedition, the team was led by his Great Grandson Patrick Bergel. The unique Hyundai covered 3600 miles of icy terrain, coping with temperatures as low as minus 28-degrees on the epic Polar adventure.
Quirky
VIDEO: SEAT Leon Cupra 300 takes on huskies in ice-race challenge
SEAT’s new flagship Leon Cupra 300 was in Lapland for a fun challenge - to test the brand’s most powerful model to date, against a pack of huskies, in their own back yard. The dogs are perfectly suited to the -5 degree c temperature and can run at up to 25mph while the 300 horsepower Leon Cupra can hit 62mph in 4.9 seconds.. on dry land. The Cupra used its 4Drive function and snow tyres to try and compete with the grip from the snow dogs’ paws in the closely fought battle - which seemed to end honours even.
VIDEO: Jeep launches ‘Desert Hawk’ Renegade on the Dunes
Jeep has launched a new, limited edition ‘Desert Hawk’ Renegade with a dramatic stunt in which top British Sandboarder, Alex Bird, became the first in his sport to be towed by a car in the UK. Bird reached speeds of up to 40mph, as he performed several stunts and jumps, negotiating 90-foot sand banks. Powered by a 170 bhp 2.0-litre diesel, the Renegade tackled the sand dunes with the help of standard-fit all-wheel drive, an 8.7-inch ground clearance and a dedicated ‘Sand Mode’. On sale now the Desert Hawk starts at just under £29k OTR.
VIDEO: Chevrolet builds life-size LEGO Batmobile
Chevrolet has pulled the covers off a life-size LEGO Batmobile to celebrate the release of “The LEGO Batman Movie”. Inspired by the caped crusader’s ‘Speedwagon’ featured in new movie, the special project measures 17-feet long and uses 344,187 individual bricks. Master LEGO Builders started with the tyres, and then built the car from the ground up around 5 separate lower sections. The special Batmobile will now feature in Chevrolet’s latest ad campaign while the new movie is in cinemas now.
VIDEO: PAL-V flying car goes on sale
A new flying car - the PAL-V Liberty - has gone on sale. Powered by two fully certified Rotax airplane engines, when driving, a lowered suspension and tilting cockpit adds to a ‘sports car feel’ says PAL-V. The car can transform into a gyroplane in under 10 minutes, and needs as little as 90m to take off from either a grass or concrete airstrip. Maximum flight speed is 110mph with a 310 mile range. Fully compliant with existing safety regulations on both the ground and in the air, prospective owners will need a license to fly.
VIDEO: OX flat-pack truck launched in London
Global Vehicle Trust has revealed the world’s first ‘flat-pack’ truck - the OX - at London’s Roundhouse. Designed to provide low-cost all-terrain mobility for remote parts of Africa and the developing world, the truck was penned by McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray. The brief called for a lightweight and cost effective way of transporting heavy goods - with high ground clearance and low maintenance. The Ox arrives ‘flat packed’ within its own chassis and can be assembled by a small team with set of included tools. With testing underway, the aim now is to raise further funds to take the project to fruition.
VIDEO: Mercedes unveils new Golf buggy
Mercedes has teamed up with golf cart maker Garia to create a new premium-class Style Edition buggy, featuring many car-like attributes, from double wishbone suspension to disc brakes hiding behind 5-spoke wheels. A handy 10-inch touch screen helps you keep score, and there’s even a fridge under the seat for your champers. Up font a golf ball style grille is joined by LED headlamps while the rear has enough room for two sets of Golf clubs. The electric buggy has a range of up to 50 miles and a top speed of 19 mph, good for getting some decent air off a bunker.
Concept car, Hatchback, Hot Hatch, Luxury, Quirky, Technology
VIDEO: BMW Group reveals futuristic MINI Vision concept
The BMW group has revealed a new ‘MINI Vision Next 100’ concept as part of its centenary celebrations. The Vision concept looks to a future where fully automated car-sharing will be available 24/7. Wrapped in a silver skin, like a blank canvas, the car displays different colour as well as personalised messages. On the inside, a new ‘Cooperizer’ centrally-positioned dial acts like the car’a brain, controlling personalised settings for each driver, and features an ‘Inspire Me’ button which checks downloaded user data for a perfectly personalised driving experience.
Click here for the full story..
Events, Concept car, Motor Show, Quirky
VIDEO: Ferrari California T Handling Speciale drifts in to Goodwood
Ever wondered how Goodwood owner and resident Lord March gets his breakfast? Well, to celebrate Ferrari’s attendance at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed, a California T Handling Speciale - set to be showcased at this year’s Festival in late June - was driven by drift record holder Mauro Calo as he sped around the estate collecting the necessary ingredients for a good fry up. The Handling Speciale package adds a new stiffer suspension and modified gear-shifts for a sportier gear selection.. and it certainly seemed to help drift expert gather his groceries.
Events, Sports car, Quirky, Saloon, Coupe, Classic car
VIDEO: Falken tests its Tyres to the extreme
Falken Tyres enlisted the help of a drift school to put its products through an extreme test. Among the souped-up Japanese imports, one 18-year-old car enthusiast brought along his heavily modified Morris Marina shod with Falken Sincera tyres. Underneath the fading Green paint of the 900kg car lies a Ford Mondeo Zetec engine, Sierra gearbox and uprated suspension. Drift champion and Falken team driver James Deane enjoyed a slide in the old Marina but may just stick with his 750 horsepower Nissan.
VIDEO: Kwik Fit builds giant Her Majesty portrait
Kwik Fit has created a unique portrait of Her Majesty the Queen, made entirely out of car parts. Celebrating the monarch’s 90th birthday, Kwik Fit’s staff and artist David Parfitt used over 800 spares ranging from spark plugs and brake lights in her crown to weaved tyres for her Majesty’s hair. The artwork, which also honoured our Queen’s Second World War training as an Army mechanic in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service, will be on display at Kwik Fit centres up and down the country.
Sports car, Supercar, Motor Sports, Quirky, Events
VIDEO: All-new Ford GT sets ‘Silverstone’ record
The all-new Ford GT supercar was recently sent around a specially designed ‘Silverstone’ circuit.. in London. Loaded on the back of a Clear Idea transport truck, the World Endurance Championship race car completed the slowest lap ever at 2 hours 20 minutes as it admired landmarks on a route that started and finished at Southwark Underground station. The stunt marked the opening of order books for the ultra-high-performance GT as well as celebrating its debut season in the WEC which gets under way this weekend.
Sports car, Supercar, Technology, Quirky
VIDEO: Lamborghini launches Track and Play App
Lamborghini Aventador and Huracán owners can analyse their performance at track days thanks to a new smartphone App. Track and Play is an iOS App that ‘talks’ to the cars control unit using GPS and WiFi. With 56 preloaded tracks, or any created by the driver, Lamborghini says the App can collect and analyse all the telemetric data - recording sector and lap times, all synchronised with on board video footage.. It can’t stop you losing it through the chicane though.
Supercar, Quirky, Motor Sports, Events
VIDEO: Felipe Massa plays Bond villain in Jaguar C-X75
F1 driver Felipe Massa played Bond villain for the day in Mexico, driving a Jaguar C-X75 stunt car from the new film SPECTRE. Jaguar partnered with Williams Advanced Engineering on the production of the C-X75 and as such, both Williams F1 cars will carry the 007 SPECTRE logo at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix. Massa drove the car to celebrate F1's return to Mexico and the Americas Premiere of the new film which heavily features Mexico City in the opening scenes.
SUV, Quirky, Events, Motor Show
VIDEO: Jaguar's new F-Pace loops-the-loop in Frankfurt
Jaguar unveiled its new F-Pace at the Frankfurt motor show with a gravity defying loop-the-loop stunt. Pro driver Terry Grant undertook two months of intensive training to ensure his body was prepared for the 6.5G he experienced when sending the lightweight SUV through the loop. The stunt also broke the Guinness World Record for largest ever ‘loop-the-loop’ in a car, measured on the diameter of the loop at 19.08 metres. A First Edition F-Pace is on sale now, limited in the UK to just 200 units, its priced at £65,275 OTR.
LEGO releases limited edition Ferrari F40
LEGO has released a limited edition Ferrari F40 set. LEGO's designers studied the supercar's 134-page owner's manual in developing the 1,158 pieces for the 1:15 scale model. The model Ferrari features the iconc F40's pop up lights and triple exhaust while the rear hatch and large spoiler can be raised for a closer look at the removable 2.9-litre V8 engine. Available now, the LEGO Ferrari F40 is priced at £69.99.
VIDEO: Italian Police chooses SEAT Leon
SEAT has won the fleet contract to supply new Leon cars to the Italian police force. The special cop-cars feature 22mm thick bullet proof glass while the AK-47 resistant armoured doors were extensively tested along with the shatter-proof windows. The two prototypes - which come fitted with special safety tyres and adapted suspension - had their car chasing capabilities tested to the max by being driven continuously for 30,000km, stopping only to refuel.
Celebrities, Hatchback, Quirky
VIDEO: Kelly Brook stars with Hyundai i20 in short comedy
Hyundai has produced a short comedy sketch promoting its new i20, starring Kelly Brook and comedian Tom Stourton. Showcasing the new i20 hatchback and Coupe, the film is the fifth installment of Hyundai's ‘Honest Series’ and features hapless car salesman, George who this time gets stuck awkwardly in the middle of a bickering couple, acting as counsellor, surrogate child and eventually... lover. Prices for the new i20 start at £10,995 OTR.
VIDEO: New smart 'forrail' on track
smart has created a unique forfour – nicknaming it the ‘forrail’– for a one-off test. smart officials describe the regular fourfour as the 'ultimate commuting machine' but also admit that the train does has the more direct, point-to-point advantage, so in an effort to combine the best of both worlds, the city car was fitted with solid steel 22-inch wheels built specially for the railway track. To avoid any steering movement, supports were welded in place, before the smart forrail successfully ran for 10 miles along the privately operated Bluebell Railway, much to the surprise of local trainspotters!
VIDEO: Google self-driving car tested on the streets of California
Google has confirmed a select few of its prototype self-driving vehicles will leave the test track and hit the roads of California. Safety drivers will be on board despite Google running rigourous tests at its proving ground with each prototype’s speed capped at a neighbourhood-friendly 25mph. The next step aims to see how the community perceives and interacts with the vehicles, as well as testing how the self-driving car deals with unforeseen circumstances such as where to stop if there is a problem with its exact destination.